A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm sorry for leaving you guys on such an abrupt note in the last chapter - but hey, we need a little conflict sometimes to keep things interesting, right? Don't worry, things will get better. More Brittana interaction coming atcha soon.
This chapter will have more of Brittany's POV and flashbacks to Santana's relationship with her ex girlfriend Shannon.
TW: flashback is very domestic abuse-y. Not to an extreme but enough to be uncomfortable. Just a heads up if anyone is uncomfortable with reading that sort of thing. Shanntana are dysfunctional to say the least.
This story is also being posted on Archive of Our Own.
Please review and let me know what you think 3
"Santana, are you even listening to me?" Shannon Vandervoort's voice was sharp and shrill, taking on an irritated edge as she crossed her arms over her chest. Meanwhile, her girlfriend was completely distracted and didn't hear her after she called her name a second, then third time. "Are you even looking at me?"
"Huh… what?"
Santana couldn't tear her eyes away from the music video she was watching. It was some fast-paced love song by a glitzy glam rock band from the 80s and their faces were covered in black makeup that looked like war paint, their long, black hair totally spiky and wild. What was getting her attention the most was the girl dancer they had chosen as the love interest in the video. She didn't know her name but she was a tall blonde with flirty blue eyes and legs that went on forever. Santana had seen so many blondes before but something about this girl with her playful stare and amazing dance skills stood out for her.
"You haven't said anything about my outfit," Shannon whined, slapping Santana lightly on the shoulder with a manicured hand and making the lawyer flinch. She set down the many shopping bags she had containing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and handbags- ones that had been purchased with the lawyer's money. Then she sat herself on Santana's lap and laughed mockingly when she saw what Santana was watching on her phone, grabbing it out of her hand. "You're watching that? That's so cheesy and old."
"O-of course I'm not. I just clicked on the stupid video by accident." Santana lied, flustered and annoyed as she tried to take her phone back from Shannon. The other woman was covered in a dark bronze fake tan that made her look almost orange and her hair had been bleached and straightened. She had way too much filler injected into her lips, giving them a ducky appearance. Santana wrinkled her nose, preferring how her girlfriend had looked before all of those changes but said nothing.
"You always like corny 80s stuff. I saw you looking at that girl in the video. What's so great about her?"
"No, I don't like fucking 80s stuff. I- I wasn't… just leave me alone."
"Where are you going?!" Shannon complained, trying to corner Santana as she attempted to leave the house. She pouted, making her voice sound more innocent and cute as she put her hand on Santana's chest again, pushing her back. "You promised you'd stay here with me today, Babe."
"Fine." Santana huffed after a while, not wanting to deal with the drama that would inevitably happen if she told Shannon she was leaving.
"Kiss me. You haven't kissed me all day, Santana!"
Santana gave in to her demand, wrapping her arms around Shannon. The blonde was as pretty and dainty as she always had been but when their lips met, Santana didn't feel any surge of affection towards her, as much as she tried to. She didn't feel she could talk to Shannon honestly about anything anymore without getting ignored or ridiculed.
Shannon began taking off her clothes, revealing a slender body and Santana gave into what she was offering. The woman had a tall, supermodel-like body, all soft thighs, long legs and full breasts. Santana was the envy of everyone in town for dating her. It was difficult to remember that Shannon was as difficult as she was when she stripped down to nothing, an innocent expression on her face as she laid herself out with her legs spread in a seductive pose. Santana got on top of her and Shannon ran a hand through her hair. Sex was about the only thing they had in common at this point.
"I think we need a bigger house," The woman commented after they had re-dressed from their previous activities, lounging on the couch and looking around in boredom as Santana sat down to work on her laptop. "A really glamorous one. Santana, why aren't we multi-millionaires like Kate Harper even though you're always working? Can't you make more money?"
"I'm trying to work, in case you haven't noticed. Also, I literally don't give a fuck about that frigid, stuck up bitch Kate Harper or any of the pampered princesses you're friends with." Santana mumbled in annoyance. It wasn't as if Shannon had ever had a proper job aside from a few modelling gigs but she never thought Santana's own was enough. Shannon began to whimper and cry after a while when Santana ignored her for half an hour. She would always try to rile up Santana and push her until her angry side showed so she could prove how aggressive Santana was.
"You never want to be around me anymore," She whined in a petulant voice, pulling the cigarette out of Santana's hand and making a face as she talked about how gross it was. "You don't care about me anymore."
