Chapter 2 – Bakersfield, CA (June 20 – 22)

A/N: If you haven't read NtTOOR or WitWIB? (why?), allow me to explain: in my Canon-ish/Canon-adjacent world, Santana and Dani broke up before "100" and "New Directions". It was mutual and amicable; Dani got an amazing opportunity to go to LA and Santana encouraged her to take it. So, they've remained friendly (and in sporadic text communication) in an attempt to actually be friends.

Dani isn't a threat to Brittana's relationship AT ALL.

Also - :) is right-handed smile, (: is left-handed (just in case you didn't know)

xoxoxoxoxo

When Santana had seen the schedule for the tour and noticed dates for California she checked the map to see where, in relation to LA, those appearances would be.

None of them were particularly close but she texted Dani anyway.

To: Dani

6-15-14 9:37pm

Yo (: So I'm on tour with Mercedes and Britt and we're gonna be in Fresno, Bakersfield, and Barstow. I know none of those are really close to LA but I figured I'd reach out

From: Dani

6-15-14 9:42pm

When will you be in Bakersfield?

To: Dani

6-15-14 9:46pm

We get in late on June 20th and leave late on the 22nd but we don't have any appearances on the 21st

From: Dani

6-15-14 9:53pm

Awesome! I'm actually headed to Bakersfield right now. We're filming "Dream Chasers" in Bakersfield from June 16-30. So, lunch on the 21st?

To: Dani

6-15-14 10:02pm

Sounds good! Let me know where and what time is good for you. Jas with you? Be cool to meet her. Britt and Mercedes will probably join.

From: Dani

6-15-14 10:06pm

Yeah, Jas is with me :) It'd be cool meeting Brittany and Mercedes, too. I'll let you know the where and when after we get there and see what's there. Can't wait!

To: Dani

6-15-14 10:12pm

Awesome. Looking forward to it! (: talk soon.

Xoxoxoxoxo

Brittany, Santana, and Mercedes arrived at the Golden Noodle and checked inside. Not seeing Dani, Santana let the hostess know there would be five of them and they were waiting on two others. The hostess told them to let her know when the party was there and she'd seat them.

Mercedes phone rang and she excused herself to take the call, leaving Brittany and Santana waiting just outside the entrance.

"You nervous?" Britt looked at Santana.

"No." Santana's brow scrunched in confusion. "Should I be? Why should I be?"

Brittany laughed. "No, I guess not. I was just wondering."

"Nah. Dani's cool and she's bringing her new girlfriend. You were the one who said I should just think of her as a friend," Santana shrugged, "so that's all she is to me." She smiled at Brittany.

"Yo, chica!"

Santana turned and smiled as Dani walked towards them. Holding her hand was a beautiful, tall woman with mocha skin, brilliant green eyes, and midnight hair braided in cornrows with brightly colored beads clacking cheerfully as she walked. They were both dressed casually in shorts, t-shirts, and sandals.

As they approached, Mercedes returned from where she had stepped away to take her call.

"JAS?!"

As the tall woman called out: "'CEDES?!"

The two women hurried toward each other and hugged tightly while Brittany, Santana, and Dani looked on in confused amusement.

"Girl, it's been a minute! What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked as they separated.

"I'm here with Dream Chasers and … well … Dani." She smiled.

"I want to hear this story but, maybe after introductions and going inside?" Dani laughed. "Santana, this is my girlfriend, Jasmine. Jas, this is my friend, Santana."

Santana smiled and shook Jasmine's hand. "Well, you already know Mercedes," she laughed, "Dani, Jasmine – this is my girlfriend Brittany and our friend Mercedes."

They exchanged pleasantries and headed into the restaurant where the hostess seated them immediately.

"So, Santana, I owe you a couple of thank yous," Jasmine smiled at the Latina after their drink orders had been taken.

Santana looked at Jasmine in confusion.

"You gave Dani Geno's number. I met Dani at Geno's. Dani gave my resume to the folks on Dream Chasers … so I got my job and my new girlfriend thanks to you giving her Geno's number."

Santana laughed. "Well, full disclosure, Mercedes gave me Geno's number."

