Hey guys! So as some of you may know, this story has been in the planning for a short while now, but I'm so glad to finally be writing it and publishing it, especially as I know some of you have been waiting for it! So a huge thank you for all the support with this sequel, and if hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

For those of you who haven't read Sweetie Pie's Bakery, you may want to do that first, and can do so here: s/7878187/1/Sweetie-Pie-s-Bakery

"So what time is Jess arriving tomorrow?" Santana frowned, pushing her hand down through the bubbles absent-mindedly.

Quinn sighed, "She gets in at around one." She replied, lighting the last candle on the edge of the bath as the tiny matchstick began burning her fingers. She shook out the flame, cursing under her breath as she tossed it in the direction of the sink and laid back, "I wish I could go meet her."

"Can't Marley cover the shop?" The brunette asked, drying her hands before reaching over for the pizza box that sat on the closed toilet lid.

"Nope. Ironically, she's at a wedding." She told her with a shrug, before taking a deep breath, "…can I talk to you about ours?"

Santana nodded as she opened the pizza box, "Be my guest. Although then you will have to find a replacement bride." She quipped, holding the box out to Quinn, who took a slice with both hands before continuing as Santana replaced the pizza.

"Okay, I got the last of the RSVPs today so we know exactly whose coming, and now we need to work out our seating plan." She began, a huge bite of pizza punctuating her speech, "My Aunt and Uncle are definitely coming with my cousins, so we need to make sure we seat them away from any of your family."

The brunette frowned as she chewed, "Why?"

"Well they seem okay with the gay thing, obviously, but they're still pretty racist and I'd rather not have to throw them out for offending your family."

"Delightful." Santana smiled, "Although it's sweet that if it came to a fist-fight, yours would be the first to go."

"Because they're the assholes; your family is nice." Quinn concluded, taking another bite of her pizza before continuing, "Then there's the flowers, we still haven't worked that out."

The brunette's mouth twisted into a grimace of confusion, "I thought we already chose flowers?"

"We did. We're booked for the florist to come to the house, we just need to decide where things are going and what time we want delivery." The other girl explained distractedly as Santana stared across at her, "Obviously some point when one of the girls is free to oversee it all so we don't get geraniums instead of gerberas or some other catastrophe."

"Catastrophe. Okay." Santana nodded, stuffing another bite in her mouth.

"Now, we're all booked with the entertainment and caterers. Bridesmaids dresses are all organised; Jess received hers last week and luckily it fits like a dream. Brittany's needs taking in a little. Is your dress organised?"

The brunette nodded obediently, "I'm going for a fitting with Rachel on Friday to make sure."

"Good. Well done. Thank you." Quinn smiled, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss on Santana's lips before sitting back once more and gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling, "Anyway, hair and make-up are organised they know exactly what I want you just need to call them and tell them what you want."

"I'll get Rachel on it first thing tomorrow."

"What about music?" Quinn fixed her gaze on the brunette, whose eyes narrowed with confusion.

"I thought we had the band booked?"

"We do, but we agreed that the guys would all sing throughout the day, too. Do you know what any of them are singing or when they plan to sing it?" She asked briskly.

Santana's mouth opened and shut a few times before she took a deep breath, "Honestly, sweetie, we have a professional band with a professional singer. As long as all the guys make sure that the band knows what songs they're planning to sing, I say we leave it up to them."

"Okay, do you think Brittany could organise that?" The blonde asked, chewing her lip.

"I am positive." Santana nodded, "What's next?"

Quinn finished her pizza and blew out a long stream of air, "Let me see…"

"Shall I do your legs, by the way?"

The blonde showed a moment of surprise, "Oh! Yes please." Before sitting back and raising one leg in the air as Santana reached for the razor. "Uhm, what's next…okay, yesterday the boys went and tried on their suits, and Sam's organised to pick them up before the wedding."

"Does your dress fit?" Santana challenged, raising her eyebrows, but the blonde scoffed.

"Oh, honey, don't try to beat me." She chuckled, "My dress fits perfectly. As far as my dress is concerned, we could get married tomorrow."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, the brunette nodded, "Of course it does."

"But I do still need you to confirm the honeymoon arrangements. There shouldn't be any problems, you just need to decide what hire car we want." She instructed, leaning her elbow on the edge of the bath and twirling a strand of hair round her finger.

"I will get Rachel straight on that tomorrow." Santana nodded, placing Quinn's leg back into the bath water before reaching for the other.

