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This book was automatically created by FLAG on June 5th, 2012, based on
content retrieved from http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7329167/.
The content in this book is copyrighted by 123beakie or their authorised
agent(s). All rights are reserved except where explicitly stated otherwise.
This story was first published on August 27th, 2011, and was last updated on
May 7th, 2012.
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated - please email any bugs, problems,
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Table of Contents
Summary
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10

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Summary
Brittany is eight years old, her neighbor and babysitter Santana is a freshman at
McKinley high school. Nine years later Santana comes home to visit her parents and
sees Brittany all grown up...

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Chapter 1
Brittany Susan Pierce was an eight year old girl who lived in a place called Lima
Ohio. She was an adorable little girl with her golden blonde hair and her bright blue
eyes that had the vacant innocent look of a young child. That and the fact that her
toothy little smiles never left her face made it very hard for anyone not to like her.
Though she did not perform that well in school her teachers still loved her for her
optimism and her unique way of thinking. She was different than most girls her age
in many ways. While her friends liked to play with Barbie's and talk about boys, she
enjoyed feeding the ducks in the park by her house or practicing her dancing in her
very large house. She was an only child and she came from a very wealthy family.
Her parents loved her and loved to spoil her but Brittany was not a materialistic
person and though she accepted the gifts with a big happy smile on her face she
never really wanted or cared for the presents she got.
One evening Brittany climbed down the stairs to see her parents talking in the
kitchen dressed fancier than usual. Her mother turned her head and saw Brittany,
she smiled and said "Brittany, honey your father and I are going out to dinner and
we'll be back pretty late. We hired Santana to watch you for the night, is that okay?"
All Brittany managed to squeak out through all her excitement was "y-yeah that's
okay". Then she ran up the stairs to her room and started jumping up and down
unable to contain her joy. You see Santana was her neighbor who sometimes
babysat Brittany when her parents were away. She was a freshman at McKinley high
school. Brittany loved when Santana babysat her. She would play with Brittany for
hours on end and she truly looked like she was enjoying herself, unlike other
babysitters Brittany had had who had played with her for ten minutes while
constantly looking at the clock, then put her to bed early and watch TV till her
parents got home. No, Santana was amazing. She would bring Brittany to the park
to feed the ducks and make Brittany her favorite food (which consisted of waffles
and cookies). She would talk to Brittany and make her laugh, then let her go to bed
past her bedtime and read Brittany her favorite bedtime stories or she would make
up new stories if Brittany requested it.
Brittany was thinking about all of this when she heard the doorbell ring
downstairs. Brittany bounded down the stairs, wrenched open the door of the house
and looked up at the beautiful girl that was smiling down at her. Santana picked
Brittany up in her strong but slender arms, kissed her on the cheek and said "How's
it going Britt?"
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Brittany who was red in the face at being kissed on the cheek said "good" very
shyly and would not meet the Latina's eyes. Santana chuckled at how cute Brittany
was and how shy she was when Santana would just arrive.
"Hello Santana!" Santana looked over Brittany's shoulder where Mr. and Mrs.
Pierce were both standing with their shoes and coats on ready to leave. "How are
you?" said Mr. Pierce.
"I'm good" said Santana with a smile.
"How are your parents?"
"They're okay Busy with work and everything but they're doing fine" replied
Santana.
"Good, well we better get going Bye sweetie!" said Mrs. Pierce as her and Mr.
Pierce both kissed Brittany and walked out the door to their car.
As soon as they left Santana set Brittany down on the ground. "So, what do you
want to do?" Said Santana with a smile on her face. Santana always smiled at
Brittany and Brittany loved her smile. It made her feel special, especially because
she had seen the Latina sometimes when she wasn't babysitting her, like at the
groceries or in her driveway and she always had a scowl plastered to her face.
In the end they spent the evening dancing. Well Santana mostly sat down and
watched the little girl dance; she was surprised at how easily she moved and how
graceful she was. When Brittany was all tired out they put on "The lady and the
tramp". When it got to the nudging of the meatball across the plate scene, Brittany
said in a very sleepy voice "I want that to happen to me someday".
Santana looked over at the girl who had her sleepy eyes fixed on the TV screen.
Santana just laughed and said "You are way too cute."

-6-

Chapter 2
Two years went by. Sometimes Santana would babysit her but Brittany was
getting older and no longer needed a babysitter most of the time. Brittany would
sometimes see Santana on the street or in her driveway but not as often as before.
When she would see the Latina, Santana would always smile sweetly or do a little
wave. These little gestures usually resulted in Brittany being ridiculously happy for
the rest of the day. In Brittany's opinion Santana was the nicest person she knew,
her friend Sam however thought she was really mean and short tempered. Santana
was best friends with his older sister Quinn which meant she was over at their house
very often. Sam would sometimes come to school in the morning very angry over
something Santana did, which varied from locking him out of his house to calling
him "trouty mouth" which he absolutely hated. Brittany would always get angry at
Sam for talking badly about Santana and would often defend her by telling Sam that
she had a point about his lips. It did nothing to improve her friendship with Sam.
One night Brittany had looked out of her window and saw Santana kissing a boy
with a Mohawk. Brittany went to bed that night feeling strangely sad
One day Brittany when Brittany was about Ten years old, she was playing with her
cat Lord Tubbington in her room when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door.
"Come in" she said. And in came her parents, both wearing oddly anxious
expressions on their faces.
"Honey, your father and I would like to talk to you about something." Her mother
said.
Brittany was suddenly scared. "What if they found out about the bird I hid in my
desk at school!" she thought nervously.
"Brittany" her father said "There is no easy way to tell you this so I'll just go ahead
and say it We're moving to California. Not forever, but I got a seven year contract
for my job so we will probably be there till you graduate from high school."
"We're keeping the house! It's going to be rented out while we're gone." Her
mother added quickly as she saw Brittany's face grow more panicked and miserable
by the second.
Brittany knew she should say something but all she wanted to do was cry and as
her parents were sitting on her bed where she would usually go to cry alone in
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peace, she had no choice but to go find somewhere else before her parents could see
the tears that were already starting to form in her eyes. She stood up abruptly and
ran out of her room and out the door of the house. Her parents knew better than to
follow her because they knew she needed to be alone for a while to process the
news. Once she got to the street in front of her house she could no longer hold in the
tears so she sat down on the sidewalk, hugged her knees to her chest and cried.
Sobs wracked her whole body and she was having trouble catching her breath as
she thought of all of the people she would have to say bye to. Sam, Rachel,
Mercedes Santana. As soon as she thought of her name she heard a voice. Her
voice. Brittany was filled with joy as she heard the concern and protectiveness in
Santana's voice when she said "Brittany! What's wrong? Are you hurt? Who did this
to you? What did they do? I'm going to kick their ass!"
Brittany turned her head to face the Latina and answer her questions, but as quick
as her joy came when she heard her voice it left even quicker when she saw she was
arm in arm with the boy with the Mohawk. Santana saw that Brittany would not
want to talk with Puck around so she said "Puck just go wait at my house I'll be
there in a little while." Puck left without another word.
When he left Brittany started crying again when she thought about saying
goodbye to Santana. Slowly Santana sat down next to Brittany and pulled her onto
her lap. "Brittany, what's wrong? I hate seeing you like this"
Brittany looked up into Santana's brown eyes and it helped calm her down. She
took a couple slow steadying breaths then spoke. "I'm moving to California for
seven years."
Just admitting it out loud caused another round of tears and she cried into the
Latina's shoulder as Santana hugged her close letting a few tears escape out of her
own eyes. She was really going to miss the little blonde girl. Babysitting her had
been some of the best nights she had had. She had even turned down a couple
invitations to parties to come hang out with the little girl.
"I j-just don't want to have to say b-bye to all of my friends." Said Brittany as she
rubbed her eyes with her small hands in fists.
Santana looked at her and replied, "Brittany you're not leaving forever. And you'll
have no problem making new friends."
"Who wouldn't want to be friends with this sweet little girl" thought Santana.

