A/N: Okay, this is a bit delayed, but this chapter took me so much longer than I expected. It's my longest yet and it was kind of a beast to write. It's quite heavy since it's mostly centered around Santana's parents' visit to NY, so not too much light and fluffy here, but no worries because that's going to be making a comeback for a bit very soon. ;-) For now, I really wanted to give some closure to the storyline with her parents so that we can move on to bigger and better things.
Someone mentioned whipped Brittany showing up and that's something I'm definitely intrigued by playing with so I might eventually. For now, this isn't really whipped Brittany, but I think this chapter is really important in showing her really being there for Santana and standing up for her in her own ways. I also saw a review about a proposal...and it's definitely a goal to get there...but eventually because I want to be realistic with where they are in their lives...but hang tight we'll totally get there! Time is definitely going to start speeding up a bit more again.
One last thing, you might notice the rating bump so with that clearly you'll find a scene that's a bit more...intimate. I don't have a lot of experience with writing scenes like that but I felt like it needed to be there. It just kind of happened naturally when I was writing. That said, I don't intend on this becoming the story where it's going to happen every chapter, but now and again if it feels right, you might see a scene or two like that pop up. Anyways, hope you enjoy the drama in this chapter and be back with some happier times soon!
"Finn! What did I tell you about leaving your shit around?" Santana asked, picking up the bowl that sat in front of him on the table. "And get your feet off the coffee table!" she yelled, swatting at him.
"Dude, I just finished eating that." he said.
"Don't 'dude' me." she said, making her way to the kitchen. "And that's irrelevant. this is crunch time." Rachel glanced to Brittany who just sighed and gave an apologetic smile as Santana began running through the dishes in the sink and muttering about how everyone should be taking care of their own.
"For someone who says she doesn't care she's awful stressed." Rachel commented.
"She totally cares Rachel, you know that. I mean she may be dreading this but she wants to make a good impression. She wants them to know they should keep paying for this place and she wants them to approve too."
"Of course, it's natural."
"Oh god, there are crumbs on the floor." Santana said, running over to get the dustbuster and sucking up all of the crumbs that had fallen. "You people are pigs."
"Santana, this place is spotless, don't worry." Brittany said.
"No Britt, you know my mom. This has to be better than perfect."
"Slow down." Brittany said, grabbing her wrist. "The apartment looks great and they're going to be here any minute."
"Do I look okay?" she asked nervously, pulling at her skirt. Brittany just laughed and stood up, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"You look beautiful." she said, grabbing her face to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Go put that away and come relax on the couch before you give yourself a heart attack. Everything's going to be fine." Santana took a deep breath and nodded before doing as Brittany asked and joining her on the couch. Brittany wrapped her arm around her and rubbed her shoulder soothingly as Sebastian cuddled into her side.
A few moments later the doorbell rang and Santana shot up, scaring both cats who ran for the bedroom as Brittany just sighed. Santana pressed the buzzer to let them in and looked over to Brittany, nodding her over.
"Come here." she pleaded and Brittany smiled comfortingly, coming over to tangle her hand with Santana's to give it a re-assuring squeeze. She placed a small and gentle kiss to her lips to steady her nerves once more as there was a knock to the door. Santana nodded and moved to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it.
"Hi Daddy." Santana smiled, engulfing him in a hug. "Hi Mami." she said, hugging her mother as well. "Come in." she said, motioning inside where Brittany waited with a polite smile.
"Hello Brittany." Dr. Lopez said with a smile, reaching out to give her a gentle hug. "Nice to see you again."
"You too." Brittany said with a genuine smile and looked to Santana's mom. "Hi Mrs. Lopez, nice to see you too."
"Brittany." she nodded. Santana winced, unable to decide if she was angry or just relieved her mother even acknowledged Brittany's presence.
"You guys remember Finn and Rachel." She said, motioning towards the couple on the couch who made their way over to greet Santana's parents. Santana took their coats and Brittany came over, graciously grabbing them so she could hang them up.
"Give us the tour sweetheart." her dad smiled and Santana took them on a quick tour around the apartment. "Very nice." he said as they walked back into the living room.
"Thanks, I'm glad you like it."
"It's nice to see what you're paying for." he smiled. "It's quite nice and I think it's perfect for you guys."
"Sit down, would you like a glass of wine?" she asked nervously.
"That would be lovely. We have a little bit of time before dinner."
"You sit, I'll get it." Brittany said, squeezing Santana's shoulder and placing a quick kiss to her temple as Mrs. Lopez looked on disapprovingly.
"Thanks baby." Santana smiled and sat down on the couch next to Finn and Rachel as her parents sat together on the loveseat.
"So Finn, Santana tells me you're in the fire academy?" Dr. Lopez asked.
"Yes sir, just a couple weeks in."
"That's a noble career. I hear the training is quite intense."
"It's exhausting." He replied.
"He's just so tired." Rachel smiled, rubbing his back. "But it's good preparation." Dr. Lopez nodded.
"And you are in Julliard with Brittany, right?"
"Yes, but for vocals. I'm actually doing some community theater on the side and I'd love to invite you to opening night of my play on Friday if you'd be interested." she said. "I was hoping Brittany and Santana could come, but I've reserved 4 tickets. I understand if you have a previous engagement, but it is an excellent production of Les Miserables I can assure you."
"That would be lovely Rachel." Mrs. Lopez said with a smile. "It's nice to see you being so proactive about your future she said as Brittany returned with the first set of wine glasses handing them to Santana and her parents before running back to get the rest.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Santana snapped.
"Nothing. Who said that means something?" Mrs. Lopez asked. "Can't I just compliment your friend?"
"Whatever."
"Santana." Dr. Lopez said warningly.
"What?" she shot defensively and he sighed. Brittany just, placed a calming hand on hers and cleared her throat."
"How was your trip?" Brittany asked brightly, attempting to change the subject, at which Dr. Lopez smiled gratefully.
"Not too bad actually." He answered.
They talked for a little while longer about the apartment and Rachel's play before they parted with Finn and Rachel so that the four of them could make their dinner reservation. The cab ride to the restaurant was quiet and awkward as Santana sat squished between her mother and Brittany. She thought about the fact that she'd be dealing with this for the next 3 and a half days and groaned internally.
