I believe this chapter has the answers to 'what did Maribel mean about giving San another chance?' back in Chapter 3 and why San ceased to be Elliot's lawyer for a while. Anyway, have fun reading :)

- Santana's POV –

Two years ago

I've been MIA for a month now.

After impulsively going after Brittany a month ago in her office, I decided against going home immediately. I was too broken and miserable – something that I still am – and didn't have the heart to go back to New York just yet to face my demons. Instead, I opted to stay in England for the time being. Not because I had any plans to see or talk to Brittany, but to revel in the hopeful feeling that maybe she would have a change of heart one of these days. Or so it seems like in the movies.

I haven't told a single soul where I am. Quinn, Mother, and everyone else have been trying to contact me but I've done nothing but avoid them or the reality of my actions and their consequences. I don't even know what's happening at work anymore or who's taking over my clients and cases. A part of me wants to just contact Brittany and get it over with but the other part wants to respect her desire for space. I'm on a loop and stuck in a continuum.

I'm staying somewhere in London right now. Quite near but can never be more far away from Brittany. I've been holed up in the same hotel for the past few weeks and have only been going out if the dire need for non-room service food if I ever felt like eating at all, a few minutes of walking in the freezing cold to feel alive, and on the rare occasion, had the urge drink to my heart's content arises.

It's my usual Thursday night here for the past month. I'm lounging in front of the screen watching this foreign show that I don't understand a goddamn thing about but it always seems to come on at this time of the night when I just want to laze around with a bottle of beer in hand and this four-cheese pizza I brought back from my walk that I've barely touched. I stand up to grab myself another bottle from the fridge when I hear a knock on the door.

"Ugh." I groan as I make my way to check whoever it is. Must be the chambermaid checking to see if I'm still breathing.

I open the door without looking and to my surprise, I see a familiar albeit tired and disappointed face in front of me.

"Please tell me you have food." Quinn mutters, sighing deeply as she welcomes herself and grabbing the beer in my hand while she's at it.

My mouth open wide as I motion to the food on the coffee table that she eagerly pounces on. I grab myself another beer and settle on the couch beside her.

"I'd usually say 'Hello' but I'm inclined to ask 'how did you find me' first?" I start with a quizzical look.

"I have keys to everything there is to be opened including your mailbox. I grabbed your recent credit card bill and tracked you here. Be ready to shell out a year's worth of your salary to pay it off, by the way. This place isn't cheap at all, is it?" She replies, taking a bite after.

"Money is not an issue, Q." I say, leaning back on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to fetch you. I'm not going back to New York without you, S."

"Because Mami told you so, right?"

"No." She responds quickly. "Your mother doesn't know that I'm here. Rachel didn't even know until an hour ago. I'm here because I miss you and I'm worried about you."

I sigh. "I'm not coming back to work. I'll probably only return to Manhattan to pack up my things but that's about it."

Quinn stops eating and gives me a look. "For what, S? To move here?"

"I-I don't know-"

"I visited her before coming here, actually."

My forehead creases as I train my eyes on Quinn. "D-Did she say anything about me? Does she know that I'm here?"

"Yes and no, respectively. I just thought to check up on Brittany and see how she's doing while I'm 'away for business' here." She gestures with an air quote. "She's miserable but is trying hard to keep it together, I just know it. She asked how you're doing and I had to lie my ass off. Do you know how hard it is to lie to Brittany's face?"

I nod lightly, peeling off the beer label as a distraction. "Why didn't you tell her I've been here for the past month?"

"Why didn't you?" She counters almost instantly, raising an eyebrow at me.

I bite my lip and avoid her gaze instead. "We both know it hasn't been exactly easy for me. What more with Brittany who's been burdening all her troubles alone for the past year in a continent away from her loved ones?"

Quinn nods once and smiles sympathetically. "I didn't tell Brittany because I know you wouldn't want her to worry." Quinn utters softly. "And frankly, it's for her own good."

I glance at her with a baffled expression. "What do you mean?"

"Remember the huge Harris Electronics case you were handling before you went MIA?" Quinn trails off while I nod slowly. "I tried to take over during litigation but it was too late, they fired us a week after you disappeared. Last I heard they settled out of court then filed for bankruptcy just almost two weeks ago."

I stand up immediately and grit my teeth out of anger. "Shit! Wha- How did that happen?!"