-8-

Chapter 3
They were there for almost an hour. Brittany sitting on Santana's lap in the middle
of the sidewalk in front of Brittany's house, while people occasionally walked around
them. Brittany mostly talked about all of her friends at school and her favorite ducks
at the park and how she would have to say bye to all of them. And Santana told
Brittany all the good things she knew about California and assured her there were
plenty of ducks to feed over there. Afterwards Brittany went home feeling much
better about moving, she was even a little bit excited.
At school the next day Brittany told her friends that she was moving and they
were all extremely sad and so was Brittany but when Rachel suggested that they all
exchange emails to keep in contact it made Brittany feel a lot better that she wasn't
completely losing them.
Brittany sat on the porch as she watched her dad load the moving truck with some
of the last boxes. She looked past her dad and saw Santana walking up her driveway
with a wrapped present in her hands. Brittany eyed the present hoping it was for her
and sure enough Santana handed the present over to Brittany and sat down next to
her on the porch. Brittany looked over at Santana unsure. "Open it!" exclaimed
Santana with a laugh. Brittany opened it quickly and looked at what Santana had
given her, a delighted smile spreading on her face. It was a toy duck plushy and a
batch of delicious looking chocolate chipped cookies, Brittany's favorite. Brittany
turned to Santana and engulfed her in a giant bear hug. Santana smiled satisfied
with Brittany's reaction to her gift.
"Santana?" said Brittany as she pulled away from the hug.
"Yes?" answered Santana.
"Um, do you think maybe I could have your email address so I can write to you
sometimes?" Brittany asked, afraid the Latina would say no.
"Sure, good idea! Here" Santana said as she dug out a pen and paper from her
purse. She wrote down her e-mail adress on the paper. It said 'Glee4life' in a clear
elegant handwriting.
"What's glee?" asked Brittany curiously.
"It's uh nothing" said Santana who for some reason looked embarrassed.
-9-

"Brittany hurry up we're leaving to the airport in two minutes!" yelled her mother
from inside the house.
"Do you want to know his name?" Brittany asked as she held out the duck and
ignored what her mother had just said.
"Sure" Santana said sadly as she realized that she only had two minutes with the
little girl.
"His name is Lester!" Brittany said.
"Lester, hmm interesting Don't you think that would be a better name for a
lizard or something?" answered Santana.
"Nope, I think Lester is the perfect name!" Brittany said proudly.
"Brittany come on, we're going to miss our flight!" her dad told her.
Her mom and dad were now both out of the house ready to leave. The brunette
and the blonde looked at each other both unsure of how to say goodbye. Brittany
was now a little too big to be picked up by the Latina, so Santana just bent down and
hugged her tightly, kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear "Have fun."
Brittany just nodded and looked at Santana for a couple seconds before grabbing
Lester the duck and her cookies. Then she ran and got into the car. Mr. Pierce gave
Santana a little wave then started the car. Brittany turned in her seat and stared at
Santana out of the back window and Santana stared back. The blue eyes and the
brown eyes were locked on each other as the car drove down the street and turned
the corner. Santana suddenly felt a wave of emotion as she realized that this was
probably the last time she would ever see Brittany seeing as she was planning on
moving to New York as soon as she graduated. That was in two years, and Brittany
was coming back in seven
Twoweek'slater.
Santana logged on to her e-mail and saw she had one new message. She smiled
when she saw who it was from. She quickly opened it and read.
"Hi Santana!
I ate the cookies you gave me and they were really good! I like my new house a
lot! There's a really big pool so I can go swimming whenever I want! Lord
Tubbington loves my new room and so do I. I made some friends at school. They're
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all really nice; their names are Kurt, Tina and Mike. Anyways I just wanted to tell
you that you were right about this place. It's awesome!
PS. I haven't seen any duck's yet I'm starting to get worried.
-Love Brittany :P"
Pleasereview!Ilovereadingthem!:D

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Chapter 4
It was the summer after graduation and Brittany was sitting on the ground in her
room surrounded by piles of things that she was packing away into boxes and bags.
Something caught her eye through the piles and she reached over and grabbed it. It
was an old picture of her and her boyfriend Artie at her junior prom. She sighed,
and put the picture in one of the boxes. As much as Brittany had loved her boyfriend
she was relieved that things had ended with him before she moved back to Lima
Ohio because she could not handle a long distance relationship. She was no good at
keeping in contact with people; she had learned that from when she had moved to
California. It had not taken too long for her and her friends to stop messaging each
other after she had left. The only person she had kept on messaging was Santana
and even with her it had only lasted a couple of months before the messages
stopped. But Brittany was not arriving in Lima Ohio friendless. She had just
managed to reconnect with her old school friends Sam, Mercedes, and Rachel
through Facebook. Brittany did not fully understand the website but she had figured
out how the chat worked and she had already talked to all three of them. She had
made plans with them to meet them at the Lima Bean the day she would arrive
home. Brittany was surprised that the three of them had remained friends all
through middle school and high school and had even gone to their senior prom
together as friends by the look of Mercedes profile picture. They had a true
friendship and Brittany hoped she would fit in with them as easily as she had when
she was younger. Although she was only going to be in Lima for a month then she
was moving to New York on her own because she had a scholarship in dance at
Julliard, so they wouldn't exactly have that much time to reconnect and become best
friends. Another thing that surprised Brittany was Sam. He was extremely good
looking in Brittany's opinion and the conversation they had had on Facebook chat
had gotten a lot flirtier once they had seen each others profile pictures. Sam had
wasted no time in asking Brittany out on a date that was scheduled for about a week
after she would get to Lima. Both of them had agreed not to mention it to Mercedes
and Rachel because they thought it might make things a little bit awkward.
One week later Brittany and her parents were arrived in Lima Ohio airport. It had
been a long and boring flight and Brittany had been squished in her seat between to
old people that were asleep. Brittany had needed to go to the bathroom but she
hadn't wanted to wake them up as she got out of her seat so she held it in. When
they got to the airport the first thing Brittany did was find a bathroom while her
parents went to get their bags and suitcases. When she got to the bathroom she
realized that she was obviously not the only one who had held it in because there
was a huge line up for the woman's bathroom. Brittany sighed and got in line behind
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a brown haired Latina girl that looked extremely annoyed at the line up. Brittany
thought she looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't tell where she knew her from.
Santana was already in a shitty mood because of the guy beside her on the plane
who had spilt his drink on her and having to wait in a huge line up to go to the
bathroom did absolutely nothing to improve her mood. She noticed that the girl
beside her in line was staring at her so she said "Did you need something?" in a
bitchy voice not bothering to look at the girl as she spoke.
"Did you need something?" the girl asked Brittany. Brittany had definitely heard
that voice somewhere and she felt like it was important to her in some way. Then
the meaning of the question sunk in and Brittany realized she had been leering at
the girl.
"No, sorry" She responded in a small embarrassed voice. Brittany waited her turn
in silence and forced herself not to look at the girl who she realized was extremely
pretty, and Brittany was wondering what her eyes would look like under her
sunglasses. Finally it was Brittany's turn to use the bathroom. When she was done
she went to wash her hands and as she did so she looked in the mirror and saw that
the pretty girl from before was also washing her hands in the sink beside Brittany.
Brittany knew that face from somewhere and she wasn't even paying attention to
washing her hands as she stared at the girl trying to figure out how she knew her.
"If only she would take off those damn sunglasses!" thought Brittany.
Santana looked up at her reflection in the mirror as she was washing her hands.
She could see in her peripheral vision a girl staring at her through the mirror. She
could tell it was the same girl who was behind her in the line up. Santana was used
to people checking her out but this girl was full on staring at Santana through the
mirror and it was a little creepy. Santana dried her hands then left the bathroom.
Someone tapped Brittany on the shoulder clearly annoyed at how much time she
was taking to wash her hands. She quickly went to dry her hands then left the
bathroom to find her parents. Her parents were waiting for her near the exit. She
joined them and together they went and got a cab to bring them home. As they were
getting in the cab Brittany noticed the girl from the bathroom also getting into a cab
behind theirs. The girl had taken off her sunglasses but she got into the cab before
Brittany could get a good look at her face.
"Brittany what are you doing? Get in the car!" Her father said impatiently.
Brittany hastily got in the cab and they drove away from the airport. As they were
driving back to their old house Brittany couldn't help but notice that the cab behind
- 13 -

theirs was driving the exact same way as them and taking all the same turns. At this
point Brittany had forgotten that it was the girl from the bathroom that was in that
cab and thought it was just some random person that was tailing them for some
reason. Finally to Brittany's relief the cab behind them got stuck at a red light while
they had passed at a yellow light. When they arrived at the house Brittany helped
her dad unload all of their suitcases and bags from the trunk. When the driver had
been paid and left Brittany's parents went inside the house to get settled in but
Brittany stayed outside for a couple minutes and looked up at the house as she was
flooded with memories of her childhood. Brittany then realized that she was
standing on the exact spot where she had sat in Santana's lap and told her she was
moving. The sound of a car approaching interrupted Brittany's train of thought. She
looked down the street to see a cab driving towards her and stopping directly in
front of Santana's parent's house. After a couple seconds the door of the cab opened
and out came the girl from the bathroom not wearing her sunglasses. Brittany finally
got a good look at her face and she was even more beautiful than she could ever
have imagined. Suddenly Brittany froze in shock as she realized who the girl was.
Santana paid the driver and got out of the cab with her suitcase. She looked up at
her old house. The house she had grown up in, the house she had left almost the day
after she graduated from high school, and the house she was going to be living in for
the next month because she was visiting her parents after years of not seeing them.
Then she heard someone call her name.
"Santana?" The voice had so many emotions as she called Santana's name; Joy,
hope, disbelief, and a little quiver in her voice that suggested she was nervous and a
little unsure.
Santana turned around and almost dropped her bag in surprise. It was the most
beautiful girl Santana had ever seen. She had wavy blond hair, a perfect body and
crystal blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight But wait a minute; Santana had only
ever seen one person with eyes that blue Santana could barely contain her
surprise as she looked at the blonde.
"Brittany?" She called back, her voice filled with the same emotions as Brittany's
had been.

