Disclaimer: I don't own Glee nor its original characters (if I did it would probably be called The Brittany and Santana Show, and all the other characters would only be there to help advance their plot).
A/N: Here I come bearing an early update for you guys! And an epically long one at that. You should know that I really burned the midnight oil, and the 1 AM, and the 2 AM, and the 3 AMoil to make this happen. Work's been crazy, and judges are more assholes than their usual asshole selves lately. So, I'll be taking my 'thank-yous' in the reviews or PMs, your choice really :D
***This chapter will be dedicated to lots of people because I don't have the heart (nor the time) to eliminate anyone else from my first original long-ass list for this chapter:
GleeksWin, 'cause, dude, don't go on scaring little kids on my account! ;)
Mahokame, 'cause you went through the trouble of reviewing this even 'though you consider reviewing a bit of a pain, and frankly I do to, that's why I appreciate it this much. And also, be nice to Britt. She didn't move on because things got hard and she decided to throw 'in sickness and in health' to the wind. She just really believed there was no hope to get her wife back. Oh, and thanks for the kind words. Glad you're enjoying the ride :)
Skygaze, who went through all this trouble to review the story. Your words are far too kind for my own good, or my own ego; you choose. And much love to New Zealand! It's ridiculous how far these fics reach. Oh, and the off character remark of yours? Totally get it. One of my biggest fic peeves as well :)
From-me-to-you-ale, another one who went through the huge trouble of reviewing it. Seriously, I'm take all kinds of reviewing virginities here *lol* And I always admired a cooky/crazy spirit. Ultimately, aren't we all a bit nuts? :D
Back2Black, sorry to break your heart. Here's my attempt to soften the blow a bit. Yeah, this situation is one of the suckiest that anyone could possibly fathom. That's why I hadto write it! Thanks for the nice words :D
***Heads up: Another Glee character is popping up in this chapter. I won't ruin the surprise but I just wanted to say again that I don't watch Glee (just Brittany/Santana), so, I apologize for any OCness. I know OC characters suck and I promise to try my best not to let that happen.
Enjoy, folks! This is for sure my favourite chapter thus far. The several nuances of Brittany and Santana's whole situation, the subtle delicateness of it all, the general silent hopelessness that feels so palpable... everything about this chapter grabbed me. Plus, it's mostly B/S/Z, you can't go wrong with that. So, I hope you dig it, too! I'll shut up now :)
Mischances, Stances and Stolen Glances
||Chapter Six||
Approaching the blonde in her vehicle, Santana honked her horn, successfully catching Brittany's attention and making her stop on the sidewalk. The blue-eyed woman couldn't help but left the smallest of smiles creep in at the sight of the car. God, they had spent so many moments in there, back in the day. That back seat had witnessed some intense make-out sessions, and those were the most innocent things that happened there. Just by looking at the Mustang she could even begin to feel Santana's hands roaming through her calves and thighs, her tongue… Ok, stop right there, the dancer commanded her mind.
The brunette killed the engine and while Brittany was stuck in her daydreaming, Santana got out of the car and went to her.
...
"Hi," Santana offered meekly, stuffing the keys in her jacket's pocket.
"Hey," Brittany replied softly, looking from Santana to the floor and back.
They stayed in silence for a while, and after a moment they said in unison, "I'm sorry."
Both women smiled, looking at anything but each other as another silent moment took over them.
"Let me go first," Santana pleaded evenly, saying sorry wasn't exactly one of her strong suits. She needed to get out the things she had rehearsed most part of the night to say before she lost track of them all. Yes, she had yet again trouble sleeping; she clocked an hour or two more than the night before, but still not a good night of sleep.
Taking in for the first time that they were actually standing in the middle of the sidewalk, Santana sidetracked her apologetic speech by asking, "Were you going somewhere?"
"Just picking up Zoey," Brittany replied matter-of-factly.
Looking at her wrist watch the Latina asked with furrowed brows, "Isn't a bit early?"
"I had an errand to run first."
"Anything urgent?"
"Absolutely not," the blonde replied a bit too eagerly.
Santana asked, "So, is it ok if we take a walk around the block while we talk?" Brittany nodded, and started walking. Santana accompanied her. "As I was saying, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said those things," she added sincerely, looking sideways at the dancer.
"And I'm sorry I slapped you, I really didn't mean to. My hand just…" Brittany said, trying to understand her own action.
"You've got one fierce right hook," Santana joked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Well, right palm, actually."
"I'm so, sorry," Brittany pleaded, feeling really ashamed of her action.
"It's fine, I deserved it."
"No, nothing justifies what I did."
"What I said did justify it."
Gathering up the courage, the blonde dancer asked softly, locking her stare on brown eyes, "Did you really believe that, San? That I ditched you just because you were in the hospital?"
"No, I honestly didn't," Santana said extra apologetically, stuffing her hands in the jacket's pockets while they walked slowly. "Those words… they came from a place of anger, Britt," Brittany's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the nickname, "…not truth. You can be certain of that. I don't want to be angry with you anymore. It's too draining and consuming… besides, I hate being angry with you," the Latina finished in a bittersweet tone.
Brittany offered her a sweet smile, and Santana willingly matched it, "I'm glad to know," the blonde whispered.
Santana cleared her throat, "I also wanted you to know that I heard what you said… and I got it," she began firmly. "I understand now that four years is a long time, and you had every right to –"
"You still don't get, do you?" Brittany asked softly, shaking her head and coming to a halt while staring at the brunette. Santana, who continued the walk, stopped after seeing the blonde had done so. She backed up a bit to stand alongside her. Brown eyes fully meeting blue ones as they faced each other in silence.
"I would have waited a lifetime, Santana… I would have waited 100 years if I knew I could have spent another second with you," Brittany stated with emotion pouring from her voice, the intensity and honesty behind her blue eyes took Santana's breath away a bit. It reminded her so much of the old times. Why everything had to be so messed up like this? The brunette briefly pondered.
"But I didn't know. They told me you wouldn't wake up; everyone said you wouldn't come back to me, that's why –"
"It's fine, Britt. Now," Santana said, pointedly looking into the blonde's eyes and placing her hand reassuringly on the dancer's upper arm, "…now I get it. Completely. It's alright."
"I have to be totally honest, 'though," the Latina added, pulling her hand back. Brittany instantly missed the contact, and it pained her to know so. "I still don't understand why we can't… you know," the brunette shifted her gaze away from blue eyes, there was no need to stick the finger further into the open wound by repeating herself endlessly, "now that I'm back…"
Brittany was about to say something. Probably share her reasons, but Santana wasn't interested. So, she didn't even let the blonde begin.