"We tried, S. It's out of our hands anymore after they finished with the litigation. You wouldn't have been able to save the company either-"

"Because I was negligent of my duties. Fuck! This is all my fault!" I exclaim as I pace back and forth in front of Quinn. "I could get disbarred for this. I need to go back and face the Board and-"

"Maribel took care of it. We made it seem that you were away for business overseas." Quinn speaks up. "We faced the CEO of Harris Electronics when he came looking for you. Thankfully, he didn't sue us but Maribel waived their fees for all the trouble they ran into back when they were with us."

I take a seat again with a baffling expression sprawled all over my face. "You and Mother took the fall for me?"

Quinn nods with a shy smile on her face. "Of course."

Hundreds of thoughts spring to mind upon hearing her say that. "B-But you could lose your license if they knew what really happened."

"So what? You would have done the same thing for us in a heartbeat."

I chuckle lightly. "Look at you, going all rogue for me."

"I know. I feel like a badass. Oh! I could probably join the CIA. I'm going to do this spontaneous thing more often from now on." Quinn grins in a dopey manner.

"No, you won't."

"You're right. I won't." She utters almost instantly as we both laugh lightly.

"Who knows about this, Q?" I say, flashing a worried expression.

"Me, you, and Maribel. We're thinking of keeping it to ourselves to lower the risk of being sued and losing our license." I nod in understanding and stay silent until she continues with her thoughts. "Do you think we should tell Brittany?"

I contemplate the thought for a minute. Admittedly, I know that all the chaos I'll be subjected to back in Manhattan are well-deserved and long overdue. I don't need Brittany to worry or worse, be dragged into a mess I made. "No." I say sternly. "She should never hear or even have the slightest of ideas about this, Q."

Quinn nods and sighs deeply. "So, does that mean you're going back home with me?"

"Nah." I say, removing the slight smirk on her face. I sigh at the prospect of probably not having the chance of reconciling with Brittany soon or at all. I push the feeling away and slowly break out into a small smile myself as I settle on the couch beside her. "Yeah, I think it's time. I'll go back with you tomorrow morning. Berry would kill me if I don't deliver you home to New York."

"Great!" Quinn smiles broadly, relaxing against her seat. "Fair warning though. I raided your wine stash and all that's left is a bottle of questionable origins having the same price as the beer in my hand."

I shake my head in disbelief and go back to watching the show on the screen. "Thank you, Q."

"For what?"

"For coming here and everything you did for me back home. For not ganging up on me like the others." I smile shyly. "I appreciate all your efforts and I'm sorry for taking off without-"

"It's okay. I understand, S. Let's treat this as another friendship milestone." Quinn cuts me off, scooting closer to me. "I think it's your mother you should be more worried about."

I chuckle bitterly. "How mad is she exactly?"

"Mad is an understatement, baby. Your mother has transcended into a whole other dimension of disappointment and anger rolled into one when it comes to you."

I find myself catching my breath with every step I take towards Mami's office. Quinn and I arrived not more than two hours ago and without much rest, braved the office to face the music. After a little hesitation, I finally decided to just get it over with and make amends for everything I did as we're called by Greta the secretary to report to Mami. Soon enough, we enter Mother's office and see her going over a case binder spread on her table.

"M-Mother-" I trail off with an unsure tone.

"Sit down." Mami exclaims sternly. Quinn and I share a look while quickly complying to her demand. We stay still for a few minutes, patiently and awkwardly waiting for my mother to finish reading the document in her hand. Eventually, Mother looks up and relaxes against her seat with an incredulous look on her face while we brace ourselves for the onslaught.

"I'm torn between firing you two right now and sending you to work in Bankruptcy for the rest of your career here in my firm." Mother starts with utmost incredulity washing over her features. I swallow heavily at her words and try hard not to act fazed. "I'm not even sure which of you I'm more disappointed at right now."

"M-Maribel, I-" Quinn tries to chime in.

"Quinn." Mother cuts her off instantly with a hard glare to boot. "Dear, you told me that the reason why you had to leave early yesterday was to take care of a client in Brooklyn. Instead, I found out that you went off running wherever without telling me if you'd be able to show up to work today. I was trying to reach you incessantly last night when your client needed you, Quinn. I can't have another runaway associate in my hands!"

Quinn hangs her head low and nods in a defeated manner. "I'm sorry."

"I-It's not her fault. It was all mine." I interject.

Mother focuses her attention on me as soon as she hears my words. "Mija." She sighs deeply while shaking her head bafflingly. "I don't even know where to start with you. I've never been so disappointed in you."