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Chapter 5
Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them. :)

They were both at a loss for words. They stood there staring at each other for
what seemed like an eternity. Then out of nowhere Brittany ran forward and hugged
Santana tightly nearly lifting her off her feet. Suddenly it struck Santana that
Brittany was taller than her and it used to be her who would lift Brittany up in the
air when she hugged her. Santana hugged Brittany back and they stayed like that
for a moment before they pulled away. Santana took in every little detail of
Brittany's facial features. She looked so different yet Santana could still make out
parts of Brittany that were the same. When you looked into her eyes she still looked
so pure and innocent and she still had cute little freckles and rosy cheeks. Santana's
eyes then trailed down to Brittany's lips and Santana noticed how soft they looked
Santana was disgusted with herself for thinking about Brittany that way and quickly
pushed the thought out of her mind and forced herself to think of Brittany as the
little girl she had once known.
Brittany was completely mesmerized by Santana's beauty. She looked even more
beautiful than before. "Wow You're so pretty." She whispered as she stared into
the Latina's beautiful brown eyes. "Thanks'" Santana answered back softly as her
cheeks turned a shade of light pink. Brittany wanted to laugh at how she had made
Santana blush so easily.
Santana was extremely confused. She never got so flustered when someone paid
her a compliment and she sure as hell never blushed. But then again she had always
been different with Brittany. Every time Santana's parents had seen her with the
little blonde girl they had noticed how sweet and patient she was and they just
assumed that their daughter loved children but Santana had never been half as kind
nor as caring to any other child on the street.
Suddenly Santana wanted to break the silence. "So how old are you now anyway?"
She asked casually.
"Seventeen" Said Brittany, then added "I'm turning eighteen in a few months
though." For some reason she really did not want Santana to think of her as a young
girl anymore.
"When did you get back from California?" Asked Santana who was just trying to
- 15 -

make conversation.
"Like two minutes ago" Said Brittany as she gestured to the suitcases she had left
on the sidewalk. She realized that Santana did not know it was her who had stared
at her in the bathroom at the airport. "By the way I'm sorry for staring earlier in the
bathroom." said Brittany.
"That was you?" Santana asked. Brittany just nodded looking embarrassed.
Santana laughed at how cute she was when she was embarrassed. "I thought you
were a little creepy staring at me through the mirror and everything"
Brittany was even more embarrassed now. She hadn't realized that she had been
so obvious. Santana was smirking and she seemed to enjoy Brittany's
embarrassment. "I'm sorry; I guess I couldn't help myself. You don't come across a
face as beautiful as yours that often." Brittany answered and winked. Once again
Santana's cheeks flushed at the compliment and Brittany held back a laugh. Then
Brittany got an idea. "Would you want to come to the park with me and see the
duck's?" Brittany asked. "We could talk and catch up."
Santana could not help the huge smile that came to her face as she remembered
the girl's obsession with duck's. It made her feel better that some things had
definitely not changed about Brittany. "Sure! I just have to go put my bags inside
and we can go." Brittany nodded and also went to get her suitcases to bring them
into her own house. Santana picked up her heavy bags and walked up the path to
her house. She dropped her bags silently in the entrance of her house. She did not
want to be heard by her parents, she would say hello to them later after her walk to
the park with Brittany. Then she quickly went to join Brittany who was waiting for
her.
As they walked towards the park they talked about their pretty similar high school
experiences and how they had both been cheerleaders and they had both been in
their schools Glee club. They also talked about Santana's life in New York and
Brittany learned that Santana was a pretty successful lawyer. Brittany didn't know
why but she decided not to mention the fact that she had a scholarship to Julliard in
New York, she just felt like keeping it to herself for now.
Santana found that it was very easy to talk to Brittany and even though the girl
would sometimes make weird comments and seemed to think her cat had human
intelligence she really seemed to understand Santana like no one else ever did.
Santana loved when Brittany would say random things and talk about her cat
because they were little reminders that it was still the same Brittany no matter how
old she was.
- 16 -

Brittany loved talking to Santana. She was so different than anyone Brittany had
ever met and Santana never gave Brittany weird looks whenever something she
wanted to say came out wrong or when she talked about Lord Tubbington, she
usually seemed to understand what Brittany was saying and it seemed to Brittany
that they just had a special connection.
As they walked side by side every once in a while their hands would brush against
each other. Every brush Brittany felt a tingle run up her arm. She wanted to grab
Santana's hand but she was afraid it would make the Latina uncomfortable. Finally
she couldn't take it anymore and she took Santana's hand in hers.
Santana liked the feel of Brittany's hand in hers. No, she loved it but it was wrong.
It felt different from when they used to hold hands when Brittany was younger and
she knew Brittany meant it differently too. Santana wanted nothing more in that
moment than to squeeze Brittany's hand and give the blonde a smile, but she
couldn't let Brittany get her hopes up. Santana knew she was too old for the blonde
and she was only in Lima for a month and after that she was back to her apartment
in New York. Santana knew she was probably over thinking the innocent hand hold
way too much but she knew better than anybody that it could lead to much more. In
that moment she had made up her mind. Brittany was off limits. She dropped
Brittany's hand and pretended to fix her hair.
Brittany felt embarrassed. She had not wanted to make Santana feel
uncomfortable. She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face as she sat
down on the bench to watch the ducks. Silence fell between them and Brittany
suddenly wanted to be left alone. All Santana had done was drop her hand but the
message had been clear. She was not interested. "Oh, I forgot I'm supposed to meet
my friends at the Lima Bean in like fifteen minutes." Brittany said. "So, I guess I
better go Bye." Brittany stood up and walked quickly out of the park in a random
direction, leaving the Latina sitting alone on the bench staring after Brittany as she
practically ran out of the park in the wrong direction in her haste to get away from
Santana. Santana sighed sadly, stood up and walked back home feeling extremely
depressed.

- 17 -

Chapter 6
Brittany had not been lying, she was meeting her friends at the lima Bean but they
were meeting in almost an hour not fifteen minutes like she had told Santana. But
since Brittany had no idea where the Lima Bean was it would give her extra time to
find the place.
Brittany walked down a couple streets till she spotted a small grocery shop not too
far away. When she was close enough to see she looked up at the sign and saw that
the store was called "Hudson's". She went inside and got directions from the
manager who was a very friendly young man around twenty-three years old. His
name was Finn and Brittany ended up having a long conversation with him about
nothing in particular because even though he was clearly not the sharpest tool in the
shed he was still a really friendly person to talk to and thats what Brittany needed
after being rejected by Santana.
The Lima Bean ended up not being that far away and Brittany quickly realized
that in a small town like Lima pretty much everything was in a fifteen to twenty
minute walking distance. After a short walk she arrived at the little coffee place with
fifteen minutes to spare. She pulled out a chair at a more privet table in the corner
of the coffee shop. Brittany fiddled with her phone for a bit but quickly got bored
and put it away choosing to just close her eyes and let her mind wander to pass the
time. Unfortunately her mind went straight back to her conversation with Santana.
Brittany was extremely confused after seeing Santana because she could have sworn
that she had seen the Latina eyes wander to her lips many times during their
conversation and Santana's eyes lingered a second too long on her chest before
looking up at her eyes. But she had made it pretty obvious that she wasn't
interested. Then Brittany thought of something; What if Santana had a boyfriend or
girlfriend back in New York? Immediately the thought caused Brittany to start
picturing a beautiful girl that was older and more mature than her, someone who
beside Brittany would look a thousand times better for Santana.
Someone pulled out a chair next to Brittany and she jumped at the noise. She
opened her eyes and was met with the sight of a man sitting uncomfortably close to
her. She inched her chair away a bit and looked up at the man's face. Immediately
she recognized him, how she had hated him when she was younger for reasons that
she was just now beginning to understand. It was Puck the boy who had once had a
mohawk and now just had a short buzz cut. Brittany had to admit that he was very
good looking but one look at the cocky smirk on his face and she knew what type of
guy he was.
- 18 -

