A/N: Hiya guys! Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter and I'm glad that some of you guys thought the sexy time was hot. ;) I'm also starting to wrap up this story in the next couple of chapters and I'm writing a new story (which is currently on its 3rd chapter) so I might post that after this one.
Thanks for sticking around and welcome new readers!
CHAPTER 13
Santana marched towards McKinley's football field, where she knew Brittany would be, after her student council meeting. She opened the double exit doors and rolled her eyes when she saw Brittany yelling on the megaphone while her co-Cheerios were forming a pyramid.
"Seriously, why does she have to act like a mini Sue Sylvester? It doesn't suit her." Santana mumbled to herself while approaching the blonde. She stopped right behind Brittany and the blonde turned around to face her with a raised eyebrow after Quinn signaled that someone was right behind her.
"Oh, hi, Madame President. To what do I owe this visit? Brittany greeted Santana in a mocking tone while handing the megaphone to Quinn and Santana just rolled her eyes at the blonde.
"I just came here to tell you that we need the Cheerios to do the opening number for the pep rally next week." The brunette told Brittany in an authoritative tone but the blonde just chuckles.
"Seriously? And what makes you think you can just boss me around, Lopez?" Brittany challenged.
"I'm not bossing you around, Pierce. I am simply telling you what we've discussed during the student council meeting."
"And you couldn't have just told Sue about this?" Brittany chuckled.
Santana huffed and stepped closer in front of Brittany while narrowing her eyes, "I know but…" She paused and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. "You know what, nevermind." Santana then turned on her heels and walked away from the blonde.
"Whatever," Brittany giggled and turned to Quinn to take the megaphone.
"What's her deal?" Quinn asked.
Brittany looked back and smiled softly while watching Santana go back inside the school and chuckled when she faced Quinn again.
"I have no idea."
The next day, Brittany was texting on her phone when Mr. Burrows, their Chemistry teacher, entered the chem. lab. Brittany rolled her eyes at the sight of the teacher who's always sporting a three-piece suit.
"Okay, class, find a partner for today's experiment," the burly teacher in a three-piece suit said while placing his messenger bag on his table. He then faced the class and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw nobody moving. "Chop-chop, people! We don't have all day. Find your partner and don't forget to put on your safety goggles."
All the kids in the class started moving around the lab to find a partner while Brittany stayed at her counter looking around to see if anybody else wasn't partnered up yet. She looked over her shoulder behind her and saw Santana with her arms crossed, also looking around for a partner. The blonde looked around the room again and then back to Santana and let out a sigh when she noticed that only the two of them were left without a partner.
"Oh, boy," Brittany sighs as she makes her way towards Santana's counter. "Hey, wanna be partners?" She asked the brunette nonchalantly.
Santana turned and stared at her with a blank expression on her face. "With you? No," the brunette responded and turned away from the blonde while pretending to be busy. Brittany propped her right elbow on top of the counter and leaned into it.
"I don't exactly see anyone else wanting to be your partner." She points out and Santana looked like she was thinking about it. "This is happening, Santana. Just face it."
Santana huffed and faced the blonde again. "Fine. Get the beakers. I'll get the sodium chloride and hydrogen peroxide."
"Right," Brittany nodded while looking at the paper where the equipment for the experiment was listed.
"Less standing, more moving." Santana sneered before walking away from the blonde to gather their chemicals.
Once they've gathered their materials, Brittany and Santana went back to Brittany's station to start with the experiment. Santana started mixing the chemicals on the Erlenmeyer flask while Brittany just stared at her in awe at how she's experimenting expertly.
"What are you staring at?" Santana asked with an irritated tone when she glanced at Brittany.
"You um… you haven't looked at the directions once." Brittany pointed out.
"Yeah. That's because I've been doing this since I was a child," Santana said nonchalantly while swirling the liquid inside the Erlenmeyer flask.
Brittany chuckled, "You played with chemicals as a kid? Who are you? Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory?"
Santana rolled her eyes while stifling a laugh, "Yeah, no. My uncle's a chemist… we did science experiments for fun."
Brittany's mouth formed a small 'o' in amusement and Santana just chuckled at her reaction, "Oh um… That's actually really cool."
"Put the sodium chloride inside," Santana instructed and Brittany did what she's told. Santana then grabbed the flask and swirled it one more time before placing it above the small fire. The heated chemical mixture caused it to light up followed by a gushing sound and a small cloud forming outside the flask.