"But you asked her for it and you passed it on to Dani." Jasmine smirked.

The waiter came back with their drinks and the conversation lulled while they looked at the menus.

"Okay, so how do you two know each other?" Dani asked once the waiter had taken their food orders.

"I met 'Cedes at one of Geno's parties about … two years ago?" Jasmine looked at Mercedes.

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, it was right after I graduated and moved to LA."

"Geno kind of … collects? I guess? lost souls." Jasmine explained. "He got to LA about twenty-five years ago. He was, like, eighteen and didn't know anyone. So as he got older and starting meeting people, he just kind of networked them all. His house is always open for people who need a place to crash or need help finding an agent or a job or whatever. He says he never wanted anyone to go through it all alone. His partner, Kailey, is the same way. They're good people." Jasmine said.

"When I called him, he was just so cool. Telling me where there were communities I'd be interested in, inviting me to parties and dinner. Really, Santana, it was the best thing you could have done for me." Dani grinned as the Latina blushed.

"I texted Mercedes. It wasn't that big a deal." She tried to deflect the attention away from her.

Brittany kissed her temple. "You always deny your caring, generous heart." She whispered.

Their food came and they moved on to other topics; Dream Chasers, the show Dani moved to LA for, was doing really well entering its second season and Dani had been offered a record deal.

"That's amazing! Congratulations, Dani," Brittany smiled brightly.

"Thanks." Dani blushed and smiled back.

They discussed music, movies, television; talked about the tour and how much fun they were having interacting with people.

Lunch got interrupted twice by people who recognized Dani and wanted an autograph.

"Does that ever get old?" Mercedes wanted to know.

"Not old, exactly," Dani frowned in thought, "most of the time the fans are pretty cool and respect boundaries pretty well but every now and then they get really demanding and rude." She shrugs. "I guess that's all part of the fame package."

Santana nodded, thinking about her own desire for fame.

"Jasmine, I don't think Dani ever mentioned what it is you do on the show. I mean, I've watched every episode and haven't seen you …"

Jasmine laughed. "I'm a stylist; hair and make-up. Dani actually got me in before we even started dating." She smiled softly at Dani.

"That's awesome."

Brittany stood up and excused herself to the bathroom with Jasmine getting up and following her.

Mercedes phone rang again and she sighed as she noted who was calling. "It's the label, I gotta take this," she said, standing up and walking toward the doors.

Dani smiled. "You look happy."

"I am. So you do you."

Dani nodded and took a drink. "I am. Things are really going well with my career and my love life."

"Glad to hear it."

"You and Brittany seem to be doing well."

Santana nodded. She didn't want to hurt Dani's feelings by gushing about Britt.

"Santana, we're friends," Dani smiled knowingly at her, "it's cool. You never looked at me the way you look at her."

Santana smiled softly. "You didn't look at me the way you look at Jasmine, either."

Dani thought for a minute. "I think … if I hadn't gotten the opportunity to move to LA we'd have been one of those couples that go along for eight or ten years, never moving forward but not really having a solid reason to break up. We'd have been … content, I guess would be the word. And we'd have both been missing something but we wouldn't have really realized it." She grinned at Santana, "See? Everything works out the way it's supposed to. We got each other ready for the person we were meant to be with."

Santana smiled brightly. "Yeah. Keep a secret? From Brittany, anyway."

Dani nodded.

"I'm ring shopping."

Dani's jaw dropped. "Oh, my goddess! That's so awesome!" She got up and hugged Santana briefly. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks. I'm somewhere between really excited and about to keel over from a heart attack nervous."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Brittany was washing her hands when Jasmine stepped out of the stall.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Brittany dried her hands and faced Jasmine, a smile gracing her lips.

"Does it bother you? That Dani and Santana are … friends?"

Brittany smiled. "No. I mean," Brittany considered her words, "I trust Santana, but, I also know that she and Dani were never really serious. At least," Brittany gets a little nervous … maybe it was more serious for Dani than it was for Santana, "Santana's always said that they never got to a serious point."

Jasmine nodded. "That's what Dani says, too. I don't know. I just … I've never had an ex as a friend."

