Chasing the Dream

In which Brittany & Santana go on tour with Mercedes, get engaged, and then get married. Pretty simple story; mostly "vignettes" filling in the spaces from June 2014 – February 2015.

xoxoxoxoxo

A/N: This is probably going to be fairly short. A lot "vignettes" filling in the missing pieces from the time Brittana went on tour with Mercedes, during their engagement, and wedding day stuff that I wish we'd seen. Not planning a lot of drama (although, I don't always get a say in these things). I set a grueling pace for them (because, despite Googling, I couldn't figure out what a "normal" mall tour looked like. Some days they had one performance, others they had two. I'm *pretty* sure you don't need to read TSIB, NtTOOR or WItWIB? but a few things may not make sense if you haven't. I'll try to clear that up in the author's notes prior to the chapter. (Although ... if you WANTED to read the other three stories that lead up to this, who am I to tell you not to?)

I won't, obviously, be giving you all the minutiae. I have them touring from June 15th – October 2nd. Starting in Reno and traveling in a weird pattern down & across the US and ending in Dayton, Ohio (convenient, right?) so they're back in Lima on the 2nd or 3rd (even though that's a little early for Homecoming). I literally opened a map of the US, started at Reno, NV, and just tried to put them 3 or 4 hours away to the next town.

Order of States: Nevada – California – Arizona – New Mexico – Texas – Oklahoma – Kansas – Missouri – Illinois – Indiana – Kentucky – West Virginia – Virginia – Maryland – Delaware – Pennsylvania – New York - Ohio

I made up the names of the malls but not the name of the towns.

I set their (the date they got back together in June 2013) anniversary as June 18th (which may be a little early but it's my story so … I do what I want ;) ).

Courtney is the name I've given Brittany's younger sister.

Rated M for sexy times (once again, I do not promise well written sexy times ;) ).

There are some throw back references to NtTOOR and WItWIB? I don't think they'll be confusing if you haven't read those two works.

Trigger warnings are posted at the beginning of the relevant chapters.

Just a reminder: Words meant to be spoken in a foreign language (mainly Spanish) are in bold italics.

I'm working on what I call my "Canon-ish" or "Canon Adjacent" Brittana (which is my head canon universe that tries to stick to canon but my imagination fills in some blanks with how I hoped/wished stuff we didn't see went). The current reading order (it will change as I write more):

Timeline for Brittana (this is canon timeline through Chasing the Dream, but I have definitely changed a few things from Canon - hence the Canon-ish/Canon-adjacent label):

1) New York Lights – April/May 2011 - Complete One Shot

2) The Spaces In Between – November 2011 to February 2012 - Complete S3 fic about the outing

3) Immutable Truths & Unbreakable Rules - November 2011 Complete One Shot (fits inside TSIB)

4) Ain't It Shocking What Love Can Do – April 2012 - Complete One Shot

5) Negotiating the Terms of Our Reconciliation – June 2013 - Complete S5 Reconciliation

6) Where In the World Is Brittana? - June 2013 to June 2014 - Complete S5 Lesbos/Hawaii "the missing 10 months"

7) Chasing the Dream – June 2014 to February 2015 - In Progress

8) The Only Dream That Matters – May 2017 - (This will be absorbed into Dreams Come True)

9) Dreams Come True - September 2015 - May 2018 - In Progress

10) Bad Day Made Better - Dates TBD

11) Dream Thieves & Guardians - To be determined after Dreams Come True (TODTM) - Will include Bad Day Made Better - In Progress

I also have a couple of AUs in the works.

xoxoxoxoxo

Chapter 1 – Carson City, NV (June 17 – 19)

Mercedes was walking toward the buses after her appearance in the River Run Mall in Carson City, Nevada.

"Hey, Mercedes! Wait up!"

Mercedes stopped and turned toward the smiling Latina. She shook her head; Santana smiling always seems strange yet, these days, all she does is smile.

"What's up?"

"We're spending the night here, right? Heading out in the morning?"