"Woah," Brittany breathed out in astonishment.
Mr. Burrows approached the pair at their station with a smile, "Brittany, Santana, great job!" He praised before walking away to check on the other students.
"Nice job!" Brittany complimented Santana while the brunette just shrugged. They locked eyes with each other and it was the first time that Brittany felt butterflies in her stomach while staring at the brunette's brown eyes. Brittany couldn't explain it but at that moment, it's like everyone around them disappeared and only the two of them were in the room. She didn't notice that she was smiling dopily at Santana who's also smiling at her but they were broken out of their daze when the school clock started to ring indicating the end of their class.
"So, are you going to the homecoming dance?" Santana asked while taking off her latex gloves and apron.
Brittany chuckled and turned to face the brunette, "Nah, I'm not going this year. You?" She shrugged and Santana raised an eyebrow at her.
"Hmm, yeah. Me neither. I mean, I'm not really needed there after helping with the setup so I'm just gonna have a quiet weekend and wait for next year's prom." She then glanced at Brittany who's busy gathering her stuff. "Hey, if you want, we could uh… hang… Saturday night?"
Brittany perked up at the unexpected invitation but immediately frowned when she remembered her date with a cheerleader from Carmel High that Saturday.
"Oh, um… I… can't. Sorry." She said apologetically.
Santana shook her head and tried her best to hide her disappointment behind a smile. "Oh, that's cool… Yeah, no problem." She stuttered and Brittany smiled awkwardly.
"Um… I'm gonna go. See you around, Lopez," the blonde offered her a small smile before walking out of the lab.
"Yeah, see you," Santana said quietly while looking back over her shoulder and watched Brittany walk towards the hallway to meet Quinn.
Brittany is in the kitchen breaking apart a large head of maitake mushrooms when she feels a pair of hands wrap around her waist tightly. Santana then tiptoes to kiss Brittany's cheek before resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder.
"What are you making?" Santana asks softly.
Brittany turns her head to kiss Santana's lips softly and then her temple. "Hey, love," she greets the brunette with a smile. "I'm making mixed vegetable tempura for Rachel. They should be here in about an hour and I think Quinn is with them."
Santana nods on Brittany's shoulder before letting go of the blonde's waist. "Okay, what do you need help with?" She asks while looking around the kitchen.
"Um, can you continue breaking this mushroom apart like so..." Brittany says while demonstrating how to break the mushroom apart. "And I'll get started on the tempura batter."
"Okay, sure." Santana nods and takes the mushroom head from Brittany to continue the task. Before Brittany could even walk away though, Santana grips her arm and Brittany looks at her confused but smiles when Santana leans in for a kiss. Santana moves to deepen the kiss and Brittany traps the smaller woman in between her body and the kitchen counter. Brittany breaks the kiss and smiles at the brunette before peppering her neck with kisses.
"I love you," Brittany says in between kisses.
"Love you too," Santana replies before kissing her cheek one last time. She then grabs Brittany's butt and pats it lightly so Brittany giggles and moves to the other side of the kitchen counter to get started on her new task.
"Mami, can you help me tie my dress?" Maddison asks as she comes into the kitchen already dressed up for the occasion. Santana turns and smiles at her daughter before wiping her hands with the kitchen towel and tying the lace on Maddi's dress in a nice bow. "Thanks, Mami!" She beams while hugging Santana's leg.
"You're welcome, sweetie." She smiles adoringly at her beautiful daughter while Brittany just watches the interaction lovingly. Maddison smiles at Brittany while still hugging Santana's leg.
"Can I help, Mommy?" She asks Brittany hopefully and the blonde smiles at her.
"No, it's okay honey. We don't wanna get your pretty dress dirty now, do we?" She asks and Maddison shakes her head. "Okay, so why don't you go ahead and watch cartoons in the living room while we finish up here. Maybe draw a picture for Poppy and Pop-pop? They'll be here soon." She smiles and winks at her daughter.
"Yes!" Maddi squeals excitedly before running to the living room and her moms giggle at her.
The couple continued Thanksgiving dinner prep until they heard the doorbell ringing an hour later. Santana looked up and locked eyes with Brittany who smiled softly at her.
"Go ahead, San," the blonde says softly to her, encouraging her to open the door and greet their guests. Santana nods and cleans herself up before heading towards the front door. When the brunette opens the door, she is greeted by Quinn first who came to the apartment together with the family. The blonde introduced Rachel, David, and Hiram to Santana and the brunette smiled warmly at the three of them.