Santana's face softened for a moment. She didn't like the thought of a woman crying, as irritating as Shannon was being and felt guilty about making the blonde upset. She went to put her arms around Shannon but the woman just pushed her off of her forcefully and started screaming. Santana was infuriated and stood up, shoving her laptop aside and kicking a chair. Shannon's tears were suddenly gone but she was red in the face.
"You're cheating on me! Admit it. With that young blonde receptionist. From the hotel in Vegas. I saw how you smiled at her."
"What the fuck?!" Santana growled, raising her voice. It was the millionth time Shannon had accused her of cheating on her out of nowhere. "How could you even… I never - I never touched her. I never cheated on you ever."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Shannon yelled, getting into Santana's face. Santana moved away from her, holding up her hands defensively. She carefully put her hands on the woman's shoulders, pushing her back when Shannon looked like she was about to slap her.
"Do not hit me. Stop screaming," Santana growled, holding up a finger warningly, her words slurred as she drank more whiskey. She couldn't take Shannon's angry episodes at times. The alcohol helped to take the edge off of things when days were rough. When she first met the woman, she seemed docile and sweet, which was what appealed to Santana but now it was like Shannon constantly switched between simpering and furious. "Why are you attacking me now?"
"You're toxic! You're drinking again and smoking!" She shouted. "I'll tell everyone what you do to me!"
Santana chuckled bitterly, turning away and shaking her head as Shannon continued to scream like she was being murdered and curse at her. At one point she clawed at Santana's face. Santana grabbed her wrists tightly to stop her and pushed her away.
"I'm toxic? Get a reality check, Woman," Santana snarled, pulling back on her tight jeans and shoes. Her face was stinging from the scratches. "You're fucking high-maintenance. If you don't shut the fuck up then you need to get out. You are not the boss of me."
"Don't you dare talk down to me," She gasped in outrage, "You'd be nothing without me, Santana. When I met you, you were nothing. I just thought you looked cool with your fucking leather jacket and motorcycle. You suck as a lawyer, you're a bad girlfriend and you're never going to get anywhere in this world."
Santana's face crumpled, biting her lip and trying to ignore the pain that Shannon's words caused. Whenever she was around her girlfriend these days, it was like there was nothing she could do that was right. She felt completely useless and worthless. Maybe Shannon was right about her.
"I'm sorry I don't meet your expectations. Look, seriously, I'm sorry I yelled."
Both women were silent for a long moment. Santana collapsed on the couch, boneless and covered her face with her hands. She wiped a tear from her eye. An argument started up again not long after that.
"Where are you going now?"
"I just told you, I have to go see Tina and Mike just for a few minutes. They need help with something at his dad's office."
"Tina and Mike?" Shannon scoffed. "I don't like them for you, Santana. You don't need them. You should ditch them."
"They're my friends. I've known them for twenty years, Shannon. I've known them longer than I've known you."
"They don't love you the way I love you, Babe," Shannon wrapped her arms around Santana's shoulders and cooed into her ear. Her voice was all sugary sweet and soft, completely different from the harsh one she used when she was arguing with her before. She began to take off her shirt again, revealing the skimpy lingerie she was wearing. "You know you need me. Stay here with me. Play with me."
"Fine." Santana sighed, not pulling her hand away when Shannon moved it to her breast and squeezed it. Santana was so tired and had a terrible headache. She remembered when they first met and Santana thought she had been completely head over heels for the pretty woman but that seemed like a million years ago. She missed her friends because Shannon never liked any of them and would never want them to go around them, even Mercedes.
Just a few weeks later, Santana would feel like time froze, ringing in her ears as the world spun around her. She dropped the bouquet of red roses she was holding, finding Shannon spread out naked on their bed, moaning about how much she loved the man who was on top of her in the exact same way she did for Santana. They froze when they saw Santana.
The lawyer had never seen this man before in her life but she knew his type. The giant wad of cash set out on her dresser and the pager beside it were further proof of what this man was up to. Santana was so shocked and repulsed that she fell silent, feeling like she couldn't breathe or think as she processed this. All of those times when Shannon had made excuses for why they couldn't meet up after work, for the long hours she spent away from their home... Shannon began to tremble and pulled a sheet to hide her body as she stood up, untangling herself from her bedmate.
