After performing, Santana took a few minutes to herself in her green room, allowing her glam team to touch up her makeup and hair, while Emily watched her carefully to make sure she was emotionally okay to finish her interview.
"30 seconds." A stagehand knocked on the door.
Santana nodded to Emily, knowing her assistant was questioning her tears earlier, letting her know she was fine. The Latina stood up and smoothed out her fitted dark purple dress as she smiled around the room. "Round two." She winked at Emily before walking out of the room and quickly down the hall to take her seat on the stage.
"So Santana, can we expect that song to be on your new album?" Oprah asked.
"I honestly don't know." Santana shrugged. "I'm still recording and writing, trying to get the perfect vibe for my album, which will be my last."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Oprah's jaw dropping in shock. "Are you announcing your retirement?"
Santana nodded. "I think so." She laughed softly when the audience began to boo and protest. "It's not a complete retirement where I'll disappear out of the spotlight, so don't worry about that." She assured her fans. "Brittany and I have talked about my retirement from music and I, no we, both decided after my next album is a great time to retire. I've been doing more acting lately, so I want to be able to focus more on that part of my career."
"Is acting more of a passion for you?" Oprah asked.
Santana thought for a few minutes before answering. "I think at this point in my life it is, music will always be my first love career wise, but acting has always been a big part of me as well, I did plays in high school, and when I moved to LA my acting career took off long before my music career did. I love singing and that will never change, but right now I think acting is my calling."
"We've been seeing you do more and more acting in the past years, how does your family feel about the slight career move?" Oprah smiled.
"It's crazy because aside from Noah, who's my manager, my kids don't really have an opinion on Brittany's and mine career." She shrugged. "We are just mom and momma to them." She laughed. "I think Carter might prefer me as a singer, it allows me to be home more. Acting does have me on location sometimes, but I don't have to tour like when I sing, which can take me away from the house for a while. So each has its pros and cons I suppose."
"You and Brittany have been married for so long, and Brittany does a lot of choreographing for you, you hear some many horror stories of couples that work together, do you two have that issue?" Oprah then asked.
Santana shifted in her seat and crossed her legs. "No, one of the great things about Brittany as a choreographer is that we are able to separate work and our marriage completely. When we are in rehearsal or on a tour, she's my choreographer when we step into an arena, stadium, or rehearsal studio. She's knows how passionate I am about my music, and I know how passionate she is about dancing, so it's magic when we work together. We also aren't like also working together either, so we aren't in each other's space for too, too long." She laughed.
"Now, you did an interview a while ago where you were asked if you pay Brittany for choreographing for you, and you answered, yes." Oprah then asked, Santana nodding in agreement.
"I absolutely pay Brittany, while I'm blessed and lucky enough to be married to one of the best choreographers ever, I still maintain that level of respect for her craft. Brittany writes the treatments for a lot of my videos and she puts together my tours, as well as my smaller stage performances, she deserves to be compensated for her work, just like I would pay anyone else. When I first put out my debut album, Brittany did the treatment for my first single Love and War and she did my stage performances, I asked her what I owed her and she refused to accept money, so we ended up in a big argument, that I won." Santana laughed. "From there I put Brittany on a payroll with me."
"So you roll over in bed and hand her a check?" Oprah teased, causing Santana to blush.
"No," she shook her head. "It's all done super official and professional. My team sends a check to her team, Brit and I are very professional when it comes to things like this."
"Well, thank you as always for taking the time to come and talk to us, and I'll be looking forward to your album." Oprah smiled as she led the audience in applause.
"My pleasure." Santana nodded.
As Santana left the studio she saw a number of fans waiting for her to the side so she acknowledged them with a smile before walking over and signing autographs while taking pictures. She then waited for her security to pull her car up for her. She gave Emily the remainder of the day off and drove straight to Hotel Bel-Air and up to the room she had Emily book for her before her afternoon.
Hannah hugged her sister tightly before leaning back and wiping more tears from Brittany's eyes. "What's going on?" She asked. "You're over here crying, Santana just sang what sounds like a break up song on national TV. What did I miss?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Hannah." Brittany shook her head.
"Too bad." Hannah replied quickly. "Brittany, what's going on?"
"I think Santana left me, she wants to separate for while." Brittany sniffled, wiping her eyes harshly.
Hannah frowned. "Why?"
Brittany turned and laid down on the couch, away from her sister. "I just want to take a nap."
"Brittany..."
"Hannah, please."
Hannah sighed and stood up, she grabbed a blanket and tossed it on Brittany before leaning down and kissing her sister on the cheek. "I need to go pick up JJ and Aubrey from school, will you be here when I get back?"
