Harper dropped Santana at the motel, and Santana shook his hand again in genuine gratitude. I appreciate this, sir. More than you can know"
"Well, we appreciate you too, Lopez," Harper said. "And we surely do appreciate Brittany"
"Oh, we all do that," Santana said, her exasperation considerably lessened by landing her dream job. When Harper finally drove away, Santana went to find the blonde who was responsible for making her dreams come true to give her the good news. Santana knocked on the door and waited for Brittany to answer. Hearing no noise she opened the door and saw Brittany standing near the bed in her underwear. Brittany turned to look at her and smiled not realizing the shocked state the latina was in. Santana opened and closed her mouth like a fish a couple of times and Brittany gave her a look of amusement. Even in her bright yellow bra and shorts which had ducks on them Brittany looked like an angel right out of Santana's wildest dreams. Her long smooth legs seemed never ending and her boobs looked just the right size to leave anyone drooling. The blonde made her lose her train of thought in an instant and made her feel like a teenage boy who has never seen a naked woman.
""How'd the speech go Santana?" Brittany asked the flustered latina unaware of the impact she had on the smaller girl.
Hearing the blonde talk to her Santana snapped out of her haze and answered with an uncharacteristically huge smile on her face. "We did it Britt, I got the job"
"I knew it!" Brittany threw herself at the smaller woman, and Santana caught her, surprised that she cared so much, and then she got distracted by how much warm softness she was pressing against her. "You are going to love it here Santana," Brittany beamed at the latina, and Santana looked at her and lost her train of thought again. Brittany smelled of vanilla and strawberries and she was so soft and smooth that Santana had to close her eyes for a minute to try and gather her thoughts. She inhaled the blonde's delicious scent once more and then slowly opened her eyes. Hearing no response from the other woman, Brittany loosened her grip on the latina and looked into her dark brown eyes with a look of concern,
"Are you okay San"
Santana stared into the deep blue eyes for what felt like an eternity and then her eyes slid past Brittany's face to the blonde's bra clad breast. Brittany was warm and soft and being in her arms made Santana feel something that she has never felt before. The blonde seemed to be genuinely happy for her and Santana didn't know what to do about it. So she held her breath and closed her eyes
Brittany stared at the latina and noticed how beautiful the other woman was. She liked the feeling of holding the latina in her arms. She kept staring at the smaller woman and realized that she has been holding her breath for a while
"Breath, San." Brittany told the latina with an amused chuckle.
Santana took a breath and opened her eyes once again and reluctantly stepped back from the embrace.
"Thanks Brittany. I'm fine now"
Brittany stared at her for a moment before sitting down on the edge of the bed. She was still beaming at Santana. She stretched out her long legs which made her short ride up even higher and exposing more of her milky thighs. Santana took a deep breath and turned away from the blonde. Still unaware of the impact she was having on the latina Brittany continued her conversation. "Julie kept hinting all afternoon, but I couldn't believe it. Are you going to tell me what happened? Your speech must have been great. It wasn't just the speech." Santana sat down on the end of the other bed, trying not to look like a perv staring at the long legs in front of her and trying hard to keep her eyes somewhere in the vicinity of Brittany's forehead. "Actually Harper didn't give a damn about the speech, although Grey did." The memory of the speech came back, and momentarily she forgot all about the goddess in front of her while she reveled in her victory again. "Grey loved the speech, but Harper was hooked the moment you smiled at him. Thank God this college has such a small hiring committee. Make sure you tell him you love Prescott tonight at the party".
"I do." Brittany shifted back into the middle of the bed and stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles. "You should have seen the tour Julie gave me San. Prescott is a beautiful place to live." Santana couldn't help but look at her legs again. She felt like a creep but she couldn't help it. Brittany had terrific legs. And they went all the way up. Somebody should do everyone a favor and burn all those damn long skirts she wears. Stop being perv Lopez. You sound like Harper. Stop staring at her legs and think of something else. Her boobs look good too. Damn it Lopez... Look at her face.. Those eyes... oh fuck you. "Harper is crazy about you." Santana stated bitterly. It irritated her the way Harper kept staring at Brittany and she wanted to punch him every time he made a comment about the blonde Brittany noticed the irritated look on the latina's face and felt warm inside Is she jealous? No stop it why would she be. "I think he's just plain crazy, period." Brittany rolled off the bed and Santana tried not to look at her ass as she slid to her feet. She headed to the bathroom, picking up a dress as she went. "I feel sorry for his poor wife". "Julie?" Santana was confused.
