Chapter 4
*Reposting*
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
The next four chapters are not edited. Apologies for any grammatical errors.
BRITT'S POV:
/
I booked a small function room at 'The Avenue', a posh restaurant here in LA for Tina's baby shower. Mike, Tina, Sugar, Artie, Sam and Cedes arrived a little over half an hour after me. The room is just the right size - not too big so the guests would have the chance to interact with each other, and not too small to allow room for movement.
"Gosh Britt! This is wonderful! Thank you so much! The place is so beautiful! Thank you for organizing this." Tina says dramatically. Tina insisted that the party be more of a get-together with our (and their) old friends than the traditional baby shower.
"Anytime, Tina. You're one of my bestfriends. I'll do this again if you ask me." I smile at her.
"Thank you."
"HEY GUYS!" We were cut off from our conversation by Blaine, Kurt, Puck, Rachel and Quinn who all excitedly crushed us into a tight hug.
"Oh my God! You made it!" Tina squeals in excitement. "I didn't think you'll be here!" She hugs the group who were as excited as she is back.
"All the way from New York! We wouldn't miss this. You look ravishing, Tina." Rachel gushes.
"Thank you! You are all so sweet. And you brought gifts!"
"Sure did! Both for you and little Chang!" Puck winks. "Sammy boy! Cedes!" He beams when the couple walked up to us. "Artie! Sugar! You all look spectacular." I watch the to groups hug each other and I admittedly, I felt a pang of pain at the sight. There's one person missing here.
I sighed.
Puck, Kurt, Blaine, Quinn and Rachel are Santana's friends who eventually became close to me when San and I were together. Sugar, Artie, Sam and Cedes are my childhood friends from Boston and because of San and I, our respective groups turned into this one, big, happy family. Whenever Santana's free, we would take a day or two off to go somewhere (with Santana flying one of their family planes to fetch everyone). The last get-together we had was a little over three years ago, at the Lopez's Cape Cod property.
"Where's San?" Blaine asks as he looks around.
"Huh?" I ask back.
"She told me she's coming." Tina answered and I look at her in confusion. "I invited her when she came to visit me at home a few days ago."
"I see." I nod, my heart thumping wildly against my chest. "Well, if I were you, Tina, I won't keep my hopes up." I shrug.
"Britt..."
"I'm sorry Tina. Come on, there are more guests arriving, so you better get over there now. I'll escort these brats to their table." I smile at her.
"Okay. Thanks Britt." Tina went on to greet her and Mike's colleagues while I showed our friends their table.
Soon, the party officially started and everyone is having fun. The couple wanted to have booze around (juice for Tina, obviously). Two hours into the party, we at the table all stopped to look at Sugar, who gasp in surprise.
"Oh my God! Are my eyes deceiving me or is Santana freaking Lopez actually walking towards me?"
"Towards us, silly." Sam corrected her.
"Hello guys." She greets us. "What? No hugs now?" She teased and just like that, Sam, Cedes, Sugar went to hug her.
"Santana! I missed you!" Sugar jested.
"I missed you too, Sugar." Her face softened at my friend's words. Out of my Boston friends, San has been the closest with Sugar. "Now, you have to loosen your grip a little, honey, since there's probably a hundred more people who are dying to hug me too." She ribbed.
"Shut up! You're still so conceited." Sugar lets go of San and she walks around to hug everyone. When she was behind me, I can sense all of our friends trying their best not to focus their attention on us.
"Britt..." She whispers. "It's so nice to see you again. Can I hug you?" I sighed and gave her a one-arm hug before going to the buffet table to grab some more drinks.
The rest of the night was awkward for Santana and I as we tried our best to avoid each other. As the night progressed, I saw Santana talking to almost everyone in the room, some of them she's met for the first time. For my part, I spent the night downing a couple of vodka while watching my estranged wife from the corner of my eye.
"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat and I looked up to see Kurt smiling kindly at me, a drink on hand. "I can't help but notice that that's your seventh glass since we arrived. Are you okay, Brittany?"
"Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?" I forced a smile, but Kurt, being the sensitive lad that he is, saw through my facade.
"Oh dear..." He offered me a gentle hug and that's when something inside me started breaking again.
"She's really getting married, huh?"
"It's not really what it seems, Britt."
"What does that even mean?"
"Look, I'm not in any position to tell you -."
"Why not? You're one of her bestfriends." I challenged. He sighed.
"Just know that the reasons she had for marrying you are not the same as the ones that she has for marrying again."
"So she's remarrying." I said through gritted teeth. "You know who she's marrying?"
"Jen." He whispers. I stopped circling the mouth of my glass with my fingers at the sound of that name.
"Jen Ford? Like, Jenny, Santana's friend?"
"The one and only."
"B-But..." I shake my head in disbelief, glancing at Santana before focusing on Kurt again. "But she's just a good friend. San doesn't even like her half of the time..."
