It didn't take a detective to figure out who the "source" for the magazine article was. After Brittany had gotten over the hurt she felt at reading that quote she knew it was Kate and and didn't feel so hurt anymore. Just annoyed.
When Brittany had shown Quinn the article she had been furious. When they confronted Kate, the actress flat out denied being the source but did give them the old Hollywood saying that there's no such thing as bad publicity.
Now, sitting in Quinn's office, Brittany let out an exasperated sigh. "Can't we just fire her?"
"We're too far in," Quinn said, "Well, no. I guess we could just do reshoots...forget it. As much of a pain as she is, some of producers for the movie love that she's in this."
"I don't get it," Brittany sighed, "What's so great about her?"
Quinn just shrugged. "Anyway, are you all set for your locations shoot tomorrow?"
"Everything's good." Brittany yawned.
"Losing steam already?" Quinn asked with a chuckle.
"Sorry. I was up late," Brittany said stifling another yawn, "It was family dinner night."
"Oh." Quinn put down the papers she was holding and leaned forward on her desk. "Tell me, did Jason and Patrice grill Santana."
"No way," Brittany quickly said, "They loved her. And her whole family. I'm pretty sure my and Santana's parents planned a trip together."
"That's great Britt," Quinn said, "And Santana's parents? Did they have Santana's charming personality?"
"Don't make fun. They were great. Like, the nicest people I've ever met. I mean, don't tell Santana, but it's hard to imagine those two nice, calm people made Santana."
Quinn shook her had and laughed. "I'm really happy for you Brittany."
Brittany felt herself blush a little. Being with Santana was everything she had ever wanted and she still could not believe she was with Santana. She thought back to all those fantasy scenarios she had thought up in her head back in college. Scenarios where Santana would finally notice her and ask her out. Fall in love with her. The reality was a thousand times better than any fantasy. "Thanks Quinn. And, hey, you're doing pretty good in the love department too."
"Maybe." Quinn blushed a bit.
Brittany smiled. Sam and Quinn had been spending a lot of time together and it was turning into something serious. "I'm glad. You deserve it."
Ping
Quinn looked at her laptop. "Oh! Someone's talking about our movie! I set up Google alerts." Quinn opened up her notification.
"You know," Brittany said, "We really need a title for this movie because 'Untitled Project' is starting to sound like it's the name of the movie..." Brittany stopped talking when she saw Quinn's jaw drop. "What?"
"What the hell is this?" Quinn asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"What?" Brittany got up and moved to stand behind Quinn so she could read the screen. When she read the article, her own jaw dropped. There on the screen was a gossip articled about Rachel being extremely difficult on set. "That's not even true!"
Brittany then got to the part that made Quinn's jaw drop. This article wasn't just about Rachel but about how Quinn and Brittany were having a "hot and steamy" romance on set.
Quinn closed her laptop. "I'm going to fucking kill Kate."
Brittany let out a frustrated sigh. "These gossip sites are making this movie sound like a big mess. This is not the buzz we need."
###
Santana took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to find out if she had been voted as the newest member of the ULA English board. Will had told her not to worry, that she was a shoe in but no matter how much everyone kept telling her she was going to get it, she still expected the worst.
"Would you like some water Ms. Lopez." Santana looked up at the Janice, one of the board's official assistants.
"I'm fine, thanks." Santana wanted desperately to call Brittany but now was not the time. Brittany was surely busy with the movie and she would just tell her what she's been saying for days.
"You totally got that spot."
Santana smiled. She honestly didn't know how she had gotten through the last six years without Brittany in her life. Part of her wished they had not lost all that time, but another part was glad for the time because it gave them a chance to grow up. Now they both were established in their lives professionally and knew exactly what they wanted. All that was left was building a life together. Creating a home and a family.
Santana smiled.
"You can go in now Ms. Lopez."
Santana took a deep breath and went inside. The whole board was seated behind a long mahogany table that made Santana feel like she was up for parole or something. It didn't take long. The meeting was short and the news was expected. Santana Lopez was the newest member of the prestigious ULA English board.
As she walked back to her office, she resisted the urge to call Brittany. She wanted to share the exciting news with the most important person in her life, but she also knew that this new position would further cement her place in Los Angeles. If Brittany had to move...
"Ms. Lopez?"
Santana snapped out of her thoughts and brought her attention to one of her students who had suddenly materialized in front of her. "Rebecca." The girl looked scared. Santana smiled. She wanted her students to be scared of her and had made sure she had that reputation.
"So..sorry to b-bother," Rebecca stuttered, "Um..I..w-wanted to talk about my last paper? I mean, if you have time?"
Santana sighed. "Rebecca, you know the drill. Make an appointment online and schedule a meeting."
"I did that!" Rebecca protested then immediately looked like she regretted it, "I mean...I did. A week ago and you still..umm, you still haven't responded."
Santana tried to remember the last time she checked her student appointment page and realized it had been over a week. She was usually pretty good at keeping on top of that but with so much going on, she had forgotten. "Right. Sorry. I'll check your request as soon as I get to my office. I've just been a little side tracked lately."
"Is it cause you're girlfriend is cheating?"
Santana was taken aback by what her student thad just said. "Excuse me?"
Rebecca's eyes went wide. "Oh sorry. You're, uh, you're dating Brittany Pierce right? The director?"
"Yes," Santana said slowly.
"Well, I read on Hollywood Insider that...ummm.."
"That what?" Santana was getting annoyed.
"..that Brittany Pierce was having an affair with her boss. Quinn Fabray."
Santana blinked a few times. "What the fuck is 'Hollywood Insider'?"
"It's a super popular entertainment news site," Rebecca said, "Is that why you're distracted?"
Santana bit her lip to stop her lashing out at her student. She had just been elected to the board and the last thing she needed was getting in trouble for punching a student in the face. "That's just gossip. It's not true. Now, why don't you run along and go make a YouTube video or whatever."
"My appointment?"
"Just go." Santana said, losing her patience, "I'll book something."
Rebecca scurried away and Santana continued to her office. Her first order of business was looking up this dam gossip site.
