It was fall, and Santana was walking Bella to her first day of school. It was also Santana's first day of school. Her interview with Griffin Hill Academy had gone very well, and she was the new English Literature teacher at the prestigious private school.
"Mommy, your hands are all sweaty," Bella complained, jerking her hand out of her mother's and wiping it on her jacket.
"Sorry, baby." Santana chuckled. "I guess I'm a little nervous."
"It's just school, Mom," Bella stated, raising her eyebrows.
Santana looked down at her daughter, taking a moment to truly appreciate how alike they were. "I've never taught before though," she admitted, threading her fingers together.
She and Bella had a complete open door policy. No matter what was going on, they talked about it. Growing up, Santana had had a similar relationship with her mother, and she cherished how close they'd become as a result.
"You'll do great, Mama," Bella said confidently, her smile washing away Santana's nerves. She loved how her daughter called her "Mama" when she wanted to show affection. Normally, it was "Mommy" or "Mom" when she was trying to act older than her six years.
Kneeling down, Santana hugged Bella tightly. "Thank you, baby girl. Your support means the world to me."
They continued their walk through the crisp New York fall morning, Santana's arms securely wrapped around her daughter.
Redoing her messy bun, Brittany squinted at herself in the massive mirror and sighed. She looked a mess. She'd just finished a full 10-hour day of classes at Jerry's studio and was exhausted. Brittany was the type of teacher who led by example, which meant that she danced pretty much nonstop all day. Granted, she was in peak physical shape; her stint on Dancing with the Stars had really toned her up, and Justin Timberlake's world tour had kept her in perfect condition.
If she were to be truly honest, she was exhausted because she was struggling to sleep. She just couldn't seem to let go of seeing and hearing Santana. It had been months ago, but her head wasn't letting her forget it. Or maybe it was her heart.
She frowned at her reflection. Most nights, sex with Sara tired her out enough to catch a few hours of sleep before Santana popped into her head and she was wide awake again. For a while, she'd thought that she was having trouble sleeping because hooking up with Sara was weighing on her guilty conscience. So she'd tried abstaining, but that had only ended up making things worse. Not only had she been unable to sleep, but she'd also been horny as hell — not the best combination when she couldn't get Santana off her mind. Admittedly, there had been a few occasions where Brittany's hand had wandered into her pants with Santana's name on the tip of her tongue.
Unfortunately, Sara was getting clingy, and living with her was becoming tedious. Brittany had been staying there since she'd gotten back in April, and she was itching for her own space. However, she was scared that if she told her fellow dancer that she wanted to move out, Sara would start crying or something ridiculous. Brittany didn't do well with hysterics.
Santana looked around her classroom and smiled. Honestly, she'd been so worried that she would feel completely out of her depth and like an outsider, but here she was, standing in the room and feeling at peace, like she belonged here. Principal DeCosta had taken her on a tour of the vast grounds of the school, and the faculty had been incredibly welcoming and friendly.
"Ms. Lopez!" The principal poked his head into her room. "How was your first day?" he asked pleasantly.
"Great," she replied enthusiastically. "I can tell I'm really going to enjoy it here."
"Well, as I said in April, we are incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon you."
Santana laughed. "Nice try, but we both know the reason I got the interview."
"Maybe so," DeCosta conceded, chuckling, "but you got the job based on your skills and passion. I could tell then that you are going to be a fantastic addition to this school and faculty."
"Thank you, Mr. DeCosta. That means a lot."
"Please, call me DC. Everyone does."
Santana smiled and nodded. Suddenly, her phone buzzed, and her eyes widened at the time. "Crap!" she exclaimed, then winced when she remembered whose company she was in. "Um, sorry."
DC chuckled again. "Late for something?"
"Yes, sorry. It's my daughter's first day of school too, and I need to go pick her up."
"Best you be off then," DC said, standing aside. "See you tomorrow, Ms. Lopez."
"Thank you!" Grabbing her bag, Santana rushed out the door. "Have a good afternoon, DC!"
Santana raced out the gates, waving and smiling at the students who called out greetings, and jumped into the first cab she could find.
Luckily, Bella's school was within a safe walking distance from their apartment, although she was forbidden from making the journey unless accompanied by Santana, Kurt, Rachel, or Finn. Because it was her daughter's first day, Santana had promised that she'd be there, and she never broke her promises, especially to Bella.
This promise was extra important, because Santana didn't know when she'd next get the chance to pick her daughter up from school. That was probably the only downside of Santana's new job; the extracurricular activities were big, and all faculty members were expected to take part in some way or another.
When the cabbie screeched to a halt, Santana handed him some money and quickly exited the car, smiling in relief when she saw that the kids had only just started to come out. Not long after, Santana's smile increased tenfold as Bella bounded up to her excitedly.
"Mommy!" she squealed happily, jumping into Santana's waiting arms.
"Hey, baby girl," Santana greeted, squeezing her tightly. She set her down and took her hand. "Did you have a good first day?"
That was all Bella needed to launch into a detailed account of her day. Santana just smiled and listened dutifully to her daughter's opinions about the teacher and other kids and cafeteria menu.
Sure, her life may not be what she'd planned, but she wouldn't change this feeling for the world.
Brittany was making a smoothie in the kitchen when Sara walked in.