"Santana… it's not what it looks like… we were fighting so much and… Santana, I was so lonely and Brody, he... "
"You disgust me. Get out, Bitch. Get the fuck out of my house, you fucking whore." Shannon just stared at her in shock, whimpering pathetically as the plastic-looking manwhore she was with scampered out of the apartment like the coward he was. Santana kicked him out into the corridor before he could even get any clothes on.
"But… Santana… you said… we can make this work..." She gasped when she saw the box Santana was holding in a trembling hand and snatched it from her then shoved it open, pushing the ring onto her own finger. "You wanted to marry me? Oh it's so beautiful, so many diamonds. Baby, I can still be your wife, please…"
Santana growled in annoyance, grabbing her dainty hand firmly as Shannon screamed even though she barely touched her. She took the engagement ring, pulling it off of the woman's finger roughly and flung it out the window forcefully in a fit of rage as she stomped away, kicking the roses aside.
"We're done. I will never marry you. I don't even want to fucking see your face again."
Shannon began to sob at the way Santana was staring at her with cold, empty eyes, her jaw set and remained unmoved by anything the taller blonde woman said. As usual, she was trying to manipulate her but Santana wasn't going to take it this time even though Shannon was making a big scene for the neighbours to hear of wailing and throwing herself on the floor.
"Don't even fucking bother. You can cry all you want, I don't care. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"
"Fuck you, Santana! FUCK YOU!" Shannon yelled, her face taking on a crazed look. Then she grabbed a bunch of Santana's things and began tossing them out the open window while Santana walked away briskly, getting into her car and driving away as quickly as she could. It was technically her house but she couldn't stand one minute more in that woman's presence.
Brittany stared at Santana in shock for a long moment, not understanding why the woman was glaring at her so intensely, especially after things had been going so well between them earlier… or at least until Santana suddenly ran away after her love confession.
She had never seen Santana as content as she had been that day, practically glued to Brittany's side the entire time. Now all of a sudden it was like the lawyer's walls were back up and she was on the defensive again. She had never been so angry at her before and there was a look of deep pain in her dark brown eyes that Brittany wished she could soothe. Brittany's face paled as she realized Santana had probably overheard her conversation with Lord Tubbington. It would be difficult to joke or distract her way out of this one when Santana was directly confronting her.
"Wait… Santana, please let me explain-"
"Are you lying to me about something? Why are you always acting so secretive about your life?"
Brittany was silent, avoiding the burning dark eyes and casting her gaze downward. She said nothing as Santana continued to stare her down, waiting for her response.
"I just… you wouldn't believe me if I told you," Brittany mumbled quietly, still avoiding Santana's eyes. "I'm not supposed to talk about it and you'll think I'm crazy."
"Just tell me the truth. Where are you actually from?"
"I- I can't…" Brittany began to say and then fell silent as the tension grew between them. Brittany struggled to think of a way to smooth things over with Santana as she was becoming increasingly upset with her. Eventually the black-haired girl lost her temper, a look of betrayal on her face and assuming the worst when Brittany didn't offer any further explanation.
"So this was all some scam and you were just going to lie to me this entire time about everything, like I'm some dumb schmuck? All of that marriage talk from before was fake, huh? You were going to take advantage of the fact that I like you so much? Was this all some kind of experiment to you, just some game you could laugh about? What was I, some kind of walking strap on for you to fuck?"
"Santana, no… it's not just about the strap on. Honestly, I fell in love with you since the day we met on the streets of Lima Heights Adjacent! You're the most perfect person I've ever met and not just because you have the prettiest face and the sexiest lips. You're such a good person... I just... "
Santana only became more upset, beginning to panic as she thought about being lied to yet again by another woman. Did everything she went through with Brittany S. Pierce now mean absolutely nothing now? She couldn't believe she had fallen for Brittany's fool's gold ever since the day they met.
"So I was just a warm body for you? I knew there was no point letting myself… letting another woman into my life again. It's nothing but goddamned heartache. Well you know what? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I should have known you were too good to be true. I can't believe I thought you were different."
Brittany looked up at her with pleading eyes, begging her to understand. She heard the brittleness in Santana's voice and saw the way her shoulders tensed as she looked on the verge of crying. Brittany couldn't handle seeing that heartbroken look on Santana's face, especially when not that long ago the lawyer admitted she was in love with her. She wanted to throw her arms around her and comfort her.
"I can't believe I fell for it. You lied to me, just like every other girl."