"Please, you don't have to explain yourself, really," Santana rushed to silence Brittany's impending words, shaking her head for emphasis as they resumed their slow walk. "Frankly, I don't think I'll ever completely understand, even 'though I respect your choice. You've had four years to learn how to deal with this, I still feel like we're in 2007. But, I'll try my hardest to understand. I promise. For Zoey's sakes. The last thing I want is to bring conflict, and tension, and tumult and any other shit into her perfect little world," the brunette finished with conviction.
Brittany was in awe. She knew Santana would be a great mother, but she never thought she would rise up to the task like this. Hearing about her protectiveness of their daughter and her well being – which could never surprise the blonde, since she was on the receiving end of it since they met as kids – and her decision to be an adult about the whole thing for their daughter's sakes, despite the fact that the Latina was a control-freak when it came to her emotions and desires to let them rampage, and despite of them being put in one of the crappiest situations that could ever plague two soulmates... All those things only made the blonde… love the brunette more. If possible.
Smiling, Brittany nodded beamingly. The dancer had her reservations and corrections she wished to make regarding Santana's speech, but she let them be. There was no need to ruin things.
Santana caught her completely off-guard when she added, "That is why I'm moving back to New York."
Brittany came to another halt. A very abrupt one. This time she grabbed Santana's wrist, making the Latina stop walking abruptly as well.
"What?" the blonde almost shrieked, furrowing her brows vigorously.
"I'm moving back to –" Santana plainly started to repeat but was interrupted.
"That much I got," Brittany cut the brunette off. "But…" she tried to add something but she felt utterly speechless.
"I don't belong here. In Lima. Especially now," the Latina offered wistfully, gauging the blonde's state.
"Of course you do," the blue-eyed dancer protested vehemently, letting go of Santana's wrist after realizing she had been holding it this whole time.
"I don't. I just don't fit here," Santana countered matter-of-factly, looking down at her shoes.
Brittany shook her head energetically, and began to ramble erratically, "But, uh, what about… what about everyone who cares about you here? Huh? What about Zoey, and my parents, and Ally? What about Maggie? And… Richard, and Danes?" After a small pause, the blonde finished in a pleading tone, capturing Santana's gaze practically by force, "What about me, San?"
"You're my best friend," the blonde deadpanned almost as a statement direct to herself whilst her gaze wandered. Lost. "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you all over again."
"You're my best friend, too, and you'll never lose me. I'll be just a bit farther away," Santana tried to soothe the blonde. "And weren't you listening to me before? I'm doing this because of Zoey. I can't… I don't think I can stay here hanging on the sidelines just… watching you and…" she trailed off awkwardly. "I know myself, B… that would only bring out the worst in me, and I don't want that for our daughter. Besides, I'll call her every day; we can Skype and even write letters to each other. I'll fly in most weekends to visit, and I'm sure we can work something out so she can stay with me for a while in New York during vacations. We can alternate holidays… I'm sure we'll make it work."
"It doesn't have to be –" Brittany began to say, but once again was cut off by the Latina.
"Please, Britt… I've made my decision. I accepted and respected yours. Now I hope you can do the same for me," Santana let out in one big breath.
How could the dancer argue with that? Instead she said sadly, "Ok, San… I'll try." But deep down inside Brittany knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Santana raised her hand to tuck her escaping bangs behind her ear, and that was when Brittany noticed that the Latina was no longer wearing her wedding band. The blue-eyed woman had noticed that Santana still kept the ring on her finger since she woke up from the coma. She found it sweet. But now the brunette wasn't wearing it anymore, and Brittany was sure that she had seen the golden band yesterday when they fought. Meaning, Santana had taken the ring off in between their meetings, after the fight and before coming to make up.
That knowledge caused Brittany's heart to contract in the weirdest of ways. She was taken by this weird desperation, and the dancer felt like she was really losing the Latina for good. The thought alone was too much to take. She felt petrified all of the sudden.
Santana started to resume their walk, but was stopped brusquely by Brittany's hand grabbing her wrist again. "Wait!" the blonde cried a bit too desperately.
The Latina waited, but no words left the dancer's mouth. So, feeling confused she asked, "What?"
To Brittany's agony she discovered that she couldn't say anything. What could she say? Their situation was still the same. It hasn't miraculously changed in the last couple of minutes. She had no hold whatsoever over Santana, and – or rather because – she was still a married woman.
So, the blonde shook her head dismissively, reluctantly letting go of Santana's wrist with a plastered fake smile and said wistfully, "Nothing… Nevermind."
They walked in silence a bit more to reach Santana's car, when they arrived the brunette asked, "Can I tag along? To pick up Zoey? I can drive you first to your errand too, it's still early."
"Why not?" Brittany replied, if the Latina was leaving she'd like to spend as much time with her as possible before that happened.
Both women proceeded to enter the Mustang, take their seats and fasten their seatbelts.
"Where are we going?" the Latina asked.
"The bank," the blonde replied absentmindedly.
In no time they were driving down the streets of Lima in a comfortable silence. Brittany took the opportunity to do a once over inside the car. So many memories…
Brittany watched the street lamps' lights that passed by outside the car as Santana tapped the steering wheel absentmindedly to the rhythm of some tune that played on her car's stereo. It was a nice evening.
Coming out of her thoughts the blonde said in her Cheerios uniform, "Coach is really riding us lately. More than usual. It's already dark out here." Both girls had just left practice.
"Yeah, well, it will be summer soon. So, we'll be free of her for a while," Santana replied flatly.
Comfortable silence took over again.
Brittany broke it again by saying nonchalantly, "I'm feeling a bit chilly. Can I put the top back on, San?" The blonde could barely hide the grin that took over her lips.
Santana looked sideways with a raised eyebrow to inspect her friend's face, and then the brunette scoffed, "Chilly? Yeah, like I was born yesterday. You just love to push that button and watch the top, you know, do its thing."
Brittany kept looking at Santana with that puppy-dog look that she knew the Latina could never resist. She even threw in a pout for good measure.
Shaking her head, Santana conceded slyly, "Fine, go ahead, B." She couldn't help but grin as well as Brittany pushed the button and watched the top cover them with a pair of gleeful blue eyes.
"You're such a weirdo sometimes," Santana said smiling, with endearment laced in her voice.
The blonde just flashed the brunette her tongue, breaking into a smile after.
A few seconds later they were pulling into Brittany's driveway.
"Signed, sealed, delivered…" Santana announced playfully, killing the engine. "I'll pop the trunk so you can get your bag."
"So, what are you up to tonight?" Brittany asked, unbuckling her seatbelt so she could turn and face her friend properly.
"I have the whole house to myself, so I'm still weighting my options," the Latina replied pensively, unbuckling her own seatbelt to face the blonde.
