Chapter 10 – Mytilene, Thermi on Yera, Kalloni Salt Pans, Molyvos

They got up Sunday morning and took their time packing up and having a leisurely breakfast before they headed out.

Their first stop was the Olive Wood House to find something to hide the money in. They had considered storing it in the travel backgammon/chess set but realized that when they wanted to use the set, there would be nowhere to put the money.

They browsed for about thirty minutes when Brittany called Santana over.

"What do you think?" She showed Santana a selection of jewelry boxes and "pirate treasure chests".

"They're not very big," Santana frowned as she looked at the boxes. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something.

"Britt … what about those?" She pointed to a shelf that held round canisters. As they moved closer they saw the label on them; case for sugar. Brittany picked one up and lifted the lid.

"I think this would work. We can roll the money and put it inside and it'll just look like another souvenir." Brittany nodded. "Yeah, I think this will totally work. We can get two; one for each of our mothers once they're done being our piggy banks."

Santana grinned and they quickly made their purchases; along with a yin-yang candle holder set that caught Brittany's eye.

They got back in the car and headed out toward Molyvos

"Hey, San?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's stop at the thermal baths again. Then maybe we can check out the Kalloni Salt Pans on our way to Molyvos?"

"Salt Pans?"

"Yeah, it's a saltwater nature park, sort of. They mine salt but there's, like, tons of birds and other wildlife. I'd like to take my camera and see if I can get some wildlife pictures."

Santana nodded. "Okay, baths then birds. Sounds like a plan."

Brittany wiggled in her seat. "Thanks, Santana!"

Santana laughed and shook her head. She'd do anything that made her girl that happy.

Xoxoxoxoxo

The trip to the baths was pretty much the same as the last time. Private bath, mind-blowing sex, dip in the sea, shower, early lunch, and back on the road.

They got to the Kalloni Salt Pans just after mid-day which gave them plenty of time to hike to the higher hides to spy on the birds. Santana had a pair of binoculars so she could help scout and Brittany had attached a telephoto lens so she could take better pictures.

They got to the hide and settled in, scanning the area. There was a huge flock of flamingos and Brittany snapped a dozen pictures of them while Santana scoped out the area.

"Britt … look, over there," Santana pointed to an area slightly left of where Brittany was shooting.

"Oh, wow, it's a pied avocet," Brittany said, snapping several pictures. "This place is really kind of awesome."

They both continued to scan and Brittany managed to get pictures of bee eaters, pratincoles, black storks (which really excited her), glossy ibises (which Santana thought were actually really cool looking), and black winged stilts.

"Oh my god, San, this is amazing!" Brittany could barely stand still as she snapped picture after picture of the birds.

When she finished, she grabbed Santana's hand and they walked down to the water. There she spotted several turtles and snapped their picture as well. They wandered around for a bit; Brittany taking random photos of whatever she found interesting, including the large salt mounds that dotted the area.

Brittany decided she'd snapped enough pictures and they readied themselves to leave.

"I can't believe this place is so small yet has so much to do," Santana was looking at the guide book as they walked back to the car. "I'm about ready for a shower and some food, though."

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, me too. I've had a lot of fun today but we've been in the sun most of the day and I'm ready to shower the grit and salt off, grab some food, and go to bed."

They reached the car and Santana unlocked it. "Then, my lady," she said, opening Britt's door for her, "your chariot awaits." She grinned as Brittany climbed in, kissing Santana's cheek as she did so.

"You're such a cheeseball but I love you for it."

Santana's grin grew to a full blown smile as she got in on the driver's side and pointed them toward Molyvos.

Xoxoxoxoxo

After stopping for dinner along the way, it was about eight o'clock when they got to the Olive Press Hotel and made their way to the reception desk.

"Hi. I'm Santana Lopez, I have a reservation."

The young woman at the desk smiled and typed into her computer.

"Okay, there's a note here that says to let the manager know when you arrive. So, if you could both wait a moment, I'll let him know you're here."

Santana and Brittany nodded and went to sit on one of the comfortable couches near the lobby windows. The hotel was nice, if understated. Nothing real flashy but it looked clean, the guests that were milling about looked relaxed and happy, and the staff seemed friendly and courteous.

"Santana?" A tall man with dark hair, a thick mustache and a thin build stood before her.

Santana stood up and offered her hand. "I'm Santana, this is Brittany. You must be Giorgio?"

He shook her hand warmly then turned and shook Brittany's as well. "Yes, I am Giorgio Kardemos. Spyro is my brother. He had a lot of good things to say. So did my nephew, Sotiris." He gestured for them to follow him. "I will show you what we have, I am not sure if you can work with it. We don't have a karaoke sound machine or fancy screen with the words."

They walked through the lobby and through the restaurant to a decent sized room just off to the right of the restaurant. There was a baby grand piano set slightly to the left of a small stage that held a stool and a single microphone. Scattered about the room were round tables that could accommodate anywhere from two to six people; maybe seventy people in all.

Santana nodded. "I play the piano but I'm more comfortable with a guitar. Is there anywhere I can buy one?"

Giorgio nodded. "There is a music shop in Petra, just a few miles south of here. Should be ten, maybe fifteen, minutes by car."

Santana looked at Brittany and they had a wordless conversation before Santana looked back at Giorgio.

"So what is it you want me to do?"

"You sing each night for two hours with a half hour between the hours. So from eight to nine then from nine-thirty to ten-thirty. You get three hundred Euros plus a free room and dinner."