Mercedes nodded. "We're leaving at noon. Why?"

Santana bit her lip and ducked her head. "I was wondering … is it okay if I take Britt out tonight and we spend the night at a hotel?"

"Yeah, of course. Just be back before we roll out or we're leaving your nasty asses here." She laughed.

Santana, if her skin tone had allowed it, would have blushed. "It's our anniversary. It's been a year since we decided to give it another shot. I just wanna do something special. And, you've been so great about sharing the bus and everything but …"

"Nah, girl, I get it." Mercedes' face softened. "Go have fun. Happy Anniversary. Happy looks pretty good on you."

Santana laughed. "Thanks. I kind of need a favor, too."

"Oh, now you're just pushing your luck."

Santana's smiled brightly. "I just need you to find a way to get Britt to be busy whenever we have a stop of a day or more. Like, I don't know, choreography emergency or something?"

Mercedes quirked a brow and looked at Santana. "You're taking her out for a special date but … you want me to get rid of her?"

Santana smiled shyly and ducked her head. "I was hoping you'd come ring shopping with me."

Mercedes' jaw dropped. "Girl … you did not just … are you serious?"

Santana nodded. "Yeah. By the end of the year I wanna propose. By the end of next year, I want her to be my wife. I love her, 'Cedes. She's my favorite person and … I've lived with her and I've lived without her … with her? Infinitely better. Like, a million times better."

"I'm going to hug you right now." Then she did just that, grabbing Santana in a tight hug. "Congratulations. I am so happy for you two." Mercedes wasn't even slightly surprised. Those two could have gotten married at seventeen and she wouldn't have been surprised. They just … fit. It was so weird; they were so different but, oddly, they complemented each other completely.

Santana laughed as she returned the hug. She wasn't much of a hugger (other than Britt, of course) but there were a few people who could get away with it; her mother (sometimes), Mercedes, Quinn, and Courtney.

"Well, I haven't asked and she hasn't said yes so … hang on to those congratulations. So, does that mean you'll help me?" She asked as she pulled out of the hug.

"Oh, she'll say yes. No doubt about that. That girl is beyond crazy about you. Always has been. And, yes, I'll be glad to help you. We can check out the places in the malls we're in and if they're too expensive or not what you're looking for, Google will help us find those smaller family owned places."

"Thanks, 'Cedes." Santana heaved a sigh of relief. "I've been looking online but I don't want Britt to catch me; I've got an idea of what I'm looking for, though." She opened her phone and showed Mercedes a simple round cut solitaire in a platinum band.

"Oh, that is so Brittany. Simple, elegant, not real flashy, and it won't get in the way when she dances." Mercedes nodded.

"Yeah. If I can find a blue diamond, to match her eyes, that'd be great but I'm not going to let that hang me up. Around a carat, I think."

Mercedes smiled and looped her arm through Santana's, leading her back to the bus. "Girl, I am so happy and excited for you."

Santana grinned. "Thanks 'Cedes."

xoxoxoxoxo

When they got back to the bus, Santana went to the back room that she was sharing with Brittany. She packed an overnight bag for the two of them and pulled out the dress and heels she wanted to wear for the evening.

When Brittany came in half an hour later, Santana asked her to pick out an outfit for dinner and dancing later.

"Um … okay?"

Santana laughs. "I'm taking you out tonight and then we're going to spend the night in a hotel." She shows Brittany the dress she'll be wearing. "I figure we'll go check in and get ready at the hotel before dinner."

Brittany smiles broadly and goes through her clothes before settling on an electric blue knee length dress and black heels.

"I already packed us a bag for tomorrow morning. We just need to be back here by noon." Santana tells her as she calls for a cab.

"Sounds great, honey."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

They arrived at the hotel around four-thirty in the afternoon and got showered and dressed for their six-thirty dinner reservation.

They had been seated at their table for about twenty minutes and were just waiting for their food. The place had a karaoke stage and several people had already "performed". They weren't bad, exactly, but Brittany was used to Santana's singing so she was a little critical.

