A/N: Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews of the last chapter. I originally didn't plan on posting this chapter today but I also didn't want to not post anything this week so, here it is, my longest chapter yet. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update next week because I'm still writing Chapter 9 and I plan to post Chapters 8-10 altogether so, we'll see. :)
CHAPTER 7
A week after Olivia met with Brittany and Quinn, the brunette kept her mind occupied by doing her usual day-to-day activities. She continued writing for a new book, went to meetings at the publishing house, and attended a few book signings at smaller bookstores within New York since her official book tour had already wrapped up the week before. She hasn't seen nor heard from Brittany since that day at the café and she's kind of glad because she needed the extra time to just think about and absorb everything that she's learned these past few weeks.
It's Thursday night and she's currently setting the dinner table at her dads' house for their weekly dinner. David, the taller, curly-haired Berry husband, comes up from behind Olivia and places a dish containing Beef and Cheese Tortellini on the table. He sits down at his usual spot at the table while he waits for Hiram and Rachel to bring out the rest of their dinner.
"Yum." Olivia licks her lips at the sight of her favorite pasta dish while she places wine glasses beside each plate. She then takes a fork from her plate and attempts to poke one tortellini but David catches her and immediately swats her hand playfully away from the dish and gives her a playful glare.
Olivia chuckles and puts her fork back down before muttering, "Damn" under her breath. She twists open the cap of the red wine bottle and pours wine on each glass just as Hiram and Rachel come out of the kitchen with the salad and Rachel's tofurkey dish. Olivia pours wine on the last glass and puts the cap back on before sitting down while Rachel and Hiram do the same. The family starts to eat their dinner and engages in the casual conversation now and then.
"So, how's your second book coming along, Liv?" Hiram, the smaller man of the house, turns his attention to Olivia after their laughter subsides from a joke that David had just delivered. Olivia meets Hiram's dark chocolate eyes and smiles broadly at him.
"It's going well. I've written a few chapters so far and hopefully, I can write a few more before I get busy with… you know," she says the last part timidly and looks at Rachel beside her who glances back at her before turning her gaze to Hiram and David.
The two men give her a knowing smile and nod. "That's good, honey. You know you can always ask us if you need any help." David chimes in, subtly letting Olivia know that they don't mean help with just her career but also with everything else concerning her. She and Rachel had already told both of them everything that happened since that day Brittany came running towards Olivia at her book signing event. She opens her mouth to speak but closes it again when she feels a vibration on her left thigh. She immediately looks down and reaches for her front pocket to take her phone out and sees an unknown number calling her. She ignores the call and places her phone back inside her pocket and returns to eating her food.
A few seconds later, her phone vibrates once again so she mutters a "sorry" and looks around the table before she takes her phone out again and sees a text notification.
Hey, it's Brittany. Can I talk to you?
She immediately starts typing her response but is interrupted when the number calls her again. She looks up from her phone and says, "I have to take this" raising her phone for her dads and Rachel to see before standing up from her chair and walking towards the living room. She stands by the window of the living room and swipes her phone to answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Olivia." Brittany greets with a soft but hoarse voice and Olivia thinks she's been crying.
"Hi, Brittany, what's up."
"So um… Puck e-mailed me the DNA results today and…" Brittany pauses and Olivia hears her let out a deep breath on the other line. "It's a 99.99% match."
Olivia goes silent and tears started forming in her eyes. She crosses her arms and allows the tears to fall on her face while staring at nothing outside the glass window. This just confirms everything for her, that she had a life she did not know about and she has no idea how to even begin to deal with it. She stayed silent for a few more moments until she's brought back by the sound of Brittany clearing her throat on her end.
"You still there?" Brittany asks with concern
Olivia swallows the lump in her throat and says "Y-Yeah. I'm here." She pauses again as she walks away from the window and sits on the couch, her forehead resting on her right hand. "Um… thanks for letting me know, Brittany."
"Yeah," Brittany replies in a low tone.
