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: Hi, dear readers! I must say how sorry I am for taking this long to update. Even though it wasn't that long. Yes, work has been cray cray but that is nothing new. I must shoulder my share of blame for having had procrastinated quite a lot. There were just too many films on my to-watch queue, too many social gatherings to attend to, a shiny new book to read... and, yeah, I'll take my share of the blame. Apologies, lovelies. The fact that I had to write in other gleeks in this chapter didn't help either. My thing really is Brittany and Santana. They really didn't motivate me. I don't know why I thought about a reunion back then. I should have set up a regular party or something. But I made my bed, so I had to get fucked in it *lol*
*** This chapter goes out to: xSwayx, for providing me many more-than-needed breathers *lol* Even, though you guys can totally blame her for delaying my updates. I kid, I kid, don't hurt the kid :) To Hazelp, because I'll be waiting for my Hamm to arrive on the mail this week. To WehO Believe, because dude, didn't you read my warning? Should I add judgemental and proud to my list of attributes, too? Because it is true. Ah, to hell with it. Yes! I accept your proposal. Let's have an affair to remember, darling. Let's meet at the top of the Empire State Building and let's beware of any vehicles keen on running over happy lovebirds :D And to Ariana for the critique. Boring, really? Ouch! That one almost hurt. Almost. I will endeavour to make things better. Too bad CGI don't work in writing. Oh, well...
Readers, 1000+ reviews! You guys are... You managed to make me speechless. That's an achievement. Congrats! Thanks for the love and hope you enjoy the new chapter. Again, it's a long one. Oh, and international readers, be not afraid to post reviews in fear of butchering the English language. I don't hail from an English-speaking country and I don't let that stop me from writing this and butchering it myself. So, you shouldn't either. Cheers, mates!
Oh, and to answer a general question: no. The other characters here won't really have a storyline. Just read the disclaimer and you'll know their roles in MSSG. I just find myself skimming through their unrelated-to-Brittany-and-Santana parts in the other 4, no, 3 stories (one got completed) I read here. So, I tailored my story to my personal taste :D
Mischances, Stances and Stolen Glances
||Chapter Sixteen||
Santana was about to enter the doctors' lounge for some much needed coffee that long morning as Danes was making his way out of it. They almost bumped into each other.
"Coffee?" Danes asked knowingly in an abbreviated way as they stood in front of each other.
"Yeah," the brunette replied with little enthusiasm, adjusting her stethoscope around her neck. It often tended to slip.
"Garcia," the tall man informed in the same fashion as before, but added a mild frown for good measure. He too had been keen on a cup of hot Joe.
"For crying…" Santana trailed off, hanging her head with frustration. "Just my luck," she added with a shake of head.
"Just our luck," Danes amended with exasperation of his own, running a hand through his somewhat long black hair.
"I can't go another second without my fix. I'll swing by the coffee shop down the road real quick," Santana informed, adorning her white doctor coat. "Espresso, right?" She enquired knowingly, briefly pointing her index finger at her friend.
Danes smiled at her and replied evenly as Santana started her walk, "Make that a double."
"You got it," the brown-eyed woman called out from a bit afar.
"Have I told you how much I love you, Lopez?" Danes called out back, a playful smirk on his lips.
Santana turned her head around mid-walk to reply playfully as well, "You'll love me less when I relate this conversation to Naomi when I see her. My guess is she won't be pleased." And then she winked at the man, who smiled lightheartedly in return.
Santana was passing by the nurses' station and stopped to talk to Nurse Simpson.
"I'm making a run to the coffee shop," she informed casually, handing the older woman behind the desk her stethoscope, "If anyone needs me I'm on my cell, okay?" She added and the nurse nodded her understanding and, as on schedule, Santana's cell phone started to ring.
Santana fished the device out of her white doctor's coat's pocket while making her way to the automatic front doors. She suspected it was Quinn. Again. So, she was ready to reject the call, but as she looked at the screen Santana saw a picture of Jimmy theatrically looking into space.
Accepting the call Santana greeted with no ceremony as she stepped outside the hospital, "Jimmy. What's up?"
"Are you screening Quinn's calls?" Jimmy asked point-blank.
"What?" Santana replied immediately, a little bite in her tone despite her full knowledge of the subject.
"You heard me, San," the hazel-eyed man shot back just as quickly. "Are you screening Quinn's calls?" He repeated slowly for effect.
"No," Santana replied with her petulant childish tone, clearly lying and in a huff as she walked down the street. "My battery died earlier. You know how I always forget to charge it," she added promptly, mixing some truth with the lie to sound honest. She did often forget to recharge her phone.
"And after you recharged it?" Jimmy asked knowingly and Santana could almost picture the British man raising one suspicious eyebrow at her.
"Fine! Yes, I am screening her calls," the brown-eyed woman conceded tiredly. It was too early and her coffee withdrawal wasn't helping her keep her stance. "I already know what she's going to say anyways," she added, back with her huffy tone. Ever since she received the class reunion invite in the mail Santana knew a couple of days later when Quinn and Rachel received theirs she could expect a call.
"Yeah, well, unfortunately, so do I," Jimmy replied in the same tone as his friend. "I don't want to keep hearing about your bloody reunion. At morning. On my day off."
"Well, neither do I. Hence the screening," Santana said clearly and matter-of-factly, stuffing a hand into her white coat's pocket as she walked a bit faster.
"You have any idea how annoying they can be? Before you correct me; yes, you heard me right. I said 'they'. Quinnie's Midget called me, too. Her voice is sooo high for this hour… Ever, really," James complained in his own whiny voice. "I wonder how Quinn tolerates it," he deadpanned to himself.
"You could screen their calls, too. No one is forcing you to pick up, you know?"
"You know I'm too polite for that."
Santana scoffed at the sound of that, her steps getting slower again.
"They are just harassing you so you can harass me on their behalf," Santana said knowingly, shaking her head at her friends' behaviour.
"Don't you think I know that?" The British man asked calmly and sort of rhetorically. "I know, and I'm gladly playing my part if it means I can be left out of this whole thing between you ladies," he added with conviction. "Women…" Jimmy trailed on tiredly.
Santana and James fell in silence as she took in what he had said.
After some deliberation Santana decided she didn't want to talk any further about that. So, she changed the subject less than subtly, "How is Claire?"
"Wonderful. We have another date tonight. You could start looking into plane tickets now, I think. I'm convinced I'll beat Kirsten's Law this time around," Jimmy related with excitement, which brought a little smile to the brunette's lips. Truth was: she liked seeing, well hearing, her friend happy.
Brushing off the smile, Santana replied with faux-resentment in her tone, "You're still not allowed to mention her name."
"Sorry, my mistake... I'll beat You-Know-Who's Law," Jimmy played along with amusement and a sweet tone of voice, rephrasing his earlier statement. He paused briefly. "Now call Quinn," he added with zero sweetness. "Get her and especially Berry off my ass," he finished more like a plea. His accent while uttering that last word still managed to put him in Santana's good graces.
"Fine, James. I'll call her now," Santana replied, feigning annoyance.
"Thank you," James said plainly, stressing each word. "Now I can enjoy the rest of my day off in peace. Talk to you later."
"Bye," the brunette woman uttered before ending the call. She immediately started fussing with her phone to call her annoying blonde friend.
On the third ring Quinn picked up. "Look who decided to call back," was the blonde's sweet greeting laced with sarcasm. "I see James has been a good boy," she added in her velvety tone. Santana couldn't deny it: Quinn did have an alluring voice.
"Your Dwarf managed to traumatize him for life," Santana shot back offhandedly, not letting Quinn's nice voice deter her. Changing gears the brunette asked directly as she entered the familiar coffee shop, "What do you want, Fabray?" Feigning ignorance had been her chosen tactic.
"Like you don't know," Quinn called her bluff and emitted a scoff sound while Santana scowled and approached the counter. Lenny, the coffee guy who usually served her, was behind it.
Scowl still in place Santana said evenly on the phone, "One second, Quinn. I'm at the coffee shop." And then she redirected her gaze to the smiling coffee guy, and said while dislodging the cell phone slightly away from her mouth, "Lenny, one –"
"Tall nonfat vanilla latte," the guy in his early twenties filled in her order, smile still in place. Santana was a definite regular and usually ordered the same thing when she was at work, which the white doctor's coat gave away.
"Yeah, and a double espresso also, please," Santana replied quickly.
Taking in the woman's scowl, Lenny chanced playfully as he readied the order, "Someone's in a bad mood."
Not feeling the slightest amused, Santana shot back promptly but without snark, "I know I'm usually nice to you, Lenny, because – let's face it – you have the coffee, but I'm not above hurting when I can't kill, you catch my drift?"
Lenny chuckled at the brunette's antics. She had always been an interesting customer in a valley of dull sheep. "Message received," he said with a small smile and a single head nod as he got the coffees ready.
Santana went back to her call. "I'm back, Fabray. So…" the brown-eyed doctor prompted aloofly, moving over to one of the big windows to look outside while she waited for her order.
"You're really making me ask, huh?" Quinn asked and sighed. "Fine... Are you going to our reunion, Santana?" The blonde knew the answer already. Santana knew Quinn knew it. And Quinn knew Santana knew she knew the answer. Sometimes the games they played could become quite elaborated, but still they played. Friendship…
"No, I'm not going, Quinn," Santana stated plainly, playing her part diligently.
"May I ask why?" The blonde manager shot back just as plainly.
Before Santana could answer they both heard Lenny calling out, "Your order's ready Doctor Lopez."
Quinn took the hint and waited until Santana grabbed her coffees and paid the guy. Lenny, so it seemed from what she had heard. When Quinn heard the ring of a bell assuming Santana had walked out of the shop, but the brunette still said nothing, Quinn prodded, "I'm waiting, S…"
It wasn't that Santana was avoiding the subject. She was only trying to take a sip of her latte whilst still on the cardboard tray along with Danes'. Holding the cell phone against her ear as she tried to do that proved to be problematic.
"Sorry, I was just trying to… Forget it," Santana began explaining but decided against it. And then she went back to the topic at hand. She had nothing to hide from Quinn when it came to that. "I won't go because it will be awkward and embarrassing as shit. All those people hearing about Brittany and me… Passing judgement…" she trailed on, feeling antsy just at the thought of it.
The mere idea of all those people from her past taking a look at her life, judging her and her relationship to the dancer without knowing anything, feeling sorry for her or even pity… knowing and rubbing off on her face the fact that she had lost Brittany, that they were Santana and Brittany; how could they not be together anymore? Maybe some of those thoughts were product of her own twisted imagination, but she couldn't help them. And she couldn't help fearing them either. Welcome to a proud person's mind. Not always the most pleasant place to be. And the worst part of it all is that she actually cared. Something about that damned placed called Lima, Ohio, paired with words like McKinley High Class Reunion, plus the whole situation she found herself in, was actually starting to bring up old Santana trades like preoccupying herself with what people said behind her back, or to her face for that matter. She had always worried about that in one level or another, really, there's no denying who you are, but over the years she had reigned over the issue. Not any longer, I guess; Santana mused.
"Come on… No one is going to judge you, Santana," Quinn said softly.
