There are an endless number of reasons why I love Brittany Susan Lopez-Pierce, which is probably mostly due to the fact that she is honestly the most beautiful person I've ever met, both inside and out.
I love how she can be both smart and sexy while still somehow managing to stay playful and carefree.
I love how she is strong in every way a person can be strong, whether it be emotionally, mentally, or physically. Not only that but she also has this air about her that is contagious, making everyone around her feel stronger just by association.
I love how she never kills anything if she doesn't have to, no matter how small. If she runs across a little insect or spider inside the house, she usually just finds a way to pick it up and let it go outside.
I love how she enjoys doing little things that most people would probably never notice, like holding the door open for random people and always tipping the servers at restaurants well, even when they provide terrible service.
I love how she tucks the covers around me we're cuddling in bed. It's something her dad used to do when she was little to help make her feel safe at night, and she always tells me that she wants me to feel the same way.
I love how despite her not dancing in real life, Brittany still dances in her dreams. Literally. I can't tell you how many times I have been randomly woken up in the middle of the night after one of her dance moves turns into a kick in the leg or an arm thrown across my face. Still, it's all so totally worth it.
I love how well she knows me, like how I am always super grouchy before my first cup of coffee.
Most importantly, I love how Brittany loves. She's a lover through and through, and when she loves something, she does it with her whole heart. It doesn't matter if it is her friends, her family, or the animals she cares for on a daily basis. If she loves something, she will love it unconditionally.
There is no love like her love, and I am lucky enough to experience the full force of that love every single morning I wake up. Every single evening when I get home from work. Every single night before we go to bed. On the weekends when we are sharing a lazy day in bed. At holiday gatherings with our families. I get to share every moment with this woman, even when we are not together.
She is my soulmate, and this life we've built together-It's honestly what dreams are made of.
"Hi, Babe. Just wanted to let you know I'm here," I informed into the receiver of the cellphone pressed between my shoulder and ear as I removed the key from the deadbolt and slipped it back into the mailbox where I had found it.
These Pierces, I swear. At least I now knew Brittany's inability to properly hide a key was partially due to her parents' inability to properly hide a key.
"Hey, sorry but I actually got a little caught up with something at work, so I'll be running just a little bit late. Go ahead and start without me, and I'll be there as soon as I can," Brittany replied as I watched our three knucklehead pups and their Uncle Dakota came running up to meet me.
"Are you sure? I mean, I still feel kind of weird being at your parents' house alone," I admitted as I walked into the kitchen and opened one of the French doors to let the dogs outside.
"San, I promise it's going to be okay. My parents already told all their nosy neighbors that we would be taking care of Dakota while they are on their annual ski trip, so no one is going to call the cops on you," Brittany teased with a light chuckle before switching to a more encouraging tone as she added, "I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?"
"Alright. See you then," I reluctantly grumbled before hanging up. Once all the dogs had successfully made it outside, I took a moment to watch them happily run around in the yard before shutting the door and making my way over to the laundry room where Britt's parents kept Dakota's food. Just as I was nearing the hall, however, I heard the quiet creaking of the floorboards just outside the doorway and immediately stopped.
Someone else was in the house.
Feeling my heart thumping in my chest, I quickly tiptoed over as quietly as I could and peeked around the corner to find something I didn't expect at all. There, standing a few feet away, was Brittany looking just as shocked as I was.
"What the hell kind of a joke is this? Because whatever it is, it's not-" I shouted out as I stepped into the hallway before feeling all the words escape me. The girl standing before me was much too young to be my Brittany. There was also a clear lack of scarring on her chest that should have been peeking out from the v-collared shirt she was wearing.
Holy shit.
"Sorry! I must have the wrong house. I mean, this is obviously the right house because this is where the time mach- Uh, I mean, this is-or was, I suppose-where my parents used to live. Anyways, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" the young girl sputtered out as she tried to find a way out, not knowing if she should run back down to the basement or leap out the nearest window.
"No, wait!" I suddenly yelled out, trying to keep her from running away. "It's okay, Brittany. You're right. This is still your parent's house."
