CHAPTER 7
A/N: Thanks to Tishamay, pacumeme57, Supergirl2121, GltAbbyPow, Itsskik, santana is my satan, BizzleB90, Mariu4, sandrienchen84, writersblock1000, Anon, Annarab, Tamardejong and the guests for their reviews. Special thanks to WhitWalk for proofreading this chapter, which is entirely told from Santana's POV. Enjoy!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON – IN LIMA – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS' – SANTANA POV
"What time will you get here?" Abuela asks me over the phone, as we are working out the details for the family dinner she's hosting at her place tonight.
"Well, I have to pick up the kids at McKinley around 4:00 and then, they have to pack for the grandparents' trip. So… I would say 7:00 PM? Is that alright?"
"That's perfect, mija!" She replies. "I'm really looking forward to it! And I have even found a way to further improve my recipe, so… I hope Melissa likes it!" She adds, much to my surprise.
"Melissa?" I frown. "But... Abuela, Melissa is not here."
"What do you mean, 'she's not here'?!" I hear her say in a reproachful tone.
"Well… Since I'll be busy the whole weekend with the Gleeks, there was no point for her to come along so… she went to Chicago instead."
"What?! But, mija… since you always complain I don't pay enough attention to her, I made her favorite, just for her! And I planned the quantities thinking she would be here! What am I going to do with the extra food now?" She asks.
"I'm sorry, Abuelita… I didn't realize you were expecting her to be here. But you don't have to worry about the extra food, Diego eats like four people!"
"But I had already factored that in, Santana! You think I don't know my own great grandson?" She replies in an upset tone.
"Can't you eat the leftovers on the next day?" I suggest. "Or we can take them with us if you prefer…"
"No, this type of meal won't keep! Which means that I have to find someone else to join us!" She sighs in complaint. "And since your parents are at a retirement party tonight, I don't know what I c- … Oh, what about Brittany? She must have arrived by now, right?"
"Abuela, we already went over this…" I sigh.
How many times do I have to explain the same thing?!
"Yeah, yeah, you're divorced, I know…" She replies, jaded. "But even then, your kids still deserve family time, Santana! And since they will be away with their grandparents the whole weekend, I'm sure Brittany wouldn't mind spending the evening with them!" She says and I sigh again, knowing there is no point in arguing further. Obviously, Abuela has already made up her mind and whatever I say won't change anything…
LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – AT ABUELA'S
"So, what did you do with Mr. Schue at the 'Glee kids' day'?" Brittany asks our children as we are all having dinner together.
"Sofia, Diego and I sang 'How deep is your love'." Gabriel replies. "We learned how to sing it in harmony while Diego also played the guitar."
"Wow, I definitely want to hear that!" I say, impressed. "Will you sing it for us after dinner?" I suggest and they nod in agreement.
"And please, tell me he also made you sing 'Don't stop believin'?" I ask in a teasing voice.
"Just like every year…" Diego says, jaded.
"Great, I can't wait to hear that too!" I laugh.
"But you hate that song!" Brittany frowns, turning to me.
"No, I hate it when I'm the one that has to sing it! But watching others going through that pain is a lot of fun, actually!" I reply while Britt shakes her head.
"So, mija…" Abuela suddenly says, turning to Sofia. "How is it going with the Irish boy? Are you two still together?"
"Always!" Sofia replies with a proud smile while I roll my eyes. Even in Lima, we can't escape that damn Leprechaun!
"Remind me again, what does he want to study?" Abuela asks.
"Sound engineering."
"Oh, that's right! An engineer, how interesting!" Abuela says, impressed. "And since he's Irish, I assume he's catholic… right?"
"What are you doing?" I ask Abuela before Sofia can even answer.
"What?" Abuela shrugs while our eyes are locked. "I'm just taking an interest in my great granddaughter's life."
"Really? Because it sounds like you're trying to find her a husband." I say, crossing my arms. "She's too young to be thinking of marriage."
"You were not much older than me when you proposed to mom." Sofia argues, making me turn to her in shock.
"That's so not the same!" I object.
"Why not?" My daughter asks with a shrug.
"Because in my case, time was of the essence! I didn't want to risk your mom realizing she could do better than me before I proposed!" I say. "But you have nothing to worry about, mija, because just like mom, you are the prize in your relationship! And the potato eater knows that! He's unfortunately not going anywhere, trust me."