"Look, Britt..." He whispers again, inching closer so I could hear more clearly. "I'm gonna get in trouble for this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Their fathers are bestfriends and colleagues. So." He shrugs.
"Are you saying -."
"I'm not saying anything." He winks before moving back to sit on his stool properly.
"When's the wedding?"
"Depends on when you'll sign the divorce papers, of course."
"Oh."
"Yeah. She's being pressured though. They want it right after the divorce is finalized. I'm surprised no one came here to force you to sign. And I'm not talking about Santana."
"I see." I nod, more to myself than to his words. "Can you excuse me for a second, Kurt? I need another drink."
"But -."
"I'll be back in a few." Without saying another word, I left him for another round of drinks.
/
THREE HOURS LATER
SANTANA'S POV:
/
I just finished bidding everybody goodbye and am now preparing to head to the airport where my plane is waiting when Sugar grabbed my attention.
"What's wrong Sugar?"
"It's Britt. She's drunk. We've been trying to get her home but she keeps on asking for you. Can you bring her home?"
"Let me just make a call, okay? I'll be there in a minute."
"Thanks San." I nodded and called up Todd, my co-pilot to inform him that I can't make it on time for our flight back to New York before heading to Britt's direction.
"S-San! Come dance with me!" She slurred as she hugs me.
"I got her, Tee. Where are her keys?" Tina rummages through Britt's purse and handed me the keys. "Thanks Tee. I'll see you soon, okay? Thanks for inviting me." I kiss her on the cheek before gently dragging Britt towards her car.
"I wanna dance with you!" Britt lets out.
"Some other time. I have to get you home."
"Home? No - No! No! I don't want to go home. I want to stay here with San. I'm all alone. I don't wanna go home." She pouts.
"You're drunk, B. You need to sleep." I managed to put her seatbelt on before getting into the driver's seat.
"San?"
"Yes, Britt?"
"Are you getting married?" She slurred. I kept mum, focusing my attention on the road. "Are you getting married?' She repeats.
"Let's talk tomorrow. You need to rest."
"Tomorrow?" She giggles. "Hundred bucks...say...you won't be here tomorrow!" She laughed. I opted to keep quiet and Britt stopped talking too. It took fifteen minutes for us to reach her apartment.
"What are you doing?" She asks as I help her to her bed.
"Helping you get on your bed. You need to sleep, you're gonna have a killer headache tomorrow." I opened her closet and picked out an oversize shirt before helping her out of her dress.
"Where do you live? Do you live here? With me?"
"No, Britt, I don't. Come on, let's get you changed so you could sleep."
"But where do you live?"
"New York. Britt, please? Arms please?" I heaved a sigh of relief when she cooperated.
"New York? That's where you and I used to live!"
"Yeah." I said softly. I got off the bed and headed for the kitchen for a glass and a pitcher of water.
"D'you know why I don't live in New York anymore?"
"Hmmm. Drink some water, B." She did as told before plopping down on her pillows.
"Do you know why I'm not in New York anymore?" She asked again.
"You don't love me anymore?" I teased as I fix her blanket.
"No! No silly! Of course I love you. I love you so much!"
"Then why?"
"You forgot to come home." She says nonchalantly before drifting off to sleep; leaving me frozen on my spot next to her on the bed.
It wasn't until my phone rang that I snapped out of my daze.
"Hey Kurt. Yeah, she's sleeping now." I walked towards the bathroom, intent on finding Britt some Tylenol, while answering my bestfriend's queries.
"I think I'm gonna stay for a while. Just an hour or two, I guess. Yup. I'm still flying. Of course, I'm still flying back. Hmmm..." Bingo. I got a hold of a couple of Tylenol before going back to the bedroom.
"I need to, Kurt. I need to drop something off to Edward's desk in a few hours. Then I'm flying to Sweden for some lessons and yes! Yes, I'll be there for Burt's birthday. I'll be back from Sweden before 6 pm and will head straight to your Dad's place, I promise." I sighed while listening to his rant about the dangers of flying.
"Kurt, chill! I can fly any plane with my eyes closed." I cut his rambling with my trademark 'flying cockiness', as they call it. "I know, Kurt. Thank you. Yes, I'm being careful, you know that. Alright, I'll text you as soon as I land in New York. Bye."
I took another look at Britt's sleeping form before placing the pills beside the pitcher on the bedside table. It was upon doing so that I noticed a familiar envelope tucked underneath her lampshade. I hesitated for a moment before moving to open it.
Inside were the divorce papers, all torn in half.
"Oh Britt..." I breathed out before putting the pages back in the envelope. With renewed hope, I returned the envelope back under the lamp before placing a featherlight kiss on her head before lying down next to her, careful not to touch nor disturb her.
I just took this serene moment to drink in the sight of the only woman I've ever truly loved. The woman I've married seven years ago - in haste and with burning passion.
This is the woman I've vowed to love and protect, but in the end, this is the woman I've hurt deeply with my absences. I still remember Britt's shaking form when I came home two days after Christmas.