"Hey" said Puck. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?"
he asked.
Brittany was about to tell him that really she had just moved back and that she
had lived in Lima before but she realized that he really didn't give a shit so she just
said "Yeah I just moved here."
"Nice. Well anyways I sat down here to tell you that there's a kick-ass house party
at my place tonight. Every cool hot person is invited so you'll fit in just fine." Puck
said and winked. Then he scribbled his address on a scrap of paper and said "Invite
your friends if you have any. Hope you can make it."
He stood up and left leaving Brittany staring down at the address wondering if she
should go or not. She looked up from the table and saw her friends making their way
over to her. Brittany looked Sam up and down, he looked even better in person than
in picture. Brittany stood up and hugged each of them in turn. Sam went to order
them all coffee's while Rachel, Mercedes and Brittany made small talk. It was a little
bit awkward but Brittany knew it would be after seven years apart. But the
awkwardness didn't last long and Brittany was having a lot of fun talking with the
three of them and noticing little things that hadn't changed about them like Sam's
tendency to slightly cover his mouth with his hands as he propped his elbows on the
table and rested his head in his hands, it was meant to look casual but Brittany knew
he was just self conscious. Or Rachel's irritating way of tapping the table to get
everyones attention so she could talk even though they would already be listening to
her. Or even Mercedes way using a lot of hand gestures as she talked. It was these
little things that reminded Brittany that these people were not strangers to her
despite the seven years apart and that she still had a place in the group.
Brittany was surprised that they had also been in their schools Glee club. The
difference was that at Brittany's school Glee club was really cool and at McKinley
high you were a loser if you were in Glee. At the mention of Glee Rachel took over
the conversation and she spent fifteen minutes talking to them about her favorite
broadway stars and musicals. Sam and Mercedes it seemed were used to this. Both
of them just rolled their eyes as Rachel ranted on and Brittany did her best to hold
back her laughter.
After a while though Brittany felt she should mention Pucks invitation to see if
they knew anything about it. "Hey, so do you guys know someone named Puck?"
asked Brittany.
Their reactions were not what she expected. Sam clenched his fists and glared
down at the table and Mercedes and rachel exchanged nervous glances. "Yeah, I
- 19 -

know him... He's the ass hole who nocked up my sister Quinn when she was sixteen,
then slept with every other girl while she was living at his house." Said Sam angrily.
"Why are you asking about him?" Rachel asked with narrowed eyes. "Because if
you're interested in him Brittany I feel I have to warn you that he has a terrible
reputation with women, and on top of that I think that you should maybe try and
persue someone closer to your own age."
"Thats a little hypocritical coming from the girl who is chasing after Finn, who if I
recall is the same age as Puck" Said Mercedes
Rachel was about to fight back but Brittany spoke up before she could. "Guys its
fine, I absolutely don't like puck I only mentioned him because he invited me to a
party at his house later and I thought it might be fun if we all went..." said Brittany
awkwardly, she was afraid of offending Sam but she realized that she was in the
mood for a party and she really wanted to go.
"Im in!" Said Mercedes. Sam shot her a glare but Mercedes didn't back down.
"What? Don't look at me like that! I haven't been to a good party since the prom
after party and I want to get my drink on."
"I would also like to go." Chipped in Rachel as she avoided Sam's eye. "I heard
Finn is going to be there... and well..." She left her sentence hanging and blushed.
"Ugh! Fine I'll go, but only because Im not letting you three alone near that horn
dog without some supervision." Sam said as all three girls cheered and high fived
each other. "Do any of you need a ride there?" Asked Sam.
"Nope" Rachel and Mercedes answered.
"Yeah, actually I could use a ride if you don't mind." Said Brittany and she gave
him a small smile.
"Of course, I'll be at your place around eight o' clock. Is that okay?" Asked Sam.
"Mhm, thats perfect." Brittany said and Sam winked at her. Fortunately Mercedes
and Rachel had missed these flirty interactions because they were too busy talking
about what they were going to wear. The four of them talked for a little while longer
then left to their homes to get ready for the party.

- 20 -

Sorry if this chapter was a little boring but I'll try and make the next one
good :P
Please review!

- 21 -

Chapter 7
Santana was lying on her bed in her old room staring up at the ceiling. Memories
of Brittany kept flashing in her head; 8 year old Brittany lying on her bed slowly
falling asleep as Santana read her a bedtime story, Brittany with a huge grin on her
face and an excited gleam in her eyes as she watched the cute little duckling paddle
near her, 17 year old Brittany standing in her driveway, her blonde hair dancing in
the wind and the sunlight reflecting in her sea blue eyes... Suddenly another image
of the blonde jumped into her mind; Santana pushing Brittany against the wall as
the two kissed passionately with Brittany's fingers running through her hair.
Santana forced the image out of her mind before she could get too carried away
with her thoughts. "She's too young" She told herself sternly before getting off her
bed.
She stared at her unpacked suitcases and bags wishing they would unpack
themselves. Her staring competition with her suitcases was interrupted by the
sound of a car door slamming.
She made her way to her window curiously. It couldn't be her parents, they were
gone for the whole night and had hastily left after a slightly awkward reunion with
their daughter. Santana peered out the window and saw Quinn's little brother Sam,
"Trouty mouth" as she used to call him, leaning against his car which was parked in
front of Brittany's house. A few seconds later Santana saw Brittany emerge from her
house and walk over to Sam. They seemed to make small talk for a minute. Then
Sam kissed Brittany on the cheek and they got inside the car.
As Santana watched the car speed down the street she was trying her best not to
feel jealous. She turned around and kicked her bed in frustration. She felt like a
huge loser on a friday night standing alone in her old bedroom while Brittany was
out with someone else. She desperately needed a distraction from the blonde and
she needed it now.
Suddenly she remembered the text she had received from Puck asking her if she
wanted to stop by his party. Puck usually had the best parties in high school and it
would make the perfect distraction. So Santana walked over to her suitcases and
dug through the piles of clothing to try and find something to wear. She settled on a
pair of short denim cut-offs, a lace white tank-top, and a pair of flip-flops. It was
simple but Santana knew she could go to a party dressed in rags and still be the
hottest girl there.
- 22 -

She grabbed her phone and her purse and went downstairs. Her house had not
changed one bit since she had left. It still had cold white walls, expensive black
leather couches, and a kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances. It didn't feel like
home to Santana and it never had. She took one more look at her house then walked
out the door.
Puck lived only a couple blocks away from her so she decided to walk there. As
she walked she thought about Brittany. Santana wondered where her and Sam went
together and if it was a date. She desperately tried to make herself believe that she
didn't care but she still hoped that it wasn't a date and that Brittany didn't like him.
The memory of Sam kissing Brittany on the cheek crossed her mind and she
instantly felt a rush of hatred towards the boy. Santana's jealous thoughts about the
blonde were quickly putting her in a bad mood so that by the time she finally got to
Puck's house she was desperately in need of a drink to calm herself down.
She looked at Puck's nice big expensive house and property and tried to think of
an explanation for how Puck had ever managed to get himself something as big and
expensive as that. Music could be heard blaring from inside the house. She opened
the door and entered the party. Immediately guys who saw her come in started
checking her out and their girlfriends started glaring at Santana. She smiled smugly
loving the fact that after so many years she still got that reaction.
After wandering around for a couple minutes she spotted Finn in the kitchen
making himself a drink as he chatted with a short brunette. They hadn't exactly been
best friends in high school but he was one of the only people Santana recognized at
the party and she figured she might as well see what he had been up to since high
school. She made her way over to the kitchen where Finn and the short brunette
we're. She could tell from a mile away that the little brunette was head over heels
for Finn. Also from the way she eyed Santana as she got closer to Finn, Santana
knew it would be fun making the girl jealous.
"Hey Frankenteen." Said Santana from behind Finn.
Finn turned around and with a surprised look on his face. He smiled but he looked
slightly scared. "Santana, hey! Where have you been for the past five years?"
"New York, I'm just back in Lima for a while because I'm visiting my parents. And
wait, let me guess, you've been here for the last five years working as a cashier at a
grocery store." Said Santana. She really hadn't meant to sound so condescending
but things always ended up sounding bitchy when they came form the Latina.
"Actually he owns his own grocery store and he is also the manager." Said the
- 23 -

short brunette from behind Finn.