###
Brittany parked her car next to Santana's in their driveway and sighed. What a fucking day. The stupid gossip article had caused quite a bit of talk around the set, all of wich were put quickly to rest but it was still embarrassing. And of course there was Kate who denied everything yet again but had also been acting very weird. OK, no so much weird as shady. Something was going on. As soon as she wrapped for the day she was out the door in a flash mumbling something about a meeting.
That woman has been nothing but trouble since day one. Brittany got out of her car and pushed any thoughts of work out of her mind and headed inside.
"Santana?" Brittany called out while putting bag on the table by the door.
Santana came out from their bedroom when she heard Brittany call out. "Hi."
Brittany saw Santana come towards her and smiled. She loved coming home to her. No matter how shitty her day was, coming home to Santana always made things better. "Hi."
Santana couldn't stop the smile on her face at seeing Brittany. Her girlfriend had been working insane hours lately and they hadn't had a real chance to spend evenings together. Santana reached Brittany and gave her a kiss. "I ordered pizza."
"Yumm." Brittany captured Santana's lower lip between her own and have it a gentle tug.
"Was that a for me or the pizza?" Santana pulled back and smiled.
"Both." Brittany gave Santana one last kiss and released her. "I'm going to go change into my sweats. You'll never guess what happened today."
Santana watched Brittany disappear into their bedroom. She waited a bit before speaking. "Oh, I think I can. When were you going to tell me you and Quinn were having this torrid love affair on set."
Brittany came running out of the bedroom in just her bra and underwear "Oh God, did you read that? It's not true!" She didn't want Santana believing some gossip site and was scared that she did. But, seeing Santana's smile and following laughter, made Brittany relax.
"Sweetie, I know." Santana went over to Brittany and placed her hand on her waist. "I read that so called article. It's utter bullshit. Kate, I'm assuming?"
Brittany nodded. "She won't admit it but everyone knows it's her PR doing this. I mean, it's great that this movie is being talked about but I hate that it's not about how amazing your story is and instead it's all this gossip crap."
"There's no such thing as bad publicity," Santana said, "Isn't that what they say?"
"I guess." Brittany sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. "I promise you though. The only person I'm having an affair with, is you."
Santana let out a soft chuckle. "It's not an affair when we're in a committed relationship, Britt." Santana moved her right hand from Brittany's hip and caressed toned abs.
Brittany felt a shiver. "Well, true but like, we could act out one of those steamy scenes in one of your stories."
"You've been reading the naughty parts in my stories, Britt?" Santana smirked. The thought of Brittany reading what she wrote was turning her on. Especially knowing Brittan was reading those chapters.
"Maybe." Brittany ran her thumb along Santana's plump lower lip. "If you're not too tired, we could see if we're good actresses."
Santana sucked on Brittany's thumb and gently bit it before letting it go. "Oh, I'm sure I suck at acting but I'd love to try."
Brittany was about to forget the acting and just take Santana right then and there but the doorbell put a stop to that.
"Pizza's here." Santana stepped back and forced herself to calm down. "Go finish changing. I don't want this pizza guy to see you half naked."
"But that could be his tip. Or her tip," Brittany teased.
"Yeah, no." Santana went to get her purse. "I'll give them a good, paper money tip, but no way is this person getting you as a tip."
Brittany let out a soft giggle and disappeared into the bedroom.
Santana paid for the pizza and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Tonight was just going to be a regular movie night. Sure, they could have gone out to dinner or gone dancing, but Santana found that some of the best time she and Brittany had were them just watching TV and lounging on the couch. That's what she wanted and was sure Brittany felt the same.
Brittany went back to the living room dressed in light grey sweats and the ULA sweat shirt Santana had given her all those years ago. Her eyes immediately landed on the big box of pizza and her stomach responded with a low grumble.
"Hungry?" Santana giggled.
"I sort of skipped lunch," Brittany admitted.
Santana shook her head in disapproval. "Sweetie, you have to eat. I don't want a repeat of the paint ball thing. You work too hard and forget to take care of yourself."
"I'm fine." Brittany sat on the couch and reached for a slice and took a big bite. "Fee...Imm mmeig."
Santana shook her head. "I'll go get us some drinks." As she went to the kitchen she couldn't help but worry. Brittany had the tendency to really throw herself into her work and would not sleep and eat causing her to be tired all the time. Then there was the added pressure for this damn movie to do well.
When she came back to the living room two beer bottles in had, she found Brittany changing channels on the TV with one hand and holding her slice in another. Santana placed the bottles on the table and went to sit next to her girlfriend. "Find anything?"
Brittany muted the TV and put the remote down. "Forget TV. I'd rather watch you." She leaned in and gave Santana a quick kiss. "So, tell me!"
"Tell you what?" Santana asked. She knew what Brittany wanted to know but she wanted to tease hr a little.
"'Tana, come on!" Brittany turned her body to the side to fully face Santana. "Don't think I forgot. Today was the big meeting, right? Just tell me you get to be on that chamber of secrets."
"You're a dork," Santana said with a laugh, "But yes. You were right. I'm am officially part of the board now."
Brittany dropped her slice of pizza in the box and quickly moved to hug Santana. "I told you! I knew you'd get it. I'm so proud of you!" Brittany squeezed her tight and was so happy that Santana's career was really taking off.
Santana hugged back and basked in the overwhelming love she felt at hearing Brittany was proud of her. "Thank you."
Brittany pulled back and gave her girlfriend a kiss. "You'll be dean in no time and I'll be your first lady."
"I can't wait." Santana gave Brittany another kiss and reached for her hand. "Sharing this news with you really makes getting the job a thousand times better. I'll be pretty much set at the school and we never have to worry about anything. We can live here, get married, have ourselves some babies and just be happy."
Brittany felt her eyes start to water. The love she felt for this woman was impossible to describe. "That sounds perfect." Brittany placed a hand behind Santana's neck and brought her in for a slow, deep kiss.