"Your parents are out? Again?" the blue-eyed girl asked softly, and the brunette just nodded before looking down in a subtle way. "I hate to think of you all alone there, San," Brittany added, placing a warm hand on Santana's bare thigh. Those Cheerios skirts were mighty short.
"I'll be fine," Santana replied dismissively, enjoying the contact of her friend's warm hand on her cold thigh.
"Stay with me tonight," Brittany said huskily, leaning so close that the brunette could feel her warm breath against her face.
Santana leaned forward as well, rendering the space between them inexistent. Their soft lips met and before they knew both girls were making out on the back seat of the car. Hands roaming from calves, to thighs, to breasts, to hair…
Brittany detached her mouth from Santana's and went on to nibble the brunette's ear, causing a soft moan. Santana took the opportunity to suck on the blonde's pulse point, and then she brought her lips up to Brittany's ear and whispered, "Si tu supieras cuánto yo…" she trailed off, resuming the neck kissing. There was so much Santana wanted to say to Brittany… but the brunette never seemed to be ready to let it all out. Feelings were never her thing.
"What did you say?" Brittany asked curiously through a smile, lacing her fingers through a messy dark ponytail as Santana kissed her neck. The blonde loved, and at the same time hated, when her friend whispered Spanish sweet nothings in her ear. She loved to hear the sweetness in the brunette's tone, but she hated not knowing what it meant and to have Santana refuse to translate them. Maybe they weren't 'nothings', she thought or hoped.
Santana looked up, directly into blue eyes and smirked in response. Brittany held her gaze for a while, shook her head slightly annoyed and planted a hard kiss on those full lips as 'punishment'. Taking the opportunity to push the hem of the Latina's Cheerios top up, and let her hand explore the flat and toned abdomen underneath it.
After some more sweet lady kisses, Brittany remembered something while Santana sucked on her earlobe, and said, "Oh, I forgot that Artie was coming over to watch a movie." That sentence was all it took for the brunette to snap back and sit straight up. "You can still stay over. I'll call him and reschedule," she added offhandedly.
Santana sat there stoically, straightening her messy ponytail while Brittany still lay on her back, mourning the loss of contact.
"Why are you all the way over there and I'm over here?" the blue-eyed teen whined, confused by Santana's sudden change of demeanor.
Ignoring Brittany's last question Santana said in a huff, "I don't think I should stay."
"Why not?" Brittany replied still lying down, resolute on not to stop their make-out session.
"Well, you've got a date with Creepy on Wheels," the Latina spat, unable to hold back on the sneer, "and I forgot Sam owns me a booty call. Since I'm home alone this is the perfect opportunity," she added, telling a lie to save face.
Brittany sat up as well. She didn't know why the brunette was acting so weird, and she also had no idea why the thought of Santana with her boyfriend bothered her so –
"Earth to Brittany," Santana said playfully, bringing the dancer out of her daze. "What's got you all deep in thought over there?" the brunette added, looking sideways at the blonde.
"Nothing, just thinking I guess," Brittany replied, adjusting her purse on her lap and thinking how love triangles, or squares, or whatever shape with more than two sides, never did work well. Everyone wound up losing somehow.
Santana didn't press on it, and they fell back into comfortable silence.
After a while the dancer broke it off by stating softly, "You'll have to tell her." A small pause. "Zoey."
The Latina didn't even need the last clarification to know who Brittany was talking about. Just to think about that conversation brought a lump to the brunette's throat. God knows where she would find the strength to break the news to her daughter.
"I know," Santana replied morosely, clutching the steering wheel ten times harder.
Right then she felt the weight of Brittany's gaze on her. It made her uneasy to be under the blonde's scrutiny. So, Santana looked sideways and she could see that those blue eyes were trained on her hand, and all of the sudden it all clicked. Brittany tried to avert her gaze, but she had been caught already.
"It was time," the doctor stated bitter-sweetly, catching briefly the blonde's eyes before returning her gaze to the road. "It was past time," she added, shifting to strangle the wheel instead of just clutching it.
"It's ok, you don't have to –" Brittany began to state that the brunette didn't have to explain anything, but was cut mid-sentence.
"I don't have to, but I want to," Santana interjected with conviction, glancing sideways at the dancer.
Brittany nodded, and offered a pale smile, which the Latina matched.
"Here we are," Santana said, parking almost in front of the bank.
"I won't take long. Do you wanna come inside with me?"
"Nah, I'll just wait here."
"But you hate waiting," Brittany offered through an easy smile.
She did hate waiting. The blonde knew her too well. "Yeah, well, I'll manage... For you," the brown-eyed woman said flirtatiously with a smirk, and regretted the words right after they left her lips. It hadn't been planned. Things like that came naturally to her when the blue-eyed dancer was involved. See, she needed to move. Way away from Brittany to avoid these types of situation. The brunette didn't know how to contain herself.
Brittany couldn't help but feel the blush rising up to her cheeks as she smiled, opened up the car's door and went to the bank.
Santana and Brittany entered the school, everything was very colourful and lively, and the blonde guided them to Zoey's classroom. Miss Miller was standing by the blue door conducting the kids' pick-up by their parents.
"Mrs. Pierce, hi," the incredibly young-looking teacher said in greeting.
"Hi, Miss Miller," Brittany replied cheerfully as she and Santana stood by the door. "This is Santana Lopez, Zoey's other mother," she added with something resembling to pride in her voice.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Mrs. Lopez," the light brown-haired young woman offered, smiling and outstretching her hand to the Latina.
"Actually is Miss Lopez," Santana clarified, shaking on the teacher's hand with a charming smile on her face. "Mrs. Lopez was my mother. And nice to meet you, too," she finished politely. She usually wasn't this congenial to new people, but the last thing she needed was to piss off the woman who cared for her daughter many hours a day. She had seen those cases on the news in which caregivers mistreated kids.
If Brittany didn't know Santana any better she would assume she was flirting with Zoey's teacher. But, come on, Miss Miller was, like, a child; the dancer thought. She couldn't help but let her mind wander 'though to a time when Santana would finally meet someone new – 'cause, let's face it, it was Santana she was thinking about, and Santana Lopez was too hot to stay single for long – but that thought was too daunting and too hurtful to be entertained beforetime. So, she just swatted it away.
The teacher called out Zoey, who was entertained with some of her little classmates, and the girl came running when she spotted her two mommies.
"Mama, you came too!" the blue-eyed kid stated whilst being picked up by Santana.
"You bet I did!"
"Mommy!" Zoey greeted, leaning forward on the brunette's hold to hug Brittany while Miss Miller watched the scene in front of her with a smile on her face.
"Hi, baby!"
"Come on, I want to show you something, mama," Zoey said enthusiastically. Santana put her down with an uttered 'ok' and was dragged through the classroom with an amused Brittany behind her.