"Next up: Santana Lopez!"

Brittany's jaw dropped as she looked at Santana. Santana just smiled broadly at her as she stood up and made her way to the stage.

"Hi, I'm Santana Lopez and tonight marks the one year anniversary of the day that the love of my life and I got back together." Brittany's jaw dropped again. She checked her phone; how did she forget that?

"So, I'd like to dedicate this song to her. I love you, Britt. Always."

Hmm yeah eh eh

Looks like we made it

Look how far we've come, my baby

We mighta took the long way

We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"

But just look at us holding on

We're still together, still going strong

Mm (you're still the one)

You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You're still the one I want for life

(You're still the one)

You're still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You're still the one I kiss goodnight

Ain't nothin' better

We beat the odds together

I'm glad we didn't listen

Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"

But just look at us holding on

We're still together, still going strong

oh

You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You're still the one I want for life

(You're still the one)

You're still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You're still the one I kiss goodnight

You're still the one

Yeah (you're still the one)

You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You're still the one I want for life, oh yeah (you're still the one)

You're still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You're still the one I kiss goodnight

I'm so glad we made it

Look how far we've come, my baby

Brittany has tears in her eyes as the restaurant erupts in applause when Santana finishes. This girl. Always surprising her. Brittany falls a little more in love every day. She smiles and shakes her head as Santana makes her way toward the table.

"Santana …"

Santana leans in and kisses her softly. "Happy Anniversary, baby."

"I can't believe I forgot. Or, didn't realize today was the eighteenth, actually."

"I'm glad you didn't," Santana grins at her, "it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if you had."

"Still … I didn't even …"

"Britt, we're having dinner, we're going dancing, and then we're going to a hotel for the night. There's nothing else I want or need other than to spend time with you."

"I love you, Santana, Happy Anniversary, honey."

"I love you, too, Britt."

xoxoxoxoxo

After dinner, Santana took Brittany's hand and led her down the street a couple of blocks. Brittany had expected a dance club but, once again, Santana surprised her; they walked into a ballroom dance hall.

"I thought maybe we'd do something different? We're always going to clubs and I know you don't get a chance to flex your ballroom moves so, I just thought …" Santana shrugged as she paid the cover charge to get in. "I mean, we can always leave here …"

Brittany silenced her with a kiss. "This is perfect, San. Just perfect."

The band was just starting Glen Miller's "In the Mood" as they entered the hall and Brittany practically dragged Santana to the dance floor. She rarely got the chance to swing dance and she absolutely loved it. She led Santana around the dance floor and, as always, Santana caught up and followed her lead in no time.

Brittany loved it. They spent the evening dancing Salsa, Swing, Tango, and Merenge. She had to slow her steps a bit at first so Santana could pick them up and follow but she had an amazing time. When they took a break to grab something to drink, several people commented on how well they danced. Santana, of course, gave Brittany all the credit which had Brittany blushing.

They left the hall a little after one and caught a cab to the hotel.

Once they were in the room, Brittany pulled Santana in for a deep kiss. As she kissed her, Brittany slid Santana's zipper down, pulling back to allow Santana to step out of it. Leaving Santana in her bra, panties, and heels, she smiled as she led Santana to a chair, sat her down in it, straddled her, and kissed her again.

"I love you, Santana Lopez. Now, you sit here and be a good girl, no touching." Brittany smirked at Santana and stood up, she pulled her phone out of her bag and quickly scrolled through it until she found what she was looking for.

"You sang for me, I dance for you."

She set it on the dresser, hit play, and the sounds of Britney Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" came through the speaker.

Santana laughed as Brittany grinned at her. But her laughter quickly died as Brittany shimmied out of her own dress and began to dance provocatively, leaving Santana's mouth dry.

Brittany strutted, shimmied, and swiveled to the floor and back up. As the song neared its end, she got down on all fours and prowled toward Santana with a predatory glint in her eye. When she reached Santana, she got up on her knees and pushed Santana's knees apart, moving herself in between them.