"Is Rachel doing all of your wedding organisation?" The blonde asked with a knowing smile as Santana nodded.

"She's the best woman! She's supposed to do everything." She shrugged, "Plus, if I was left to do it all by myself you know we would have a total mess of a wedding."

Quinn tilted her head in silent agreement before continuing, "Okay…what else? What else? Final payments for the band and caterers etc etc. They'll all be due in the next two weeks. What's on your list for the day before?"

"Uh…well I'll be packing to go to the house. I think Rachel and Britt have booked a mani/pedi for us all, including you and Jess. Let's just make sure Jess and Brittany sit at opposite ends."

The blonde chewed on her lip as her other leg dipped back into the water, "You don't think it's going to be really awkward and difficult, do you?"

Santana took a deep breath, staring across at her girlfriend in silence before letting it out in a long stream, "I have no idea how it's going to be." She shook her head slowly, reaching despondently for the pizza box once more.

"Oh God." Quinn sighed defeatedly, her face creased with anguish as she reached for a slice of pizza and stuffed it into her mouth, "Do you think Brittany will attack her?"

"No! Of course she wouldn't." Santana scoffed uneasily, "Unless she's been drinking."

"Oh, well!" The blonde shrugged, "No problem then. It's not like there's vast amounts of alcohol at weddings!"

Sighing, Santana took another large bite of her pizza, "I'll talk to her. Have you spoken to Jess?"

"Yeah, we skyped the other night."

"How is she?"

Quinn shrugged, "She's alright…she seems a little wary, but wouldn't you be?" Santana nodded, "Hopefully we can just…ease them in, you know? I mean, we have two weeks before the wedding, surely in that time they'll be able to talk and clear the air?"

"Two things Brittany is fantastic at." The brunette grimaced nervously. Sighing heavily, Quinn ran her hand through her hair, making it stand on end at odd angles. Santana chuckled, stretching over to flatten the blonde tufts gently before taking a deep breath, "It will be fine. I promise. I know they have history and there's still you know…a lot of stuff there-"

"You're so eloquent."

"but they love us. And they know how important this day is, and they will not ruin it."

Quinn shrugged, "No, I know they won't. I know they'd never make a scene or anything, I just…I want them to enjoy it, too, you know? I don't want them just coping for our sakes."

"I know." Santana nodded, "It's our day but it's also, kind of…all of ours days..." She trailed off with a frown, considering her own grammar, before shaking her head, "It's about all of us!"

"It's a celebration." The blonde replied simply, and Santana held up her hands.

"Exactly." She shrugged, "Have you spoken to Sam today?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah, he's had more chemo today so I called just to check up on him."

"Okay, good." Santana smiled sympathetically, "And are you okay?"

She gave a wry chuckle, but nodded, "Yeah, I am. I still can't believe it even though it's been months but...he's gonna be okay, they think. They're pretty sure so, that's good news." She smiled again, and Santana nodded, before she took a deep breath, "Okay. Now I need to start my regime." She added bluntly, "I need to be rid of my lizard scales within two weeks." She sighed, reaching for a bottle of baby oil as she stood up.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Lizard scales? Being a little hard on yourself, aren't you?"

"No!" The blonde protested as she clambered out and began lathering herself in oil, "Then do you mind moisturising my back?"

"Why are you being so insane over this?" Santana chuckled, stretching out in the water and allowing her toes to resurface at the other end. "You're gonna look gorgeous, you don't need to spend half an hour every night...moisturising and cleansing or whatever all that stuff does."

"Oh, and you're ridiculous fitness kick with Rachel is perfectly healthy?" Quinn countered, fb rapping a towel around her chest and raising an eyebrow.

Santana frowned, "...that's kind of the point."

"I meant mentally! Besides, yesterday she had you training so hard that you puked as soon as you got home - how is that helping?"

"Fucking circuits." Santana muttered under her breath, "Alright, fine. Maybe we are both going crazy over this wedding."

The blonde nodded smugly,before turning to leave, "It'll be worth it when I'm as smooth as a baby's ass and you're all hench."

Santana watched her go with a contented smile, before turning back to the bubbles surrounding her, "I will be hench. Hench as fuck."

-oOo-

"Oh my God, Santana!" Quinn hissed in the darkness, and the brunette groaned. Droplets of rain were chasing down the window above their heads, casting mottled shadows across the girl's skin as Quinn rolled over to shake her. "Santana, wake up!"

