The Feelings That Smolder Until It's An Inferno

Brittany hummed along with the radio as she drove to work one early, but sunny May morning, and as she neared her store, she smiled when she saw the 'Grand Opening' banner right below a sign that said, 'Happy Paws Pet Bakery and Boutique'. She felt so proud of herself, because for as long as she could remember, it had been her dream to work with animals, and after a long journey, she had finally made it into a reality.

When Brittany was young, she wanted to be a veterinarian, but all of that changed after her mother had set it up for her to follow their family's vet for a week during the summer when she was sixteen. She thought it was going to be one of the best experiences of her life, but it turned out to be emotional and traumatic. She liked interacting with the animals at the vet's small boarding house, and seeing animals that were there for yearly checkups and minor issues such as sore paws and ear infections. She liked helping them, but she had a hard time seeing the more critical patients, and it didn't help that a few of those patients didn't survive their illness or injuries. She tried to look past the bad moments and focus on all the good that came from being a vet, but at the end of the week, she had to be honest with herself and realize that her heart and feelings were too sensitive to see suffering and dying animals on regular basis.

After that, Brittany felt a little lost, because her whole life she thought she wanted to do one thing, but when that didn't work out, she didn't have a backup plan. She knew she still wanted to work with animals, so she spent the rest of the summer trying to find a new direction for her future. Finally, a week before school started, she had dreamed up the idea of a pet store, but not just any pet store, one that sold freshly baked treats, high quality dog and cat food, and handmade accessories.

So with that idea in mind, she learned how to work a sewing machine, researched animal nutrition, and developed recipes, and when it came time for her to go to college, she majored in business, so she would know how to responsibly and successfully run a business. It took ten years for her dream to come true, but she never lost her focus. She worked and saved as much money as she could, and when she was twenty-six years old, her great aunt that lived in a small town in Ohio left her a building in her will, with express instructions to follow her dreams.

Brittany had been surprised by the inheritance, but after reviewing the details on the property, and finding that it was in a great location within the town, she knew it was the break that she needed to get started. So with a rent-free space, and her life savings, Brittany quit her job as an assistant manager at a national retail store, and left Illinois for Ohio.

On her first day in Lima, she went to the property and evaluated it, noting everything that she would need to do to make it perfect. Thankfully, she found some cost savings because the property had been a store before, and was in excellent condition, so she would be able to rearrange and reuse most of the equipment and shelving. As she went through everything, she found that she had been prepared for every expense that the store would need, except one. Sound proofing. It was an odd expense for sure, but as soon as the sirens from the fire station across the street unexpectedly sounded, Brittany jumped, startled from the sudden noise. She knew that the only way that she could make her store a place that was welcoming for people to bring their pets would be to invest the money in a way to cut down on the sound, so it wouldn't be so jarring for the animals.

It took almost four months, and half of Brittany's savings, but finally the day had come, and the shop was having its Grand Opening. When Brittany's assistant, Tina, turned the sign from closed to open at nine o'clock, it only took five minutes before the first customer came through the door and Brittany almost swallowed her tongue when she saw that is was the gorgeous female firefighter that she had been secretly admiring since the day she arrived in Lima.

Brittany would be embarrassed if anyone knew the feelings the woman in front of her caused her. In the months that it took to get the store ready, she had had the great fortune to see her wash the fire engine so many times in a pair of short shorts and a white tank top that she had taken to glancing out the window towards the station every chance she could in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her. Mostly she saw her in her blue station uniform that she was wearing now, but sometimes, when she was lucky, she'd catch her after returning from a call, wearing only a tight t-shirt, her bulky fire trousers with the suspenders hanging down the sides, soot smudges on her face, and her body glistening with sweat and rippling muscles. It would be an understatement for Brittany to simply say that she was attracted to the woman, because she was completely enticed by her.

"H-hi." Brittany stuttered at first, trying not to run her eyes down the woman's body, and then she clenched her fists at her sides and pulled herself together. "Welcome to Happy Paws! I'm Brittany Pierce, I'm the owner, and this is my amazing assistant Tina. How may we help you?" She said with a bright smile and walked up to the counter directly in front of the beautiful firefighter. She was so happy that she finally had a chance to meet her.

"Hi. I'm Santana," she said with a smile and then gestured down, "and I think this little guy is looking for a treat."