"Riiight," the brunette drawled out dryly, walking back to the hospital. "And yesterday I just stumbled on a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow on my way home," Santana added with sarcasm and took a deep breath. "Everybody judges everyone, Q. If anyone ought to know that it's you and me," she finished frankly.
"Are you implying that we're judgemental bitches?" Quinn shot back with such a blasé tone that brought an amused smile to the brunette doctor's lips.
"Are you denying it?" Santana retorted promptly, smile still in place and thoroughly entertained.
After a short beat the petite blonde stated unapologetically and evenly, "No, not really. I was just making sure."
They shared an out loud laugh. Both women missed each other's company and day-to-day interactive friendship. And God, they were bitches… At least they were fierce ones; the thought ran through their minds.
"Why are you so into this reunion anyhow?" Santana asked casually after their laughter subsided, the hospital coming to view as she walked with firm strides. "I didn't peg you as the type." They were similar in behaviour – that's why they clashed so much in the past and present – so if Santana wasn't into class reunions, she thought Quinn wouldn't be either.
"Well, I wasn't that into it but Rachel got so excited about it that she managed to put me in the spirit as well," Quinn said honestly and then she lowered her voice to add, "She even burned some CDs with songs from her theater career to give to the Glee people." Quinn was slightly embarrassed, Santana could tell. The lowered voice didn't help either.
"Why did you marry Berry again?" Santana asked playfully, reaching the hospital's front but stopping instead of going in. She could finish her conversation first.
"She gives great –" Quinn began candidly to mess with Santana but the doctor cut her off before she could finish the sentence.
"Whoa, TMI, Quinn. TMI…" Santana interjected promptly, shaking her head and closing her eyes with force while balancing the coffees on the little tray. "Don't scar me for life, please," she added, opening up her eyes again as Quinn chuckled with satisfaction
"So, you're really not going?" Quinn asked for clarification's sakes, bringing the subject up again.
"No," Santana shot back nonchalantly but with conviction, going over to a bench in front of the hospital to take a seat. "But you guys are welcome to stay at my place as usual."
"Does Brittany know you're not going?"
"The topic hasn't been brought up in any of our recent conversations."
Santana mentally thanked the dancer for not bringing it up. Maybe she knew it'd be awkward, too; the brunette thought for a second.
"Is she going?" Quinn asked with interest.
"Like I said, we haven't talked about it," Santana replied with some exasperation, but just normal Santana exasperation. Nothing troublesome. "But knowing Britt, the social butterfly, like I do I'd bet all my riches she is certainly attending," she added knowingly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She couldn't help it. Still. Ever.
"I'll call her later and ask," Quinn informed casually. "Maybe she can get you to go," the hazel-eyed woman added slyly.
"I wouldn't count on that if I were you," Santana retorted dismissively, crossing her legs on the bench. Nina Lopez still lived subconsciously in her head, telling Santana that ladies crossed their legs when they sat down.
"I miss the days you were seriously whipped," Quinn joked lightheartedly and as soon as the words left her mouth she sort of regretted them.
Santana seemed to have taken it on stride, though, because she joked back without skipping a beat, "Well, she can't use tactics now like withholding sex from me anymore, can she?" The truth was that Brittany never could. She had always wanted Santana just as badly as Santana wanted her. The brunette always caved because firstly, most things they 'fought' about never really mattered to her in the first place like she made it seem they did; and, secondly, because she liked seeing Brittany happy. People had trouble assimilating that and chucked it up to her being 'whipped'. She and the blue-eyed woman knew the truth, tough. They had always known.
Quinn sighed with relief upon hearing Santana's reply. And then she said playfully with a smile, "You have a point. Maybe it's my goddaughter the one I have to give a call to." The jokes about the whip having exchanged hands were ever-present in their inner friends' circle after Jimmy brought it up.
"Funny… Those jokes never lose their comic relief, do they?" Santana quipped with sarcasm, and then she impishly changed the subject, "I have to go now, Quinn. I have to work and my coffee is getting cold thanks to you."
"Always glad to help," Quinn replied with fake overly sweetness.
"Call me when you have the flight information. I'll pick you up at the airport," Santana said, lifting herself up from the bench. "You guys are still coming Friday, late afternoon, right?" She asked and Quinn hummed her confirmation. "Okay…" Santana finished, walking to the hospital's automatic front doors.
"Oh, and Lopez, just so you know I'm still not done with getting you to go," Quinn said cheekily.
"Wouldn't expect any less from you, Fabray," Santana shot back just as cheekily. "You always did use to say that misery loves company." The brunette smiled widely, crossing the hospital's front doors.
Quinn matched Santana's smile on the other end of the line without knowing it. "See you Friday," the blonde said.
"Yeah, see ya," Santana replied and ended the call, putting the cell in her white doctor's coat pocket as she went to look for Danes to give him his coffee whilst eagerly downing her own.
Brittany walked along the pathway on the side of Santana's house that led to her backyard. It was already dark outside but the path, which was surrounded by green grass, was well-lit by plenty tasteful garden lights. She had heard voices coming from there when she arrived at the front of the house and decided to follow them. Arriving at the backyard Brittany smiled at the sight of Santana and their friends, Quinn and Rachel, all sat down at a big garden table whilst talking and laughing on the patio. The smile fell slightly when her eyes registered the presence of a certain redhead as well.
"Britt!" Rachel exclaimed with enthusiasm when the blonde's presence was spotted from a bit afar.
All heads on the table turned to her. So, Brittany picked her smile back up for appearance's sakes and started walking towards them as her married friends stood up to hug her.
Quinn was the first one. "Britt, so good to see you," the petite blonde said to the taller one with a wide grin on her face, wrapping and unwrapping her arms around Brittany affectionately. And then Quinn took a step sideways to give room for Rachel to do the same.
"You too, Q," Brittany replied enthusiastically, being shortly after embraced by a smiling Rachel.
"I missed you," Rachel said softly in the middle of the embrace as Santana looked on at her ex and friends with a wistful smile.
"I missed you, too," Brittany replied with sheer honesty, pulling back from the hug as Quinn took her seat back at the table. "Both of you," the blue-eyed woman added, shifting her gaze from Rachel to Quinn and back while Riley watched them interact with a smile on her lips as well.
"I see your breaking and entering isn't limited to the inside of the house," Santana joked lightheartedly, her wistful smile turning into a lopsided puckish one as she put her wine glass on the table. "How did you even…" the brunette trailed on her obvious question with furrowed brows and tiny repetitive head shakes while Rachel reclaimed her seat beside Quinn.
Brittany locked blue eyes on brown ones and smirked before she replied like someone who was reciting a melodic and well-rehearsed verse, "Jiggle. Jiggle. Double twist, tiny push, and jiggle."
Santana chuckled loudly, which caused Quinn and Rachel to grin, and Riley to look at the brunette to her side with a curious expression before eating a piece of cold meat from one of the platters that sat on the garden table. Santana noticed none of those reactions, though, since her eyes were on Brittany's.
"I can't believe you remember that," Santana said with amusement and Brittany's smile reached broad status over that unexpected reaction while the married couple also sipped their wine. The 'code' was sort of a cheat to open the automatic door that led to the backyard.
"Of course I do. I've only done it a gazillion times since we were kids," Brittany said matter-of-factly, placing her hands on the back of one of the table's many chairs. "After you invented that verse so I could remember more easily I never did forget," she added tenderly with a sweet smile. Santana was always the one who had a knack – and the patience – to make things easier and almost natural for her to understand. The brunette just got her… how her mind worked and how she thought. Perhaps that was one of the things Brittany missed the most about them. Together them, that is.
Santana mimicked the sweet smile because, unlike the others on the table, she understood fully what Brittany meant by that.
"How did you find us back here?" Quinn asked in her velvety tone, popping a piece of cheese in her mouth. The lit pool a bit far behind her friend caught Brittany's eyes. She and Santana shared some serious sexy times in there, especially at nighttime impromptu swims. Where did they not, really?
"I heard voices," Brittany replied, shaking the thoughts away. "Rachel mostly," she added with little consequence.
"Obviously," Santana quipped without skipping a beat, thankful to Brittany for the cue. And the doctor sipped her wine as Rachel gave her a dirty look that caused everyone else to smile.
"Hey, Brittany," Riley greeted politely, taking the first chance she got to chime in.
"Hi," Brittany replied politely as well, doing her best not to set her mind so rapidly on not-so-positive feelings about the ginger like she had done in the past. Which it was proving to be difficult already as the dancer was taking in the whole scenario of Riley sitting down, laughing and talking with her ex and friends over wine, cold meat, and cheese. Cheese, no less. The audacity…
There was a small silence but Rachel was quick to fill it. "Can we just talk about how much more adorable our goddaughter gets within each day?" The petite brunette asked with a smile, popping a piece of soy cheese – or tasteless soy crap, as Santana put it – into her mouth.
"You've seen her?" Brittany asked with a matching smile, looking at Rachel.
"She made sure I took her with me to the airport to pick them up before I took her to Gracie's," Santana informed with the same Zoey induced smile on her face as Brittany's eyes drifted to the doctor. Their little girl had a sleepover scheduled with her best friend.
"Yeah, we spent some time together but Zoey gladly ditched us for her best friend," Quinn chimed in playfully, earning a laugh from the dancer. And then the hazel-eyed blonde added suggestively with a sly smile, "Not before telling us some peculiar ideas and plans that are going through her little mind, though." Quinn looked pointedly from Santana to Brittany and back. Rachel sent her wife a look that clearly stated that the blonde was up to mischief.
The former married couple hadn't witnessed that conversation, not even Santana, but they both had a clear idea of what Zoey's ideas were. The kid hadn't been shy about presenting them to her mommies throughout the past week. So, Brittany and Santana exchanged an awkward knowing look as Riley looked on clueless, not even remotely aware of what everyone was talking about.
Trying to avoid the touchy subject and simply ignoring Quinn's remark, Brittany shifted gears as she said, "Well, it's because of Zoey that I'm here actually." She looked at Santana. "I came to switch our phones back."
All the other women besides Santana and Brittany looked confused.
So, Santana clarified after taking a sip of wine, "Zoey was playing with our phones yesterday when Britt dropped her off and she accidentally switched them. I didn't even realize until today."
A smirk took over Quinn's lips. Considering the little chat she and Rachel had with Zoey earlier; if she knew her goddaughter like she did, the kid did not do that 'accidentally'. At that moment Quinn loved Zoey a little bit more, if possible.
"Me neither," Brittany said casually.
"That's why I called your cell this afternoon and you didn't pick up," Riley piped in with a smile. For a moment there she thought Santana was avoiding her.
"Yeah, I saw the call but I thought it would be, uh, it would be weird if I answered it," Brittany informed with an embarrassed tone, fidgeting with the wood of the back of the chair she was still supporting her weight on. The dancer left out the fact that Riley's picture in Santana's cell almost made her puke when it popped up on the screen. The redhead was blowing a kiss like some friggin' Victoria's Secret wannabe model; Brittany huffed at the memory.
A longer uncomfortable silence fell upon the five women. This time Quinn came to the rescue, though. "So, Britts, are you excited about our reunion?" The petite blonde asked with a grin plastered on her face.