Brittany felt her heart break when she heard those words. When Santana turned those dark eyes filled with hurt on Brittany again, she stood up, trying to pull the black-haired woman into an embrace but Santana just pushed her off, making it clear that she didn't want to be touched. Brittany sighed sadly, her own eyes welling up with tears as Santana rejected her show of affection.
"Don't… everything you ever told me was a lie, wasn't it?! I'm… I can't do this anymore. I don't want to hear anymore."
"No, Santana… please don't do this. It's not what it seems… "
"By the way, I googled it and no one lives permanently in Antarctica!" Santana cried, holding back a sob and turning her back to Brittany as she stormed away while ignoring the girl's attempts to explain. She knew she was being really dramatic and it broke her to see Brittany dissolve into tears over this but all of her insecurities were taking over and it was too much to handle. "What else are you hiding from me? Got some secret boyfriend I should know about too that you're running back home to?"
Brittany shook her head in denial and disbelief, saddened that Santana would even think for a second that she could ever do something like that to her. Santana didn't give Brittany a chance to talk before closing the door and running away then crumpling against the wall and breaking down into angry tears.
It hurt so much to think she couldn't even trust Brittany, who was the only person she had ever felt comfortable opening her heart to. She continued to sob for what felt like a million years as it felt like the world was crashing around her again. The thought that Brittany had used her and then was going to just leave her made her feel worse than she ever had.
Brittany saw the girl crying and tried to go to her but Santana just shook her head, storming into her bedroom and locking the door. When she walked out into the hallway not long after, a depressed looking Brittany with glassy eyes was standing there with that backpack she had come with, dressed in her old-fashioned, super bright clothes again. She was holding her meowing cat in his pink carrier.
Santana could see the redness around her eyes and Brittany was still crying, a lone tear sliding down her cheek as she turned to look away from her, walking toward the door. Santana took a deep breath to compose herself, tilting her head to the side and parting her lips as she looked up at her in confusion. She finally managed to speak again, her voice hoarse as she struggled to get the words out.
"Brittany, what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry about everything, Santana. I never meant to hurt you. I guess it's best for me to go home after the trouble I've caused here," She whispered, in between sobs. "Don't worry, you'll never have to see me again."
Before Santana could say another word, the woman was gone in an instant, leaving Santana with an empty feeling, an ache in her chest that she had never felt before. She fell to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest and sobbed.
"I fell in love with you since the day we met… "
The words kept echoing in Santana's head. She so badly wanted to believe that Brittany was telling the truth but they were probably just more empty words… a way to smooth things over with the lawyer after the blonde had lied to her about everything else about herself. Besides, how could someone as beautiful as Brittany really love her?
After a while, even her roommate noticed something was very wrong. Mercedes finally confronted her when Santana had barely left her room for the next four days after explaining in a tearful voice to her bewildered roommate that Brittany had just left them, presumably to go back to wherever she came from. She found the woman sitting on the floor beside her bed, looking dazed. She put a hand on Santana's shoulder and sat down beside her on the carpet, watching her with concern.
Mercedes didn't understand why Brittany had suddenly left without even saying goodbye to her and why Santana was behaving so strangely, the light completely gone from her dark brown eyes. Santana had been so happy in a way that Mercedes had never seen her before but now she was back to looking like how she had been after her breakup with Shannon, except even more depressed. It was obvious the two women had a fight. Mercedes huffed in exasperation, frowning at her friend.
"Santana, what's really going on? You've just been moping around the house looking like death. You're not eating, you haven't been in to work, and you don't talk anymore to anyone. It's obvious that you're completely lost without our favourite blonde bimbo. Please, just talk to me."
Santana remained in silence, getting up and laying back on her bed then covering her eyes.
"What the fuck happened? You broke up with your girl, didn't you? Santana, eat some fucking toast already or I'm calling your momma."
Another silence. Santana just cut her eyes at her before going back to gloomily shoving her face into her pillow.
"Okay, you're not saying anything. I'll bet this is going to get your attention though."
Mercedes passed Santana a letter in a bright pink envelope with her name written on it in crayon. She had found it on their kitchen table that morning, hidden under a vase.
Santana's eyes shot open when she saw it. She really wanted to read it but at the same time a wave of sadness hit her when she recognized Brittany's familiar, loopy writing style. Eventually, curiosity got the best of her and she took it from Mercedes, opening it to find a handwritten note. Mercedes rolled her eyes, nudging Santana when she just stared at it in shock for a long moment, her hands shaking. She and Mercedes read it aloud together.