Once they finally reached the restaurant they settled back into an easier conversation about the second semester of school and some family news that they caught Santana up on. Brittany was quiet and Santana knew she was trying to keep a low profile for her mother's sake, which caused her to feel extremely guilty, but she was also somewhat grateful. Dinner actually went by fairly quickly and before she knew it they were wrapping up dessert as her father waited for the check. She squeezed Brittany's hand under the table and shot her a smile that was instantly returned.
"So, we haven't discussed much about our plans." he said. "Tomorrow is the opening day of the conference so I'll be tied up until the evening."
"I've booked myself into the spa for the day." her mother added. "You're more than welcome to come if you'd like to have some mother-daughter bonding time." Santana winced at the thought of a day alone with her mother.
"The spa isn't really my thing." Her mother just nodded.
"Just as I expected." Santana swallowed and was about to speak before her father continued.
"At any rate, what about tomorrow evening? We would like to spend as much time with you as possible while we're in town. We never see you...or hear from you." he said pointedly and she looked away guiltily. He sighed. "It's okay, we know you've got a lot going on." he said kindly. "But like I said, we'd like to make the most out of being in town."
"Well Brittany is working tomorrow night. I usually go have dinner at the bar with her on Thursdays." she said.
"Perfect, we'll join you." he said without a second thought as the eyes of all three of the other women widened.
"Hector, you can't be serious."
"Of course I am." he smiled over at her. "What better way to get acquainted with Santana's new life than to take part in something she does regularly."
"Dad, you don't have to do that." Brittany grimaced at the thought of the Santana's mother judging her current place of work.
"Yeah, I mean it's totally fine if you want to skip dinner at the bar tomorrow." Brittany said to Santana who scowled at her.
"Ladies, what is the big fuss?" he asked with frustration and accepted the check from the waiter, adding his card into it before placing it at the edge of the table. "We'll go to the bar Brittany works at for dinner tomorrow." he said firmly and shook his head. "Why must everything be an argument?" he laughed, muttering under his breath in Spanish, which caused Brittany to giggle a little.
"Fine." Santana said with resignation.
"Friday I'd like you to come shopping with me." Mrs. Lopez spoke. "And don't tell me you don't like that, I see your credit card bills every month." Santana frowned.
"Brittany's coming."
"Santana." Both her mother and Brittany spoke at the same time and Dr. Lopez just put a hand to his forehead.
"What?" she asked Brittany.
"We'll discuss it later." her mother said.
"We have a dinner to attend for the conference but we'll be sure to make Rachel's show at 8." he said.
"You really don't have to do that." Santana said.
"It will be nice. We were going to see a show while we were in town anyhow." he shrugged.
"This is hardly Broadway, daddy." she said shaking her head with a chuckle.
"Whatever the case, I'm sure it will be entertaining. If I remember correctly, she's quite talented." Santana rolled her eyes.
"She's an excellent singer." Brittany agreed.
"Saturday your mom and I have engagements during the day with the conference – a luncheon and some drinks."
"Pity." Santana muttered under her breath and Brittany nudged her.
"But we would want to meet the two of you for dinner once more and then brunch on Sunday before we leave." he finished.
"That's fine." she sighed.
"Don't sound so excited." Mrs. Lopez said, shaking her head. "
"Please," Dr. Lopez said, "not now." She huffed and shook her head as they all waited silently for the check so that they could return to their respective homes. It was an exhausting night and Santana couldn't help but think that it was only the beginning.
With her parents tied up Thursday during the day, Santana decided it would be nice to take advantage of one of the first warm days of the year and head over to the park. Finn was busy with the academy and Rachel with final rehearsals for her play, so she was actually quire relieved to be left alone with Brittany for the day. She packed them lunch and they spent the day relaxing and people watching before Brittany had to head back and get ready to work.
Dinner at the Village Station with her parents was slightly uncomfortable but mostly painless. It was clearly not her mother's choice of location for dinner or any other activities, but apart form a few underhanded comments that Santana managed to ignore, it mostly went well. Her father was gracious and complimentary about the food and atmosphere, so it helped to balance out any negativity coming from the other end and Brittany was just glad to have them all there. Santana couldn't help but smile at her obvious attempts to make sure their service was outstanding.
Once they finished up dinner she agreed to take a walk with them around the village and show them some of the buildings on her campus. The bar was starting to get quite crowded as the normal Thursday night crowd rolled in and she figured it was better off they get out of there with as good an experience as possible. Dr. Lopez smiled broadly handing the folder with the bill back over the bar.
"Thank you for the exquisite service Brittany." he winked.
"Of course Mr. L." she smiled, feeling a swell of pride from the small compliment.
"We'll see you tomorrow evening. Good luck." he smiled, before walking out. Santana smirked, feeling her own chest swell pride at the exchange and told them she'd be right out as they walked towards the door.
"That went well." Brittany smiled. Santana smiled and nodded.
"As well as can be expected. But you impressed my dad." she said, causing Brittany's proud smile to return once more. Santana chuckled and leaned over the bar to give Brittany a quick kiss.
"Thanks for taking care of them. You were amazing." she whispered, kissing her once more, before settling back onto the ground. Brittany grinned shyly and shrugged.
"I was just doing my job."
"Uh-huh." Santana smirked knowingly. "I'll see you in bed." she winked. "Love you."
"Love you too." Brittany laughed, grabbing the bill fold. "Have fun and text me when you get in." Santana nodded once and headed out the door. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened the small folder only to do a double take at the amount in the tip line. Writing on the extra copy caught her eye.
Thanks for taking care of us tonight...and Santana every other night.
She smiled, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat and shook her head as she exchanged out the extremely generous tip for cash and pocketed the note. Before turning back and grabbing the next set of orders, she quickly pulled out her phone and asked Santana to thank her father. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Brittany awoke Friday morning to the sound of Rachel practicing vocal runs in the living room and rubbed her eyes wearily as she stretched. She turned over to see the other side of the bed was empty except for a note on the pillow and smiled, happy that Santana did take her advice and spend the day shopping with her mom. She was pretty sure everything wasn't going to be repaired in a few hours, but she hoped it would be a start.
B,
I know you got in really late so didn't want to wake you. I'll
be back sometime after lunch, but text me when you get up.
I love you.
Santana
XOXO
Brittany sighed happily and placed a kiss onto the head of each cat that was cuddled comfortably into her side before slipping out of bed and into some sweats. She grabbed her phone from where it was charging and looked at the time as she headed towards the living room and was shocked to see it was almost 12:30.
"Good afternoon Brittany. Did I wake you?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, but it's okay." she said, rubbing her eyes. "I had no idea it was so late."