The topic brought a big smile to Rachel's lips and a heavy scowl to Santana's features. Riley, on her end, looked interested in the subject she hadn't heard before. She thought Santana's friends were there for a regular visit and all.
"Very," Brittany answered with unabashed enthusiasm, causing Santana to roll her eyes. The motion was not lost on the blue-eyed woman, who decided to focus her eyes on Quinn. "I can't wait to see who is coming. I had some car trouble this week, so I had to take it to the shop and Mr. Hummel told me that Kurt is definitely coming. So is Finn," the dancer added casually with a congenial smile.
Rachel clapped her hands with sheer excitement. "Oh, My God! I can't wait to see everybody," she said in her high-pitched tone that aggravated Santana even more. "And give them my CDs," Rachel added in typical fashion, already hearing in her mind all the compliments she would get and salivating with anticipation over it.
Picking up on Santana's emitted bad vibes Quinn decided to poke the tiger as she stated nonchalantly, "Yeah, looks like Santana is the only one who is neither excited about it nor going to the reunion." And then she flashed the brunette doctor a lopsided smile, which granted her a famous Santana glare.
Brittany sighed but the atmosphere was tense enough for anyone to notice it. Quinn had told her about Santana's reluctance to attend. It made her sad.
"Why aren't you going to your reunion?" Riley asked with honest curiosity, looking sideways into her girlfriend's eyes. They hadn't talked about it yet but the emerald-eyed woman was pretty sure they were girlfriends by then. "It seems like fun," she added animatedly. It would definitely be cool if she got to go with the brunette.
Before answering the question Santana sent a look to Quinn that clearly stated 'thanks for that'. Going through her mind for a cover-up reason that didn't include any trace of the truth, Santana came out empty. Her eyes traveled briefly towards knowing and sad blue ones before averting sharply. "Reunions are stupid," the brown-eyed woman finally replied taciturnly, resorting to a childish evasive tactic while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Reunions aren't stupid, Santana," Rachel countered with her best teacher-student patronizing tone. "They are a fabulous way of reconnecting with old peers and rediscovering the joys of –"
"Not in the mood for a lecture, Berry," Santana cut the theater woman off with an exasperated tone of voice, downing a big gulp of wine. She could already feel a migraine coming as she pinched the bridge of her chiseled little nose.
"Help us knock some sense into Santana's thick head, B," Quinn said playfully with a sympathetic smile, trying to lighten up the mood a bit as she held the doctor's unamused stare whilst drinking some wine. She liked some messing as much as the next person, but she had seen her friend squirm enough.
"I think you should go, San," Brittany said in that utterly sweet voice Santana loved so much, meeting the brunette's gaze full-on without reservation.
Santana couldn't deny that Brittany's requests – especially when spoken like that – still managed to have a hold of her. And as she held that piercing blue stare for a minute too long, it didn't take much for Riley to get an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. Those two had something… some energy, some chemistry, some intimacy that was undeniable and that, frankly, set off her alarm's red lights like crazy.
Fighting her second nature, Santana replied evenly but also with softness that she couldn't help, "Duly noted." She continued to hold Brittany's stare, and Quinn and Rachel started to wonder how their friends had been putting up with this much loaded tension of the feelings kind. "But I still am not going," Santana added petulantly, dropping her gaze to her hands.
Before another uncomfortable silence could take place, like she sensed it was about to, Rachel said cheerfully as she took in the sight of Brittany just standing there awkwardly, "Come on, Britt. Don't just stand there… Sit down with us and have some wine." Only after she said the words Rachel realized that that would probably just increase and perpetuate the tension. Oh, well…
After the mess was done, Quinn felt the need to back up her wife. "Yeah, sit with us…" she said softly, pointing with her head towards an empty chair next to Rachel.
Brittany would love nothing more than to just sit there and talk to, and laugh with Santana and their friends like they had done many times before… but there was Riley. The blue-eyed woman felt out of place. Things were nothing like they were before. Chancing a look towards her ex her thoughts were confirmed, Santana also looked uncomfortable about it.
"I'd love to but I'll have to pass, guys," Brittany replied wistfully and politely, shifting her gaze to her long-time friends.
Santana rose to her feet and said with a tiny smile, understanding too well the difficult position the tall blonde was in, "Come inside, I'll get your phone." Brittany started moving towards the brunette and they made their way inside the house side-by-side while leaving the other three women to their get-to-know-each-other-better chat.
As Santana and Brittany were crossing the house's atrium, the blonde broke the comfortable silence as she asked casually, looking sideways at Santana while they walked, "Did I get any calls?"
"Ally called once. I picked up and after we chatted I told her she could reach you at my number, but she said it wasn't important," Santana replied while looking sideways to meet the dancer's eyes, taking a turn right and entering the back of the foyer with Brittany by her side.
"Yeah, she's been extra nice and attentive after going all Kanye on Jenna at Christmas," Brittany deadpanned with a wide smile on her face caused by Poppy, who came out of nowhere and started jumping on her legs, making both women stop their walking.
"Hey, Poppy! Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl, huh?" The dancer said in an infantile voice, shifting her gaze down at the dog whilst patting her. Santana watched them with a less enthusiastic expression on her face. "She always jumps on me," Brittany informed with glee, moving her eyes back to Santana's.
"Well, she can smell an easy target who'll indulge her needy ways," Santana quipped promptly whilst watching the blue-eyed woman patting the dog. And then the brunette changed back the subject to something more interesting. "What was that again with Ally going all Kanye on Lena? Is it something I'd like to know?" Santana asked and flashed a cheeky smile to Brittany, who stopped patting Poppy to look directly at her ex.
Brittany smirked before she replied teasingly, "Yes, it probably is." Short pause. "But you won't," she added, widening the smirk for effect.
"Fine," Santana conceded with a little smile on her lips, nodding her head repeatedly. And then she started walking towards the living room again, Brittany and Poppy followed as Santana added, "I'll just have to call and ask Allison myself then." She threw a look behind her shoulder at the dancer, wearing a smirk of her own and Brittany merely shook her head from side to side in response.
Santana made her way to the coffee table and grabbed Brittany's cell phone that sat on top of it. She turned around and the blue-eyed woman had just fished hers from her jacket's inside pocket.
"Here we go," Brittany stated in a funny voice, handing Santana her phone and taking hers in return.
"Did I get any calls?" Santana asked absentmindedly, touching her cell's screen to confirm it was really hers for some reason. The picture of Zoey on her lock screen confirmed it. Brittany's was a picture of Zoey as well, actually, but they were from different occasions.
"Only one from Jimmy," Brittany replied absentmindedly, doing the same routine as Santana did a couple of seconds ago. Bringing her eyes back to Santana's face she added sort of awkwardly, "Besides the one from, you know, Riley."
Santana just nodded, not wanting to revisit the subject. "Jimmy actually called me on your phone after he reached you on mine," the brunette offered matter-of-factly. "Oh, and in interest of full disclosure, you should know that I went through your phone. Texts, received calls, notes, pictures, apps, you know, the works…" Santana added confidently with an impish smile, holding the blonde's stare but not visualizing a gasp like she had predicted she would.
Brittany nodded repeatedly, matching Santana's impish smile and not backing down from the stare competition. "It's cool." Brief pause. "Because I totally went through yours, too," she added with just as much confidence as the brown-eyed woman, who smiled wider in surprise.
"Well played, Pierce… Well played," Santana conceded lightly, not dropping the smile as one of her hands made its way to her hip. The banter was too good to let go and she awfully missed it, so Santana amended teasingly, "Your wife's punctuation is appalling, by the way. Make sure to let her know I said so."
"Yeah, well, your girlfriend's…" Brittany forced her brain trying to come up with a nice retort, "…face is appalling," she finished lamely, clearly failing as she crossed her arms across her chest in veiled defeat.
"That's the best you could do?" Santana asked with amusement.
"In such short notice? Yeah," Brittany countered jokingly, letting a small smile slip.
Santana shook her head as she stated evenly, "We should go back or they'll send a searching party."
Both women started making their way back outside, leaving a lazy Poppy lying on the living room rug.
"By the way, 'Student Steve' – who I'm only assuming is one of your students at the studio – has a crush on you," Santana deadpanned in a blasé tone. "I could tell from his texts and from your calls history," she added as they walked side-by-side.
"He does not," Brittany protested with a gasp. "He's fifteen, Santana."
"Even more reason to worry, then. Jail bait for sure," Santana quipped, the corners of her mouth tugging up into a tiny smile. "I just thought I'd give you a heads-up. You were always bad at spotting people who had crushes on you."
"You're being ridiculous…" Brittany replied dismissively with a wave of hand. "I'm ignoring you now," she added with a shake of head, mimicking her ex's smile.
Moments later they passed the French doors and arrived back outside at the patio.
"There you are," Quinn announced as they resurfaced from the interior of the house. Santana reclaimed her seat at the table and Brittany remained standing.
"Okay, guys, I'm leaving," was Brittany's turn to announce with a rather fake smile, her eyes falling on Riley for some reason.
"Already?" Rachel piped in, voice whiny and Brittany just nodded her confirmation, shifting her gaze to the petite brunette.
"We're still on for tomorrow's lunch at my parents', right?" The dancer asked her friends, her tone taking an excited tone. She missed them.
"We so are. Mrs. P's cooking is too good to pass on," Quinn replied honestly while Santana got reacquainted with her wine glass and Riley watched on the conversation, not having anything to say.
"You two better bring your appetite. My Mom totally miss having you over, so I'm sure she'll cook enough food for an army," Brittany said through laughter, looking both women in the eye.
Quinn and Rachel used to stay at Annie and Rob's place when they visited Brittany and Zoey before Santana woke up. Brittany's house didn't have a guest room, or much spare room for that matter, so it worked better that way.
And then the dancer directed her eyes towards Santana and added playfully, "She always goes on and on about how San stole her guests."
"It's true," Santana confirmed with several nods. "She told me that herself several times," she added matter-of-factly. And then the brown-eyed woman finished teasingly, "I don't know exactly what Annie misses most, though. Quinn's 40 minutes long showers or Dwarf's impromptu singing sessions in the middle of the day. It's very hard to choose, really."
Brittany and Riley chuckled while Quinn and Rachel protested with little strength.
"San, be nice," Brittany said over her friends' protests and the scene began to look too familiar. So, Brittany added in that spirit, looking at Santana, "Are you joining us?" Her hopeful tone could be heard by all and Riley looked expectantly from the blonde to Santana.
"I don't think so," Santana replied softly in a lower tone of voice. She wanted to, but there were too many factors to consider and she just did not want the work at that moment.
Riley breathed a subtle sigh of relief and Brittany nodded her understanding.
"I really should go," Brittany said after a beat, starting to walk away from the table slowly. "Bye," she added weakly, her eyes going from face to face on the table. Even to Riley's, painfully. "I see you two tomorrow," Brittany said to Quinn and Rachel as she walked even further.
"You're picking Zoey at Gracie's in the morning, right?" Santana called out in the last second.
"Yes, it'll give her more time to spend with her godmothers at my folks," Brittany relayed from the distance.
"Okay."
"Okay."
