Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or any of the characters ;)
Monday morning…
"Brittany! How'd it go?! Did she like it?! TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Tina ambushes Brittany as soon as she sees the blonde.
"Whoaaa! Hold up! Let me at least unlock the door first," Brittany says with a huge grin on her face.
"Fine, fine. Hurry up!"
Brittany unlocks the door to the clinic and Tina rushes them inside.
"Okay, we're inside! What happened?!" Tina presses her friend for details.
Brittany smiles and says, "Everything was perfect. The most beautiful sunset I could have ever imagined, our conversation was great, and she LOVED the Christmas lights in the tree and the slow dancing. Hands down, it was the best date ever," she says dreamily. "Thank you again for all of yours and Mike's help and for letting me use your parents' house for the date. Santana says thank you, too."
"AWW! I'm sooo glad it went well!" Tina yells and gives Brittany a huge hug. "And you're more than welcome for the help. We were just glad an official date was finally happening!"
"Yeah, well, I totally owe you both dinner or something."
"Deal!" Tina laughs. "Sooo, did you kiss her?"
"Tina! I am a gentlewoman and it was our first date! I gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek," Brittany says as she blushes slightly.
"Aww, you're too cute, Britt."
"Shut up," the blonde woman mumbles.
The two women take care of the morning appointments and just as Brittany is getting ready to go to lunch, she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulls it out and instantly smiles when she sees Santana's name on her screen.
From Santana: "Last night was absolutely amazing. Thank you for making it the perfect date. Looks like I have some big shoes to fill when I take you out."
Brittany lets out a loud squeal when she reads the text.
To Santana: "Does that mean I've earned a second date? ;)"
From Santana: "Definitely :)"
To Santana: "Awesome :) I already can't wait."
From Santana: "Jeeze, no pressure, huh? lol"
To Santana: "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll love whatever you plan. As long as I get to spend time with you, that's all that matters."
From Santana: "Aww…such a charmer."
To Santana: "I just speak the truth… ;)"
From Santana: "Aww :) well, I gotta get in the shower and get ready for work so I'll talk to you later. Have a great day at work!"
To Santana: "Thanks. You, too!"
Brittany makes sure to relay the text convo to Tina as soon as lunch is over and finds herself unable to stop smiling for the rest of her shift.
Monday afternoon…
As usual, when Santana got to Pucktana's, only Puck and Sugar were there so far. They both look up when they hear the door open. Santana knows she's sporting an uncharacteristically goofy grin on her face, but she hasn't been able to wipe it off her face since she walked inside her apartment last night.
"Damn, mama, you're glowing!" Sugar says as a greeting to the Latina.
"What's up with that grin, Lezpez? You get some last night?" Puck wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
"Thank you, Sugar," the brunette flashes her a smile, "and shut up, Puck," she scowls at him.
"Okay, okay," he puts up his hands in surrender, "but really, why are you cheesin' so hard?"
"Welllll," the Latina drawls out, "I may or may not have gone on a date with Brittany last night," she says as another huge smile forms on her face.
"AHH!" Sugar shrieks.
"That's my girl!" yells Puck.
"Glad to see you two approve," Santana jokes, although she really is happy that both of her closest friends have taken a liking to her favorite blonde.
"Dude, we've been WAITING for this to happen! Took you guys long enough!" says Puck.
"C'mon, San! Tell us everything!" Sugar demands.
Santana spends the next half hour telling them how Brittany asked her out Saturday night and all about how perfect the date was. She knows she has the dopiest smile on her face as she's retelling the events, but luckily for her, Puck and Sugar decide to let it slide and don't tease her about it. In all honesty, they are too happy for Santana to do anything to ruin this moment.
"So when's the next date?!" Sugar asks when Santana is finished talking.
"I don't know. I was hoping for maybe this upcoming Sunday night, but I have to think of something good to do with her. It's going to be impossible to beat our first date, but I wanna at least come close."
"I'm sure you'll be able to think of something, don't worry," Sugar says encouragingly.
"Yeah, you'll be fine, San," Puck chimes in.
"We'll see…" the Latina says, a little unsure.
The three of them finished restocking the bar and the little bit of cleaning that was left from the previous night before opening up for patrons. The first few hours were slow customer-wise, but the time actually went by quickly. Puck left around 4pm since he had been there early to receive a shipment of alcohol, leaving Santana and Sugar to their girl talk and a couple other bartenders to take care of the patrons.