"Sorry, I tried to hold off but I'm just trying to make sure I'm okay for tonight."
"No, don't worry about it. I just got in super late last night. It was almost 5." she sighed, plopping onto the couch. "I was on late and it was so busy so there was just a lot to get done." she shook her head.
"That sucks. Do you want me to be quiet?" she asked, clearly not wanting too and Brittany laughed.
"It's cool. I'm up now. I'm going to go for a run and then shower and stuff before Santana gets home." she said and Rachel nodded, going back to her vocal exercises as Brittany typed out a quick message to Santana and got ready to go for a run. By the time she got back, grabbed some lunch and showered, Rachel was sitting reading over her script in the living room with the cats so she joined her, watching TV quietly as she waited for Santana to return. At about 3:30 the locks clicked and Sebastian went flying off her lap to greet Santana as she entered with several bags.
"Hey baby." Brittany smiled brightly. "How was your day?" Santana sighed.
"Hey." she said, placing the bags at the door and picking up the cat before settling next to Brittany and pecking her lips. "It was fine."
"Looks like it was good to your closet." Rachel said eying the bags by the door and Santana laughed.
"Yeah, I did well with the shopping." she agreed before turning back to Brittany. "I got you something too."
"Your mom let you get away with that?" she shrugged.
"I said it was for me."
"How was she?"
"She was...you know, my mom." she shook her head and sighed. "She didn't comment on topics involving you, which obviously limited our conversations." she rolled her eyes. "It was fine when we stuck to the basics." Brittany nodded.
"Well at least you spent some alone time with her."
"Yeah, I guess. I just can't wait till they're gone on Sunday. It's good seeing them...kind of...my dad at least...but it's too much."
" Speaking of which, do you want to take that nice tip your dad left me and go on a date Sunday night?" Brittany said with a smile. "I thought maybe after all of this it would be nice to just go get dinner and a movie."
"That sounds amazing." Santana sighed, kissing Brittany softly, before dropping her head to rest on her shoulder as she stroked Sebastian's back where he was curled in her lap. She turned back to Rachel. "All ready for your big night?"
"Well, as ready as I can be. I've been doing intensive vocal exercises to prepare all afternoon and drinking plenty of warm water with honey and lemon. And I've been trying to go over the script just to make sure, although I'm sure I could recite most of it with my eyes closed."
"Fascinating." Santana said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, you asked." Rachel huffed and sighed dramatically.
"What's wrong Berry? For all your preparation you seem quite distressed." she said mockingly.
"Well if you must know, one of performers in the production is cousins with a quite respected critic Village Voice and he will be in attendance. He's agreed to do a write up on the production so there is a lot of pressure to get this right. Eponine is not a simple role. I need to be able to play this death scene perfectly. It can't be over or under acted." she says, nerves rising.
"Hold up." Santana asked, raising her hand to stop Rachel's rambling. "You have a death scene?"
"Of course!" Rachel states as if it's obvious. "Eponine's death is a major plot point!" Santana smiled.
"Attending this just became about a million times more bearable." Santana smirked and Brittany giggled, nudging her.
"San, be nice."
"I am being nice. I'm really excited to see it." she said, with a shrug. Rachel narrowed her eyes.
"As charming as it is that a portrayal of my demise is so pleasing to you, this is actually a serious matter. Critics are going to be a tremendous part of my life and this being my debut in the New York theatrical scene it's extremely crucial that I make a good impression!"
"So don't screw up." Santana said simply.
"Thank you Santana, I'm glad I can count on you for wonderful advice."
"Just don't make those creepy gnome-like faces when you sing. When you sang that Katy Perry song last week..." she shook her head hopelessly, "I haven't had such bad nightmares since Leprechaun." Rachel grabbed her face in horror.
"I do not make faces when I sing!" she yelled, looking from Santana to Brittany and back. "Do I?" she asked with fear.
"Well...sometimes you kinda look like Ariel when she's about to throw up a hairball, but it's really not that bad." Rachel's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Calm down Rachel, most people don't even know what Ariel looks like." she shrugged and Santana giggled.
"This is not a laughing matter!" she said, standing. "My first performance and it's going to be a disaster!" she yelled, running into the other room and Brittany looked to Santana with confusion.
"Do you think she's okay?" Brittany asked and Santana waved her off.
"She'll be fine. She's just going to go sing in front of the mirror for an hour or something."
Rachel paced around the dressing rooms as showtime approached, unable to shake her nerves. She knew she was good and she could handle it, but there was no room for error now. This had to be perfect, especially with a critic in the audience. At 7:30 she still couldn't get a hold of Finn who had to rush back from the academy to change and get over to the theater in time.
She looked in the mirror, working on her makeup and sighing as she went over the songs in her head once more while trying to shake any negativity out of her head. A few minutes later and there was a small knock at the door. She ran over to find a smiling Finn standing in the hall with a single red rose.
"Hey." he said, grinning down at her as she launched herself forward to wrap her arms around him.
"Oh thank god you're here. I'm freaking out."
"What? What are you talking about?" he asked with concern, as he pulled apart to look at her. She pulled him into the tiny room and fell back onto the old and worn sofa.
"I just...there's an important critic coming to see us tonight and it has to be perfect and this is my first play here and I don't want to screw it up."
"Rach, you're never this nervous." he said, stroking her cheek softly. "What's going on? Where did this come from?"
"I just feel a lot of pressure. This isn't a high school stage in Lima, Ohio anymore Finn. This is New York City. We're a couple miles from Broadway, where I want to build my career. I just started to think about how much stronger the competition is here and how I've never been judged at this level." she sighed. "Plus Santana told me about these weird faces I make when I sing and now all I can do is focus on not making them." she pouted and he chuckled gently.
"Santana's just messing with you Rachel. Come on, she's under all that stress with her parents and you know what happens she gets all stressed out, she likes to take it out on someone else and you're an easy target. Besides, I think you're faces are amazing." he said leaning in to kiss her but she jumped back.
"So I do make faces!" she said accusingly and he sighed.
"Rachel..." he whined and rubbed his forehead. "Look, you just need to go out there and be yourself. You're amazing Rach and you were born to do this. There's no way you could ever be anything less than perfect. Stop thinking about what faces you make or what critics are watching you and just go out there and do what you do best – perform." Rachel nodded, looking him in the eyes.
"Okay." she said in a small voice and he smiled, putting an arm around her and lifting the lone rose up with another hand.