"Hey um… can I call you back?" she asks with a shaky voice. "I'm in the middle of dinner with Rachel and our dads and um…" Olivia shakes her head "yeah, I-I'll call you back."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Yeah, we can talk later. Sorry for interrupting your dinner." Brittany replies awkwardly.
"It's fine. We'll talk later, okay?"
"Yeah, okay." Brittany sighs "Bye Olivia."
"Bye," she says before disconnecting the call and placing her phone on the coffee table. She buries her head on both of her hands as she continues to sob quietly. The brunette stayed in that position for a couple of minutes until she felt strong, muscular arms engulf her in a hug. She buries her head in the man's chest as her shoulders continue to shake lightly.
"Heeey" David drawls while caressing Olivia's hair. He allows Olivia to just cry it out for a few minutes. Rachel and Hiram come to sit in the living room soon after they finished washing and drying the dishes, both giving David questioning looks. The taller man just shakes his head slightly and gives them a confused look, indicating he also has no idea what happened. After a while, Olivia's shoulder stops shaking and raises her head to look at David, Hiram, and Rachel. Her eyes are now puffy and red from all the crying. She wipes the tears off her face and clears her throat.
"That was Brittany…" she starts, her voice still hoarse. "She said the DNA results came back today and that it matched the DNA of Santana's…" she pauses and looks down on her lap, "my father."
"Oh, honey" David looks at her sympathetically and pulls her in for a side hug. She leans her head on his chest and looks at Hiram and Rachel.
"I'm officially a mom and a wife" she chuckles dryly before sitting up and slumping back down on the couch with her arms crossed. She turns her head and makes eye contact with Hiram who's sitting on the recliner beside the couch. "I don't even know how to be either of those things!" she almost yells annoyingly.
"Sweetie, calm down," Hiram says, reaching his hand out to pat Olivia's knee. "You don't need to have it all figured out right now. One step at a time, remember?" he pauses and rests his back on the recliner "I, for one, am delighted to know that I now have an instant granddaughter," he says with a glimmer in his eyes and winks at Olivia. The brunette smiles softly at him and shakes her head. She takes a deep breath and looks down on her lap while fiddling the hem of her shirt.
"It's not like I have a choice, I gave birth to that child. I can't just abandon her…" she furrows her eyebrows and continues "even if I already did."
"Hey, don't do that." Rachel chimes in and looks at her pointedly. "Whatever happened wasn't your fault."
"Yeah, I know… I-" she pauses and rubs her face with both of her hands "How do I even become a parent? A good one?"
"Honey" David interjects, "There's no manual on how to become a good, great, or perfect parent."
"Psssh, you are." Olivia smiles at him before looking at Hiram. "You both are."
"Hmm, whatever." David rolls his eyes playfully, "The point is, there's no such thing as a 'perfect parent'. We all just learn and make mistakes and fix those mistakes along the way. You just have to be open-minded about the whole thing and not constantly think about how you're going to be the most awesome parent on the planet. You'll drive yourself crazy if you do that" he smiles gently at Olivia.
"And besides," Hiram adds "I'm sure Brittany will be there to guide you. You'll just have to go and talk to her about the things that scare you when it comes to parenting. She raised her for 5 years after all."
Olivia lowers and nods her head in understanding. She can't even fathom how Brittany coped with raising a child alone for 5 years.
"And you know we're always here to support you, Liv. I can help babysit your daughter." Rachel chuckles lightly and winks at her sister.
Olivia smiles gratefully at the three of them. "Thanks, guys. You're right. I'll just have to talk things through with Brittany. "
"Awesome." David grins and gives her another side hug. "Now, we're gonna have to meet them soon, okay?" Olivia looks up at him and smiles.
"Hmmm… sure," she says but narrows her eyes at David and then at Hiram. "But you're not spoiling my daughter with candy just like those kids who come over here for Halloween."
All of them laugh at her stern statement, lightening up the mood in the room. "See, you're already a great parent." David nudges her and she shrugs smugly. She then picks up her cellphone from the coffee table and sends a quick text message to Brittany.
