Imagining Tigers

Chapter 8:

A.N.: So many reviews and follows and favorites. Thank you so much! Also, the part in italics at the startis a flashback. Enjoy!

I was descending the stairs of Brittany's apartment building, heading towards the exit when the door opened and said blonde appeared. I stopped dead in my tracks. Brittany was holding a very active Alice in her arms, tugging her by her neck to move but the blonde stayed still staring at me.

"Mommy time!" The little blonde shouted in Brittany's ear and put her tiny hands on her mother's face, effectively breaking our staring contest. The tall blonde took both of her daughter's hands with one of her own and sent her a warning look.

"I said ok, Ali. Please don't say it again." She said in a not so soft voice and Alice took the message and pouted but relaxed anyway. Brittany turned to look at me again and I noticed her tired eyes. She frowned at me."What are you doing here?" She asked. I descended the rest of the stairs and stood in front of her. I sent a wink and a smile in Alice's direction and she blushed and hid her face in her mother's neck, mumbling 'Tana', causing both Brittany and I to widen our eyes. I recovered first though.

"Wow Brittany." I breathed and she threw me a questioning look."Your three year old daughter can say my name and you can't." I teased her. She smiled weakly at me while her daughter giggled.

"I can." She said." But maybe I don't want to?" She wondered and I narrowed my eyes.

"Seriously?" I questioned in disbelief and she smirked at me. But then her face turned serious again.

"What's going on?" She asked looking around. I looked around too before answering.

"I had to talk to some people." I said and sent her a knowing look. Brittany nodded in understanding.

…

"Proceed to the examination of the witness, Ms. Lopez." The judge told me and I stood up.

"Thank you, your honor." I said and made my way to the witness."What is your name?" I asked.

"Ronald Carter." He said.

"Where do you work?"

"I'm retired." He said."I was a lieutenant in the police."

"Now what do you do?" I asked.

"I'm the head of a team of private investigators."

"Do you know Brittany Pierce?"

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"We live in the same apartment building."

"What is the address?"

"33, St. Michael's Street."

"Do you see her often?"

"Every day."

"Have you ever seen any men going in Brittany's apartment?"

"No. Never."

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and went to take my sit again.

"Proceed with the cross examination, Mr. Anderson."The judge said. Blaine stood up.

"Mr. Carter, you were a lieutenant in the police. So, you are observing and perceptive." He started while walking towards him."However, couldn't Ms. Brittany Pierce be able to accept visits at her apartment without anyone seeing her? Couldn't she be taking the right precautions? " He asked.

"No." Ronald said.

"No?" Blaine wondered."How do you know that?"

"My job is around the clock. I return to my apartment sometimes midnight, sometimes two or three in the morning and other times five or six." He said."If anything was going on I'd realize it."

"So, you agree with me that she could be taking precautions." Blaine said.

"I think at some point she would be seen if this was happening." Ronald retorted back.

"It depends on her ability to stay unnoticed." Blaine insisted and Brittany huffed.

"Objection, your honor." I said."The witness has already answered."

"Sustained." The judge said.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." Blaine said bitterly and sat down.

"Is there re-examination, Ms. Lopez?" The judge asked me.

"No, your honor." I answered.

"You can go, witness." The judge said."I call the witness Mr. Adam Hunt." The judge called and another old man with white hair and beard came in. I stood and made my way to the witness.

"What is your name?"

"Adam Hunt."

"Where do you work?" I asked him.

"I'm a child education inspector and I work for the government."

"Do you know Ms. Brittany Pierce?"

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"We live in the same apartment building." Adam said with a small smile at Brittany's direction.

"What is the address?" I asked.

"33, St. Michael's Street." He said.

"For how many years do you live in the same apartment building?"

"Nine." He said."Since she moved in."

"Does Brittany live alone?" I asked.

"No." He said. There was a brief silence.

"No?" I prompted him.

"No. She lives with her child."

"What is your opinion about Brittany?" I asked.

"She's quiet." He shrugged."She doesn't bother anyone, she doesn't cause troubles."

"Have you ever noticed any suspicious activities at Brittany's apartment?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He questioned me.