Brittany looked down to see a Dalmatian with beautiful blue eyes that she had seen several times running around the fire station sniffing the air around him.

"Aww, cute!" Brittany and Tina squeaked when they saw him. Brittany came around the counter and kneeled down to rub the dog behind his ears and under his chin. "What's his name and how old is he?"

Santana beamed and chuckled at the dog completely melting at the attention. "His name is Blaze and he's two days short of being a year old."

"That's an awesome name for a firedog." Brittany said and Blaze licked her cheek. "And he's a lover. I think that deserves a treat for sure." She said and reached into one of the three pockets that she had in her short waist apron and pulled out a small square cookie. She looked up at Santana and asked, "Is it okay?"

"Sure." Santana said with a little nod and she chuckled when Blaze offered his paw to Brittany. "I just taught him how to shake yesterday, so he thinks every time he sees a treat he has to offer his paw. He hasn't quite figured out that he's supposed to be asked first."

Brittany took Blaze's paw and shook it before she gave him the treat. "You're such a good boy, aren't ya?" She said and took a jerky treat out of one of the other pockets and gave it to him before she rubbed him on the head one last time and then stood up. "So, since you are our very first customer, I have a little thank you pack for you and Blaze."

"Really?" Santana asked.

"Yep. A one month's supply of our organic dog food and a sample pack of freshly baked treats."

"Whoa, that's way too much." Santana said. She was getting much more than she planned to buy in the first place. She had only come for a small treat.

"No it's not, I'm just glad you stopped by." Brittany said and absentmindedly ran her hand down Santana's bare forearm. She blushed when she felt how soft, but muscular Santana was.

Santana seemed to blush from the contact as well. "That's really nice of you." She said in a soft voice.

There was a slight pause that lingered between them as they looked at each other. After a moment, Brittany shook her head playfully, breaking eye contact and looked round the room. Um, would you like to look around or-"

"Yes." Santana blurted with a little chuckle. "I'm sure there's something that Blaze needs. Maybe I'll find something for his birthday."

"Then I won't crowd you." Brittany said with a smile, even though she would have liked to walk around the small store talking with Santana. "If you need anything, let me or Tina know."

"Okay, thanks." Santana said and she and Blaze went to explore the store.

Brittany went behind the counter, and Tina gave her a knowing look and a smirk, but Brittany just rolled her eyes playfully.

"Um, I'm going to go check the ovens." Tina announced before she turned to go into the kitchen, and Brittany almost cringed because she couldn't be any more obvious that she was giving them a moment alone. Thankfully, Santana didn't seem to notice.

Brittany busied herself as she readied a treat box for Blaze, but she couldn't help but to keep glancing at Santana.

When Santana returned to the counter, she had barely set her items down when all of a sudden a large cat jumped up from behind the counter and stared at her.

Santana flinched, and then started laughing when she saw what it was. "Well that was surprising." Blaze perked up when he saw the cat, but he didn't move to charge at it. Santana tightened her grip on his leash, just in case he got excited.

Brittany chuckled and reached down into her apron pocket and pulled out a different treat than she had given Blaze, and fed it to the cat before she rubbed her hand down his back. "This is Lord Tubbington. He's my two-year-old cat. He was sleeping, but I guess he was curious as to who you are."

"He's cute." Santana said and tentatively held her hand out for the cat to sniff before she scratched him behind his ear. "So will he be coming to work with you all the time?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd see how it works out. He'll probably either hang out in his bed behind the counter or in the window, so unless I have a lot of issues with customers' dogs trying to get at him, I plan to bring him with me."

"I think that's great. You should bring him if you can. Blaze is actually my dog. I went with a Dalmatian because as cliché as it is, I'm a firefighter and they're our dogs. I knew as soon as the guys saw him they would fall in love with him and want to make him the station mascot since we didn't have one, so I bring him to work with me when I'm on duty."

"So I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you two then?" Brittany asked shyly.

"Yeah, I guess so." Santana said smiling warmly at Brittany.

"Awesome." Brittany said and then looked down at the counter to see that Santana had placed a stuffed tiger and a yellow bandana with red fire hydrants. "Oh good choices." She beamed. "Just for future reference, all the bandanas, leashes, harnesses, and collars are made in house."

"Wait, you make them?" Santana asked impressed.