"And you are...?" asked Santana.
"Santana this is Rachel, Rachel this is Santana" Said Finn.
"And how do you two know each other?" Asked Rachel who looked slightly miffed.
"We went to high school together..." Answered Finn. The conversation was
starting to get really boring for Santana so without another word she left and got
herself a drink.
After a couple beers she was starting to feel more relaxed and she decided to go
dance for a bit. She made her way over to the living room where a huge crowd of
people we're dancing. In the middle of the crowd two people we're dancing a lot
better than the rest and they we're quickly gaining everyone's attention. Santana
pushed through the crowd and froze when she saw who the two dancers we're. In
the center of the dance floor Brittany was grinding with Sam and no matter how
hard she tried Santana could not take her eyes off of her. Every movement Brittany
made with her body was so sharp yet graceful at the same time. The slight flush of
her cheeks as she danced made her look sexy yet adorable all at once. She was so
good that she even somehow managed to make her partner Sam look like he was a
talented dancer. It was only when blue eyes looked up to meet brown eyes that
Santana realized that she was in the middle of the crowd of dancing people not
moving at all but just staring at Brittany. She turned away quickly and walked
straight back to the kitchen where some guy was fixing himself a drink. She
snatched the shot right out of his hand and gulped it down.
Just as Puck was about to swear at the person who stole his drink he finally
recognized who it was. "Oh, hey Santana."
"Puckerman? Wow I didn't recognize you without you're mohawk..." She
answered.
"Damn, you look hotter every time I see you!" Puck said as he looked her up and
down appreciatively. "How about we go upstairs to my room and..."
"Don't even finish that sentence Puck, I play for the other team now." She said
quickly.
"What? No way!" Said Puck who looked shocked and slightly disappointed.
- 24 -

"Yup, so don't even think about trying to get with me ever again." She said as she
grabbed another drink and walked away from the kitchen. Unfortunately right as
she walked out of the kitchen she was met with the sight of Brittany and Sam
making out in the corner of the room...
To say Brittany was surprised when she looked up and saw Santana staring right
at her as she danced with Sam was an understatement. She had not been expecting
another encounter with the Latina for at least another couple of days. After the
Santana had turned around and left the dance floor Brittany had followed her with a
strange feeling of guilt and a need to explain herself to Santana. But when she got to
the kitchen Santana was not there alone, she was with Puck. And once again
Brittany felt that twinge of jealousy that she used to feel every time she had seen
Santana with Puck when she was younger. And all over again Brittany had to remind
herself that Santana only saw her as a little kid and that the Latina was not
interested. She went back to Sam and led him to a chair in the corner of the room.
She sat down on his lap and before he could say anything she started kissing him
and he kissed back very enthusiastically.
Like before Santana could not make herself look away from the blonde. Even
when every second of watching her kiss someone else was killing her she stayed
there sipping her drink, probably looking like a huge creep.
After about five minutes Brittany got off Sam's lap and walked away in the
direction of the bathroom. Suddenly Santana got up and followed the blonde. She
hadn't even made a conscious decision to move but it was like her body was
transporting her towards wherever Brittany was going. She turned the corner into a
hallway where she saw the bathroom door close. She waited outside the door not
really sure of what she was going to do or say to Brittany.
After a couple long minutes the door opened and before Brittany could even take a
step out of the door, Santana quickly pushed her back inside the bathroom and
closed the door behind them. She pinned Brittany against the wall with both her
hands on either side of her head. They were literally nose to nose and for a couple
seconds they just stared into each others eyes. Brittany opened her mouth but
before any words could come out Santana crashed her lips against Brittany's in a
passionate kiss.
Immediately Brittany kissed back and she moaned into Santana's mouth when she
felt Santana's fingers run through her hair. She hooked her fingers in the belt loop
of Santana's shorts and pulled her closer so that they were completely pressed up
against each other. Suddenly they we're interrupted by a knock on the door.
- 25 -

"Brittany? Are you okay in there?" Said Sam from outside the bathroom.

- 26 -

Chapter 8
"Brittany? Are you okay in there?"
Santana and Brittany pulled apart as soon as they heard Sam. "Yes, I'm fine, I'll be
there in five minutes." Brittany called back sounding a little breathless.
"Okay." Said Sam. Brittany waited until she heard Sam walking away. She was
still shocked from what had just happened, and her whole body was buzzing
excitedly from the feeling of kissing Santana and being completely pressed against
her.
"Brittany... I'm so sorr..." Santana started but Brittany interrupted her.
"Whatever you do, don't apologize," Said Brittany. She took a step closer to
Santana and cupped her cheek with her hand.
Santana tried to force herself to shake Brittany's hand off and take a step back,
but once again her body made it's own decision, and she slightly leaned in closer to
Brittany. Santana let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding in.
Santana's warm breath on her face wiped out all the coherent thoughts from
Brittany's mind. With one hand she grabbed Santana's waist and with the other she
pulled Santana's face closer as she went in for another kiss. As soon as their lips
touched once again, Brittany felt her heart beat double in speed. The kiss was
becoming heated and Brittany had to hold back a moan when she felt Santana's
arms wrap around her waist and pull her in closer.
Santana was completely absorbed in the kiss. Nothing else could compare to the
magical feeling of Brittany's lips moving with hers. Suddenly the memory of eight
year old Brittany dancing around her house floated in her mind. Immediately
Santana stopped kissing back.
"Whats wrong?" Whispered Brittany as she started kissing Santana's neck.
"Brittany, stop" She breathed out, trying to sound assertive. Instead Brittany just
held her tighter and started inching her hand up Santana's back underneath her
shirt as she continued to kiss her neck.
This did absolutely nothing to help Santana focus. Finally when Brittany's hand
- 27 -

reached her bra strap, she pulled herself together. She took Brittany's hand before it
could go any further and she pulled back from Brittany's embrace. She held her at
arms length at first but when Brittany pouted adorably, she went a little closer and
rested her forehead against Brittany's. "I'm sorry Britt, but this can't happen. I'm too
old for you." Santana said sadly.
"I don't care!" Brittany said angrily. Brittany was so happy that Santana even
thought of her that way at all, and it made her mad that the only thing keeping them
apart was her age. She knew Santana was distracted thinking up an answer. She
leaned in once again and crashed their lips together capturing the Latina's lips with
her own.
Santana sighed into the kiss. How could something so wrong feel so right? This
time however Santana didn't need to try and attempt the impossible and try and pull
herself away from Brittany because they were once again interrupted by a nock on
the door.
"Brittany?" Sam called through the door.
"Yeah?" Brittany called back sounding annoyed.
"It's been more than five minutes... What are you doing in there?"
"I'm feeling a little sick, I'll be out in a minute I promise."
"Okay, I'll be waiting."
"Jesus, that guy is so pushy." Said Santana. She was relieved that he had stopped
things from going too far with Brittany, but at the same time his overprotectiveness
annoyed her.
Brittany didn't say anything. They stared into each others eyes. The sounds of the
party and the music was completely blocked out and it seemed to the two girls that
nothing else existed in the world but each other.
Brittany wanted nothing else in that moment than to be able to stare into those
beautiful chocolate brown eyes forever. She noticed a change in Santana's
expression and she knew what Santana was about to say.
Brittany had a sad smile on her face. As much as she didn't want to, Santana felt
she needed to make things clear with Brittany. "Brittany I..."
- 28 -

"Don't say it. You'll ruin the moment..." Whispered Brittany. She kissed Santana
on the cheek and brushed past her. She opened the door and walked back into the
party. She looked around a bit for Sam but he found her first.
"Britt, you feelin' better?" He slurred out drunkenly.
"Not really. Can you take me home now?"
"Aww c'mon. The party's jus gettin' started." Said Sam in a whiny voice. Suddenly
without warning he pulled her in a crushing embrace and gave her a long sloppy
kiss. Brittany let him kiss her for a couple minutes before pulling back.
"If you don't want to leave yet, then I guess I'll just walk home. I don't live that
far." Said Brittany.
"Please stay" Said Sam with a pout on his face. Brittany felt a strange urge to
punch the annoying pout right off his face. Santana was right, Sam really was pushy.
"Bye Sam." She said as she started walking away.
"No kiss goodbye?" He asked. She quickly pecked him on the lips then left.
Santana had caught the end of their conversation, and Sam was seriously starting
to piss her off. Brittany deserved someone better than that possessive freak. She
learned that Brittany was walking home so she figured they might as well walk
together. She quickly left the party trying to catch up to Brittany.
As soon as she stepped outside she started shivering. It was very cold for a
summer night and Santana was only wearing short cut-offs and a small tank-top. She
hugged her arms as she walked quickly up the street to catch up to Brittany.
Unfortunately Brittany's long dancer legs walked very fast and it was difficult for
Santana to catch up to Brittany when one of Brittany's steps was equal to two of
Santana's. Finally she was getting tired and annoyed.
"Brittany! Slow down."
Brittany turned around and was surprised to see a shivering Santana walking over
to her. "Why are you following me?"
"Well, since were both walking home I thought we could walk together," said
Santana, "if that's okay with you..." She trailed on awkwardly.
- 29 -

"yes, it's fine."