LATER THAT NIGHT – AT ABUELA'S
As we're watching the kids perform 'How deep is your love' in the living room, I feel prouder than a peacock! I've always known they were individually talented but why haven't they performed together before? They sound so good! And Diego has apparently further improved as a guitar player, if that's even possible!
As Brittany and I exchange a look, I can't help but return her proud smile. No matter what else we fucked up, we did at least one thing right, because our kids are amazing! The next generation of Gleeks is clearly assured!
EVEN LATER THAT NIGHT – AT ABUELA'S
"Do we really have to watch that?" I ask, annoyed.
"Oh, I definitely want to watch more of this!" Sofia chuckles and I'm getting increasingly irritated. The kids have been mocking me ever since Abuela put on some old videos of me as a child.
"Do you even know how lucky you are, Santana?" Abuela says, turning to me. "I have no video from my own childhood! And considering the state of the old tapes, we would have lost these precious images of you if it was not for the neighbor!"
"Oh yeah, how tragic that would have been…" I mumble sarcastically to myself.
But after a few more minutes of laughter, I can't take it anymore and decide to retire in the kitchen instead.
A LITTLE WHILE LATER – IN ABUELA'S KITCHEN
"You're ok?" Brittany suddenly asks behind me, making me turn around.
"It's never a good sign when you take your glass of wine to another room…" She adds, pointing at the glass in my hands. Damn, nothing gets past her.
"I already don't like seeing myself on screen, but I definitely don't want to go back in that room if it's to be mocked by my own children." I complain.
"Well… for what it's worth, I thought you were really cute when you were three years old!" She says, stealing the glass from my hands to take a sip of wine, like she used to when we were married. "You've always been cute." She adds with a shrug and I'm pretty sure I must be blushing right now.
"Nice necklace, by the way…" I say, seeing she's wearing the one I gave her.
"Thanks…" She smiles. "I got it from someone that has great taste."
"Obviously…" I comment with a smirk, taking the glass back from her, to take a sip.
"Can I ask you something?" She suddenly asks and I silently nod.
"When you and Sofia talked about marriage earlier…" She says. "… did you really think I was the prize in our relationship?"
"Of course you were, Brittany!" I shrug. "Everyone knew you were too good for me."
"Well, I don't agree with that!" She protests, crossing her arms. "When you proposed, all I could think about was that the beautiful, fierce, talented Santana Lopez wanted me to be her wife! I felt like I had won the lottery!" She shrugs.
"Yeah, well… It took you long enough but you finally came to your senses."
"Don't say that…" She whispers sadly, shaking her head. "I didn't ask for the divorce, San…"
"I didn't either!" I immediately say.
"I know… That was just the last option we were left with, after all others failed…"
"Yeah…" I whisper, suddenly feeling sad.
"I bet that if you could go back in time, you would tell your younger self to run away as soon as I proposed." I say, poorly trying to lighten up the mood.
"I would still say yes." She immediately replies in a certain voice, taking me aback.
"Really? Even if you knew for a fact that we would get a divorce after 15 years of marriage?"
"Yes." She nods. "I would still want those 15 years with you." She adds with a shrug.
I don't say anything but I nod in understanding, giving her a small smile.
If it was me, I would also tell my younger self to still propose, arguing that it's better to have her for 15 years than none…
THE NEXT DAY (SATURDAY) – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS'
It's still early morning when we gather outside my parents' house, to say goodbye to the kids. They are about to go on their "fun trip" with all the grandparents and won't be back until Monday.
"I know you can walk just fine now, mijo…" I tell Diego. "… but your leg is not at 100% yet, you still have to be careful! So nothing crazy, ok?" I say, hugging him tight.
"Yes, I know!" He sighs, clearly annoyed. "Can we go now?" He pleads, looking at my dad.
It will never cease to amaze me how clingy kids are when they're little but how bad they want to get away from you when they're teenagers!
"I'm gonna miss you, kids…" I say, hugging my Gabriel. At least, with him, I know I'll get some love back.
"Really?" His sister questions in a sarcastic tone. "You will have time to miss us with all the singing, drinking and partying?"
Man, this girl is growing up way too fast.
"Yeah, with comments like these, I must say I'll miss you a little less." I reply.
"You're welcome!" Sofia sings songs and pats my arm, making me roll my eyes. She's becoming more and more like me with each passing day.
"Have fun, guys!" Brittany says as they get in the car. "And take lots of pictures! Oh, and text us!"
"And be good to your grandparents!" I shout as they drive away, while waving at them.