"What i-" her voice came out as a strangled croak, and she cleared her throat before trying again, "What is it?" She yawned, her eyes still closed.

"The cake!" Quinn sat up straight, pushing Santana once more until the brunette's eyes blinked open, "Come on." She gave her another shove before pushing herself up until she was standing on the bed, before she jumped down and ran down the hallway to where her wedding binder sat on the coffee table.

Santana sat up with a groan, her eyes half-closed as she called out, "What about the cake?"

"We don't fucking have one!" The blonde shouted as she perched on the sofa, flicking through pages.

The brunette sat dumbly, her mouth hanging open in confusion as she gazed around the room, before taking a deep breath and calling back, "Quinn, you're making the cake!"

There was silence. The sound of flipping pages stopped as Quinn sat silently on the sofa, staring about thoughtfully as she attempted to recollect the details. Santana sat patiently, listening intently until the girl appeared silently at the bedroom door, looking sheepish. Without saying a word, she smiled kindly and reached over for the corner of the bedspread, pulling it back silently. Quinn stepped across to the bed self-consciously, clambering back in and settling down on the pillow, staring at Santana.

"I'm so glad you hired Marley." The brunette stated as she snuggled back under the cover.

Quinn frowned, "Why's that?"

"Because if you were trying to plan this wedding and run the bakery, I think I'd have had to have you put in a padded cell by now." She chuckled, reaching over to wrap an arm around Quinn's waist and pull her closer, "I love you, Bridezilla."

"I panicked!" Quinn defended petulantly, and Santana giggled, pressing a small kiss to the end of the blonde's nose.

-oOo-

Jess took a deep breath, letting it out in a long stream and scratching the back of her head nervously as she waited by the baggage carousel. She closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing the bridge of her nose and attempting to quell her churning stomach. The carousel buzzed to life in front of her, and she opened her eyes once again, alert and waiting for her bright suitcase. A wave of unease washed over her. She didn't dare to even imagine what would happen if her suitcase didn't appear from behind the heavy rubber flaps. Her bridesmaid dress was enclosed within it; Quinn would probably behead her with a lucky horseshoe.

It wasn't that her best friend was stressed out over her wedding, more like she was on the brink of a fatal aneurism during any waking moment. She had called the blonde the night before to confirm what time she was due to arrive and her plans for the day. Once her luggage arrived, she had to find the car rental place and pick up her rental car, find the apartment she was renting for the next two months and then make her way to Quinn and Santana's apartment. And that was where the fun would begin. Apparently.

The idea of seeing Brittany again had been tearing her apart ever since she had finished her tour, almost a week ago. She had attempted to call the blonde a few times, hoping to clear the air before she had to see her face-to-face, but either Brittany was too busy with wedding plans to answer her phone, or she was avoiding Jess. She figured it didn't take a genius to work out which was more likely.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she watched another round of cases pass by her; no sign of hers. A sharply-dressed man beside her leaned in close to her, stretching out his arm to reach for a large black case. She didn't know why he hadn't waited until the case was closer to him, instead of invading her personal space. As he heaved the case off the carousel, it bashed against her shin, and she bit down hard on her lip in an attempt to stifle a shriek of pain. And a fair few choice expletives. He jostled past her without an apology, and she watched him go with an irritated sigh. Turning back to the carousel, her heart soared as she set her sights on her flowery suitcase.

She stood waiting for the case to travel round the corner of the carousel, but before it could travel anywhere near within arm's-length, it was plucked off the conveyor belt. Stunned, Jess' eyes widened, and she craned her neck above the crowd of people, stretching up on her tip toes in an attempt to see who had wrongly claimed her baggage. A hugely tall ginger man was carrying her case away from the crowd. With a horrified grimace, she hurried after him, catching up to him a few seconds later and reaching up to tap him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. But, I think you've taken my suitcase?" She pointed to the flowery case in his hand, but the bespectacled man frowned and shook his head.

"Um, no, I'm picking up my sister. She said it was this one." He had a thick Boston accent, and Jess smiled as he gave her a lopsided grin. With ease, he lifted it a little higher, and for a moment she doubted her hunch. After all, that case had two years worth of possessions in it, and the man didn't look particularly muscled.

"Oh, well, maybe we have the same one. Could we check the luggage tag?" She suggested with a shrug, and the man nodded, holding up the case for her to inspect it.