They walked side by side in an awkward silence.
"So, how old are you exactly?" Asked Brittany.
"I'm twenty-three."
"Cool" replied Brittany who suddenly felt young and immature.
"When's your birthday?"
"You don't remember?" Asked Brittany with a cute little pout on her face.
"Give me a break, it's been seven years" Santana answered with a laugh.
"It's on New years remember? You came to my ninth birthday party that was also
my parents New years party."
"Oh yeah! Now I remember. I went all Lima heights on your pinata." said Santana.
"Yeah and you also didn't let any of my friends have a turn hitting it." Brittany said
playfully.
"Well they were weak and didn't know how to hit properly."
They both laughed. Then Brittany turned serious.
"My birthday is in less than five months... I'll be legal age then."
It took a moment for Santana to get what Brittany was saying. "Brittany, I live in
New York. I'm only in Lima for a month, and there is no way a long distance
relationship would work."
"But I'm going to New York too! I got a scholarship to Juilliard. I'm moving in a
month." Said Brittany excitedly.
"Wow! Really? Julliard! That's amazing!" Santana had always dreamed of going to
Juilliard.
"Thanks," said Brittany, "So, do you think in five months when I'm eighteen, I
might have a chance with you?
- 30 -

Santana was slightly taken aback by the question. Brittany sounded so honest and
adorable asking that question that Santana wanted to tell her that they would
certainly be together then. But she didn't want to get her or Brittany's hopes up.
"I don't know Brittany. We'll see how things turn out."
Brittany seemed satisfied with her answer. They had reached Brittany's house but
neither of them really wanted to leave each other. "Goodnight San." Brittany said
softly. She paused for a moment wondering if a kiss on the cheek would not be
appropriate at the moment.
Santana noticed Brittany's slightly awkward unsure expression. She softly kissed
Brittany's cheek. She pulled back and saw that Brittany's eyes were closed.
"Goodnight Britt." Said Santana as she turned around and walked away back to
her own house.
Brittany couldn't help but start counting the days up to her birthday as she
watched Santana walk home.

- 31 -

Chapter 9
Four months later
"Why don't you just take the rest of the day off and and spend it with your
awesome girlfriend." suggested Natalie as she sat down on Santana's lap.
"I can't, I'm sorry," said Santana, "this case is really important. But I promise that
we're going to have a great time tonight."
"Okay." Natalie said with a sad pout on her face that she probably thought looked
cute. But Santana was unfazed by this last attempt of Natalie's to try and guilt her
into skipping work. Because the only person who could pull off that pout was
Brittany and when other girls tried to use it on her she got annoyed. Not to mention
it always reminded her of Brittany.
And lately she had already been thinking about the blonde girl non stop. Because
every day it was getting closer to New Years, which was when Brittany would turn
eighteen, and every day Santana had to remind herself of her decision not to contact
her. Being in her presence had completely clouded Santana's judgement, but now
that she was on her own again back in New York she realized how stupid of her it
would have been to get involved with Brittany.
Santana had moved on, but suddenly girls just weren't as attractive as they were
before and none of them ever excited her. So she randomly picked one of the many
girls chasing after and started dating her thinking it would help. The curly haired
red head, named Natalie, was nice but a little too clingy for Santana's taste. It was
clear to anyone who saw the couple that while Natalie was head over heels in love
with Santana, the Latina only seemed to tolerate Natalie.
"I'll meet you at Breadsticks at seven okay?" Said Natalie.
"Fine"
Natalie kissed Santana before getting off her lap. "I'll see you later then. I love
you." Natalie said hoping Santana would finally say it back. But of course Santana
just responded with her usual answer.
"Okay, bye."
- 32 -

When Natalie finally closed the door behind her, Santana sighed in relief and sat
back more comfortably in her chair. She was exhausted and she had completely lost
her focus after Natalie had come barging in her office. She rubbed her eyes tiredly
knowing that there was no way she could get any work done without a cup of coffee.
So she grabbed her jacket and wallet and made her way out of her office. She
considered taking her car but decided a walk would be refreshing and give her more
time away from the office.

"This is going to be the best party ever!" Mike shouted, getting some annoyed
looks from the other costumers in the small, cozy, coffee shop.
"I know!" Brittany replied excitedly, but then she frowned, "doesn't it give you bad
luck to celebrate your birthday before it's actually your birthday? Maybe I should
have my birthday on New Years not New Years eve"
"If you have your party on New Years, no one is going to come because everyone's
going to be hung over from the night before."
"Fine, I guess your right," Brittany answered, but she still looked anxious.
"Relax Britt, just think of how epic this party is going to be. First of all, we're in
freaking New York which already makes it ten times cooler. Secondly, your party's
on New Years eve, so everyone's going to come, get super drunk and have a great
time and thirdly, it's in your huge, amazing apartment. Everything's gonna be fine"
Mike said kindly.
Brittany took the last sip of her delicious hot chocolate feeling a lot better. But
then she thought of something else. What about Santana? She had not heard from
her ever since she had left Ohio after that long month of awkwardness between
them.
It had been clear to Brittany during her remaining time in Lima that Santana was
avoiding her. They had had a few uncomfortable encounters, but the worst had been
when Brittany's parents had invited Santana over for dinner. She had spent that
whole evening trying not to stare too much at Santana. At one point she thought
Santana had touched her foot under the table and Brittany had gotten little flutters
of excitement in her stomach. But then she realized it had been her dad's foot that
had brushed hers, not Santana's. On her last day she had plucked up her courage
and went to ask Santana to exchange phone numbers to stay in contact in New York
but so far the Latina had not called her and she had been too nervous to call
- 33 -

Santana.
Would it be weird if I invited her to my party? Brittany wondered. What if she said
no? What if she lives on the opposite side of town and she thinks it's too far? What if
she has a girlfriend and wants to spend New Years eve with her? Brittany was so
consumed in her thoughts that at first she didn't notice Mike waving his hands in
her face.
"Earth to Britt!" he said with a grin.
"Sorry, I was just zoned out for a second"
"Don't worry about it, I was out of it for a minute there too. Check out the hottie
who just walked in." Mike said, keeping his eyes on someone behind Brittany.
Brittany turned around to see who Mike was talking about. When she saw who he
was looking at, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Santana?"

Santana arrived at the small coffee place after a ten minute walk. It was a cozy
little place that she discovered about a month after she started working in the
building two blocks away. The little shop was small enough that you could hear just
about anyone's conversation if you bothered to listen. So as soon as she entered she
faintly heard a voice say "Check out the hottie who just walked in." She smirked and
didn't bother to see who had said it before she got in line.
But the next thing she heard, had her freezing in shock. "Santana?" She felt as if
she had gone back in time to that first day in Lima when she had first seen Brittany
all grown up. Santana turned around not daring to believe it was really her. It wasn't
until she looked at Brittany sitting at that table with a huge smile on her face that
Santana realized just how much she missed Brittany. That whole month in Ohio that
she spent avoiding the blonde seemed ridiculous and petty now. Even if they would
only be friends Santana still wanted Brittany in her life.
She smiled and walked over to her. Brittany got up from her seat and pulled
Santana into a huge hug. Just with a hug, Santana knew that it would be harder than
she anticipated trying to remain only friends with the blonde.
Brittany hugged Santana, but it was not a friendly one arm on top one arm under
hug. Brittany had her arms wrapped tightly around Santana's waist and Santana had
both of her arms around Brittany's neck. It felt so good to both of them that they
- 34 -

stayed there for a couple seconds too long. Brittany breathed in Santana's delicious
smell once more before pulling back from the hug.
"I was just thinking about you!" Brittany said, then realized how weird that
sounded, "I-I mean... I... uh... was thinking about when I was in Ohio and... yeah"
Santana looked clearly amused at her little rambling but she chose to ignore it.
"How have you been?" Santana asked.
"So awesome! I love New York so far and the dance program I'm in is so much
fun!" Brittany answered excitedly.
"That's great," said Santana, "I always pictured you living in the big city."
Mike coughed trying to get their attention.
"Oh! This is my best friend Mike, he's a friend from California and we both got
accepted in the dance program at Juilliard," said Brittany, "Mike, this is Santana..."
At this point Brittany didn't really know what to say. Should she introduce Santana
as a friend? As her old babysitter? Or as her old neighbor from Ohio? Before she
could make up her mind Santana cut in, giving her a knowing look.
"I'm a friend of Brittany's"
Hearing Santana introduce herself as her friend gave her a fluttery feeling in her
stomach. She hadn't wanted to introduce her as her old babysitter because that just
made her feel like a child next to the Latina. Also she was ecstatic that Santana
considered her a friend.
"Nice to meet you Santana," Mike said with a charming smile as he shook
Santana's hand. There was something about that flirty smile of his that rubbed
Brittany the wrong way. She could tell when her friend was interested in someone
and she was definitely getting that impression right now.
"Do you want to sit down with us?" asked Brittany.
"I'm sorry I can't, I have to get back to work. I walked here so I don't want to take
too long."
"What way are you walking?" asked Brittany. Santana pointed in the direction of
her building.
- 35 -