"These are our class' pets," she said loudly due to excitement while pointing to two fishes in a small fish tank. "They are bettas, and the blue one's name is Peter Pan, and the red is Wendy," Zoey explained, putting her index finger against the tank's glass, "you know, like in the story," the girl added, looking up at Santana and Brittany.
"I think I have a vague idea of who they are," Santana joked lightheartedly.
"I have the movie, mama, we can watch it together," Zoey replied smiling, buying the Latina's joke.
"She knows who they are, honey. Not long ago your mama used to have a big Peter Pan complex," Brittany joked smiling and looking from Zoey to Santana, who mildly scowled at her.
"What is a complex?" Zoey asked curiously, looking from the brunette to the dancer.
"Nothing you should concern yourself with, sweetie," Santana replied quickly, shifting her gaze to briefly glare at the blonde, who looked quite amused with herself. "And I would love to watch that movie with you," she added with a smile after shifting her gaze back to her daughter, who seemed pleased to hear that.
"We get to take the fishes home at weekends, too," Zoey told Santana. "This weekend is John's turn, after him is Russ. And I'm always after Russ," the kid added with a smile.
"Sounds awesome," the doctor said smiling, mustering as much excitement as possible to please her daughter.
"Come and see my hook now," Zoey quickly changed the subject, tugging again on Santana's hand.
"Your hook?" Santana asked with confusion.
"Yeah, here, where I hang my bag every day," the brunette girl informed proudly as the three stood in front of the hook. "Mine is red, and see, it has my name written here," she pointed to a little plaque above it and began reading it, "Zoey Pierce-Lopez. That's me," she finished with a grin, looking back at her mommies to gauge their reaction.
"Wow, you're reading already, Z?" Santana asked enthusiastically, and with pride laced in her tone.
"She is getting there, right sweetie?" Brittany responded proudly, and Zoey nodded profusely. "She's great with little books, and she's an expert when it comes to her name," the blue-eyed woman added with a chuckle.
"I'm so proud of you," the Latina said, caressing the top of the girl's head. "And what is that guy's name? Or is it a girl?" she added, pointing to the plush dog-shaped backpack that hung on Zoey's hook.
"Sparkles!" Zoey shouted and did a little jump.
"Z, please don't shout, baby. Remember what we talked about," Brittany softly told her daughter. The little girl tended to let her excitement get the best of her some times, and it got loud.
"Sparkles, too? Like my personal guard, the duck?" Santana asked furrowing her brows in confusion.
"You'd be surprised at how many Sparkles, and Rainbows, and Bubbles this one's got," Brittany informed the Latina, and both women smiled widely. Zoey didn't know what was so funny, but – not being one to be left out of the fun – she smiled widely as well.
The little girl was still too young to pin point why, but she felt a nice, warm feeling in her tummy when she was around her mommies and they were all having such a nice time smiling and talking to each other. It felt really good, she thought.
"Can we go now, Zo?" Brittany asked her daughter, looking down at the girl.
Before Zoey could answer, Santana asked looking around, "What about your friends? Which one of these little monsters is your best friend?" She wanted to know everything there was to know about her girl, it was inevitable.
"Grace didn't come today," Zoey said dejectedly.
"She has a stomach flu," Brittany amended, looking at Santana. "What about Jeremy? Where is he, honey?" the blonde asked, looking around trying to spot the boy among the remaining kids. "You see, Zoey here has two besties, San," she finished with a smile, which the Latina matched.
"His mom already picked him up," Zoey informed her mommies.
"Well, I'm sure I'll meet them another time," Santana said flatly, and then she scooped up Zoey. "Let's go, then?" she added in question. Brittany and Zoey nodded, and the former picked up Sparkles. The dog.
As the trio passed by Miss Miller at the classroom door, the teacher said congenially, "Goodbye, Mrs. Pierce. Zoey, I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart. And it was nice to meet you, Miss Lopez."
Brittany smiled her goodbye. And Santana said, "You too. Say bye to Miss Miller, Zoey," and then she added smiling, "like I taught you."
Ever the obliging girl, Zoey piped in smiling, "Adiós, Miss Miller."
The three ladies left the classroom and Santana put Zoey on the ground. The little girl went ahead of them skipping happily through the school's halls.
"You've been teaching her a lot of Spanish," Brittany said with a tender smile on her face.
"Yeah, well, she absorbs stuff like a little eager sponge," Santana replied, smiling brightly.
"Imagine my surprise the other day when I was trying out a new recipe, you know how I can't follow them very well, and Zoey takes the first bite and says with a scrunched face 'No me gusta'," Brittany told Santana, grinning from ear to ear.
The Latina just burst into laughter.
"That was my reaction as well. I started laughing my ass off like a mental person, 'cause at that moment she was just the spitting image of you, San, I swear. But all I got were these frightened looks from Jenna and Zoey, looking at me like I was completely crazy," the blue-eyed blonde told through heavy chuckling.
Santana felt the smile falling from her face as she felt a bit of a sting hearing about this precious time that this other woman got to spend with her family. The Latina wished it was with her instead. 'Cause Brittany may not be her family anymore, but Zoey was. In fact, the girl was the only family she had got left. But they were having such a nice time that Santana picked that smile back up, and pushed the thought out of her head. Such nice times shouldn't be spoiled, especially since she would be leaving soon and they wouldn't have as much time alone. The three of them, that was.
Zoey let her mommies catch up with her. "Mama is spending ice cream Thursday with us, right?" the blue-eyed girl asked expectantly, looking up at Brittany as they left through the school's front door.
"Ice cream Thursday?" Santana asked curiously.
"Yeah, I always take Thursday afternoons off to take Zoey for ice cream, and then to the park or something like that. A little alone time, you know? To bond. It's been our tradition right, Z?" Brittany said with ease, and Zoey nodded.
"Well, I wouldn't want to intrude," Santana said honestly, talking much with her hands.
"No, we would love if you joined us. Wouldn't we, Zoey?" Brittany said, putting a hand on Santana's forearm. The blonde had always been a very tactile person. Another reason Santana needed to move, she thought. She couldn't bear to have those hands on her all the time, and not have those hands on her.
"Love," the little girl said briefly but enthusiastically, and started jumping up and down as they stood in front of the school deciding their destination. The energy the girl had was off the charts.
Santana pondered, but her decision was already made a long time ago, "Ok, then. I'll go, too," she said, unable to keep a satisfied grin out of her face. Brittany and Zoey beamed after hearing her decision.
"I can't believe this place is still here," Santana said, sitting in a booth at Breadstix. Only Lima could be that outdated, she thought.