I grit my teeth as I look down in shame. "I-I know. What I did-"

"No. I don't think you know just how damaging your actions were, Santana." She trails off. "Your inaction and deliberate carelessness in handling your cases led to a company's downfall no matter which way you look at it. Harris Electronics was counting on you when they chose you as their counsel. Never mind how huge of an account they were but just the initial thought of getting fired should be getting under your skin. Now, they've filed for bankruptcy and were initially threatening to sue us for Malpractice but Quinn and I were able to talk the CEO out of it."

"M-Mami, I was going through a tough time. I was hoping you'd understand and have my back on this. I know there's no excu-"

"We do have your back! I took the fall for you because I'm responsible for you! I was the one being hounded by the company day in, day out when you were off killing time somewhere across the Atlantic while Quinn solely took over most of your cases and carried the burden and headache of everything!" She adds with a cutting tone. "We were feeding everyone lies when they asked about you. We risked our licenses for you. You placed the firm at risk, Santana!"

"Mother, it was my business! I had my own way of dealing with my feelings."

"It's my business, Mija. It is literally my business." Her forehead creases at the notion as she motions around her in emphasis. "Your life in and outside the firm are two separate entities, Santana."

I cower in humiliation, unable to find the words to rebut anymore. "I-I'm sorry. I-I'm really sorry. I don't know what else to say."

"You've been wanting me to fire you since last month, correct?" Mother mutters softly. "Then I'm giving you the option to resign right here, right now. You can walk away right this second and I won't hold it against you. You are free to stay or go." She declares. "What is that you want to do, Santana?"

I flash Quinn a puzzled look, hoping that maybe she holds the answer to the questions in my head. If I quit now, I'd have the freedom to pursue Brittany in England. If I don't, I still have the chance to pick up where my career left off in New York.

I sigh deeply, trying to divert the attention elsewhere. "I don't know yet, Mami. But I want to face the consequences for my actions."

Mother stares at me for a long moment before speaking once again. "Alright then. If that's how you want it to go, we're technically required to report you to the Board of Ethics for your negligence and unethical behavior."

I gulp heavily at the prospect of facing the Board and eventually losing my license. Shit. I really did place everyone and the firm at risk. "I-I understand. If we're going to do this though, you'll have to let me face them myself. You're both in peril of getting disbarred by this. I don't want anyone risking themselves anymore than they already have."

"S, don't do this." Quinn chimes in. "We can find a way."

"She's right. I don't see the need to report you, Santana. Like I told you, we have your back." Mother trails off. "I'm making an exception here not because you're my daughter but because of all the business you've brought into the firm. What I can't control are the consequences for your actions. I know you're still undecided on what to do but maybe this would help you." She pauses while still making eye contact with me.

"While you were gone, most of your clients went looking for you and threatened to fire you even when we couldn't find an acceptable alibi for your absence. Of course, Quinn and I tried to address all their concerns without telling them what happened. However, with our own clients and cases to tend to, it all became too much and we had to disseminate some of them to the other Partners." Mother explains and from the sound of it, I know where it's heading. "Unfortunately, when I had Greta call them all today to say that you're back from business, they opted to stay with the current Partners instead of going back to you to avoid mere inconvenience what with all their concerns being taken care of currently by the Partners. They didn't fire you per se, they only changed counsels."

I feel like someone stabbed me straight through the chest upon hearing her words. All that hard work just went straight to the gutter. Only goes to show that loyalty isn't a constant thing taught in this world. The thought of involuntarily handing over those people I've signed is not an easy feat but for what it's worth, a suitable ramification for what I've done.

"A-All of them?"

"Yes. Everyone except for Elliot Gilbert. He said that he was adamant in staying with you if you'll still have him and insisted to talk to you as soon as you get the chance."

Of course. Elliot was the first client I brought into the firm and someone who had become a good friend of mine over time. He was already a superstar but had only started to build his company, Starchild Incorporated, recently from scratch when I signed him. I didn't intend to do any work with him when we first met at a work party but I caught his attention back then by basically telling him that I thought his second album was terrible and he should have sued his label for that kind of work. He laughed and said he thought the same thing and maybe if his lawyer or anyone who had guts like I had told him that, he wouldn't have sporadic cringing whenever he looked back on it. We hit it off and I thought that was it but the following day, he came into the firm looking for me and bluntly asked if I could represent him from then on.