Santana let herself get lost in Brittany's kiss. It was so easy. She let herself be pushed back on the couch and let her body be covered by Brittany's. "Honey," she whispered, "As...much as I..." Santana lost her train of thought as she felt Brittany's mouth move to neck and her tongue lick her jugular. "...umm..fuck...sweetie, you need to eat."
Brittany gently sucked at Santana's neck. She was sure she would never get her fill of tasting Santana's skin. It was her drug. "I plan to," she husked into Santana's neck. Brittany's hand moved down to the waistband of Santana's yoga pants and began to pull them down.
"Britt..."
Brittany moved from Santana's neck to look at her. "You told me to eat. That's what I'm going to do."
Santana was sure she almost came. She was beyond turned on, which always happened when Brittany was sucking on her neck. "Why...are you doing this to me?"
"Because I love you and I can't get enough of you." Brittany gave Santana a sly smile and proceeded to move down Santana's body.
Santana wanted nothing more than to have Brittany devour her but she knew that Brittany needed to eat something. Food. She pulled Brittany back up. "Britt, finish your pizza, OK? You probably haven't eaten all day and I need you to fuel up cause I plan on wearing you out later. "
Brittany caressed Santana's cheek. "I love how you take care of me."
"I just want you to be healthy."
"And pizza is healthy?" Brittany asked with a chuckle.
"It's better than an empty stomach," Santana said. She cupped Brittany's face. "I know how you get when you get too involved with your work. You don't sleep, don't eat and it's not good for you."
Brittany felt her chest tighten at hearing how much Santana cared about her well being. "OK. I'll eat the pizza. But then I'm eating you."
Santana groaned. "Ugh, God if you knew how how turned on I am right now. "
Brittany smirked and quickly put her hand inside Santana's pants, under her underwear. She felt Santana's slippery folds in her fingers. "I know." Brittany moaned at feeling just how turned on Santana was.
Santana let out a sharp gap at the sudden sensation of Brittany's fingers. "Br...ittt."
Brittany watched as Santana's face transformed into a beautiful display of pleasure. She began to massage Santana's folds and clit. "Let me... let me see you come and I'll eat my pizza."
Santana lurched forward and moaned. She clutched at Brittany's shoulders. "Ah! Oh fuck...that's not f-fair." She began to buck her hips wanting to feel Brittany's fingers more. Brittany had the longest fingers that were, just magic. She looked at Brittany with hooded eyes and gasped for air. Brittany picked up her pace and when Santana felt two fingers suddenly enter her, she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.
Brittany was sure she could come just by watching Santana. Actually she was sure she could because she actually had. She pumped her fingers in and out and marveled at the beauty under her as Santana withered in pleasure. Pleasure Brittany was causing. Everything about Santana was beautiful. From her moans to her erratic breathing to her tight, soaking folds.
It didn't take long for Santana to come undone. She arched her back and gripped Brittany's shoulders. She let out a final cry and felt herself sink back the couch, bringing Brittany closer, her breathing slowly settling. "Britt..."
Brittany smiled and slowly removed her fingers from inside Santana. She nuzzled her neck and kissed Santana's jaw. "You know I like to have my dessert first. And I told you, you're my favorite dessert."
Santana chuckled, her breathing still a bit heavy. "Well...then I should...get dessert first too."
Brittany lifted her head from Santana's neck. "You totally just did."
"Shut up." Santana gave Brittany a quick kiss. "This is your fault. Now I'm..." She was interrupted by the ringtone on Brittany's phone.
Brittany groaned. "I'm not picking that up. I'm off the clock."
"What if it's an emergency?"
"It's never an emergency." Brittany pushed herself off Santana and sat on the couch.
"What about my dessert?" Santana asked not hiding her disappointment. She sat up as well.
"Later," Brittany smiled, "I promise. But I'm kinda starving for actual food right now."
Santana adjusted her pants and shirt. "You're right. Eat. A lot. You're going to need your strength later."
Brittany picked up her unfinished slice and took another bite. "So, Ms. Big Shot, tell me about being in this chamber."
"Board." Santana reached for a slice, "And it's pretty much the rulers of the English department."
"Oh that sounds like fun. So you get to like decide what happens?"
"Sort of." Santana went on to tell Brittany all about her new position. Sharing this with the person she loved the most was possible better than actually getting the job.
"I'm so proud of you." Brittany, her slice finished, reached for Santana's hand. "You really are the smartest person I've ever met and I'm still shocked you didn't end up with someone..."
"Stop." Santana shifted closer and squeezed Brittany's hand. "I ended up with who I was supposed to end up with. You. I might know a lot about books but I swear Britt, you are smarter than me."
Brittany brought Santana's hand to her lip and kissed it. "Let's just say, we're both super smart."
"Sounds like a plan."
*Ring*
Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm going to turn it off."
Santana got up and went to get Brittany's phone. The screen indicated Brittany had missed two calls from Quinn. "Maybe you should call her back."
Brittany took the phone and put it on vibrate. "She's probably calling to ask what she should wear for her date with Sam. She was trying to decide between green and blue."
Santana smiled and sat back down in her spot. "I'm glad those two worked. You know, Sam's had a thing for Quinn since college."
"No way!" Brittany was actually surprised. "How come he never...oh."
"Right." Santana smiled. "I guess back in college we were just all with the wrong people."
"The universe totally corrected itself," Brittany said. "So happy it did."
"Me too," Santana said softly. She was about to say more when she felt something graze her leg. "Jesus!"
Brittany bent down and picked up Lord Tubbington. "There you are. Were you at your kitty meeting?"
Santana tried not to groan. She had admitted to herself that she didn't hate this cat anymore. She didn't love him either but she liked him well enough. Still though, there were times... "What kitty meeting?"
"He sometimes goes and hangs out with the neighborhood cats." Brittany scratched his ears.
"That can't be good for the neighborhood," Santana mumbled.
Brittany gave her sweet cat one more hug before putting him back down on the floor. Lord Tubbington then walked over to the other end of the living room where one of his beds was located and settled in.