Monday evening…
Brittany decides to stop at the grocery store on her way home from work to pick up a few things since she didn't have a chance to over the weekend. She's about halfway done with her mental list of things to get when she runs into Puck.
"Hey, Puck!"
"Hey, Britt! How are you?"
"I'm great! How have you been?"
"Good, good. So I hear you finally took my girl out on a date. Congrats! Just so you know, she said it was the – and I quote - 'best date EVER' so good job impressing her," Puck smiles at the blonde.
"Awesome! I'm so glad she liked it. I mean, she told me she did, but to hear that she told you that…well, that's great!" Brittany beams.
"Yeah. She's all freaking out now because she doesn't know what to do for your next date. It's actually pretty hilarious, but don't tell her I said that!"
"Aww! She doesn't need to worry! I told her I'd be happy doing anything as long as I was with her. And don't worry, I like you, so I won't tell her and have her unleash her wrath on you…although I still have yet to see this wrath so I don't even know how bad it actually is."
"First off, you two are disgustingly cute. Stop it," he laughs. "But anyway, I'm pretty sure she couldn't throw her wrath at you even if she wanted to. She likes you too much. Me, on the other hand? Yeah, she has no problem going off on me. I gotta admit though, I typically have a good time provoking her first and then just regretting the consequences."
"Well, I guess you deserve it then!" Brittany giggles.
"Guess so! Hey, did San happen to invite you to the bar tomorrow night?" Puck asks.
"No. Why?"
"Oh, umm, there's this thing…" he trails off, "Actually it doesn't surprise me that she didn't invite you."
"What thing?"
"It's probably better if I didn't tell you. But I'm inviting you. You REALLY should stop by at 8pm tomorrow. You definitely won't regret it. But you also cannot tell Santana you're coming. At all costs, do not let her know you'll be there unless she specifically invites you. Again, don't feel bad if she doesn't…you'll understand why tomorrow."
"Hmm, super vague, but I'm gunna go with it. I'll be there. 8pm."
"Great! It's gunna probably be packed when you get there. Just try to stay in back, or even the middle. Do not go to the front of the crowd. And even try to avoid the bar…if you want something to drink, just text me and I'll find you."
"Dude, you're being so shady right now," the blonde laughs as she hands over her phone for Puck to enter his number in, "but okay. This better be good."
"Oh, it will be," he says and hands back her phone. "Alright, I gotta get outta here, but remember, whatever you do, do not tell Santana you're coming to the bar tomorrow night!"
"Gotcha, don't worry!"
"Okay. Bye, Britt."
"See ya, Puck."
Tuesday - late morning…
Santana and Puck got to the bar earlier than they normally would on a Tuesday. They had to set up for the event going on tonight. Once everything was in place, they both grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at a table to relax since it wasn't quite time to open yet.
"You seem more excited than normal for tonight," Santana states.
"Yeah, well, it's kind of a bigger deal than normal," Puck replies. "You seem more nervous than normal."
"Guess your reason for excitement is the same reason why I'm a little nervous," Santana admits.
"C'mon, San, you've done this a million times. And nail it every time. There's no need to worry."
"Yeah, but not like this. This time, it's personal," she says quietly.
"San," Pack waits for the brunette to look at him, "you're gunna be amazing, as usual. Don't worry."
"Thanks, Puckerman."
"Anything for my lovely Latina," Puck says with a cheeky grin.
Santana laughs and says, "Okay, I guess it's time to open. Let's go."
Tuesday – late afternoon…
Brittany just walked in the door to her house when she hears her phone beep, alerting her to a new text message. She checks it and sees it's from Santana.
From Santana: "Hey, Britt. On a quick break at the bar so figured I'd see how your day was."
To Santana: "Aww, you're sweet :) I had a good day. Nothing crazy lol. How's your day going so far?"
From Santana: "That's good. My day has been alright. Nothing crazy here either (knock on wood) haha. What are you up to tonight?"
She wonders if Santana is going to invite her to the bar, even though Puck said he'd be surprised if she did that.
To Santana: "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! ;) I just got home so I'm gunna feed LT, get myself something to eat, and then probably lose some brain cells watching bad reality TV lol"
From Santana: "Aww haha that actually doesn't sound too bad lol"
Looks like she's not getting an invite from the Latina. She doesn't take it too hard though; there must be a reason for it.
To Santana: "You say that now, but wait until I'm babbling nonsense to you later on! :P"
From Santana: "And that'd be different from any other day, how?"
