Now I know that I left off the last chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger, trust me that will be addressed soon but this chapter does not pick up right where the last one left off. This chapter goes back to that morning before Quinn's POV. So this is what happened with Brett and Santana at the same time as when Quinn was at work/ with Puck.

Third Person POV

Santana looked into the full length mirror, pressing her pencil skirt down. Another day trying to catch this monster that has been terrorizing the upper west side for the last couple of weeks. She pulled out her lipstick and applied it meticulously. It isn't her normal bright rid color but a more subtle nude that is more appropriate for work. She looked over herself one more time. The black pencil skirt with the white and black top looked perfect on her. She decided to throw her hair up in a curly ponytail. Santana grabbed her phone before walking out into the living room.

"Did Quinn already leave?" she asked Brett who was sitting at the kitchen table. "Yeah I guess some patient is looking to sue the hospital and a doctor. She sounded pretty pissed when she was leaving" He explained. "I have no idea why she went into malpractice Law, it's so boring" Santana said laughing. "Why did you go into criminal law?" Brett asked, as Santana took a seat across from him with her coffee. She thought for a second, trying to figure out the best answer she could. "When I was in college, a girl from my dorm was assaulted and basically left for dead in an alley. I didn't know her but every time I saw her after that, I couldn't help but feel for her. I hoped that she had someone on her side to fight for her. That's when I realized that I could be that person for people. So I decided to go for criminal law and that was signed to the special victims unit not that long after passing the BAR." she said looking at Brett. He looked in awe of her, "You're amazing" he said, smiling. "I do what I can," Santana said, sipping her coffee. "You're like a modern day superhero," Brett said, laughing.

"You're more of a superhero then I am, risking your life so people can be free" Santana said. Brett immediately shook his head, "No you went into your career to help people, I went to war to escape my life. It is not the same Tana" he said. Santana's gaze softened, how can he just down play all the bravery and sacrifices he has made for our country, Santana thought. "Brett it doesn't matter why you went into it, the only thing that matters is what you do there. Just because you joined the military to get away doesn't mean you get to down play your role. You risked your life so people here in the US could be free" Santana explained. "So we are both super heroes" she said, smirking. Brett laughed.

"Are you going into the gym today?" Santana asked. Brett nodded, "Aaron is letting me come back but I talked to Carrie and I guess he is still really pissed off" he said. "No shit, you punch Sebastian in the face. He could sue and he has every right to" She said. Brett groaned, "I couldn't help myself. He is a dick and I don't feel bad about punching him. I only regret doing it in the gym." he explained. "Listen, promise me that you are not going to punch him in the face again?" Santana asked. Brett chuckled, "Absolutely not, if he does anything to you I will punch him again, that I can promise you" he said, smiling. "No Brett, you can't hit him again" she said sternly. "Can't we compromise?" Brett asked. Santana raised her eyebrows, "how?" she asked. "I'll only punch him if you say I can" he said, smirking. Santana slowly nodded, "Fine deal" she said, laughing.

Santana grabbed the stack of files and started to look through them. "Any closer to finding the asshole?" Brett asked. "No, most of the victims were homeless so we are still trying to identify them. Until we can figure that out we are literally searching blind" She said frustrated. "I saw their pictures in the newspaper the other day, no one has called claiming to know them?" he asked. Santana shook her head, "Nope nothing, I think a few of them are military based on their tattoos so I am having someone come and look at them" she said. "Did you forget I am in the military and have been for years, why didn't you ask me?" Brett asked.

"Brett you haven't had it easy, I was not going to show you a picture of a dead body so you could identify some tattoos for me. Especially when I can call someone in" Santana explained. "Tana I've seen a lot worse in my life, let me see them, I promise everything will be fine" he said holding his hand out. "Fine but if it gets too hard you need to tell me" she said giving in. Santana was desperate for a lead and if Brett said he could handle it, then why should she stop him.