"Hey," Brittany greeted.
"Hey." Sara stood there, awkwardly shuffling her feet.
After a few seconds of silence, Brittany glanced at her. "What's up?"
Sara took a deep breath. "I met someone."
"Okay."
Sara frowned at Brittany's casual response. "That's it?"
Brittany shrugged. "I'm happy for you? I don't know what you want me to say, Sara. It's cool."
"You really are something else," Sara muttered.
"I'm human," Brittany deadpanned. "That one time aliens abducted me, they didn't take away any of my human parts. They just—"
"Brittany!"
The blonde dancer halted in her ramblings and looked at her friend in surprise.
"God, I don't understand you!" Sara said in exasperation. "You come back from JT's tour, and things are great. Then, all of a sudden, you dry up on me, and two months later, we're back to being fuck buddies."
"I didn't think that was a problem," Brittany said cautiously. "It's how we've always been."
"Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted more?" Sara asked, her voice dropping an octave.
"Yes," Brittany replied. Sara's eyebrows shot up. So many people didn't understand the blonde's penchant for complete honesty.
"But you don't? Did you ever?"
"No. You knew straight from the start, Sara. We've been over this so many times. You're a great friend, and I love you, but—"
"You're not in love with me," Sara finished bitterly.
"No," Brittany said softly.
Sara sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I don't think you can love anyone other than her."
Brittany stayed silent, because anything she could say would just confirm what Sara said. However, by saying nothing, she achieved the same outcome.
"I think you should find another place to live," Sara said quietly.
"I already have."
Sara blinked. "What? Were you planning on mentioning this at some point?"
"I was trying to find the right time," Brittany explained. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings."
"I…I guess that doesn't really matter now," Sara said with a sense of finality. "Maybe it would be best if we both just move on. Seven years of friendship plus whatever else was great, but I don't want that anymore."
With a shocking sense of clarity, Brittany realized that she didn't want that either.
"Mommy, hurry up!" Bella called impatiently. "We're going to be late!"
"Okay, okay, I'm here." Santana rushed out of her room. "And we won't be late. They can't start the show without the star." She winked at her daughter, who rolled her eyes in a very Santana-like fashion.
"Whatever, Mom."
"Hey, check that attitude, young lady. That's not how I raised you," Santana scolded firmly. She didn't often have to play disciplinarian, but her daughter had most definitely inherited the cockiness that had made Santana so popular in high school.
Bella dropped her gaze in apology. "I want to go now, though. I love Glee night."
Smiling, Santana opened the front door, allowing her daughter to race into the hall and push the button for the elevator. She locked the door behind her and chuckled at her daughter's impatience with the lift.
Glee night was something contrived by none other than Rachel Berry. Duh. When Bella had asked how her mom and friends had met, the story of Glee Club had come out. Since then, once a month, Santana and Bella met up with Kurt, Rachel, and Finn for a karaoke night. Santana had to admit that she enjoyed it; she'd always loved singing, and seeing her daughter's face light up whenever she took the mic was reason enough to continue doing it.
This month was Rachel and Finn's turn to host. Blaine had finally made his way to New York, and although his relationship with Kurt had been on-and-off for the last few years, they were currently very much on and living together a few blocks from Rachel and Finn.
Santana loved how close they all were, both literally and figuratively. She treasured her New York family more than anything in the world, and nights like this just reminded everyone of how far they'd truly come.
Unsurprisingly, Rachel was a sensation on Broadway. Finn had scored a job at a sports agency as a personal assistant to one of the biggest sports agents in New York. Kurt had his own fashion line and was slowly starting to break into some Paris and Milan fashion circles.
The lift opening shook Santana from her trip down memory lane. She smiled as Bella started humming "Don't Stop Believin'."
Brittany's earphones were blaring loud music as she entered the lobby of her new apartment building. She'd moved in that week and had already made friends with the doorman, the maintenance guy, and the delivery guy.
Her new apartment was pretty cool. It was big and airy with a lot of space, and she'd met a few of her neighbors, who'd come across as relatively normal. No secret cults or anything like that.
Smiling, she waved at Noddy, the doorman. She was pretty sure his name was Oliver or something, but he was always nodding at people.
Noddy nodded (duh) at the blonde dancer as she pushed the button for the lift and waited, tapping her foot to the loud music.
Glancing up at the lights, she noted that both lifts were coming down at the same time. When the elevator on the left opened, she stepped into the empty compartment, ignoring the other lift that opened just as she stepped in.
Santana stepped out of the lift and paused, frowning. There was a strange scent in the air that, for some reason, made her think of Brittany. Her train of thought was broken by her daughter grabbing her hand and pulling her to the door.
"Have a good evening, Oliver!" she called to the doorman as Bella tried to dislocate her shoulder.
"You too, Ms. Lopez," Oliver replied, nodding.
"Bye, Noddy!" Bella shouted as they exited the building.
Santana laughed heartily, and Oliver just smiled.
As a laugh permeated the loud music in her ears, Brittany put a hand out to stop the elevator door from closing. Taking off her earphones, she stepped out of the lift, but the lobby was empty. The front door was swinging closed, so whoever it was had obviously just left. Frowning in puzzlement, Brittany stepped back into the elevator. There had been something very familiar about that laugh…