"We really need to put him on a diet, Britt." Santana watched the cat waddle to his bed. A bed that was actually made for a dog, but since this cat was so big, they had to improvise.
"I told you," Brittany said, "He has a thyroid problem."
"I still don't think thats even possible." Santana turned her attention back to Brittany. "So, tell me. How is the movie going? I'm only there like twice a week so I'm wondering what's going on the rest of the time."
"Great, actually," Brittany said, "Kurt is doing an amazing job with costumes and Mercedes already finished the main song for the movie. Oh! She wants us to hear it in a couple of days."
"That's awesome! Kurt already showed me some of his work the other day and it's so good. I can't wait to hear the song Mercedes wrote. "
Brittany grinned at seeing how excited Santana was for this movie. It was such a drastic change from when it had first been announced. "I'm glad you're so supportive of this movie."
"I'm supportive of you," Santana said, "I know I hated this when it first started, but seeing how excited you are and how much work you are putting into this, I can't help but be excited too."
"I..." *Buzzzz* "Fuck!" Brittany picked up her phone and saw that Quinn was once again calling her. She didn't want her evening with Santana to be ruined even more, so she answered, "Green!"
"What?" Quinn asked, confusion in her voice.
"Your date with Sam," Brittany said, annoyed, "Wear green."
"No Britt, that's not why I'm calling," Quinn said.
Brittany now noticed the panic in Quinn's voice. "What's wrong?"
Santana sat up straight at hearing Brittany's question. Maybe this was an emergency. She watched as Brittany's face went from curiosity to utter horror. "Britt? What's wrong?"
Brittany kept listening to Quinn and didn't hear Santana. After what seemed like an eternity Quinn hung up.
"Honey, what is it?" Santana was now really getting worried. "Is it Sam? Did sometime happen to him?"
Brittany swallowed in hopes of getting rid of her suddenly dry throat. "It's...Kate."
"Something happened to Kate?" Santana felt relief that Sam was safe but if something did happen to Kate, it would still be bad. But not as much.
"No she...she dropped out," Brittany said, trying to keep her voice calm, "She dropped out of the movie and because she did...our main financial backer pulled out."
Santana felt her chest tighten. "What does that mean?
"It means that we don't have enough money to finish the movie," Brittany said, feeling tears starting to form, "It means that we'll have to shut it down and I'll have to go to New York."
Santana let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and cursed the day she ever met Kate Dawson.
###
Santana parked her car in her reserved spot in the studio. Today was one of her scheduled days to be on set for rewrites. Last night had not gone as she expected. She had wanted to have a fun dinner with her girlfriend and a night of them just being together and Kate had managed to ruin that. She turned to the passenger's seat and watched Brittany's worried expression intensify. "It's going to be fine. You and Quinn were already looking for replacements for Kate anyway. Didn't you say you had found someone?"
"We did...but...it's not even about losing Kate," Brittany said, "Yes, we were totally getting ready to replace her if we had to, but we didn't think our major producer would back out too. That's huge Santana. We're well into production and with all the gossip articles that have been coming out, it'll be hard to get more people to invest in this project. If we don't finish..."
Santana reached for Brittany's hand to calm her. "Hey, you'll figure this out. I know you will. Between you and Quinn, you'll fix this. I know it."
Brittany took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't want to leave you."
Santana brought Brittany's hand to her lips and gave it a soft kiss. "I don't want you to leave either and that's why I know you'll fix this and keep us together."
"I'll fix it."
They went inside the studio and as expected, the cast and crew seemed to be panicking. Brittany was approached by person after person wanting to know what was going on.
"Guys!" Brittany had to almost yell, "I'm going to talk to Quinn and we'll figure this out, OK? But as of right now, the movie is still on." She felt Santana squeeze her hand. "When I get news, I'll tell you." Brittany spotted Rachel among the crowd. "Rachel, can you come with me please."
Once they were away from the others, Rachel spoke. "Is it true? Are we shutting down?"
"I don't know," Brittany said.
"Surely Kate wasn't that big of a draw to have our main backer drop out. She is just a supporting character and besides, I'm a pretty big draw."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Just stop Rachel. Yes, you're famous. Sort of. Look, just let Britt and Quinn fix this OK? Don't go all drama queen diva."
"I would never!" Rachel seemed offended.
When the three of them got o Quinn's office, they found the young studio head pacing with her phone pressed to her ear. "Well, get her here! Instead of hiding like a damn coward, she needs to come in here and own up to helping ruin the lives of hundreds of people...bullshit! She still needs to sign paperwork and I'm not sending it over. If she wants out of this movie officially, she needs to come back here." Quinn hung up and turned to her visitors. "Hey."
"Was that her agent?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah." Quinn ran a hand through her hair and went to sit behind her desk. "She fucking blind-sided us."
"Wait," Santana said as she also took a seat, "Isn't she under contract or something? Like can't you force her to work? I mean, that's what has you and Brittany tied to Roz and why you can't just leave."
"Yes, she does," Quinn said, "But, unlike Brittany and I who have been under contract for years now, Kate had an opt-out clause that gave her the option to leave within two months of production. Yesterday was the last day."
"Wait," Rachel said, "How come I didn't get an opt-out clause?"
"Not now Barbara!" Santana said, "Anyway, why even give her that option."
"It's part of her standard contract apparently," Quinn said, "She was so into this movie and the idea of possibly getting some sort of nomination that I really didn't think she'd leave on her own."
"Yeah," Brittany chimed in, "We thought we'd have to fire her first."
"So what now?" Rachel asked, "Should I start looking for something else?"
"No!" Quinn protested, "We'll figure something out. We've worked too hard to get this movie up and running."
"How much money do you need?" Santana asked, "I'll be a producer. I mean, I can give back the money I got for the script and you don't have to pay me for doing any rewrites..."
Brittany felt like she wanted to cry at hearing Santana say she'd gladly give up what was due to her. "You're amazing. But..."
"It's not enough," Quinn finished.
Santana sighed. "I thought this was a small independent movie. How much is this thing actually costing?"