Brittany nodded that she would, staring at her sister, who was watching her carefully.
"Are things really bad between you and Santana right now?" Hannah asked. "Just answer a yes or no."
"Yes." Brittany sighed.
Hannah nodded before squeezing Brittany's hand, and leaving the house. Brittany waited until she heard the door close and Hannah start her car and drive off before turning to face the back of the couch and hiding her face in her arm as she started to cry again.
7pm
Carter walked in the house after basketball practice and tossed his bag in the family room before quickly slipping his shoes off, he lifted his right shoe and smelled it just as Mackenzie walked in the room and rolled her eyes.
"You are so disgusting." She snapped at him.
"What, I'm smelling my own shoe, how is that bothering you?" Carter asked her, setting the shoe down.
"Did you bring home dinner?" Mackenzie then asked, sitting next to him on the couch. "Mommy and momma aren't home, so there's nothing to eat."
"Where are they?" Carter asked.
Ashton walked in the room and shrugged. "I think they are working late, mom had that Oprah interview and momma...maybe she's at her studio."
"So who's cooking?" Carter asked. "I have a game tomorrow, so I need pasta."
"So then make some pasta." Mackenzie shrugged.
"You make it." Carter snapped.
"Why?"
"Because I'm older than you and I said so."
"Yeah, and I'm older than you." Ashton laughed. "So you cook dinner."
"No." Carter sat back, folding his arms across his chest.
"You are such a big baby." Mackenzie groaned. "Grow up."
"Are you on your period?!" Carter asked. "You are being so bitchy."
"Don't call me a bitch!" Mackenzie snapped, tears in her eyes.
"I didn't." Carter sat up quickly.
"It's like you two are kids again." Ashton groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I'll cook some pasta."
"I'll cook." Mrs. Pierce sighed as she walked in and greeted each of her grandkids with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Your moms aren't home?"
"No, they're probably working tonight, Grammy." Ashton explained. "I know mom had an interview with Oprah."
"Okay, well I stopped by to talk to Brittany about something, but I can cook dinner for you three, Carter what kind of pasta do you want, honey?" Mrs. Pierce asked, setting her purse on the couch.
"Carter called me a bitch!" Mackenzie sniffled, standing up and running into Mrs. Pierce's arms, hiding her face as she sniffled.
"I did not!" Carter defended himself. "I said she was bitchy."
"Do your mothers let you swear in front of them?" Mrs. Pierce asked, looking at her grandchildren, they all shook their heads no in reply. "I would like the same respect." She sighed as she rubbed Mackenzie's back. "Carter, do not use that word when describing a woman, or her attitude, or demeanor or whatever."
"Sorry, Grammy." Carter sighed.
"Mackenzie clean yourself up in the bathroom, and relax yourself." Mrs. Pierce then instructed. "Ashton check the fridge to see if you all have everything I need for dinner. Carter take your shoes and bag to your room."
Once the three of them left the family room, Cinderella chasing Mackenzie up the stairs, Mrs. Pierce sat down and called Brittany, she got her voicemail so she left her a message, she then called Santana, and got her voicemail as well; to which she left a message. She then went to join Ashton in the kitchen, where he was rummaging through the fridge.
"Stuffed shells?" He asked with a big smile.
"I know that's your favorite, so absolutely." Mrs. Pierce smiled. "Are you helping me? I would love to talk to you and have some company."
"Sure, Grammy." Ashton nodded as he washed his hands. "Everything okay?"
"Everything is find dear." She replied. "I just like to have some one on one time with you, and you are the grandchild I see the least." She raised an eyebrow at him as she washed her hands. "Carter comes over all the time, so do Mackenzie, and Noah and Madison bring over my great grandbabies. I see Hannah's kids all the time since I watch them after school, but I don't see my Dr. Ashton Daniel Lopez-Pierce, nearly enough."
"Sorry Grammy, I've just been busy with school, and Noey, but that's no excuse." Ashton sighed. "I promise to come over your house more and spend time with you, how about I take you to lunch tomorrow? I have a three hour break in between classes."
"I would love that." Mrs. Pierce blushed. "So how are things going in school?"
"Good." Ashton nodded as he opened a package of ground Italian sausage and emptied it into a skitter, he glanced at his grandmother, who was dicing an onion and smiled. "Thanks for sending me the words every day like Pop Pop used to."
Mrs. Pierce looked up at him. "You're welcome, he would be so proud of you, all of you kids. He loved that you two would bond over something as simple as words."
"Is it hard without him?" Ashton asked. "Does life seem harder without him?"