"And then, there were two…" I say, realizing how weird it is to be in Lima with no kids and none of the grandparents.
"Do you want to grab breakfast at Breadstix'?" I ask Britt.
"Sure!" She replies with a smile.
LATER THAT MORNING – AT BREADSTIX'
"So, how was the 'special' dance class that kept you in L.A until yesterday?" I ask Britt while we're having breakfast.
"Oh, it was great! I was teaching this young couple… They wanted a special choreography for their first dance at their upcoming wedding!"
"Oh, really? I didn't know you were giving that type of class." I say, surprised.
"Well, it was the first time. But I think I might do it again, I had a blast! And they were so in love, it was really cute!" She says. "They reminded me of you and me before our wedding." She adds.
"Do you fancy a refill, ladies?" The waitress asks us out of nowhere, before I can even say anything.
"Um… sure." I nod and she immediate pours some coffee in my cup.
"So… what are you going to sing today?" I ask Britt.
This year, Mr. Schue said that instead of us choosing songs ourselves, he would randomly pick an old solo number for each of us. I got 'Valerie' but I don't know what songs the others will do.
"I'm not telling you that!" She frowns. "Mr. Schue asked us to keep the secret until the reunion!"
"Oh, come on… I'll tell you which one I got!" I say, trying to convince her.
"But I don't want to know!" She objects. "It's more fun to find out live!"
"Fine, forget it…" I mumble in defeat, before taking a sip of coffee.
EVEN LATER THAT MORNING – AT McKINLEY - GLEE REUNION
"I'm so happy to see you, guys!" Mr. Schue says with a wide smile as we all take a seat in our good old choir room. "You know, our annual Glee reunion has become my favorite time of the year!" He adds. "But this reunion is very special, because it's the 25th anniversary of your victory at Nationals!" He says in a very enthusiastic voice while we all clap.
"And to mark the occasion, I have prepared a special program for you! Of course, we'll start with 'Don't stop believin'!" He adds, making me roll my eyes. At this point, this song will even be played at our funerals…
"And we will also sing 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light', because how could we not?" He adds. "Then, each of you will perform the songs I assigned to you. But the real surprise will come tomorrow!" He adds with a mischievous look on his face. What is he up to?
LATER THAT DAY – IN THE CHOIR ROOM
"Thank you, Rachel!" Mr. Schue says, clapping enthusiastically after her performance. It figures that Berry would get "Don't Rain On My Parade"… How random is Mr. Schue's selection exactly?!
At least, Brittany got lucky: she missed Rachel's number because she had to change. She's the next one to perform and I can't wait to finally find out what song she got.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen… Brittany will perform one of her iconic numbers, 'I'm A Slave 4 U'!" Mr. Schue announces.
Wait, what?
As the band plays the first notes, I see Britt enter the room, wearing a blue trench-coat.
I know I may be young
But I've got feelings too
And I need to do
What I feel like doing
She has barely said a few lines that she lets the coat drop off her shoulders, revealing the same sexy outfit as all those years ago. My eyes slowly go from her green bikini top to the damn tight shorts, and I can only swallow hard. God, she looks amazing! How can she even still fit in that, 25 years later? Especially after giving birth to twins!
All you people look at me like I'm a little girl
Well did you ever think it'd be okay
For me to step into in this world
"Wow, Brittany is fucking hot!" Puck suddenly whispers, immediately earning a slap on the arm from both myself and Quinn.
"Ow!" He says in protest. "Ok, I get why Quinn slapped me, but why did you?" He asks me. "You guys are not even together anymore!"
"She's still the mother of my children!" I say, frowning. "So, you don't get to speak like that about her, got it? Shush it now!" I add, my eyes quickly returning to Brittany.
I'm a slave 4 U
I cannot hold it
I cannot control it
I'm a slave 4 U
I won't deny it
I'm not trying to hide it
Britt and I actually had sex the day she first performed this song, and it's really no wonder! This choreography is so fucking hot that I find it harder and harder to look away from her abs and those sexy legs of hers! Especially when she moves with such confidence, like she's the boss! God, why did Mr. Schue have to put me through this torture…
LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – AT BREADSTIX'
"Have you heard from the kids yet?" I ask Brittany as we're having dinner with the whole Glee club.
"No... I just got a text from my parents, the one I told you about earlier, to say they had arrived safely."
"God, they're always on their phone - which we pay for, may I add - and they can't even bother sending us one text?" I complain. "That's it, I'm texting Sofia right now." I say. "Actually, no, I'm going to text Gabriel. He's our best shot!"