It makes sense that Elliot would still stay with me after all that we've been through together for the past year that he's ventured into business. However, I've recently failed him terribly. We were in the middle of closing a deal for his own fashion line, something he's been wanting to pursue for a while now, when Brittany and I broke up. I've been lax since then and if I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what's happened with the deal now. I was expecting to be fired. But Elliot being the unwavering loyal man that he is? I should have known he'd stuck by me.

"What happened with the fashion deal and who took over for him?"

"I did." Mother speaks. "We almost botched it but we were able to resurrect it somehow so it just needs to be closed and it's done."

"A-And Elliot still wants me to be his lawyer even after I took off?"

"Yes, Mija. I called him myself this morning and the first thing he asked was if you were alright."

Guilt and disappointment course through me like a sucker punch. What have I done? I don't deserve kindness like this. It's just unfair. I need something, anything to atone for what I did. It's enough that I've been offered to come back to the firm unscathed but this, almost causing someone's dreams to go down in flames for my own wrongdoing, cannot go down unpunished.

"I-I can't represent him, Mother. Not right now and after all that's happened." I trail off with a regretful tone.

"But if you let him go, you won't have any clients at all." Quinn interjects.

"I can always start over again." I counter. "I'll talk to Elliot later and explain everything." I then turn my attention on Mami. "And if you'll have him, I know for a fact that he'd love for you to represent him."

"Mija-"

"No, Mother. I can't be his counsel right now. I need this. I need to start from scratch again if I want to make it right." I sigh as thoughts of Brittany involuntary come rushing back again. "Maybe in the future when you're able to whole-heartedly trust me again then you can hand him over back to me. Only when you think I'm worthy of having that kind of chance again, Mother."

Mother looks at me for a long moment. Finally, she nods and closes the file binder on her table. "I'll give him a call after you talk to him."

"Thank you." I say with a small smile.

"Are you leaving the firm, S?" Quinn asks.

I think about the various possibilities of both options. Countless joyful scenarios flash before me if I go and follow Brittany while some gloomy ones but hopefully better days ahead if I were to stay. Brittany's words echo in my mind, the ones telling me that she wouldn't want me to throw away what I have here in New York. But then again, what exactly do I have left here? I don't have any clients, my career is up in the air, and I'm beyond broken inside. All I can do is rebuild my life here or what's left of it anyway. Knowing Brittany, that's exactly what she'd want me to do.

"No. I'm staying." I declare. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Present day

"Malpractice." Castle utters with a big smirk on her face, motioning to the served papers in front of me.

"W-What?" I speak up, still a little puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

"Oh, come on, Lopez. Don't play coy with me. I know that you know what I'm talking about."

"That would be true if I actually know what this bullshit is about, Castle."

Laura sighs deeply as she makes her way in front of me. "Harris Electronics. Ring any bells?"

I hold off on showing any expression to hide the surprise effect on me. "I'm familiar with it. They went bankrupt two years ago after losing in an intellectual property proceeding."

"That you negligently handled or to aptly put it, failed to manage at all."

"Santana wasn't the counsel when that happened, Castle. She didn't handle that case when they went under." Quinn chimes in, flashing me a subtle worried look.

"That case had already been litigated and they ended up settling. I don't see why I have anything to do with that. They fired us, not the other way around." I say.

"You're right. But then again you mysteriously vanished from the face of the Earth for a month and raffled the case to Fabray here just before they fired your firm." Castle smirks. "My client has probable cause to assume that if it weren't for you or with a lacking due diligence on your part that they had no chance of winning the lawsuit, they would not have had to settle nor file for bankruptcy at all. We have several pieces of evidence to prove our assumption."

"Wait, what? 'Our assumption'? You're representing Harris Electronics in this case?" I ask.

"Welcome to the conversation!" She replies, clasping her hands together. "Oh, and congratulations for getting married, by the way. Or not." She adds with a sarcastic chuckle.

"This is ridiculous, Laura! Is this your fucked up way of getting back on Santana? Or what, you and Smythe teamed up like some lame sixties duo then came up with this preposterous lie?" Quinn angrily interposes.

"Smythe?" Castle asks with confusion washing all over her features. "As in, Sebastian Smythe?"

"Is there any other Smythe that you went to Hell with?" I scoff back sarcastically.

Castle takes a moment to process the situation and by the looks of it, she genuinely has no idea what we're pertaining to. "You mean, Sebastian works here?" She adds, her forehead creasing.

"I-I'm sorry." Brittany's small voice coming from behind interrupt us. "What are we talking about here? Harris Electronics and a Malpractice suit? I'm not following."

Castle chuckles bitterly. "Come on, Brittany, stop pretending you don't know about this."

