The Christmas period is well and truly over now so things are back to normal for Santana and her business. She is working on many weddings at the moment including Brittany and Rachel's. She doesn't want to hurt Rachel any more than she's about to be hurt when she hears the truth but at the same time she can't stop meeting up with Brittany. They're not together or anything like that but they have kissed once or twice since their kiss at Christmas.
Brittany is currently waiting in Santana's office to talk to her while Santana is in another room taking a call.
"Ok so I've spoken to my lawyer and I think she might be able to help" Santana says while walking into the room. "Now it's not that great of a plan because as you already know there isn't much we can do but it is a decent enough plan that could stop your dad's business from going under" she adds.
"Ok" Brittany nods.
"He could lose a lot of money if Matthew stays true to his word and ruins the deal your dad had with the Berry's but I think the business might just be able to survive" Santana replies.
"Why would you want to help me after everything I did to you?" Brittany asks confused. She doesn't understand how someone as nice as Santana would want to help her after she hurt her so much. She didn't intentionally hurt her but she still did so she doesn't get why Santana could just forget about that.
"Because I can see how much you're trying to put things right Brittany. I know you never wanted it to come to this" Santana admits.
"So what's the plan then?" Brittany asks curiously.
"We need to tell Rachel the truth about everything and explain to your dad and the Berry's what's going on first" Santana states. "I know you really don't want your dad's company to be in jeopardy but Rachel really needs to know the truth now. She's been calling me nonstop this week about the wedding and I don't know if I can keep this secret much longer" she admits.
"If I tell them all outright what's happened then can't Matthew just mess with the contract. Shouldn't I be seeing a lawyer first?" Brittany asks.
"I've spoken to my lawyer and there isn't much we can do to prevent it because things weren't completely above board. However I know a way where your dad can regain some of his money" Santana replies.
"Ok so what should we do?" Brittany asks hopefully. She really does hope there is something they can do to help the situation she's in at the moment.
"Obviously I'm a wedding planner so I often organise the wedding favours for the weddings so I was thinking from now on, I'll use your dad's company. Usually I take them around different places and the wedding party can choose which favours they like best but for the time being I'll use Pierce's Pieces and we'll only do edible favours to give to the guests" Santana says.
"I don't mean to be rude but making a few wedding favours for a couple of weddings is not going to keep the business afloat because the company needs money to buy the materials in the first place before they make the products so how are they meant to do that?" Brittany replies.
"I am going to loan your dad's company money and then he can pay me back whenever he makes it back again" Santana shrugs.
"No I cannot ask you to do that" Brittany shakes her head. This is her mess and to do with her family, she doesn't want Santana's business brought into it.
Brittany is currently at Rachel's apartment waiting on her finishing in the shower because she wants to talk to her. She's going to break up with her and she wants to do it now before things get worse so she really doesn't want to wait off anymore. It's maybe not the most ideal time since Rachel is clearly busy but it's better now than trying to get a hold of her when she's at work or something.
"Have I got time to blow dry my hair before we talk?" Rachel asks walking into the room.
"I'd really rather you didn't right now. I think we should just talk" Brittany says nervously. She knows this has to be done but she is really worried about hurting Rachel.
"My hair doesn't style properly if I don't blow dry it right away" Rachel points out.
"I'm sorry but I couldn't care less about your hair right now, what I have to say is important" Brittany says, perhaps a little harsher than she meant to, to deliver the sentence.
"Jeez, what is up with you" Rachel says frowning at her but nevertheless sitting down since it seems serious.
"I need to speak to you about a few things actually, the first being Matt" Brittany says.
"What about my brother?" Rachel asks worriedly.
"He's been up to no good again Rachel and this time it's more serious than it's ever been. He could potentially ruin my whole family" Brittany states.
"I know Matthew can rub people up the wrong way but he really isn't a bad guy" Rachel states.
"Rachel he isn't as perfect as you think he is, honestly" Brittany says shaking her head.
"I know he's done a few questionable things in the past but none of them were that bad, it's not like he's put anyone in danger" Rachel tries to reason.
"Rachel he is about to destroy my dad's whole company and I'm sorry but I won't have that. He can destroy whoever the hell else he likes but I will not let him hurt my family. My family have been through enough so I don't want them to go through any more heartache" Brittany says.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel asks confused.