After some back and forth, they came to an agreement of five hundred Euros per night, a free room and dinner each night, performances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights in the lounge from eight to nine and then ten to twelve. On both Saturday and Sunday afternoon she would play for an hour and a half at the beach bar. They shook on the deal then Giorgio had a bellman take Santana and Brittany to their room.

Giorgio had upgraded their room to a small suite; a small sitting room with an attached kitchenette, bedroom, and bathroom. It was small but clean and comfortable.

Brittany quickly shed her clothes and headed to the shower. They had showered after the thermal hot springs but their time at the salt pans and the drive to Molyvos had left her sweaty, dirty, gritty, and salty. She was only in the shower for five minutes when Santana slipped in behind her and wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist.

"Hey. You didn't wait for me."

Brittany smiled. "I felt really gross. I figured you'd join me." She turned in Santana's arms and kissed her softly.

They took turns washing each other's hair and body before kissing deeply under the spray of the water as they rinsed off. Brittany had always loved showering with Santana. The intimacy always seemed so much deeper when they were naked and wet and in each other's arms even without having sex.

"I love you," she whispered against Santana's lips.

Santana smiled. "I love you, too."

They got out and dried off, wrapping towels around themselves. Brittany shed her towel and slipped between the sheets to wait for Santana while Santana blow-dried and braided her hair to prevent the unruly mess it would be in the morning. Brittany struggled to stay awake as she waited for Santana to join her. She felt the bed dip as Santana slid in next to her.

"Hi." Deep brown eyes, creased at the corners, smiled at her.

"Hi." They were lying next to each other, facing one another.

Santana reached over and pulled Brittany closer. Brittany scooted over and danced her fingers down Santana's side, stopping to caress her hip as Santana did the same.

"So, I was thinking," Santana started.

"Oh? About?"

"We came here to relax and reconnect but we've spent a lot of time not doing that. I mean, I've been singing and you've been filming and editing the footage then posting it. So I thought, our tickets to Hawaii are open, why don't we go to Skala Eressos and just lie low there for a few days. It's supposed to be the birthplace of Sappho so that girl-on-girl paradise you were looking for is probably there." Santana grinned. "Then I thought that we had all this money …"

"You have all this money," Brittany corrected. Santana had earned it and Brittany didn't want her to think she had to share it.

Santana shook her head. "No, it's ours. You sang with me, you filmed it, you edited and posted it, you supported me in it. So, WE have all this extra money, and I've barely touched what I had budgeted for Lesbos. I thought maybe we could check out Athens, then maybe the canals of Venice, or the Eiffel Tower? Maybe just, I don't know, bop around Europe for a bit? I mean, we're here, we don't have any real pressing reason to go back, we have the money," Santana shrugged, "just seems like a wasted opportunity if we don't take advantage of the fact that, right now, we're young and relatively free of responsibilities."

Brittany smiled brightly. This woman. This incredible woman. "You're something else, you know? That sounds kind of amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Totally. I'd love to see the Eiffel Tower at night, and maybe Vatican City, the Acropolis and the Parthenon, Madrid, maybe even the UK. I don't know. We can map it out and check prices for travel and whatever but, yeah, I think it's an awesome idea."

"Good. I was thinking we could do that until like the second week of December then head to Cambridge to rent a U-haul and pack up your apartment. You can fill out whatever paperwork you need to fill out, figure out what, if anything, you want to do with your beautiful mind then we can head to Lima for Christmas to visit your family and my mom. Then on, like, the twenty-sixth or seventh we can head out and spend New Year's in Hawaii. I have to be back in New York for Rachel's debut in Funny Girl but, other than that, I have nothing pressing to get back to."

Brittany shook her head. "You have such an amazing heart, Santana. After everything, you still want to support Rachel. You forgive so easily. Everyone thinks it's me but … you're all kinds of awesome."

"I'd rather spend my energy loving you than holding grudges against people who don't mean as much to me as you do. I understand the nature of my 'friendship' with Rachel so I'll be okay."

They scooted closer to one another until their foreheads were touching and their noses were bumping against one another.

"There's something I should tell you." Santana spoke softly. "It's not really a big deal but it's something you should know about just in case something happens to me."

"Okay." Brittany was a little concerned.

"That trust fund with the money from the lawsuit?"

"Yeah?"

"If something happens to me, it's yours. I had to make a will and name a beneficiary for the trust and whatever. I named you. I, um, also set up a small college fund for Courtney."

"Santana … no … I mean … what about your mom?"

Santana shook her head. "She doesn't need it. I'm not saying you need it, but I want you to have it. I want you to be able to follow your dreams wherever they lead you. Britt," Santana paused for a moment, swallowing hard, "you were there for me through that whole ordeal. If I'm honest, you've always been there. Loving me. You … even when I didn't love me … you just loved me harder." Santana blinked and a tear rolled down her face. "You're my best friend. I set this up awhile ago because beyond everything else, you're my person, Britt."

Brittany reached up and cupped Santana's cheek, gently wiping away the tears that had started slipping down it before bringing their lips together in a soft, slow, deep kiss.

"I love you, Santana Lopez. You never cease to amaze me, you know that?"

"I love you, too, Britt. I just want you to be happy. I want to be the person who makes you happy."

"I am. You are. You do." Brittany's eyes started fluttering.

"You need to sleep, baby."

"But I'll miss you," Brittany pouted.

Santana giggled and kissed her pout away. "I'll see you in your dreams and I'll be here when you wake up."

"'kay," Brittany breathed out as sleep claimed her.