"It is?" she asked in shock before eyeing me suspiciously. "How do you know? Or better yet, how do you know my name?"
"Because, I-Well, we're-Uh," I stammerd before finally settle on raising my left hand and wiggling my ring finder to help give her an idea of what I was trying to say.
"Woah, hold up. Your my-my-"
"Wife? Yes."
"Oh my God, I married a super model," she mumbled out with a dazed look on her face.
"Actually, I'm a lawyer, but thanks for the complement. Anyways, do you, uh, want to have a seat and maybe talk for a bit? I'm sure you have a few questions to ask me," I replied as I motioned back towards the kitchen.
"Uh, yeah, s-sure," Brittany replied as she slowly edged her way around me and into the room. Following closely behind, I noticed her abruptly stop in her tracks and look around the room as she slowly took everything in. "It's all different," she noted as she eyed the new sleek new cabinets and kitchen appliances littering the room.
"Yeah, your parents did some remodeling a few of years ago. Your mom still refused to let go of that puke green-colored mixer no matter how much your dad begged her, though."
The blonde let out a little chuckle, releasing some of the tension between her shoulders as she responded, "I don't doubt it. She loves that damn thing." Glancing back at me, she carefully added, "So, I assume you already know I'm not from this time."
"Yep, you and I have talked about your time traveling many, many times. How old are you, by the way? You're a senior in high school, right?" I inquired while I tried to recall the age Britt was when she made the time jump as we each took our seats at the table.
"Yeah, I'll be eighteen in a few months. How long have we been married for?"
"It'll be three years this April."
"Wow," she instantly whispered out in awe. "D-Do we have any kids?"
"Nope, no kids. At least, not yet," I answered with a small smirk.
"But we have at least one pet, right?"
Feeling my smile grow, I gave her a firm nod and confirmed, "Yes, we actually have three happy, healthy dogs. One of which you've recently tricked me into getting."
"I tricked you into getting a dog? How?"
"By using your knowledge of the future against me, of course. Then again, I suppose this is all my undoing since I'm the one telling you about him right now. Anyways, we have a Golden Retriever named Layla, who you adopted from an animal shelter right after graduating from ve-I mean, from college," I quickly corrected myself, almost forgetting that she didn't know she was going to be a veterinarian yet. Taking a brief second to regain my footing, I continued, "Then there's Delgado, a black Lab who inadvertently helped us meet. Last but not least, there's Trip the German Shorthaired Pointer. He's the one you tricked me into adopting."
"What the hell kind of a name is Trip?" she questioned with a furrowed brow.
"I know, right?" I agreed with a loud laugh. "That's exactly what I said, but I promise you, he has earned every bit of that name. Trust me."
Giving me a skeptical look, the young blonde slowly conceded, "Okay, I guess I'll just have to take your word on it for now. So, what about Lord Tubbington? Is he-well, you know?"
Noticing the nervous look in her eyes, I quickly assured, "Oh, no! Definitely not. Tubbs is still very much alive and kicking. Present-day you once told me he somehow found the fountain of life and dove right in. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how factual that information actually is, but after learning about all the time traveling and such, I have a hard time believing anything is impossible."
"Oh, good. That's a relief," she airily breathed out as she noticeably relaxed.
We both sat their a little longer, both sharing small details about our lives before Past Britt regrettably told me that it was probably about time for her to head back to her own time. A little saddened by how little I got to speak with her, I carefully inquired, "Would it be okay if I hugged you?"
"Y-Yeah, sure thing," Brittany nervously replied as we each stood up from our chairs.
Walking into her open arms, I pulled her in close and whispered, "You take good care of yourself, okay? I still want to find you in one piece the next time I see you."
"Will do."
"You're going to grow up to do great things, Brittany. Just remember that."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be doing better than just great," she remarked as she pulled away to look me up and down with the same sly smirk I'd seen a hundred times.
"Well, if I didn't believe you were a young Brittany Susan Pierce before, then I most certainly do after that comment. Eyes up here, by the way," I teased after noticing her eyeing my chest. Once I knew I had her full attention again, I added, "Now get your wanky ass back in that time machine before you miss your bedtime, Little Missy."
