"Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion."
- Arthur Koestler
Brittany silently groans as she finally comes to, surrounded by mostly darkness. As she tries to shake the kinks out of her head, she quickly realizes that that's not the best idea, given her current state of blurred vision and the ringing in her ears that was even more apparent now.
She had been unconscious for a short amount of time; however, it was long enough to go from waiting for her girlfriend outside of the Sheriff's Office to definitely being tied up to a chair while concussed.
"Well ain't that a bitch," the blonde agent mumbles to herself as she wiggles around, trying to assess how tightly her restraints were around her wrists and ankles.
As Brittany spots a sliver of light peeking through what appeared to be a boarded up window in a dingy basement, the smell of WD-40 strikes her nostrils in the most unpleasant way.
"Either I'm having a stroke or you're pretending that you're not just hanging out in a dark corner, waiting to see when I would come to," Brittany plainly states, leaving no room for speculation. "How am I doing so far, Casey?"
And just like that, Casey Maynard emerges from the shadows.
"You're smarter than you look… no offense," Maynard states as he stands directly in front of Brittany, towering over her.
"None taken," Brittany responds. "You think you're the first boy to underestimate me because of my blonde hair and blue eyes? Don't flatter yourself."
Normally Agent Pierce wouldn't be so sassy with an UnSub, especially one that was currently holding her hostage.
Maybe it was the concussion talking.
Maybe it was her hot Latina girlfriend rubbing off on her.
Maybe it was both.
"Point taken."
"What's the end game here, Casey? Why did you bring me here?" Brittany simply questions, trying her best to buy some more time for her team to find her and get a better insight on this broken man in front of her.
Maynard doesn't answer initially. Instead, he walks over to the covered up window and easily pries one of the boards away, revealing a hint of the world outside.
"You see that intersection up ahead?" Maynard rhetorically asks, still looking out towards the street. "That's where I lost my little brother for the second…" he pauses, "… final time."
A part of Brittany emphasizes with him, knowing all too well what the pain of losing a sibling feels like. However, she's not naive enough to forget that this man is a cold-blooded murderer.
So instead, Brittany lets Casey divulge all of the information he wants to while she does her best to subtly loosen her restraints.
"Mikey still had his whole life in front of him, despite the 7 years that were taken from him," Maynard continues on. "Sure, he had his demons that he fought on a daily basis, but he never let that deter him. He overcame his trauma, got married, had kids… he found a way to move forward with his life, before it was taken away from him again."
The last sentence seems to leave a bitter taste in Casey's mouth.
"I blamed myself for a long time when Mikey was taken. I was the oldest; I was supposed to protect him," Maynard picks back up. "My parents did their best to take care of my other siblings while I was kinda left by the wayside to fend for myself. Even after Mikey was back, all of the attention was on him. Of course it was; it should've been…"
At this point, Brittany can feel the tension rising in the unstable man. She knows it's only a matter of time before he reaches his breaking point. While the rope around her wrists were loosening, the blonde agent fears that the process is taking far too long.
"No one had time for poor Casey. No one checked-in on him to see how he was doing, how he was coping with everything," Maynard explains, speaking briefly in a third person narrative. "Those bad thoughts in my head just sat there, festering… I was always good at pretending; it's not really hard when no one's paying attention to ya."
A product of his own environment and the neglect that he felt, Casey Maynard was a lost cause. The demons inside of him were always there; they just remained dormant until tragedy struck for the final time in his eyes.
"My brother was a good man, and yet he was struck down in his prime. He should be here!" Maynard shouts out as he slams his hand on the rickety table in front of him. "Why does everyone else get to walk around freely, living their best life while he's buried six feet under? Why do I get to still be here, after the things that I've done?!"
And there it is… the turning point; the point at which Maynard has all but confirmed what Brittany had long suspected: Casey Maynard did not plan on living past today.
Doing her best to remain calm and stoic (although she's literally freaking out inside), Brittany knows that time is of the essence. She needs a plan… and she needs it now.
Choosing to throw a Hail Mary, Brittany decides to just be honest with Maynard.
"Ya know, Casey… I can sit here and empathize with you, telling you all about how I can relate due to the loss of my sister at a young age, but… I don't think you would care, nor do I think it would move you in the slightest," Brittany begins. "Instead, I'm just gonna be real with you. You fucked up. You murdered four women and you'll have to answer for that. How and where you'll spend the remainder of your life from this day forward is all dependent upon your next move."
As Maynard turns around and finally faces the blonde again, he looks confused, yet intrigued.
"I thought you profilers were supposed to be more elegant and graceful with your word selection?"
"That usually is the case, but I don't have time to dick around with you," Brittany bluntly states, "not while I'm tied to this chair and you're hiding my weapon in the waistband of your jeans."