Brittany places her phone on the coffee table and leans her head on the back of the couch. She had just finished delivering the DNA result news to Santana and is now wondering what the brunette's next course of action will be. She looks up towards the direction of the front door when she hears the sound of keys unlocking the doorknob. Little footsteps can soon be heard sauntering towards the living room. A wide, affectionate smile spreads across Brittany's face when she sees her little brunette walking towards her with an equally broad smile while Mercedes follows behind her. Maddison snaked her little arms on Brittany's neck and the blonde hugged her daughter just as tight by the waist.
"Hi, Mommy" Maddison greets her happily.
Brittany pulls back from the hug and cups both sides of Maddi's face with her palms. "Hey, sweetpea." She smiles and then kisses the little girl on the cheek. Maddi giggles lightly at her mother and kisses her back on her cheek. "How was music lessons today, honey?"
Every school break since they moved to New York, Mercedes had been giving Maddison piano and voice lessons and to no one's surprise, the little girl was a natural. She is a Lopez-Pierce after all, talent runs in her blood. Maddison looks behind her and smiles at Mercedes who was just watching the adorable mother-daughter moment. She smiles at the little girl in return and gives her a thumbs up. Maddison then turns to face her mother again.
"Aunt Cedes taught me a new song on the piano today!" she starts enthusiastically, "She said it was the song that you and Mami danced to on your wedding day." Brittany tilts her head to the side and raises her eyebrow at Mercedes who just smiles at her and shrugs before walking towards the couch to sit beside her.
"Really?" Brittany asks Maddison and she nods, "Well, why don't you…" she runs her hands up and down the little brunette's arms "go and get ready for dinner then you can play the song for me afterward? Does that sound good?"
"Yes!" Maddison squeals giddily and runs to her bedroom to change.
Brittany giggles at her daughter's excitement and her gaze linger on the door of Maddison's bedroom and her giggling soon stops. Her smile turns from being cheerful to a weak one as she turns to face Mercedes.
"What's wrong, Britt?" Mercedes asks.
Brittany meets her friend's concerned gaze and says, "I just got off the phone with Olivia just before you guys walked in, and…" Mercedes nods, urging her to continue, "I told her I got the DNA results today and that it matched her father's DNA in Lima. It's her, Cedes." She fully shifts her body to her side facing Mercedes and leans her head to the back of the couch, her right knee bending towards her and her right foot tucked under the crook of her left knee. Mercedes let out an almost inaudible "Oh" while processing what the blonde had just told her. Olivia is Santana. Her best friend whom she thought she lost, is finally back… but not really.
"So, what does this mean, Britt?" she asks Brittany with a frown on her face. She too doesn't understand what this means for Brittany and Maddison.
"I'm not sure, Cedes," Brittany shakes her head and averts her gaze to her hand on her lap. She looks up in the direction of Maddison's bedroom and then looks at Mercedes, her eyes now red as she rapidly blinks her eyes to stop her unshed tears from falling. "I don't know how I'm going to explain all of this to her," she says as she points her left hand to Maddison's bedroom door.
Mercedes holds the blonde's hand in her lap and says, "Britt, you don't have to explain all the details to her now. She's too young to understand all of it," the dark-skinned woman squeezes her hand "You just have to find a way to explain the situation to her in a manner that a 6-year old could easily grasp and then when she grows older, only then can you give her the full story." Brittany nods at her friend's suggestion. "What about you, though?"
Brittany furrows her eyebrows at the question, "What about me?"
"Hmm, she's still your wife, Britt."
Brittany lets out a sigh and stares at their clasped hands on her lap, "Technically, she is but… I know for sure we can't just go back to being a married couple raising a child together" she lifts her gaze to meet Mercedes' eyes and continues, "Santana doesn't remember anything and I'm not about to force myself into her. All I want right now is for Maddison to know and have a relationship with her birth mother… if she even wants to have a relationship with her daughter." She concludes, her voice sounding even more defeated.
"That's very noble of you, Britt" Mercedes smiles gently at the blonde. "Just remember that you can always run to me when things get tough, okay? This isn't Chicago anymore."
