Imagining Tigers

Chapter 9:

I didn't speak to Brittany in three days. We were in the court room and Brittany came just before the start, so I didn't have the chance to talk to her. She looked really tired and her face was pale.

"Your plead, Mr. Anderson." The judge said. Blaine stood up and stepped forward.

"We are before a woman who was a prostitute for many years." Blaine started and Brittany took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "She was having sexual intercourse in exchange for money. So, if the custody goes to her, then perhaps the child might encounter danger." Blaine said looking around at the jury before he continued. "The former prostitutes go back to the business. Even if there's a reason or not. Even if they want to or not. Even if they need to or not." I glanced at Brittany and shook my head warningly, effectively causing her to deflate. The murmurs from the audience were not helping. "We are before a former prostitute, her child, and the father of the child." Blaine continued. I glanced at Sam and saw that he had a hopeful look on his guppy face.

"What are we going to choose? The best and the safest for the physical and mental development of the child. And that is not necessarily the mother. Because, if the mother goes back to her old job, then who guarantees us the right development of the child?" Blaine wondered. "Since the child is a girl, then she can easily give in prostitution. And since her mother had been one for years, then she would be a bad example for the child." Blaine said. Brittany's face went blank, and this was the worst, because the blonde was so unpredictable, I didn't know if she was going to punch the guy or just up and leave. "Finally, I plead the jury to give the custody to the father." Blaine finished.

I turned to Brittany and she was looking at me. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were pleading and it broke my heart.

"Your plead, Ms. Lopez." The judge interrupted our staring in each other's eyes. I stood up and stepped forward.

"I won't dwell. Besides, the truth is obvious." I stated in my lawyer voice. I ignored my feelings for Brittany's sake, I wanted to do this right. "Your honor, during the examination we heard Mr. Anderson state that Brittany Pierce is not a good mother. Well, I don't believe that there is such thing as good or bad mothers, except for some particular cases. And Ms. Pierce is definitely not one of them. Most women feel inside of them the maternal instinct." I said and turned to Brittany, she had the same look on her face. "The nature of the job that Ms. Pierce practiced in the past is not the factor that will determine if she is a good mother or not. But her actions towards her child will." I continued.

I got worried when I glanced at Brittany and saw the same expressionless face staring right at me but I ignored it to continue with my speech. "In this case, this woman, who Mr. Anderson called, haughtily and with no right, a prostitute, has proved in actions her love and care for her child, unlike the father." I said and turned to look at them. Blaine looked down and Sam looked around nervously. "The testimonies of her innocence are before you with the conviction that there will be justice for a mother who is fighting to keep her child from the father, who is trying to take it from her with made up reasons that do not stand." I said strongly. "Mr. Anderson failed to document the accusations," Blaine rolled his eyes, " because of the lack of evidence." I said pointedly looking at him. I turned to the jury. "I plead the jury to aid the effort of some women, who were once prostitutes, for their reintegration to the society. For their right to be treated as equals from the state, like every other citizen of this country. The only thing they ask is a chance, are we going to deny them that?" I asked and eyed the jury. "Thank you." I said and took my sit again. Brittany was staring ahead, her face still expressionless.

The judge dismissed the court, saying that the decision will be announced tomorrow. Brittany remained sited and I watched her until the room was almost empty.

"Brittany?" I dared to ask. She looked at me.

"Let's get out of here." She said.

…

We walked in silence all the way out of the courthouse. When we got outside I saw that Sam and Blaine were there too and I mentally cursed. This really wasn't necessary. I glanced at Brittany and saw the frown she wore.

"Please be calm." I whispered to her pleadingly and she turned to look at me, her face softening. She nodded.

"Britt I -" Sam started but the blonde cut him off.

"Don't call me that." She said and passed by him. I thanked god that she didn't want to start an argument. But Sam had other ideas. He grabbed her arm and turned her around. "What the fuck, Sam?" She barked.

"Brittany please." He started. "Just hear me out. It's not like that." He said pleadingly. Blaine was looking at the scene without doing anything. I huffed.

"Hear what?" She frowned at him angrily.

"She's my daughter too. You know she'd be better with me. You can't not know that." He said and I could tell that he actually believed that he was right.

"You're so full of shit." Brittany told him still angry, shrugging her arm out of his grasp. "You don't even know what she looks like. She's definitely not your daughter. And she definitely wouldn't be better with you." She said as she got closer to him and pointed her finger on his chest.

"You didn't make her on your own, you know." Sam retorted back lamely. Brittany scoffed.

"I raised her by myself." She said and pointed to herself. "The only thing you did was to put your fucking dick in my vagina." She told him lowly and narrowed her eyes. I cringed at her crude words and Sam huffed.

"Why does that bother you? It's your fucking job, isn't it?" He asked sarcastically. I decided that was enough and stepped in before Brittany could kill him. I grabbed her arm as she flared her nostrils and pulled her back.

"Just don't." I told her and shook my head. She huffed and turned to leave, but not before sending a death glare towards Sam.