"I was right… you are smarter than you look," Maynard compliments while quickly flashing the weapon in question. "So Agent Pierce, do tell me what my options are."
"You turn yourself in or untie me and let me take you in with no incidents, confess to your crimes… life in federal prison, no parole; but at least you'll still be breathing," Brittany begins to map out. "You try to fight the murders and drag these poor families into a very long, unnecessary trial… you'll lose and get a needle in your arm."
"Maybe I deserve the needle," Maynard counteracts.
"I'm not disputing that. I wasn't done either," the blonde profiler asserts. "You assaulted and kidnapped a Federal agent. If anything happens to me and you don't put a bullet in your brain immediately after, then my team will find you; they will end you… that I am sure of."
Brittany's last statement hits a nerve with Maynard as he stalks towards her, hovering over her in a menacing way.
"Maybe you aren't as smart as I gave you credit for," Maynard hisses out as he brandishes Brittany's service weapon, pointing it directly at her head with a shaky hand. "You sure are talking a lot of shit for someone who's in no position to do so."
Brittany knew that she was playing a risky game, but her plan had worked. Her words drew Maynard closer to her, close enough for her to launch her attack.
"I don't talk shit, Casey… I speak facts."
Just as quickly as the words leave her mouth, Brittany reels her head backwards and then snaps it forward, butting heads with her captor. As Maynard feels the impact, the gun flies out of his hand as he staggers back and forth in a "Finish Him!" fashion. Brittany isn't doing much better either, seeing that she's still tied to a chair and is definitely still concussed.
"Oh, that's gonna hurt tomorrow," Brittany mumbles to herself as she shakes off the cobwebs.
Setting her sights on the disoriented giant in front of her, the blonde charges forward and is able to tackle Maynard to the ground. The impact of the fall breaks the legs of the wooden chair, allowing Brittany to get her feet free from the restraints. As Maynard starts to regain his awareness, Brittany quickly maneuvers her tied-up hands to the front of her body, giving her a better chance at defending herself for the fight she knows is coming.
As she rises to her feet, so does Maynard.
"I really don't wanna hurt you," Maynard says in a chilling voice.
"I really find that hard to believe, given your current body count," Brittany fires back.
"You asked for this!" Maynard exclaims as he wildly swings at Brittany. For her part, Brittany is able to block the attack, but she still gets rocked a little by the force of it.
Knowing that she's at a great disadvantage given her opponent's height and weight (and the fact that her hands were still bound together), Brittany figures the best way to defeat him is to keep him in close proximity. And so, after she counters his next strike, Brittany manages to slip behind Maynard and jump on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Caught off guard by the action, Maynard freaks out and tries his best to get the blonde off of him. However, the more he continues to struggle, the tighter the rope wrapped around Brittany's hands presses against his throat.
Fed up with the blonde's craftiness, Maynard finds the closest wall and slams back into it, thus causing Brittany to loosen her grip. With the momentary reprieve, Maynard pulls the rope and Brittany's hands away from his throat and basically hip tosses Brittany across the room.
As Brittany finds her bearings, she's finally able to remove the restraint from her wrists. As she gets to her feet again, Brittany hears the unmistakable sound of her Glock being racked, making her gun hot and ready to rock. Slowly, she turns around to face Maynard, who has her gun in his hands, pointed at her.
"As much fun as this has been, I think it's time for us to part ways…"
Before Brittany has a chance to retort, the voice of an angel is bestowed upon her.
"I couldn't agree more," Lopez says as she appears from the shadows; her weapon trained on Maynard.
"San!" Brittany whisper-shouts to herself, feeling relief flood through her entire being.
"You okay, Britt?" Santana asks, never taking her eyes off of Maynard.
"I've been better."
"How cute. Is this the part where you tell me the jig is up?" Maynard sneers.
"I've never really been a fan of that word," Puckerman coolly states, entering the picture.
Maynard seems to deflate a little. "I was cool with the threesome, but now this is getting ridiculous."
"Drop the weapon, Maynard. This is the end of the line for you," Puck calmly explains. "No one else needs to get hurt by your hands."
"I hear what you're saying, Agent… but my options at the moment aren't great," Maynard replies.
"Maynard, put the weapon down or Agent Puckerman and I will put a bullet in you," Santana says more sternly.
"Ooh, feisty! That must be where Agent Pierce gets it from," Maynard sinisterly responds.
"Just shoot him!" Brittany yells, tried of this game that this mad man had been playing with her.
"Agent Pierce, that really hurts my feelings. I thought we were building a real connection here," Maynard mockingly states.
"Please shoot him!"
"With pleasure," Puckerman quickly responds, ready to take action.
"Not so fast, Casanova…" Maynard warns. "Look at where my finger is? Do you really wanna take that chance?"