"Have you ever seen men going in and out of her apartment?"

"No. Never."

"Why are you here?" I asked him." Do you want to tell us something about the case that we are examining?" I asked knowingly.

"Yes."

"We hear you." I nodded at him.

"If Ms. Brittany Pierce was accepting visits at her apartment from clients in exchange for money, I would be the first to report her."

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm a child education inspector, as I said earlier." Adam started. "I care for the children's physical and mental right development, so I wouldn't accept anything else for any child. And Ms. Brittany Pierce has a three year old child." He finished.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor. Thank you." I said and took my sit beside Brittany's.

"Cross examination." The judge said. Blaine stood up and stepped forward.

"I don't doubt what you are saying, feeling and doing about the children as an inspector."Blaine started."But, you will agree with me that this woman could be a prostitute secretly."

"Objection, your honor." I interrupted."Mr. Anderson is trying to sow doubts about the truth of the witness's words." I said.

"Sustained." The judge nodded."Continue, Mr. Anderson."

"And I am telling you that she could be a prostitute secretly." Blaine stated again. Brittany huffed and flared her nostrils. I turned to her again and shook my head. Adam chuckled humorlessly.

"I know Ms. Pierce very well, and I am telling you again that I've never noticed such thing." Adam said with a not so friendly smile.

"I don't have any more questions, your honor." Blaine said and took his sit. I could tell that he wasn't happy.

"Is there re-examination, Ms. Lopez?" The judge asked.

"No, your honor." I answered.

"You can go, witness." The judge said."Are there any other witnesses, Ms. Lopez?"

"No, your honor." I answered again. When the judge dismissed the court I turned to Brittany."You ok?" I asked her. She looked around and then turned to me.

"Fucking infertile?" She finally let out quietly but definitely angrily."Why didn't you tell me about this?" She demanded frowning. I sighed.

"What would you do if I had told you?" I asked and looked at her pointedly. She huffed and looked away from me."Because I didn't want you to do what you just thought, Brittany." I said and stood up, starting to gather my things. She huffed and stood too.

"I don't need you to babysit me, Santana."She frowned at me and I turned to her.

"I'm not babysitting you." I told her firmly."I'm your counselor and I suggest you take my advice seriously and stay away from Sam." I said with finality. She huffed again, looking around."It's for your benefit."I shrugged. She looked at me again and sighed.

"Now what?" She questioned.

"Next time we plead and then we wait for the decision." I told her and she nodded. She turned to leave and I sighed turning back to gather my things. The blonde was so difficult sometimes but when it came to the trial I'd stand my ground. I was doing it for her anyway. I thought she was gone but I smelled her scent, vanilla and coconut, and then I felt the heat radiating from her body on my back.

"Santana." She sighed, her breath hit the back of my neck, causing goosebumps to rise all over my body. The change in her attitude was so sudden that left me in a daze. I turned around and saw that she was really close to me. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. I was pretty sure the blonde could do anything to me and I would still forgive her. But I didn't think she was capable of hurting me." I just never told you how thankful I am to you for doing this and I wanted you to know that." She whispered looking straight at me.

"You don't have to thank me, Britt." I told her softly and ignored my fast heartbeats at our proximity. I watched as her blue eyes wandered briefly to my lips and then back at my eyes.

"I do." She said, her voice back to normal, like she got out of a daze she'd been in."Thank you." She said again. She took two steps back to wait for me. I sighed again and turn to continue gathering my things. I'd kiss the blonde if she continued to look at me like that for a minute longer and if we weren't in court and if she wasn't my client. But those were a lot of ifs. When we got outside Brittany spoke up again. "What do you think?" She asked me and gestured towards the courthouse with her head. I sighed.

"Britt, I'm not gonna lie to you." I started softly and she looked down biting her bottom lip."Your past is a really powerful card in their hands and I know it's unfair but…"I trailed off and shrugged. When she looked at me I smiled sadly at her."It depends on how judgmental they are." I finished.

"But you owned them in there."She said frowning, effectively boosting my lawyer ego but I ignored it.