"I'll win this case and you know it!" He shouted at Brittany's retreating form. She stopped and turned. "You shouldn't be getting angry with me Brittany, I might not let you see her ever again. I don't want bad influences near my daughter." Sam said with a smile. The blonde shook her head before turning once again and leaving, surprising me because I honestly thought that she'd at least answer him back. In my opinion, that was the worst reaction she could have, quiet Brittany couldn't be good in these situations. I huffed and turned to Blaine with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" He asked.

"How can you be so insensitive?" I asked him and gestured towards Sam. I expected Blaine to hold him back but he did nothing. He shrugged.

"It's nothing personal Santana. This is business." He told me and I huffed at him, not bothering to answer. I turned to leave too, walking fast to catch up with Brittany.

This was definitely personal. And the worst thing was that Sam's words might come true. His chances of winning were really high and it depended on the jury's decision if Brittany could see her daughter again. If the jury didn't give her the right then Sam was the one to decide whether Brittany could see her or not. My heart broke just by thinking about it.

"Can I walk you home?" She asked me once I reached her. I looked at her questioningly but she shook her head at me, silently asking me to not ask any questions so I just nodded at her and started to guide her towards my apartment. It'd be a long walk but Brittany was with me so it didn't really matter to me. After a couple of minutes the blonde pulled out of her jacket a packet of cigarettes and a lighter and lit up one. I sighed.

"Is that really necessary?" I wondered. She looked at me from the corner of her eye but said nothing before returning her gaze ahead of us and blowing out the smoke. I sighed again. I couldn't understand her emotions. Was she angry? Sad? What? "Are you mad?" I finally settled. She again said nothing while taking another drag and I sighed again. It was like the first day I met her.

We continued walking in silence until Brittany finished her cigarette and flicked it in front of her, stepping on it when she reached it. When she heard me sighing again she finally spoke up.

"I'm mad." She simply said, eyes still forward. I turned my head to look at her and she took a deep breath. "But I'm mad at myself."

"Why?" I frowned at her.

"Because I actually let them get under my skin. I actually believed that fucking gel-haired guy." She said, her face still expressionless and her voice, although she was trying to come out strong, was shaky. I frowned and grabbed her arm to stop her so she could turn to face me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She didn't look me in the eye and she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. I could see in her eyes the start of a breakdown.

"Maybe I'm selfish, wanting her to stay with me." She started and her eyes filled with tears. "Maybe I am a bad example for her. Maybe Sam is better than me." She choked back a sob and my heart broke at the sight in front of me. But before I could speak she beat me to it. "I just love her s-so much." The tears were running down her cheeks and she was breathing hard. "I-I want-t the b- best f-for h-her. Maybe" She took another deep breath. "M-maybe h-he's the b-best for h-her." She was fully crying and before I could form a thought to comfort her she lunged into my arms and wrapped her strong arms around my neck tightly, burying her face to the crook. My eyes widen and I stood frozen for a whole minute. Her body flushed against mine and her scent surrounding me were preventing my brain to function but once it did I set my bag down and raised my arms and hugged her back around her slim waist, sighing sadly. I rubbed my hands comfortingly up and down her back while she was shaking from her sobs, ignoring my heart that was trying to get out of my chest. I figured Brittany allowed her walls to go down in front of me because I told her, although Quinn knew about the trial, I still wasn't ashamed. And why would I be?

"Britt."I told her strongly after a few minutes to get her attention. "Don't you dare." I said firmly but my voice was soft. "Did you forget already what you told me about your tattoo?" I asked and she shook her head. "Because I didn't. This is what they want, Britt. They want to bring you down. You've been so strong for so long, you can't give up on her now." I continued my encouraging words. She stopped shaking but she still held her face hidden in my neck. "Do you really believe that fucking guppy-looking asshole is better than you?" I asked and heard her sniffling, but her face stayed buried to the crook of my neck, her breath sending shivers down my spine but I ignored them. "He is the selfish one. He remembered her just because his wife can't have his children. Like, tell that to homosexual couples, right?" I asked with a smile to lighten the mood and she leaned back to look at me but kept her arms around my neck and I kept mine around her waist, stopping my comforting movements.

Her beautiful blue eyes were red from all the crying and my heart broke seeing her like this. Her eyes went to my lips causing my gaze to go down to her pink lips as well so I spoke again to distract myself. "And don't ask me how I learnt about that, cause if I tell you then I'm gonna have to kill you." I told her seriously and she breathed through a smile. But then she dropped her smile and bit her lip. I swallowed hard. We were really close. "He's been M.I.A. her whole life, Britt. He doesn't even know that Ali looks like she's your twin time traveler sister from 24 years ago." I whispered to her but neither of us was laughing anymore. Our lips were only a few inches away from each other's.

"Thanks." She whispered back leaning even closer, her gaze still on my lips, her breath hitting my face and making my knees go weak. No, we can't kiss, I thought. But I knew that if she was to go for it then I wouldn't be able to stop her. I could barely hold myself back. But she did go for it. She leaned in all the way and pressed her lips against mine for the first time. My eyes widen and my heart skipped a bit. Her touch was soft and it caused me to relax and close my eyes, exhaling through my nose. She didn't move, she just kept her soft lips against mine. But then she quickly pulled back, her eyes snapped up to mine and widened like she just realized what she did and dropped her arms from around my neck and took a step back, effectively causing my hands to drop from around her waist too. She shook her head and looked at me pleadingly. But I couldn't understand what she wanted from me. "I have to go." She told me quickly and looked around.