"Why?"
"She's so lonely San." Brittany's voice floated back. "She's just dying to have a surrogate daughter, and if their marriage was any good, she wouldn't need one. She'd have him to talk to". She came back out, zipping up the dress as she walked. It was the dress Santana had bought her the other day and it fit the blonde perfectly. It was tight in all the right places but still gave the blonde a childlike appearance. And Santana felt confused again, remembering the body under the dress but at the same time she registered that Brittany looked like sweet and innocent like a child "I can't get over how you look in that dress. I feel like a child molester". A look of confusion came over Brittany's face. "Do I look bad?"
"No. Of course not" Santana stared a bit more trying to figure out how to explain to Brittany how she looks. "You just look really innocent but provocative. Like a hot fairy tale. Sort of like Cinderella in heat". While staring at Brittany, Santana had a momentary vision of jumping her and pushing her on the bed, sliding her hand up Brittany's hip and feeling the blonde writhing underneath her as those long, smooth legs_ "San? Santana?" Santana snapped out of her dream and looked up at the blonde who was smirking knowingly at her. Shit Lopez. what the fuck is wrong with you? make sure you stay out of motel rooms with Brittany. Actually just make sure you're never alone with her again. "Sorry I was just thinking. You look great. I'm gonna go get ready now ok? I'll see you in a bit." She rushed out of the room leaving the blonde with an amused look in her face.
On their way to the Harper house Santana kept glancing at the woman next to her. She couldn't help herself. She noticed how beautiful Brittany's face looked. She definitely had the face of an angel. And Santana realized that she could stare into Brittany's eyes for as long as she wants and never get tired. It was a feeling that the latina had never experienced before and it was starting to scare the hell out of her. Brittany saw the Harper house as Tara North: big columns, lots of drapery, flowers, gardens, statuary, everything that spelled opulent living, all in pink and white. "I do declare," she said to Santana under her breath, and she whispered back, "You better behave, Cinderella."
She really tried. Harper practically drooled down Brittany's neckline, and said, "You really are a keeper," and she smiled back, even when he patted her ass. She noticed Santana clench her fists at that and gently took the latina's hand in hers and interlaced their fingers. Professor Grey seemed a little staggered at first and then welcomed her politely. "You're not at all what I expected," he told her, and she smiled at him, turning on the charm as ordered. He blinked once, and then introduced her to his wife, Lacey, who was open and warm in her welcome and got a real smile in exchange. Later Grey moved to one side of the room and laughed quietly into his drink until Lacey nudged him with her elbow, and Brittany thought, we're not fooling either one of them, and liked them even more. A professor with a long, mournful face introduced himself. "I'm Evan York. History. Interesting dress. It probably won't wash well." His smile was brief but genuine, and Brittany liked him a lot too. There was something endearing about anyone that depressed.
But there was nothing endearing about the last professor who introduced herself and Brittany instantly hated her. It was a small blonde who looked pretty enough to be a movie star. "I'm Caroline Honeycutt, from the history department. I love your dress. Really". She smiled up at Brittany but managed to make it seem like she was smiling down. "And you must be so proud of Santana. Her paper was brilliant. What do you think of her theory of the impact of the ring on social barriers?" Brittany stared at the woman for a while before answering."I'm all for it," Brittany said, and Caroline's smile widened. "Ah, you're not a historian," Caroline said. "Forgive me." " You bet," Brittany said, but she thought, I don't like you. And she liked Caroline even less when she saw the tiny blonde walk over to where Santana was and began to smile up to her flirtatiously. Really up at her, because she was little. And pretty. Like Quinn. And probably like all of Santana's other women. Not that it mattered. And Santana smiled back, Sexy, tanned and gorgeous, looking down at tiny little Caroline. Brittany gritted her teeth. She was feeling extremely jealous watching the exchange although there was no reason for her to be jealous. This was all just a story, and it wasn't even her story. No matter how much she loved Prescott and liked the people she met and wanted to save Julie, it wasn't true. She and Santana were only pretending to be engaged. she's not pretending very well is she? Flirting with that stupid tiny woman. Jerk. Brittany decided to do the adult thing and ignore them while she concentrated on what Santana was paying her a thousand dollars to do. So she talked with Harper, making sure to keep herself out of range of his hands. She talked with Evan, radiating cheer to counteract his gloom. She talked with Lacey, sharing stories about Tubbington and Annie when she found out that Lacey loved animals too. She talked with Harper again, because when she turned around he was there. She talked with Grey, sharing his admiration for Santana. She talked with someone from the English department who'd come for the drinks, sharing his annoyance that the mushroom canapés were gone. She talked with Harper, because when she turned around he was there again. Harper was growing from an annoyance to a real problem. She looked around for Santana to rescue her, but the latina was gone, and Brittany felt her temper rise. If she's still flirting with that skinny midget Caroline, I'm going to break her fingers.