"I'm walking that way too!" Brittany lied. Mike raised an eyebrow at her knowing
she was lying. "Why don't you get your coffee and we can walk together?"
"Sure, that sounds great," Santana answered. Truthfully the Latina was delighted
that she had an excuse to spend just a little more time with the blonde and seeing
that giant smile of hers when she accepted the offer was just an added bonus, "I'll
just go order my coffee and we can go."
While Santana walked back to the counter and ordered her coffee Brittany started
gathering her things.
"So, I've only seen you together for a minute and I can already tell you like her,"
Mike said, smirking. "you're not exactly subtle Britt." he added when he saw her
shocked expression. "I'm going to head back home, I wouldn't want to bother you
two on your little walk." Mike grabbed his jacket and gave Brittany a hug before he
left.
Brittany went and joined Santana while she was waiting for her coffee. None of
them talked while they waited, but the silence wasn't awkward.
"Where did Mike go?" Santana asked after she had gotten her coffee.
"He had other places to be."
Santana had mixed feelings about it being only her and Brittany on the walk. On
the one hand she did want to spend more time alone with Brittany. Probably more
than she should. But at the same time she felt that if it was just them Brittany might
want to talk about the stuff that happened between them in the summer, and
Santana really did not want to have that conversation.
Together they started walking the route back to Santana's office.
"How are you liking the dance program?" asked Santana.
"It's really great and I have a lot of fun... but all the girls in my classes are so
competitive," answered Brittany, "I get one compliment from the teacher and
suddenly they're all gossiping behind my back."
"Don't pay attention to them, they're just jealous of your talent. Trust me it's
definitely not the last time someone will be." Santana said, "do you remember our
little dance sessions we had at your house when you were younger? You were so
cute."
- 36 -

Brittany blushed. "Yeah I remember. I had so much fun. After those first couple
times we did it I asked my mom for dance lessons."
"And here you are now, a professional dancer" Santana said with a proud smile.
Brittany blushed again. She loved that Santana was so proud of her. It made her
feel all warm inside.
"Yeah well, enough about me. What about you? How do you like being a lawyer?"
"To be honest, it was never exactly my dream to become a lawyer. I became one
because my dad thought it was a better choice for my future than trying to get work
as a performing artist," Santana answered, "don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my job.
But I'll always look back and think What if."
Santana was surprised at herself for opening up so easily to the blonde. She had
never told anyone how she truly felt about her career choice. It made her feel weak
and vulnerable somehow to admit that she hadn't followed her dreams and that she
regretted her choice.
She noticed Brittany looked slightly concerned at this new bit of information. So
she tried reassuring her a bit.
"I like my job and I happen to be good at it," Santana said. Brittany was still
frowning a bit "I'm happy Britt."
Brittany seemed to brighten up a little when Santana confirmed she was happy.
The use of her nickname also added a little bounce to her step.
They walked in a comfortable silence for a while. After a few minutes Brittany
broke the silence.
"I bet you were an amazing performer."
"I wasn't too bad." Santana said modestly.
"I'll definitely have to see that sometime." Brittany said with a flirty smile.
Santana knew this was Brittany's way of hinting that she wanted to see her again.
And Santana knew that kind of smile too well. So she stayed aloof.
"We'll see."
- 37 -

"Yeah, well that's what you said last time..."

"What?" Santana was shocked and slightly nervous. She was hoping Brittany
wouldn't mention anything from last summer.
"You said that last time when I asked if I might have a chance with you," Brittany
said her tone getting a little more angry, "then we ended up not talking for four
months."
Santana had so many things she wanted to say but all her thoughts were jumbled
together in her head and she was having trouble formulating a sentence when all
she wanted to do was take Brittany's hand and make her sad frown go away. They
continued to walk in a tense silence.
"Well this is my office... I guess I better go." said Santana.
"Would you like to come to my birthday party? It's on New Year's eve." Brittany
asked hopefully.
Santana knew she probably shouldn't go. It could possibly be a repeat of Puck's
party in the summer. But Santana took one look at the blondes adorable, hopeful
expression and she knew she couldn't refuse.
"I'd love to."
Brittany sighed in relief. She was terrified that the Latina would have rejected her
offer. She grinned at Santana then said;
"Cool! I'll text you all the details later."
"Can't wait." Santana said with a smile.
She took a step forward and gave Brittany a hug goodbye. Once again the hug
lasted a little too long and they were more pressed up against each other than a
normal friendly hug. Neither one of them wanted to be the one to pull back first. It
was intoxicating for Santana to be so close to Brittany. Finally Brittany pulled back
and smiled shyly at Santana.
"Bye San."
"Bye Britt."
- 38 -

Brittany turned around and walked back in the direction they had come. Santana
watched her walk away realizing that Brittany had in fact been lying about the
direction that she had been headed towards. For once Santana finally let herself
smile and take pride in the fact that a girl as amazing as Brittany liked her and
wanted to spend time with her.

- 39 -

Chapter 10
It was now the 30th of January and Santana had not yet told Natalie about her
plans for New Years eve. It was not the fact that she felt obligated to tell Natalie, it
was that she was torn between the options of bringing the girl to the party, or going
alone.
Santana had the idea that if she brought Natalie, Brittany would see them
together and hopefully move on from Santana. Though she tried not to admit it, she
did not want Brittany to move on from her. The very thought of the dancer with
another person gave her an extremely annoyed feeling of jealousy in the pit of her
stomach.
In the end though, it would probably make the party just a little less awkward with
another person her age by her side. So with that final decision she called Natalie.
"Hey Baby!" Natalie shouted excitedly.
"Hey Nat, I wanted to talk t-" before she could finish her sentence, Natalie
interrupted her.
"Whatever it is you want to say, you don't have to say it over the phone! I'm here!"
Natalie hung up the phone and a few seconds later Santana heard the doorbell
ring. Santana sighed, annoyed by her girlfriend never letting her have a single
moment alone.
She walked slowly to the door while the doorbell ringed impatiently a few extra
times along the way. As soon as she opened the door, she was engulfed in a tight
hug. Santana pulled away from the hug and was immediately pulled in for a long
kiss.
"Did you miss me?" Natalie whispered in her ear.
Santana inwardly rolled her eyes. "Um, yeah sure,"
Santana took a step back into her house and pulled Natalie in with her. "So, what
are you doing tomorrow?"
"Well, I didn't really have any plans for New Year eve but I was hoping to spend it
- 40 -

with you," Natalie said with a shy smile.

Santana gave a small smile in return. She liked Natalie best when she wasn't
being overly excited and was respecting her personal space.
"Cool. Do you want to come with me to this party tomorrow?" Santana asked, "The
people there will probably be a few years younger than us, but I think it will still be
fun."
"Yeah! I'll go," Natalie answered, "who's party is this by the way, do I know
them?"
"No, you probably don't know her. She's an old friend that I ran into a couple
weeks ago."
Natalie slowly started to look a little jealous and over protective, when Santana
mentioned it was a girl and that she had known her for a long time.
Santana chose to act oblivious to her girlfriends jealousy and went to the kitchen
to make them something to eat.

Brittany was lying on her couch biting her nails nervously. There was only about 2
hours left before people would start showing up for her party and she didn't really
know what to do with herself. Her whole party was planned, down to the last detail
and it was going to be perfect as far as she could tell. Brittany was extremely
excited, but she was also very nervous. As soon as it had been confirmed that
Santana was going to be attending her party she tried even harder to make it
amazing.
Brittany got up from the couch, deciding it would be a good time to start getting
ready.
For her outfit she had decided on a sexy tightly fitted, strapless blue dress that
showed off her legs nicely, and a pair of high heels to go with it. Her hair was curled
and her make up was light and natural.
Brittany had always been a very modest person, but as she looked at her reflection
in the mirror she couldn't help but smirk. She looked great and she hoped a certain
someone would notice her tonight.

- 41 -

The sound of the doorbell buzzing from the first guests arriving pulled her out of
her thoughts. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the hopefully
special night.

"Babe! Are you ready yet?" Natalie yelled impatiently from the other side of the
bedroom door.
"I'll be out in a minute," Santana called back from inside the bedroom.
"I thought this was just going to be some lame teenage New Years party..."
"It probably will be."
"Then why are you taking so long to get ready?" Natalie asked, "Is there someone
you're trying to impress?" she tried to ask the question in a joking tone but Santana
could hear the underlying jealousy and insecurity.
Santana rolled her eyes and didn't answer back. She was already frustrated that
she couldn't figure out her outfit and she didn't feel like having a fight with Natalie.
Looking at her three possible outfits, Santana finally chose which one she would
wear. She decided on a pair of skinny jeans, black high heels and a nice halter top.
In the past whenever she had gone to parties or clubs she had always wore sexy
dresses or slightly revealing clothes. But this didn't seem like the best thing to do in
her situation. She wanted to look casual but still like she had tried. And there was no
point denying that she wanted Brittany to think she looked good.
She left her hair down and did her make up. When she was done she gave herself
a last glance in the mirror and left the room.
Natalie was wearing a short black dress.
"You look really good," said Santana.
Natalie looked surprised and happy at the compliment which made Santana feel a
little guilty.
'Maybe I should make more of an effort to be a better girlfriend' thought Santana.
Santana and Natalie arrived at Brittany's apartment building about an hour after
- 42 -

the party had started.