"In the fours years that I've been married to you, do you realize that you've missed three Christmases out of four? Huh, Santana?!"
It was hard for Britt. She made excuses for me, explaining to her parents and our friends why I couldn't be there at times that were important to everyone else. Sometimes, Britt wondered if I was purposely avoiding the holidays because such occasions were depressing to me as a kid.
But whatever the reason, Britt always felt hurt when I couldn't make it home no matter how good my intentions were of my efforts to be there - understandably so.
It was the way our life was - for most part of it, at least. It came to a point where we lived around my trips and my inability to stick to plans.
"You're always either coming or going or away!"
Britt seldom complained. But she was disappointed. I saw it in her eyes all the time.
And despite being the most patient person I've ever known, it took its toll on her, nonetheless.
/
THREE DAYS LATER:
BRITTANY'S POV:
/
It was three in the morning when my phone started to wail incessantly, making it impossible for me to ignore the call.
"'Lo?" I greeted groggily, not bothering to look at the caller ID.
"Hey Britt, it's Puck. We're outside your apartment. Can you let us in?"
"Puck?"
"Yes, Britt. I'm with Quinn."
"What's wrong Puck? It's three in the morning!" I groaned while putting on my robe.
"It's urgent. Can you open the door please?"
"On it." I walked towards the door sleepily and sure enough, right in front of me are Puck and Quinn, looking rather tired and somber. "Come in. What's the matter? You look like someone died. What are you doing here?"
They looked at each other before Quinn grabbed my hand, ushering me towards my couch.
"It's Burt's birthday today -." She starts but I cut her off.
"I know. I can't come because of an emergency meeting though."
"Yeah. Puck and I were in the area for a meeting too. We're supposed to fly to New York later." Quinn nods, still not letting go of my hand. "Listen, Britt...San was uh, scheduled, to fly from Sweden today for Burt's birthday dinner. But the thing is, she decided to join two pilots who wanted to act out their dream of crossing the Atlantic using a Cessna aircraft first. The flight plan was to go via Canada, across the Greenland ice cap and then back to Sweden via Iceland." Quinn gulped, looking at Puck, as if asking for help.
He carried on. "Britt, we received a message from Kurt. The Swedish authorities called Santana's family half an hour ago. They couldn't find their plane."
"I'm sorry?"
"They couldn't find Santana's plane. They disappeared. There's an ongoing rescue mission. We're hoping for the best, but we have to be prepared -."
"No - No. Wait. Have you tried calling Santana? Maybe her phone just died. I always couldn't contact her whenever she's away, but it's only because she fails to charge her phone. And you know her! She says she'll board this flight, but not really, she'll take the next one. Let me get my phone -." I rambled, but Quinn was quick to hold me back.
"Britt, the records show she boarded that plane together with the two other pilots. She signed her name. She also sent out a mayday call." Quinn's voice broke.
"But maybe they just couldn't be traced. Santana is an excellent pilot. You know that! She can fly through any conditions. And she's an very good swimmer. Surely, if they crashed somewhere, she'll be able to swim." I said hysterically.
"Of course. We know that. If there's anybody who could survive this, it's Santana. She's a fighter. Our best hope would be, if she got out of the plane in time." Puck says softly.
"And there are witnesses saying they have survival suits. We just have to continue praying and hoping for the best."
"I need to be there. Are San's parents already flying to Sweden? Her siblings?"
"Her parents are too frail to travel. Her brothers are monitoring the rescue mission via phone. They've already sent some of their planes to help." Puck informs me.
"What?! Through freaking phone?" I stand up from my seat and started fiddling with my phone.
"Britt -." Quinn says but I cut her off. I found the contact number and immediately pressed the call button.
My call's picked up after five rings.
"Edward. I was wondering when you're going to tell me that San's plane is missing." I paused to listen to Edward Lopez stutter. "I don't give a flying fuck about SOPs! I'm the wife! I don't want to hear it, Edward! Now, listen carefully. Here's what you're going to do. You're going to call whoever you need to call because I want a plane waiting for me at the airport now. Do you hear me? I'm going to Sweden. I know you can do that." Edward started to shout his instructions in the background. "All set? I'm going to the airport now. Goodbye."
I look at Quinn and Puck who were pretty shaken up by the telephone exchange between me and Santana's eldest brother. "I'm going to Sweden. You coming?" I didn't wait for their response (though I faintly heard them say 'yes') as I ran towards my bedroom to change.
A minute later, I'm ready for my flight to meet Santana.
/
Okay. This plane mishap is a little personal to me as a close family friend figured in a plane crash almost a year ago. He didn't make it, but I know he's in a great place now. So I ask you to please say a little prayer for him when you read this :)
Santana's case though, is derived from one crash that happened a couple of years ago (will tell you in the next chapter).
Also, watch out for the Kurt-Brittany conversation in the next chapter. Let's just say Santana called him after she left Britt's apartment :P What did she tell him?
Let me know what you think!