Brittany squeezes her hand and smiles softly in return. Mercedes has been her rock ever since she and Maddison moved to New York 2 years ago. A year after Santana disappeared, she started to ask Brittany to move to New York so they could be close to each other and Brittany would have someone to lean on but the blonde always refused and said that they had to stay in Chicago just in case Santana came back. It wasn't until the 3rd year of Santana's disappearance when Mercedes received a call from Brittany asking if she could help her find an apartment in New York and if there's a vacant teaching position at the high school where Mercedes works as a Music teacher. It puzzled Mercedes as to why Brittany was asking her for a job at a local high school but didn't pry any further. She found an apartment for Brittany and Maddison a few weeks later and told the blonde that the high school she works at needed a substitute teacher. The two Lopez-Pierces moved to New York just before the school year started and Brittany started working as a substitute teacher at a private high school in Chelsea until she got a full-time position as a Physics teacher.
The silence in the living room breaks when a door creaks open and Maddison skips to the living room.
"I'm ready, Mommy!" Maddison says enthusiastically at Brittany and Mercedes.
"Her energy, Britt…" Mercedes chuckles, "she definitely got that from you."
Brittany chuckles lightly and shakes her head "I know…" she then turns to Maddison, "Go wash your hands in the bathroom, baby." Maddison nods and runs to the bathroom. "Stay for dinner, Cedes. I made cheese tots," she says while patting Mercedes' lap before standing up from the couch.
Mercedes's smile grows from ear-to-ear and puts her hand on her chest and laughs, "Oh sweet baby Jesus! You know I won't say no to that." Mercedes stands up from the couch and makes her way towards the kitchen but before Brittany could follow her friend, she hears a notification sound from her phone. She grabs it and swipes to see a text message from Olivia.
[Olivia W. 7:30 PM] Let's talk on Saturday. Just the two of us. I'll make a reservation at a restaurant in Manhattan for lunch if you're free. Let me know otherwise.
Her heart raced at the idea of her and Olivia talking, alone, for the first time. This is it. Whatever Olivia says to her on that day will change everything for her and Maddison. She just doesn't know yet if it's going to be a good or a bad change. She quickly unlocks her phone and types her reply.
[Brittany P. 7:31 PM] Sure. Just text me the address and I'll meet you there.
Brittany puts her phone back on the coffee table and follows Mercedes and Maddison to the dining area. She thinks about telling Maddison about Santana that night after dinner but ultimately decides against it. She figures she needs to know what Olivia wants to do first before telling Maddison that her Mami is alive. She just couldn't risk Maddison knowing and getting hurt if Olivia decides she doesn't want to be a mother to Maddison. For Brittany, it's enough that she went and still goes through all this pain alone and she would do anything to spare her daughter of any heartbreak.
Saturday came by and Brittany is now walking hurriedly towards the restaurant that Olivia texted to meet her at and sees the brunette sitting at one of the outdoor tables once she gets closer. Olivia looks up from her phone when Brittany pulls the other chair on her table and sits down on it, her face flushed from the brisk walking she just did a minute ago.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I'm late. I had to drop-off Maddison first at your best friend's apartment before I came here. How long have you been waiting? Did you order already?" the blonde rambles and Olivia just stares at her with an amused smile on her face.
"Um, no, I just sat down." Olivia chuckles and waves at a waiter and points to a glass. "You should drink some water, you look flushed," she says just as the waiter comes by their table to fill their glasses with water and hands them their menus.
"Oh, sorry" Brittany lowers her head in embarrassment and hides her face behind the menu. Olivia just shakes her head, amused at how adorable the blonde is when she's embarrassed. They both scan their menu for a few minutes before finally waving over the waiter again. The waiter leaves after writing down their orders and both women fall into a rather awkward silence.
"So… my best friend?" Olivia asks, breaking their awkward silence first. Brittany gives her a confused look, momentarily forgetting about the rambling she did a few minutes ago but then realizes what she said.