And with that Brittany made her way out through the same path she came in from. She didn't know exactly why but, as she sat behind the wheel of her silver Focus, her heart felt heavier. The dancer did not like the feeling. She did not like that feeling at all. She also wasn't keen on the fact that Santana had introduced Riley to their friends, her friends. It seemed serious and Brittany avoided that word like the plague where Santana and the ginger were concerned. With that gloomy thought she started the car and drove off, shoving the silly thought aside.
That Saturday early evening – reunion day – Quinn stood at Santana's bedroom door in a silky robe. She had just gotten out of the shower and was ready to start getting ready for the big night. Santana lied on her bed with a laptop across her thighs and a Poppy by her feet. The dog did make an excellent foot warmer, especially for her usual freezing ones.
Without taking her eyes from the screen, but catching her friend through her peripheral vision, Santana said in a blasé tone, "I think you're lost, Fabray. Your room is that way." And she pointed with her head to the right.
"Are you really not going?" Quinn asked evenly, entering further into the room.
"No," Santana answered in a clipped tone, eyes still on the laptop screen filled with inconsequential celebrity gossip. Quinn could really be annoying when she wanted to.
"Why?" The hazel-eyed woman enquired firmly, hands on her hips for effect.
Pulling her eyes up from the screen to glare at the petite blonde, Santana replied in a huff, "We've had this conversation before." Brief exasperated pause. "And I'm not looking for a repeat."
"Well, I still don't get it," Quinn said honestly, nearing the brunette's bed and trying to catch her eye, which had made its way back to the screen. "Nobody from Glee is going to judge you, S."
"Like school was only made of sweet little gleeks," Santana shot back sarcastically, holding hazel eyes.
Quinn took a deep breath. Santana could be annoyingly stubborn most of the times. Taking a seat on the edge of her friend's bed, Quinn replied with conviction, "Listen… only losers avoid school reunions, ok? And we are clearly not losers. We're successful, we're still pretty damn hot, we're funny and fierce and we didn't peak in high school. We… You have to go, San. Can't you see?"
Santana, who had been paying attention to her friend's little speech with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow, could feel her resolve getting weaker. Let's face it, she was pretty awesome. Even if, deep down, she happened to forget that fact every once in a while. Despite being able to profess it countless times loud and clear, obviously.
"It will be kinda awkward…" Santana trailed on but with much less confidence. "With Britt and all…" she added nonchalantly.
Perceiving an opening in Santana's demeanour, Quinn powered through. "It won't be. I mean, I'm your friend and I'm not going to lie, it is a little bit awkward every time you two are in the same room together." Quinn shot Santana a knowing smile and the brunette appreciated her candor. She hated bullshit after all. "But, it's better now, you won't be by yourself. Riley can be your date," the petite blonde said with excitement, placing one hand on Santana's shin and giving it a little squeeze to reinforce her point.
Santana appeared to be considering what Quinn had just said to her. Her look told the hazel-eyed woman that she was pondering pros and cons.
Feeling like it was the time to seal the deal, Quinn went on with a little smug smile, "Come on, who else will mock people with me?" Santana shot her a smug little smile back and it encouraged the blonde. "Please, let's be bitches together once more for old times' sake," Quinn pleaded playfully, making Santana chuckle and she followed after.
"Well, when you put it like that my interest spikes slightly, Q," Santana joked lightly, her chuckles dying down in her throat as Quinn's were.
Sensing that it was the time to weave the last and most important thread of her well-constructed web around Santana, Quinn asked with a smirk while patting a lazy Poppy, "Where else in Lima would you get to wear that gorgeous bandage designer dress you bought when we went shopping together in New York?"
The brunette's eyes sparkled at the mention of the indeed gorgeous mustard bandage dress she purchased in New York. It was beyond hot in its marvelous tightness. Quinn studied the brown-eyed woman's face and knew she had once again won.
Refraining from showing much enthusiasm Santana replied casually, head a bit raised as a sign of expected petulance, "Even if I were to consider going to the reunion now, it would be too late to call Riley. She might even be working tonight. And like hell I'll show my face there alone..." Santana didn't even need to add, when Brittany will be there with her wife; for Quinn to get what she had meant.
Quinn flashed Santana that self-satisfied little smile the blonde used more often than her friends would have liked her to, and the brunette knew immediately something was up Quinn's sleeve. "What if I told you that Riley is probably getting ready as we speak and should be arriving here soon to be your date to this lovely event?"
Santana shook her head from side to side as she held her friend's lively eyes. "Then I would have to tell you that you are one sneaky little bitch, Fabray," the brunette stated playfully while closing the laptop on her lap, earning her a smack on the leg from a sitting Quinn.
"Well, takes one to know the other," Quinn retorted lightheartedly but a little smile betrayed her for-show annoyance. "Now go jump in the shower. Speaking of which, Rachel must be finishing hers by now. I should go start getting ready," the petite blonde added casually, getting up from the bed.
"How did you even get a hold of Riley?" Santana asked whilst getting up herself, looking at Quinn's retreating back.
Quinn looked back from Santana's bedroom's door and replied smugly, locking hazel eyes on brown ones, "You shouldn't leave your cell lying around. Zoey isn't the only one with cunning plans, you know?" And the blonde winked playfully to Santana, who approached her bedroom's bathroom, leaving the room and leaving the brunette to ponder what exactly she had meant about her daughter.
Thirty minutes later Quinn strode again through Santana's bedroom's door in a beautiful, black, vintage 1920's dress that was quintessential Quinn, and she looked quite pretty in it while at it. Going towards the bathroom door, which was opened, the blonde found a barefoot Santana already in her sexy dress applying make-up in front of the mirror.
"You're still doing your make-up?" Quinn asked with some exasperation, eyeing her friend and her many make-up items sprawled across the bathroom's counter.
"Perfection takes time," Santana countered as she worked on her smokey eyes. And then she tore her gaze away from her reflection in the mirror to take a gander at her friend. "Looking good, Quinnie," the brunette said playfully, but both knew she meant it. Santana went back to her work.
Seeing the straightening iron heating on top of the counter, Quinn offered evenly as she grabbed the device, "I'll go ahead and run this through the rest of your hair while you finish your make-up. Otherwise we won't be ready anytime soon." Santana had done some of her hair but when her arms got tired she decided to switch to make-up and return to hair later.
Santana wouldn't turn down the hand, her arms were tired. "Berry's ready?" The brunette asked, making conversation as she worked on her face.
"She's warming up her voice," Quinn replied matter-of-factly and her eyes met Santana's confused ones on the mirror as she worked the iron through dark locks. "Don't ask me why. I'm not sure either."
They both just smiled at the short brunette's antics.
"What time is Riley coming?"
"She must be here anytime now. I told Rach to get the doorbell."
After a silent moment, Santana took a deep breath and sighed. "Riley wants to move to New York," the brown-eyed woman relayed softly.
Catching Santana's eyes on the mirror again Quinn stilled her hands and asked, "What?" The blonde had been caught off guard.
"She wants to move to New York after she graduates. To find a more challenging nursing job," Santana continued a bit louder, averting her eyes from Quinn's for a second as she worked the eyeliner on her eye.
"And?" Quinn prompted seriously, going back to straightening her friend's hair.
"And she wants me to go with her. She has brought up the subject several times before and I've been rebuffing her offers but, I don't know…" Santana said pensively, dropping the eyeliner to grab her lipstick. "Maybe I should. Maybe it's time to face, to really face and accept once and for all the fact that, you know, she…" they both knew who Santana was talking about "…won't come around. It's been almost a year now, Q," the brown-eyed woman added weakly, stopping to put on her red lipstick.
"I, I don't know what to say, S," Quinn replied just as weakly, finishing with the hair and putting the straightening iron back on the counter. "What do you want?" The petite blonde asked softly as both women finally faced each other without the mirror as a proxy.
Santana chuckled dryly as a defense mechanism. However, she felt like she needed to answer, not only for her friend's sakes but for her own, "I want to keep moving forward. I have to keep moving forward." She paused briefly and leaned against the bathroom counter. Santana knew that she had been moving forward for the last few months, but she also knew that she wasn't moving on. There was a difference. A large, substantial difference. "Maybe this is for the best. I think space may help…" she trailed off ominously, looking Quinn in the eye and the blonde looked back with some veiled concern. Not only for the brunette… but also for a certain blonde friend of hers. She knew Santana really meant what she said.
"I can't say I wouldn't like to have you back in New York, but what about –" Quinn began but was interrupted by her friend.
"Zoey?" Santana interjected knowingly and both women wore a matching little smile. "That's the main reason why I've been holding back. But, I don't know, maybe…" She shook her head and looked down at her perfect red manicured nails. "I just don't know anymore," the brunette doctor finished lamely.
"Well, whatever you do decide you know we've got your back, right?" Quinn offered with utmost sincerity, which made their smiles grow wider. But in the back of her mind the hazel-eyed woman feared the repercussions.
"I know," Santana replied evenly, taking a deep breath to add, "So, which one: the black or the nude?" And the brown-eyed woman pointed to two pair of shoes by her right.
"Nude," Quinn said decidedly with one sharp nod. "It's got higher heels and God knows you'll need the extra height with Riley by your side," the blonde added playfully.
"I know, right?" Santana played along, going to the pumps and starting to slip them on. "What is up with me and tall women?" She added in quip and they laughed.
A short moment after the doorbell rang and they heard Rachel's high-pitched voice resonating through the house, "I got it."
Santana, Quinn, Rachel and Riley arrived at McKinley High fashionably late. Santana assured them it would be lame to arrive at a Class Reunion early like some overly eager little creeps. They made their way to a reception area set up near the gymnasium where this woman sat at a table handing out name tags.
Looking up at the latest arrivals, the woman smiled widely and said enthusiastically, "Oh, My God! Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray! You made it." The congenial woman in her early thirties waited for some recognition but there was none in the aforementioned women's faces. "It's me, Mandy Baker! We were in Cheerios together," she added eagerly, looking up at them.
Santana and Quinn exchanged a brief puzzled, clueless look.
"Right, right, Mandy…" Quinn said sort of awkwardly, flashing the blonde woman behind the table a yellow smile. "I remember you," she added for good measure.
While the woman looked for their name tags Santana glanced sideways at Quinn and whispered, "Who the hell is Mandy Baker?"
"Beats me," the blonde whispered back and they smiled a little smile at each other. And so did Riley, who stood beside Santana and was following the conversation.
"Here it goes… Santana Lopez," Mandy said cheerfully, handing the brunette her name tag. "And Quinn Fabray," she amended, looking at Quinn and turning her name tag over to the hazel-eyed woman. "Coach Sylvester will be so happy to see you two…"
"Yeah, right…" Santana mumbled under her breath to no one in particularly. She doubted Sue even knew what 'happy' was.
Rachel, who looked a little peeved by Quinn's side this whole time, piped in, "Hello! You seem to not have seen me…" She looked at the woman expectantly, waiting to be recognized. Seconds passed and it did not came, so Rachel huffed, "It's me. Rachel Berry. The star of Glee Club!"
"Star?" Santana chimed in with indignation and received a mild glare from Quinn, who wanted nothing more than to appease her wife, and a chuckle from Riley.
"Sorry, I can't seem to place you," Mandy said softly, receiving a scowl from Rachel. And the diva rarely scowled. The former Cheerio looked for the name tag and handed it over to the theater woman with a less than apologetic look.