"Of course it is. Where else it would be?" Brittany deadpanned in a very Brittany-like fashion with furrowed brows, sitting at the other side of the booth with Zoey by her side. "You know Zoey, your mama used to die for the breadsticks they make here," she added, looking sideways at her daughter and back to Santana with an amused smirk.
"It wasn't like that," the doctor protested, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Whatever you say, San," Brittany mocked dismissively.
A waitress came to their table.
"Can I take your orders?" she asked, holding a pad with one hand and a pen with the other.
Zoey was the first to go, of course, "I'll have a chocolate ice cream sundae with sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles," the kid said with a huge grin on her face.
The waitress smiled at her adorableness and wrote it down.
"I'll have the same. You made it sound so delicious, honey," Brittany said, tickling her daughter while the waitress made an extra mark on the pad.
"You always say that," Zoey chirped between giggles.
"Well, I'll have a fruit salad," Santana stated, looking at the waitress, and both ladies across the booth frowned at her. "What?" she asked them.
"You can't have a fruit salad, San," Brittany voiced her disapproval.
"Why not?"
"Ice cream Thursday is a day to splurge… with ice cream."
"Well, not all of us can eat whatever we want and still maintain hot bodies, Britt. Like I told many times over the years, most of us don't share your Brittany Paradox," Santana explained as the waitress stood there waiting for a final answer.
"You have an amazing body, babe, uh, Santana," Brittany let the term of endearment slip, but amended quickly, feeling herself blush as she looked from Santana to the waitress and back. It hadn't been planned. Things like that came naturally to her when the brown-eyed doctor was involved. "Besides, we walked here, those were calories lost," she finished lamely.
"It's like fifteen steps between anywhere in downtown Lima," Santana scoffed as Zoey watched her mommies talk with adoration.
"You're a runner," the blonde stated matter-of-factly. "Did you know that, Zoey?" she added, trying to include her daughter on the conversation, and the girl shook 'no' with her head. "You ran miles every morning since I met you. Well, most mornings," she added, with a smirk. And Santana couldn't help but smirk back, understanding quite well the meaning behind her former wife's words. Some mornings Brittany just wouldn't let her leave, but still they engaged in another calorie-consuming activity. "So, I'm sure you'll burn these in no time."
Santana was wavering. "What do you say, Zo? Should I go with the sundae?" she asked her daughter, who cried a simple 'yeah'. "Fine, scratch that and bring me the same as them," the Latina told the waitress. "And sorry for taking so long."
"It's ok," the young waitress replied with a smile, and then she left.
"So, how was school today, sweetie?" Brittany asked with interest, looking sideways at the little girl.
"It was ok," Zoey replied shortly, playing with the salt and pepper shakers.
"Just ok?" Brittany pressed on, nudging the little girl with her elbow, while Santana watched with a subtle smile on her lips. "Come on, tell us something interesting that happened. We're dying to know, aren't we, San?" the blonde playfully added.
"Dying," Santana reiterated in the same fashion, locking eyes with her daughter.
"Well, Miss Miller told us this story about a little teddy bear that no one would buy because he was missing a button on his clothes," the blue-eyed brunette said thoroughly, and then looking from Brittany to Santana and back, she quickly added, "but don't feel sad, in the end a little girl buys him and brings him home."
"Aww, that's nice," Brittany cooed, and Santana nodded.
"What else?" the Latina encouraged her daughter to continue.
"At playtime," Zoey began with a peculiar look on her face, "Jeremy found a candy on the grass, you know, near the swing, and he ate it," she added in disbelief. "It was on the floor, that was gross," the kid finished with a disgusted face.
"Yeah, most kids are," Santana deadpanned, and received a glare from Brittany. "What? It's true," the Latina added defensively, running a hand through her hair while staring back at the dancer, who shook her head. "Zoey is one of the few exceptions, aren't you, mi hija? You're just… perfect!" she finished, smiling brightly at Zoey, who smiled back with pride in her big blue eyes.
The waitress came back with three big sundaes, and the trio gladly dove in.
"So, where do you want to go next, Z?" Brittany enquired, stuffing her spoon into delicious ice cream.
"The park!" Zoey exclaimed with a mouth open full of chocolate ice cream.
"Baby, eat first, then answer," Santana instructed softly, receiving and adoring look from Brittany who was very pleased to share the disciplining with another person, Zoey's mama, for the first time since the child was born. It felt good. It felt right. And Zoey quickly obliged.
After swallowing, Zoey repeated, "The park!"
"You mean those ten feet of grass, a stretch of concrete, and a couple of benches? Dear daughter of mine, that is not a park. That is a sad excuse for a park," Santana declared rapidly and sarcastically, receiving a puzzled look from her daughter and another glare from Brittany. "I mean, you should see Central Park; haven't you taken her to New York yet, Britt?" she added, looking at the blonde and popping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"We went a couple of times, but she was still too young to remember. Last time I think she was… almost two."
"So, I'll tell you about it, Zo. Central Park is so pretty and so big that you could totally lose yourself in there. They've got fountains, and lakes, and lots of trees and grass. There's even a zoo in there, with all sorts of animals. Even adorable penguins. Ask your mommy, she used to love to go there," Santana told an enthused Zoey, who looked at Brittany expectantly.
"It's true. It's gorgeous there," Brittany said with a smile, looking sideways at her excited daughter. "I even miss it," the blue-eyed woman added wistfully, stealing a glance at Santana, who simply matched the blonde's smile, getting the whole meaning of it.
"Well Z, you're a born New Yorker. I'll take you there sometime, bug," Santana said after a beat, looking into her daughter's excited eyes, and too scared to steal a glance at the dancer. Yet again only she and Brittany understood the entire meaning behind those words.
Zoey uttered a 'yay' before eagerly returning to eat her sundae, and both women finally managed to lock eyes. Then Santana saw Brittany mouth to her 'Wanna tell her now?' The Latina looked across the booth at her daughter's smiling, happy face and she just shook her head vehemently at Brittany. Zoey looked so over the moon and peaceful, she couldn't bring herself to tell the little girl at that particular moment. Brittany nodded with a small smile in place.
Brittany and Santana sat on a park bench as they watched Zoey playing in the jungle gym with a couple of other kids, every once in awhile the little girl would wave and they waved back.
"So," Santana began softly after clearing her throat, and turning to face Brittany completely, "I've been meaning to tell you this, I, uh, spoke to Richard a while ago, and he put me up-to-speed with my finances and all," she added, and Brittany nodded as she turned as well, "and I want you to know now, since I'll be leaving soon," the Latina rambled on a bit nervously, and the dancer winced at the last part, "that I'll be keeping up with the monthly deposits for Zoey."
"Ok," Brittany replied flatly with a nod, unconsciously caressing Sparkles' – the dog – soft head.
"And I also want to help you out with her regular expenses, you know, monthly as well."