"Oh." She sighed, "No, I'm sorry. That one is your sister's. I'm sorry to have wasted your time." Jess apologized self-consciously, but the man shrugged good-naturedly.

"Don't worry about it. I hope you haven't missed your case while you were talking to me." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the conveyor, but Jess shrugged.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure. It'll come round again." She smiled politely, nodded to the man and turned back to the carousel just in time to see her actual case disappearing behind the rubber flaps once again. She sighed wi frustration, rolling her eyes and shifting her satchel higher up onto her shoulder. Wandering around the crowd so she was closer to the start of the carousel, she pounced on her case when it appeared again, heaving it off the conveyor and dragging it away from the crowd, breathing a sigh of relief.

Once she was out in the open, she dropped it onto the floor and pulled out the handle before wheeling it away. After making her way through to the car rental and hotel stands, each one shouting offers at her as she passed, she finally found the company Rachel had recommended. She paid and signed the forms before gratefully accepting the keys, information and parking spot number.

Jess wandered back and forth through the parking lot, checking the piece of paper multiple times, but constantly ending up in the same parking spot, standing in front of a bright red convertible. Which was most certainly not the car she had asked for. She had specified that she wanted something with five doors and a spacious 'trunk.' In Jess' exact words, "As long as it has a big boot; I'm expected to ferry a lot of wedding shit."

Sighing heavily, she frowned down at the paper once more. She gazed back up to the red convertible, taking a closer look in case there had been a mistake with the rental company. The car certainly didn't look like a rental. Upon closer inspection, she could see various pairs of shoes littering the passenger foot-well, and a large scratch under the wing-mirror. Giving up on the convertible, she began wandering through the parking lot again, scowling down at the paper assigning her car.

As she was squinting down at the space number, her phone began vibrating in her pocket, and she reached for it warily. Barely daring to look, she glanced at the caller I.D and breathed a sigh of relief, answering it quickly.

"Hiya, Rach! You alright?" She greeted cheerily, but Rachel sighed.

"Well, I would be if the bride from hell wasn't freaking about her lack of a Maid of Honour! Where the hell are you?" Shocked at the girl's unusual demeanour, she stifled a giggle.

"It's only fitting that Satan should marry the bride from hell. Perfect couple." It was true that Quinn had been rather stressed, but Jess would hardly call her the bride from hell.

"She started crying today because Santana's cousin doesn't like fruit cake." Rachel answered thoughtfully. "And last night Santana emailed me a huge list of things that are 'our' responsibility a.k.a my responsibility."

"Well, she's under a lot of pressure. It'll be fine." She dismissed with a shrug, "As for me, I had a bit of trouble trying to get my bag, now I'm wandering around the car park in search of the hire car."

"What's your problem with the rental car?" The brunette asked, her voice brittle with worried panic.

"I can't bloody find it, firstly." Jess rolled her eyes, sighing again, "I've been to the space where it's supposed to be loads of times and the wrong car is parked there."

"What car is parked there?" Rachel asked directly, "I called today to confirm the whole thing, I still have the details here. One sec." She rummaged through all of the papers on the counter-top until she found the note-pad where she had wrote all of the details of Jess' rental car and apartment.

"It's a red convertible, when it's supposed to be a five-door with a big boot." Jess answered, rubbing her temples. She could feel a headache brewing behind her eyes.

"And you're definitely in the right spot? Because it says here you've been assigned a black Ford hatchback." The brunette chewed on her lip as she waited for Jess to reply.

"It's supposed to be in number 265 but it isn't." She replied, and Rachel shook her head.

"No. Not 265, it's in 266."

"It says 265."

"Well look in 266; it's right next to it!" Rachel replied exasperatedly, and Jess turned on the spot to direct her gaze to the next space. True enough, there was a black Ford hatchback parked beside the red convertible.

"Okay, I found it." She mumbled brightly, attempting to sound breezy as the brunette snorted.

"Well, I'm glad we got that cleared up. You need your eyesight checking."

"It was his handwriting! It looks like a five!" Jess defended, clicking the unlock button on her key fob and opening the trunk of the car. She jammed the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she lifted her case into the car and slammed the door shut.

"But the first six didn't?" Rachel asked sceptically, "Anyway, so you're on your way to the apartment now?"

"I will be when I hang up, yes." Jess nodded, "And don't worry, I do know the address."