"Oh… um, yeah... Mercedes," she smiles at the brunette. "She's been your best friend since high school and she was the one who helped me when Maddi and I moved here from Chicago 2 years ago" she explains and Olivia nods while taking a sip of her water. "So… what did you want to talk about?" she asks the brunette with a hint of dread in her voice.
Olivia opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted by the waiter who places their plates on the table. They both say thank you to the waiter once their food is situated in front of them. "We should eat first." Olivia finally says and Brittany nods. They eat their food in silence, while stealing tentative glances at each other every few minutes or so. Olivia finishes her food first so she wipes her mouth with the table napkin and clears her throat.
"The past few weeks have been confusing for me..." she starts hesitantly but Brittany looks up from staring at her food and gives the brunette an encouraging nod. "I'm not gonna lie… at first I thought this was all some sick joke but then we got to talk and now we have confirmation that I am Santana…"
Brittany puts down her fork and wipes her mouth with the napkin before leaning forward on the table to pay more attention to Olivia.
"I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do and I just want to let you know that what I'm about to do is difficult for me, all things considered…"
Brittany's eyes widened at what she thinks Olivia is telling her, "A-Are you t-taking her away from me?" she asks apprehensively and Olivia immediately became blurry to her as tears started forming in her eyes.
"What?! No!" Olivia says a bit loudly, her eyes widen in horror at what Brittany thought she was going to do. She takes a pack of tissues from her purse when she sees tears running down the blonde's face and Brittany accepts and wipes the tears from her face. Santana or not, Olivia can't stand seeing Brittany cry, or anyone for that matter. Olivia smiles apologetically at her before speaking again.
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to say. Brittany…" Olivia pauses and takes Brittany's hand to hold. The touch makes the brunette's body all tingly but she ignores it and continues, "I would never dare take her away from you. Yes, I might've given birth to her but... you took care of her for the past 5 years when you thought I was dead. So no, I would never." She pauses and looks at Brittany who's now staring at their clasped hands so she awkwardly lets go of the blonde's hand. "What I meant to say was that… I want to meet her and have a relationship with her."
Brittany lets out a sigh of relief and nods in understanding, "That's all I want, San-" she cuts herself off and makes eye contact with the brunette but quickly looks away, "Olivia. That's all I want. For her to meet you and be part of her life" she says, dejected.
"But what about you? What do you want? You know, with us being married and all."
Brittany meets Olivia's brown eyes and smiles softly at her. "What I want doesn't matter. You can't remember anything so I'm not going to force you to be my wife again. Maddison is more important than what I want."
"I'm sorry." Olivia apologizes while looking down on her lap.
Brittany shakes her head at Olivia's apology, "Don't be. It's not your fault. We're just caught up in a fucked up situation but I'm willing to work around it if it means I get to see Maddison happy." She smiles softly and Olivia looks up to match her smile. "We can just be two friends co-parenting their 6-year old daughter."
Olivia is awestruck at how understanding Brittany could be with their current fucked up situation. Brittany lost her wife and the mother of her child but she's willing to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of her daughter. This thought makes Olivia's smile turn into a frown as she feels her heart beat faster than usual. Brittany notices the frown on Olivia's face and the change in her breathing so Brittany pushes Olivia's glass of water towards the brunette.
"Hey, you okay?" she asks as Olivia's eyes the glass she's pushing towards her, "Here, drink some water."
Olivia nods and takes a sip of her water before speaking, "Sorry. I just got nervous."
"Why?"
"I uh…" she looks tentatively at Brittany but immediately looks away, "I'm scared that I'm not going to be as good a mother as you."
Brittany smiles gently at her and says, "Hey, don't get ahead of yourself. You'll be surprised" she pauses and Olivia finally makes eye contact with her. "No parent is perfect but you don't have to worry because I'll be there to help you."