"Yep…well Tina and I make them." Brittany said with a proud smile. "We make a lot of things here…All the accessories I just mentioned, organic dog and cat food, and all the bakery treats and jerky."

"Wow, that's impressive. I can cook, but I just don't have a knack for crafty things."

"I wouldn't sell yourself short. You willingly run into burning buildings to save people. I think that's incredibly courageous and impressive."

"Thanks." Santana said with a little smile and she felt her cheeks and ears heat up.

Brittany rang up Santana's items, and then once Santana had paid for them, Brittany bagged them for her, along with her thank you gifts, and a magnet, pen, and business card all with the store's information on it.

"I put his treats in a little box and marked which ones they were, so you would know which ones he likes or doesn't like."

"Thanks. He's not a picky eater, so I'm sure he'll love all of them."

"I hope so. Oh, and if you aren't busy, come by on his birthday for a pupcake." Brittany chirped.

"A pup-cake?" Santana asked quirking her eyebrow.

"Uh-huh." Brittany said and then leaned into the display case and pulled out what looked like a cupcake with white icing. "It's like a cupcake, but for dogs. Basically, it's carrot cake, but there isn't any sugar. Dogs love it, and it's not unhealthy for them. We also take orders for bigger cakes."

Santana had never heard of such a thing. "So people order birthday cakes for their dogs?"

Brittany giggled and nodded. "You'd be surprised how many people spoil their pets."

Santana nodded, because she and the guys at the station were prone to spoiling Blaze. "Well I better get back, I'm on duty, and I can't be away for too long in case we get a call."

"Good thing we're just across the street then." Brittany teased. "You can pop by anytime."

Santana chucked and then nodded. "It was nice meeting you Brittany. Thank for the gifts." She said and held her hand out.

Brittany shook her hand and it was as if a current surged though her when they touched. "Thanks for stopping by." She said and they shook hands longer than was necessary.

A few moments later, when they both realized that they were just holding hands, they shied away, releasing their hold.

"I guess I'll see you around." Santana said and Brittany smiled widely.

"Yeah, for sure." She couldn't wait for Santana to come back. "Have a safe shift."

"Thanks. Good luck on your grand opening." Santana said and then turned toward the door. As she opened the door, it shocked her how much louder everything sounded. "Whoa. That was weird."

"I had to add sound proofing in here so the animals wouldn't get startled when the alarms and sirens at the station go off." Brittany explained, but then she noticed a small, almost unnoticeable look of worry cross Santana's face, and Brittany knew why she seemed worried. "Don't worry, it's not totally sound proof." She assured. "You can still hear them when they go off, but it's not as frightening for the animals."

"Oh, okay." Santana said with a satisfied nod. "Bye, Brittany."

"Bye, Santana!" She chirped and then added, "Bye, Blaze!

Brittany watched Santana and Blaze walk across the street and when they were inside and out of sight, Brittany smiled to herself and looked away from the window only to find Tina standing right beside her, smirking. She was sure a good amount of teasing was coming her way.

-()-()-()-()-

Two days later, Brittany was on a euphoric high. Her grand opening had been a total success. The number of sales that she had was considerable and she had had a chance to meet so many people and their pets. She was busier than she had even hoped to be, but the only thing that was on her mind was the hope that she would see Santana that day. It was Blaze's birthday and she hoped that she would bring him. She had made a special pupcake just for him with the outline of a red fire hydrant on top of the white icing.

Brittany kept glancing towards the fire station, but she had not seen Santana yet. Thankfully, she had enough work to keep her busy that she didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it. It was a little after five o'clock when Tina came into the kitchen to get her.

"You have a visitor." She teased with a smirk.

"A what?" Brittany asked a little confused, but then it clicked and her eyebrows shot impossibly high. "She's here?"

"Mm-hmm." Tina said with a smile.

"Can you take over here?" She asked and motioned to the racks and trays she was washing by hand.

"Sure." Tina said and stepped beside her.

"How do I look?" Brittany asked nervously, taking off her gloves and running her hands down the front of her clothes.

"You look fine." Tina said with a smile. "Go see her."

"Okay, thanks." Brittany said with a grateful smile and then went out into the store to find Santana reading the back of a shampoo bottle. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a black form fitting t-shirt. It was the first time that Brittany had seen her in something other than her work gear. She definitely liked her casual style. "Hey!" She beamed and walked out from around the counter. "I was wondering if you were going bring the birthday boy in today."