"He knows a few things about me so he's holding them over me but I can't let it happen any longer. The contract between my dad and your dad wasn't completely done in the right way as you know so now your brother is threating me that he will ruin everything for my dad if I don't do what he wants" Brittany replies.
"Surely not" Rachel says shaking her head, not believing what she's hearing.
"As soon as the contract is up, your dad was going to sign the company over to your brother but he's not going to do it before so if something happens before the contract ends then Matt won't get the business" Brittany says.
"Yeah I know that" Rachel nods.
"Ok so he's threatening me that if I do what I have wanted to do for a while then it could mean the contract ends prematurely therefore he doesn't get your dad's business. So basically he wants to destroy the contract so my dad gets nothing to hurt me for ruining his chances of getting your dad's business" Brittany explains. "It would mean he would end up with nothing but he's happy with that because he would be satisfied that my family would be torn apart."
"What exactly is it that you want to do Brittany?" Rachel says getting lost in what Brittany is saying. She doesn't really understand much of it because she has her own career so she hasn't took much interest in her dad's business unlike her brother who wants to take it over.
"You and I need to break up Rachel" Brittany says sadly.
"Not funny Brittany, I am being serious" Rachel states unamused.
"So am I unfortunately" Brittany says, moving closer to Rachel.
"No you can't break up with me, we're getting married" Rachel says trying not to believe this is happening right now.
"I'm sorry, I really am but I have to" Brittany says feeling bad about the situation. "I haven't felt the same way about you in a long time so we have to end things."
"No this seems too sudden" Rachel shakes her head.
"It's not and if you listen to me about Matt then you'll know why it has taken me so long to finally do this" Brittany says.
"I thought we loved each other" Rachel states.
"I did love you and I still love you as a friend now but that's it. I don't want us to get married and I have hated stringing you along like this but I had to" Brittany admits.
"I don't think you had to, maybe you just wanted to because you think it's funny to mess me around. You know how hard it was for me to accept who I was and the fact I was in love with a girl so maybe you just find it amusing to finally make me accept it before breaking my heart" Rachel says annoyed.
"That's not it Rachel, not at all" Brittany shakes her head. "I did love you so none of this was a joke because I know you took it hard trying to come to terms with who you were. I just fell out of love with you but I still care about you" she says honestly. Before Brittany, Rachel dated guys so falling for Brittany was a big shock for her so she struggled and now she thinks all that personal struggle she overcame was for nothing.
"So why did you wait so long to break up with me?" Rachel asks.
"Matt told me that if I broke up with you before the contract ends then he would make sure my dad loses everything. He thinks there would be no way for your dad to stay in business with my dad when he finds out I broke up with you therefore that means your dad would end the contract therefore meaning Matt doesn't get the business" Brittany says. She wouldn't blame Mr Berry either though for ending the contract when Brittany broke his daughter's heart.
"That sounds a bit too mean for Matt to do" Rachel shakes her head not believing this. "Are you sure you're not getting your wires crossed?" she asks.
"Rachel your brother knows I wanted to break up with you but yet didn't feel the need for you to know. What kind of kind brother would do that?" Brittany asks. If her sister's boyfriend wanted to break up with her and told Brittany then she wouldn't want her sister strung along. She'd want the boyfriend to tell her sister right away.
"This just doesn't make sense" Rachel sighs.
"I know you're upset at the moment Rachel but wake up and see what your brother is like" Brittany says.
"Why didn't you just break up with me before now?" Rachel asks.
"Like I say, Matt was threatening me and I didn't want my family to lose everything so I stayed with you until I could think of how this situation could be resolved" Brittany replies.
"And have you?" Rachel wonders.
"No I haven't but I just couldn't hurt you any longer so I'll just need to take the chance" Brittany sighs.
"So you really haven't felt the same about me in a while?" Rachel asks.
"No, I'm sorry" Brittany admits. "Look I still care about you like one of my best friends and I hated hurting you but yeah, I don't feel the same anymore."
"It just seems really sudden, I just don't get it" Rachel tells her.
"Surely you must have found things weird between us lately because couples kiss and do a lot more couples things than we did" Brittany points out.