"Bedtime? Seriously? You do remember I'm in high school, right?" the girl inquired with a slight chuckle as I started pushing her back towards the basement door. Catching the pointed look I shot her way, she quickly amended, "Okay, fine. I'll go right to bed when I get home."
"You better or else you'll be in big trouble the next time I see you."
"And you're calling me wanky? Sounds like a pot-kettle situation if you ask me," she retorted with a cheeky grin and an exaggerated wag of her brow as she made her way down the steps.
"Oh, hush, you! That's not what I meant," I laughed out in response. Raising my voice a little to make sure she heard me, I told her, "Have a safe trip back, Little Britt. Be careful!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll see ya when I see ya, Future Wifey," Brittany shouted back, throwing one last wave over her shoulder as she disappeared down into the dimly lit basement.
It wasn't long before the present Brittany came walking through her parent's front door. Upon seeing me, her face instantly lit up as she greeted, "Hey, Babe. How was your day?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me that I was the person you saw?" I instantly spat out before I could think to say anything else.
Already knowing what I was referring to, Brittany gave me a small smile and replied, "Same as always, San. I didn't want to say anything that might throw of the space-time continuum and all that jazz. Plus, I wanted to give you a fair chance to change everything if this wasn't the life you wanted for yourself."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm actually quite content with the life I have."
"Same here."
"Good," I responded with a broad grin before remembering something from Past Britt had said. "By the way, can we talk real quick about the whole you'll-be-doing-better-than-great-as-in-doing-me thing, Britt? Because honestly, what kind of lame ass line was that?"
Rolling her eyes, she exasperatedly huffed out, "Come on, San. I was a hormonal teenager. What did you expect?"
"You say that as if anything has changed."
"That's because it has," she stated seriously before allowing her signature smirk to pull at her lips. "I'm clearly not a teenager anymore."
"True. You are now a woman who still can't seem to find a way to pull her head out of the gutter."
"Hey, you're the one who married me!"
"Speaking of which, do you think it's too late for me to go find young you and take back the whole, 'Spoiler alert: we get married!' thing? Hypothetically speaking, of course."
"Hey! Take that back!"
"Nope," I teased just before she launched herself in my direction. Quickly turning to run, I sprinted as fast as I could out of the room, but I was no match for her long legs as she easily caught up to me and captured me in her arms. Knowing she was about to start tickling me, I plead, "No, please no! I'm sorry! I'm-"
That's when I noticed someone peaking their head out from the doorway leading to the basement. Realizing that I had been distracted by something, she followed my line of sight to find the same small, teenage brunette I was carefully watching.
"Hey, Moms! What's up?"
I felt Brittany immediately go stiff as I stood up a little straighter and asked, "Excuse me?"
"Ah, crap!" the girl groaned out before looking directly at Britt. "Sorry, Mom. Not even a minute in and I already broke your don't-drop-the-M-word rule. My bad." There was a slight pause before she added, "You'll totally forget about this by the time I get back to my own time, right?"
"Doubtful," Brittany deadpanned as she did her best to shake off the initial shock and changed the subject. "So, I'm guessing that makes you our daughter."
"Yep, I'm Sugar from the future! Nice to meet you! Well, sort of. You know what I mean," the girl replied with a beaming smile, and I couldn't help but glance over to Brittany, already knowing she was thinking the same thing.
Boy, were we in a world of trouble.
Author's Note:
Well, that's the end for this one. This fic has been an absolute blast to write, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to bring this story to life. That being said, I'd like to remind everyone that I do plan to write a sequel-of-sorts sometime in the future. It's just hard to say when exactly that will be right now because I have a few other fics I'm currently working on.
I guess it's also as good a time as any to mention that I'm also planning to write a sequel-of-sorts for Paperwoman, which I hope to be posting the first chapter of sometime in the near future. It's been way too long since I've written for that verse, so I am really excited to get back to it.
Anyways, I guess that's it for now. Thank you so much for everything, and I hope to see you all again soon!