"There's no need, really Santana," Brittany refused kindly, shaking her head.
"But I want to. She's my daughter too, I don't want you to carry all the load or her to want for anything," Santana explained calmly, putting her thigh up and resting her arm on the back of the bench.
"She doesn't, I promise you. She's fine," Brittany said sincerely as both women unconsciously glanced at their playing daughter. "We're fine. I appreciate it, but I don't need help with that," she added with conviction as she also put her thigh up on the bench, and propped her elbow on its back.
"Would you ask me if you needed?"
"Of course I would," Brittany answered quickly and just as honestly, but taking in Santana's doubtful look she felt the need to add, "You're the proud one. I always ask for help when I need it."
Feeling the little zing hit her, Santana replied calmly, "True," it was the absolute truth, "but I still feel the need to pitch in, I can't help it. Let me just open up a checking account on your name –"
Brittany was about to pipe in, but Santana help up a finger to stop her, "Just let me finish… Let me open up a checking account on your name and I will do the same as I do with Zoey's savings account, which is deposit some money monthly, and you can use it if or when you need it," the Latina finished, locking Brittany's stare.
"I don't think it's a good idea, San," the blonde said in earnest.
"Please, don't fight me on this, B. It would bring me so much peace of mind," the doctor uttered, almost pleading with such warm brown eyes that the dancer couldn't deny her.
"Alright," Brittany conceded, "if I need it. But she is doing just fine, San. She's a happy little girl," she added, and both women turned to look at the object of their affection.
"She is, isn't she?" Santana asked rhetorically, grinning like a fool.
"Don't get me wrong, she can get pretty sulky over small things, and when she's in one of her moods don't even try to talk to her," the blue-eyed woman said, and they both chuckled with adoration, "but she is very happy, and she has everything she could possibly need. Especially now that you're here for her," Brittany finished in the sweetest tone of voice, receiving one of those looks from Santana that nobody other than the blonde – and now their daughter – had the pleasure of ever witness.
Right then Santana didn't know what came over her and she offered Brittany something that she never thought she would ever offer the dancer again. The Latina put her pinkie up, and it took a while for Brittany to recover from the shock of seeing that scene play out again, but she did recover and tangled her own pinkie around Santana's, when she felt the pressure back the blonde fought hard to keep her tears at bay.
"You've done an amazing job with her, Britt," Santana whispered softly with her pinkie still around Brittany's, "I don't know which one of you I'm more proud of," the doctor finished, looking straight into blue eyes. Brittany felt her heart swelling, Santana wasn't one to compliment lightly. Whenever the Latina said them, she meant them.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Brittany replied sweetly, "Thanks, S. It means a lot. And you –"
Zoey came over running and interrupted their moment, "Who wants to push me on the swing?" the blue-eyed brunette girl asked in a short of breath as her mommies unlocked pinkies.
"Come on," Santana told Brittany, getting up to her feet and pulling the blonde up, who brought Sparkles up with her, "we'll both do it," the doctor said, looking down at their beautiful daughter.
Santana started to push Zoey. Brittany took the swing beside their daughter's, handed Santana Sparkles and started to swing as well.
Looking sideways at the blonde and shaking her head, Santana stated with a small, contained smirk, "You're such a child."
"Higher, mama," Zoey cried out between giggles, and Santana obliged. The Latina then received a playful stuck-out tongue from Brittany, who decided to just ignore the brunette's previous statement.
"You're just proving my point there, B."
Brittany looked sideways to check out if Zoey was seeing her, when she saw that the kid wasn't she flipped Santana off with a wide grin spread across her face.
Santana chuckled and said while pushing Zoey, "Now that wasn't very child-like, little Missy."
"Ok, I think it's time to go," Brittany proclaimed as she and Santana guarded their daughter, who played on the monkey bars. The sun was almost setting.
"Not yet," Zoey whined, switching bars.
"Yes, right now, come on, sweetie," the blonde replied calmly beside the Latina.
Jumping from the bars in her black patent leather Mary Janes, comfy long-sleeve dress and tights; Zoey chanced, "But I still want to go to the other park to feed the ducks."
"That park is too far, honey. I'm not even with the car here," Brittany said, trying to reason with the little girl.
"I can drive us," Santana piped in, trying to help out, and frankly she was totally enjoying their day together.
"No, San. Zoey knows we've had enough fun for today, right, baby?" Brittany said softly, looking down at her daughter. "We can go there another time."
Zoey looked over at Santana expectantly.
"I think your mommy is right, kiddo," Santana said, backing Brittany up and receiving an appreciative smile from the blonde in return. "We'll go another day," she added, 'whenever I'm here to visit,' the Latina amended in her mind only, feeling somber as she did it.
"All together?" Zoey asked, starting to form a pout with her lips.
"Sure," Brittany replied quickly while picking up the girl, even 'though she had Santana's departure in the back of her mind. "You're just a little grumpy because you're sleepy, isn't that right, hon'?" the blonde cooed in question, as she and Santana started walking back to the Mustang they left parked near the bank.
"I am not," Zoey protested against Brittany's neck after she laid her little head on the dancer's shoulder.
Brittany and Santana merely exchanged smiles, and before they even reached the car Zoey was already sleeping on the former's arms.
"Santana, you do realize that a 10 year-old boy in a bike just passed us by, don't you?" Brittany quipped from the passenger seat.
Looking over briefly at a sleeping Zoey lying in the back seat, Santana replied in a huff, "Yeah, well, children should ride in car seats. This isn't safe, I've seen the damage speed can cause when I was rotating in the ER."
"Ookay," the blonde thought it best to just concede, smiling at the Latina's antics.
"I have to buy a car seat," Santana murmured more to herself than to the dancer. "I didn't even think of this. So stupid… Besides, I don't think convertibles are safe for kids either, and the back seat is so small that you probably couldn't fit a proper car seat there anyway," she rambled on, bringing a wider smile to Brittany's face, which she paired with a shake of head.
They rode in comfortable silence for quite a while, and Brittany began to study Santana with a pair of searching, trained and knowledgeable blue eyes. The brunette doctor could feel them on her. She could always feel when they were on her.
After a beat Santana finally commanded in a soft tone, stealing a quick glance at the dancer, "Quit looking at me like that."
Without taking her eyes from the Latina, Brittany asked in earnest, "Like what?"
"Like you can see right through me," Santana uttered, and both could feel the weight of her words.
Brittany immediately returned her gaze to the road, and suddenly the silence turned from comfortable to utterly uncomfortable. There was certainly tension in the air. The atmosphere was definitely quite charged.
"Let me put some music on," Santana said, turning on the stereo to try to lighten the atmosphere a little.