Mrs. Pierce set the knife down and licked her lips slowly. "It was at first, I wasn't used to living alone, to only cooking dinner for myself, to getting in bed alone, not getting a goodnight hug or kiss, not waking up and talking to him over a cup of coffee, planning surprises for you grandkids alone, but I got used to it, with your moms help, with Hannah's help, with the love of all of my grandbabies. I think about it a lot, he was my best friend, but I know that things happen for a reason, I enjoyed my time with him while he was here."
Ashton placed his hand on her back as she wiped a tear.
"Why do you ask?" She then asked, going back to dicing her onion, before moving on to dicing a green pepper.
"I worry about my moms sometimes, with momma so sick and her lupus being terminal, I just wonder how mom will be if she were to die." Ashton shrugged.
"Is Brittany sick?" Mrs. Pierce asked quickly.
"No Grammy, she's okay, I just think about it sometimes. They are like the ultimate best friends, and I think mom would die from a broken heart." Ashton added, looking up at his grandmother, tears filling his eyes. "I just get scared for the both of them. Mom was so broken after momma got sick in London, and she lived through that, so imagine if..."
Mrs. Pierce set down the knife and hugged Ashton. "Let's not think about that. I know it's hard not to, but as long as Brittany is healthy and in a good place, then we should be too. And if something were to happen to her then we would rally around Santana, just like in London, your mom would be okay with all the love she would get from you four."
Ashton sighed and exhaled deeply. "Okay, thanks Grammy, momma was so lucky to have you growing up, you're pretty awesome."
"Best compliment ever." She laughed. "Now, I'm going to show you my special seasoning for my stuffed shells."
Santana sat on the floor in the living room portion of her hotel suite, her back against the couch. She had a bottle of wine to the side of her her, an ashtray on the other side with two half smoked cigarette butts in it. She had music playing lowly from her iPad, which was covered in a pile of tissue. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her glass of wine as she exhaled deeply and stared at the glass.
"My parents are probably so fuckin disappointed in me." She groaned. "Divorce is just not something we do in our family." She looked at her phone when it lit up and saw it was Hannah calling her, she shook her head and ignored the call instead. "I just need some time to think."
When Santana got to her hotel after the interview she immediately stripped down and sat on the bed in her just her bra and panties. She felt hot and clammy, and needed to get her clothes off immediately. Once the cool air hit her body she exhaled deeply before getting in the shower, she then soaked in a hot bath, replaying her recent arguments and conversations with Brittany in her head. After that she wrapped herself in a thick robe and ordered a bottle of wine from room service.
"I love Brittany, but..." She shook her head as her cell phone rang again, she saw it was Mercedes and answered.
Hey Cedes
Why are you at a hotel?
Who told you I was at a hotel?
TMZ's twitter account, I saw your performance today and now you're at a hotel, the internet is buzzing.
What do you want Cedes? Santana groaned as she took another sip of her wine.
What's your room number, I'm in the lobby.
2653
Santana stood up and quickly got dressed into a pair of sweats and a tshirt she had the front desk send up with her bottle of wine, a few minutes later there was a knock on the door, when she opened the door she saw Mercedes standing with a bag, she brushed past the Latina and sat down on the couch. She sniffed Santana's glass of wine to see what kind of wine it was before taking a sip.
"I'm assuming your glass is safe, since you and B have been fighting, so you two haven't had sex." Mercedes teased.
Santana glared at her before rolling her eyes. "No I haven't had sex with my wife, but that doesn't give you a pass to drink out of my glass. I really want to be alone right now, so..."
"Too bad." Mercedes shrugged, she reached in the bag and handed Santana a styrofoam plate. "I brought you dinner."
"How do you know I didn't eat?"
"I know you, when you're pissed or upset, you drink and smoke, and food is long forgotten." Mercedes reminded her. "I cooked, there are ribs, greens, mac n cheese, and cornbread in there."
Santana's eyes lit up as she grabbed the fork and began to eat quickly, Mercedes watching her closely.
"You didn't leave Brittany did you?" Mercedes asked.
"No." Santana shook her head. "I just need some space right now, we had a counseling session set up for today, and she didn't even show up, that was kind of a last straw for me."
"How do you know nothing happened to her?" Mercedes asked, "and that's why she didn't make it."
Santana wiped her mouth and licked the back of her fork. "She sent a text saying she wasn't coming thirty minues after the damn appointment started."
Mercedes stared at her. "And the song?"
"Noah wrote the song and arranged it a few weeks ago." Santana explained in between bites of food. "No wonder Zach married you, you can burn in the kitchen."
"I know." Mercedes laughed. "Who cares if Noah wrote the song, does Brittany know that? And with what you two are going through right now that song was a bad idea."