TO "GABRIEL": Hi mijo, how is it going over there? Are you having fun? I hope the grandparents are not sick of you all yet! Lots of kisses from me and mom.
"More wine, San?" Sam asks me, holding the bottle.
"Sure, Trouty Mouth… Hit me!" I say, pushing my glass towards him.
I have barely taken a sip of wine when my phone beeps.
"Finally! Britt, I've got a message from Gabriel." I say, turning to her.
"Oh, great! Show me!" She says in an impatient voice.
FROM "GABRIEL": Hi mama! All good here, it's a lot of fun! I'll send you some crazy pics from our roller coaster rides later :-) We just finished dinner and we're gonna go see a magician's show now! Everyone says hi!
"God bless that beautiful boy…" I sigh in relief.
"Well, it sounds like they're having a blast!" Brittany says with a smile.
"They sure are!" I agree. "But you know what, Britt? We should take a selfie!" I suggest. "To show them that they're not the only ones having fun!"
LATER THAT NIGHT – AT THE KARAOKE BAR
"Girl, that was awesome!" Mercedes says, holding her hand up for a high five, after singing "River Deep, Mountain High" together. And judging by how loudly people are cheering us on right now, it's safe to say we set the karaoke bar on fire!
"That was great, girls!" Rachel says with a smile while getting on stage next to us. "But please stay put, because I need you both for 'Pumpin Blood'!" She sing songs, before calling Kurt and Blaine to join us all.
As we're singing at the top of our lungs, I spot Brittany shaking her body to the rhythm of the music, with Mike and Tina. She looks really happy and also pretty drunk!
But I think at this point, we all are…
MUCH LATER THAT NIGHT – AT THE KARAOKE BAR
It's already 2:00 AM and yet, some of us are still at the bar. But we lost a few on the way: Artie, Mercedes, Sam, Rachel and Jesse already went home a while ago. Blaine and Porcelain are on stage right now, while the rest of us are sitting at the table.
"Okay, so… we're going to sing 'More Than a Woman'…" Kurt suddenly says into the microphone. "And since I see that some of our song partners are still here tonight, I'm officially asking Mike, Tina, Santana and Brittany to handle the dance part while my husband and I sing."
"What?!" I frown, looking at the others. "He's asking us to dance at 2:00 AM?! Is he kidding?" I complain.
"Come on, San…" Mike says, getting up at the same time as Tina. "You know how special the reunion night is! We have the rest of the year to rest!"
"As if that was only for tonight!" I immediately reply. "How much you bet we'll be here again tomorrow night, doing the exact same thing?" I ask but they are already walking towards the dance floor.
I turn to Brittany and see that she's already standing up, holding her hand out to me.
"Not you too…" I frown in despair.
"Come on, San… It'll be fun!" She smiles.
"I don't even know if I still remember the damn moves." I sigh, as she pulls me by the hand to the dance floor.
"That's ok, I'll lead you!" She says in a reassuring voice while we're taking our spot, next to Mike and Tina.
Oh, girl, I've known you very well
I've seen you growing every day
I never really looked before
But now you take my breath away
It beats me why two gay guys would sing 'More Than A Woman' but I must say that their voices are a good fit for this song.
Suddenly you're in my life
Part of everything I do
You got me working day and night
Just tryin' to keep a hold on you
Here in your arms I found my paradise
My only chance for happiness
And if I lose you now, I think I would die
Oh, say you'll always be my baby, we can make it shine
We can take forever, just a minute at a time
Just like I suspected, I don't remember the moves very well but fortunately, it gets pretty easy when I just follow Brittany's lead. It feels a bit weird to dance together on this though, especially when she places her hands on my hips like this…
It's crazy to think that the last time we danced to this song, Brittany and I were a couple, believing we would be together forever… And Hudson was still alive…
More than a woman
More than a woman to me
More than a woman
More than a woman to me
Just like 25 years ago, Brittany is holding me close to her, our hands clasped together, and I feel a bit intimidated. Except that one time we taught our Gabriel how to slow dance with a girl, we haven't danced together in years…
Staying true to the choreography, Britt makes me spin on myself, before making me lean back in a dip. Her blue eyes lock with mine for a moment and I suddenly find it harder to breathe.
There are stories old and true
Of people so in love like you and me
And I can see myself
Let history repeat itself
Reflecting how I feel for you
Thinking 'bout those people then
I know that in a thousand years
I'd fall in love with you again
Okay, these fucking lyrics are really not helping! As if I had not been flustered enough already today!