Santana combed through the files until she got to the correct one. She flipped it open and pulled out the close up pictures from the autopsy, handing them over to Brett. "This guy is older isn't he?" he asked, since it was a close up picture so he couldn't see the face. "They think he is in his 70s, why?" she asked. "See this, it's a tattoo that guys in Vietnam got. It represents the tunnel rats so my guess is that this guy was one in Vietnam." he explained. "So I was right, they are military?" Santana asked. "Yeah, I would say at least 3 of them are Vietnam while these two have tattoos that show they served in Iraq." Brett said. "Then that has to be the link. All of them are homeless veterans, now I just have to figure out why they are being targeted" She said, thinking out loud. "Aren't detectives supposed to be trying to figure this out, I thought you were a prosecutor" Brett asked. Santana laughed, "They are trying but we are a close group and it's all hands on deck." She explained. "So is that why you go to the crime scenes?" he asked. Santana nodded, "Yes and I like to be there to make sure they are doing everything by the books. This case is hard enough, we don't need the person getting off on a technicality. So I like to be there to make sure that all laws are being followed." she said cleaning up the pictures.

As Santana was trying to reorganize everything an autopsy picture that was a close up shot of the victims head and neck slid out. Before Santana could grab it, Brett quickly picked it up. She watched as his eyes were fixated on the picture. It seemed like the Brett she was just talking to was gone. "What's wrong?" she asked. Brett opened his mouth to talk but then shut it again. Santana got up and walked over to his side. "Hey, where did you go" she asked, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"I know this injury," he said. "The coroner said that their neck was broken and I guess whoever did they must have squeezed really hard because there was damage to the hyoid bone too'' she explained. Brett shook his head, "No that's not how it happened" he said. "How do you know that?" she asked, confused. Brett turned to Santana, "I think the guy that is killing these vets is also ex-military" he said. "Why do you think that?" she asked, clearly confused. "Because I've done this exact move on other people, killing them" Brett said. Santana could tell that Brett was tensing up, he always did when he started talking about his past. She kept her arm wrapped around him, playing with the hair on the back of his neck, hoping to bring him at least a little comfort.

"I don't understand," Santana said, hoping that he will keep talking. Brett wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer. "I was a part of the Special Operation unit, so what I did was confidential and was gone for months at a time on different missions. Well the training that we go through is a lot more extensive than a normal soldier. They taught us how to kill and how to disable our enemies." he said. Santana could tell that this was not something that was easy for Brett to talk about, she could feel his grip on her waist tighten. Brett just needed to feel her, that she wasn't going anywhere. "I am not going to think any less of you, just keep going" she said, placing a quick kiss on his lips. Santana could feel the tension start to lessen, he needed to hear her say that.

Brett picked up the picture again, "there is this one move that we were taught. Basically you come up behind the enemy and wrap your arm around their neck. The way you position your hands on their neck crushes their vocal cords but doesn't kill them. That way you can do what you want to them without them making a sound. Then when you go and break the neck, you do it in a way that the hyoid bone breaks. It throws people off so they just think that the person was strangled, just like your coroner thought." he explained. "So when someone does this, what does it mean?" she asked. Brett took a deep breath before answering, "You do it so you can torture the enemy without them making a sound. Then when they are found, people don't realize that they were tortured for information. '' he said. Brett turned to Santana, "have your coroner take a look at the vocal cords, I bet they are crushed and he missed it'' Brett said.

Santana nodded, "I'll have him take a look" she said. "Are they all like this?" Brett asked. She grabbed the other photos so he could see for himself. "This is interesting," he said, stopping at a particular photo. "Is this one of the first victims?" he asked. Santana looked at him in disbelief, "how did you know?" Brett pointed to a particular spot on the neck, "this bruise, he did the move wrong and didn't crush the cords. I think he missed the correct spot which broke the capillaries and caused bruising" he pointed out. Santana grabbed the autopsy report, "The coroner said the bruising could be postmortem or from strangulation" she said showing Brett. He took a look at the report and a few of the other photos, "He got better and better with every victim, I think he's practicing" Brett pointed out to Santana. "Why would he need to practice?" she asked.

"Tana if you can't do this move correctly, they kick you out. I wonder if he was discharged from the military and now he's taking it out on veterans'' Brett said. Everything was clicking, " now he is taking it out on the very people he blames, veterans" Satana said. "You're a genius!" she said, kissing him on the lips.