Brittany's eyebrows scrunch up in confusion and cluelessness while Quinn and I glance worriedly at each other. Castle stares back at the three of us for a moment with her eyes squinting by the second until she seems to have put the pieces together when her mouth opens in surprise.

"Holy shit. You didn't tell her. Brittany honestly has no idea, doesn't she?" Castle speaks up, smirk in place. I swallow the lump in my throat and fight against responding. "I gotta tell you, Lopez. That's very smart of you. I mean, it's not a good way to start a marriage with the secrets and all but still, kudos to being on your feet."

I throw Brittany a warning glance while I try hard not to do anything I might regret. "Look, Castle. We're not obliged to answer your questions and I can tell you for a fact that we didn't do anything wrong. So, if you don't have anything else to say, you're welcome to leave the firm now."

"Sure. I need to buy furniture for this new apartment I bought after moving here anyway." Castle shrugs then grabs her purse. "Let's set the deposition two weeks from now?"

I grit my teeth and breathe as deeply as I can then shrug nonchalantly. "We have nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes, I'm sure." She chuckles, motioning to leave my office but stops just by the doorway. "I have to warn you though. You might have ruled in Harvard but this is real life now. I have the upper hand this time, Lopez. I won't stop until you beg for mercy." She adds with a mischievous glint in her eyes then walks away without looking back.

The three of us are speechless. Still reeling from what just transpired and trying to shake off the genuine shock of Castle's resurrection from Hell.

"San?" Brittany speaks up first with a soft, worried tone. I turn to face her and see fear in her eyes. "What was she talking about? What didn't you tell me?"

I bite my lip, completely unsure if it's safe to tell her about what happened two years ago. Somehow and someway, I know that what I did would bite me in the ass. And true enough, the day I feared has come. I glance at Quinn who's also unsure on how to handle the situation.

"B-Britt…" I trail off, holding her on both sides of her shoulders. "I can't tell you yet. I can't risk you being included in this mess. You need to trust me on this right now, okay? I need you to go home and relax or do anything while I handle things here with Quinn to sort this out."

"B-But how can I try to remain calm when you're out here doing-" She tries to protests but I cut her off instantly.

"Please trust me." I plead desperately. There are probably tens, even hundreds, of questions in her mind right now but thankfully and after much hesitation, she finally relents.

"O-Okay. I'll go home. Should I call your mother?"

"It's okay, I got it." Quinn chimes in, walking towards the phone on my table then hastily dials Mami's number.

"Will you be okay, San?" Brittany worriedly utters.

"I will be once we get this settled." I say with a soft tone, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll see you at home in a while, alright?" I add. She nods and finally leaves the room just as Quinn motions for me that Mother's on the other line now. I quickly close the door of my office.

"Santana?" Mother's unmistakable voice resonates in the room.

"Mother, we have an urgent problem." I trail off, sharing a look with Quinn.

"What is it?"

"Laura Castle came by a few minutes ago and served Santana papers for a Malpractice suit against her."

"Laura Castle? Malpractice? What?!"

"Castle knows, Mother. She's representing Harris Electronics." I sigh deeply. "I need a lawyer."

- Brittany's POV –

I'm caught in a medley of confusion, anger, and frustration.

I have been tossing and turning, pacing back and forth around the apartment, and just completely out of my wits for the past few hours worrying about my wife and the complete mystery of Laura returning into our lives.

Santana asked me trust her to handle whatever dilemma they're caught in and I will do just that but I can't help but be troubled by all of this judging from their earlier reactions. It's something I rarely see from both Santana and Quinn. Fear, anxiety, and even panic were subtly present from their behavior awhile ago.

What exactly did they do?

In a bid to stop from overthinking, I decided to prepare dinner just in case Santana would be hungry when she comes home any minute now like she promised. I've just finished setting up the table and placing the pan of Chicken Alfredo when she comes through the door.

"Hey, babe. Smells great in here." Santana utters with a soft tone, a weak but definitely forced smile sprawled on her face.

"Hey you." I say as she approaches to give me a kiss. "Are you okay? Did you get to talk with your mother?"

"Y-Yeah. We went through a few details about what happened a while ago. She's on her way back to New York right now."

"That serious?" I bite my lip out of nervousness. She hesitates at first but nods anyway and motions for us to sit down.

"You need to understand that the only reason I hid this from you was because I didn't want to get you in this mess we're in. I was trying to protect you, Britt."

"What's going on, San?"