Santana ignored her and continued to eat.
"Ignore me all you want, but you know that the message you sent today to not only Brittany, who watches all of your interviews anyways, was a shitty one." Mercedes told her. "I need to get to a studio session with Noah."
"Don't tell him anything." Santana said quickly.
"Your marriage is your business, you know me better than that." Mercedes told her, she stood up and grabbed her purse. "I really hope you go home and talk to Brittany tonight, staying here, which I think you are going to, would be a bad move."
"Thanks for dinner, Cedes." Santana replied.
Mercedes nodded, "call me if you need me." She added before leaving the room.
Santana set her plate down and sighed. "I don't need you, I need my wife back." She groaned before she held her head in her hands. "I need Brit back."
"Aunt B, can you cut it?" JJ asked, staring at the grilled cheese sandwich Brittany set in front of him.
"Of course, JJ, give me one second, honey." She nodded with a smile as she set sandwiches in front of Aubrey and Danielle. "Let me get your soup, then I'll cut it for you."
"Okay." JJ nodded as Danielle reached over and tucked a napkin in his shirt.
Brittany set bowls of tomato soup in front of her nieces and nephew, she then cut JJ's sandwich diagonally and pushed him closer to the table.
"T-thank Aunt B." Aubrey smiled as Brittany cut her crust off for her.
"You're welcome, Bree." Brittany kissed her on the forehead and sat down at the table herself. Hannah had a meeting that night so Brittany was watching her kids for her, which she did happily since she didn't want to go home and face Santana.
"Is Aunt S-Sanny coming to p-play?" Aubrey asked with a big smile. "S-she said w-w-w-we could color."
Brittany sat down with her own grilled cheese sandwich and shook her head at her niece. "Not tonight Bree, but you know your Aunt Sanny won't break her promise to you, right?"
Aubrey nodded. "I know." She lifted her sandwich and took a big bite, still smiling at Brittany.
"So how is school?" Brittany asked her nieces and nephew. "Learning lots of cool things."
"We have art." JJ told her excitedly. "My mommy has them in my room, I'll show you later Aunt B."
Brittany smiled happily. "I can't wait to see them, honey, I bet they are awesome."
"I draw like Carter." JJ told her while picking up his sandwich again.
Brittany smiled, knowing Carter has been working on drawing techniques and skill sets with him. JJ showed an interest in drawing very early and when Carter noticed he began drawing with him and helping push along his interest and talent. Carter often came over to Hannah's house and would spend hours drawing with JJ, and would lightly sketch different things for JJ to trace.
"So cool that Carter comes over and draws with you." Brittany agreed. "What about you Danielle?"
Danielle took a sip of her milk and looked up. "Mackenzie is helping me with ballet, I keep messing up on a move so she's working with me on it."
"What about the instructor at Fierce Pierce?" Brittany frowned. "Are they helping you?" One thing she stressed to all of her staff was that they always help a student if and when they were struggling.
"Yes Aunt B." Danielle quickly confirmed. "The instructor helps, but Mackey was in the class that day and noticed so she started to help me."
Brittany nodded that she understood before turning to Aubrey. "And you Miss Bree?"
Aubrey wiped her mouth and blushed, bright red creeping up her neck, still as shy as ever when the focus of the room when was on her. "School is g-g-g-good." She said softly.
"Yeah, learning lots of stuff?" Brittany asked, encouraging her to keep talking.
Aubrey nodded quickly. "We learned the states, and I live in California, the big, long state on the map."
"Whoa, you are sooooo smart." Brittany praised her, giving her a high five. "How about after we eat, you can show me California on the big map, and JJ can show me his awesome pictures, and I'm going to help Danielle with her ballet moves."
"Whoa." Aubrey exhaled with a big smile. "You don't have to go home?"
Brittany shook her head quickly. "No."
Danielle stared at her before shrugging and continuing to eat.
Midnight
Santana laid in the middle of the hotel bed and stared at the ceiling, she exhaled deeply as a few hot tears streamed down her face. She picked up her cell phone and debated calling Brittany but shook her head instead and tossed the phone back on the bed. She closed her eyes when the phone vibrated and rang, startling her. She saw it was Mackenzie and cleared her throat before answering.
Hey Mack, what's up honey? It's after midnight, you should be asleep.
Where are you? Momma's not home either.
Santana frowned, not expecting to hear that Brittany wasn't home. We are both working pretty late, I should have called and told you, sorry about that. We'll be home late, so don't wait up for us, okay?
Okay, good night.
Good night, sweetheart. I love you so much.
Love you too, mommy. Good night.
Santana hung up her phone and called Mercedes.