Fortunately, the song eventually comes to an end, and I rush to the table, to gulp my glass of wine. Maybe that will calm me down…
THE NEXT MORNING (SUNDAY)
The daylight wakes me up and I immediately feel the most awful headache… God, why do I always drink so much at these bloody reunions? As I grab my phone from the nightstand, I see that I have a text from Melissa.
FROM "MEL": Hi babe, how did it go last night? And how's the hangover now? ;-) Love you.
I smile upon reading her text and immediately type my reply.
TO "MEL": All I know is that there was a lot of wine and too many shots with Puck… I feel like a fucking truck ran over me! How are things in Chicago? Love you too!
As I scroll through my messages, I see that I have two unread ones.
FROM "MOM": Hi mija, how are you? We're all good and having a fabulous time here! I wanted to warn you that we're going on a treasure hunt this morning and we may lose phone signal at times. Don't worry if you can't reach us, we'll be in touch later!"
FROM "MR. SCHUE": Morning guys! Don't forget that we're meeting at 11:00 today. See you later!
Crap, what time is it? But fortunately, I see that it's only 9:00 so I have time to shower and eat something greasy… Hopefully that will melt away this massive hangover.
I yawn and stretch, before sitting up in bed, but my mouth drops in surprise once I see Brittany sleeping next to me. What is she doing here?!
I look at her in confusion for a moment, before finally noticing that I'm actually not at my parents', I'm at Brittany's parents'! What?
And that's when I remember: Britt was so drunk last night that we took a cab together and I even had to help her get to bed. I guess I must have passed out before going home…
But without warning, dozens of memories from last night suddenly flash through my mind: hands intertwined, passionate kisses, Brittany's naked body in my arms… And with every image, others come along: her intense blue eyes staring at me in bed, the taste of her in my mouth, and moaning filling the room…
Oh my God… it can't be, right?!
I immediately take a peek under the sheets, to check if I still have my clothes, but when I see that both Britt and I are fully naked, I know it was not a dream…
I had sex with Brittany.
A LITTLE WHILE LATER – AT BRITTANY'S PARENTS'
Still in shock, I find myself unable to move, my hand covering my mouth while my eyes are still set on Brittany.
God, what have I done… How did this even happen?!
I'm eventually pulled out of my trance when my phone suddenly vibrates in my other hand.
FROM "MEL": Oh, I'm having a great time here! I visited my brother and I also had dinner with Martin and Cassandra last night! I guess the Glee reunion continues today?
Oh my God, Melissa…! Fuck, what am I going to tell her?!
I'm now completely surrendering to panic, breathing rapidly. God, I have to get out of here!
I carefully get out of bed and despite my agitation, I manage to pick my clothes up off the floor and exit the room without waking up Brittany. I hurry into the bathroom and get dressed as fast as I can. But as I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I open my eyes wide. Oh my… I've got to fix that sex hair! I quickly grab a brush, to make myself look as presentable as possible. It's not great but that will have to do…
On my way back, I pass Brittany's bedroom door and stop for a moment. As I'm debating whether I should go back into the room, a thousand thoughts fly through my mind and I find myself frozen in my spot.
I take a long inhale and exhale, before eventually deciding to make my way to the front door. Without making noise, I get out of the house and carefully close the front door behind me.
A/N: What did you think of this chapter, did you expect this ending? As you can imagine, this is a turning point and I will further develop this storyline in the next chapter.
But I also have a very serious question for you and I would like your honest feedback. Many people keep asking me why Brittany and Santana got a divorce and I must confess that I was not planning to reveal the reason. Let me explain why…
When I first created the story, my objective was to explore how the girls would behave if they were no longer together, as I believed they would not do divorce like anyone else. It was the given context of the fic and I was not planning to analyze or explain it. I wanted to focus on what would happen after the divorce rather than what led to it. That's also why I chose to set the story 5 years after their separation, when they both had found a new balance. I don't even know why they ended their marriage. All I know is that they didn't cheat on each other, because that would be out of character.
And I think that if I pick a reason for their divorce (any reason!), it will only backfire on me. Somehow, it will affect their aura as a mythical couple, without actually bringing anything to the story itself. And I don't think it's worth taking this risk. So, I would rather let you find your own theory. But what do you think: is the reason of the divorce really essential to this story? Thank you in advance for your opinion!