"Well don't be too long, everyone's very excited to see you again!" She gave an excited squeal, and Jess grinned, but her smile faltered slightly as a lump settled in her throat.

"Everyone?" She questioned knowingly, her voice cracking slightly. Rachel took a deep breath, glancing over to where Brittany and Santana were looking over the table-plan in the living room.

"Um…in a way, yeah."

"How is she?" Jess asked quietly, leaning her forearms on the top of the steering wheel and taking a deep breath.

"She's okay. Excited for the wedding – aren't we all? If I'm honest, she hasn't said much about you coming back." Rachel told her gently, and Jess nodded slowly.

"Fair enough." They sat in silence for a moment as Jess gazed out at the parked cars around her. "Well, I suppose I'll just see you all soon. I need to drop my bags off at the apartment then I'll be straight over. You're all at Quinn and Santana's, yeah?"

"Yes, we're trying to work the balance between Latinas and racists for the seating chart and Quinn is due home from work shortly. See you soon!" She hung up and took a deep breath in an attempt to steel her nerves, before giving in and dropping her head onto her forearms with a loud, frustrated growl.

She started the engine and pulled out of the parking space, her heart hammering against her ribcage, and hoped to God that it wouldn't be too awkward seeing Brittany again. As promised, they hadn't spoken since saying their goodbyes in the airport, despite Jess' best efforts. She remembered the first time she had tried to call Brittany since she left. It was two weeks into rehearsals, and she had been sat outside the stage door of the venue, perched on a curb. After a long day of practicing and being told the whole number was 'too sloppy', she was yearning to be home, on her sofa, watching awful television and eating her way through the cupboards with Brittany and Rachel.

After Brittany's cell phone had gone straight to voicemail, she had attempted to call the apartment phone. Both girls must have been out, as the dial tone rang out until the voicemail kicked in.

"Hey, you've reached Brittany and Rachel. Soon to be Rachel and Sam!" The blonde's usually-bright voice sounded a little forced, "We're not available right now so just leave us a message after the tone and we'll call you back!" She had been about to hang up when Brittany added flatly, "But if you're calling for Jess, she's not here anymore."

That was the end of the message. She had pressed the hang-up button before she could hear the beep, and had dropped her phone into her lap, cradling her head in her hands, her palms pressed against her eyes in an attempt to impede her tears. She had been called back in to rehearsals a few minutes later, her eyes red and her breathing laboured.

Forcing herself to push the memory away, she finally reached her new apartment building, pulling into the underground parking lot and switching off the engine. With a deep breath, she collected up her satchel and moved round to the trunk, pulling out her case with difficulty and wheeling it towards the elevators, pressing the button on her fob to lock the car behind her. Rachel had organised for her to meet the landlord at the apartment; all she had to do was knock, and he would greet her and give her the keys and make her sign the forms and so on and so forth.

The elevator pinged as it reached her floor, and she located the apartment with ease – a fact for which she was grateful. The landlord seemed polite, and she signed the forms quickly before accepting the keys and bidding him farewell. Once he had left, she gazed around at her new apartment. It was nice. There were a lot of sweeping lines and chrome finishes. The kitchen was spotlessly chic, with matt black cupboards and pale granite countertops. The fridge looked like the entire bridal party of Quinn's wedding could fit comfortably in it, while the cooker had more rings than any other she had ever seen.

Thankfully, the bedroom was slightly more homely. A large iron bedstead stood in the centre, surrounded my minimalist end tables and wardrobes. The bedcover was chocolate brown, and felt soft and cozy as she perched on the edge. The shower was in perfect proportion with the ginormous fridge, and Jess felt a little like one of The Borrowers as she wandered around surveying the furnishings. She deposited her suitcase in the bedroom before freshening up quickly, and leaving the apartment.

-oOo-

Santana was scowling down at her to-do list, chewing on the end of her pen, when there was a knock at the door. The girls had spent all morning in their apartment, calling to check arrangements with the florist, band, venue and everything else that she could possibly think of. Luckily, she had managed to convince her parents that they didn't need to come over early, as the apartment was crowded enough as it was without her parents arriving and her mother bustling about trying to be helpful. She pushed herself to her feet, moving to answer it, but Quinn's screaming stopped her in her tracks.

"I'll get it! I'll get it! I'll get it! I'll get it!" She called out, running from the bedroom to the front door, sliding along the hall in her socks as she attempted to stop before slamming into the solid wood. She grinned excitedly, taking a moment to right herself before yanking the door open excitedly and throwing herself into Jess' waiting arms, "Oh my God! It's so good to see you! I'm so glad you're here! I've missed you so much!"