Did you kill someone?
What the fuck, Cedes? Why would you ask me that? Santana snapped as she sat up.
I like to check, what's up? It's after midnight.
Mackenzie just asked asking why Brit and I aren't home, I told her we were working late, but I haven't talked to Brittany at all, do you think something happened to her? Santana asked worriedly.
She's at Hannah's house I'm assuming. Mercedes yawned.
What makes you say that?
The three videos she loaded to her Instagram with Danielle, Aubrey, and JJ.
Oh... Santana sighed. Is it weird that I'm super worried about Brit, but I don't want to talk to her because I'm mad at her?
No, you're in love. Santana, I'm not going to pretend to know what is going on with you, but what I do know is Brittany is the ultimate love of your life, and has been since we were sixteen years old. So you being worried about her is not weird, not even close to being weird. At the end of the day, she's still your wife.
Thanks Cedes.
Are you really not going home?
No...I need to stay here tonight.
Alright babe...call me if you need me. I'll leave my cell on for you.
Thanks.
Santana hung up the phone and laid back down, she jumped up quickly and kneeled on the side of the head, clasping her hands together she began to pray.
Hannah walked downstairs to grab a bottle of water and saw Brittany still awake on the couch in the family room, she had her knees pulled up to her chest as she looked out the window. She got closer to her sister and sat behind her on the couch, resting her head on Brittany's back.
Brittany felt her sister's presence and laughed softly. "We haven't sat like this since we were kids."
"The night you got in trouble for sneaking out of the house." Hannah recalled.
"Santana texted me and told me she needed my help." Brittany shrugged. "I had to go help her."
"You were twelve and left the house after midnight, and it turns out Santana only had a splinter." Hannah laughed loudly.
Brittany nodded and laughed. "It took me literally a few seconds to get it out for her, but no matter how big or small her pain is, or her issue...I go running. She's not just my wife, she's my best friend."
Hannah hummed in agreement before she sat. "After you got the lecture of your life from dad about riding your back that late at night he asked you your technique."
Brittany chuckled. "Only after dinner, before that I sat in my room for hours, I didn't even care about not being able to ride my bike for two weeks, and not being able to watch TV, I was just upset I couldn't hang out with Santana. I remember sitting in my window seat and you came in and sat just like this, resting your head on my back, and we talked until dinner."
"I've always had your back." Hannah reminded Brittany. "It's getting late, don't you want to get going?"
"I was hoping I could stay here tonight." Brittany told her, finally turning to face her. "Do you mind?"
Hannah stood up and shook her head. "Of course not. Come up to my room, the guest room is a mess right now."
Brittany nodded and followed Hannah upstairs, she accepted the sweats and t-shirt Hannah gave her and quickly changed before lying in bed with her sister. "Do you want to call Santana? To let her know you're safe at least?"
Brittany shook her head and closed her eyes. "I think about daddy everyday, Han." She said suddenly. "Every day."
Hannah opened her eyes and stared at her sister, she wiped the tear from Brittany's eye and kissed her sister on the cheek. "Daddy is proud of you, Brit, you don't have to worry about it. He's so proud of you."
Brittany nodded before opening her eyes and locking them with Hannah's. "Good night."
"Good night." Hannah replied with a slight smile as Brittany closed her eyes again and wiggled to get comfortable.
6am
Santana walked into her house and went to let Cinderella, who was waiting for her at the door when she heard the garage, out into the yard. After giving her a bowl of fresh water she filled her food bowl and began to pull out sausage and eggs to make breakfast for her kids. She hummed quietly to herself as she cooked, glancing at her phone periodically to see if Brittany called or texted her, getting more agitated with each time she checked and didn't see her wife's name on her phone.
30 minutes later Mackenzie came in the kitchen and hugged her mother immediately with a big smile. "Good morning, mommy."
"Morning, baby." Santana winked at her, kissing her on the forehead. "You look nice."
"Bronson loves red." Mackenzie blushed, looked down at her skinny jeans, brown Uggs, and sheer long sleeve red shirt, a tan camisole underneath.
Santana raised an eyebrow at her as she fixed a plate for her and handed it to her daughter. "So what's going on with you and Bronson?"
Mackenzie carried her plate to the table and sat down. "I really like him mommy."
"Hmmmm, are you two a couple?" Santana asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee and leaning on the counter, narrowing her eyes at he daughter. "Because you aren't allowed to date yet, Mackenzie."
Mackenzie looked up quickly at her mother. "Really?"
"Yes, your mother and I didn't give you permission to date, you're too young for that, honey." Santana nodded.
"Oh..." Mackenzie mumbled under her breath. "Well, we aren't dating, we just hang out at school mainly."