Humoring the monster in front of them, Santana takes a closer look at Maynard's finger position on the gun. Sure enough, it was wrapped around the trigger. Even a fatal shot to Maynard would not guarantee that his cognitive reflexes would completely shut down and stop his hand from an involuntary twitch as his body hit the ground.
And with his gun still pointed at Brittany, that was a no go.
"Five pounds of pressure, right? That's all it would take to not only end my life, but also put your blonde cohort in danger?" Maynard casually states. "Is it really worth it?"
Puckerman quickly glances at his two friends and colleagues, unsure of how to proceed. While Brittany seems willing to take that risk, Santana was definitely not.
They had run out of time and options. Maynard was hellbent on taking his last breath right there and then, but not without taking at least one agent with him. Therefore, there really was only one solution to end this standoff with the least amount of bloodshed.
With a slight, barely noticeable nod to Noah, the longtime partners appear to have reached an unspoken agreement.
"Maynard… we're not gonna ask you again," Santana says firmly. "Put the weapon down."
As Maynard laughs to himself at the request, his momentary lapse allows Santana to quickly holster her weapon and sprint over towards Brittany.
Everything happens so fast, yet time seemed to slow down completely.
Before Maynard could register what was taking place, two loud pops in succession had taken place. The first was from Puckerman's weapon, putting a .40 caliber bullet in Maynard's brain pan, thus turning his lights out for good. Unfortunately, the second pop was Maynard's involuntary muscles twitching, causing his finger to squeeze the trigger of Brittany's gun before his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
Brittany didn't know what had just transpired; all she knew was that the wind had gotten knocked out of her once again and there was an unknown (but not unpleasant) weight on top of her.
"Are you guys okay?"
Brittany could hear Noah from a distance, but he sounded muffled and her ears were starting to ring again.
As Puckerman closes in on Maynard, he kicks the gun away from his body so that he can retrieve it and place it in the waistline of his pants on his lower back.
"Lopez, Pierce! Talk to me!" Puckerman says a little more frantically as he checks Maynard's pulse, ensuring that the man is no longer a threat. "UnSub is down, I need an EMT in the basement ASAP!"
With her brain starting to feel less foggy, Brittany attempts to sit up. It's only then that she realizes what the weight on top of her was: Santana.
"San, you okay?" The blonde agent questions as she tries to sit up again. This time, Santana weight feels a bit heavier than before.
"Yo, Lopez!" Puck says as he hustles over to the ladies to help them up. As he reaches down to grab Santana, his hand is met with a warm, liquid substance. He pulls his hand back immediately to inspect it, freezing when he sees red.
"Noah, what's wr—" Brittany starts to ask until she feels a warm substance seeping through her blouse. "No no no no no… San!"
The adrenaline suddenly kicks in and Brittany finds the strength to push herself off of the floor and roll Santana onto her back, watching the blood pool out of her body and onto the floor.
"Santana!"
Brittany is silently losing her shit on the inside, but she knows she has to remain calm and clear-minded so that she can assess the situation properly and find where the Latina was bleeding from. Immediately, she checks for a pulse and thankfully finds one. Next, she removes Santana's Kevlar vest and rips open her button-up shirt, finding the source of the gunshot wound.
"I need an EMT down here now!" Puckerman quickly relays over the comms. "Agent down! I repeat, AGENT DOWN!"
"Santana, baby… stay with me," Brittany pleads as she removes her own blouse (leaving her in a spaghetti strap tank top) to ball up and apply pressure against the Latina's actively bleeding wound.
"You're not getting off that easily partner, so wake the hell up!" Noah demands.
And then, the flickering of multiple flashlights and voices yelling out each of their names can be heard in the distance.
"Down here!"
Shortly after, the rest of the BAU team arrive on scene with the paramedics.
"38 year old female with a GSW to the right abdomen, through and through," Brittany instantly rattles off, knowing time is of the essence. "She's been unconscious for about two minutes, but has a steady pulse. No allergies."
"Thank you, Agent. We'll take it from here," one of the paramedics states as they take over for the blonde, removing her soiled shirt from Santana's wound and replacing it gauze. As they make sure that the Latina is stabilized before moving her onto the board for transportation, Brittany stands with them, ready to go.
"Brittany—"
"Will, I'm not leaving her," Brittany states, leaving no room for negotiation. "I need to go to the hospital anyway to get checked out. I have a Grade I concussion and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need stitches on my head. When you guys are done here, you can get my statement at the hospital."
"I'll have Fabray meet you there. I don't want you to be alone."
"Thank you," Brittany replies before heading out with the paramedics, giving one last glance to the lifeless body of Casey Maynard.
"What the hell happened here?" Schuester asks Puckerman.
3 hours later…
As the entire BAU team impatiently waits for any updates on Santana, Brittany is completely beside herself.
During the ambulance ride to the hospital, Santana briefly regained consciousness. Brittany was so relieved to see those beautiful mocha eyes staring up at her and reassured her girlfriend that everything was going to be alright.