When Santana pulled away she could tell something was wrong with Brett. "What's wrong B?" she asked. Brett caressed her cheek, "I would never hurt you" he said, his voice cracking. "I know, I know" she said, pulling him in for a hug. "You did what you had to do over there, I don't blame you" Santana whispered into his ear.

Brett tightened his hold on her, loving the way she feels in his arms. It is almost like she belongs there. Santana pulled back to look at him but stayed in his embrace. "You need to find this monster, no one should get away with killing anyone especially veterans" he said. She nodded, "I'll find him, and all the information that you gave me is going to help." Tana said. Brett nodded slowly, Santana could still see that it was bothering him. "Talk to me B" she pleaded. "It's stupid just forgtet it, you need to get to work" Brett said, trying to push Santana away. She may be tiny especially compared to him but there was no way she was moving. "No Brett, it's not stupid and you are not going to just push me away" she said, sternly.

Santana caressed his cheeks and made him look at her. "Talk!, do not crawl back into your tiny dark hole" she said. It made Brett laugh, "My tiny dark hole?" he asked. "Yes you have been alone for so long living in a dark hole but not anymore. You have me and I can tell something is bothering you because that sparkle in your eye is gone. So tell me what is wrong" She demanded. Brett scoffed and nodded knowing she was right. "I just hate people knowing about that part of my life, especially someone like you" he said.

"What do you mean, Someone like me?" Santana asked. "Tana, you do not understand. My life has been absolute shit since I was younger and it's not going to be any easier. I am messed up and I have a fucked up family. You do not deserve to have to deal with all my demons" He admitted. She shook her head, "We both have fucked up families remember" Tana said making him laugh. "Brett please do me a favor and let me decide what I deserve because right now I just want to see how things go with you" She said. Brett nodded, "Just to let you know Quinn is planning the dinner for next week" he said. Santana instantly realized that this must also be triggering.

"How are you feeling about that?" she asked. "Russell is one of the reasons that I am the way I am, I hate him but I need to do this for Quinn. She deserves a family" Brett explained. "So do you and you'll have Puck, Quinn and I there to support you" Santana said wrapping her arms around to play with the hair on his neck. "I feel like I am being forced to face one of my demons" Brett whispered. "What did he do to you?" She asked, her voice cracking a bit. Brett quickly shook his head, "I can't, not right now," he said. Before Santana could respond he stood up still holding her close, "Quinn won't be home till late tonight, I'll tell you everything tonight. So you know exactly what you are getting yourself into with this dinner." Brett said. Santana nodded, "Okay, I'll grab take out" she said, giving him a little smile. Brett leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips before they broke apart.

Santana gathered her things but before she could leave Brett called out quietly, "Tana?" he said. "Yeah" she responded, turning to look at him. "Thank you" he said, giving her a smile. Santana smiled, "Anytime, i'll see you later" she smiled and walked out. Brett took a big breath, he needed to talk to Aaron, the only person who knows everything.

Brett's POV

I quickly got dressed in my basketball shorts and my work shirt before making my way towards the gym. I talked to Carrie earlier and she said that Aaron talked to Sebastian and he wasn't going to press charges. Aaron basically paid him off by giving him a free membership. Which sucks for me because it means I will definitely be seeing more of him. Carrie also says that Aaron isn't as mad as he was. I guess she was able to calm him down by asking what he would do if someone talked about her that way in front of him.

Right when I stepped inside I was immediately greeted by Carrie. "Hey honey, how's the hand?" she asked, pulling it closer to inspect. It might seem weird for her to call me honey but it was completely normal. You see Aaron and Carrie have been my family for years. The first person I met in the military was Aaron, he became my mentor and we have been best friends ever since. Even Carrie has been there since the very beginning. She is his high school sweetheart and soulmate. So when I would come home on leave, I never really went home. I would go to Carrie and Aaron's house.

"I'ts fine, the bleeding stopped and now it's just a bit sore. Nothing I can't handle" I explained. Carrie nodded, "Come with me" she said, pulling me towards the office. She closed the door while I took a seat. "We didn't get to finish our conversation last time since you punched that guy, so how's Santana?" she asked, smirking. You thought Quinn wanted me to find a nice girl, Carrie really wants me to find someone. She always said that we could double date and have kids at the same time, then they would be friends. She has thought about this for a very long time.