"Well," Quinn began, "With production, marketing, festival submissions, payroll...I'd say a good 7 million. We have two million locked, but we were counting on the other five from our main investor to finish it up."
"That's still pretty cheap," Rachel said under her breath.
Brittany's mind was racing. "Maybe Roz can..."
"Tried that already," Quinn said, "She's ready to close this place down and already has a project for us back in New York."
Santana felt that panic in her chest again at the thought of Brittany leaving. "Look, there has to be other Hollywood bigwigs you can call. This town is crawling with wanna be producers with heavy pockets."
"Santana's right," Rachel said, "This movie is amazing and I'm sure once the word gets out, other producers will want in. And count me in as producer to if it helps. I'll give up my pay for my part in exchange for a producer credit. It'd be great to add to my resume."
"Thank you," Quinn said, "Let's just wait and see what we can do first. I'm sure we'll get this sorted out.
Brittany gave Santana a sad smile and hoped Quinn was right.
###
Santana and Rachel were waiting in Brittany's office while Quinn and Brittany waited for Kate and her team in the conference room. Rachel had insisted on being in the meeting but Quinn wouldn't let her. So now, Santana was stuck with Rachel.
"This movie can't shut down." Rachel was pacing back and forth and Santana was pretty close to just pushing her to the couch so she'd stop.
"It won't." Santana sat in Brittany's desk chair. "It can't. I'm not losing Brittany."
Rachel stopped pacing and looked at Santana. "Lose her? Why would you lose her?"
"This studio will get shut down and Brittany will be forced to move back to New York to finish her contract," Santana said, "You know this."
"That I do know." Rachel sat in front of Santana. "But you make it sound like she's going to break up with you and you'll never see her again. Isn't it just two years?"
"Two years is a long time." Santana straightened in her seat. "And I know we're not breaking up, but I just...not seeing her every day for the next two years...it fucking sucks..." Santana stopped talking when she saw Rachel smile. "What's so funny?"
"I've known you for a really long time Santana and I've never seen you care about someone the way you do Brittany. You never talked about what happened back in college but being in this movie, I do now."
"What's your point."
"My point is that you and Brittany were reunited. You were given a second chance and both are you are using that chance. No way a little distance is going to mess up that second chance. You'll be fine."
Santana shook her head with a smile. Sometimes Rachel made sense. "Thank you. You're a good friend."
"Can I get that in writing?" Rachel joked, "Such a declaration from Santana Lopez is a rarity."
"Never," Santana said playfully.
Not a few seconds later, the office door opened and Mercedes and Kurt stormed in. "Is it true?" Both said at once.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Santana asked.
"I called them," Rachel admitted, "They're our friends and I figured they should know what's really going on."
"I knew that bitch was going to ruin this," Mercedes said, her voice dripping with anger.
"What is going on?" Kurt asked again.
Santana motioned to Rachel and let her explain everything. When she was done, Kurt and Mercedes were also willing to give up their pay to fund the movie.
"Let's see what happens in this meeting," Santana said, "But, between all of us, I'm sure we can find another investor."
Everyone nodded and now all they had to do was wait.
###
Brittany and Quinn sat on one side of the large table, while Kate and her team sat on the other. Brittany was reminded of the day Kate had come in to sign up for the movie, now she was quitting.
"So, just like that?" Quinn asked, "You walked around here pretending to be excited to be part of this movie and you up and quit?"
"Ms. Dawson has an opt-out clause," Kate's manager said.
"Well?" Quinn ignored the manager and kept her eyes on the actress.
Kate just shrugged her shoulders. "I changed my mind. I found this set too... detrimental to my career."
"What?" Brittany was totally confused. "What are you talking about."
"I'm a serious actress," Kate said, with an exasperated sigh, "And this movie is nothing but a cheap straight to DVD project. My talents are best used elsewhere."
Brittany saw Quinn clench her fists. "That's amusing coming from someone who made their career doing Lifetime movies."
"Not anymore," Kate said smugly, "I was just offered the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's next movie."
"What?" Brittany didn't even try to hide her surprise. "How?"
"Well, once word got out that I was officially done with TV movies and was serious about a movie career, doors just opened up."
Brittany remembered reading something a few days ago about this movie. It was supposed to be huge and they were still casting but she never thought they'd give the lead to someone like Kate. Then it hit her. Brittany suddenly felt like she was seeing Kate clearly. "You used us."
Kate just smiled.
"What do you mean?" Quinn asked.
"Kate used us," Brittany said, now mad, "Before we cast her, all she could get was low-budget movies or TV because no one wanted to take a chance and give her something serious. But when we cast her, her image started to change. You started getting noticed by the independent movie circuit." Brittany took a breath trying to keep her voice steady. "All those articles you planted, they all made you out to be some serious actress who was stuck on an unprofessional set. A set where the director and studio head were sleeping together, a set where things were falling apart. You made yourself the victim."
Brittany looked at Quinn and saw the realization on her face. "Oh God."
Kate's smug smirk made Brittany even angrier. "As I said, I'm a professional actress and this studio is quite a mess."
"And Markenson?" Quinn asked, "How did you get our main investor to pull out?"
"Jason Markenson decided that it was best to cut his loses here and invest elsewhere."
Quinn let out a bitter laugh. "He's on the Coppola movie now too, isn't her?"
"Well, it is Coppola," Kate said, "You can't fault the man for choosing a Hollywood icon over...well, you two." Kate got up and so did her team. "Well this was fun but I have to go to a real movie studio now. I've signed all I needed to sign. My team will take over from here."
As Kate walked to the door, Brittany stood up. "Wait."
"Yes?"
"If all this was just for your career, then why were you all over Santana?"
The way Kate smiled reminded Brittany of all the Disney villains she had ever seen. "Oh that. That was just me having some fun. I had hoped to break you two up but I guess that didn't work."
Brittany blinked a few times. "So you never wanted Santana back? You were just trying to break us up for fun?"
"Something like that," Kate said, "A little payback for college. I really should go. Tell Santana I said bye."
With that, Kate Dawson was gone.