Brittany held Santana's hand the entire time until they reached the hospital and the Latina was taken to the OR for emergency surgery. Meanwhile, Brittany received a few stitches for the laceration on her forehead, a prescription for 800 mg Ibuprofen for the headache and bruising she sustained during her fight with Maynard, and her discharge papers detailing how to treat a Grade I concussion.
Now, as Brittany sits in a fresh FBI sweater and anxiously bounces her leg while playing with her necklace, a plethora of thoughts run through her mind.
"I should've told her…" Brittany whispers to herself.
"What's that, hon?" Quinn inquires.
"All of this time I've wasted… I should've told her," Brittany chokes out as her eyes began swelling up. "What if I—"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Fabray interjects, taking the other blonde's hand. "Don't you give up on our girl. Santana is a fighter and by far the strongest person I know. She will get through this and you will get to tell her any and everything you want to, okay?"
Brittany shakily nods her head, roughly wiping away the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Even if you never said it aloud… she knows. Trust that," Quinn assures, wrapping an arm around her friend's waist as Brittany rests her head on the other blonde's shoulder.
As the team continues to wait, Schuester excuses himself, exiting to the lobby after receiving a phone call. Once there, he sees a familiar face.
"Ma'am, this is unexpected."
"Oh William, you've really stuffed it up this time," Director Sylvester states with a smug look on her face.
"Excuse me?" Schue implores, trying to figure out why his boss was here.
"The Bureau has lost its faith in your ability to effectively run this team, let alone keep your people in line AND safe," Sue begins to explain.
"The Bureau or you?" Schuester challenges. "Did you really fly all the way out here to lecture me about how I run my team when one of our own is currently fighting for her life?"
"Don't even get me started on Lopez; she's been nothing but a pain in my ass since she joined your team," Sylvester remarks. "She's a loose cannon. It's no surprise that this is where she's ended up, especially after that stunt she pulled in Ohio a few months ago. You can't control her, William."
Will takes a long, deep breath before he addresses his boss again.
"Santana Lopez is an exceptional agent and one of the best people that I know. Her passion and commitment for this job, for this team, is why she was able to successfully talk down a very unhinged individual like David Karofsky and bring him into custody peacefully," Schue defends. "Things may not have turned out the way we wanted them to today, but Santana did her damn job. She's here now because she was protecting a fellow agent. That's the type of person she is; someone that I definitely want on my team."
"What's going on here?" Brittany questions as she and the rest of the team follow behind her.
"Sorry to barge in on you like this, but I'm here to inform you that effectively immediately, Agent Schuester will no longer be in charge of the BAU. Until I find a suitable replacement, you'll report directly to me."
The news immediately catches everyone off guard, especially Brittany.
"With all due respect, ma'am… are fucking kidding me?!" The blonde says what everyone's thinking.
"Watch your tone, Agent… or you'll be handing over your badge and gun," Sylvester threatens.
"You know what, you can take them," Brittany instantly replies as she hastily removes both items from her person and shoves them into the Dragon Lady's hands. "While you've been out here pestering Will about his leadership abilities, my girlfriend has been in the OR fighting for her life… and I bet you haven't once asked about how she's doing."
As the word easily slips out of her mouth, there's a mix of reactions on each of her teammates' faces. Luckily, they all had the good sense to not let it directly show to the woman currently trying to fire their fearless leader.
"I'm sorry, your what?" Sylvester asks for clarification.
"My girlfriend. That's right… Santana and I are together."
"So, you lied to me," Sue accuses.
"No ma'am. When you had that meeting with us several months ago, Santana and I weren't involved. However, I should be thanking you. Because of that meeting, Santana admitted that she had romantic feelings for me and we started dating shortly after that," Brittany clarifies. "I'm in love with her. So you can fire me, reassign me to another unit, or whatever else you see fit because my future is with Santana. Whatever standing that leaves me in with the Bureau is far less important than being loved by her; being able to come home to her after all of the gruesome things we see on a daily basis."
"This is outrageous!" Sylvester exclaims as she turns to Will. "This is why you are no longer fit to run this unit. This fraternization has been going on, right under your nose, and you had no idea!"
"I knew about the relationship between Agent Pierce and Agent Lopez," Schue starts off, earning a raised eyebrow from the former Communications Liaison. "Since they began their personal relationship, it has not affected their work ethic or the team's dynamic; therefore, I found no reason to disclose this information to you. If anything, it's made this team stronger."
Then, Will slowly removes his credentials from his pocket and hands it over to Sue, who just stares at it.
"This is what you really want, right?" Schuester rhetorically asks. "I'll be damned if I let you tear apart this team… this family. So, take my credentials and leave my family in peace."
As a slight smirk begins to form on Director Sylvester's face, thinking that she's won, Agent Puckerman steps forward.