"Santana is fine" I answered, knowing it was going to make her mad. "Absolutely not, you better give me more than that" she said, pissed. I just laughed, I loved pissing her off a bit. "Santana is amazing," I admitted. Carrie grinned, "You slept with her" she said. My eye widened, "How the fuck did you know that?" I asked. "I am a girl and I've known you for a very long time, so how was it!" she asked, clapping. "Fucking amazing, I asked her on a date" I said. Carrie's mouth widened, "My little boy is growing up" she said. "Shut up" I said, pushing her. "Now you just need to tell Quinn" Carrie said. I nodded, "I've decided to tell her tomorrow," I said.

"Tell who, what?" Aaron said walking in. "Brett is going to tell Quinn he's in love with Santana," Carrie said. My eyes widened, "Love, who the hell said love" I said, shocked at her accusation. "I did and you'll realize sooner or later" she said, grinning ear to ear. "She's never wrong" Aaron said laughing. "I could sit here all day and talk about you two" Carrie confessed. "I know you could, which is why you need to go back out to the desk so I can talk to Brett" Aaron said, pulling his wife up. "But" Carrie tried to say but he pushed her out the door. "Bye honey" he yelled before shutting the door. "She is going to make you pay for that later" I said, laughing. "Oh trust me I know" Aaron said, taking a seat across from me.

"Now I was planning on giving you some big speech to yell at you for what you did the other day but I am not going to. I know you know not to do it again. But we do need to talk about the text message you sent me this morning" he said eyeing me. Right after Santana left I had texted him saying we needed to talk. I knew that if I didn't do that in that exact moment, I wouldn't go and talk to him.

"I am telling Santana about my history with Russell tonight," I admitted. I could see the gears turning in Aaron's head. "Wow…." he said. "Are you sure? You haven't told anyone about him except me" Aaron said. I nodded, "I like her Aaron and she truly cares I think. I mean she kinda figured it out but I don't think she really knows." I explained. "I get that and I am glad that you want to let someone in but what made you come to that decision?" he asked me. "Quinn asked me to go to dinner with mom and Russell because they want to meet Puck. Well I guess Russell likes Santana so now she's coming. I just want her to know the backstory in case it blows up" I said. "Wait a second, you are going and sitting at a dinner table with Russell Fabray?" Aaron asked, not really believing what he was hearing.

I nodded slowly. "Have you seen him since ... you know?" he asked. "Nope, never saw him again. Or my mother" I explained. Aaron opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. "I don't know what to say" he admitted. "Now you understand one of the reasons I need to tell someone and we both know I will not tell Quinn" I said. I bet in this case, Quinn deserves to know but I will not ruin her relationship with her father. "I get it and I think telling Santana is a good idea. I think getting it off your chest will help but also you need someone at that dinner that understands and will calm you down. I think Santana is that person" he explained. I nodded, "Are you going to tell her about your dad?" he asked. I could feel myself getting angry, "You mean Brian" I said biting my tongue. "Shit I am sorry man, it just slipped out" Aaron said, realizing his mistake.

I took a deep breath, "I don't know, I can't bombard her with all my problems at once." I explained. "I don't know Santana well but she doesn't seem like the type to run away" he said. I chuckled, "She is the complete opposite, she is forcing me to face things head on" I admitted. Aaron leaned back in his chair, " I am liking this girl more and more" he laughed. "You and me both" I said, joining in on the laughter.

The rest of the day went along on fine. Work was uneventful and Sebastian didn't come in which was all good but I can't help but get really nervous about tonight. I haven't discussed my past with anyone in a long time. I think this makes me more nervous than talking about my time in the war which tells you something.

I made my way to the liquor store knowing I was going to need some liquid courage for tonight. "Hey man, can I help you find anything" the man at the front asked me. "Actually yeah, I need the best bourbon you have," I said. He smiled, "I have the perfect thing for you" he said motioning for me to follow him. We walked down about 3/4th of the way down an aisle before stopping. "This is Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey. It is a limited production that was voted the best American Whiskey, big, bold and 47.2% alcohol"" he said. "Sold! I said grabbing it off the shelf, I also just need a bottle of Cabernet for my girlfriend" I said. As he walked away I realized my mistake, I just called Santana my girlfriend. I haven't even started drinking yet or confessing my demons and my head is all ready fucked. "I recommend this bottle, it's Rivers-Marie Panek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a full bodied, well rounded sexy bottle of wine" he said, grinning. That literally describes Santana so I nodded.