Santana took the opportunity to look over at Brittany, who was sat tensely in the armchair, texting furiously with Puck about his song choices. The blonde looked deliberately focused, her head down and thumbs flitting across her keyboard. Quinn finally released Jess, who immediately pulled Rachel into her arms, and Santana pushed herself to her feet.

"Hey, England! It's been so long!" She greeted, stepping forward to encircle the girl, squeezing her tightly.

"Hey, San! I missed you. All of you!" Jess grinned around, purposefully not looking at Brittany. "Oh God, I'm so sorry I couldn't come sooner. I tried, I wanted to be here last week but there was just so much stuff with finishing the tour, I'm sorry." She shook her head at Santana and Quinn, who shrugged.

"It's fine, don't worry! You're here now and we still have two weeks! It's just good to have you here." She grinned, turning away to sit back on the sofa and survey her own to-do list. Santana moved to sit down beside her, while Rachel crossed to the kitchen.

"Do you want anything? Coffee, a soda?"

"No, I'm great, thanks." She shook her head and perched on the arm of the sofa beside Quinn, "Anything you need me to do?"

"Help with this seating plan? Otherwise, by and large, we're done." The blonde shrugged.

"Almost done," Brittany corrected, "Puck still won't decide on his songs. Once he does, that's everything." She nodded triumphantly, and Jess couldn't suppress the urge to look at her as she spoke. The blonde glanced in her direction, barely giving her a tiny, polite smile, before looking back down at her phone.

"So how's the new apartment?" Santana raised her eyebrows at Jess, who shrugged.

"Eh. You know. It's okay." She tilted her head thoughtfully, "I mean, it's just a bit…cold. At the moment; it's all neutral tones and far, far too tidy."

Rachel returned to the living room, pouting sympathetically and cradling a cup of coffee, while Santana snuck another glance at Brittany. This time, she found the blonde already boring holes in the side of her head. She gave a subtle nod, and Santana gave her a small smile before taking a deep breath.

"Well, uh, if you want your old stuff back, we have the key to your storage somewhere?" She looked to Quinn, who nodded, "I think it's in the kitchen drawer? The take-out drawer."

"Oh, perfect!" Jess breathed a sigh of relief, leaping off the sofa and heading to the designated drawer. She retrieved the key, which she knew full well she had left with Brittany (but refrained from mentioning), and returned to the arm of the couch with a grateful smile, "Thanks so much. It'll be really nice to have my stuff back." Her eyes cut across to Brittany, who was determinedly looking away, and nodded to herself, "I really appreciate it." She smiled to Santana, who nodded knowingly.

Rachel shrugged, "Yeah, when all this wedding stuff is over-"

"Excuse me?" Quinn interjected.

"Sorry." The brunette refrained from rolling her eyes, adjusting her tone, "When the wedding is over, we could try finding somewhere nicer?"

"Yeah," Jess nodded slowly, "Maybe. The apartment really isn't my style." She confessed guiltily, "I'll probably move some of my stuff into it this week, but not everything. I'll move everything out of storage when I find somewhere more…I don't know, somewhere I'm more likely to settle." She shrugged indecisively, and Quinn nodded absent-mindedly as she looked through a large binder.

"What about where you used to live? Like, before you lived with-" Santana nudged her subtly, and the blonde realised what she had been about to say. Her mouth hanging open, she stared down at the folder with panicked eyes, "You know, before you knew us."

She glanced to Brittany, who was rolling her eyes with a wry smile.

"No, I'm pretty sure that apartment's been rented by someone else for almost three years now." Jess replied playfully, frowning in mock-confusion.

"Oh, of course." Quinn nodded, "Sorry. I'm just a little…pre-occupied."

Jess raised an eyebrow at Santana, who nodded slowly, "Yeah. Who knew Quinn would be the one to freak out?" She shrugged comically, "And we all thought I was the brittle, unstable half of the relationship." The blonde glared at her girlfriend, who grinned cheekily, leaning forward to place a kiss on the end of her nose, "Calm down. We've triple checked everything and more, and I promise nothing will go wrong."

"We're all over it, Q." Brittany assured her, "Even Puck just texted with a final decision. And he said that the suits were perfect the other day. The waistcoats fit, the jackets fit, the ties are the perfect shade of 'teal' and apparently they look 'smokin' hot'. Have no fear."