"I just thought it was the pressures of work and planning the wedding that had been getting to us because I still love you but I wasn't into that stuff either" Rachel replies.
"Look how about I give you some time to digest things and if you want to talk again then we will?" Brittany suggests.
"Yeah I don't want to talk anymore" Rachel sighs.
"Ok, I'll leave now" Brittany says before leaving.
She knows she hasn't told Rachel the whole truth about everything but she feels she's hurt her enough already so telling her about Santana wouldn't help matters. She will tell her in time about everything else but right now she just wants Rachel to understand and process what she has told her about so far.
XXXXXXXX
Brittany has just parked outside of her parent's house and is walking towards the front door. As soon as she gets there, she knocks once before walking inside. She shouts hello and hears her dad reply that they're in the kitchen so she makes her way there.
"Hey guys, can I talk to you both?" Brittany says walking into the kitchen.
"Of course" her mom smiles.
"There's no easy way to explain what's going on so I'll just tell you it straight out" Brittany sighs. "I have broken up with Rachel" she says.
"Wait, why?" her mom asks completely confused. This has come as a huge shock to her because she didn't know they had been having problems or anything like that
"I've been thinking of doing it for a while but I just couldn't because of her brother" Brittany sighs.
"What has Matthew done now" her dad rolls his eyes. He's been very sceptical about Matthew in the past so it doesn't come as a shock that he could be up to something. Brittany then goes on to tell them the whole story about what's been going on.
"Matthew is going to try and destroy the contract you have with the Berry's which could ultimately destroy Pierce's Pieces" Brittany states. "I tried so hard to come up with another plan and stay with Rachel as long as I could until the contract ended but I just can't do it anymore."
"It's ok Brittany, don't be worried about that" her mom assures her.
"This wasn't your fault Brittany, you didn't have to do that for me" her dad says hugging her. "I can't believe you went to that length to save my business."
"I know how hard you've worked dad and I didn't want you to lose all of that because of my stupid relationships. If I hadn't of dated Rachel in the first place then you wouldn't have got into business with the Berry's and this wouldn't have happened" Brittany states.
"You can't think like that because I didn't do it because you and Rachel were dating. We have been friends with the Berry's for a number of years so whether you and Rachel remained as friends or did date like you did wouldn't have made a difference. I probably would have still went ahead with our business venture" her dad states.
"I think I made it worse though dad" Brittany points out, feeling bad about this whole thing.
"You and your happiness mean more to me than my business Brittany" her dad says hugging her tighter. "Whatever happens, happens so don't blame yourself, please" he assures her.
"There's no way the Berry's will want to work with you though dad knowing your daughter has broken their daughter's heart" Brittany sighs.
"I couldn't care less about the Berry's right now" her dad shrugs. "All I care about is my family so if they don't want to work with me anymore then they don't have to. To be honest I don't want to work with them either because clearly that bastard of a son of theirs has hurt my little girl."
"I am sorry dad for all of this" Brittany says. She still feels there could have been better ways to handle this situation than how she did.
"Please don't apologise because it really isn't your fault" her dad smiles. "If my business goes under then I'll just need to deal with things but I don't want you stressing yourself out about this because it's not your issue, ok" he says.
"Ok" Brittany says, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"Honey why don't you stay here for a little bit and I'll make you some lunch?" her mom offers.
"Thanks mom but I actually have some stuff I need to do starting with heading into work" Brittany replies. She doesn't think her head will be into work today so she won't stay too long but she feels she should go in and make sure everything is ok.
"Are you sure you're in the right head space for work?" her dad asks.
"Probably not but I can't just take the day off" Brittany replies.
"At least wait until your mom has made some lunch then and then you can head to work once you've eaten. You need to eat to concentrate and I don't think you've had time to eat today with everything that's been going on, have you?" her dad replies.
"I haven't" Brittany replies.
"Ok well stay for lunch then" her mom smiles.
"Ok" Brittany nods. Her mom then makes them some lunch while Brittany sits there thinking over everything. She knows she shouldn't be feeling this down about things because she knows Rachel must be hurting more but she does feel sad. She never meant everything to get to this stage and she doesn't know how to make things better or if she can even do that at all.
"Honey stop beating yourself up about everything" her mom says walking over to her with her lunch. "I can see you overthinking everything but the truth is you done the best you could in this bad situation."