"Now," Kate's manager said, "Can we finish this up please."
Brittany sat there trying to process what had just happened while Quinn took care of all the paperwork.
###
The next couple of days were spent trying to find the money they needed to complete the movie. Santana, Brittany, Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn had all given up their pay to help finance the movie for another few days but it wasn't enough. Roz had given Quinn and Brittany a week to find an investor to pick up the remaining tab on this movie before she would officially shut it down.
Brittany sat at her office and looked around. Should she start packing things up? Maybe not yet. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in."
"Hey Britt." Mike entered and gave Brittany a sad smile. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Brittany packed up her things and walked out with Mike.
They were on their way to dinner with their friends. Many of who were involved with this movie and looked to be out of a job soon. Mike had also offered to give up his pay.
Everyone was meeting them there, including Santana who would go straight after her first board meeting. Brittany smiled, thinking about how great Santana's career was shaping up. Even with the mess Brittany's own career was right now, knowing Santana was accomplishing everything she was setting out to do made Brittany happy.
"We still have time," Mike said as he parked his car behind the restaurant. Santana had dropped her off at the studio earlier in the day and Mike had offered to drive to dinner.
"Well, Quinn and I have been reaching out to all of our contacts and no one is interested," Brittany said, "Most of the contacts we do have are all from New York and they just don't want to produce something they can't be there to see full time. Roz isn't helping either. She's just waiting for the clock to run out so she can sell everything for parts."
"I'm sorry Brittany," Mike said sadly, "But please know that no one at the studio blames you or Quinn. Everyone knows how hard you tried."
Brittany knew she had tried. She was still trying and knew she was doing the best she possibly could, but that didn't stop the sinking feeling she felt at knowing she failed so many people. "We should go in."
Inside, everyone was already there. Santana had randomly looked up and locked eyes with Brittany and smiled. "Hi sweetie," she said once Brittany was next to her. "I saved you a seat."
Brittany kissed her girlfriend hello and sat down next to her. She looked around the table and saw all her friends and it made her a bit sad. She'd have to leave them soon.
Santana saw the sadness in Brittany's eyes and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "It'll be OK."
Brittany gave Santana a small smile. "We still have time."
"A lot can happen in a short time," Santana assured. She wasn't sure she believed all the encouraging words she was saying, but she would never let Brittany know that.
Brittany and Santana looked across the table at Kurt who had suddenly stood up. "Thank you all for coming. I know everyone has busy lives and it's been hard getting all of us together so this is already a special night. Now there will be no work talk tonight. This is just us having fun."
"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Quinn said with a laugh, Sam by her side.
"Well!" Puck said standing up, "Since we're all here and this isn't some Hollywood thing, Sugar and I have an announcement."
"You're getting a divorce!" Santana shouted and felt Brittany slap her arm.
"She hasn't dumped me yet," Puck said with a wink, "And I doubt she will now."
Sugar got up. "I'm pregnant!"
The whole table erupted in cheers and applause. Tina was the first to hug Sugar followed by Rachel. They were so loud, that they even got the attention of others in the restaurant.
Santana put her mouth near Brittany's ear so she could be heard through the noise. "That's going to be us one day."
Brittany felt her whole body heat up. "Yeah. I can't wait." Brittany turned and brought Santana in for a kiss.
The rest of the night was just spent celebrating Sugar and Puck's new baby and reconnecting with friends.
By the time they got home, Santana and Brittany were exhausted and all they wanted to do was go to bed.
"That was fun." Santana had opted to just wear cotton black shorts and black tank top. She took of her bra in one swift motion and threw it on the floor. "Ah. That's better."
Brittany chuckled. "Do you need me to massage them for you?" She pulled down her side of the covers and got under them. Brittany liked to sleep in her underwear and just a thin t-shirt.
"Maybe." Santana crawled on the bed and got under the covers. She settled herself on top of Brittany, straddling her and gave her a kiss. "Did you have fun tonight?"
Brittany put her arms around Santana and hugged her closer. "Mmm hmm." She kissed Santana again. "We should do that again. All of us, before..."
"Yeah," Santana said softly. She moved down Brittany's body until her head was resting on her chest. "Fucking Kate. I don't think I've ever hated anyone as I do her. I called her, you know."
"You did?" Brittany asked, surprised. "When?"
"The day of her meeting." Santana ran her hand down Brittany's side. "I was ready to curse her out but.."
"What?"
"She didn't pick up." Santana shrugged. "I bet she saw it was me and was too chicken shit to face me. Anyway, if I ever see her again..."
"Don't, Santana." Brittany lightly massaged Santana's head. "Forget her."
Santana sighed. "Forget her." They were silent for a while, before Santana spoke again. "This damn script. I should have just sold it the first time and washed my hands of it and just written you a new movie."
Brittany froze. She felt like Santana had just lit a fuse in her brain and now it was going crazy with ideas. "Another studio wanted this script too."
Santana felt Brittany stiffen under her. She pushed herself up to look at Brittany who now had a gleam in her eyes. "Yeah," she said slowly, "So?"
Brittany smiled. Big. She suddenly sat up causing Santana to stumble back a little. "You said Artie Abrams came to you wanting to buy your script, right?"
Santana climbed completely off Brittany and sat crossed legged beside her. "Yeah, from Dalton Studios or something. Why?" Santana wasn't sure what was happening, but Brittany seemed excited and happy. Santana hadn't seen Brittany smile like that when mentioning the movie in a long time. "What are you thinking Britt?"
"Back then Artie was with Dalton," Brittany began, "He and I met in New York and sort of went out..."
"Whoa!" Santana raised her hand, "Hold up a minute. You dated that nerd?"
Brittany rolled her eyes. "We went out once. But anyway..."
Santana crossed her arms. "Did you sleep with him?" Santana remembered Artie very well and the idea of that skinny nerd with his hands on Britt...Santana mentally shuddered.
"What? No!" Brittany was sort of regretting including that little tidbit of information. "We went out once and it was so boring. We decided to be friends, but we didn't. More like work friends. Now be quiet and let me finish."