…cold, in the cold still of night,
Careless as any hidden spark,
Spreads quickly to the darkest places,
Oh, there's doubt,
Oh, there's doubt,
The tune started to reverberate through the inside of the car.
Deadbolts guard against,
Stave off the chance,
Of a break away, away from this cloudy place,
Santana had started to pay attention to the lyrics. Great, just what I needed… she thought sarcastically.
Spellbound by the stripping of the walls,
You're leaving here with all this doubt,
Oh, there's doubt,
Oh, there's doubt,
Brittany had started to pay attention to the lyrics. Great, just what I needed… she deadpanned inwardly.
Doubt, there's doubt,
What you celebrate,
The errors from here from the errors you made,
Both women were growing exceedingly embarrassed, and more uncomfortable than before. Brittany fidgeted on her seat. Santana clutched the wheel with excessive force.
Doubt, there's doubt,
To love as you should,
The trouble, the time that you did all you –
Brittany cut the music by quickly turning off the stereo. "Hope it's ok that I turned it off," the blonde said sort of nervously. "It was… uh, I'm feeling a headache coming," she added, badly lying through her teeth.
"Totally fine," Santana replied rapidly and appreciatively, thanking the gods it was finally gone.
In no time she was pulling up in front of Brittany's house. It was already completely dark outside the car.
"So, here we are," Santana declared, turning the key on the ignition and offering the blonde a tight-lipped smile.
"Yes, here we are," Brittany repeated in a gloomier tone, matching the brunette's smile while unbuckling her seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride… and for spending the afternoon with us," the dancer added, less gloomily this time.
"I should be the one thanking you guys. I had a wonderful time."
"We did, too."
After a short pause, Brittany asked lowly, locking eyes with Santana, "So, do you have an idea of when you'll move?" She looked back to confirm if Zoey was still sound asleep. She was.
Santana looked away from the dancer for a while, and after a moment she brought her eyes back to meet those blue ones full-on again. "I won't," the Latina curtly stated.
"What?" Brittany asked, gasping from shock and disbelief.
"After today…" Santana began in a loss for words, "…I can't. I can't leave her," she finished matter-of-factly, stealing a glance back at Zoey with her heart racing on her chest for some reason she couldn't comprehend.
Without warning Brittany simply pounced on Santana, enveloping the doctor's neck with her arms in a bear hug. It took the Latina a moment to loosely hug the blonde back, the latter's action had been just too sudden and brusque.
"You're staying. San, I'm so happy!" Brittany exclaimed against Santana's neck. And the dancer's breath against the skin of her neck was frankly a bit too much for the brunette to handle.
Pulling back a bit from the hug, but feeling Brittany's reluctance to let her go, Santana playfully said, "You're kinda cutting my air supply here, Britt."
"Sorry," the blue-eyed woman meekly said, letting go of Santana. "I just got over excited," she added with her megawatt smile gracing her features.
"It's ok," Santana replied, feeling a bit flustered and flushed, and hoping her cheeks wouldn't tell the tale. "Come on, let me help you with Zoey," she added, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Brittany proceeded to grab her purse and Sparkles while Santana carefully scooped up a heavy-sleeping Zoey. They made it past the blonde's white picket fence, cutting through her tiny front yard. When they were steps away from the door, it opened up and a petite blonde stepped out.
Santana's mind had momentarily forgotten about the woman's existence, otherwise she sure wouldn't have volunteered to bring the kid in. The Latina wasn't exactly ready for the first meeting. She took the small blonde's appearance, unable to contain looking her from head to toe. Santana had built up this image of a gorgeous, flawless blonde in her head, and was grateful to find that it wasn't the case. Brittany's wife was quite… plain, she thought to herself. Not that she was surprised 'though, the blue-eyed dancer never was shallow when it came to that. She really was one of the few people who still judged a person's beauty for what they had inside. That was one of the reasons Santana was so proud of having managed to snag her in the first place. It showed the brunette that she might be better than she had originally thought of herself. Santana also gladly assessed that her friends were right: she was definitely hotter. It may not be much, but at least it made her feel a bit better.
"Jenna, hey," Brittany greeted enthusiastically.
"Hi," Jenna replied, looking from Brittany to Santana and back.
"Oh… Santana, Jenna. Jenna, Santana," the blonde introduced smiling with a couple of movements of hand.
"Nice to finally meet you, Santana," the green-eyed blonde stated, outstretching her hand to the brunette.
Santana looked down at Zoey to indicate she couldn't shake her hand, being inwardly grateful for that. Frankly, she didn't feel like playing best buddies. Jenna pulled her hand back, nodding her understanding.
There was an awkward silence, and Santana could have sworn Jenna pulled a subtle once over on her. But she shrugged it off to being paranoid.
Brittany broke the silence by saying, "Come on in, San. I'll make us all dinner."
"No, thanks, I should go home," the brunette quickly answered, immediately turned off by the idea of watching her ex-wife's domestic life with the other woman. 'Go home to no one. To my big, empty house. Nice way to blow an excuse, Santana,' she added bitterly in her mind.
"No, please, I'll even make your favourite," Brittany insisted sweetly, smiling wide.
"Nah, really, it's getting late," Santana reinforced as gently as she could. There was no way she would be stepping through that threshold that night. "Here," the Latina added, passing Zoey over to Brittany under Jenna's attentive eyes, "take her. Tell her I said bye," she finished briefly, successfully transferring her daughter to the blonde dancer.
"Are you sure?" Brittany tried once again, looking Santana in the eye, who just nodded.
"Nice briefly meeting you," Jenna said to Santana, attempting to joke.
"Sure," was all the Latina managed to nonchalantly say. She never had been one for false statements, that's why she couldn't bring herself to say the pleasantry back.
"Brittany," Santana acknowledged with a head nod as I way to say goodbye, "Lena," she erroneously added in the same fashion as she looked at the small blonde, quickly wondering why she pulled those kind of shenanigans, albeit knowing the answer: she was a sore loser. Always had been. And she also felt jealous. Incredibly so. And she didn't know how to handle it. Of course she had felt jealous before, but nothing like this. Brittany had never given her reason for strong jealousy. Throughout their whole relationship, whenever they were in strangers' company, the blonde always looked at the Latina like she was the only person in the room. Like she was the only person who she really desired or wanted to be with. So, she wasn't really used to jealousy feelings.
"Jenna," the green-eyed assistant manager corrected with a tinge of annoyance, and Santana simply nodded and uttered a weak 'Right' before turning around to walk towards her car.
Brittany and Jenna entered their home. The taller blonde quickly, and gently, placed her daughter on the grey sofa she and her former wife once shared. Zoey would have to be awakened for dinner anyhow, no point taking her all the way to bed.
"So, where were you and Zoey all day?" Jenna nonchalantly asked her wife.