"I don't think I did. Surely I could have handled this better and not hurt Rachel so much" she states.
"Matthew put you in a terrible position so you're not the one to blame here" her dad states.
XXXXXXXX
After spending some time at work and realising she was right about her head not being in it, she decides to leave. She headed home to freshen up and change before going out again. She has just arrived at Santana's apartment complex and has went inside. She goes straight upstairs and knocks on Santana's door. It doesn't take long for Santana to open the door.
"Hey" Santana smiles brightly, excited to see Brittany again.
"Can I come in?" Brittany asks quietly.
"Of course" Santana smiles while moving away from the door to let Brittany in. They then make their way to Santana's living room. "Can I get you a drink?" she asks.
"I'll take a large whisky if you have some" Brittany sighs.
"A strong drink, something must be up" Santana nods while making her way to the kitchen. She gets them both a drink and goes back to Brittany. "There you go" she says handing the glass to Brittany.
"Thanks" Brittany says before downing the whisky in one.
"Ok something really bad is going on" Santana points out as she sits down next to Brittany. "What's going on with you?" she asks concerned.
"I broke up with Rachel this morning" Brittany says sadly. As much as she doesn't love Rachel anymore she does still care about her and she hates how heartbroken Rachel is now.
"You did" Santana asks shocked. She knew it was likely going to happen after their little chat the other day but she didn't know when it would and didn't realise it would be this soon.
"Yeah and she took it as bad as we thought she would. She was absolutely heartbroken and clearly didn't expect me to do it either" Brittany says.
"I have no doubt it would've came as a shock to her" Santana nods. If something like this happened to her then she feels she would be just as shocked as Rachel is.
"I also told my dad everything so we just need to wait and see what happens now" Brittany sighs.
"Ok well my offer still stands to loan him some money" Santana says honestly.
"I really appreciate it but honestly, it's not needed. I will sort this out" Brittany assures Santana.
"Ok" Santana nods.
"I hope you don't mind but I didn't tell Rachel about you and I either because I think that would be just a step too far right now. She's upset enough about things" Brittany says.
"Don't worry about it, I don't blame you" Santana assures Brittany. She wouldn't have said anything either yet if she was in Brittany's position.
Santana is just walking back to her office after being out most of the morning with one of the bride's she's working with. They were out looking at venue's before the bride-to-be had to head into work. Santana is in a reasonably good mood this morning because she feels some of the stresses she had are away now due to Brittany talking to Rachel. She's not happy that someone got hurt in all of this but she is glad that the truth has come out because it wasn't doing anyone any favours. She, herself was feeling really anxious about things because she didn't like lying to Rachel and seeing someone get so hurt.
"Miss Lopez, one of your clients is waiting in your office. She wouldn't take no for an answer when I said she couldn't wait and it was best to come back later so she decided to wait for you anyway" her receptionist tells her nervously. Santana doesn't like people being in her office when she's not there so her receptionist is understandably apprehensive about the situation.
"Don't worry about it" Santana smiles. Nothing can get her down from this good mood this morning.
"Um…ok" her receptionist says surprised.
"You get back to work now, I'll deal with the client" Santana smiles again at her receptionist before opening her office door and disappearing inside. However the minute she sees who's waiting inside, her good mood certainly vanishes.
"Hi Santana" Rachel says sadly.
"Rachel, I had no idea you would be coming here" Santana says shocked. She thought Rachel would be the last person she would see at the moment given the circumstances.
"I know I didn't make an appointment but I need to talk to you" Rachel replies.
"Ok" Santana says while putting her things down and going over to her desk to sit down. "So what's up?" she asks. She's got a strong feeling she kinda knows the answer but she needs to ask anyway.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm grateful for everything you've done but unfortunately Brittany and I will no longer need your help because she's broke up with me" Rachel admits as a tear runs down her cheek.
"Oh" Santana replies. She doesn't know what else to say because technically she's not supposed to know but she does already know so she clearly isn't as shocked as she would be had she not have known.
"I won't get into too many details because it's kind of private but the wedding is definitely off and there is really no chance of us getting back together" Rachel states.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Santana replies. She hates lying to Rachel right now because she still feels really bad for her but she can't blurt out anything she knows right now in case it makes matters worse.