"Mmmmhmmm." Santana looked over her mug at her daughter. "Well, if you want to maybe have him come over on a Saturday afternoon to hang out in the bowling alley or out on the tennis court or something, I'll talk to Brit about that."
"Cool!" Mackenzie smiled happily as Carter and Ashton both came in the kitchen.
"Morning mom." Ashton smiled, kissing Santana on the cheek, as Carter high fived her.
"Eat up." Santana told them, glancing at her kids. "I'm working pretty late tonight at Lopez Lovez, so if you need me call my cell."
"I have a big game tomorrow." Carter said stuffing a huge chunk of pancake in his mouth. "You and momma are coming, right?"
Santana nodded. "Of course, C, we wouldn't miss it. Our schedules are both clear."
"Where's momma?" Ashton asked, pouring syrup on his pancake as he took a sip of his coffee, popping Carter's hand, as his little brother reached for a sausage on his plate.
"She's ummm." Santana began to stutter, knowing Brittany wasn't home, since she didn't she her car in the driveway.
"She's at work." Mackenzie explained. "She called me this morning."
"Yeah, she texted me too." Carter nodded.
Ashton pulled out his phone. "Oh, she texted me too." He laughed. "I gotta remember to turn my ringer on when I wake up."
Santana sighed in relief that she didn't have to try to think of a story to cover for the big argument between them. "Alright, let's get to school, guys."
Twenty minutes later Santana was cleaning up the kitchen when she began to cry, she quickly pulled herself together and ran upstairs to her bathroom, where she took a long hot shower before getting dressed and heading to Lopez Lovez to do a little work.
"Coming to the stage with the first single from his upcoming album Heir to the Throne, here's Noah Lopez-Pierce with his new single, "Dark Times."
The lights rose on Noah, who was wearing dark denim jeans, a white collared shirt rolled up to his elbows, brown loafers, and a red fedora hat. He hummed into the microphone as a slow guitar melody coupled with a hit hat began to play before he started to sing. The women in the audience going crazy.
Waking up, half past five
Blood on pillow, one bruised eye
Drunk too much, you know what I'm like
But you should've seen the other guy
Noah waved to the audience as he sang a little harder, starting to really feel the song.
This ain't the right time for you to fall in love with me
Well baby I'm just being honest
And I know my lies could not make you believe
We're running in circles that's why
Noah worked the stage like a pro as the audience clapped and swayed the to the song, encouraging the audience to clap with him and catch the beat of the song.
In my dark time I'll be going back to the street
Promising everything I do not mean
In my dark time, baby this is all I could be
And only my mother can love me for me
In my dark time, in my dark time
After a short guitar solo, a spotlight pointed to the side of the stage where Santana walked out and began to sing, winking to the crowd as they jumped to their feet and cheered loudly. Noah bowed to his mother out of respect when she got closer and kissed her on the cheek. The Latina was wearing black ripped jeans, a fitted black rocker tshirt, with a black leather jacket on over. She paired the outfit with 6 inch stiletto pumps, and had her hair pulled in a tight pony tail, her diamond wedding ring shining brightly under the lights.
Light one up, let me bum a smoke
Still coming down, dripping throat
I got another man's blood on my clothes
But it ain't his fault, it's the life I chose
Santana worked the crowd, bending down to touch their hands before finally standing center stage, Noah at her side, feeling the music and nodding his head to the beat.
This ain't the right time for you to fall in love with me
My baby I'm just being honest
And I know my lies can never make you believe
Running in circles, that's why
Santana winked at her son and began to sing the chorus, her voice cracking but unknown to the audience since it seemed to fit the grit of the song and blended in well.
In my dark times, I'll be going back to these streets
Promising everything I do not mean
In my dark times, baby this is all I could be
Only my mother could love me for me
In my dark times, in my dark times
Noah and Santana then began to sing the bridge together alternating bars, while smiling at each other.
In my dark times I've still got some problems I know
Driving too fast but just moving too slow
And I've got something I've been trying to let go of
Pulling me back every time
Noah then sang the ending of the song, Santana only singing adlibs to let her son really shine on his song.
In my dark time, taking it back to the street
Making those promises that I could not keep
In my dark time, baby this is all I could be
Only my mother could love me for me
In my dark time, taking it down to the street
Making those promises that I would never keep
In my dark time, this is all I could be
Only my mother could love me for me
In my dark times, in my dark time
In my dark times
When the song finished they bowed together as the audience continued to scream and cheer. Noah picked up Santana and spun her around with a big smile, before setting her down and kissing her on the cheek again.