From Santana: "I'm just kidding. You're like, the smartest person I know. Totally a genius ;)"
To Santana: "Nice save :P"
From Santana: "Thanks lol. Okay, I gotta get back out there. Have a good night!"
To Santana: "You, too!"
"See you later," the blonde mumbles.
Tuesday night…
Brittany had texted Puck earlier that afternoon to see if she needed to dress up or anything, but he said to keep it casual. She decided to just wear jeans, her favorite blouse, and a comfy pair of sandals. She got to Pucktana's a little early and noticed more cars than usual in the parking lot.
It's now just before 8pm, so she gets out of her car and makes her way inside the bar, remembering Pucks instructions to basically stay semi-hidden in the crowd. She's still not sure why she's doing this, but figures it'll eventually make sense. She looks toward the front of the crowd and sees a stage set up, which was unusual to her because she's never seen live music being played at the bar before. Normally it's just a killer playlist that Santana created. She's still checking out the stage area when the lights dim slightly and a couple spotlights focus on the stage. Brittany sees Sugar climb the stairs onto the stage and take the mic off the stand.
"Hey, guys! Welcome to our monthly Open Mic Night here at Pucktana's!"
"Well, I guess that explains the stage," Brittany mumbles to herself.
"Boy, do we have a show for you! We have 10 performances lined up for y'all…8 new artists, a VERY special returning singer, and an awesome duet to complete the line-up! Without further ado, let's get this party started! First up, we have…"
Brittany doesn't hear the name of the first artist because she gets distracted by a beer being held up in front of her face. She turns to look at who's offering the drink, ready to reject anyone who might try to hit on her, but finds Puck standing there with a smirk on his face.
"Found ya!" he says loud enough for her to hear over the performer, but not loud enough to distract the people around them.
"Did I pick a bad spot in the crowd? I tried to follow your instructions about where to go."
"No, no. You're fine here. I just knew to look for you so it made it easier. It's gunna be a while for the thing you're here for…I figured you could use a beer in the meantime."
"Thanks. How will I know when whatever I came here for is happening?" the blonde asks.
"Oh, you'll know. Trust me," he smirks again. "Hey, I gotta get back to the bar, but text me when you need another!"
"Okay! Thanks again!"
"No problem!"
Brittany nurses her beer as she watches the first 8 performers, only needing Puck to bring her one more bottle so far. While she has enjoyed the performances, she doesn't really see why she NEEDED to come tonight, according to Puck. She figures she only has one or two more performances to go before she understands his madness.
She eats her words as soon as the "VERY special returning singer" walks onto the stage. The crowd goes wild as Brittany stands there, stunned. The blonde sees her favorite Latina cross the stage and take a seat on a stool that's been placed in front of the microphone.
"Hey, guys. I know I haven't been up here the past few open mic nights, but umm, I guess I just need to get something off my chest. So uh, here's "What's Left of Me" by Nick Lachey."
Brittany watches as Santana closes her eyes, swaying gently to the opening notes of the song. When she actually starts singing, the blonde is immediately blown away by the Latina's voice.
"Watch my life,
Pass me by,
In the rear view mirror.
Pictures frozen in time,
Are becoming clearer,
I don't wanna waste another day,
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes."
She had no idea Santana could sing like this, so raspy, but somehow so smooth at the same time. She's incredible. Brittany already knows she'd never tire of hearing something so beautiful. As she listens to the brunette sing, she doesn't know what melts her heart more: the simple sound of Santana's voice or the lyrics the woman is belting out.
"Yeah...
'Cause I want you,
And I feel you,
Crawling underneath my skin.
Like a hunger,
Like a burnin',
To find a place I've never been.
Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the girl I thought I would be,
But you can have what's left of me."
Brittany sees Santana open her eyes and start looking out into the crowd, skimming over the audience to gauge their reactions.
"I've been dying inside,
Little by little,
Nowhere to go,
But going out of my mind.
In endless circles,
Running from myself until,
You gave me a reason for standing still."
Stormy brown eyes meet awe-struck blue. Santana's eyes widen slightly and she looks away, but she doesn't falter.
"And I want you,
And I feel you,
Crawling underneath my skin,
Like a hunger,
Like a burnin',
To find a place I've never been.
Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the girl I thought I would be,
But you can have what's left of me."
Brittany can't tear her eyes away from the Latina and when chocolate orbs find hers again, she feels a shiver go down her spine. Santana is singing for her; to her. The smaller woman maintains eye contact and sings with so much passion that Brittany can't tell if her own heart is bursting with joy or breaking at the emotion she hears coming from the woman she's fallen for.