She sighs deeply. "A month after we broke up back then, I went after you in England."

My eyes immediately widen in surprise. "W-What?! But I never knew you were-"

"Because I didn't want you to know. You were going through a lot already on your own and seeing you then, it would have killed me if I put any pressure on you or made you feel any worse."

"B-But-" I try to protest but she motions for me to listen instead.

"During that time, I was handling a litigation case for Harris Electronics. They were being accused of stealing their rival's idea for a new technology and a huge amount of money was on the line." Santana pauses. "I was already lax, useless even since I wasn't working any of my cases or doing my job at all. And like I said, instead of staying behind to finish work, I went to England instead with no plans at all. I saw you that night you called me about the coffeemaker. I was right outside your office, Britt." She adds with a hesitant tone.

I remain stationary even with such a revelation. I nod to let her know I'm still listening.

"Rather than go back to Manhattan though, I opted to stay in England for the next few weeks after that all while refusing to tell anyone where I was. I went MIA for the entire month." Santana sighs deeply and shakes her head in disbelief. "In the course of my stay there, I found out that Harris Electronics fired me as their counsel. They eventually settled out of court with their rival company and subsequently filed for bankruptcy. As much as I'd deny it, if it weren't for my negligence during the early stages of litigation or leaving them hanging while in the middle of negotiations, this never would have happened. No one would have been at risk." She adds, the guilt of it evident through her demeanor.

"I came back immediately after Quinn tracked me down. I found out that she and Mother stood in for me by telling everyone that I was 'away on business' but since I was gone for too long, all my clients had no choice but to eventually change counsels with me handing Elliot Gilbert over to Mother as well." Santana utters. The pieces of the puzzle slowly making sense to me now. "By virtue, Mother and Quinn or anyone who knows should have reported me to the Ethics Board the second I went MIA but they didn't. They took the fall for my negligence and had essentially caught themselves in the lie at the risk of losing their licenses as well. That's why I didn't tell you. We concealed what really happened and agreed then that we'd keep it only to ourselves, to avoid having me prosecuted just in case Harris Electronics came knocking on my door one day. Unfortunately, that day has seemingly arrived."

I try to think of anything intelligent to say. Anything at all that would make it seem like I'm not upset in the slightest of bits., that the truth doesn't scare the hell out of me right now. "A-And what did your mother say about it when she found out awhile ago?"

Santana breathes deeply, looking down. "We're working on the angle that I can't be held accountable for anything that happened to them after they fired us, them settling out of court and filing for bankruptcy, which is true as far as the law provides." She nods slightly. "And of course, the fact that Castle doesn't have an ounce of evidence or probable cause to prove she has anything on me and that I committed Malpractice while employed by Harris Electronics at that time. Other than that, I'll just have to pretend that everything's fine. If it all works out, we could have this case thrown out after the deposition next, next week."

"O-Okay. But who's representing you? Are you getting outside counsel?" I ramble..

"No. At first, we contemplated that but we think it's better if Quinn represents me from this point on. Mother will assist in anyway she can, at least from an arms' length."

My forehead creases at the thought of Maribel keeping her distance from the case. "Your mother's not your counsel? How about me, what can I do?"

Santana shakes her head while placing her hand on top of mine. "Knowing how shady Castle is, I think it's best if Mami try to distance herself away on this one. Or anyone related to me." She reasons out. "Britt, I need you to stay away as far as you possibly can from anything that could get you involved in this case. I can't have you risking yourself for me. We both know that Castle will do everything she can to put my head on the chopping board and she knows that one way to get there is through you."

"Santana, I can't do that. We're married now. All your problems are my problems now too and maybe if we work on this together then we can find a solution to-"

"Babe." She cuts me off in a defeated tone. "Not this time. I will never forgive myself if-" She stops herself short and flashes me a look of desperation. "Please just trust me on this one. Promise me that you'll stay away from this case for me. Please."

I swallow the huge lump in my throat. I wholeheartedly trust Santana but I can't help but be torn in agreeing to a promise I'm sure I won't be able to keep or to blow up in anger that she's even insinuating that I try to take a backseat with her career on the line. I sigh as deeply as I can to hopefully remove all the doubts brewing in mind right now.

"Alright. I promise, San." I say in the softest of tones that betrays how I feel inside.

Reviews are always welcome :) We have chaos, lawsuits, another intense Mock trial, hellish depositions with Castle, and just a whole bunch of craziness coming up.

Will update as soon as I'm done with the next chapter. We have 5 chapters left before this fic ends :(