"Here, I got you this. Do you know why?" he asked and she shook her head, taking the flower from his hand. "Because it stands for so many things that remind me of you – beauty, courage, passion...love." he kissed her forehead. "Stop panicking and letting everything get to you Rachel. You're better than that. You are better than anyone I've ever seen and I know, without a doubt in my mind, that you're going to knock everyone out there off their feet. New York is not going to know what hit them." he smirked and she smiled, sniffling back a tear and kissing him passionately.
"Thank you." she said, pulling back to look into his eyes before kissing him once more. She took a deep, steady breath. "Okay, I'm ready for this." she nodded.
"Good." he said, hugging her once. "I'm going to leave you to get ready, but I'll be waiting for you after to celebrate. Okay?"
"Okay." she smiled, squeezing him tightly before letting him out so she could apply her make up once more and head out."
The play was a success and even Santana had to admit that Rachel knocked it out of the park. By the time she hit the stage any trace of nerves were gone and when they met her after she'd already been complimented by the critic she had worried about so much. They celebrated with her afterwards for a drink before she and Finn took off to meet the cast for an after party.
Santana and Brittany also parted with her parents, who were quite impressed with the play themselves, and headed home for the evening, promising to meet up with them for dinner and drinks the next night as it was their last in town. Things were going relatively well and everyone was civil so while it wasn't ideal, Santana still considered the trip to be a success. As they snuggled up on the couch to watch TV, she released a content sigh, feeling that maybe things were finally starting to fall into place a little bit, or at least she hoped.
After spending most of the rainy day on Saturday at home watching TV and cuddling with the cats, Brittany and Santana dressed for dinner on the final evening of the Lopez' stay. They settled on a small Italian restaurant not far from their own place and actually had a fairly pleasant dinner together. The food was delicious and the conversation mostly stayed on neutral topics, which seemed to make everyone's life easier
It still drove Santana's insane to know that she was censoring herself in front of her mother and watching every other word she said to avoid a fight, but she figured maybe this was the only way to move forward. A few times she even caught her mom responding or reacting to things Brittany had said. Once she even asked her a question and for a few minutes it felt like the way she used to be with Brittany, before she knew they were dating.
After dinner they made their way a few blocks over to a small lounge that Santana had found one evening and settled in for a few after dinner drinks. The tables were small and private and it was a slightly upscale atmosphere she thought would be perfect for the group.
Something about her mother's mood seemed to have shifted a bit during the first drink as Santana began discussing her band and what they were planning on next as her dad smiled and listened. Brittany saw the change immediately, but new she could do nothing to stop it as her mother laid down a few backhanded compliments and petty jabs. At first Santana ignored it, but finally no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't let it slip.
"Mami, I'm sorry, but what happened?" she asked. "Why are you starting to pick fights with me all of a sudden?"
"You know Santana, I've been keeping my mouth shut for this entire trip. I've truly been trying not to say anything, but I can't stand by and watch you wash your life down the toilet like this."
"Excuse me?" Santana asked, taken aback.
"You're sitting here talking about these ridiculous gigs with this little rock band you've associated yourself with and spending your time in that bar with Brittany and neglecting everything that's important in your life." she shook her head. "I just can't figure out where we went wrong with you? What did we do to deserve such an ungrateful and spiteful child?" she asked.
"Claudia!" Dr. Lopez said, attempting to stop her.
"No!" she snapped back at him. "I've been silent for long enough Hector. This is my child, I can't pretend that I'm happy with the disaster she's making out of her life."
"Pretend you're happy?" Santana asked with disbelief and shook her head. "If that's your idea of being happy you're an awful actress." she snarled.
"Watch your mouth, I don't like your tone Santana." Her father said in an attempt to control any part of the situation he could. Brittany swallowed hard as it became evident that this wasn't going to blow over easily.
"She attacked me!" she defended.
"You can't continue like this any longer."
"What? Getting straight As in NYU and staying out of trouble?" Santana asked sarcastically.
"No." Mrs. Lopez narrowed her eyes. "Spending your time in extracurricular activities that are doing nothing but dragging you down. This is not how we raised you – to be off galavanting around bars and ..." she trailed off as her eyes flickered to Brittany.
"And what?" Santana asked, pointedly, knowing exactly what her mother wanted to say.
"We had plans for your future Santana. Plans for you to go to a good school, get a good job and settle down with a nice man to start a family." Santana shook her head, trying to hold back the tears she felt rushing to her eyes.
"Well sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you planned." she said shakily, closing her eyes in slight relief when she felt Brittany's hand squeeze her thigh comfortingly under the table.
"You're so young." Her mother shook her head. "You can still fix it."
"Claudia, please." Dr. Lopez said, grabbing her hand. "This is neither the time nor the place for this conversation."
"So you think we need to have this conversation too?" Santana asked, hurt filling her chest.
"I didn't say that." he said with a sigh looking over to her. "But I think you both need to talk, because it's unhealthy for anyone in this family to carry on the way you have been for the past year and a half."
"How do you think I feel, Santana?" Her mother carried on, ignoring her husband as she continued to speak her mind. "Do you know the disappointment and the shame I feel because of you?" she asked and Santana felt her chest constrict with pain at the brutal honesty of the statement. "Do you know how it feels for me to have to lie to my friends and even some of our family when they ask about you?"
"Then don't." Santana croaked between her tears, which were now sliding down her face. Brittany looked on feeling helpless, not sure which she wanted more – to interject or to stand up and pull Santana out of there.
"What am I supposed to say, Santana?" she asked, her tone turning mocking. "That my daughter is off spending a fortune living in New York and getting nowhere? That you're shacked up in some sort of..." she shook her head, tears of her own popping up, "unnatural relationship with a girl whose doing less with her life than you are?" Santana swallowed hard and her eyes widened.
"Don't you attack her!" Santana screamed. "She has nothing to do with this."
"She has everything to do with this." her mother growled back. "And yet here I am, being forced into situations I'm uncomfortable with because you insist on living this lifestyle that hurts me just to think about. Do you do this just to hurt me?" Santana shook her head, tears falling freely once again.
"You just don't understand! Why can't you just understand?" she begged. "This isn't about you Mami, this is about me. I'm in love with Brittany, the same way you love daddy." Her mother shook her head in defeat.
"You know what I understand? I understand that you are my only child and you are turning your life into a complete failure."