"Like I say though, thank you for everything you've done" Rachel replies.
"Don't worry about it" Santana shakes her head.
"I won't keep you long but I've got my dad with me and he wants to quickly talk to you before we go. He's at the bathroom right now but he shouldn't be long" Rachel replies.
"Ok" Santana nods. They sit in a really awkward silence for a few moments as they wait on Mr Berry. Neither know what to say as they wait because Rachel is too upset to divulge any more personal details and Santana just hasn't a clue what to say. She knows things she shouldn't so she doesn't want to say too much and get found out.
"Dad what took you so long?" Rachel asks as her dad walks back in.
"I'm sorry, I went the wrong way when I left the bathroom so I got slightly lost for a moment" Mr Berry apologises.
"Ok well this is Santana Lopez" Rachel says pointing to Santana.
"Nice to meet you Miss Lopez" Mr Berry smiles while shaking Santana's hand.
"You too" Santana smiles politely. It's not exactly nice, it's more awkward but she's not about to be unprofessional right now.
"I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for the wedding so far and give you a donation to cover your efforts. I know you usually get paid at the end once the whole wedding is organised but you have done a lot to help Rachel so I would like to pay you now" Mr Berry says.
"Honestly you don't need to do that" Santana shakes her head. She has worked hard and spent money trying to make the wedding as perfect as Rachel wanted so ordinarily she would have took the payment from anyone else. However she doesn't feel like she should take this payment because she feels partly responsible for Rachel's heartache because even if Rachel doesn't know it yet, she did kiss her fiancée and lie to her about the whole situation.
"No we'd like to pay so please accept this" Rachel says.
"It's too much" Santana says looking at the amount on the cheque.
"No, please" Rachel states.
"Honestly you don't…"
"You're never going to see a penny from the Pierce's because they're a miserable family so you might as well take this payment" Mr Berry states. "You shouldn't have to suffer because of that damn family. They have ruined my daughter's happiness and I won't let them get away with it. Matthew was right all along about that Brittany and I can assure you Rachel we will make them suffer" he adds.
"Thank you" Santana states without another thought, taking the cheque right from Mr Berry's hand. No one talks about Brittany like that so she'll happily take the Berry's money.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with this charade Miss Lopez. I always knew Brittany was a bit unpredictable and I never felt she was good enough for Rachel but I had to go along with it because Rachel seemed to really love her. I mean time and time again she has tried to blame our son for things but I think it's actually her that has ruined everything" Mr Berry states. "Matthew isn't a saint but there's no way he did some of the things Brittany claimed he did."
"Dad can we not do this here" Rachel says, not wanting her personal life broadcasted any more than it already has been. She doesn't know that Santana knows so she'd like things kept private.
"I'm sorry" Mr Berry apologises to his daughter. "Like I say though Miss Lopez, I am sorry you had to ever deal with Brittany but luckily you won't need to see her ever again. I'll make sure she knows exactly how badly she has hurt Rachel and if you have ever heard of Pierce's Pieces then I can guarantee you they certainly won't trade again either."
"Dad, please" Rachel shakes her head.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so angry at that stupid girl for hurting you" Mr Berry sighs.
"Thanks again Santana for what you did do" Rachel replies.
"It's fine" Santana shrugs.
"Bye Santana" Rachel says and then she and her dad leave. As soon as they leave the room, Santana throws her cup against the door. She had to bite her tongue so hard at that last part of the conversation because she really wanted to jump in and defend Brittany and her family. She is so angry right now about the way they spoke about the Pierce's. She obviously doesn't know all the Pierce's that well and she knows the Berry's have a right to be upset but that was taken too far. She believes Brittany's side of the story because she seemed so genuine so no matter what the Berry's say, she will not doubt Brittany.
XXXXXXXX
Santana just couldn't focus at work much longer after her visit from Rachel so she decided to go home early and work from home. She had texted Brittany to see if she wanted to meet up which she did so Brittany is coming over to her place. As soon as there's a knock at the door, she answers it right away expecting it to be Brittany.
"Hey" Brittany smiles.
"Hi" Santana smiles back. "In you come" she says while opening the door wider. Brittany comes in and then they make their way to the kitchen to get some coffee.
