Brittany was in the middle of wrestling Lord Tubbington into his bath when she heard a faint knock downstairs. Right when she was distracted by the sound, he slipped out of her hands and jumped to the ground, sprinting out of the bathroom.

"Really? You crawl like a slug, but suddenly you're Speedy Gonzales?"

When the knock persisted, Brittany huffed and quickly went downstairs. Just as she was about to open the front door, however, she froze. It couldn't be...could it? What would she say? What would she do? Brittany wasn't sure her heart was ready for another argument.

"Britt," she faintly heard. "I know you're there...please open up."

Swallowing nervously, Brittany opened the door. Santana's eyes met hers immediately, and her shoulders slumped in relief. She knew Santana well, and it didn't seem like she had come to argue. There was a certain softness to her that had Brittany yearning to hold her.

She relented, of course, and stepped aside so the chef could come in. After Brittany closed the door, the silence around them seemed deafening. Santana cleared her throat, not once but twice. "I kind of overreacted..." she mumbled.

Brittany let out a shaky breath, now more at ease. "Well..."

"I just—I—"

"Santana..."

Santana shook her head, knowing she had to get this out. She wouldn't beat around the bush liked she used to before. "It was just—it was frustrating. I thought we were starting fresh, you know? But when I realized you'd hidden so much from me, I kind of...lost it."

Brittany bit her lip. "I hurt you a lot..."

Santana's eyes flickered to the carpet. After a pause, she said, "I...I read your letter."

"Oh?"

"Yeah...it was beautiful, Britt. Thank you."

Brittany fidgeted in place. "And t-the revie—"

"I didn't read it. I trust your words," Santana smiled softly.

Brittany smiled back, albeit hesitantly. "I hope you know I never once thought you'd take advantage of me being Susan. The reason I didn't tell you is that—"

"I know," Santana cut her off. She knew Brittany wasn't the only one who had some apologizing to do, and she'd done enough of that in her letter. "That's the only thing I've been able to think about. And the more I pieced everything together, the more I realized how selfish I'd been. You had every reason to keep the truth from me. I can't believe I thought it was wrong that you didn't compromise your career just for me. It was so..." She clenched her fists, frustrated with herself. "God Britt, when I read your letter I just...I felt..."

She shook her head, annoyed at her inability to find the right words. Brittany had expressed herself with such sincerity, but here she was, incapable of putting her thoughts into words.

Unsurprisingly, Brittany noticed her frustration. "Hey, it's okay," she said, "I think we both clearly didn't handle any of this very well."

Santana chuckled. "You can say that."

Brittany bit her lip, then smiled tentatively. "Um...I was going to make some tea after giving LT his bath. Do you want some?"

Santana nodded shyly. "Thanks, Britt."

After Brittany made the tea and Santana took her coat and shoes off, they sat on the couch, sipping the hot beverage carefully. They hadn't talked much, but Santana felt like she would blurt out everything in her heart in a second. It was maddening to be so close to Brittany, yet so far. They were being cordial, and she hated it; their relationship had always been about closeness and comfort. It wasn't usually so awkward and tense, and both women were trying to find ways to break the ridiculous silence. Santana had wanted to say a million things after she'd read Brittany's letter in the storage room, yet here she was, staying mute.

Finally, when their eyes met for the tenth time and Brittany smiled again, Santana couldn't take it anymore. "I love you," she blurted out, eyes widening as she heard herself. It was too late to backtrack however, and her heart was beating annoyingly fast. "It kind of pisses me off."

Brittany inhaled sharply, both surprised by Santana's confession and frustrated she hadn't said it first. "Yeah? Well, I—I love you so much it drives me insane. You're everywhere I go, you're in my head—it's crazy. You're crazy! With your rubber snaps and your King Kong ego and your stupid, stupid smile—"

"Hey," Santana interjected. "I thought we banned the usage of 'stupid' in this relationship."

Brittany frowned. "This is not a relationship, you goose, this is a crazy house."

Santana blinked, her lips curving into a smile. "Goose?"

Brittany frowned, taken aback by the sudden mood change. "...What?"

"You called me a goose."

"W-well, you are. You're stubborn and loud and—"

"Britt?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

"Do I love you? What kind of question is that? What did I just say? You have everything—my heart, my body, my—"

"Baby..." Santana sighed.

Brittany swallowed back the end of her sentence. "Of course I love you."

Santana set her tea on the coffee table and shuffled closer to Brittany. "Well, that's all we need right now. I know we have our issues, and I know it won't always be peachy, because, well...it's us, and it's me, and I can get fired up pretty quickly." She rolled her eyes with a smile. "But I'm...I'm ready for it. I want the good and the bad. I want all that gooey stuff, and I want it with you. Now, call me cheesy if you want, but I'm a chef, and I love me some cheese, so..."

Brittany laughed as she set her tea on the table as well. She took Santana's hands in hers and pulled her towards her. "You're a huge dork, you know that?"

"But a smooth dork, right?"

Brittany feigned wonderment. "Hmm...you're getting there."

They chuckled together before their eyes locked and Brittany smirked. "Hey, your lips look kinda lonely..."

Santana laughed heartily. "Ohh, now that was smooth."

Brittany shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't want you to feel bad."

They smiled at each other before Brittany took on a more serious tone. "I'm not going anywhere, Santana. You and I...I think sometimes we make no sense, but it's kinda perfect, you know? You're like...my other half."

"The apple to my pie..." Santana crooned playfully.

Brittany grinned, then searched for another example. "The...ah...cat to my milk."

Santana's nose scrunched up. "That's kinda weird."

"Yeah, I know. I don't know where that came from."

"Well, whatever. Kiss me?"

Brittany smiled widely before she pressed her lips against Santana's. Soon Brittany had the chef straddling her, their kisses turning messy and wet as their laughter died down.