"Enough!" Hector yelled and Santana jumped. "That's enough." he said, again, more quietly after taking a calming breath. "I think we should go back to the hotel." he said, standing up from the small table and throwing a wad of bills down. Mrs. Lopez huffed, grabbing her things and making her way out the door. Her father sighed and looked to Santana.
"I have to go with her." he said sadly. "But I'm sorry, for how everything turned out. I apologize. To both of you." he said, looking at Brittany firmly and she nodded, holding her own tears back. "I'll still be at the diner for breakfast tomorrow, but if you don't want to come, I understand." he said before turning and following his wife out the door.
Santana watched the door shut behind him before sniffling and sitting back against the seat. She finally tuned and allowed herself to look at Brittany who looked at her with eyes full of love and sympathy.
"What do you need?" Brittany asked gently, placing a hand over Santana's. "Just tell me what you need." Santana couldn't hold back any longer and she collapsed into heavy sobs, other patrons looking on to see what was going on as they had been throughout the entire encounter. "Shhh." Brittany said, sliding over and wrapping her arms around her.
"Take me home." she cried. "Please, just take me home." Brittany just nodded and put her coat around her shoulders, guiding her out of the lounge and down the few short blocks back to their apartment. She hurried Santana past Finn and Rachel who looked up with concerned eyes from where they sat cuddled on the couch.
"Britt, is everything okay?" Finn asked and Brittany shook her head.
"No, but I've got it." He turned and looked to Rachel, whose eyes were full of concern as she looked back at him questioningly.
"Shit." Finn said.
"I guess it didn't go so well tonight."
Brittany sat Santana on the bed gently, concerned over her inability to stop sobbing and catch up to her breath. She thought about where to start and began by undressing her and pulling back the sheets so she could lie down, immediately hopping into the bed herself so Santana could cuddle up into her.
"Santana." Brittany said gently as she rubbed soothing circles into her back. "Santana, please stop." she asked. "I know you're really hurt, but you have to calm down okay, you're making me really nervous." Santana sniffled, and Brittany could feel her trying to control her breathing as she gripped the back of her shirt.
"I don't get it. I thought it was going better." she said, barely understandable between sobs.
"I know." Brittany spoke softly. "It was, but you know you're mom has been holding a lot in and so have you."
"Why can't they just leave me alone?" she shook her head, burrowing it into Brittany's now tear stained shirt. "My life – our life – here is so perfect. And they're destroying it with all their hate."
"Santana." Brittany said softly. "Baby, first of all no one could ever destroy our life here." she said, running her fingers through Santana's hair. "Second of all, don't blame them both. Your dad is adores you and he tries. It's just your mom."
"But he always caves to her in the end." she sniffled. "I feel like I don't even have him anymore."
"You're always going to have him. He's totally crazy about you. And he's not going to cut you off. He'd never do that. He wants the best for you." Santana nodded, her breathing calming a bit.
"I'm sorry she's so horrible to you."
"It's okay. She can blame me if she wants. She needs someone to take it out on. I'm just sorry she's so terrible to you." Brittany whispers into her hair. Santana swallows hard and her eyes flutter, her tears and the emotions having left her totally drained.
"I don't think this – what we're doing – is a failure. No matter what she says." Santana said sleepily, but with determination that lets Brittany know she's serious.
"I know sweetheart. Neither do I. How could I think the best thing I've ever done is a failure?" she asked and Santana raised her head to press her lips to Brittany's in a simple, but emotionally charged kissed.
"This is my life Britt. You and me and whatever we decide to do with our careers here. This is it, all I need to be happy."
"I know." Brittany whispered against her lips. "And I'm going to do whatever I need to to make you happy forever." she said kissing her once more before tugging her back into her to let her rest. Within a few minutes she heard Santana's breathing even out and she knew she was out cold, exhausted from her emotions. After a few minutes holding her she carefully slipped out and into the living room, where she proceeded to explain to their very concerned roommates what had happened.
"It was bad." Brittany said. "It was as bad as it's ever gotten and she just.." Brittany shook her head, "she holds everything in and so does her mom. They've both been letting all of this build up so long and pretending that they could go on not discussing it and now it's like it just all blew up."
"Can we do anything?" Rachel asked.
"Not right now." Brittany frowned. "But thanks." she thought for a few moments. "Actually, I need to run out. I think...I want to talk to her mom...I think I need to."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Finn asked and Brittany shrugged.
"I don't know. But it's the only idea I have left...and someone has to do it. I mean...I just want to try." she said, grabbing her coat. "Santana is so stubborn and her dad doesn't want to upset anyone." she sighed, zipping her coat. "Maybe she just needs to hear it from someone who isn't in her family. If she wakes up just tell her I had to run to the bar and help them with something." Rachel nodded.
"I'll keep an eye on her. Just be careful." Brittany nodded.
"I will. Thanks."
Brittany knocked gently on the door of the hotel suite Dr. & Mrs. Lopez were staying in. She shifted from foot to foot and bit her lip anxiously as she mulled over exactly what she wanted to say and wondered if she'd even be given the opportunity to say it.
She knew sneaking over here was risky, but it was a risk she felt she had to take for Santana's sake. The situation with her parents was going in circles and someone needed to kick it into the next phase, whatever that may be. Finally, as she stood thinking about all of that, the door slowly opened to reveal Santana's mother who frowned upon seeing her.
"What are you doing here at this time of night Brittany? And where is Santana?"
"She's sleeping." Brittany answered and took a deep breath. "She was really upset after dinner and she finally passed out. She doesn't know I'm here, but I'd really like to speak with you – alone." Mrs. Lopez tilted her head and considered that, her frown still deep.
"Hector is asleep." she said, nodding towards the bedroom.
"It's okay, I really just wanted to talk to you." she saw that she was uncertain. "Please, Mrs. L, I know by now that you hate me and you despise the fact that I'm in your daughter's life. I get it. But no matter what, I'm here. I promise that I won't take up much of your time. I wouldn't bother you if it was extremely important." Mrs. Lopez sighed and stood back, motioning for Brittany to enter. She shut the door to the bedroom and led Brittany to the chairs in the living area. She looked at her curiously.
"Go ahead."
"First of all, I just want to say I wish things didn't happen the way they did tonight. I thought this trip was going somewhat good, but everything just blew up. But either way, I think you and Santana kind of both needed this to happen, because you've just been avoiding the whole thing and it's not getting you guys anywhere."
"Brittany -" She held up a hand.
