Chapter 2

Santana let out a grunt as she flipped the book in front of her shut, a low sigh falling from her lips when she finally decided to give up on studying for the night. A quick glance at her phone told her she'd been at it for well over three hours, having sat right at her desk the minute she'd gotten home, but she knew without a doubt that it wasn't one of her most productive study sessions.

Her mind was still on the woman across the hall, the bubbly blonde with a bright smile and a kid that kept Santana awake and distracted at the worst possible times. Brittany, she mentally corrected herself, standing and padding across the apartment to drop ungracefully down onto the couch. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so distracted by her own thoughts, her unexplained interest in her neighbor not serving as fuel for her late night study session.

It was just as well, she supposed as she let her arm fall to hang off the side of the couch. It was Friday night, the weekend, and she deserved the break. She deserved a few hours of relaxation, of vegging out instead of keeping her head buried in her work. There was always tomorrow to start on the mountain of reading she'd been assigned.

Reaching for the remote, she flicked on the TV, flipping through the channels until she found something mindless enough to leave on in the background while she dozed. The thought of getting up and walking to her bed seemed less than unappealing, her back aching from sitting at her desk for so long. The couch was comfortable enough for now, she rationalized, already feeling her eyes start to droop as she TV screen in front of her played some ridiculous cartoon from her younger years.

Her plans went completely to shit when she heard the first cries.

"Oh, for fucks sake," she growled as she grabbed a pillow, lifting her head to glare at the front door to her apartment as though it would actually have some effect. "Are you kidding me?"

It wasn't like Brittany could actually hear her, but Santana was pissed, and grumbling to herself had always been a somewhat decent stress reliever, even if it only worked on a temporary basis. It didn't seem to have any effect this time, though, her body jerking upwards as she tossed the pillow aside, turning the TV up louder in an attempt to drown out the noise.

Despite the fact that it was a regular occurrence, the interruptions usually weren't that bad. They were over relatively quickly, and Santana was often able to go back to whatever it was she'd been doing. It quickly became apparent that wasn't going to be the case this time, though, Santana letting out another drawn out sigh as she stood from the couch, mentally berating herself for never investing in those earplugs she'd kept saying she needed to buy.

Her brow furrowed when the cries only seemed to grow louder, eyes shifting towards the door as confusion etched it's way across her face. It sounded as though Brittany was much closer than her apartment, the confusion morphing into sheer irritation as she realized just why the noise was so much louder. Letting out a huff, she stomped towards the door, pausing just before she opened it. Rationality had never really been her strong suit, especially when she was irritated, but she knew that stepping out into the landing with guns blazing would only serve to add to the noise, the heaving in her chest easing as she took a few calm, steadying breaths.

Once she was sure she was calm enough to avoid going full Lima Heights, she opened the front door, the confusion returning to her face when she took in the scene in front of her. Brittany, clearly frazzled and at her wit's end, was walking up and down the stairs, a screaming baby in her arms. Santana couldn't hear anything besides Ryan, but she could see the way Brittany's lips were moving where they were pressed against the side of his head, obviously cooing and doing their best to soothe the beyond frustrated child.

Watching as Brittany moved down the stairs, Santana leaned against her door frame, her arms crossing against her chest. When she reached the mid point of the stairs, she turned, foot lifting to start the journey back up to their shared floor.

The look of horror that crossed her face almost made Santana feel bad about coming out here at all. Almost.

"Oh my god, I am so so sorry," Brittany said as she walked back up the stairs, mouth opening and closing awkwardly as wild eyes took in Santana's presence. "I just- he really likes the up and down, on the stairs. It usually works and I-"

Brittany broke off as she ran her free hand through her hair, Santana eyeing the beginning of tears that were forming in her eyes, obviously from frustration and lack of sleep.

"I'm trying to make him a bottle," she said quietly when Santana didn't speak, voice dripping with embarrassment at obviously disturbing her neighbor. "Normally I can get him to calm down long enough for me to heat the water to warm it, but he bumped his head and he's hysterical and I-"

"Brittany, relax," Santana cut her off, holding up her hand and pushing off the door frame. Sure, she was annoyed, and she'd originally come out here to give her new neighbor a piece of her mind about being so disruptive, but it was obvious that Brittany was already having a hard enough time as it was, and for once, Santana actually felt guilty about adding to that.

Her mouth opened to continue, to say something more that was decidedly un-Santana like, but before she had a chance, a whistling came from the open door to Brittany's apartment.