Olivia smiles gratefully at the blonde, "That's exactly what my dads and Rachel said. Thank you." She says and they stare at each other for a few minutes before Brittany looks away to watch the people passing by the restaurant. Olivia takes this brief moment to study Brittany's features; her golden blonde hair, her cat-shaped eyes with the most beautiful shade of blue orbs, her pointed nose, freckled skin, and her soft lips. Olivia can admit to herself that the blonde in front of her is indeed breathtakingly gorgeous and that maybe, just maybe, she'd get to kiss those soft lips again. When Brittany first kissed her in that bookstore a few weeks ago, she was stunned but she also felt shivers down her spine while it was happening. It felt so strange and familiar at the same time. However, that's not the priority right now. She understands that Brittany's priority is Maddison so that's what she's going to focus on.
She unconsciously licks her lips while staring at the blonde and the blonde clears her throat. Only then did she notice that the blonde was also staring at her so she immediately tears her eyes away from the blonde's and her face started to heat up at the thought that she was caught staring.
"So… friends?" Brittany asks timidly.
"Um… yeah. Friends." Olivia smiles genuinely at her but is immediately replaced with a shy smile, "So, when can I meet her?"
Brittany scans her eyes for any hint of uncertainty but doesn't see anything so she smiles back at the brunette, "If you want and you're free tomorrow, you can come over for dinner. I'll explain the situation to her later tonight…" she pauses and smiles, "Well, as best as I could for a 6-year old to understand."
"Perfect." Olivia beams at Brittany, "Just send me your address later."
After Brittany and Olivia's lunch meeting, Brittany picked up Maddison from Mercedes' house and dropped by the grocery store to pick up snacks for her and Maddi's movie night after dinner and some ingredients for the dinner she'll be making tomorrow night when Olivia comes over.
Later that night, Brittany made popcorn and brought out some ice cream for her and Maddison to share while watching 'Anastasia'. Brittany thought it was the perfect movie that would help her explain Olivia's situation to Maddi. Lucky for her, her daughter is a very attentive 6-year old. She asked Brittany some questions about parts of the movie that she didn't understand like how Anya forgot that she was Anastasia and how she remembered everything. Maddison's eyes were starting to drop by the end of the movie so Brittany ran to the bathroom to run a bath for the little girl before bedtime.
"Hey baby" Brittany calls Maddison's attention while she washes the little girl's chest with a washcloth. "You understood what happened to Anastasia in that movie, right?
Maddison locks eyes with her and nods with a small smile, "Yes, mommy."
"Good." Brittany smiles gently at her and continues, "Sweetie, I need to tell you something and I need you to pay attention, okay?
"Okay," the little girl nods and pushes the pink rubber ducky back and forth in the water and Brittany continues to wash her.
"Remember when I told you that your Mami didn't come home one day?" she asks and Maddi nods.
"Yeah, you told me she went to heaven like Abuela and Abuelo," she says sadly. Brittany notices her body shiver so she assists Maddison in getting out of the tub and grabs a towel to dry her. She dresses the little brunette in her pajamas and goes back to Maddison's bedroom. She tucks her in before cuddling right beside her before continuing their conversation.
"Well baby… turns out, we were all wrong. Your Mami didn't go to heaven." Maddison looks upon her mother with furrowed brows, "I found her last week, but she didn't know who I was."
"What do you mean, Mommy?"
"She can't remember us, honey, just like Anastasia couldn't remember her real name or her grandmother in that movie." Brittany looks down at Maddison who's now staring at her wide-eyed.
"W-What happened to her, Mommy? She asks the blonde softly.
"We don't know yet, baby." She replies dejectedly, a lone tear starting to roll down her cheek which she wipes with her fingers. "I talked to her today though and she wants to meet you tomorrow." she smiles tenderly at her daughter.
Maddison frowns and cuddles closer to Brittany. "But she doesn't remember me." Brittany notices the frown on her face so she places her index finger on the girl's chin and lifts it to lock eyes with her daughter.
"Yes baby, she doesn't remember but… she's still your Mami and she wants to spend time with you," she pauses and places her hand on the little girl's stomach. "Remember you were in her tummy for nine months before you came out to the world," she says before tickling Maddison in her stomach, and the little brunette giggles uncontrollably which makes Brittany giggle as well.
"Mommy, stop!" she squeals.
"Okay, okay" she stops tickling the girl and kisses her forehead. "So, is it okay that she comes over for dinner tomorrow and you can meet and spend time together?"