"Please, just let me finish." she asked softly and Mrs. Lopez nodded. "I know I'm not what you wanted for your daughter Mrs. L," Brittany shook her head, "but you need to know that I'm not going anywhere." she said softly, yet firmly. "I love her so much and I'd do anything in my power to make her happy. And even though sometimes I don't understand how someone as amazing her could even be in love with me, I know she is." Brittany smiled. "I know that being with me makes her happier than anything and the best part is that I feel the same way." she swallowed and took a breath. "But loving her as much as I do, you also have to understand that it physically hurts me to see her upset. I don't mean to be rude Mrs. Lopez, but you need to know that no one hurts her more than you."
"Do not come in here telling me what I need. Who do you even think you are, telling me what my own daughter thinks?" She snapped and Brittany held up a hand in peace.
"Please, I'd never try and tell you what to do with your own child. I promise I'm not trying to be disrespectful." she sighed and shook her head, looking down at her hands. "I'm not the best with words, but I'm just trying to say... Santana, she tries to be so tough and she acts like she doesn't care, but she cares. Believe me, she cares so much." she says emphatically.
"If you cared about her so much, you would get out of her life. You'd let her move on and live a life she can be proud of. One like Rachel is building." Brittany just shook her head sadly once more.
"No. Mrs. Lopez, with all due respect, I love your daughter so much I could never leave her. Not in a million years because that is what would break her." she states. "This isn't about me. I mean, sure we're in love and maybe this physically started with me, and I certainly hope it ends with me, but this is about who Santana is. She's still your daughter, the one you've always loved, but she's a lesbian. Even if I wasn't here...she wouldn't end up with this perfect man that you have in your head."
"I just don't understand." Mrs. Lopez said, putting a hand to her forehead with frustration as she felt herself losing control of her emotions. Brittany sighed sadly.
"You don't really have to understand. I mean it would be great if you did, but that's not the important part. She just needs you to learn how to accept her for who she is. Santana is an amazing person and a lot of that is owed to you because that's how you raised her. She's beautiful and talented and honest and she's loyal to a fault." she smiled just thinking about her girlfriend, before continuing.
"She would do anything for me and believe me, sometimes I ask her the most crazy things but she does them all without even complaining. She is so brave and so strong but sometimes when no one else is looking she's so sweet and vulnerable. There's nothing not to love about her." Brittany nodded with confidence in her own words. "Please Mrs. L, don't stop seeing all of those things because of something she can't change even if she did want to, because despite all that she loves you and she needs you. No matter what she says." Mrs. Lopez wiped a tear and sniffled, averting her eyes and reminding Brittany so much of Santana she couldn't help but smile a little.
"Well, it's late and I've already taken up enough of your time, so I won't keep you any longer." Brittany said, standing. "But I hope you at least give it some thought, because I know she misses you...the way you used to be. And I know you're not going to change overnight, no one expects that. But I think even if you put a little effort in, you'd find she'd start to meet you half way." she looked at her in thought. " Have a good night." Brittany said.
"Good night." Brittany turned and made her way to the door turning once more as she placed her hand on the handle.
"Oh and by the way?" she said, Mrs Lopez glancing back up at her. "I don't care if you want to blame me for the rest of your life Mrs. L. You can do that if you need to. But like I said, I'm not going anywhere and I plan on making it incredibly hard for you to continue hating me." Brittany smiled before letting herself out and leaving Mrs. Lopez to consider her words for the rest of the evening.
"Where'd you go?" Santana mumbled sleepily, her voice still raw from crying before as Brittany peeled off her clothes and slipped into bed and wrapped her arms around her, placing a gently kiss to her forehead.
"Sorry baby, they had a problem with the register at the bar and Trevor just couldn't fix it. I've kinda become a pro." she said, hoping Santana would buy it.
"Next time to tell him to fuck off." She mumbled, snuggling into Brittany's embrace as she felt her chest vibrating with giggles.
"Are you okay?" Brittany asked quietly after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I just woke up and was looking for you." she said, pulling back and looking at her. "Thought maybe my mom scared you off or something." she asked in a tone Brittany could tell was only half kidding as she tried to search her eyes in the dark.
"No one could ever scare me away from you." Brittany said seriously.
"Promise?" Santana asked in a small voice, laced with unshed tears.
"Oh, San." Brittany cooed sweetly, realizing how upset her girlfriend was. "Of course not baby, I love you so much. I'm not going anywhere - ever. I promise." she said, caressing her cheek.
"I love you too." Santana mumbled and pulled her into a needy kiss. "I need you." Santana breathed desperately into her mouth, covering he cheek with her hand.
"I need you too." Brittany gasped back, shifting them so she lay on top of her girlfriend and continued to kiss her deeply and passionately.
"Please Britt." Santana urged as Brittany kissed gently down her neck and gently sucking across her collar bone as her hands slid up under her shirt to trail her fingers over her stomach.
"What do you want baby?" she spoke into her skin, causing Santana to shiver.
"You." Santana said, squirming below her. "I want you."
"Mmm," Brittany hummed into her lips, as she rose up to kiss her once more. "You can always have that." She smiled into a kiss as her hands gently trailed down Santana's sides so the could tug down her shorts and underwear in one swift motion. Leaning backwards she separated them enough so that she could lift Santana's shirt over her head and unsnap her bra, tossing both aside.
Santana reached up, lifting slightly off the bed so she could unhook Brittany's bra and run her hands across her chest, as she kneaded gently at her breasts. Brittany let out a small moan and bit her lip, smiling as she leaned back down to crash her lips onto Santana's once more, her tongue immediately seeking entrance and Santana immediately granting it.
Brittany's lips traveled slowly from her lips to her neck and down to her chest where she covered Santana's flesh with slow, careful kisses. As she moved back up the same path again her right hand moved further south, gently caressing Santana's body until she finally reached Santana's legs and slowly nudged them apart, sliding her hand in between them gently and running her finger between Santana's slick folds.
"Mmm, Britt." she gasped as Brittany softly nibbled on her ear before pulling back enough to kiss her once more. "Brittany, I need you now!" Santana begged. "Please." She said and that was all it took for Brittany to push two fingers fully inside her, causing her eyes to roll back slightly as she moaned in relief at the sensation.
"I love you so much." Brittany ghosted over her lips before kissing her again as she tried to pour all of the love and emotion she had for her into her actions. Santana cried out, feeling swallowed by the feelings that Brittany was showing to her in that moment. "I want to make you feel good."
"You always make me feel good." Santana mumbled, tangling her fingers into Brittany's long blonde hair as she ground her hips down against Brittany's hand.