"Nobody values the performance arts," Rachel scolded petulantly in typical diva fashion, placing the name tag on her red dress.
Mandy's attention went back to Quinn and Santana, who looked amused by Rachel's behaviour even though Quinn held the petite brunette's hand reassuringly.
"To your back is the coat check. Feel free to drop your coats there. And welcome to your class reunion, ladies!" Mandy announced animatedly. "The Unholy Trinity is all here now," she added with a wide grin while they walked away to the coat check and Santana's heart skipped a beat knowing that Brittany had already arrived. She scolded herself inwardly for being such a sucker.
"What is the 'Unholy Trinity'?" Riley asked with curiosity in her sparkly silver little dress, flashing her girlfriend a smirk as the four women checked their coats.
"Oh, nothing…" Santana downplayed lightly while taking off her black overcoat. "Just what they used to call Q, Britts and me."
"Yeah, because they used to pretend –" Rachel started to add matter-of-factly while handing her coat over to the coat check guy.
"Whoa, Man-Hands… We barely stepped foot into the school and you are already starting to share embarrassing stories. Give me at least some time to down some alcohol before that happens, alright?" Santana cut her off lightheartedly and they all shared a smile.
Coats checked, the women started to head towards the gymnasium where the event was being held. Passing by a trashcan on the way, Santana dumped her name tag without saying a word and Quinn did the same.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked her friend and wife with a look of shock on her face.
"Santana Lopez doesn't do name tags," Santana shrugged and replied without skipping a beat.
"She talks about herself in the third person, though?" Quinn mocked with a smug grin plastered on her flawless made-up face. Santana just matched the grin and nodded playfully.
Rachel shot her wife an expectant look. She hadn't heard her answer yet. Rules were rules and they were meant to be followed. The theater woman found breaking them extremely aggravating and wrong.
"Quinn Fabray doesn't do name tags either," Quinn joked with a laugh and everyone but Rachel mimicked her as they entered the gym's double doors. The petite blonde pecked her wife's lips to ease the pout and it seemed to have worked because Rachel smiled lightly. Still not thoroughly pleased, but…
"Thanks for bringing me," Riley said rather softly to the woman by her side, catching Santana's eyes as they held hands. A coy smile on her cherry lips.
The brunette doctor squeezed Riley's hand in reassurance. "I'm glad you're here," Santana replied honestly, albeit maybe not for the purest of reasons.
The music was blasting from the stage where a DJ did his thing. Quinn and Rachel talked amongst themselves as the four women took in the room. Lots of banners hung on the walls and the room was severely decorated, which made Santana think that Mandy out there shouldn't have a life if she was the one responsible for organizing that whole shindig.
It didn't take long for the brunette's eyes to fall on a certain blue-eyed blonde across the room. Brittany talked to a small group of people that Santana didn't care enough to run her eyes through their faces to see if she recognized anyone. Her sole attention was on the dancer. On the navy blue little number she was wearing with mind-boggling poise and distinction. On her perfect golden hair that cascaded flawlessly over her shoulders. It took a minute but Brittany noticed she was looking and their gazes met. A megawatt smile took the blonde's features by storm and Santana couldn't help but flash her a wide smile as well. But just after their eyes met Santana pulled hers away, feeling weak and spineless.
Quinn, Rachel and Riley had been talking while she was caught in her Brittany induced trance. Thankfully, Tina from their old years of Glee Club came along to talk to them and Santana was spared from admitting she wasn't paying attention to what they were saying.
After an embarrassing moment of Rachel taking out a CD of her music from a big handbag she was carrying to give to Tina, they started having a chit-chat to catch up. Quinn, Santana and Rachel had been surprised when Tina said that the man beside her, Tim Cho, was her fiancé and that she and Mike had been divorced since late years of college. They remained friends but Mike had always wanted to tour and eventually the long periods of distance brought them apart. Tina relayed that, in fact, Mike was at a tour with some famous pop/hip-hop act at that moment. He wouldn't be attending. On another hand, Tina was just as surprised to find out that Quinn and Rachel were actually married and that Santana and Brittany had divorced a while ago. Santana felt uncomfortable by all, but they didn't share the pitiful details of her health scare and all. So, the damage hadn't been as bad as she thought. Tina, at least, didn't make sorrowful remarks about the whole situation. They also found out she was a free-lancer writer in Boston, writing for variety and fashion magazines. Riley was introduced in a smooth transition of topics and the redhead towered over the petite brunette as they shook hands.
Soon after they parted ways with Tina and continued on with their mingling, Brittany made her way to them with a smile on her face and a Jenna by her side. Santana grimaced at the sight of the short green-eyed blonde in an insipid beige matronly dress. How fitting; Santana thought with bite, clutching her clutch bag a bit tighter.
"You came," Brittany sort of announced cheerfully when she reached the other four ladies, looking directly at Santana and reflexively offering her the same pleased megawatt smile as before. "I'm glad," the dancer added like it wasn't already written all over her face. She wanted to just hug Santana. But did not.
"Yeah, well, Quinn here played on my vanity," Santana replied dismissively and yet cheekily, pointing to the blonde in question with her head.
"It's not like it was a hard job or anything. You've got plenty of that," Quinn quipped with a smirk, which was matched by Brittany while Santana shot Quinn a faux reproachful glance.
Brittany's smirk fell momentarily, though, when her eyes caught sight of Santana's and Riley's clasped hands. Thankfully the blue-eyed woman recovered quickly – practice makes perfect – and nobody really noticed.
Recovering from her slip, Brittany tried to set her mind back to pleasant as she stated breezily, "We were just catching up with Kurt and Mercedes."
"Oh, they really came?" Rachel asked with untamed enthusiasm, only refraining from clapping her hands with joy because Quinn was holding one of them. "I can't wait to give them one of my CDs," she added, clutching her handbag that was slung on her shoulder to unconsciously confirm they were still in there.
"How are they?" Quinn asked evenly, turning the conversation back to its tracks after her wife's sidetracked remark.
"Great!" Brittany replied with a grin. "Mercedes is married to a nice-looking guy who is here with her and she works as a voice coach in LA. Kurt lives there as well. They never lost touch, isn't that nice?" The blonde asked rhetorically, broadening her grin and making Santana find her adorable and so sweet again despite her will. "Just like the four of us," the dancer remarked wistfully and the four of them shared a smile filled with complicity that made Riley and Jenna feel like the ultimate outsiders.
"Kurt works as a costumer for some soap opera I forgot the name right now. He's really enthusiastic about it, too," Brittany relayed with excitement and then her smile dropped a bit, "Kurt and Blaine aren't together anymore, though. That's sad." Her eyes went to Santana's but the brunette averted them and the blue-eyed woman felt deflated.
"What happened?" Rachel asked all torn up about it, which worked to aggravate Santana even more for some reason but the doctor managed to hold her tongue instead of snapping with venom.
"They didn't survive college apart, apparently. Kurt said last he heard Blaine was going to live and work in France," Brittany informed sadly, her eyes on Rachel. "He doesn't seem sad, though. Kurt told us he loves to be single and mingle," she added, a little smile returning to her features as Jenna gave her wife's hand a little squeeze to pep her spirits a bit more.
"We were talking to Tina. She and Mike aren't together anymore either," Quinn said matter-of-factly and Santana couldn't understand why these people insisted on talking about that.
"That's sad, too. I'm a sad panda now," Brittany replied in low spirits, unable to hold on to her newly reacquired happiness.
Riley still found the way the blonde spoke odd; so, she looked sideways at Santana for some clue but the brunette seemed distracted.
"There's no need to be sad. Mike's on tour with same unnamed celebrity, Tina is engaged to somebody else, Kurt is happy being single and I bet so is Blaine over there in frigging France. Shit happens, life moves on… It's simple, really," Santana stated a bit louder than her usual tone in her best confident voice, avoiding everyone's eyes altogether. For some reason she felt like she had to defend them but in reality she knew quite well who she was really defending. Well, not exclusively who, but what: her own pride. No one would pity them. No one would pity her, that's for sure.
Everyone was a bit taken aback by her bold statement and all eyes fell on Santana. It wasn't delivered harshly but it certainly carried a good amount of weight and Santana cursed herself inwardly for letting her temper get the best out of her yet again as the tension took hold of all of them.
Being the eager beaver to defuse it, Rachel said in a chipper tone, "You know, since neither Mike nor Blaine are showing up I could give you one of my CDs, Britt."
Before Brittany could even respond, Santana – who had been looking for an outing with paramount diligence – found it when she spotted Puck by the drinks table. "I see Puck and drinks. I should say 'hi' and grab me some," the brunette said evenly, throwing everyone a half-smile before starting walking away with Riley, not even bothering to wait for a response.
Brittany looked over her shoulder at the retreating couple's backs and only returned her face forward when she felt Jenna's hand gently grabbing hers.
Santana and Riley reached Puck shortly after. The man instantly flashed the pair his usual douchey smirk.
"I'm surprised to see you here," Santana stated as a form of greeting.
"I could say the same," Puck shot back without skipping a beat, looking at the brunette in the eye. "Hey there, Riley," he added, shifting his gaze to the ginger.
"Puck…" Riley trailed on with a smile. "I would say long time no see but you practically live at the club," she added matter-of-factly and Puck just widened his grin with no dispute.
Santana picked up where they left off. "Quinn managed to drag me here," the brown-eyed woman offered, filling two cups with punch from the table and handing one to Riley.
"Finn did the same to me," Puck informed nonchalantly, leaning his side against the table.
"I didn't know you two kept in touch."
"We don't." Short pause. "Didn't seem to stop him, though."
Santana nodded her understanding. People really did tend to stick their noses where other people didn't want them to. For the better, sometimes... Not that Santana would ever admit that out loud.
"What is Finnocence up to these days?" Santana asked casually, making conversation before taking a sip of her punch while Riley people-watched. "Jesus, this punch is awful!" The brunette chided, grimacing after.
"Apparently he is an assistant football coach at Toledo University," Puck related in a blasé tone, taking a flask from his blazer's inside pocket and spiking Santana's and then Riley's punch. "Brought his fiancé along, too. Jessica something," he added, taking a swig from his flask before pocketing it again.
"Good for him," Santana replied evenly, more for the sake of saying something than anything else. And then she took another sip of her spiked punch. "Much better," she added with a lopsided smile and Puck playfully bowed down a bit.
Santana's eyes were roaming around the people inside that gymnasium when they were caught by a flash of blonde on the dance floor. Brittany was dancing. Not only dancing. The blue-eyed goddess was moving to a nondescript hip-hop-with-a-dash-of-pop tune, which the lyrics are much better going ignored. That brand of music was the dancer's niche. She danced well to anything, really, but that… that was her body's masterpiece. Santana felt her cheeks growing hot as she watched her ex with hawk eyes. Brittany had always made everyone dancing around her look like fucking amateurs, and Santana had always loved that fact about her. That night it wasn't any different, especially for poor Gemma, who barely swayed from side to side trying to keep up.
Riley obliviously broke off Santana's daze. "Come on, San… Let's dance, too," the emerald-eyed redhead said with a charming smile. Her flawless wavy hair bouncing a bit with her movements.