Santana was seriously confused. On the one hand, she had the Prescott job for sure; Harper had taken her aside as soon as they arrived at the party and together with Grey had made her the formal offer which Santana had accepted so promptly that they had all beamed. Then things began to get weird. It couldn't be the story, she told herself. After all, it was her story. No, it was more like the story slipping into reality. There was Caroline Honeycutt, for example, logical, intelligent, and obviously more than interested in her, exactly her kind of woman. And then there was Brittany, intuitive and unpredictable, scowling and glaring at her and charming everybody else, exactly not her kind of woman. So it was disconcerting that her eyes kept going back to Brittany instead of staying on Caroline. It was seeing her in her underwear, she told herself. She'd stick close to Caroline, and she'd remember that she liked smart, elegant women dressed in designer suits and black lingerie, not ditzy, tall women dressed in secondhand clothes and underwear with ducks, for God's sake, and then she wouldn't fall into the story and think about taking Brittany back to the motel and consummating her new job with her wife-to-be-who-wasn't. Never tell anymore stories Lopez, She told herself, and when Caroline joined her, she was determine to keep all her attention on the tiny blonde and reality and pushed all thoughts of Brittany with her long legs and her bright blue eyes to the back of her mind.
By midnight Brittany felt that if she flashed her smile one more time, her eyeballs would roll out and her cheeks would split. And it didn't help that every time she turned around, Santana was with Caroline. "Santana." She walked up beside her, smiling. Santana was talking with Caroline again and she ignored her. "San?" She tugged on her sleeve, kissed the latina on her cheek still smiling. Santana blushed instantly. Caroline looked up at her and smiled patronizingly. "You are just too adorable for words." Brittany narrowed her eyes. "Don't be bitchy, darling, it ages you." Santana took her arm and steered her away from a startled Caroline." What the hell are you doing Britt?" she whispered. Brittany put her hands on her hips and glared at the latina "I'm going back to the motel San. This is my idea of hell, but I have been good for five excruciating hours, and now it's time for me to be set free. Take me home, baby, or I'll turn into a pumpkin right here before their very eyes. And the first one I show my real self to will be that patronizing anorexic dwarf with the bad bleach job." "Ok ok god, just hold on." Santana patted her shoulder a little frantically. "I will get you out, I swear, but it will take some time. We'll have to say good-bye to everyone. Can you stand it another fifteen minutes?""Just about"
It took them half an hour before they'd said all their good-byes and the Harpers would let them go. Brittany figured that unless Santana did something incredibly stupid, she was in. Then she saw her with Caroline again, holding her hand, looking into her eyes, saying good-bye. Laying the groundwork for laying Caroline next year. Well, to hell with them both. They deserved each other. And then she turned and saw the expression on Julie's face as Julie watched them. Julie must have watched her husband with a lot of women, Brittany thought. And Julie isn't attached to Santana, she's attached to me. The daughter she never had. Fuck it Santana, you ass Brittany moved up beside Julie and sighed. "It's so sad" Julie put her arm around Brittany and glared in Santana's direction. "Don't worry darling!" Brittany faked a look of surprise. "Oh, no. San's not interested in Caroline that way. It's just that she looks like San's little sister. Her little sister… Gertrude." Julie stopped, taken aback. "Oh?" You see…" Brittany leaned closer as her mind raced ahead. "San adored her, and she died very young." "Oh, no." Julie was horrified. Brittany got a faraway look in her eye. "They loved each other very much. San called her little cupcake." "Julie nodded. Brittany tried to recapture the thread of her story. "And then one day—" She paused. How am I gonna kill off this nauseating little creep? Disease? Murder? Act of God? How would I like Caroline to go? Brittany's face lit up." She was hit by a truck."" Oh, my heavens." Julie's hand went to her mouth. It was a good thing Julie was so full of gin. This was not one of Brittany's best efforts. "And so, Santana is just naturally drawn to be kind to small blondes because they remind her of her little cupcake. Little Gertrude." " Oh." Julie clutched at her, touched. Santana finally let go of Little Gertrude's hand and turned to find them watching her. Julie sniffled. Brittany wiggled her fingers at the latina. Santana walked over to them with a smile on her face and took Brittany's hand and interlaced their fingers. "Well, it's midnight, so I better get Cinderella home." Julie clutched her arm. "You poor, poor darling." Santana looked at the gin glass in Julie's other hand and nodded. "Absolutely. We'll see you tomorrow." She smiled kindly at Julie and wrapped her arm around Brittany and led her out the door. " What the hell was that all about B?" Santana asked Brittany as they went out to the car. Brittany beamed at her. "I'll tell you later San, but it's nothing to worry about." Santana looked at her warily, and she added with a mischievous smile, "Unless you were hoping to sleep with Caroline someday. That would be bad."" Brittany—" Santana said, but then Harper joined them and cut her off. Brittany gave her a sly wink and got into the car and smiled all the way back to the motel.