Santana huffed She knew she was being silly but she couldn't help it. Why would Brittany even agree to go on a date with Artie. "Fine. Go on."
"When he was at Dalton, he was just mid level with some power but not really," Brittany continued, "But now he's at McKinley Brothers Studios as head of development."
Santana still didn't know what Brittany was talking about. "Britt, you're losing me with all this Hollywood talk."
"If he was interested in your movie back then, he might be interested now!" Brittany was getting more excited as she formed her plan. "Don't you see? If we can get Artie to get his studio to partner up with us, we can double our budget! We can finish this!"
For the first time in a days, Santana felt hope that this movie would get made. "But, he didn't want to make it last time because he said it was too depressing. He wanted to change the ending."
"Let me take care of that, OK?" Brittany practically tackled Santana and threw her on her back on the bed.
Santana let out a surprised squeal but smiled when she saw how happy Brittany seemed to be. "You think his studio will go for it?"
"They'd be stupid not to." Brittany said. She hovered over Santana and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll tell Quinn tomorrow. This is our best shot and I really think it'll work. We'll make this movie, it'll be awesome, the studio won't close...I stay here with you. And we don't have to wait two years to have a baby if we don't want to."
Santana flet her heart literally skip a beat. "You want to have a baby now?"
"Well, not right now, silly," Brittany said, "All I'm saying is that we won't be separated for two years and we can choose to have the cutest baby in the world whenever we want."
Santana felt a tear slide down her cheek. Brittany was talking with such confidence that it made Santana really believe that everything was going to turn out just fine. "Are you sure he'll do this?"
Brittany wiped the tear from Santana's check and kissed her. "Do you trust me?"
Santana could only nod. Of course she did.
"Trust me when I tell you everything will be OK and trust me when I tell you, I love you."
"I never doubted you love me," Santana whispered, "I love you too."
"And trust me when I tell you that you're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life," Brittany said with a smile.
"You promise?" Santana asked, her tone serious.
"I promise."
###
Santana was pacing. She glanced over at Brittany and Quinn who where going over their notes for the meeting. Brittany had told Quinn about Artie first thing the next morning and Quinn had agreed that this would work.
"I can't believe we didn't think of this earlier," Quinn had said and quickly called Artie's office to set up a meeting. Two days later, here they were waiting to met.
Santana stopped pacing and stood in front of Quinn and Brittany. "Do I really have to be here? What if I mess this up?"
Brittany looked up. "Yes you do. He came to you first wanting your script and you're now part of this movie."
"Just let us do all the talking," Quinn added. She looked at the clock on the wall. "Where the hell is Rachel?"
"And why is Rachel involved in this?" Santana asked, still trying to understand that bit of news.
"She's the star," Quinn said, "She'll add the on screen talent element we need."
"If she gets here," Santana said.
Not a few minutes later, Artie's assistant Blaine let them know they could go in. "Right this way. Are you sure I can't get you all something to drink? A snack?"
"Water," Santana simply said and Brittany and Quinn agreed.
"Very well, I'll..."
All four of them turned when they heard the door swing open and one Rachel Berry ran in. "I'm so sorry! I got lost!"
Brittany would have laughed at Rachel's frazzled state if it wasn't for being super nervous. She didn't show it because she didn't want Santana or Quinn to be nervous too. "Just come on."
As soon as they walked in Artie walked to them to greet them. "Brittany! Quinn! It's so nice to see you two again."
Brittany was surprised when Artie hugged them. "Hi Artie. Long time no see."
"Way too long." Artie then moved to Santana. "Santana Lopez. Nice to see you too. I never thought I'd see you again."
"That makes two of us," Santana said and forced a smile.
Artie moved on to Rachel. "And of course I know you Rachel Berry. I'm a big fan."
"You are?" Rachel blushed. Santana rolled her eyes. "That's...thank you."
"Please have a seat."
Everyone took their place and Blaine appeared with waters for everyone.
"OK, so," Artie began, "I've sort of been swamped with stuff and was actually out of the country for a while so I'm kind of out of the loop. I know is that Santana here finally sold her script to New Directions Studios. Did you change the ending?"
"No," Santana said, a bit harshly, "It's still the same script. It's better that way."
Brittany recognized that tone and quickly spoke up before Santana got too annoyed. "It's a great script Artie. You know that because you wanted it. I also know that back then Dalton was into happy ending, cheesy rom-coms and that's why you wanted Santana to change the ending."
"Something like that," Artie said, leaning back in his chair, "I swear that studio makes the same damn movie over and over. But they make money."
"We're trying to make this movie," Quinn jumped in, "We've shot some of it already." She handed Artie a DVD. "These are just some rough scenes but you can see how good it can be. I'm talking Oscar good."
Artie put the DVD on his desk. "I was out of the loop for a bit but I heard what happened. I know about your studio and know this is your last shot at keeping it open."
"So you know why we're here." Quinn said.
"I do," Artie said. He let out a breath, "Look..."
"Before you say anything," Rachel interrupted, "Just watch the scenes we've shot. This is some of the best...no this is the best work I've ever done and that's because this script is the best I've read. Brittany is an amazing director and you'd be nuts to not want to be part of this."
Santana was a bit impressed with Rachel and almost said something to back her up but Brittany beat her to it.
"Look Artie," Brittany said, "I remember you telling me you wanted to make movies that didn't follow the regular boring movie recipe. How many of the movies that you've green lit have gotten critical acclaim?"
Artie shifted in his seat. "Well, none. Not really. They've made money, that they have done."
"This movie," Brittany continued, "Will get acclaim. I promise you that. We want to give you the chance to partner up with us and finish this."
"'The chance'?" Artie repeated, "Or are you all desperate because your major producer bailed?"
"Both," Quinn answered, "I'm not going to bullshit you Artie. Yes, we came to you because we need your studio to finish this, but we also came to you because we know you were the very first one interested in making this movie. You were the first one to see the potential."
"I still won't change the ending," Santana suddenly added but then regretted it when she saw Brittany throw her a warning look. "I'm just saying."