Still feeling hot and bothered, Santana unconsciously shook her head to shake out the thoughts as she replied with forced playfulness, "Not now. I'm still not drunk enough." And she took another sip of her punch for effect.
"Ah… don't be a party-pooper," Riley whined playfully, tugging on the brunette's arm.
"I really don't feel like dancing now," Santana confirmed with a soft tone and a tight-lipped smile, her eyes stealing another quick glance at the dancing blonde.
"I'll take you for a spin," Puck offered casually, outstretching his hand to Riley.
The ginger looked at Santana like asking for permission, which made the brunette chuckle.
"Don't hold back on my account," Santana said to her girlfriend, and it surprised even herself how detached she was. Well, except that it didn't. Surprise her, that is.
Riley's smile widened as she placed her empty punch cup on the drinks table, and she took Puck's hand, stopping on the way only to lay a sweet kiss on Santana's abnormally hot cheek.
The brunette doctor then stood by herself near the table of drinks. She took another big gulp of her punch as her eyes went from Brittany to Riley and back, and back again. Shaking her head from side to side at the fucked-up nature of the situation she found herself in, she sighed and forced her eyes to roam elsewhere. Santana caught Quinn's knowing gaze across the room as the blonde and her wife chatted away with Sam 'Trouty-Mouth' Evans and his supposed significant other. Santana flashed the blonde a tight-lipped smile and made a 'cheers' motion with her drink. Quinn smiled sympathetically back and went back to her conversation.
The night was going on better than Santana had expected, which was a definite plus of being a pessimist. No one had made 'witty' remarks about her and Brittany, not to her face anyhow. And she would settle for that. She was sure that most people didn't even know about her coma and everything that transpired after. And that was the way she would like it to be. Santana Lopez was no candidate for pity.
The brunette spotted Brittany, Quinn and Rachel talking by the amuse-bouche table and made her way there.
"He is doing really great," Quinn was heard saying as Santana approached them.
"Who is doing great?" Santana asked casually, butting in the conversation as she looked over the appetizers on the table trying to decide which one to pick. Brittany instantly smiled at the sight of her.
"Guy," Quinn answered matter-of-factly, taking a sip of her punch while Santana's hand went to the chosen appetizer.
"I wouldn't take that one," Brittany softly informed Santana, and the brunette shot her a confused look, which made the blue-eyed woman elaborate, "It has mango in it." Santana immediately dropped the appetizer, flashing her ex an appreciative little smile. She hated when people put fruit into salty things.
"Which guy?" Santana asked as she directed her gaze to Quinn, picking the previous subject back up while going for another appetizer.
"Not a guy. Guy Hobbes, our newest addition to the dance instructors at the studio. He's no Brittany but we are working at our capacity now. We needed an extra pair of feet," Quinn stated evenly with a smile. "Britt was the one who recommended him and I was thanking her. He's doing great."
"He's a very accomplished dancer," Rachel piped in enthusiastically, never one to not praise a talented performer. Because she secretly expected people to do the same for her.
"A bit full of himself but…" Quinn amended, trailing off with a sly smile.
Santana's gaze went to Brittany and the blonde understood the silent question. "We used to run in the same circles back in the day when I was with Marcus's dance company. He was never really a friend, but we exchanged the odd polite 'hello' and he is a great dancer. So, when Quinn called and asked, his name came to mind," Brittany said, holding brown eyes.
"Do I know him?" Santana asked, intrigued.
"I don't know. Probably. We must have attended to the same party once," Brittany replied absentmindedly, taking a sip of her punch.
Santana shrugged it off as someone wheeled their way to them: Artie, with a short brunette woman by his side.
"Artie, oh My God!" Brittany greeted the man on the chair with enthusiasm, bending down to hug him. "I didn't see you around, I thought you weren't going to show up," she added with a wide smile on her face.
Quinn and Rachel greeted the man as well, and so did Santana. A little less enthusiastic, though. Artie still got on her nerves and irked her somehow. Images of her toppling the guy's wheelchair still crossed her mind for some reason, just like back in high school.
Artie began to say congenially, "We are a bit late. Marjorie, that's my wife here," he pointed with his head to the brunette by his side with a smile, "got a bit held up with our youngest."
The ladies politely greeted Marjorie.
"You have a kid?" Rachel asked, making conversation.
"Two, actually. Two boys. A seven-year old and a two-year old," Artie said with pride, taking his wallet from his backside pocket to show some pictures. "Little Artie and Levi," he added, handing the wallet to Brittany.
"They are beautiful, Artie," Brittany said with a megawatt smile after inspecting the pictures, passing the item to Quinn, who looked over it with Rachel by her side.
"Adorable," Quinn said with a genuine tight-lipped smile. Kids were still somewhat of a sore subject to her.
"Really adorable, Artie," Rachel reinforced her wife's remark, passing the wallet to Santana, who took it with some reluctance.
"Thanks, they are a handful but we love them. Right, honey?" Artie said with excitement.
"More than life itself," Marjorie backed her husband up with the widest of grins on her face. She was homely but nice.
All eyes went to Santana as she looked over the photos. Sensing them, the brunette looked up and said honestly, "They're lovely. Congratulations." Yes, Zoey had really turned her into a softie when kids were concerned.
"Thank you," Artie said in earnest as he took the wallet back from the fiery brunette. Santana never seemed like a kid person, so the compliment meant a lot whether it was or not genuine.
Santana and Brittany exchanged a loaded look.
"What about you, ladies? Have you got kids of your own?" Artie asked congenially, keeping up with the conversation. "I know you two got married." He looked from Brittany to Santana and back. "My parents moved to Dayton, where we live now, when we had our first baby but when they still lived here your Mom told my Mom you were tying the knot in New York."
"Yeah, San and I have a little girl: Zoey. She's four now," Brittany stated softly with the same pride shining in her eyes as Artie's a moment ago, her blue eyes traveled over to Santana briefly before settling on the wheelchair man again.
"Four and almost a half, you can't forget that," Santana amended playfully in the same demeanour as her ex, making everyone chuckle. Santana knew this conversation was taking a turn for potential awkward territory but she couldn't help the warm fuzzy feelings the Zoey subject ignited within her; so, the brunette let it be.
"Yeah, that is surely a crime in Zoey's book," Brittany confirmed with a broad smile while Santana fished her cell phone out of her clutch. If Wheels could do pictures, so could she.
"We're her godmothers," Quinn deadpanned with a sweet smile gracing her pretty features, grabbing Rachel's hand affectionately as Santana handed Artie her phone so he could see Zoey in her lock screen picture.
"You two are, uh, together, too?" Artie asked with surprise, looking at Quinn and Rachel with Santana's cell in hand.
"Yep, Quinn and I are married," Rachel stated with a goofy smile on, bumping her shoulder playfully against the blonde's while Artie recovered from the initial shock.
"She is absolutely beautiful," Artie proclaimed softly, tearing his gaze from the picture to look at Brittany and then Santana. "I gotta say, though. I never pictured you as the kid type, Santana," the man added half-playfully, half-seriously, voicing his earlier thought.
Before Santana could shoot back a witty quip, Brittany said softly and sincerely, "She is the best Mama Zoey could possibly have." And she looked at Santana. Their eyes met and they shared a moment.
It ended fast, though, since Santana felt this urge to clarify the situation before it blew up on their faces. "Anyhow, Britt and I –" Santana began to correct the false impression that they were still married but Puck and Riley joined them and interrupted her mid-sentence.
"Artie, long time no see, bro!" Puck greeted his old Glee Club pal, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder.
"Puck! Great to see you again... And with no mohawk! Look at that," Artie said with amusement, looking up at the tall man. And then his eyes went towards Riley and he added playfully, "Your girl, huh? She's very pretty, man. You're a lucky one, just like me." Artie looked over at Marjorie with a smile.
"Actually, that's Santana's girl, Riley," Puck replied with his usual smirk in place as the ginger took a place by Santana's side. "She was only interested in my secret booze," he added jokingly, showing them his flask.
"Aren't you two…" Artie trailed off the inferred question with confusion and furrowed eyebrows as he looked from Santana to Brittany, who looked awkwardly embarrassed.
"We're divorced, actually," Santana cleared up the air, her eyes meeting icy blue ones for the shortest period of time. That phrase always seemed to have that effect on the dancer. But, again, that wasn't on Santana. Either way, the brunette just couldn't hold those baby-blues and she was pretty sure Brittany didn't want her to at that moment. And where the hell is Lena, anyway? Santana thought with irritation. Leave her wife hanging is not cool at a moment like that. And why the hell do I continue to worry myself over Brittany? "Riley is my girlfriend," she added evenly, shooing the thoughts away while the emerald-eyed woman smiled widely beside her.
"Oh… I had no idea. I'm sorry," Artie stated awkwardly, feeling like someone who just stuffed his foot in his mouth.
"I'm married," Brittany felt like saying after Santana's hurtful – to her, anyways – statement and it was Santana's brown eyes' turn to look icy. "She must be here soon. She went to the bathroom," she added nonchalantly, avoiding dark chocolate orbs.
"And what do you do in Dayton, Artie?" Quinn asked conversely, trying to lighten up the tension.
"I'm a high school Math teacher," Artie replied politely, glad for the change in subject.
"How nice," Rachel chimed in, coming to her wife's aid.
"How awful... Teenagers are the worst," Puck ironically gave his two cents.
Artie ignored his remark and they chatted a bit more about what the ladies were doing for a living, which was the perfect excuse for Rachel to hand Artie and Puck her mixed CDs.
After some more of idle talking the man in the wheelchair said, "Ok, guys. I see Sam over there. I should go and say 'hey'." And with that everyone bid their goodbyes and Artie and his wife went their way.
Brittany spotted Jenna coming from the double doors and said, "I'll go meet Jenna." The dancer wanted to desperately avoid the weirdness that was surrounding everyone at that moment. Especially the bad vibe she was getting from Santana.
"Could you lend me your flask, Puck?" Santana asked the man. She wanted, she needed a drink. Badly.
Puck handed over the coveted item and Santana excused herself to grab a cup of punch with a squeeze on Riley's hand. Quinn followed her immediately and caught the brunette, who took long strides to the drinks table, just as she arrived at her nearby destiny.
Santana was putting some punch in a cup with Brittany and Jenna on her peripheral eyesight when she saw Quinn standing by her side. Spiking the drink with Puck's booze Santana playfully asked her friend, "Would it be too bad if I spiked the virgin punch?" And her brown eyes went from the alcoholic punch bowl to the non-alcoholic one. "You know, considering Gemma has been drinking it constantly?"
"Well, considering she is a recovering alcoholic I'd say: yes. It'd be pretty bad," Quinn replied with a lopsided sly smile, fully aware that her friend wouldn't do that really. A long moment of silence. "Are you okay?" Quinn asked with concern, locking hazel eyes on brown ones.
"You know what? I am," Santana replied evenly and frankly, yet again surprising even herself as she flashed Quinn a tight-lipped genuine smile. The brunette felt this odd tidal wave feeling of settled things – and perhaps even closure – wash over her, and it felt nice. It felt lighter. Something just clicked in her head. Maybe to just give in was the answer. She always did that. She was always one to bash her head against the wall, but Santana didn't want to become a Werther. Santana Lopez had no vocation for weak, sad and pathetic. She wouldn't keep recalling the memory of past sorrow. She would bear her present lot with equanimity instead.