Dear Santana,
If you're reading this, I know you probably hate me now and I'm sorry. I never wanted to lie to you ever… I wanted to tell you the truth eventually, when the time was right. You probably won't believe any of this but the truth is, I'm from the year 1985. Yes, that's right - I'm a time traveler. I know you probably won't believe me but on the day you met me in Lima Heights, I just landed in the future in my time machine and you were the first future person I met. That's why I'm so weird to you. All I ever wanted was to find a husband or wife from your timeline… then I met you.
Thank you for everything and please tell Mercedes I want to thank her for her kindness as well. She is a true friend.
I'll miss her. I'll miss you too, so much, Santana… more than you'll ever know. You are my favourite person in the whole world… and I hope you are happy in your time even if you don't want me in it. You should know that I love living with you in your future world. Please don't ever forget me.
Lord Tubbington misses you both too, even though he won't admit it.
Love,
Brittany XOXO
Mercedes was the first one to react, her jaw dropping as she re-read the letter.
"She's from 1985 and she has a time machine?! What the…I knew she couldn't really be from Antarctica but this is just… "
Santana just shook her head as she got choked up with emotion. Oh, Brittany…
Her heart was beating fast, and she wiped a tear away, trying to hold back a sob at the words "You are my favourite person in the whole world." She didn't understand the silly note Brittany had written for her, even though, if by some stretch what the girl was saying was true, it would explain a lot about Brittany. Actually, it would explain almost everything about Brittany's weirdness.
This couldn't be real. It was just completely illogical and far-fetched… This had to be another lie because time machines weren't real and it just sounded like a silly plot from a movie. Brittany probably just was making some excuse to distract her from the truth.
"This... it can't be real."
"What if it is real?" Mercedes countered.
"It doesn't matter. She lied to me about everything. There's no point in falling for girls, Mercedes. They just break your heart. This whole thing between Brittany that I thought we had… it was all based on a lie."
Mercedes shook her head, snorting in irritation. She had to get some sense into Santana and she couldn't handle watching the girl depress herself again. Santana stared at her friend in surprise when she grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. It was time for some tough love.
"And? So what? You were happy with her, weren't you? You're probably going to hate me for saying this but who cares if she wasn't completely honest about everything about her life? This isn't the same thing as that demonic bitch ex girlfriend of yours and you know that."
Santana opened her mouth to argue, her eyes flashing for a moment but there was something about the way Mercedes was looking at her that stopped her. She remained silent, thinking over Mercedes' words. She did make a good point when Santana pushed her emotions aside and tried to think of things rationally. Still, if there was one thing Santana was, it was stubborn. She didn't want to admit to being wrong.
"I - I know that but…"
"Santana, I know you're hurt but don't you think you're overreacting? I know she broke your heart but quit the whole sad girl thing. I mean, she couldn't exactly tell you the full truth… if she really is what she says she is. Would you have even believed her?"
Santana sighed, falling silent for a long moment. In her heart of hearts, she couldn't deny that there was truth to what the woman was saying. Finding out that Brittany had possibly been lying to her had dredged up all of her deepest insecurities and she had reacted rashly by instantly losing her temper with the girl. It wasn't just that either… She was afraid of getting too close to the girl so fast.
"Okay fine, maybe I overreacted… Mercedes, the truth is that I like her way too much and I guess that scared the life out of me. I can't be this much in love with someone. I just can't be… "
Mercedes sighed deeply again in her typical long-suffering way, narrowing her eyes. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and counting to ten, as she reminded herself to do a lot when she was trying to be patient with Santana. At least they were making progress because Santana was finally being more honest about her true feelings and accepting them, or getting close to accepting them. This was the most mature Santana had ever been. Finally, she spoke up and told the lawyer some things she thought she needed to hear even if she didn't want to hear them.
"Why not? What are you so afraid of? You're being, well… you're being a coward. You know what Brittany told me one time? She said that life is all about just going for it. That when she wants to do something, she just jumps right into it. She told me that's what people thought about life where she lives. She's right, Santana. People in the 1980s… they didn't stress so much about every tiny detail. You spend so much time worrying about what could go wrong and caring about what other people think of you instead of just doing what you actually want to do. Don't you realize how foolish it is to act that way?"