Artie stayed silent for a while before he got up. "Let me see what I can do. I still remember this script and how good it is. Let me talk to some people and I'll let you know."
The women got up and as if on cue, Blaine appeared to escort them out.
"Not to rush you," Brittany said, "But we need an answer by tomorrow afternoon."
"I'll do my best," Artie said, sweetly, "Maybe we can have lunch some time to discuss and catch up?"
Santana narrowed her eyes. Was this nerd hitting on Brittany? She instinctively reached to hold Brittany's hand.
Brittany agreed. She felt Santana's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Remember. Tomorrow."
Once outside in the parking lot everyone seemed to relax a bit.
"I think we got him," Rachel said, enthusiastically.
"What makes you say that?" Santana asked.
"He's a big fan of mine," Rachel said, "Once he sees those scenes we shot, he's totally going to want to see this movie finished."
Quinn, Santana and Brittany simply walked away with a chuckle.
###
Santana watched as the last remaining students in her class left the classroom. She was glad she was at school today because she was sure she couldn't take another day at the studio surrounded by such chaos. Yesterday everyone had been stressed out anticipating Artie's decision and it had not been good for anyone. After the meeting they had gone out to dinner and drinks. When Santana and Brittany got home, Brittany was too wound up to sleep.
Santana had tried to relax her, but Brittany was just too tense and had insisted that Santana go to bed because she had work in the morning. Reluctantly, Santana had gone off to bed alone and left Brittany watching TV. When Santana got up in the early morning, she had found Brittany passed out on their couch with Lord Tubbington snuggled next to her. She didn't have the heart to wake her, so Santana just got ready for work and left a sleeping Brittany.
Now it was almost two in the afternoon and Santana wondered if Artie had decided. Surely if he had Brittany would have called her. Right? She picked up her phone and saw she hadn't gotten any calls or texts during her class. She wanted to call Brittany and find out what was going on because if they indeed needed to stop production, that would mean Brittany could be leaving soon.
She put her face in her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. The thought of not seeing Brittany every day actually hurt her. They had already lost six years and it felt like any time apart was just too much to bare.
"Are you OK?"
Santana snapped her head back surprised. "Brittany!" She immediately got up from behind her desk. "What are you doing here?"
Brittany just smiled and stepped closer until she was able to put her hands on Santana's hips. "Are you OK? Did your class annoy you today?"
"Oh no." Santana lifter her hands to rest of Brittany's shoulders. "I was anxious about the whole Artie decision. Which by the way, what happened? Did he call? And why are you here?"
Brittany put on her best pout. "You're not happy to see me?"
Santana playfully rolled her eyes. "You know I am." She inched closer and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm just surprised. Shouldn't you be at the studio? Did Artie call?"
"He did." Brittany brushed a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. "He talked to the other studio people and told them about our movie."
"And?" Santana studied Brittany's face for any clue of what the decision had been. Brittany just looked at her with such a loving expression she almost forgot about the movie.
Brittany caressed Santana's cheek and wished they were home on their couch or in bed so she could just admire Santana all she wanted. "I love you. So much."
"He said no, didn't he?" Santana felt dread creep inside of her. "Britt?"
Brittany smiled and leaned in and kissed Santana, slowly. She kissed her knowing that she would be kissing her everyday, just like this. "He said yes." Brittany breathed into Santana's mouth.
"What?" Santana stepped back a bit to look at Brittany. "He...he said yes?"
"Yup." Brittany let her smile grow bigger. "Artie said his studio is willing to finance the rest and the marketing. And Artie said that there was a mention of McKinley Brothers buying off our studio. Apparently, they've been thinking of branching out and setting up a division that focuses on independent, smaller movies."
Santana felt like she had just won the lottery. "So...you're staying?"
"I'm staying."
Santana flung herself at Santana and hugged her tight. "You're staying." She felt Brittany lift her and spin her around. "You're staying!"
Brittany put Santana down and kissed her again. "We'll get to finish the movie and save the studio. And we'll get to stay together, like I told you we would."
"You fixed it," Santana said through unshed tears.
"I told you I would." Brittany hugged Santana tighter and just held her knowing everything was going to be fine. After a few moments, Brittany pulled back to look at Santana. "You know, now that I'm not going anywhere, I think it's time we totally did that whole teacher-student-role playing thing. Maybe I get a bad grade and you keep me after class."
Santana let out a chuckle. "I'm not even going to deny it, but that scenario has crossed my mind a few times. But we can't do that now. I have another class coming in 30 minutes."
"Fine," Brittany said exaggerating her disappointment, "But we should totally plan this for later."
"Totally." Santana got serious for a bit. "Listen, once this movie is finished, maybe... I mean, I'd like to talk about our...us starting a family."
"Babies?" Brittany asked with a smile. Every time she thought about having a baby with Santana she felt incredibly happy.
"Yeah, babies." Santana loved seeing Brittany's smile. "I never thought about kids. I honestly never even thought I'd have any... but with you...you make me want a family. The whole mini-van-soccer-mom crap I've always made fun of."
"Umm, I pictured our kids playing baseball, not soccer," Brittany teased.
"Fine, baseball," Santana laughed, "You know what I mean."
"I know," Brittany said softly, "I love you and I want 10 kids with you."
"Whoa, let's just start with one OK?"
"OK." Brittany brought Santana in for a long slow kiss. When she heard her phone ring she pulled back. "That's probably Quinn. I have to go back to the studio. I just wanted to tell you the news in person."
"I'm glad you did," Santana said. She forced herself to pull away. "I should start prepping form my next class."
"And I need to go and finish this movie."
"I'll see you at home?" Santana sighed.
"Yeah. Home." Brittany gave Santana a wave and left the classroom leaving a smiling Santana.
"Home." Santana repeated.
...
A/N: First, I'm so sorry I took this long to update the final chapter. Life, work and family just got insane. There's still an epilogue left and it won't be this long before I post it.
You guys have been awesome and thank you so much for sticking with the story. And special thanks to those who took the time to comment and PM me.