Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this next one. This contains some flashback which is in italics. I hope it reads clearly. Also, I know I switch between mum and mom a lot but I'm Irish and we use both of them interchangeably so I'm just going to continue using both because it feels natural :)

Chapter 13

Santana is met by the sight of Brittany passed out on the couch when she gets home from a long day of recording. Her heart warms at the disheveled state that she is in. She walks over and pulls the blanket down from the back of the couch to drape it over her sleeping girlfriend. She kneels down next to her and strokes the hair back off her face. There are dark circles under Brittany's eyes. She had been working extra hard lately then coming home and going straight to bed. Santana knows that Brittany really loves her job but it has been taking a toll on her lately.

Santana presses a kiss to Brittany's forehead. Brittany's eyes flicker open and she stretches. She looks up to see Santana with a worried expression on her face.

"Hey, babe," Santana coos.

Brittany smiles weakly and touches the back of Santana's hand that is still playing with her hair. Santana stops her movements and looks at Brittany seriously.

"Have you had anything to eat since you came home?"

"No," Brittany sighs, "I didn't have the energy to bring myself to make anything."

"B, you're working yourself too hard, you're going to make yourself sick."

Brittany pulls back from Santana's touch and retreats back into the cushions.

"I'm fine, Santana."

"Ok, well I'm going to whip something up for the two of us. You just sit tight."

Santana decides to let it go. There is no point in discussing it with Brittany when she is this tired, it would only end in a fight and that's not what she wants.

Brittany continues to lie on the couch and listens to Santana potter around the kitchen. She knew that Santana was worried about her but she really didn't want to talk to her about it because in all honesty, she was using her job to avoid properly talking to her.

Brittany had wanted to tell Santana right away about what her mum had done. She knew that it was the right thing to do but Brittany also had questions of her own. Brittany had felt weird around Quinn when she first met her, like she had met her before but Brittany could not place her no matter how hard she tried.

She knew that she had to talk to her mum about it but with every day that passed it got harder and harder. Not only did she not know how to even start that conversation but Santana was also so happy. Every day Santana came home happier and happier and would tell Brittany all about her day while she would sit or lie down with her head in Santana's lap, listening avidly.

Santana had told her that she had never been happier and that she finally felt like everything was falling into place for her. It was everything that Brittany wanted to hear but it made what she had to do that much harder.

A little while later Santana comes back over and presents Brittany with a plate. Brittany shuffles until she is in somewhat of a sitting position and takes her plate.

"I'm sorry it's not more creative, I can't cook like you can. I probably should have just ordered some take out," Santana laughs at herself in an attempt to try and lighten the mood.

Brittany looks down at the rather bland looking omelette that Santana has made for her.

"So I got some amazing news from Quinn today," Santana tells her as they begin to eat/pick at their food.

Brittany nods and raises her eyebrow in response as she forces herself to swallow another bite.

"Well," Santana continues despite Brittany's lack of interest, "the Rachel Berry is also signed to the label and Quinn thinks that I should collaborate with her!"

Brittany stops chewing and looks over at Santana.

"Quinn thinks that we should produce a single together and that it would be a great way of reintroducing me, as a kind of prequel to the album that I'm working on! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's great." Brittany sits up fully and puts her unfinished dinner down on the coffee table. "I've suddenly lost my appetite, I think I'm gonna head to bed early."

"That's all you have to say?" Santana asks incredulously. "And you've hardly touched your food."

"I'm just feeling a bit off tonight, Santana, ok?"

Brittany gets up and walks into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Santana's heart falls and her eyes prick with tears. She doesn't understand why Brittany is being like this. Santana thought Brittany would be happy about the positive turn her career has taken and yet ever since she signed with Quinn she had slowly become more and more sullen.

Santana gets up and walks to Brittany's bedroom door. Recently, Santana had felt like it was unofficially 'their' room no just 'Brittany's' room. Santana can't even remember the last time they spent a night apart, but standing there in that moment, Santana has never felt further from Brittany and she feels like she doesn't want her to sleep in the same bed as her tonight. So Santana turns around and walks the few steps to what she supposes is still her room, even though she never sleeps in there anymore.

…

Brittany tries to sleep in, she really does, because she knows she needs the rest but something doesn't feel right. She opens her eyes and sees that the space beside her is vacant. She looks around the room; she doesn't see any of Santana's clothes from yesterday that she usually leaves strewn over the armchair in the corner. Brittany realises then that Santana hadn't followed her to bed last night as she expected she would eventually do.