"You're my everything." Brittany whispered, using her thumb to rub slow circles against her clit as she pressed soft kisses across her face and neck "And I'm not going anywhere - ever." she said emphatically and Santana closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she felt a wave of pleasure come rushing over her. "I adore you." she whispered and she felt Santana begin to tremble as her walls tightened around her fingers and she cried out, Brittany swallowing her cries with a kiss.
She slowed down her movements and peppered light kisses across Santana's face and neck as she waited for her breathing to even out. When it did she slowly withdrew her hand and gently caressesed Santana's face with her other hand.
"Are you okay?" she asked, noticing a small tear at the corner of her eye and kissing it away. Santana nodded gently and leaned up to kiss her firmly.
"I'm more than okay...because of you." she said and Brittany wrapped her arms around her, cuddling into her chest. Santana began to move, slowly and Brittany could sense she was trying to shift them so that she could return the favor but she shook her head and propped herself back up so she could look back down at her.
"Not tonight honey. You're exhausted." she said, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind Santana's ear and smiling at how adorable she looked as her eyes struggled to stay open.
"But I want to." Santana grumbled stubbornly and Brittany grinned wider.
"I know, but we'll have plenty of time for payback tomorrow." she winked, kissing her softly. "Tonight was just about showing you that you're the most amazing person I've ever met." Santana's eyes flickered open to land on Brittany's where she found nothing but absolute sincerity as Brittany continued to stroke her face gently. "You're the smartest, most beautiful and loving person in the whole world and don't you ever let anyone tell you different. Every day I spend with you, you amaze me even more." she said, watching Santana's eyes pool up with unshed tears.
"Britt, I...you..." She said, trying to speak but feeling overwhelmed with a ll of the events of the past evening. Brittany just shook her head and laughed softly.
"It's okay, I know baby." she nodded reassuringly. "Enough crying for today, just relax, and sleep." she said as she repositioned them so she was holding Santana tightly from behind. "I've got you." she whispered and she felt Santana squeeze the arm wrapped around her waist as her breathing slowly evened out.
"Good morning." Rachel greeted as Brittany stumbled into the kitchen sleepily, Santana hanging tightly onto her side. She kissed the top of her head gently as she separated herself and walked over towards the fridge.
"Morning." she mumbled sleepily. Santana just grumbled and headed over to grab a seat.
"Would you like some coffee?" Rachel asked and Santana furrowed her brow, looking up at her.
"Why are you offering me coffee?"
"I just know you had a rough night and I was trying to be nice."
"I don't need your pity." Santana spat angrily and Rachel jumped, taken aback.
"Santana." Brittany said in a gentle, but warning tone from where she was pouring juice into a glass. She glanced over to Brittany and then looked back at Rachel, guilt invading her face.
"Sorry, I just don't feel like talking about last night." she said softly. "Coffee would be nice." Rachel nodded understandingly and grabbed a cup from the cabinet. Brittany shot her a grateful smile, before making her way over to the table and sitting down next to Santana.
"So...what do you want to do about brunch?" Brittany asked carefully and Santana looked at her with sad eyes.
"I don't want to go." she said definitively.
"Are you sure? I mean, do you really want to leave things on that note?" she asked, reaching over to grab Santana's hand supportively.
"My mother is the one who chose to make things the way that they are. She can suffer with her decision." Santana said firmly and Brittany sighed but nodded. Rachel approached, placing the cup in front of Santana and sitting across from them at the other side of the table.
Brittany opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the buzzing of her phone and looked down to see who could possibly be calling that early. Her eyes widened looking at the number and Santana shot her a questioning glare but she just excused herself and made her way to the bedroom. Santana frowned.
"What the hell was that?" she muttered.
"Probably just work or something." Rachel said with a shrug.
"She has to leave the room for work? Plus she left the house at like midnight for like an hour or something last night." Santana said with panic and Rachel swallowed as she tried to think of how to cover for where Brittany had really been. "She's keeping something from me."
"Santana, come on, Brittany would never hide anything bad from you. Maybe it's her mom or something." Santana looked skeptical, her current state of insecurity impacting her train of rational thought. "Don't worry about it. Besides the bar really needed her last night, Finn and I saw her when she left and she was complaining about how annoying it was." Santana nodded, feeling slightly better.
"I guess you're right. I'm just a little on edge." she said eyes flickering to the bedroom door that Brittany had disappeared behind before turning back to Rachel. "Where is Frankenteen anyhow?"
"He went to get some bagels." She said as Brittany returned to her seat.
"Who was that?" Santana asked, trying to keep the suspicious tone out of her voice but failing.
"My grandma." Brittany answered quickly. "She can never hear me."
"What's with all the sneaking around?" she asked, unable to control herself.
"I'm not sneaking around." Brittany said firmly, grasping her hand and sighing. "Stop." Santana bit her lip sheepishly as she looked down and Brittany squeezed her hand. "San, I was just thinking, what if we just went to brunch?" Santana's head whipped up to look at her.
"What?" she asked with disbelief.
"What if we just went and saw them? Tried to make peace?"
"Are you serious?" she asked, pulling her hand back. After what she said to me last night you want to go bow down to her and make her feel like she was right?"
"No, Santana of course not. Not at all." she said emphatically, scooting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her. "It's completely unacceptable for her to talk to you like that and I'd never even suggest that."
"Then what?"
"I'm just saying...maybe it's good if you get to speak your mind too? And you should at least go say goodbye to your dad. If anything gets out of hand I promise we'll leave right away." Santana considered. "Come on Santana. Leaving things this unsettled is worse. Your mom needs to hear how you feel from you. Besides, maybe she even wants to apologize." Santana snorted.
"Ha, yeah right." she smiled and stroked Brittany's cheek. "Keep dreaming baby." she frowned. "I really don't want to go back there. I just want to put them all behind me at this point. Please Britt, just leave it be. I can't let myself believe it might work again only to get shot down. It hurts too much." Brittany swallowed and nodded, kissing her softly.
"Okay." she said. "I'm going to go grab a shower and we can go grab something on my way in?"
"I like that better." Santana smiled.
"Don't forget we have a date tonight." she winked before kissing her once more and heading off to the bathroom, pulling out her phone to type out a text on her way there.
A little while later, Santana pulled on clothes as Brittany dried her hair in the bathroom. As she zipped up her hoodie she heard the distinct ring of the doorbell and scrunched her nose in confusion.
"Kinda early for visitors." she muttered.