Jesse, the host of The Jesse Johnson Show, clapped while walking on the stage and greeting Santana and Noah each with a hug and kiss to the cheek. "Definitely didn't expect to see Santana Lopez here today, that was an amazing performance, I love the song."
"Thank you." Noah nodded in appreciation.
"So, how did this set up happen?" Jesse asked Noah, nodding to Santana.
"Well, I can definitely say it wasn't easy to book her." Noah teased. "I sent over close to ten different songs, asking her to feature on and I kept getting turned down." He laughed, as Santana shrugged and nodded with a smile. "So when I sent Dark Times over to her and she texted me literally ten minutes later saying she would sing on it, I didn't believe her."
"He called Brittany to ask if I was kidding or not." Santana laughed. "When Brittany showed me his text message I don't think I've laughed harder."
"I had to be sure, mom." Noah laughed as well. "I didn't want to get too excited."
"So why is it so hard for Noah to book you?" Jesse asked.
Santana glanced at Noah and stuck her tongue out slightly. "When I feature on a song, I like to be sure it's the perfect song for me, I want it to be a song I believe in as well. It's always an honor when someone calls me and wants me on a song, whether it's a newer artist or a longtime friend in the industry, but I have to really feel the song, and I felt this one."
"What was it like working together in the studio?" Jesse asked.
"It's always amazing watching my mom in the studio, you can tell why she's sold millions of records, and has all those Grammy's." Noah praised her. "We are so much alike, so we butt heads a lot in the studio but magic always happens in the end."
"Noah is such a talented songwriter and producer." Santana interjected. "It's truly an honor working with him even if he thinks I'm off key sometimes." She rolled her eyes playfully as Noah wrapped his arm around her.
"So your debut album is called Heir to the Throne." Jesse stated. "How did you come up with the title?"
"Well my moms are called the queens of the entertainment industry, and I feel I'm next in line." Noah replied. "Heir to the throne."
"Well, thank you Noah and Santana, give them a round of applause." Jesse yelled.
"My album will come in stores next January, so stayed tuned!" Noah announced.
As they waited for the car to arrive to pick them up Santana and Noah signed a number of autographs while taking pictures with fans outside the studio. Once the car arrived Noah allowed Santana to get in first before climbing in after his mother. "Thanks again for performing with me, mom."
"Thank you for the invite." Santana smiled. "You did so good today."
"Thanks." Noah nodded. "I have some ideas for your album, you free tonight?"
"Not tonight, baby, I have some stuff to do, and Carter's game is tomorrow, we can meet Saturday morning maybe." Santana suggested.
"Cool."
After the performance with Noah, Santana went back to her hotel room where she did some work for Lopez Lovez and went over some bills for their house, before she knew it the day and evening passed her by. She noticed it was a little after 7pm when there was a knock on her suite door.
"I hope it's Cedes with more food." She laughed quietly to herself, she opened the door and saw Carter, which shocked her. "Carter, what are you doing here?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" He snapped.
"Watch it." Santana hissed back as he walked in the room.
"Why haven't you and momma been home, I'm not dumb, I know you both didn't come home last night, and neither one of you have been home all day." Carter asked.
"Carter..." Santana shook her head. "I was home this morning, baby, I made breakfast I was home this morning."
"Well, momma hasn't been in basically two days." Carter snapped. "What happened?"
"Carter."
"Answer me, mom." He demanded. "We aren't kids anymore, we can tell when something is going on."
"I can't explain it." Santana told him. "Not because I don't want to, but because I don't understand what's going on myself. But I'm going to get your mom right now and we'll both be home tonight." Carter stared at her with a scowl. "I promise, C."
"Fine." Carter mumbled before turning to leave the suite.
"Carter..."
"Yeah?"
"I'll fix it, okay? Trust me." Santana told him sincerely.
"Okay." He nodded before leaving.
"Fuck." Santana screamed before sitting down. She packed her belongings and sent a text to Emily to check her out of the hotel, she drove straight to Hannah's house, she saw her wife's car and parked behind her in the driveway. She hopped out quickly and jogged to the front door, where she rang the bell.
Hannah opened the door and glared at the Latina. "What?"
Santana frowned but kept her cool. "Where's Brit?"
"She doesn't want to see you." Hannah snapped before closing the door in Santana's face.
"For fucks sake." Santana snapped as she began to knock on the door, Hannah opening the door. "Fuck Hannah, don't have me out here banging on the god damn door." She hissed. "Let me talk to Brittany...please."
"Wait here." Hannah rolled her eyes.
Santana stepped inside and waited in the foyer, rocking on her heels nervously. Hannah returned almost ten minutes later, shaking her head. "Where's B?"