It's then that Brittany begins to get angry at herself. This isn't what she wanted. This secret was creating a rift between them and it was about time that she found out why she was letting it. Brittany decides that she is going to make use of having no shift today. It was time to pay a visit to her mother and finally work up the courage to ask her what needed to be asked.

….

Brittany enters the diner with a purpose. When she sees that her mom isn't out on the floor or behind the counter, she immediately makes her way up to the office. She doesn't bat an eyelid at the greetings and strange looks that she gets from the employees who are used to her bubbly attitude. Brittany storms into her mother's office. She groans in frustration and bangs her fist on the desk when she sees that she isn't here.

She sits down in her mom's chair and is determined to wait for her to get back.

It isn't long before Susan bustles into her office, clearly not expecting Brittany's presence. Instead of brightening warmly as she usually does when Brittany visits, she looks at her warily.

"Brittany, dear, what are you doing here? Now isn't really a very good time for me."

Susan puts her handbag down on her desk and then steps away from Brittany, rather than going to her for a hug.

"No, I need to talk to you now," Brittany orders.

"Brittany, that is no way to talk to your mother," Susan gasps as she absently fixes her hair and fidgets with her blouse.

"I'm sorry but I need to ask you something," Brittany says desperately.

Susan puts a hand down on the desk to steady herself and refuses to look Brittany in the eye.

"I don't know what could be so important that you couldn't just call me," Susan says, feigning ignorance.

"How do we know Quinn Fabray?" Brittany asks, cutting to the chase.

"I'm not familiar with that name," Susan replies hastily.

"Please, don't lie. This would be so much easier if you didn't lie."

"Brittany, I really don't know what you're talking about," Susan retorts.

"Yes, you do!" Brittany all but shouts. "Quinn told me that she only signed Santana because her mom told her to! And her mom only told her to do it because you asked her to!"

Susan's face falls.

"Quinn wasn't supposed to say anything to you about that," she says dejectedly.

"Well I imagine Quinn was hoping that I might have some answers as to why her mother would ask her to do it but I knew even less than she did."

"I don't know what to tell you, Brittany."

"Just tell me the truth. I have been hiding this from Santana for weeks now and it's killing me," Brittany begs. "Now, Quinn said that her mother owed you a debt?"

Susan waves her hand dismissively.

"It was never an official debt. I just knew that if I ever needed a favour, Judy Fabray would do everything in her power to achieve whatever I needed done and I only did it because I care about you and Santana. You were so worried that she wasn't going to find a label and I knew about Quinn so I made the call."

"I never doubted your intentions, although I am annoyed that you didn't say it to me first. What I really want to know though is what is your connection to Quinn's mother?"

"I can see that you aren't going to let this go," Susan relented. "So all I can ask is that you try to be understanding."

Brittany nods her head despite the apprehension building in the pit of her stomach.

Susan sits down in the chair across from Brittany and thinks about how she should begin.

"As you know, I moved here from the Netherlands with my parents when I was fifteen. I was enrolled in a local high school and that is where I met Judy Fabray, well, she was Judy Perkins back then, in junior year. We hit it off and we became inseparable. Everyone thought we were just best friends, and that's what it was at first, just best friends."

Brittany's eyes widen and her eyebrows raise as she can see the direction in which this story is heading.

"We were officially dating for the second half of junior year, that summer and right through senior year. It was all in secret of course. It's the usual story. I wanted to be honest with my parents and our friends. I got so tired of hiding our relationship but Judy was terrified. So we agreed that we would keep it a secret and then we would go off to university together after senior year."

Brittany's jaw is nearly on the floor at this point. This wasn't something she ever expected to hear from her own mother. Susan ignores Brittany's shocked reaction and continues with her account.

"Judy's mother grew concerned that she wasn't dating and that she showed no interest in going to our school dances. I begged her to just tell her parents about us, the school year was nearly over anyway. She told me that if she just went on a couple dates with a guy then it would all blow over. We got into the worst fight about it. We both said some awful things and I stormed out telling her to do whatever she wanted. Neither of us knew whether it had been a break up or not."

Brittany's heart ached at the pain her mother must have gone through.

"Later that night Judy showed up at my house. She was crying, completely inconsolable and it was obvious that she had been drinking. Even though I was angry with her I let her in and sat her down on my bed. I knew she was too upset to only be crying about our fight so I pleaded with her to tell me what was wrong. Eventually, she told me that she had been so angry that she went on a date with a guy from our class called Russell. I told her it was ok, that I had overreacted and that her fake dating someone was actually a good idea."

"That must have been hard for you to do," Brittany acknowledges.