"Oh crap," the woman standing in front of her said, the sound obviously only adding to her frustration. "I forgot, I left the water on and now it's gonna be too hot and-" She shifted Ryan in her grip, a low grunt slipping from her lips as she glanced down at her still hysterical son. "I just need to get that really quick and probably cool it down because the water's not supposed to be boiling. Could you- do you mind?" She nodded towards the baby in her arms, Santana's eyes going wide when she realized what Brittany was asking.

Santana wasn't really a kid type of person, and her experience in holding and soothing infants was basically non-existent. But the pleading blue eyes that looked at her, holding steady as they waited for a response, dissipated whatever protests were on the tip of her tongue, Santana awkwardly holding out her hands as Brittany handed Ryan over.

"I'll be quick," the other woman said while flashing Santana a grateful smile, her hand running soothingly over Ryan's head before she was darting into the open apartment.

Once they were alone, Santana glanced down at the infant in her arms, a grimace spreading across her face when she saw the snot that was running from his nose. She could feel her head pulsing under the pain of a headache that was growing steadily worse by the minute, her arms shifting awkwardly as she tried to adjust the still crying baby in her arms.

"Alright, kid," she muttered under her breath, taking a few steps towards the stairs. "You and me obviously have some differences, but I'm gonna need you to shut the hell up now." Her voice was low and quiet as she started moving up and down the steps, hoping Brittany's trick to get him to calm down would work. "You're really freakin' loud and it's not cool at all, and I've got a headache the size of Texas, so how 'bout we cool it a bit?"

Her words seemed to do little to ease him, though she noticed the volume decrease slightly when she held him tighter, still awkward and slightly anxious about holding a baby and walking up and down stairs at the same time. She seemed to be doing a decent enough job, though, her feet moving automatically up and down the top half of the stairs as she tried to rock him in her arms. His cries had yet to cease, and Santana felt a pang of sympathy for Brittany, starting to understand why she looked so frazzled and worn out when Santana had first seen her.

"You really just don't quit, do you?" she asked with an edge of annoyance, her hand patting gently against his back as she tried to wrack her brain for ideas on how to calm him. She'd always made a point to check out whenever her mother or her aunts started talking about babies, but as she pursed her lips, one thing in particular that her mother had told her months and months ago came to mind.

"You were always such a fussy baby, Santanita," her mother had said with a teasing grin, running her hand through Santana's long black hair. "Your father and I were surprised you didn't do more with your music, because once upon a time, that was the only thing that would make you happy."

A quick glance towards the open door of her apartment told Santana that Brittany had yet to finish whatever it was she was doing, her footsteps halting when she'd reached the landing between their apartments so she could shift the baby in her arms, her hand falling protectively to rest against his back.

"You better like this, kid," she mumbled under her breath, before humming the first tune that came to mind. Her eyes fell shut as she swayed back and forth on the spot, the soft humming giving way to singing as the words fell easily from her lips.

Within seconds, the volume of Ryan's cries were easing, her head shifting to the side to look as inquisitive blue eyes watched her, the tears still pooling there and falling down his cheeks, but not anywhere near as rapidly as they had just moment's before. Her grip on him tightened, body held close to her chest as it vibrated under her words, quiet but steady as she sang.

He'd tapered off into quiet whimpers by the time she was done, eyes that she hadn't realized had fallen shut darting open when a soft cough caught her attention.

"That was..." Brittany started with a shake of her head, leaning against her own door frame with a bottle in her hand and a smile on her lips. "That was beautiful, Santana."

The sudden presence of an audience reminded Santana of where she was, and what she was doing, her awkwardness and uncertainty coming back as she looked down at the quietly whimpering infant in her arms.

"Uh yeah, it was nothing," she said with a shrug, stepping towards Brittany and holding out Ryan for her to take. "Um, here. I've gotta.." She gestured back towards her own door with her free hand, the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding escaping her lips when a confused Brittany finally took Ryan back. "Goodnight, Brittany."

Without another word, she was whirling on her feet, heading straight into her apartment and closing the door behind her. She could hear Brittany start to speak, but she made no effort to stop and listen, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it.

Whatever that was, she thought to herself as she headed straight to bed, not even bothering to strip the clothes from her body, it needed to never happen again.

A/N: Apologies for such a long time between updates. As always, your thoughts are appreciated.