Brittany nodded. "I think that's probably the way it is for most people. Usually break-ups are messy and come after a lot of fighting and miscommunication and maybe cheating or other stuff that's really hard to get over, you know? With Dani and Santana, though, there wasn't any of that. They weren't in love but weren't fighting or anything. They'd only been together, like, less than three months. They were more … I don't know … friends who dated? There's really no reason for them not to be friendly." She shrugged. "And, really, they haven't said anything like 'remember when' or 'remember the time'. They haven't, like, reminisced at all. It's kind of how I am with my two ex-boyfriends. Like, we might as well not have dated for all it meant, you know?"

"That actually makes a lot of sense. Yeah, most of my relationships ended pretty badly." Jasmine nodded.

"For what it's worth? I don't think you have anything to worry about. When we go back out, watch her eyes and her face … she looks at you the way Santana looks at me." Brittany grinned. "Like I hung the moon and she feels like the luckiest person ever."

Jasmine laughed. "Really?"

"Serious. Just watch."

They left the bathroom and walked back toward their table and Brittany almost laughed when Dani caught sight of Jasmine; her whole face lit up.

Brittany nudged Jasmine. "Told ya," she whispered.

Jasmine smiled and ducked her head. "I never noticed before."

"You'll never not see it now."

"What are you two whispering about?" Santana asked as Brittany sat down next to her again.

"You." Brittany grinned and left it at that, laughing as Santana scowled at her.

Mercedes came back and dropped into her chair with a sigh and a scowl.

"What's going on?" Santana frowned in concern.

"They added eight shows in Buffalo. We're going to be in Buffalo for eight days." She sighed.

"Score!" Brittany said. "When?"

Dani looked at Brittany. "You're excited to go to Buffalo?"

"Oh, yeah, Buffalo is awesome! Santana and I spent three days there last November. It's got a lot to do and it's only like twenty minutes to Niagara Falls."

Mercedes laughed. "Well, we'll be there from September eighth until the sixteenth. We have the eighth and the fourteenth free."

"Oooh, San, it should still be warm enough for Canalside to be open."

Santana grinned. "We'll check it out, Britt."

Mercedes shook her head and laughed again. "This is why I love being on tour with the two of you … you find the fun wherever you go."

"Britt finds the fun, 'Cedes. I'm just along for the ride."

They all laughed and conversation flowed freely from one subject to the next until they realized they'd been sitting there long enough to get hungry again. They left the restaurant with Jasmine and Dani promising to come to the evening show the following day.

Xoxoxoxoxo

When they got back to the bus Mercedes went off to find Chandler, the tour manager.

Brittany and Santana climbed into the bus and Brittany pulled Santana into her.

"You okay?"

Santana smiled softly. "I'm fine, Britt, promise. Dani is just … Quinn."

Brittany nodded in understanding. She leaned down and caught Santana's lips in a soft kiss, pulling the Latina closer. Santana snaked her arms around Brittany's neck as the kiss deepened. It wasn't passionate; a simple affirmation of love.

When they broke apart Brittany led them to the couch and sat down, pulling Santana into her side.

Santana cuddled in close.

"What did you and Jasmine talk about?" She asked softly.

"You and Dani. She wanted to know if it worried me that you and Dani were friends. I think she might have been a little insecure. Which, I mean, you're hot, so yeah." Santana giggled. "I told her to watch Dani's face and eyes when we got back to the table. Dani looks at Jasmine the way you look at me; I really don't think she's got anything to worry about."

"She doesn't. Dani is happy. And, well, I'm off the market." She leaned up and kissed the underside of Brittany's jaw.

"Damn straight you are." Brittany turned her head and kissed Santana possessively. "Mine."

"Always."

xoxoxoxoxo

When Mercedes got back to the bus she found the two of them asleep on the couch; Brittany was lying between Santana's legs with her head resting on Santana's chest. She was hit with a strong wave of affection for the two women and shook her head as she covered them with the blanket from the back of the couch.

Who'd have thought that the three mean girls of sophomore year would turn out to be some of her closest friends?