"Hi," Santana greets nervously as she doesn't know exactly how to act at the moment. She instead follows her gut instinct and hugs each one of them. "Come in." She says as she ushers their guests to the living room and Maddison perks up when she sees her grandparents walking into the living room.
"Poppy! Pop-Pop!" the little brunette squeals before running and jumping into David's arms.
"Hey, sweetpea!" David beams as he carries Maddison into his arms and kisses her cheek.
"We missed you, honey," Hiram says while smiling at the little girl. Santana just smiled at the interaction and silently wished that her dad was still alive so Maddison can have the same relationship with her dad as this one.
"Oh, we don't get any love?" Rachel asks Maddison as she and Quinn come in from the kitchen after placing the food they brought in the oven to keep it warm.
"Auntie Rachel! Auntie Queenie!" She greets them while David puts her back on the floor and she runs to hug her aunts.
"Hey, Maddi, why don't we go keep your Mommy some company in the kitchen? She feels lonely by herself there." Quinn asks the little girl while looking at Santana and the Berrys. Maddison looks up at her and smiles before taking her coloring materials. Quinn then takes the little girl's hand and guides her back to the kitchen.
Santana mouths a thank you to Quinn before ushering her family to sit. They stay silent for a few minutes since nobody knows how to start or what to say so Hiram takes it upon himself to break the awkward silence in the living room.
"How are you, sweetheart?" Hiram asks Santana with a small smile which the brunette returns.
"Um, I'm good." She starts softly, "I uh, I started my therapy sessions with Quinn which has been really good so far and you know, just spending more time with Brittany and Maddison."
"That's good to hear, Li- Santana," David says but immediately catches himself. The awkward tension comes back in the air so Santana smiles softly and takes a deep breath before speaking.
"Um, I actually wanted to personally thank you, guys. For taking me in and treating me like your daughter and sister…" she begins as she looks between the two men and Rachel. "I know that you're hoping that I could at least remember the life I had with you guys but as of now, I don't. I wish I could too." She says sadly while looking at her lap.
Rachel, who's sitting beside her on the couch, moves closer and squeezes her knee. "Hey, it's okay, we understand."
"Thanks," Santana smiles and glances at her. "It might take a little getting used to but, I would love for us to still be part of your family and for me to get to know you guys as, well… me."
David smiles genuinely at her nods, "Of course, honey. You're still our daughter, you know, just with a different name."
"And we're also glad that you'd still want us to be part of your family," Hiram interjects.
"Well, of course." Santana nods, "Brittany told me how awesome you guys are and I'm really thankful that it's you guys who took me in all those years ago. I may have lost my dad already but I also gained two." She smiles genuinely as she looks at David and Hiram who are trying to hold back their tears and then at Rachel. "And a sister, too."
Rachel moved closer to her to give her a side hug and Brittany came into the living room with a huge smile on her face.
"Dinner's ready," Brittany says as she moves closer to David and Hiram to greet them with a hug for the first time that night. The family nods and makes their way to the dining room while Brittany stands in front of Santana and hugs her wife.
"You okay?" She asks while pulling back from the hug and staring into Santana's brown orbs.
Santana smiles as she locks eyes with Brittany and pecks her lips. "I am. Come on, let's eat. I'm ready to stuff my face," She giggles and drags Brittany to the dining table.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Quinn asks Brittany as she comes into the kitchen and sees the blonde seemingly preoccupied with something else while she's preparing tea for everyone.
Their first Thanksgiving dinner as a complete family went on without a hitch, granted that Brittany's parents couldn't make it to New York and Mercedes is in Ohio with her parents, the celebration they're having is still going really well. Brittany and Santana couldn't help but be emotional at the dinner table as they were both thankful that they're finally back in each others' arms. Santana is also thankful that she's surrounded by family during this challenging time in her life and she again thanked Rachel, David, and Hiram for being so good to her.
After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room where Maddison played a song on the piano for everyone and was eventually joined by Santana. Rachel and her parents' jaws dropped when Santana started singing and Rachel couldn't have been more excited that she finally had a sister she can sing with at family gatherings, although, Santana isn't quite sure how to feel about that yet. Santana decided to play a couple more songs for their guests so Brittany stood up from her chair and decided to make tea in the kitchen.
The blonde smiles at Quinn as she leans in the kitchen counter opposite Brittany.
"I'm just happy." She says to her hazel-eyed friend.