"We're gonna have to wait and see. You did everything you could, ok?" I told her softly. Although I believed that I managed to prove that she wasn't a prostitute anymore and that Finn Hudson was lying, it still didn't mean she'd win the custody. The fact that she was once could give the custody to Sam. So, I said nothing and just hoped that everything would be fine.

"Ok." She whispered.

…

"Santanita, when am I gonna see you again?" My mother whined. It was Monday afternoon and I was at the office when Maribel decided to call to bother me.

"I don't know mami, I'm really bus-"I started to say but she cut me off.

"Busy and tired. I know." She said and I could imagine her rolling her eyes. "When are you coming home?" She asked me and I huffed. Just then there was a knock on my door and I said loudly 'come in'.

"Look mami, I'm really busy right now." I said as the door opened and Brittany appeared. I arched my eyebrows at her in surprise and she waved at me. She was wearing sweats and a tank top, she probably came here straight from the dance studio. I held up one finger and she nodded. I brought my attention back to the phone and realized that Maribel was talking.

"…married? I'm the only one from the group that doesn't have grandkids." She whined again and I groaned while Brittany was getting a sit opposite me. I turned the conversation to Spanish.

"I'm not getting married anytime soon, so you're gonna have to wait for grandkids" I said. There was a brief silence.

"Santanita." Maribel started. "Do you have a secret girlfriend?" She asked like she was asking about the weather, causing my eyes to widen and Brittany to arch an eyebrow at me. I blushed.

"I don't have a girlfriend mami." I said really fast. Brittany was watching me in amusement.

"When am I going to meet her?" Maribel asked ignoring me. This is not happening. I groaned again and my mother got the message."Ok, I'll leave you to work but promise you'll come visit us soon." She said. I frowned at the word 'us'. I really didn't want to see my father but I agreed anyway.

"I promise." I said and we hang up. I put the phone down and grabbed my pen, leaning my elbows on the desk. I turned my attention back to Brittany."What's up?" I asked.

"You speak Spanish?" She asked and I nodded looking around and then back at her. She smiled at me and I smiled back. "So…" She trailed off dropping her smile. I frowned at her and watched as she played with her piercing on her bottom lip."Do you want to tell me something?" She asked then and I frowned.

"No, the only thing was about Sam's wife." I told her. She was looking at me with an unreadable face for a long time and I started to get worried."Brittany?" I called her name.

"Did you tell Quinn about the case?" She asked me bluntly, the same expression still on her face. My eyes widen.

"What? No!" I exclaimed dropping my pen."Why? Why would you think that?" I asked in alarm.

"Well…" She started and looked around then back at me. "I replaced Mike today and she was looking at me weirdly during the whole class." She said. She was calm and that was weird.

"Weirdly?" I wondered. How did Quinn learn about the case? Only if Blaine said something.

"Like I killed her cat or something." Brittany shrugged."And I know for a fact that I did no such thing." She frowned and shook her head."I like cats." She added seriously, but still calm. I eyed her for a few seconds. Why was she so calm? That couldn't be good.

"I'm so sorry, Britt. I swear I didn't tell anything to anyone. But Quinn and fucking Anderson work at the same firm so maybe she heard it from there? I don't know. I'll talk to her." I told her quickly. I really didn't want this to bring Brittany's walls back up again and cause me to lose her trust. But she just nodded at me and I just had to say something. "Wait, you're not mad?" I asked and she sighed. She leaned forward in her chair.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked and showed me her tattoo that was visible on her chest. It was really beautiful, a purple flower that had blue in the background.

"A flower?" I asked lamely. She smiled weakly at me and nodded.

"It's a gladiolus. It has lots of different meanings but for me…" She trailed off and took a deep breath."For me it means honor and moral integrity and dignity." She said looking straight in my eyes causing shivers to go down my spine at the intensity of her gaze. She leaned back in her chair again. "And I gained those things back when I came to New York to do my own thing, away from that life. But because I am not ashamed of myself and don't let what I did define me, doesn't mean that it's the same for other people too. And I just hate it when people judge me without even knowing my reasons. So, I keep my distance."She told me. I found myself staring at the blonde with a look of pride and adoration. But then she spoke up again."Quinn can think whatever she wants as long as she stops eyeing me like that." She warned me and continued." So, now that your friend knows that you're representing me, if you want to quit then that's ok, I guess." She said and shrugged like she didn't care but I could see the sadness in her eyes. My eyes widen in horror and shock. "Can you even do that?" She asked.