"I got it!" Rachel yelled, hitting the buzzer and Santana just shrugged, continuing what she was doing before she heard a soft knock at her door a few moments later.
"Yeah?"
"Hey." Rachel poked her head in. "Santana, it's for you." she said carefully and Santana's eyes widened.
"Who is it?" she asked evenly.
"It's your parents."
"Tell them I don't want to see them."
"Santana." Brittany said, walking over from the bathroom.
"What?" Santana asked in frustration. "I told you I didn't want to see them!"
"They're not going to just go away Santana. They're in our living room." she sighed and rubbed her back. "I don't think she'd come here to hurt you more."
"Then you don't know my mom." Brittany frowned sadly before Santana stood with purpose.
"Fine." she said, marching past a sympathetic Rachel and standing before them in the living room. "What are you doing here."
"Santana." her father said sadly.
"Santana, I'd like to talk with you." her mother said with determination.
"I don't have anything left to say to you that you want to hear."
"Well then maybe you can listen, because I have some things to say to you. Can we go into the kitchen?" she asked and Santana looked skeptical. "I promise that I come in peace. You can ask Brittany." she said and Santana's eyes widened with surprise as she turned to Brittany questioningly. She just nodded.
"Fine." she said, turning and walking towards the table as she head Brittany offer her dad a seat on the couch. She took a seat at the table, her mother sitting across from her and they sat in silence for a moment before her mom cleared her throat to talk.
"Santana..." she sighed, "I have to apologize for my behavior last night." Santana studied her as she spoke. "It's no secret that I haven't been happy with...your situation."
"It's not a situation!" she barked but her mom held up her hand.
"Mija please, just let me talk and then you can say everything you want." she said and Santana just watched her silently. "This has been hard for me and it's true that I've spent the past year and a half dealing with that by ignoring it. I spent all of this time trying to hold back my feelings, but I'm not very good at that, so they're pretty clear anyway."
"You can say that again."
"Regardless, as much as it pains me to admit, last night after I went back to the hotel I realized that this isn't going to go away. When Brittany came to see me-"
"Brittany came to see you?" she asked, her eyes flickering to the blonde who happily chatted with her father on the couch.
"Yes." she said with confusion. "She didn't tell you?" Santana shook her head and her mother considered this before continuing. "Well, she made me realize that I've been avoiding this for far too long and that by doing so I was dangerously close to losing you." she said softly and Santana's eyes filled with tears. "But that's not something I'm prepared to do. I've spent most of the past 18 months not really speaking with you, not being close to you in the way I was before and I miss it – deeply. And I'm not too proud to admit that this is something I've blamed Brittany for."
"It's not Brittany's fault!" Santana snapped with fire in her eyes.
"Shh, Santana, calm down. I understand that a little bit more now. But you have to understand that this is something that's been very hard for me to get my head around." she sighed once more and shook her head. "I had so many plans for you and your life is diverting from those plans in ways that I could never have anticipated. And I don't know how to handle that. But it's clear to me that what we have been doing. How we've been living since you told me? That is not the answer."
"Mami, I'm not doing this to spite you or to hurt you. I'm doing this because this is who I am. I'm so happy here – in this city, in this school, in this apartment. I'm so happy with Brittany. It feels like my life is finally coming together. I've been such an angry person my whole life." she shook her head, a stray tear falling. "But for the first time I'm starting to feel like everything is falling into place."
"I know." her mother said with a sad, teary smile. "Even if it's not what I wanted, I know it's true." she said.
"So what now?"
"We can't fix everything today Santana." she said sadly and Santana's eyes dropped to her hands in disappointment. "Your father and I have a plane to catch in a couple of hours and I still need some time to process things. But we can work on it. I can work on it." She looked back up at her, afraid to be hopeful.
"How?"
"Well," she said with a heavy sigh, "I guess the first step is acknowledging that this isn't Brittany's fault."
"This isn't anyone's fault because it's not a bad thing." she said firmly.
"I'm getting there Santana, please. I just need to start accepting it. So I'll go back to Lima and I'll start fresh, okay? I'll work on it and I'll start to make myself understand you." Santana nodded silently. "But for now, you have to know that I'm trying. And I'm going to try and look at Brittany the same way I did when she was coming on family vacations with us a few years ago." Santana swallowed back her tears as she broke into a smile.
"I love her so much Mami." she said softly and her mother smiled.
"I know. And she loves you, very much. If I ever had a doubt, after last night, I have none."
"See Mami, you have to understand, to learn to be happy because me being so in love? It's a good thing. And I'm lucky to have it."
"You are." she said softly. "And you're not a disappointment." she grabbed her daughter's hand on the table. "Maybe this isn't what I envisioned, but you have to measure your success against yourself. And I need to learn that."
"Girls." her father spoke gently, standing over the table. "I'm sorry to break this up, but we have to go." he said.
"We'll talk more soon?" her mother asked and Santana nodded through her tears as they both stood. Her dad engulfed her in a big hug, knowing she wasn't ready to go there yet with her mother, and she cried into his shoulder as he soothed her gently.
After a few moments he pulled back and she brushed away her tears, walking with them towards the door. They stood, saying their goodbyes and Santana felt a hand slip into hers and she smiled, squeezing tightly as they told them to have a good trip and promised to check in soon.
Santana let herself release a deep breath after they locked the door and turned back to Brittany, shaking her head in amazement.
"Britt, I...what did you do?" she asked in awe and Brittany just laughed and wrapped her arms around her waist as Santana reached hers up around her neck.
"It's not perfect, but something tells me this is a start." she smiled and pecked her girlfriend's lips. "I'm sorry I lied and I know it was risky, but I had to try."
"Don't be sorry...I mean...I can't believe you went there and talked to her. What did you say?"
"The truth." Brittany shrugged. "I had to go there. Someone had to stick up for you. Someone had to make her see your side." she said simply. "I just told her the truth." Santana smiled broadly and squeezed her tight.
"Thank you."
"I'm just glad it worked out."
"You're incredible, do you know that? And very brave." she asked, pulling back to look Brittany in the eyes and she smiled back at her shyly.
"I only did it because of you. I'd do anything to help you." she said seriously and sighed, hugging her once more and lingering for a few moments. "As much as I want to spend the whole day with you. I have to go to work so I can come home on time and take my hot girlfriend out on a date." Santana giggled.
"Okay baby, we'll talk about it all tonight." Brittany nodded and pecked her lips.
"Yes, we will."