"This friend of yours must be rich. This place looks really nice."
"Mhmm" Santana hummed in response.
Once they had reached the elevator Santana started getting nervous. She grew
even more nervous with every floor they passed. When they reached Brittany's floor
and started walking towards her door, Natalie suddenly grabbed her hand.
Loud music could be heard coming from the apartment. Santana knocked on the
door, doubting anyone from inside would even hear. But to her surprise after barely
five seconds had passed the door was wrenched open by Brittany herself.
"Santana! You made it!" Brittany screamed in excitement before giving Santana a
hug. Natalie had a firm and possessive grip on Santana's hand so she hugged
Brittany back a little awkwardly with one arm. Brittany pulled back and it was then
that Santana got a good look at her. Santana thought she had never looked better.
The dress showed off her body in all the right ways and her eyes had never looked
more blue.
Brittany barely hid her smile when she noticed Santana was so obviously checking
her out. But all traces of a smile left her face the second she noticed Santana's hand
linked with the gorgeous red headed girl by her side. "Um, come in, the party's just
getting started." Brittany said awkwardly.
Santana saw Brittany's frown and immediately felt guilty for bringing Natalie.
Santana and Natalie walked in and both of them were taken aback by the size of the
apartment and the number of people there. Santana subtly released her hand from
Natalie's.
"Wow Britt! Your apartment is really nice!" exclaimed Santana.
At this Brittany looked a little embarrassed. "My dad insisted in paying for it. I
think it's a little much." she said with a blush.
Natalie stepped in front of Santana and held out her hand to Brittany, "Hi, I'm
Santana's girlfriend Natalie."
Brittany plastered a huge fake smile on her and shook her hand, "I'm Brittany, it's
nice to meet you"
- 43 -

Santana had never felt more uncomfortable in her life.

"Do you guys want drinks?" asked Brittany.
"No" said Natalie
"I do!" answered Santana eagerly. Brittany giggled and led her over to the mini
bar while Natalie tagged along.
Brittany spent a little while making Santana's drink and all Santana could focus on
was how cute it was how Brittany's forehead was all scrunched up in concentration.
She snapped out of it when she felt Natalie's suspicious gaze on herself.
"Here you go." said Brittany as she handed Santana her drink.
Brittany chuckled at Santana's disgusted expression when she looked at the odd
color of the liquid.
"Are you scared?" teased Brittany.
Santana smirked and quickly took a large gulp of her drink. It turned out to be a
delicious drink and just how Santana loved it.
"Mmmm Britt that was delicious!" exclaimed Santana. Brittany laughed at how
quickly Santana gulped down the rest of the drink.
"You're welcome," Brittany said with a smile.
Santana smiled back.
"Oh my God! Britt I totally forgot! Happy Birthday!" Santana hopped off her stool
and gave Brittany a birthday hug.
Brittany blushed and hugged her back.
At this point Natalie was very jealous and a little mad at her girlfriends behavior.
She was acting like some lovesick puppy towards Brittany and Santana had rarely
shown this kind of affection towards Natalie during the whole length of their
relationship. She also did not like the way Brittany was staring at Santana and she
suddenly felt the need to mark her property.
"Babe, let's go dance!" she said in an excited voice.
- 44 -

Brittany felt a little hurt at the use of the term 'babe' but plastered a bright smile
on her face, acting as though she found the interaction cute.
Santana saw through Brittany's fake smile but didn't say anything. "Okay... Britt
do you want to come dance with us?" Santana asked hopefully. She would never
miss an opportunity to see the blonde dance.
Natalie inwardly seethed in anger at the invitation, but calmed down a little at
Brittany's answer.
"Nah I'm good for now. You guys go have fun." she said in what she hoped was a
cheery tone.
A relieved Natalie and a disappointed Santana left to the living room to join the
crowd of dancing people.
Natalie started grinding on Santana in a provocative way. As she had done so
many times in the past months with girls, Santana started subconsciously comparing
her girlfriend to Brittany as they danced.
Brittany had a way of dancing and even simply moving that was so fierce and
sensual that in comparison Natalie felt ungraceful and off beat while she moved
against her.
From the other side of the room, Brittany watched Santana grind with Natalie. As
much as it hurt her to see them together she could simply not tear her eyes away
from Santana. The way she could look sexy in just about any outfit, the way she
closed her eyes in concentration while she danced, and the way her body moved
gracefully in time to the beat was so mesmerizing that it had Brittany in a daze.
Suddenly Santana opened her eyes and looked her way making eye contact with
the blonde. Brittany blushed at having been caught staring so creepily from across
the room, but she didn't look away and neither did Santana. Their eye contact was
intense and after a while Santana was not even moving anymore.
Natalie noticed this and decided to take it a step further. She unexpectedly pulled
Santana's face down to her level and crushed their lips together for a long and
slightly messy kiss.
Brittany couldn't watch anymore. She quickly grabbed a drink and a blanket and
made her way to the only place she would be able to think clearly. However before
she could get there, someone stopped her.
- 45 -

"Britt where are you going? It's almost the midnight count down!" said Mike.
"I'll be back. I'm just going up to the roof to think for a bit."
Mike smiled at her and gave her a friendly pat on the back, "You better be down
here for the count down."
"I will," she said and walked off.

Santana pushed Natalie away after a few moments of kissing. Immediately the red
head tried to pull her back in for more kisses but Santana took a step back.
"Santana..." she said in a frustrated voice. Once again she tried to pull the Latina
in closer but Santana snapped.
"God dammit! Give me some personal space would you!"
Santana walked off extremely annoyed. She just wanted to find Brittany. She felt
like she needed to apologize for some reason.
Santana spent ten minutes avoiding Natalie and looking around everywhere for
Brittany. She spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
"Mike?"
"Oh Santana! What's up?"
"I'm trying to find Brittany. Do you know where she went?"
"She went to the roof for some fresh air. I'll show you the way."
Mike lead her out of the apartment and to the stair case that led to the rooftop of
the building.
"Thanks Mike," she said appreciatively.
"Anytime," he said in a friendly way before he went back to join the party.
As Santana walked up the short staircase she suddenly felt herself getting nervous
again.
- 46 -

She opened the door and was greeted by the beautiful sight of Brittany sitting
alone covered by a thin blanket, blonde hair shining in the moonlight.
Brittany turned around when she heard the door open, thinking it would be some
annoying couple coming up here to make out. Instead she saw a nervous looking
Santana slowly walking towards her.
Santana sat down next to her without saying a word. They stayed in silence for a
few minutes, staring at the stars and ignoring the sounds of the party below them.
Brittany cleared her throat. "So, how did you two meet?" she asked in a forced
casual tone.
Santana didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Britt, you have to know that she... doesn't mean a thing to me," Santana almost
whispered.
Brittany snapped her head up to look at Santana. She didn't look convinced.
"She's so gorgeous though, and mature, and your age," Brittany bowed her head
down at the last comment, "how could I ever compete with her..." she added with a
deep embarrassed blush.
Santana felt her heart melt.
"Britt, look at me," Brittany kept her head down, her cheeks glowing. Santana
tilted Brittany's head up with her hand and kept it there, cupping the side of
Brittany's face. "You're so beautiful and talented Brittany. When you dance I can't
keep my eyes off you and.. Britt I wish everyone could think the way you do. You're
such a good person. Please, never feel like you're not good enough for me because
really it's the other way around."
Brittany blushed a little more and gave her an adorably shy smile. Santana smiled
back.
Suddenly the shouting from the party got even louder.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT!
Santana felt like she was falling into Brittany's sea blue eyes.
- 47 -

SEVEN, SIX, FIVE!

Santana's hand on her face felt like it was burning her skin. Santana was staring
into her eyes so intensely that Brittany felt herself blush like an idiot for the
hundredth time that day.
FOUR, THREE, TWO!
Brittany tilted her head forward until their noses were touching and their breaths
were mixing together.
ONE!
"Can I kiss you?" Brittany breathed out.
"Please," Santana managed to choke out.
Brittany quickly closed the distance between them, kissing Santana softly.
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
The kiss was unlike anything Santana had ever experienced before. There was just
the soft press of lips and the gentle brush of Brittany's smooth hands sliding along
her cheek. Despite all the warnings that were flashing at the back of her mind,
Santana couldn't stop kissing Brittany. At that moment all she wanted was to freeze
this moment forever and forget about the rest of the world.

- 48 -