"No!" I exclaimed loudly. She was startled by my outburst but relaxed again.

"Oh, ok. You're stuck with me then." She said and winced. My eyes were still wide.

"What the hell, Britt?" I frowned."Why would I want to quit?" I wondered exasperated.

"Uh, because your friend knows that you're representing me?" She wondered unsure. "It's ok. You told me that I could trust you and I did and you helped me." She shrugged and continued."But now that your friend knows, I don't know if you're ashamed or something." She said not looking at me.

"Britt!" I whined."Will you stop talking?" I frowned at her and she frowned back."Why would I be ashamed? I'm fucking proud of you, not ashamed!" I exclaimed. She stared at me and I stared back.

"Proud?" She finally asked breathless.

"Of course!" I said, my voice still high-pitched."I'm not naïve. I might not know exactly your reasons but I know you did it for your family and that's selfless and brave. And you're the strongest person that I know, being exposed for your daughter like that is not easy." I told her honestly."And Quinn…I'll talk to her." I finished. Her face was once again unreadable."I'm not quitting." I added quietly.

"Ok." She nodded. She looked around then back at me."I have to go. I'll see you Wednesday at the court." She told me shakily. She stood up and left before I could say anything. I stayed there wondering if I said something wrong. I replayed the conversation in my mind again and thought that maybe I was too honest with her, telling her things that she couldn't handle just yet. I sighed.

I decided for the time being to deal with Quinn's weirdness. I'd go by Quinn's apartment after work to see what was going on.

…

I knocked on Quinn's apartment's door and waited until she opened.

"What the hell, Q?" I asked bluntly frowning at her.

"San?"Quinn wondered."What are you doing here?" She asked me but I ignored her and walked past her and in the living room.

"What's your problem with Brittany?" I asked once she closed the door and came into the living room too.

"I don't have a problem with her."She said defensively and I snorted.

"Then stop glaring at her. She doesn't like it and it won't be my fault if she comes onto you." I warned her.

"San, it's not like that. I swear." She said quietly and went to sit on the couch. Only then I noticed the tiredness and sadness in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly and sat next to her. Quinn took a deep shaky breath.

"Nothing. I just heard about this case and I honestly had no idea that Brittany had a kid." She said, not looking at me. I understood what this was about.

"Q…" I sighed softly."Don't do that." I told her.

"I just wanted to talk to her but that'd be weird. Like, I've never talked to her before and then just go and tell her that I think she's a great mother? I'm not a crazy person." She said and leaned back in defeat." I had no idea, San. She's been through so much, being a prostitute and got out of it, then falling pregnant and that asshole leaving her and now trying to take her daughter away from her and Brittany is still fighting for her."She kept rambling, now her eyes filling with tears."And what did I do?" She asked and choked a sob. I immediately pulled her in my arms."I..I-I j-just sent my o-own d-daughter away-y." She was a sobbing mess in my arms. I kept her while she was crying for long moments until she found her composure again and leaned back sniffling. I smiled softly at her.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to Brittany, Q." I told her quietly. "You were just a child yourself, no one is judging you for giving her for adoption. You did the best for her, you knew you couldn't raise her. That needs a lot of strength to do too." I said and watched as she wiped her tears away with her hands.

"Yeah." She breathed and smiled sadly at me."I just wanted her to be happy." She said quietly.

"I know." I told her softly. "And that shows how much you love her." I smiled at her too.

"You think so?" She asked me, looking down at her hands.

"I know so." I told her confidently and she looked at me again. I decided to lighten the mood."Now order something to eat cause feelings make me hungry." I said and rolled my eyes while kicking off my heels and settling further on the couch. Quinn knew that I was being playful because she rolled her eyes too and chuckled. She got up to do as I said and muttered a 'thank you, San', making me smile at her sincerity.

A.N.: I know I've been updating pretty fast but after Monday, I don't think I'll be able to upload that quickly. Anyway, what do you think about this chapter?