This guy is so lucky that I know nothing about alcohol and did not realize how expensive these bottles were. I just spent so much money on alcohol but who cares, I need the best for tonight anyways and Santana always deserves the best.

I changed into some sweatpants and a shirt, sitting on the couch waiting for Tana.

Santana's POV

I am so happy that I had to go to work today. I would have gone crazy at home thinking about what Brett needed to tell me. At least I had work to take my mind off of things. I was able to grab some things from the grocery store and also stopped to grab Thai food for dinner. As the elevator got closer and closer, the more nervous I became. I wasn't scared of what he was going to say I was worried about how I was going to react. I couldn't become angry or sad, I needed to be strong for him. I know that this was going to be so hard, so I just need to support him.

I opened the door, "I have food!" I yelled out. I placed the bags on the kitchen counter and immediately felt strong arms wrap around my waist. I could feel his breath on my neck as he placed a kiss on my pulse point. "Ummm" I said, loving the feeling of him. I spun, "This is a nice way to come home" I said laughing. "Why don't you get into something comfortable and i'll grab some plates for the food." he said. "What? you don't like my outfit?" I asked looking down before looking back at him. I watched as his eyes slowly raked down my body before finding my eyes again. "You know I love this but I know that you hate being dressed like this" he said winking. "Now go, we don't want the food getting cold" Brett said, pushing me out.

I quickly changed and pulled on my old cheerios shorts and shirt. I also decided to slip out my contact and just wear my glasses for the night. I knew Brett loved my glasses.

I walked back out to the living room where Brett laid out all the food. He was pouring himself a glass of bourbon, "is this a drinking conversation?" I asked sitting next to him. "Absolutely" he mumbled. "Holy shit Brett, this is like a 250 dollar bottle of bourbon" I said looking at the bottle. "Yeah I know I got talked into it by the guy, I got you some wine" he said, handing it over. "This is a 120 dollar bottle of wine," I said looking at him. "I am really easy to convince," Brett said with a chuckle. "Want me to open it for you?" He asked. I cocked my eyebrow, "What? You think I can't handle bourbon?" I asked. He smiled, "You can handle anything, want some?" he asked. "Hell yeah, I am not going to pass up a bottle that nice. But hide this wine from Quinn I don't want her drinking it" I said handing it to him. Brett laughed and slid the bottle under the couch, making me laugh. He grabbed another whiskey glass and poured me some. "Cheers" he said raising it, "Cheers" I said clinking them and taking a sip. Shit this stuff is good. "I don't know if I'll be able to drink the cheap stuff after this'' I smirked. "Well don't get used to it" Brett said laughing.

"You were right by the way" I said breaking the silence while we ate. "About?" he asked, confused. "The case, I went down to the medical examiner's office and had him look again. The vocal cords were crushed just like you said" I said. "Told you, did you look into the tattoos more?" Brett asked. I nodded, "I still had a military guy come and look since he was already planning on coming. He completely agreed with you so now a few detectives are going to check out a few of the local veterans homeless shelters. Hopefully they will get a lead or at least be able to identify some of the victims" I explained. "That's great Tana!" he said, smiling. "Thank you again," I replied. I placed the plate on the table and turned towards him, tucking my legs underneath me. He followed my actions but took my hand in his hand.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," I said, squeezing his hand. Brett closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "I want to but I need you to just listen and let me get it all out before you say anything" he said. I could tell just by his voice that this is taking everything in him to do. I nodded "Okay, I am listening" I said, bringing his hand up and kissing the back of it before placing it on my lap. He pulled me closer so our faces were only a foot away. I was able to reach my arm across the top of the couch, resting my hand on the back of his neck. I know he likes when I play with his hair there because I can feel him instantly relax a bit. His hand stayed on my lap, rubbing little circles on my naked thigh. Brett took another deep breath before he started his story.

Please don't hate me for another cliffhanger! I promise the next chapter will reveal a lot, addressing both cliffhangers! Don't forget to comment!