Santana nodded after a while, taken aback. For so many years, she had been too afraid to actually fall in love and just completely closed herself off. Then Brittany had come along and Santana had gradually forgotten to keep her guard up. It felt like Brittany had been a dream, a fantasy almost because she was just too perfect to be true. She yearned so much to see those bright, playful blue eyes and hear her voice again.
"Besides, it's not as if she lied to you completely."
"You're right. I really am an idiot. I ruined everything," Santana sighed, hanging her head sadly. "Mercedes… I finally told Brittany I'm in love with her. In the middle of sex… right before she left. It just all came out before I could help it and then I ran away…"
Mercedes shook her head in exasperation, pressing her lips tightly together as she prayed to the lord for strength.
"Yeah, you are an idiot but don't give up now."
"Suppose… suppose she doesn't really love me, Mercedes," Santana sobbed into her hands dramatically. "No girl ever loves me back. She didn't say she loves me back when I said it… and she lied to us."
"What exactly did she say when you said it?"
"Nothing… I guess."
"You didn't even give her a chance to respond, did you? You won't know for sure unless you give her a chance… and Girl, please… she absolutely does love you. She practically wrote a love letter for you… we've all seen the way she acts around you, like if you're Princess Charming sweeping her off her feet. If you ask me, that girl is a keeper. Sure, she's weird as fuck and not the brightest crayon in the box but I've never seen anyone else appreciate your grumpy gay ass the way she does. Don't you see? Brittany wants someone who's brave enough to take a chance on her. If you really want Brittany, then you're gonna have to go and get her."
"Then that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to find her and make things right," Santana declared, then she turned to Mercedes with a warning glare that wasn't all that threatening, "Thanks for your help but if you ever tell anyone I… cried I'm going to have to kill you."
Mercedes shoved her playfully on the shoulder and Santana shoved her back affectionately with a laugh.
"Whatever, Lopez. You cried like a baby. Anyway, we cool and I'm just glad you've got that fire in your eyes again. No offence but you really need a shower."
"I can't believe you're seriously taking me into the middle of Lima Heights," Mercedes looked on apprehensively, shuddering everytime they saw anyone walking nearby or heard the slightest noise. "I don't go here, Lopez. You know, when I said you need to go get Brittany, I didn't mean drag my ass into it too. Someone is gonna knife us, I just know it."
Santana froze when she found an area with fencing and needles strewn on the sidewalk, some familiar profanity written in graffiti nearby. There was nothing particularly striking about this stretch of concrete compared to the rest of the area but Santana recognized it.
"I'm telling you, this is where I found her almost two weeks ago. She was… she just came out of nowhere and bumped into me."
Santana paced around, looking for any signs that could give her a clue to where Brittany went. She saw an empty parking lot in the distance and ran towards it with her friend trailing behind her, searching the area for clues. All she saw were tire tracks on the ground and what looked like discarded cat treats.
"She was here! I just know she was here… I can't explain it but now there's nothing left… maybe if time travel is real this means she went back to her time."
Santana began to fall into despair as she crouched down, inspecting the tire tracks. If Brittany took her time machine and actually went back to her home, there wasn't much she or Mercedes could do to get there.
"This sucks. How the hell am I supposed to go back to the 1980s… it's not as if I can build another time machine too." Santana groaned, wishing she knew some kind of crazy Back To The Future type scientist. This couldn't be the end… she refused to accept that. It was too devastating to think of living in a world without Brittany in it.
Mercedes' face lit up suddenly as she thought of something.
"Hey if we're talking about the eighties… you're not gonna like this but… there's only one guy I can think of who can help."
Santana groaned again, irritable at the realization of what she was going to have to do. She had to go to the expert: Finn Flopson. If there's anyone who had probably investigated the possibility of time travel, it was him.
"What the hell was that?!" Whitney Pierce exclaimed as she heard the sound of a car racing toward her house at full speed in the dead of the night followed by a resounding crash. It was so loud that for a second she thought a plane landed on her house for the second time or UFOs had landed in their backyard for the third time. Or maybe a nuclear war between the robots and humans had finally begun. She and Pierce had a secret bunker under their house just in case something like that happened. "Oh flaming hell, Pierce! It's the end of the world!"
However, she quickly realized that this was no UFO crash. She sighed when she looked over on the other side of the bed and saw that her snoring husband had slept through the noise. She had no patience to wait for him to wake up. She grabbed a baseball bat and ran outside immediately into her front yard in her pajamas, just in time to see her daughter falling out of the front seat of her car and hanging upside down.