Maddison smiles at her and nods "Yes, Mommy." The room fell silent for a few minutes and Brittany thought that Maddison had already dozed off but the silence breaks when Maddison stirs in their embrace and asks "Is she gonna remember us?"
Brittany closes her eyes while she runs her fingers through Maddison's hair. "I hope so, baby. I hope so." She replies softly and soon enough, both of them fall into a deep slumber.
The next day, Brittany is a nervous mess. Olivia is coming over in less than 30 minutes and Brittany is running around the apartment making sure the dinner she made and the apartment looks perfect. She knows that she doesn't have to freak out about anything but everything about Maddison meeting Santana… or Olivia… for the first time is getting to her. Maddison is in her bedroom putting on one of her favorite dresses and then takes out a scrapbook with all of the drawings she's ever made since the first time she held a box of Crayola and paper. Brittany thought it would be a good idea to keep all of Maddison's childhood drawings in a scrapbook as a memento and it has been their tradition to bring those drawings whenever they visit Santana's "grave" in Ohio. But now, Maddison is beyond excited that she gets to show those drawings to her Mami in person.
Brittany is setting up the table when she hears a knock on the door. She smooths her blue dress with her hands and fixes her hair before sauntering towards the front door. She opens the door and smiles at Olivia who is holding a bottle of wine with her right hand and a stuffed panda with her left.
"Hi." Brittany greets her with a smile before eyeing the stuffed panda. "Come on in."
"Hi." Olivia smiles back and goes inside the apartment, "I hope you don't mind that I brought her a stuffed animal."
"Oh, no." Brittany takes the wine bottle from the brunette's hand and places it on the dinner table. "She loves pandas."
"Oh, great," Olivia smiles and stands awkwardly in front of Brittany at the dining area.
"Oh um, come take a seat in the living room," Brittany says and leads the brunette to sit on the couch. "I'll tell her you're here. I'll be back." Olivia nods and Brittany turns to walk towards Maddison's bedroom. After a few nerve-wracking minutes, Brittany comes back to the living room with a shy Maddison walking behind her. Olivia looks up and stands to greet the little girl.
"Hi, Maddison" she waves tentatively at the little girl.
"H-Hi" Maddison whispers while glancing at Olivia before looking down at her feet. Brittany holds her hand and she looks up to see her mother smiling at her.
"Go ahead, baby" she lets go of Maddi's hand and gently pushes the girl's back so that she would start walking towards Olivia. Olivia smiles at the approaching little girl before taking a seat again on the couch.
Maddison stands timidly in front of Olivia and stares at her other mother's face for a few seconds before speaking up "Mommy said you don't remember us." She says sadly and lowers her head.
"Yes, I don't" she smiles sadly at the little girl and then at Brittany. She then lifts Maddi's chin with her hand, "But even if I don't remember anything, you're still my daughter and now that your Mommy found me, I would like to get to know you and spend time with you." She locks eyes with Maddison whose eyes are now filled with tears.
"A-are you gonna leave us again?" the little girl whispers and Olivia's heart breaks when tears start running down on the girl's cheeks. Olivia lifts her hands to cup Maddi's cheeks and wipe the tears with her thumbs.
"No, honey." She shakes her head then looks up at Brittany just in time for her to see the blonde wipe her tears from her face and then looks at Maddison's eyes again. She moves her hands behind Maddison to give her a hug and Maddison snakes her little arms around Olivia's neck. "I'm not leaving again, I promise."
Maddison nuzzles her head in Olivia's neck and sniffles. "I can call you Mami?"
Olivia pulls back to look at her daughter and smiles tenderly. "Of course, honey. I'm your Mami." She moves to hug her daughter again and locks eyes with Brittany. Brittany mouths a 'thank you' to her and she smiles and nods.
Brittany felt her heart swell at the sight before her. Her family is complete again after 5 years albeit a little complicated. She doesn't know what the future holds for her and Santana but as long as she's here with them now and Maddison has her two moms again, she's happy.