"Remember," she whispered in Santana's ear, her tongue snaking out to caress the shell, "no touching."

Santana shivered. She was wet, she knew she was, she could feel it. Brittany could turn her on with just a look, never mind the dance she just did. Brittany's hands slipped behind Santana and removed her bra before leaning back on her heels and staring at Santana.

"So beautiful," she leaned in and captured one of Santana's nipples in between her teeth, tugging at it and flicking it with her tongue.

Santana couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. "Fuck, Britt." She slid her hands under thighs to keep from reaching for the blonde. She could feel Brittany's grin against her skin. This girl was going to be the death of her, she was sure of it.

Brittany moved to the other breast and peppered it with kisses before latching onto the nipple and affording it the same treatment as the first one. Santana squirmed. She groaned. Her hips canted up.

Brittany smiled as she kissed her way down Santana's body. She grabbed behind Santana's knees and pulled her forward, then lowered herself to Santana, working her mouth against Santana's clothed center.

Santana writhed and wriggled, looking for friction, for relief. She had to stop herself, twice, from grabbing Brittany. Brittany looked up through her lashes at Santana, watching Santana. She knew. Santana could tell by the look her eyes that Brittany knew exactly what she was doing to the Latina.

"God, Britt, please," the moan came out as a beg. Pleading. "Please."

"What do you want, baby?" Brittany dragged her tongue along the edges of Santana's panties, tracing the crease from hip to thigh.

"More, Britt, please … god … fuck me." She strangled out as Brittany flattened her tongue on Santana's still clothed center.

"So wet … you sure you want more?" Brittany teased, slipping her fingers under the waistband of Santana panties. "Sure you can …" sliding them slowly down Santana's thighs as Santana lifted herself off the chair, "handle more?"

"Yes, oh, fuck, yes, Brittany!"

Brittany continued to slowly, so slowly, infuriatingly slowly, work the panties down Santana's legs. Santana was ready to tear them off herself by the time Britt got them off her.

Brittany slid her hands up Santana's legs, massaging her thighs, spreading them further. Santana was shaking, trembling … she wanted … everything. When Brittany's tongue finally stroked through her center and circled her clit, Santana thought she'd come right then. She arched against Brittany's mouth and continued to struggle to not touch Brittany. She wanted to run her hands through Brittany's hair, pull her close, kiss her senseless. But Brittany was using her tongue against Santana, stiffening it and pushing it into her, then pulling it out and licking up to her clit, circling without touching, then repeating the process.

Santana moaned and growled. The guttural noises she was making were just that, noises; carnal in their need. There was nothing coherent. Just when she thought she'd lose her mind, Brittany slid two fingers into her and captured her clit between her lips, suckling it, laving it. Her fingers slid slowly in and out and Santana could feel the build up.

"Britt … Britt … more … please, Britt … harder … fuck me, BrittANY!" She yelped as Brittany added a third finger and picked up the pace.

"Come for me, baby" Brittany whispered against her clit, the vibration sending her over the edge, screaming Brittany's name.

Brittany crept up Santana's body, her fingers still sliding in and out slowly, bringing Santana back down. She kissed Santana softly, so gently, and held her close until Santana's trembling and shaking slowed. When she pulled back, Santana opened her eyes and the look of pure adoration on Brittany's face caused her to surge up, surprising Brittany as she lifted the girl up and carried her to the bed.

"I love you, Britt," she husked, hovering over the blonde. "My turn to show you just how much."

xoxoxoxoxo

The next morning, they got back to the bus and Santana practically crawled into their bed, barely grunting a hello to Mercedes.

"You and Santana have a rough night?" The diva laughed.

Brittany grinned. "The best night. She's just a little tired. Cards?"

Mercedes pulled out the deck and the two of them spent the trip listening to Santana's soft snores and playing Gin Rummy.

xoxoxoxo

Song - Shania Twain - (You're) Still the One