"Is Luke's suit there, too?" Santana asked, frowning, and Brittany nodded.

"That's who Puck was referring to when he said 'smokin' hot'." She replied, "Apparently little Lukey fancies himself a flower-girl."

"There are no flower girls." Quinn added with a confused frown.

"I know, don't tell him." Santana shook her head firmly, "It's the only reason he's willing to wear a suit."

"He is going to look so cute, though." The blonde chuckled, "Yeah, you tell him whatever you need to, honey."

"So, Puck is looking after Luke?" Jess asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion, "Why? Aren't Benny and Olivia here?"

"Yes, yes they are." Santana nodded, "But Benny is not part of the wedding party so Puck and Sam took Luke for the suits. Not to mention Luke currently worships Puck; he thinks he's the coolest person alive."

Rachel grinned, "Awh, that's cute."

"Yeah. Until Luke is begging to stay with Puck every night until the wedding, and probably after that." Santana quirked an eyebrow.

"Surely your brother will say no though? He knows what it's like to have a new baby." Brittany reasoned, "Besides, would there even be space with Puck and Summer and the baby?" She asked, her face a confused grimace.

"I doubt it, Puck's place is only a one bedroom." Rachel answered, shaking her head.

"I can't believe Puck has a baby. A real baby." Jess shook her head, awestruck, "I mean, it still hasn't sunk in, you know?"

"I know." Rachel chuckled, "She's almost seven months, now."

"It'll sink in when you meet her," Santana nodded knowingly, "I couldn't believe it either, even if Summer was growing in front of our eyes."

"Yeah, I think that might be it. It's like, when I left they were sort-of seeing each other, now there's a baby. I haven't even spoken to Puck properly!" She shook her head incredulously, "I mean, I called him when I heard about the birth but aside from that…" She trailed off with a shrug, and Brittany bit her lip to refrain from commenting.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get to meet her soon." Rachel added, her eyes widening excitedly.

"She is the cutest little thing." Quinn shook her head disbelievingly, "Gonna get me some baby cuddles."

-oOo-

Brittany sat silently in the back of the taxi, staring out at the buildings and lights whizzing past while Rachel chattered beside her. Seeing Jess wasn't at all like she had expected. She wasn't sure exactly what she had expected, but that wasn't it. She had half-expected something major about Jess to have changed. After all, it had been two years. But the girl was unnervingly similar to how she had been. She had expected her to have changed her hair, or to be more American-ized, or to have gotten a piercing or a tattoo or a pet or a prosthetic limb. Anything.

But she hadn't. She was the same old Jess. Exactly as she had been on the day she left. It almost made her angry, that Jess had left to pursue a great career and wonderful opportunity and completely new life, yet had come back almost completely unchanged. Wasn't the idea of leaving her that she discovered new things and went on new adventures? Surely those things were supposed to change you? She wondered bitterly what the point of Jess leaving had been, after all. She had tried to be supportive and selfless when Jess was handed such a good opportunity, but she had to admit that it stung. It stung now that Jess was back, and they were expected to get along for the sake of their friends, and for politeness.

To be fair, within a few weeks, she probably wouldn't have to get along with her, if she didn't choose to. After the wedding, Quinn and Santana would be going on honeymoon, Rachel would go back to being loved-up with Sam, and she could go back to living and working, alone. Why would Jess need to be a part of that? Of course, once the pair returned, she would have to deal with the fact that Jess was now as much a part of their friendship group as she was. She only had herself to thank for that. Yes, once Santana and Quinn returned from honeymoon, it would be much harder. After all, Jess was Quinn's best friend. Santana would be Quinn's wife. And Brittany was Santana's best friend. They'd have to get along for the sake of the children, so to speak. But she had at least a month before she had to face that, thankfully.

Until then…she would have to get used to it. They would be finishing the wedding organisation in the next two weeks, as a group, and she would have to live with the fact that Jess was now as much a part of this wedding as she was. Besides, she had coped…well enough. Not exactly well. Well would have been to act polite and aloof and non-plussed. As if her life were so amazing now that she could barely acknowledge that Jess had ever been a presence in her life. As if it didn't bother her that Jess was there at all, it completely did not affect her in any way. She didn't even notice Jess was there. She was too busy having an incredible life without her.

But that hadn't been how she had acted. And, even worse, that wasn't at all what her life was like without Jess.