Quinn smiles softly at her while helping her place teacups in the tray. "That's good. I'm happy for you guys, too." Quinn then glances at the kitchen doorway and then back at Brittany. "How is she?"
"She's doing great, Q. Her therapy is really helping her cope with the situation," Brittany says as she looks up and locks eyes with Quinn again. "It's just weird sometimes."
Quinn furrows her eyebrows at Brittany, "Weird? How so?"
"Well sometimes, I feel like she's still Olivia and not Santana. Did I ever tell you that one day, I woke up and she already cooked breakfast and she said she just started pulling out pans after waking up and started cooking?" She asks Quinn and the blonde shakes her head. "And then she's extremely organized now, Q. Those were Olivia's habits, not Santana's." Quinn just stares at her obviously distressed best friend with a blank face but eventually gives in and giggles.
"What's funny?" Brittany asks while frowning at Quinn.
"Nothing, B." She giggles for a couple more seconds until she felt like she has got it out of her system and smiles softly at the blonde. "That's just her subconscious bringing out her habits as Olivia into the surface, Britt. Nothing to worry about. If some of her "Olivia" habits are now resurfacing, then she just might be able to remember her life as Olivia and we'll help her cope with that too. Think of it as Santana 2.0, if you will." Quinn explains and Brittany nods in understanding.
"Well, cooking and organizing certainly is a plus." Brittany and Quinn chuckle. They then glance at the kitchen entrance when Santana comes in with an annoyed look on her face. "What's wrong, babe?"
"Is Rachel really that annoying?" Santana whispers and Quinn frowns at her.
"Hey! My girlfriend is not annoying!" Quinn chastises and throws a table napkin in Santana's direction.
Brittany raises her eyebrow at her best friend and smirks, "Ahh, so you're girlfriends now?"
Quinn blushes at the question but rolls her eyes instead, "Don't change the topic, Brittany." She says while glaring at Santana.
"Okay, okay. She's not annoying." Santana chuckles and raises both her hands in surrender. "She's- c'mon what's the word… um," she says while clicking her middle finger and thumb together. "Passionate! She's passionate about anything and everything Broadway because Lord knows, she's asked me to play every damn Broadway song that ever existed in the past hour. She reminds me of Blaine from our high school Glee club." Santana says and then stands beside Brittany to kiss her cheek.
During the last couple of weeks, Santana and Brittany couldn't take their hands off each other. They're always making sure that they touch each other and declare their love every chance they get to make up for the lost time.
"Well, let's bring the tea out before Quinn's girlfriend, also known as my wonderful Broadway sister, finds the karaoke and starts singing her ass off." She giggles as she picks up the tray with the teacups and heads back to the living room while Brittany and Quinn follow behind her.
"Did you have fun tonight, baby girl?" Santana asks Maddison while tucking her in. Maddison smiles at her and nods as Brittany comes into the bedroom and kisses the girl's forehead.
"Si, Mami. I really missed playing with Poppy, and Pop-Pop." She says and Brittany and Santana smile at her.
"Well how about we visit them in Staten Island next weekend?" Brittany suggests while smiling at Santana and her daughter.
Maddison's eyes widen and ask, "Really?"
"Yes, really." Brittany nods and Santana follows.
"Yey!" Thanks, moms," Maddison says while sitting up and hugging her moms.
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Santana says while pulling back from the girl's hug. "Now, why don't you go to sleep, and tomorrow, we can go to the park and feed the ducks with Mommy." She says while smiling softly at Brittany.
"Okay but, can Mommy read me a story?" Maddison asks.
"Sure honey," Santana nods and kisses her forehead before getting up. "I'll be in the bedroom, babe." She tells Brittany before leaving the little brunette's bedroom.
Santana checks the locks first and turns off the lights in the house before finally retreating to their bedroom. She then freshens up a little bit before taking out and lighting some candles and placing them strategically around the bedroom. She then chooses a song on her phone and places the phone on the docking station.
Brittany comes into the bedroom a few minutes later and her eyes widen at the dimly lit room and smiles softly when she sees Santana sitting at the edge of the bed. The brunette looks up and smiles before getting up and walking towards the docking station to play the song she chose earlier, making sure the volume is enough for only the two of them to hear. The intro of the song starts playing so Santana walks towards Brittany and takes Brittany's hand.
"Dance with me." She says while guiding Brittany to the center of the bedroom.