"She honestly doesn't want to talk to you." Hannah replied. "She's in my room laying down, I promise to have her call you."
Santana rolled her eyes and left the house slamming the door behind her. She sat in her truck before calling Brittany, who didn't answer. She tried a few more times before getting out of the truck and walking around to the side of the house where she knew Hannah's room was. She saw the light was off but began to sing anyways.
Somebody said every day, was gon' be sunny skies,
Only Marvin Gaye and lingerie, I guess somebody lied
We started discussin' it to fightin' then "Don't touch me, please."
Then it's "Let's stop the madness, just come lay with me."
And truth be told I'm wavin' my flag before it goes bad yeah yeah
'Cause we made it this far on for better or worse
I wanna feel it even if it hurts
If I gotta cry to get to the other side, let's go 'cause we're gon' survive oh
Brittany heard Santana singing and sat up, she went over to the window and saw her wife, singing at the top of her lungs. she opened the window and stared at the Latina, who waved to her, she offered a small wave back.
We stay on the front lines
Yeah but we're still here after the bomb drops
We go so hard we lose control
The fire starts then we explode
When the smoke clears we dry our tears
Only in love and war
"I'm waving my flag, baby." Santana told Brittany. "I'm waving it." She repeated, pulling a napkin out of her pocket. Brittany wiped her eyes as Santana continued to sing.
Sometimes you're my general, you quarterback all these plays
Sometimes you're my enemy and I'm throwin' grenades
We'll just be chillin' and laughin', I'm layin' on your chest
Don't know what happened 'cause things just went left
But here we go back down that road
That's just the way that it goes
'Cause we made it this far on for better or worse
I wanna feel it even if it hurts
If I gotta cry to get to the other side, as long as you're there I'll survive oh
Santana stared up at Brittany, trying to gauge her facial expression but couldn't quite read it since it was so dark, so she continued to sing, since Brittany hadn't said anything.
As long as we make up after every fight when it's over
You know I'm comin' home right there where I belong
I'm takin' off this armor oh-oh-oh-whoa-ooh-oh-oh
"Brittany, baby, please come talk to me." Santana pleaded. "Please."
"Okay, I'm coming down." Brittany nodded.
"Thank God." Santana sighed as she walked back to the front of the house just as Brittany came outside. "Hey." Santana playfully waved her napkin again, causing Brittany to smile slightly.
"Why haven't you been home?" Santana asked, taking off her jacket and wrapping it around Brittany, who came outside in a tshirt.
"I didn't think you wanted me there, you want to separate, right?" Brittany shrugged as she leaned next to Santana on the front of the truck.
"No, I don't want to separate." Santana replied. "I should have never said that, I'm sorry. I was just frustrated and ..." She paused and stopped herself. "There's no excuse for me to say that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for making you feel like I didn't want you, because that's not the case at all. You're my wife."
"What about the song?" Brittany asked, staring at her wedding ring.
"It's a song that Noah wrote for me, it was an asshole move for me to perform it, I'm sorry." Santana admitted. "Can you come home so we can talk?"
Brittany blinked out a few tears as she glanced at Santana and looked away. Santana leaned forward and kissed her tears away after turning Brittany to face her again.
"Can you talk to me, B, tell me what's wrong." Santana frowned.
"I don't know what is." Brittany admitted. "I just think I'm in a funk, you know, and it'll pass."
Santana smiled. "Okay, let me help you get out of the funk." She grabbed Brittany's hands and held them tightly. "Come home."
"Okay." Brittany nodded. "I'll come home."
"Thank you." Santana hugged her tightly, noticing how Brittany clutched to her before pressing their lips softly together for a few seconds.
1am
"Brittany, are you asleep?" Santana asked the blonde, who was lying between her legs on her chest.
"No, I'm awake."
"Did the bath not help?" Santana asked, rubbing Brittany's back. When the two got home that evening, they had dinner with the kids, who cooked for them, and took a long bath together, where they didn't talk, but simply relaxed in the calmness of the moment.
"It did, I'm just awake." Brittany turned to look up at her. "Do you want me to move off of you?"
"Of course not." Santana shook her head. "Stay right where you are. I was just going to ask if you still wanted to go on the trip for our anniversary, I didn't know know if we should cancel..."
"No!" Brittany said quickly. "I want to go, please don't cancel it."
"Okay." Santana nodded as she hugged Brittany tighter. "I'm never going to leave you, you know that, right? You're stuck with me."
"I hope so." Brittany smiled before leaning up and kissing Santana. "We can talk more about the past two days tomorrow."
"Okay." Santana nodded. "Good night, B."
"Night."
Thoughts?