"If you're gonna take Will's badge… you can have mine too," Puck says as he places his credentials and gun down on the vacant chair next to Sue.
"Mine too," Hudson states, following suit.
"Ditto," Quinn says as she tosses her credentials in the chair.
"Same," Dr. Abrams concurs.
Standing behind their leader, Will gives them all an appreciative nod. Meanwhile, Sylvester just stands there, flabbergasted.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say that if you try to mess with this team, you should expect all of our resignations on your desk tomorrow morning. Good luck explaining to your boss why the team with the highest clearance rate in the BAU have all suddenly quit," Will firmly says as he takes a step closer to Sue so that only she could hear his final words. "I know that you planted Lopez on my team to be a spy for you, but it backfired; she refused. I also know that you have a bit of a drinking problem that I hope you get help for soon. Maybe that's something you can focus on instead of this unfounded grudge you have against me."
Sue's face goes from shocked to hardened in a matter of seconds. She wants to say something back, to put the curly-haired man in his place, but she can't. She knows that she's lost this battle and should perhaps take his advice.
Without another word, Sue begrudgingly hands Brittany back her credentials and weapon before storming off.
After a collective sigh, Will turns to face his team.
"I would never ask any of you to risk your careers to protect mine, so thank you," Schue sincerely states.
"We've got your back," Noah ensures.
As everyone gathers their respective belongings from the chair, a doctor comes out into the lobby.
"There you all are," the doctor says, addressing the group. Her face is unreadable.
"Is she okay?" Quinn inquires, knowing that the blonde currently gripping her hand with all of her strength is trying her best to hold it together.
It feels like an eternity passes before the doctor responds.
"Agent Lopez… is in recovery now. The surgery went well; no major organs were affected," the doctor informs, causing the group to erupt into happiness and relief. "She's still a little bit groggy from the anesthesia and pain meds, but you can go see her now. One at a time for now though."
"Thank you, doctor. So much," Brittany says as happy tears pour out of her eyes.
As the doctor slips out of the lobby, the team comes together to hug and just be thankful that Santana pulled through.
"What are you waiting for? Go see your girl!" Noah says, shooing the blonde away.
Silently laughing, Brittany takes his advice and heads towards the Recovery wing of the hospital. When she's almost out of earshot, she hears the voice of the young genius of their team.
"Brittany and Santana are dating?!"
As Brittany reaches Santana's room, she stops at the door, staring at her girlfriend through the clear glass. Even hooked up to the multiple machines and a bit paler than usual due to the loss of blood, she was still the most beautiful woman that the blonde had ever laid eyes on. Thinking of everything that she could've lost, Brittany takes a deep breath before entering the room.
The Latina looks so peaceful, as her chest steadily moves up and down, further proving to Brittany that she was very much alive. As Brittany takes a seat next to Santana's bed, she grabs her hand and lays a chaste kiss upon it. She's slightly scared but pleasantly surprised when she feels her girlfriend squeeze her hand in return.
"Britt?" Santana's soft voice calls out.
"I'm here, baby. I'm right here," Brittany instantly replies.
The sound of Brittany's angelic voice brings a smile to the Latina's face. Slowly, Santana opens her eyes to find the sapphire orbs she loved so much staring right back at her.
"San…" Brittany breathlessly says as a silent tear falls from her eye.
"Please don't cry, baby. I'm okay," Santana tries to reassure the blonde. "I'm right here, with you."
"I thought I lost—"
"I know, but you didn't," Santana coos as she reaches up to brush a rogue strand of hair out of the blonde's face. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
Brittany chuckles at the Latina's self-deprecating joke before her face turns more serious. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that you're really pretty and I reeeeaaaally didn't want you to get shot," Santana plainly states like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
The strong narcotics she was currently on may have played a hand in her casual tone.
"You could've died…" Brittany whispers out.
Using the control pad to lift her bed up so that she was in a more upright position, Santana traces over the contour of Brittany's face, being extra delicate around her stitches.
"It was a risk I was willing to take," Santana simply says. "It was a 50/50 chance that Maynard's weapon might discharge if Puck took the shot. You had no cover, no protection. You getting hurt was not an option."
"But you got hurt!"
"And I would do the same thing a thousand times over if it meant that you were safe," Santana says with conviction. "I told you before, Britt … I'd do anything for you, even if that means risking my life to save yours."
"That's not fair, San! You don't get to make those decisions for me," Brittany angrily sobs out as she stands up and turns away from the Latina.
In the grand scheme of things, Brittany knows that it was a calculated risk that could've ended up much worse than the Latina in the hospital. However, even with that knowledge, it didn't make it any easier for the blonde to comprehend why Santana seemed to believe that her life was somehow less valuable than Brittany's.