She and Brittany, they had Zoey. She figured that was the trigger, the eye-opener that disregarded the fact that they were already just so and fully aware of it. They will always have Zoey. And that was way better than to have Paris, which they also would always have. Not that it mattered, really. Santana felt serenity at that moment, or maybe it was just a sense of dull peace, but she would take it. Yes, she would. Just give in…
The hours kept rolling by and Santana's serenity had kicked in with full force. She danced with Riley, with Puck, even with Karofsky, who she gladly bumped into. After everything they shared back in the day the brown-eyed woman wouldn't say she didn't grow fond of the guy. Dave was out, and proud, and happy with his husband Joe. The news made Santana happy by proxy. Everything wasn't shit, after all. During their dance and chat Santana found out that they were both firefighters down at San Francisco. They exchanged emails and promised to try and stay in touch. She was really fond of Dave in a weird way.
Santana sat at a table with Quinn and Rachel and they were talking while resting their tired feet. The joy of high heels… Apparently from out of nowhere Brittany appeared in front of them.
"Can I have this dance?" Brittany asked Santana with a dazzling smile playing on her pink lips.
"What?" Santana asked with illogical confusion, her eyes going from Brittany to their amused friends' faces and back.
"Dance with me," the blue-eyed woman clarified with amusement of her own, outstretching her hand to her ex. When Santana didn't promptly take it, she added matter-of-factly and yet softly, "You promised. Remember?" Brief pause as she held Santana's gaze. "On our senior year prom…"
Right; Santana recalled the memory. They had gone together and at night, as they shared their last dance, she had promised to dance with Brittany many years later when they attended to their class reunion. Of course the promise was made and meant to be a subtle and smooth pledge of a future together. The last thing on Santana's mind that night was that they would end up like that. However, despite this different capacity they found themselves in, the brunette was feeling serene for a change. And, together or not, Santana always kept her promises. Especially the ones made to a Brittany S. Pierce. Truth be told, she would gladly oblige to that one.
Santana nodded with a bittersweet smile and silently took Brittany's warm hand, passing Quinn her clutch to watch over. The dancer smiled her trademark broad smile and, while directing her pearly whites briefly at their friends, she whisked Santana away to the dance floor by the hand.
The DJ was playing an upbeat song. Some nifty remix of a CSS tune that Brittany had danced to before. They both started doing their thing and Santana couldn't help but notice again how the blonde owned the dance floor. She wouldn't lie: she could hold her own on the dance department almost just as well. The key word being 'almost', naturally. They kept their distance… but the eye contact was never once severed. The good thing about upbeat songs is that you can have your personal space if you want to. As Brittany's eyes raked over Santana's perfect body she tried her hardest not to grind against her ex. She was off-the-charts amazing at grinding and Santana has always been her favourite grinding partner. Jesus Christ; Brittany chastised herself inwardly as her mind went straight into the gutter.
Changing her train of thought, but not entirely, Brittany said a bit loud so Santana could hear over the music, "You look…" the dancer took a minute to look for a fitting word as she kept scanning Santana's figure in that tight mustard bandage dress, "…stunning." And she flashed the brunette an adorable dopey smile. She was so had.
Santana couldn't fight the blush that took over her cheeks by storm. "Thanks," she replied politely, displaying an almost shy smile as they moved to the beat. And then returning the eyeing of her ex from head to toe Santana added matter-of-factly, "You look better, though." She knew she was being a bit too flirtatious but she did not care.
Brittany shook her head in silent protest but a megawatt smile took her lips hostage, and it was her turn to blush. Santana's opinion always had mattered most.
"That dress is beautiful. I've never seen it before," Santana continued lightly, making conversation as she took in the dark navy blue garment that gave Brittany's eyes a crazy-beautiful blue quality. "They make your eyes just… Wow…" she went on sincerely, filters clearly not working properly anymore. Who could blame her, really?
Brittany's eyes almost searched the floor to hide how embarrassingly giddy the remark made her, but those brown orbs were too fine to let go. "Thanks, it's new. I bought it for the reunion," the blonde answered coyly, dancing a bit closer to Santana. But not daring to touch her. "Yours is gorgeous, too. New, right?" She asked knowingly. They knew each other's wardrobe too well not to recognize any piece of clothing.
Santana nodded her confirmation and before she could say anything else the song ended and they stopped dancing along with everyone else on the dance floor. A slow song started right next. Of course, Santana thought with ironic amusement while a wry smile took over her lips. The brunette took a step at the direction of the table she was previously sitting at, but was stopped by a firm grip on her wrist. The touch sent a powerful and undeniable electric jolt not only through her body but through Brittany's as well.
You've made me into someone…
Santana's head snapped back and she met Brittany's seemingly pleading gaze full-on. Her eyes darted down to the hand connected to her wrist, not as a reproachful reaction, but Brittany took it like that and she let go of it reluctantly. Their eyes met again.
Who should not hold a loaded gun…
"Just one more," Brittany uttered tenderly after she regained her voice. She even mustered up a nervous little smile as she once again outstretched her hand to Santana, who took it in silence after a millisecond of consideration. Their hands still fitted perfectly well together, both women noticed.
And now you sit upon my chest,
Knock out my wind, knock out my best…
Brittany's other hand found Santana's waist like second nature, and the brunette's found its old familiar spot on her ex's shoulder. Brittany was more than used to lead on the dance floor and Santana never really minded following her. Santana's body stood too far away from Brittany's, though, and the dancer noticed it.
Smiling wide, Brittany remarked playfully as they started swaying to the music, "Is this a fifth grade dance? You can come closer, you know? I won't bite."
"Yeah, well, I fell for that one from your lips before," Santana quipped suggestively, getting a hold of her wits again before flashing Brittany a smug grin, which was instantly matched by the blonde. Santana complied with the request right after, though. Their bodies touched gently, delicately, and there wasn't even room for a pin to drop between them as they swayed. Feeling each other's body's warmth again… It felt nice. Really nice.
And so long to no disasters and mornings too,
And so long to ever afters, so long,
To you…
"They still got our Cheerios' trophies and pictures in that glass case down the hallway. I passed by it when I went to the bathroom earlier," Brittany said wistfully with a straight face while they danced, looking Santana in the eye as their cheeks were no more than two inches apart. "We were smiling so wide in that picture after we won…" she added softly with a half-smile tugging on her lips, which Santana mimicked absentmindedly. "It seems like it was both 100 years ago…" She paused and really stared into Santana's eyes, like she was peering into the woman's soul. Just the way that always granted her a protest from the brunette. But not that time. Santana held the stare and her silence. And so Brittany went on seriously, "…and yesterday. You know what I mean?"
"I do," Santana replied after a beat, flashing Brittany a rare sweet smile. "I really do, B," she added in earnest. Complete and utter. The smile had Brittany reflexively bringing their hands that were joined together this whole time to rest on her collarbone. And the movement and position was too familiar. Bitter-sweetly so, considering how many times they've repeated the same movement in the past.
I am soft for only you,
Impale me with your tongue, it's true…
Comfortable silence took over them as they just… danced. Eyes locked and feet moving in perfect synchrony. For at least that moment there didn't seem to be no Jenna, no Riley, no coma, no shit, no twisted life in their minds... There were just them. The two of them moving simply to the simple notes of a simple song.
And slices of me piled sky high,
The same old me to the naked eye…
Santana broke the silence and, in a way, the bubble when she asked in a low tone, "We were good together, right?" Brittany looked at her with a puzzled expression, so the brown-eyed woman clarified softly, "We were a good team you and I, weren't we?"
But I can't find myself tonight…
Brittany was taken aback by the uncertainty in Santana's voice – how could she doubt that? – and the look in her eye. The blonde saw this weird flash of… serenity, resignation even, in those dark chocolate eyes she was so fond of, and also… something else. Something she couldn't quite read and the notion scared her. Brittany could literally count in one hand the times she failed to read Santana throughout these many years they knew each other.
So, the blue-eyed woman offered promptly, her tone firm but gentle as her grip on Santana's hand tangled in hers over her collarbone intensified in an eager way to reassure the brunette, "Of course, San." Brittany poured all she had in the look she was sending Santana in order to convey how truly she meant what she had just said. "The best," she added candidly after a short beat and Santana smiled at her.
And so long to no disasters and mornings too,
And so long to ever afters, so long…
Santana's smile, which should have comforted Brittany because of its sweet nature and look, did just the opposite. Something strange about it, about that whole conversation sent the blonde this clear message of… finality. Overwhelming, heavy, tangible finality that caused her heart to beat erratically and wind up sinking to the pit of her stomach.
To you…
Brittany kept studying Santana's serene face for a trace of some clue but just as she opened up her mouth to question, or say anything else, she felt a hand tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see a smiling Riley looking at them.
And so long to no disasters and mornings too…
"May I cut in?" Riley asked softly, her smile firmly in place as the other two women stopped dancing. She had been watching them dance since she returned from the bathroom and felt this need to intervene for some reason since Brittany's wife seemed rooted to her spot at Santana's friends' table.
Brittany looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a while as she looked from the taller-than-her ginger to Santana and back, still a bit lost in the many feelings and thoughts that were currently running through her head. Taking in the dancer's silence Santana detached herself from the familiar hold and took a step back, which jolted Brittany from her trance. She instantly missed the contact.
The decision apparently had been made already, so Brittany offered halfheartedly as Santana flashed her the same oddly sweet smile from before, "Sure…"
And so long to ever afters, so long…
"Come on, babe," Riley said evenly, taking Santana's hand as the two of them started to dance. The term of endearment cut at Brittany's heart. She never called Jenna that. Not even once. And she made sure Jenna knew she didn't like being called that the first time it passed through the other blonde's lips. That had always been hers and Santana's thing and it stung to hear it from the redhead's mouth directed to Santana. Her Santana. Well, her once-upon-a-time Santana.
To you…
Brittany walked back to the table where Quinn and Rachel sat with an unreadable blank expression on her face while Santana and Riley danced. Jenna had joined them after her drink run. Non-alcoholic drink run, that is.
The blue-eyed dancer felt the need to explain as she took Jenna's silence when sitting beside her at the table, "She owed me a dance." She put it simply. It had been completely innocent after all.
Jenna nodded once, not looking angry or pleased while Quinn subtly surveyed her friend's face under Rachel's attentive eyes. The brunette knew when her wife was up to something, especially after the chat they had while Santana and Brittany danced.
After some mindless talk, Quinn stood up and said solemnly, "I need to go to the bathroom. Make me company?" Hazel eyes fell on an oblivious Brittany.
"Okay," the blue-eyed woman replied, rising to her feet while Rachel sent Quinn a subtle message through her brief pointed look.
"We'll be right back," Quinn said with her forced congenial smile, ignoring Rachel's silent plea.
A couple of minutes later Quinn and Brittany entered the bathroom and the dancer looked on in confusion as her friend checked every stall to see if they were really alone.
"Didn't you have to go?" Brittany finally asked with confusion in her tone and furrowed brows when Quinn didn't enter the last bathroom stall to pee.
Quinn walked up to her friend who stood in front of the bathroom's sinks and replied, "Not really. I just wanted to talk to you in private."