Take my hand, take a breath
Pull me close and take one step
Keep your eyes locked on mine
And let the music be your guide
Santana follows and moves according to the lyrics of the song before guiding Brittany's left hand to snake around her back. She then clasps her left hand with Brittany's right and her other hand snakes around Brittany's waist as they stare at each other lovingly. Tears well on Santana's eyes as she sings along to the next verse.
Won't you promise me
That you'll never forget
To keep dancing
Wherever we go next
The brunette leans her head on Brittany's chest and listens to her heartbeat as they continue to slow dance.
It's like catching lightning
The chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million
The chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together
We just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance
Can I have this dance
Brittany lifts Santana's chin and kisses her lips softly before singing along to the next verse.
Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn will be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it all
Tears start streaming down both women's faces so they wipe each other's tears and Santana sings the next verse.
Even a thousand miles
Can't keep us apart
'Cause my heart is
Wherever you are
Brittany leads the two of them to waltz into the chorus and twirls Santana around before wrapping her arm on Santana's waist again.
Oh no mountains too high enough
Oceans too wide
'Cause together or not
Our dance won't stop
Let it rain, let it pour
What we have is worth fighting for
You know I believe
That we were meant to be
The couple finishes dancing to the song and they both just continue to stare at each other, their eyes conveying each other's undying love. Santana smiles weakly at Brittany as the blonde wipes the remaining tear tracks from the brunette's face.
"What's wrong, love?" Brittany asks and Santana shakes her head.
"Nothing… it's just-" Santana starts but then takes a deep breath and guides Brittany to sit on the bed. Once they're seated, Santana positions herself to face Brittany and holds her hand. "Mercedes told me about what happened in Chicago before you moved here."
"Oh," Brittany whispers while lowering her gaze.
Santana squeezes her hand and tilts her chin up so they're looking in each other's eyes. "Britt, I… I can't even imagine what you went through and I'm truly, deeply, sorry that you had to go through all of it without me."
"Hey, it's not your fault, San," Brittany tells her while wiping the lone tear that escaped the brunette's eye. "None of this… is our fault. Come here." She then pulls Santana in for a hug and hugs her wife tightly.
"I just feel responsible for all the pain that you've experienced all these years and because of that pain, you gave up some of the things that really mattered to you and made you happy."
"I'm not blaming you, Santana. It was my choice to leave Chicago and stop dancing because those reminded me of a huge part of my life that I lost and I figured that if I abandoned it, it would help me move on eventually." Brittany then pulls back from the hug and kisses Santana.
Santana caresses her wife's cheek as they break the kiss and sighs, "But I'm here now, Britt. I'm not going anywhere and I'm making sure that I don't lose my way again through therapy. You've sacrificed enough over these past few years so now, I want you to start being truly happy again."
"I am happy, Santana." Brittany furrows her eyebrows at her wife and Santana nods.
"Yes, but I want you to be completely happy. Which means I want you to start dancing again."
"I-I don't know, San. I haven't danced in 5 years, I'm out of practice." Brittany counters while shaking her head.
Santana squeezes her hand and smiles softly. "We just danced a few minutes ago and you still move flawlessly. You're maybe a little rusty but, you were born to dance, babe, and we're in New York now. The opportunities for someone with a talent like you are endless."
"Yeah, but, I really like my job right now."
"Britt, I'm not saying quit your job tomorrow. I'm saying, it's about time that you consider going back to doing what you really love and you have time to decide." Santana explains, "I just can't stand seeing you in New York and not living your dream as a dancer."
Brittany bites her lip and smiles softly, a habit that she does every time she seems to think about something deeply. "Fine, okay." Her smile grows wider as she nods in agreement to her wife's suggestion.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I'll think about it." She concedes and Santana tackles her with a tight hug.
"Thank you, babe," Santana tells her and pulls back to pepper the blonde's face with kisses. "I just want you to be happy and... seeing you not dancing is like an abomination. It's against the laws of nature, Britt."
Brittany chuckles at her wife's statement and holds her still to stare at her brown eyes. She then runs her fingers through Santana's dark locks and sighs in contentment. "I love you so much, Santana. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."
"I feel the same way, Britt-Britt, you know that." She declares before leaning in for a kiss. "I love you, too." She whispers against Brittany's mouth before hugging her again.
Brittany rubs her back and smiles when an idea comes to mind, "You wanna take a long and hot bath with me? It's been a long day." She asks while pulling back from the hug and Santana smirks.
"Of course, my love," Santana replies and gives her wife another peck on the lips.