Brittany thought that they were past the days when Santana still felt like a lone wolf; like her found family at the BAU would be able to function without her. Or worse, for Santana to be so willing to sacrifice her life for the woman that she loved and cherished, but was still unsure if those feelings would ever be reciprocated to that extent.
Fully understanding her conundrum now, Brittany takes a moment to collect herself and wipe away the wetness from her eyes before turning back around to face her distraught-looking girlfriend.
"You're my whole world, Santana. Do you have any idea what losing you would do to me?"
Santana is stunned into silence. Shaking her head 'no' is the only thing she can manage at the moment.
"I am madly in love with you, Santana Lopez," Brittany confesses, leaning down and connecting her lips to the Latina's. The kiss is short, but passionate, reiterating every word that the blonde has spoken. When they break apart, Brittany stays close, resting her forehead against Santana's. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before now. And I'm even more sorry that I told Sylvester that before telling you."
Santana pulls her head back slightly with a comical look on her face. "You told Sylvester you were in love with me?"
"I did… I also may have quit my job for like two minutes, but it's all good now," Brittany tries to quickly reassure, not wanting to ruin the moment.
"Yeah… I'm gonna need to hear the whole story," Santana jokingly responds before placing a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "I love you too, Brittany Pierce; I have for a very long time."
Smiling, Brittany connects their lips once again before taking her seat and going into full detail about all that had transpired with Director Sylvester's surprise visit.
As Brittany gets deeper into her story, the rest of the team drop in to check on the Latina and add in their accounts of the showdown between the Dragon Lady and the BAU. Everyone has a good laugh, especially at Artie's expense, seeing that he really had no clue that there was something going on between the two female profilers.
As visiting hours were about to officially end, Will stops by Santana's room one last time before heading out, knowing that there was no way in hell the blonde would be leaving her side.
"Ladies, I just wanted to let you know about my follow-up meeting with Director Sylvester," Schue says as he enters the room. "She made it very clear that all of our jobs are intact and the Bureau wanted to send their personal thanks for all of the hard work we've been doing."
"I feel like there's a 'but' coming," Santana knowingly questions with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope, no strings attached," Will confirms. "In fact, our team has been taken off rotation for the next three weeks and placed on paid leave. Sylvester thought we could all use the time to re-group and heal."
"Still sounds pretty sus, but I'll take the paid time off," Santana replies. "I'll definitely need it to get back into shape so I can get back out there with you guys."
"Not so fast there, Lopez…" Brittany says with authority. "You're not going anywhere near the field for a while. Doctor's orders."
Although her tone was meant to be stern and commanding, Santana couldn't help but find it hot.
"So… is this what I have to look forward to? You bossing me around, Nurse Pierce?" Santana says in her 1-800 operator voice.
Brittany's resolve crumbles and suddenly she's a little hot under the collar.
"Uh, ladies… I'm still here," Schuester reminds them.
"Sorry, Will!" Both women say in sync.
"We're definitely gonna have to take that sexual harassment course again. You're giving Fabray and Puckerman a run for their money," Schue says with a little smirk. "Anyways, back to business. We'll stay here for the next few days until you get discharged and are able to fly home with us. Please try to enjoy your three weeks off. Until you're cleared by the doctor to return to full duty and complete a psych eval, you won't be out in the field with the team."
Preparing for the pushback, Will holds up his hand to stop the myriad of counterarguments that he was sure the Latina was about to fire at him.
"However… once you've healed enough and are able to get around by yourself, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to come back to work. Strictly desk duty. Paperwork, phone consultations, etc… no field work. And when the team has to travel, you'll assist from headquarters. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm sure Q will enjoy the company," Brittany states, trying to highlight the positive. Santana agrees.
"Alright ladies. We'll get into the finer details once the time gets closer. Get some rest," Schue says as he bids them goodnight.
"Will?"
"Yes, Brittany?"
"How long have you known?"
"There was a fundamental shift in your dynamic during our last case in New York; more tension, but you never let it affect your work," Schue explains. "In Lima, there was another shift; more tension, but more sexual in nature. And then by McDonough, the tension was gone. You too were gravitating towards one another like magnets. It wasn't anything new, but I did witness an interaction or two when you both were trying a little too hard to act professional around each other in front of the team, which was uncharacteristic. That's when I knew conclusively that your personal relationship had become something much deeper than friendship."
"Well damn… and here I thought we were being really discreet," Santana says, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You were… I'm just really good at my job," Will says in jest.
"Thank you for having our back with Sylvester," Brittany sincerely states.
"Always."
Again, Will makes his way towards the door but not without saying one last thing.
"What you ladies have is something true and honest. That's hard to find nowadays, especially in our line of work," Will genuinely says. "Don't ever take that for granted."
"We won't," Brittany responds, lacing her fingers with Santana's.
"I'm very happy for you two. So, officially… congratulations."