"How's your day been?" Brittany asks.
"Not too great, I must say" Santana replies honestly. "Yours?" she asks.
"Yeah not great" Brittany nods, agreeing with Santana.
"I have something though that I need you to have" Santana says while going over to her work bag to pull something out. She then walks back over to Brittany. "Brittany I want you to give this to your dad" she says handing Brittany a cheque.
"No I told you, I will sort this out. I don't want you to have to pay for my mistakes. It is not your responsibility so please keep your money and put it to good use" Brittany smiles.
"I was still going to give your dad a cheque anyway but this isn't actually my money" Santana states.
"What are you talking about?" Brittany asks confused.
"Rachel's parents gave me a sizeable donation for all the work I have done for the wedding so far even though it's clearly not going ahead anymore. I figured though I didn't really need the money so I want your parents to have it and they can put it into your dad's company" Santana says. "Therefore if anything happens between Matthew and your dad then I would say they more than deserve the Berry's money" she states.
"This could come back and bite you though if the Berry's find out we're together" Brittany states.
"Are we together?" Santana asks smirking slightly.
"Not yet I don't suppose but I'm hoping we could be in the future when we sort everything out" Brittany smiles.
"Cool" Santana smiles back.
"No seriously though this could affect you when they find out because the Berry's could demand their money back" Brittany says seriously.
"Rachel hired me to plan her wedding and I started it so technically I am due paid for the work I have done so far. Now I didn't want the money in the first place but they offered me it and it means I can give it to your dad if they destroy his business so I've willingly took it" Santana says. She knows it isn't Rachel's fault any of this but to be fair it isn't Rachel that has paid her anyway. It was her parents and technically they do owe the Pierce's if they destroy their company.
"I don't like you caught in the middle of all of this Santana" Brittany says still unsure about taking the cheque.
"Like I say I wasn't looking for payment from them so I was happy to go without since the wedding wasn't going ahead but they offered me the money and I thought if I took it I could help your dad so I did" Santana says. "If they come back at me with anything because I'm with you then I'll just tell them that Rachel hired me to do work for her and I did it so legally I should get paid anyway. It's my business what I do with my money, not the Berry's."
"You're not a bad person though Santana so I don't want to drag you into this mess" Brittany tells her.
"I know but Rachel's family have themselves to blame for this. I mean I understand maybe Rachel doesn't know the full extent because she doesn't work with her dad and brother but you can't honestly tell me that her dad knows nothing about Matthew's plans" Santana points out. They work together so surely he knows something, maybe just not everything.
"I still feel bad for you though because you earned that money" Brittany states.
"I wasn't going to take the money because I don't necessarily need it but at the end of the day I did willingly take it. I mean I'm not a heartless person but it's not my fault Rachel's wedding isn't going ahead anymore" Santana says.
"No it's my fault" Brittany sighs.
"Oh no I didn't mean it like that" Santana assures Brittany. "I am meaning it's her brother's fault so I willingly took that money for your family Brittany so I want you to give your dad it. It's clearly not as much as you'd need to have to rebuild the business but it's definitely a starting point."
"I don't know how I can ever repay you for being so kind and understanding" Brittany admits. Santana has done so much for her and she doesn't think she is worth that much effort.
"Take me on a date" Santana replies. She's not usually that forward with people she likes but why can't she be the one to be happy now. She has planned so many weddings for people so why can't this be her time. Certainly not to get married, but she definitely feels it could be her time to be happy.
"I can definitely do that but are you sure you want to date me after everything that's happened?" Brittany asks.
"Like I keep saying, none of this is your fault. Yes it sucks that Rachel is heartbroken but she will come back from this and she'll meet that special person. You were never going to be that person for her so you might as well move on yourself" Santana admits.
"Ok" Brittany says happily. She is going to do everything she can to make sure she treats Santana the way she deserves to be treated and she won't let her down. "When can I take you out?" she asks.
"The weekend is good for me" Santana smiles.
"Awesome, I'll plan something and let you know the details in due course" Brittany replies.
"Sounds good" Santana nods.
"In the meantime, do you want to order pizza and we can have dinner together tonight?" Brittany suggests.
"I would love to" Santana smiles.
The story is back after two years! Is anyone still into it?