"It was," Susan replies as the situation plays itself back in her head.

"I'm so sorry Susie!" Judy cries into Susan collar getting it wet with her tears.

"Look, it was just one date. We were both angry. We can just forget it ever happened," Susan assures her.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Judy sniffs.

"What do you mean?" Susan asks confused.

"I…I slept with him," she blurts out.

Susan's hands drop from around Judy's shoulders as she looks at her in anguish.

"What?" Susan gasps.

"Susie, I'm so sorry! I got so drunk and I was so angry. I know I shouldn't have done it but I did and I'm sorry."

Tears immediately start falling from Susan's eyes and her body is wracked with sobs.

"How could you do that to me?" Susan asks while backing away from Judy

"Please forgive me."

"What did you do?" Brittany asked.

"I forgave her," Susan said grimly.

"So you got back together?"

"Yes, but we didn't last for very long after that."

Susan and Judy had been working to repair their relationship. Judy told Russell that what they did was a mistake and she stopped speaking to him. At first they were happy that their plan was back on track. They were going to graduate and leave together.

However, Susan started to notice that Judy had become withdrawn. Susan resolved to talk to Judy about it when they next met up. So Susan waited for Judy to show up at the time they had agreed upon at their local diner.

Judy sat down across from Susan with barely a hello.

"You look lovely, as always," Susan complimented.

Judy winced and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath and composed herself. She drew her head up high and looked resolutely at Susan.

"I'm breaking up with you," she stated.

Susan's jaw dropped and she laughed nervously.

"That's not funny," Susan replied, giving Judy the opportunity to take it back.

Judy swallowed thickly.

"It's not a joke. We're done."

"Stop saying that," Susan retorted. "Why do you keep –,"

"I'm pregnant," Judy gasps out.

"No, wait we can -,"Susan tries to reason.

"So, you see we're over now," Judy informs her with tears in her eyes, trying not to fall apart. "I am going to marry Russell and you are going to go to university and forget about what we had. And, I am not going to ask you to forgive me again."

Judy gets up from the table and stands beside Susan who is staring blankly at the now vacant seat in front of her. She clutches Susan's shoulder, knowing that this is the last physical contact they will ever have. Judy then walks purposefully out of the diner.

Susan continues to stare at the seat across from her. She had just watched as her future crumbled away in front of her. Suddenly she wipes at her eyes and tears out of the diner after Judy.

"Wait!" she calls to Judy across the car park.

Judy stops but doesn't turn around.

"I forgive you," Susan shouts.

Judy turns around and looks at her with wild eyes as the wind whips at her hair, the question clear on her face.

Susan walks a few steps closer so that she doesn't have to shout but not so close that they are within touching distance.

"I know that it doesn't change anything, you're still going to marry Russell. I just need you to know that I forgive you because I don't want you to go through the rest of your life believing that I hate you. Because I could never do that, I could never hate you. I love you," Susan looks Judy in the eye for as long as she can before it becomes too much and she shifts her eyes to the ground while she shuffles her feet.

Judy begins to sob and the tears she had been holding back begin to fall. She races forward and pulls Susan towards her as she leans in and kisses her in desperation.

Susan kisses her back in earnest and holds her close before Judy abruptly pulls away, glancing her eyes around the car park and back towards the diner.

"I love you too," Judy promises as she backs away. Eventually, she turns around and walks away, determined not to look back over her shoulder.

"It's ironic," Susan tells Brittany, "that that would be our first and last kiss in public."

"I can't believe all this," Brittany confesses. "Your life could have easily been so different."

"Oh Brittany, dear, I don't think about all the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens'. That's just a sure fire way of tearing your mind apart. I also want you to know that I loved your father fully for the twenty years we had together. He was taken from us too soon."

"Did he know about your relationship with Judy?" Brittany asks without judgement.

"He did know. We met in university and we were honest with each other from the beginning. There is only one thing that I never told him," Susan admits.

"What didn't you tell him?"

"I kept track of Judy and her life. I needed to know that she was ok and that she was happy."

"And was she?"

"I believe that she came to be. I think she held onto what could have been a lot longer than I did but once she gave birth to that baby girl, she couldn't resent the life that she had."

"Quinn," Brittany states.

"No, her older sister Francis. Quinn is the same age as you actually."

"Why do I feel like I've met Quinn before?"

"You haven't, I promise you that. I haven't seen Judy since that day when I was 17," Susan explains. "You did, however, find my newspaper clippings of all of Quinn's and Francis' achievements. You were only 13 or 14 and you didn't know what you had found and you didn't think anything of it."