With that, Will gives them one final nod and leaves the couple to settle in for the rest of the evening.
"So, what happens now?"
After Santana is released from the hospital, she and the team fly back to Virginia and begin their extended leave. Brittany becomes a permanent fixture at the Latina's condo, really diving headfirst into the role of nurse, minus any funny business. Various members of the team stop by on a daily basis to check on Santana and to make sure both ladies are coping well with the traumatic events they had just survived.
For the most part, Santana seemed pretty resilient. The shooting hadn't really affected her daily life besides her limited mobility. The only time she had trouble sleeping or making it through the day in general was when she was in extreme amounts of pain whenever her prescription narcotics started to wear off.
On the other hand, Brittany often found herself wide awake at night. If she wasn't worried about Santana then her attempts at sleeping seemed futile and muddled with nightmares of her girlfriend being shot and surrounded by blood. Whenever she would be jolted awake by images of losing the love of her life, Santana is right there to remind her that she was okay.
With time, Brittany knew that the horrible imagery would pass… she just wished it would happen sooner rather than later.
Once the team was back at work, Santana knew that she would be spending most of her time alone. Despite her girlfriend's suggestion of taking more time off, Santana felt that it would be good for the blonde to keep busy at work by helping other people in need.
And so, a rough schedule was set.
During lunch breaks, each team member had designated a day to visit the Latina, but otherwise, she would be left to her own devices. And when the team had to travel out of state for a case, Quinn would be there to keep her company.
Her mother, the Ambassador, had also tried to pitch in by hiring a private nurse to make up for not being able to come back to the States during her daughter's recovery. Needless to say, Santana shot that idea down pretty hard.
"Mother, I'm not a child," Santana exasperatedly states during one of their Facetimes. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I know, hija… I just worry," Ambassador Lopez replies. "Brittany, can you tell my daughter that I'm just worried about her?"
"Santana… your mom is just worried about you," Brittany says with a straight face, trying her best not to crack a smile.
"See! Your girlfriend gets it," the Ambassador says triumphantly.
All Santana can do is shake her head at her girlfriend and mother's antics. Even though she didn't want people fussing over her and incessantly worrying over her well-being, she did love the fact that Brittany and her mother got along so well.
"Okay, hija… I have to get to a meeting. We'll talk soon, ya?"
"Sí, mamá."
"Brittany… it was lovely talking to you," Ambassador Lopez says. "I'll see you ladies next month."
With one last wave, the Facetime call ends.
"Well… you've certainly won over the Ambassador," Santana says with a grin.
"What can I say… parents love me," Brittany says with her award-winning smile.
"That's not hard to do," Santana says in a mere whisper, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist and pulling their bodies closer together. "Loving you is the easiest thing in the world."
"Is that right?"
"Mmhmm…" Santana breathlessly replies as she closes the gap between them, planting a soft, sensual kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "I want you so badly, Britt…"
Another kiss slightly buckles Brittany's knees, almost crumbling any resolve she had about being physically intimate with the Latina.
"I know, baby… I want you too," Brittany mumbles out, kissing her one last time before finding the will power to detach her lips and create some space between them. "Patience, my love. It will all be worth it once you've fully healed."
Santana grunts out her displeasure, reminding Brittany of a child that didn't get their way. Brittany can't help by find it adorable.
"Speaking of parents…" Brittany starts out, leading them to couch to sit down next to a sleeping Sergio. "I know you've been going a little stir crazy, being confined here and only leaving for doctor's appointments. So, I was wondering if you might be up for a little road trip?"
"I'm intrigued. Go on," Santana encourages.
"Well, my parents have been wanting me to come visit for a while. I figured since I still have another week before I go back to work, maybe we could go visit them?" Brittany suggests. "It's a 4 hour drive and I know they'd be thrilled to finally meet you."
"Britt, I've met your parents before."
"Yes, you've met them as my… wait, how did you put it?" Brittany pauses briefly, searching for the specific phrase the Latina had used months ago. "As my, and I quote, 'friend and ridiculously charming co-worker'."
"Yeah… that does sound like something I would say," Santana thoughtfully replies.
"Anyways…" Brittany continues on, playfully rolling her eyes. "It's time for them to meet Santana… my beautiful and amazing girlfriend."
If possible, Santana feels herself falling even more in love with the blonde profiler.
As Santana leans over and places a delicate kiss to Brittany's lips, she asks, "When do we leave?"
As expected, Brittany's parents loved the Latina and welcomed her into their home with open arms. On separate occasions, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce both commented on how they had never seen their daughter happier.
On their last night in East Allegheny, after a full meal, Brittany and Santana relax by the fireplace, cuddled up.
"Thank you for bringing me here," Santana earnestly says, snuggling closer to the blonde. "I loved seeing where you grew up."