Lord Tubbington jumped out as soon as she set his carrier down and opened it, walking around to inspect the car turned time machine. Whitney fanned herself, her nose twitching from the heat and plumes of smoke that the machine gave off. Their neighbours were poking their heads through their windows and some of them even went outside to see what had happened to cause all the commotion.
"Go away, scram, you bunch of nosy yentas! Nothing for you to see here! Brittany?! Sweetheart, is that you?!" Whitney sprinted towards her daughter in the fuzzy slippers she was wearing, nearly tripping along the way and throwing her arms around her.
"It's just me, Mom. Sorry about the noise." Brittany mumbled through a cough.
"You're finally back! Thank goodness you're alright. Honey, you were gone for so long… your father and I were so afraid something happened to you. We thought… well, Dear, it's too bad to even say out loud… we wondered if we would ever see you again."
Whitney shed a tear as her daughter squeezed her tightly.
"Oh Mom, I missed you and Dad both so much!" Brittany cried. "I'm so sorry I was away for so long and I couldn't call you."
"It's alright, Sweetheart. I'm just so glad you and Lord Tubbington are back. So what was the future like? Tell me everything."
Brittany's bottom lip trembled, tears coming to her eyes as she collapsed against Whitney's frame and the older woman sighed, patting her back.
"Oh dear, Brittany. Were the future people mean to you? Don't listen to anyone who says you're stupid."
"It's not that, Mom… I met someone."
"You - you met someone?! Oh my goodness, that's excellent news! You have to introduce us so we can get started on planning the wedding...but Sweetheart, why do you look so glum? Was he a robot?"
"No, she's not a robot. Her name is Santana Lopez and she… she's the most gorgeous person in the world. She's so smart and strong… I've never met anyone as good as her. I thought we had something special but she doesn't love me anymore, Mom!" Brittany began to sob as Whitney held her, pursing her lips in concern. "She got mad at me and I'm sure she never wants to see me again."
"Oh no, that's no good. Brittany, let's get you inside and have a warm drink to make you feel better. Bring your lab coat and come on in, LT!" Whitney wrapped Brittany up in a towel and led her into the house, Lord Tubbington following them.
Brittany sighed later that night as she lay in her bed in her childhood room, sleep not coming to her easily. She remembered Santana's vulnerable face when she was lying on top of her as she passionately made love to her, the softness in her deep, dark eyes when she confessed to her that she was in love with her. The blonde was breathless with emotion when she heard Santana say those words that she never thought she'd hear from her. Brittany loved her just as much and she didn't understand how Santana could think for a second that she didn't... but she had run away from her before Brittany had the chance to hold her close and tell her just how she felt.
She missed the warmth of Santana's skin against hers, her sweet lips, the soft rasp of her voice and the gentleness of her touch. When they were intimate, Brittany finally felt like she knew what sex was supposed to be, like they were two halves of the same whole. Santana never spoke to anyone else with as much affection but it was as if the cynical woman's entire demeanor changed, melting completely whenever she interacted with Brittany.
She got out her backpack and took out polaroid pictures she had snapped of the two of them. One was a photo she had snuck in of Santana when she hadn't realized Brittany was around, sitting up in bed and just wearing some old pajamas with her hair down and no makeup on, looking more beautiful than Brittany had ever seen her as she gazed off into the distance with those deep eyes of hers.
The next was Santana's flustered, awkwardly smiling face as she laughed when she realized what Brittany was doing, her hand blocking most of her from view. The third one was her favourite. Mercedes had taken this one. Santana's arm was around her waist as Brittany leaned against her, nuzzling into her neck as Santana pressed a kiss to her forehead. Santana's dimples deepened as she smiled and both of them were gazing at each other fondly. This photo was taken right before they went to the movies together. Brittany remembered how happy she felt that night.
"You were right when you said she's stunning."
Brittany looked up, surprised at the sound of her mother's voice. The woman was watching her from the doorway, smiling gently.
"She is… but I might never see her again. She was so upset that I lied to her… but Mom, I just couldn't tell her the truth."
"If she loves you, she'll change her mind and Honey, you can't fake the look I see in her eyes in those pictures." That was all Whitney said, winking at the girl as she walked away, closing Brittany's bedroom door quietly behind her. Brittany saw that love in Santana's eyes and hoped that somehow her mother was right.