"Have you spoken to Judy since then?"

"That call I made for Santana was the first contact I've had with her since that day."

"Why would you do it? It must have been so hard."

"It was the hardest phone call I have ever had to make but when you look at Santana I see how much she means to you and I just wanted to do everything I could to make it work," Susan confesses.

"I understand," Brittany assures her, "but I think you may have caused a bigger problem in our relationship."

"How so?" Susan asks confused.

"How do you think Santana is going to feel when she finds out that Quinn only signed her as a favour?"

"Surely Santana doesn't need to know that."

Brittany tilts her head and looks at her mother sceptically.

"I want to be honest with Santana. After I didn't tell her about my engagement to Sugar, I can't afford to keep anything from her again, even if it is to protect her feelings."

"I'm so sorry that I've put you in such a difficult position, Brittany. I was only trying to help."

"I know," Brittany agrees as she gets up out of her chair. "Well I better go find Santana and tell her the truth."

Susan stands up and goes over to Brittany to give her a hug.

"I'm proud of you, Brittany."

"Thanks mom."

…

"I got your text," Santana says to Brittany when she comes out of the studio to meet her. "What's up?"

"Let's go get ice-cream or something and I'll tell you," Brittany says nervously.

"Ok, well I only have an hour or so, we were in the middle of recording," Santana informs her.

Brittany nods her head and turns to lead the way to a nearby ice-cream parlour.

"This place is cute," Santana observes as they sit down with their ice-creams. Santana, with a dulce de leche and Brittany with a mint chocolate chip.

Brittany simply nods in agreement.

"Ok, seriously Brittany, what is up with you? You have been off for a while now and you really upset me last night."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Brittany gulps.

Santana pauses mid lick of her ice-cream and narrows her eyes at Brittany.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Santana enquires. Her eyes then widen. "You better not be breaking up with me, Brittany! Is this break up ice-cream? Are you seriously breaking up with me in the cutest setting possible? Digame ahora."

Brittany nearly chokes on her ice-cream. Had she really been acting so strange that Santana thinks she would break up with her?

"No! Santana no! It is nothing like that. I actually hope that you don't break up with me."

Santana narrows her eyes and cautiously continues to eat her ice-cream.

"Spit it out, Brit, you're killing me."

"Quinn only signed you as a favour to my mom," Brittany explains steadily.

Santana stops eating her ice-cream and gapes at Brittany.

"What are you talking about?"

"I told my mom about how you were having difficulties finding a label to sign you. She took it into her own hands to make a call to Quinn's mother who she knew would be able to get Quinn to sign you."

Brittany says all this to the table as she is deathly afraid to look Santana in the eye right now.

"I don't understand. Quinn told me she thought I was talented," Santana falters.

"She does," Brittany assures her, looking into Santana's eyes. "Quinn just thought you were a risky investment because of Sue."

"But Quinn's mom told her to sign me because your mom asked her to?" Santana asks bemused.

"Yes," Brittany sighed heavily, glad that Santana seemed to be following.

"Why would Quinn's mother do that for your mom?"

"Now that is a very long story that I will have to tell you later. I'm sorry for what my mom did. I promise you that I didn't ask her to do it. When Quinn told me why she signed you it ate away at me for weeks. I didn't want to ask my mom difficult questions and I didn't want to destroy your happiness either. Can you forgive me?" Brittany asks.

Santana puts down her now empty ice-cream tub and reaches across the table to take Brittany's hand.

"There is nothing to forgive here, Brittany. You did nothing wrong. You took some time to make a difficult decision but you made the right choice. It may have taken you longer than I would have liked but you did it. You came to me and told me the truth and that means so much to me Britt."

Brittany sighs with relief and kisses the back of Santana's hand.

"You've no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"There is one thing though," Santana says. "I'm officially moving into your room."

Brittany smiles at her with a confused look.

"What do you mean my room? It's our room isn't it?"

"Well we never really said what it was. Sometimes it still feels like I am just occupying your spare space. I want it to be our room."

"I like the sound of that," Brittany agrees.

"Good, because I'm not spending another night away from you that I don't have to," Santana tells her.

"Come here, you," Brittany husks as she leans across the table.

Santana meets her halfway and they share a kiss that is probably a little too much for the middle of a crowded ice-cream parlour but neither of them really care.

When they break apart Brittany nudges Santana's nose with her own and leans against her forehead.

"So, what now?" Brittany asks.

"I think I need to talk to Quinn."

…

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think if you feel like it.

Aisling x