"I'm glad I got to show you," Brittany easily replies as she plays with the Latina's hair, dropping a kiss to her shoulder in the process. "I've had time to think about a lot of things… especially when you were in the hospital. Your life really does flash before your eyes when the possibility of losing the love of your life becomes real."
Slowly, Santana turns around to face Brittany, but doesn't say a word, not wanting to interrupt her girlfriend's thoughts.
"When I joined the FBI, I had no thoughts of being tied down or starting a family. I was solely focused on my career and making a difference," Brittany continues on. "When I transferred to the BAU, I really felt like I had finally found my place in the world. I wanted to put down some real roots, so I bought my house. It wasn't until I was basically telling Sylvester to fuck off that I actually thought about settling down and having a family with you one day."
"Wow, Pierce… you keep saying things like that and I'm gonna have to put on ring on it," Santana teases.
Brittany doesn't laugh. In fact, her face looks even more serious now.
"Why don't you?" Brittany implores, looking deep into mocha eyes. "Marry me?"
Santana is shocked, to say the least. She never expected her off-hand comment to lead to this.
"What?"
A moment passes and Brittany appears to snap out of the trance that she was in.
"Holy shit! Obviously, not right now. It's way too soon, right?" Brittany rambles off, internally banging her head against a metaphorical wall for not choosing her words more carefully.
"Yeah, a little…" Santana cautiously replies, not sure how their conversation went from nostalgic to an accidental/spontaneous proposal.
"Okay… let me get my head out of my ass and try this again," Brittany begins again, making sure she has her girlfriend's full attention. "I just wanna be clear; I wasn't proposing… at least not right now."
"Oh, thank God!" Santana breathes out in relief. "You scared me there for a sec."
"I scared myself," Brittany replies giggling, glad that they were on the same page. "Seriously though, I do see us getting married one day and starting a family. I really do want that… in the future."
"I do too, Britt."
"Even though it's still a bit too early to be talking about marriage, I want to move forward with you," Brittany adds in.
"What did you have in mind?" Santana curiously inquires.
"What if we moved in together?" Brittany suggests. "We're always staying at each other's places during the week and we practically live together now, especially since you've been recovering. I just think we should make it official; stop delaying the inevitable."
"You're serious… like really serious?" Santana gently asks, not wanting the blonde to feel obligated to make a grand gesture after her accidental proposal.
"San… I love you. I wanna be with you. I wanna come home to you. I wanna go to sleep with you. I wanna wake up with you…" Brittany starts to list before lowering her voice, "… I wanna make love to you, whenever I want to…"
"You're playing a very dangerous game, Pierce…" Santana shakily says, trying her best to keep her libido in check.
"I know… consider it foreplay," Brittany charmingly replies, pecking the Latina's lips. "So, whataya think?"
Santana can't help but smile. "Nothing would make me happier."
The couple shares a brief kiss, both excited about taking this next step in their relationship.
"If we don't get called away next weekend, then I'll start packing up my stuff," Brittany supplies.
"Wait… you wanna move into the condo?" Santana questions.
"Yeah, why not? It's closer to work…"
"Nope, it's really not," Santana immediately interjects.
"Well, there's a lot more things to do in the city."
"True, but none of that is important to me," Santana explains. "Britt, I know how much you love your house. I don't mind moving out to the suburbs. Plus, if we're gonna have kids one day, it makes more sense if we're already in a place where we can grow our family."
"But what if we have a lot of kids, like Brady Bunch numbers?" Brittany cutely questions. "My 3 bedroom house can't support that."
"Then we'll get a bigger house," the Latina simply replies.
"Won't you miss the view of the Capitol?"
Santana slowly brings their lips together, causing the blonde to breathe out contently.
"Nothing compares to the view I have whenever I get to wake up next to you."
Brittany just shakes her head, kissing her girlfriend again. "The things that I'm gonna do to you once you're finally healed…"
"Hubba hubba…"
The ridiculous response causes Brittany to throw her hand back as she full-on belly-laughs at her girlfriend's silliness.
"God, I love you."
"I love you too, Britt. Always."
Author's Note:
Hey guys!
As promised, I hope you all enjoyed the conclusion from the last chapter. This update wasn't meant to be this long (hence the reason why it took longer to finish), but the story had a mind of its own, so I ran with it. Plus, after my extended absence, I thought you all deserved an extended update with all of the twists and turns. I really do appreciate every single one of you out there still reading my stories; it truly does mean a lot. Also, thank you to all of the Guest readers that I can't PM directly; your reviews have not gone unnoticed.
My next project is working on an update for The Girl Next Door and then probably Another Day at TSA (for all of you WayHaught shippers). My ultimate goal is to eventually update all of my multi-chaptered stories so that you all aren't just in limbo with the characters and their story. It will definitely take some time, but again, I appreciate all of you for sticking with me and being patient.
Until the next update…
-K