Half an hour later Brittany came out of the motel bathroom wearing an oversize white T-shirt and saw Santana sitting on the opposite bed with her shirt off only wearing a bra. Blady hell she thought, and then she stopped thinking in words and went to pictures. Moving pictures. She was almost drooling staring at the latina's bra clad chest and didn't notice the looks Santana was giving her. After all her attention was focused a little below the latina's face. Santana scowled at her across her bed. "Brittany why can't I sleep with Caroline someday?" So much for fantasy; she was still obsessing on the stupid midget "Because San, she reminds you of your poor dear sister Gertrude." Brittany pulled back the covers and climbed into her bed. "Julie would consider it incest." Santana tensed, wariness noticeable in every beautiful muscle of her face. "I don't have a sister named Gertrude." Brittany nodded, enjoying the latina's torment. If she had to look at her body and suffer, then she should have to look into her mind and do the same. It was only fair.
"I know. She died young. Tragically."
"She—Brittany!"
Brittany stuck her chin out. "That's why you hold hands with blond midgets instead of paying attention to your lovely fiancée. I had to explain to Julie because she thought you were cheating on me in front of me. The way Harper probably does with her. Understand?"
Santana froze. "Oh." "You used to call her your little cupcake."
Santana looked confused. "Julie?"
"No, darling Little Gertrude."
Santana started to laugh, and Brittany had to grin with her. "And Julie bought this?" Santana asked her. Brittany's grin faded as she remembered. "She was drunk. She drinks way too much, but it's because she's so unhappy. She'd stop if she had somebody to talk to." Santana's grin disappeared too. "Did she tell you that? How much did you talk? What did you tell her? What did you do this afternoon?" Brittany stuck her bottom lip out. "We just looked at Prescott. But I can tell. She's a good person, she's just so, so lonely." Santana leaned forward and cupped her cheek. "Don't get caught up in this story. It's not true, remember?"
"I know," Brittany said.
They stared at each other for a moment and then Santana stood up to get ready for bed, and Brittany closed her eyes because the latina was so near. "I appreciate everything you did today B, don't think I don't," Santana told her softly. "I know that you were the deciding factor. You got me this job, and I appreciate it." How much? She thought, and considered asking the latina to show it, but only for a second. Then sanity returned, and she said, "My pleasure," and rolled away from Santana before she did anything dumb.
Once they were on the plane the next day, they both relaxed. "You did it." Brittany leaned her head back and sighed. "I can't believe it. You did it. I'm so proud of you San," she said, and Santana felt warm because she had done well, which had happened before, and because somebody was proud of her for it, which hadn't happened in a long time. Brittany looked at her with so much pride and affection and friendship, and the latina was a little sorry that it was all over. They'd reached The End, and they'd both live happily ever after apart, the only way people as different as they were could live happily ever after. Brittany would go back to dressing like a leaky Magic Marker, and she would go to Prescott. Prescott. Santana was really going. Because of Brittany. "Let me give you something to thank you B." Santana took the blonde's hand in hers and squeezed it gently. " You can have anything you want." Brittany looked into her eyes again and Santana felt herself getting lost in those blue orbs. Brittany stared at her for a while before pulling her hand free from Santana's grasp. She removed the ring from her finger and handed it to the latina with a smile on her face. Santana felt a sting in her heart as she closed her hand around the ring. Brittany stared at her a little longer and then gave her a sad smile. "Just promise me that I'll never have to see Harper again," Brittany said. "You've got it," Santana said as the sapphire in the ring cut into her palm. "That I can promise B."