Brittany continued with the look of confusion. "Oookay," the dancer drawled, looking her friend in the eye expectantly.
"Rachel thinks I should stay out of this but I just, I can't," Quinn said in a strained tone of voice, leaning against the sinks' counter. "I can't just stand by and watch you get blindsided," the petite blonde added rapidly, her friend's full attention on her by then.
"Slow down, Q," Brittany said calmly but remained confused as she took a step closer to Quinn. "What do you mean?" The blue-eyed woman added evenly in question.
Quinn took a deep breath. She was getting ahead of herself. "I know you think that Santana and Riley aren't serious –" Quinn began to state calmly, because Brittany had told her that plenty of times over the phone before, but was interrupted by the woman in question.
"They aren't," Brittany interjected with strong-willed conviction, crossing her arms over her chest unconsciously.
Quinn shot Brittany a pointed look for the interruption, and continued with determination, "Either way, that doesn't matter." Quinn paused briefly and changed her voice to a sweet tone. "Because Santana is. We talked and," she hesitated a bit, "and she's dead serious, Britt." Quinn hoped that that would suffice for Brittany to get the picture. Santana was moving forward and maybe Brittany wouldn't be able to catch her again later, even if she wanted to.
The dancer was taken aback. That piece of information coming from Quinn paired with what had just transpired moments ago in the gym enhanced her dreadful worries. Letting her crossed arms fall to her sides Brittany asked weakly, even though she already anticipated the answer or lack thereof, "What did she say?"
"You know I can't tell you that. It's not my place and it's unfair to her," Quinn replied matter-of-factly, holding those piercing blue eyes. The problem of being friends with both parties caught in a relationship tangle was that: you had to cover your bases and be careful not to play carrier pigeon.
Quinn stopped leaning against the bathroom counter and closed the small gap between her and Brittany. Placing a comforting hand on her friend's upper arm she added soothingly in warn, "But I know Santana, and you know Santana, and we both know that when she gets something in her head…" The woman trailed off and Brittany let her friend's words sink in for a while. After a beat, Quinn finished lightly, letting her hand drop from the taller blonde's arm, "Anyhow, I just thought you should know."
The hazel-eyed woman's light tone just sounded plain ominous to Brittany. All her fears and insecurities came out to play and wreak havoc in her mind. For the first time ever she actually started to believe that she could lose Santana. Brittany wasn't stupid. She knew she already didn't have the brunette… but she was thinking of another type of loss. One far worse. Because in a special, sacred capacity she and Santana still had each other.
Collecting herself midst the intense turmoil within her, Brittany asked Quinn in the most broken of tones, "And what am I supposed to do with that?"
Her friend looked so utterly… lost that it nearly broke Quinn's heart. The shorter blonde hugged Brittany and replied tenderly, unable to deny some sort of guidance as she rubbed soothing circles on her friend's back, "I'm not telling you should do anything, B." Quinn pulled back from the hug a short while later, locking hazel eyes on pale blue ones and debating whether she should go on. Eventually, Quinn did. "Look, from where I'm sitting I can see that you're hurting, San is hurting, I don't really know Jenna all that well but from the looks of it she's hurting too, and I guess it's only a matter of time until Riley joins you. How worse can it get, sweetie?"
Brittany sensed a tinge of accusation between Quinn's lines. There wasn't really, but that is what the subconscious does when a teeny tiny part of you maybe feels guilty. The taller blonde looked Quinn straight in the eyes and replied with more authority, "That's not on me, Quinn. I never wanted any of us to get hurt. I mean, I didn't do anything precisely to avoid that." And it was the absolute truth to the dancer and Quinn knew that.
"I know, I know, Britt…" Quinn said softly, placing her hand again on her friend's upper arm for reassurance and comfort. Brittany had also told her more than once how she didn't want to hurt anybody, and Quinn believed her friend believed she wasn't. "And I'm not accusing you of anything. I love you, and I love San, and that's the only reason why I brought this up. I really thought you should know where you stood," Quinn added in earnest, receiving a softer look from Brittany.
"Thanks, Q," Brittany replied sweetly, feeling lighter and yet still quite heavy. "I'm glad you told me. You're a good friend," she added, placing her own hand over Quinn's on her upper arm.
They shared a moment of comfortable silence and both women let their hands drop to their sides. "We should go back before people start to suspect," Quinn said as voice of reason.
Brittany and Quinn left the bathroom and throughout the whole walk back to the gymnasium the dancer felt sick to her stomach. She felt lost, worried, threatened, scared and overall shaken. How can this be my life? Brittany pondered dejectedly. As she and Quinn entered through the back doors of the gym Brittany caught a flash of mustard dress and red hair walking out through the frontal double doors. At that very moment Brittany's need to talk to Santana never felt more imperative.
"I'll just grab some punch and meet you back at the table," Brittany told an unsuspecting Quinn, who just nodded with a smile on her face as they went in different directions.
Brittany stopped at the drinks table to keep her pretense by grabbing a cup of punch, but then she changed routes and walked out through the same double doors as Santana. Taking a sip of punch to calm her nerves, Brittany looked up and down the hallway trying to spot the brunette she was desperate to talk to. No such luck. Looking up and down the hallway again trying to decide on a way to go Brittany went with down. The bathroom was that way and it was her best guess regarding where Santana could have headed to.
She slowly walked down the familiar and deserted hallway, nursing her drink. Before even turning around the corner Brittany spotted Santana standing by the bathroom door. She stopped walking and just watched on without being seen. The sight brought a wide smile to her lips. The sight of Santana always did. However, before the blue-eyed woman could come up to the love of her life and just bear her soul, Riley walked out of the bathroom and greeted the love of Brittany's life with a kiss on the lips. Right then the sight before Brittany's eyes actually only served to knock the wide smile off of her face and beat the air out of her lungs. It disconcerted her so much that she let the cup of punch fall to the floor with a thud.
The noise broke Santana and Riley apart and the brunette turned her head around, just in time to catch Brittany's deeply hurt expression. Surprised brown eyes met crystal-clear blue ones for mere seconds that felt much more like minutes, and before one word could be said Brittany turned around sharply and started walking away in a fast pace.
Santana stood rooted to her spot in front of Riley whilst Brittany stormed away. What just happened? Santana quickly thought to herself. Rapidly, but gradually, the brown-eyed doctor went from surprised, to guilty, to livid, and finally to angry. Brittany, her currently re-married ex-wife, had no right whatsoever to make her feel guilty about kissing her girlfriend. With that exact progression of feelings coursing through her body, Santana felt the overwhelming desire to follow Brittany and demand some satisfaction.
Quickly before starting her power-walk to follow the escaping blonde, Santana trailed off apologetically, looking straight into emerald-green eyes, "Sorry, Riley but I just have to…"
Riley didn't even have the chance to reply. Santana's back was already moving away from her while she tried to figure out what exactly had happened a few seconds ago.
Santana turned the corner fast and immediately spotted Brittany walking back up the hallway rapidly. Anger boiled over her as the absurdity of the whole situation kept sinking in.
"Brittany, wait up!" Santana called out while walking on the dancer's heels, a significant distance between them.
The blue-eyed woman didn't even look back. She just kept walking. Brittany knew she had absolutely no right to act or feel the way she was feeling, but rational thoughts had left the building a long time ago.
Santana mumbled a few Spanish expletives as she started to jog to catch Brittany, who had just passed the gym's double doors and continued going forward. The blonde had really long legs and Santana was in extreme high heels, if she didn't break into a jog she would never catch her. And she really needed to give Brittany a piece of her mind.
"Brittany, what the… I said wait!" Santana called out again, the distance between them way smaller by then. And why the fuck am I feeling like I just have been caught cheating? Santana thought reproachfully. Why am I even following Brittany?
Brittany still didn't stop and turned a left on the hallway instead. She was acting crazy, Brittany knew it, but she couldn't help it. Santana turned a left right after her and finally managed to catch up with the dancer.
Santana grabbed Brittany's wrist from behind, making the blonde come to an abrupt halt and involuntarily turn around to face her. Stormy brown eyes locked on glistening blue ones, obvious products of unshed tears.
Brittany's welled up eyes disarmed Santana's anger a bit. Emphasis on: a bit.
Letting go gently of Brittany's wrist, Santana asked with furrowed brows, "What the fuck, Brittany?"
There was no response, though. They just stood there by the lockers – of course there had to be lockers around – extremely close to each other, breathing heavily and caught up in an intense staring contest. Santana's ridiculously high heels had her almost at the same height as Brittany, and the brunette liked that feeling of equality, especially during a veiled battle.
Taking in Brittany's silence after a minute or so, Santana ran a hand through her dark hair with exasperation and continued with her self-righteous rant, her voice louder than usual, "What the hell was that? I mean, who do you think you are? You have no right to storm out all mad like that or to make me feel guilty for…"
Santana carried on with her rant but at that point Brittany couldn't even listen to what she was saying anymore. Her heart was beating so fast that the blonde could only hear those rhythmic thuds in her ears. She knew Santana was right. Everything the brunette was saying made perfect sense. Brittany knew she was being irrational and unfair, but she did not care. She loved Santana. So much so that it actually hurt. She couldn't stand that whole situation one moment longer. Brittany would not lose Santana, not like that.
In the middle of Santana's rant she saw Brittany's eyes travel to her lips and she faltered a bit as she stumbled over some words. Her indignation kept her going, though. But next thing Santana knew Brittany was licking her perfect lips, leaning in rapidly and crashing said lips against her own in a hard kiss while their eyes closed instantly with the impact. The kiss was needy, a bit sloppy and desperate but, God damn it, it felt nice! It felt natural and right.
Regaining her senses after getting lost in Brittany and in the kiss for some seconds, Santana pulled back abruptly while pushing the dancer's shoulders away from her, successfully ending the desperate kiss. She searched for Brittany's gaze and, after the dancer opened up her eyes again, Santana studied those oh-so-familiar blue orbs with furrowed eyebrows and she came to the conclusion that they were intensely darkened with raw passion and desire. The sight unwillingly turned her on.
Brittany came down from her high and started to feel the sting of rejection after being pushed away by Santana. She held the brunette's inquisitive gaze, trying to convey how she felt and was surprised when she felt Santana's hands on her shoulders again.
Santana shoved Brittany forcefully but gently against the lockers and, with a smirk on her lips and their bodies flushed against one another's, she started kissing the blonde again. Hard.
TBC
Rejoice, readers! And don't forget to prepare your little hearts for the next phase of this story.
Sorry for the cliffhanger... It was needed. The reunion, and everything that transpires there, is the story's climax (ooops... did I let a pun slip?), so it's rather long. And, trust me, that was the best place to leave things off for now. Don't worry, next chapter will pick up right where we left off.
Review and let me know ;)
By the way, I feel like I should say this because several people have asked me questions regarding the story that are all answered by it. So, to avoid repeating: this story is heavily based on the fact that people don't change. Not about things that are so very fundamental to who they are. Circumstances change, things change, but not people. Not really. Do they learn? Sure. Probably through personal mistakes, but that is beside the point. People are who they are and that is that. That is what the title's "Stances" stand for. Yeah, that was it. Hope it sheds some light :)