"Britt." I tried to calm her down but she shook her head at me again.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said and turned to leave. I watched her as she vanished down the street and I took a deep shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair. I looked up at the sky sighing. Kissing Brittany, even if it was just a touch, was amazing. It took my breath away and made my knees go weak. After that I just knew that I was in trouble.

…

Later that afternoon I was sitting on the couch in my apartment watching TV. I wasn't really watching, my mind was occupied trying to figure out Brittany. She was sending me mixed signals and I was really confused with her. I knew she wanted to kiss me. And she did. And I knew I had to talk to her but I also knew she was emotional because of all this that was happening with her daughter and I was just there to comfort her. My thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. I grabbed it from the coffee table in front of me and opened the new text message.

From Brittany: I'm sorry about earlier

I frowned at this.

To Brittany: What for?

Maybe I didn't want to know but I had to ask, to put my mind in rest. I was definitely not sorry that she kissed me. My phone buzzed again.

From Brittany: Doesn't matter. Ali and I are going for ice cream. Wanna join?

I was confused by her change of subject but the surprise of Brittany asking me to join her and her daughter won my attention. I definitely couldn't say no to that.

To Brittany: Sure.

…

We were sitting at a small table inside the ice cream parlor. Opposite me was Brittany with Alice sitting astride on the tall blonde's crossed legs, both of them facing me. Alice was playing with the plastic spoon and the ice cream in the cup and Brittany would steal it from her every now and then to eat some, making the little blonde pout.

"So, you know so much about me." Brittany started while watching her daughter playing with the spoon. "Tell me something about you." She said and glanced up briefly at me before turning her attention back to her daughter.

"What do you want to know?" I asked her. I shifted in my sit and crossed my legs while playing with my own spoon. Brittany eyed me carefully, her tongue playing with her piercing.

"I remember you told me that you know about being exposed. I was wondering what you meant by that." She said. I looked up in surprise because I didn't think that she'd remember that but apparently I was wrong.

"Uh.." I shifted again in my sit and took a mouthful of ice cream to buy me some time. "I was outed as a lesbian in high school by a TV commercial. And you know, Lima, Ohio is a really small town so…" I trailed off. It was only fair her asking me about that but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable talking about. Brittany took the spoon from her daughter again, who protested with a pout and whined, and brought some ice cream to her mouth, her eyes never leaving mine.

"You're gay?" She asked me putting her free hand in front of her mouth which was full of ice cream and then gave the spoon back to her daughter who took it eagerly and started playing again. I looked at her blankly, not sure if she was kidding or not. After long moments that I didn't respond she finally let a smirk take over her face and I huffed, looking down at my cup of ice cream.

"That wasn't funny." I mumbled and she laughed, causing the little blonde to giggle too, although I didn't think she understood why Brittany was laughing.

"Oh come on, San." The tall blonde pouted playfully looking at me through her eyelashes and I rolled my eyes at her. It wasn't lost on me that she called me 'San' but I didn't say anything. But then Brittany turned serious and took a deep breath. "Santana…" She trailed off and looked down at her daughter. I hoped that she could explain to me what was going on between us. "I uh..I-" She cut herself off and sighed. "I can't do this." She finally whispered and I sighed too. Why did she kiss me then? I wondered but a little squeal and a 'Tana' caused my attention to drift to the little blonde in front of me who had her hand extended, trying to reach me. My eyes widen and I looked at Brittany for permission. She nodded her head at me and I reached my right hand to grab a small pale one. But little Alice was stronger than she looked and pulled my hand in front of her and rested it there on the table, playing with my fingers. Brittany smiled at us.

"Well, this is comfortable." I said sarcastically but it definitely didn't bother me that my right hand was on the other side of the small table, in Alice's mercy. Brittany chuckled.

"Deal with it." She said and nuzzled her daughter's cheek. "My baby gets what she wants." She said, her words muffled by Alice's cheek and then placed multiple kisses there. The little blonde was too busy playing with my fingers to whine about the sloppy kisses. I smiled at them but then sadness took over Brittany's face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." The tall blonde said straightening up and shook her head. "It's just that, this might be the last time that I get to do this." She whispered and leaned down to press a soft kiss on the top of Alice's head. The little blonde leaned her head back on her mother's chest and looked at her upside down, smiling cheekily at her, still holding my hand. The tall blonde stuck out her tongue playfully at her daughter and I smiled at their interaction with adoration. Brittany looked at me again when her daughter went back to playing with my fingers. She smiled sadly at me.

"Britt, you don't know that." I told her softly and she nodded. "We did everything we could."

"Yeah, I know. And thanks for everything." She said and looked at her daughter again, wrapping her arms around her. I sighed. Brittany might lose her daughter the next day so it'd be selfish of me to bring up what was going on between us. So I just let it go.

A.N.: So, what did you think?