"Falling faster,
Barely breathing,
Give me something,
To believe in,
Tell me it's not all in my head.
Take what's left
Of this girl,
Make me whole
Once again."
Santana closes her eyes again and just sings. And damn, does she sing. Brittany still cannot believe this voice is coming from her favorite person. She can't for the life of her figure out why the brunette isn't doing this as a career.
"'Cause I want you,
And I feel you,
Crawling underneath my skin.
A hunger,
Like a burnin',
To find a place I've never been,
Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the girl I thought I would be,
You can have,
All that's left,
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
What's left of me."
The singer opens her eyes again and stares directly at Brittany as she completes the final verse of the song.
"I've been dying inside you see,
I'm going out of my mind,
Out of my mind,
I'm just running in circles all the time.
Will you take what's left,
Will you take what's left,
Will you take what's left of me?
Just running in circles in my mind.
Will you take what's left,
Will you take what's left,
Will you take what's left of me?
Take what's left of me."
Santana offers up a quick, "Thank you," into the mic as the crowd applauds her at a nearly deafening noise level. Brittany watches as she gets off the stage and moves behind the bar. The blonde vaguely registers Puck and his girlfriend, Quinn, singing Blake Shelton's "My Eyes" but she can hardly pay attention to their performance when she's too busy trying to make her way over to the talented Latina who just sang her heart out. As she approaches the bar area, she sees Santana hovering by the door that leads into the back. At first, she's afraid the Latina is trying to avoid her, but then she sees Santana nod her head at her, indicating that she wants Brittany to follow her into the back.
Brittany finds Santana sitting on top of the desk in the office, nibbling on her bottom lip…a nervous habit of hers.
"Hey," the blonde woman says gently.
"Hey."
"You were amazing out there. Why didn't you tell me you sing? And sing like THAT, while we're at it. Jeeze, I said before that I'd hire you as my personal chef, but I'd rather hire you as my personal singer. Do they have those?" Brittany jokes, trying to get the Latina to relax a little.
It works as a tiny giggle escapes from plush lips. "I don't think that's a profession." Then she turns serious again, "And I don't know why I haven't mentioned it before. I guess it's kinda like dancing to you; it's an escape for me. Sometimes it's easier to sing something than it is to talk about it," Santana quietly admits.
"I get that. Sometimes you just need something that's yours. I hope you don't mind that I came tonight. I was told that something was going on, but I didn't know what. I'm sorry if I intruded on a personal moment for you." Brittany was now starting to feel guilty for coming.
"No, it's okay that you came. I'm sorry I didn't invite you. I just…didn't know if it'd be weird or something, given my song choice and everything. I was obviously thinking about you when I picked it."
Brittany smiles at Santana's confession. "It's okay. Honestly, I totally understand. But I'm glad I got invited anyway. I meant it when I said you were amazing. That was the best thing I've ever heard. Anytime you need an audience, I wanna be the first on the list! Your voice is just…ugh…it's perfect."
Santana smiles and blushes as Brittany rambles on about how good her voice is. "Thanks," she says shyly.
"No, thank youuu," Brittany smirks, but then turns serious again as she steps forward to stand between Santana's legs, placing her hands on the Latina's sides. "But for the record, I'll take whatever you're willing to give me."
Santana gazes up into blue eyes before reaching up and gently guiding Brittany's head towards her own. Their lips lock in a soft kiss, which gradually intensifies, but still doesn't feel rushed. They're interrupted by the office door opening and they hear Puck immediately apologizing before closing the door again and walking away.
Santana leans back a little and says "I should probably get back out there, too. We have a packed house tonight."
"And I should probably head home since I have to get up early for work tomorrow."
The women look into each other's eyes again and lean in for one more kiss, then reluctantly break apart and leave the office. Santana stops the blonde when they reach the doors leading back out into the bar area.
"Thank you again for coming. Tonight actually turned out way better with you being here," Santana says as a light blush appears on her cheeks.
"Thank you for singing to me," Brittany says, sporting her own blush. She leans in to give Santana a kiss on the cheek before whispering, "Goodnight."
Brittany and Santana push through the doors and the Latina walks the taller woman to the edge of the bar. "Goodnight," she says as the blonde makes her way into the crowd to leave.
A/N: Looks like Santana is ready to move on from her past and start anew with Brittany!
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