"It's Thursday," Brittany stated, covering Zoey with a small blanket.
"Ah, ice cream Thursday," the green-eyed blonde replied knowingly, and Brittany turned back to face her before nodding.
"Yeah, San joined us for the afternoon," the dancer offered honestly, walking closer towards her wife.
"Oh," Jenna let out in surprise, "you never let anyone…" by 'anyone' she meant 'anyone', but especially her; she just didn't want to sound whiny, "…crash your bonding time," the blonde added, stressing out the word Brittany often used to describe the occasion.
"Well, Santana is her mother, too. I couldn't have said 'no'," Brittany said softly, feeling the need to defend herself.
"But it's more than that. I mean, you went to see her every day at the hospital and –"
"Zoey wanted to visit her," Brittany cut her off matter-of-factly, running a hand through her long blonde hair. "And so did I," she added sincerely and softly. "I've know Santana since I was… what? Six years old, Jenna. She's always been my best friend and she always will be, I never pretended otherwise. But that's all we are now," Brittany finished just as sincerely.
"I know… Lately I just feel like everything is changing and I can't do anything to stop it," Jenna conceded softly, crossing her arms across her chest.
Brittany inched closer to her wife and cupped her cheek. "I still love you. That hasn't changed. I made a commitment to you," the dancer stated. "But Santana is still Zoey's mother, and my best friend. So, she's a huge part of my life. That won't change either," she added softly, and soon after received a hug from Jenna.
"She called me Lena. She doesn't even know my name," Jenna said as she pulled back from the hug; trying to prove a point or something, Brittany thought.
Brittany scoffed, "That's just San being San," she said, smiling knowingly. "Now, come on, help me make dinner," the dancer finished, heading towards the kitchen with Jenna in tow.
Santana was driving home but, honestly, she wasn't looking forward to arrive. Passing through the skirts of downtown she spotted a sign: Charlie's, and remembered of it being a bar. Going to an empty, cold house or downing a drink to warm my insides? She pondered, even 'though she knew beforehand the chosen answer.
The Latina parked the Mustang near the bar, got out and entered the joint. It was poorly lit, relatively small, and very rustic. Dark wood all over the place: tables, chairs, bar… There were only about three guys in there – if you didn't count the guy behind the bar, who faced the other way – and all of them drank alone, minding their own business. This seemed to please the brunette doctor.
Heading to the bar Santana told the tall, dark-haired guy who had his back to her, "An appletini, please."
Santana was so distracted by her own predicament that she didn't even look at the guy's face when he turned around to face her.
"Santana 'Fucking' Lopez," the dark-haired man proclaimed, snapping the Latina from her daze.
Looking at the guy's face for the first time, Santana replied with surprise, "As I live and breathe, Noah Puckerman! What… How…"
"Santana Lopez speechless? That's gotta be a first," he quipped with a smug smile, coming closer to the brunette as he walked behind the bar.
Shaking her head, Santana said in a snarky tone, "You wish!" And then she added, "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you'd be long gone by now. In fact, didn't you go to LA after high school?"
Dodging the subject, Puck asked, "What did you order again?"
"An appletini," she answered flatly.
"Alright, one beer coming right up," he said with a snicker, grabbing a tall glass and bringing down the beer tap handle, successfully filling it to the brim. "Enjoy!" Puck added, sliding the glass across the bar towards the Latina, who grabbed it with an eye-roll.
"Wow, such service," Santana quipped sarcastically, taking a small sip.
"Well, our motto is the customer is always a pain in the ass," Puck quipped back, crossing his arms across his chest. "So, the rumour was true… You've woken up." Seeing a suspicious look on the Latina's face, he added flatly, "Small town."
"It seems that way, huh?" she said in response, ignoring his last remark as he nodded. "Well, a big ol' cheers to that: waking up!" Santana exclaimed with clear fake enthusiasm and grin while raising her glass.
"Oh, right, I've seen your other half Brittany walking around town a couple of times. Thanks for the wedding invitation, by the way."
"Yeah, well, we've never kept in touch, did we?" the brunette said defensively, taking a big gulp of beer.
"Hey, no hard feelings... I'm guessing those are yours. Since I've seen her with another blonde, who I've been told it's her new wife," Puck informed her without affectation, and upon receiving a glare from Santana the man added flatly again, "Small town."
Santana was the one who felt the need to dodge the subject that time. So, wearing a dejected look, she went back to the one Puck had dodged but moments ago, "You've never told me why you're here in fucking Lima instead of LA trying to be a singer. I thought you'd be a teen sensation by now. Oh, God, tell me you're not a fallen teen sensation! That would be awkward," the Latina rambled on, nursing her beer.
Sensing he wouldn't be able to drop the subject, Puck answered as he leaned against the bar, "I had to move back a few years after I went to LA." Short pause. "My mom got sick." Another pause. "Cancer," he finished briefly with an attempt to sound blasé.
"Sorry, I didn't know. How is she?"
"She passed. Five years ago."
"Oh," Santana breathed out sadly, taking in Puck's whole appearance for real for the first time. She had thought he looked quite the same at first sight. Perhaps his face was a bit manlier, less boyish. He appeared to be more built as well, but nothing too exaggerated. And thank God, the mohawk was gone, substituted by a really short haircut. But now she could see as clear as day. His demeanor was way somber than it ever was. Santana wondered what was up with life. Why the bitch had to beat the shit out of people?
"I'm sorry," Santana amended, coming down from her head.
"That's life," Puck simply put it, resting his elbows on the bar.
"So, why didn't you get out of here after?"
"You know this town… This shithole has a way of sucking you in, and refusing to spit you out," Puck bitterly declared. Truth be told, he was afraid of going back to LA. His prime had long past, and failure was something he didn't know he could handle at that point in life.
"Hear, hear! And here's to shattered dreams and fucked-up lives!" Santana replied sarcastically, raising her glass again and taking a sip of beer. "So, you work here now?" she added after a beat.
"I used to. But then old man Charlie died and left me the joint. More debts than anything, but, hey, at least it's a distraction that pays the bills," Puck informed her nonchalantly.
Finishing her beer Santana got up from the stool. She was about to pay but Puck declared it was on the house.
"Glad to see the mohawk is history, by the way," Santana said with a grin after stopping before reaching the front door.
"If memory serves me right, you used to love it," Puck countered with a smirk.
The brunette laughed out loud sarcastically, and repeated her earlier statement, "You wish!" And then she turned around swiftly, causing her hair to bounce, and left Charlie's with a strange feeling that she would be revising the joint many times more. After all, it wasn't like she didn't need the alcohol. And misery always did enjoy company. Even if her misery had to keep company with Noah Fucking Puckerman's. Beggars can't be choosers.
Hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know... Review ;)