Santana turned and smiled, and Blaze gave an excited bark when he saw Brittany. "Hi Brittany." Santana said setting down the bottle in her hands and walked up to Brittany. "Sorry we didn't get here earlier. I was off duty today and I got stuck at my parents' house all day helping my mom with a bunch of stuff. I just managed to sneak away for a few minutes, because I know you close at six."

"Aww, well that's sweet of you to help your mom." Brittany cooed and kneeled down to give Blaze some attention. He was wearing his new fire hydrant bandana around his neck and it made Brittany's heart jump in her chest to see it. "Are you from Lima?" She asked looking up at Santana. She didn't know anything about Santana and she wanted to learn as much as she could.

Santana chuckled. "Yeah, born and raised here. It's kinda sad."

"No it isn't." Brittany said with a sweet smile. "I like it here. Everyone that I've met seems so nice."

"It isn't terrible here, but sometimes I wish I had explored the world a little. I'm sure there are a lot better places to live than Lima Ohio."

"Well there's certainly worse places to live." Brittany said standing back up, and giving Santana another smile.

"I guess. My whole family lives here, so at least I'm close to them, and I see my brothers all the time at work."

"Your brothers are firefighters too?" Brittany marveled.

"Mm-hmm." Santana said proudly. "Lima only has small stations, so they work at a different station on Ladder 37. They're a little different than my Engine team, but we work closely."

"How did you all become firefighters?"

"It's a little silly, but my twin brothers are older and they always wanted to be firefighters and used to play pretend firefighters all the time, so when I came along, of course I just idolized them and wanted to do what they did, so I followed in their footsteps."

"I don't think that's silly at all. I think that is the coolest thing ever." Brittany said honestly and Santana smiled, loving the fact that Brittany liked her story. "I'm sure your parents are so proud of all of you."

"They are, even if my mom worries all the time. I swear she worries more than my brothers' wives and we have more candles lit for us at the church than anyone else."

"She's a mom, that's her job." Brittany said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Santana was about to say something, but then her phone chimed. "Speaking of which." She grumbled and pulled her phone of her back pocket and read the text message. When she put her phone back in her pocket, she had a small frown on her face. "I'm sorry, that was my mom. She needs me to come back, so I guess I'm going to have to make this a short visit."

Brittany felt herself deflate a little that Santana had to go so soon. "Okay, let me package Blaze's pupcake so you can get back to your mom. I made one especially for him." She said and went behind the counter, pulling out the pupcake with the fire hydrant from the display case, and put it in a small box. She showed it to Santana before she closed the top.

"Oh wow, he's going to love that." Santana cooed.

"I hope so. It is his birthday after all." Brittany said, putting the box in a small bag and handed it to Santana. When Santana reached into her pocket and pulled out some money to pay, Brittany held up her hand to stop her. "Nope, this one is on me."

Santana smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Thank you. That's really nice of you." Santana said. "You're going to put yourself out of business if you keep giving me free things." She joked.

"Maybe it's part of my master plan to get you and Blaze to come back." Brittany said playfully with a wink and it couldn't be any more obvious that she was flirting with Santana.

"You don't have to give me free stuff to get me to come back." Santana said shyly.

"Awesome." Brittany cooed. "Then I guess I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, you will." Santana promised and they just stared at each other smiling for a few moments before it became too much and Santana had to look away. "Anyways, there's no telling what my mother has going on right now, so I should get going."

Brittan chuckled and waved. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks, I'll need it." Santana said and then opened the door. "Bye, Brittany."

"Bye, Santana." Brittany said and watched Santana put Blaze in the back seat of her car and then pull away.

She went back into the kitchen to find Tina cleaning up. "Did you ask her out?" Tina asked with a hopeful smile.

"No, she had to leave to help her mom." Brittany said and sighed softly. "I think she likes me too, but she's shy, and I get the feeling from her that she would want to be the one to ask me out, so I'm just going to wait."

"What if it takes a while?"

"Then it takes a while." Brittany said with a shrug. She wasn't going to rush anything. She could wait for Santana.

-()-()-()-()-

Over the next two and a half months, Santana came to see Brittany at the store when she was on duty. She would bring Blaze over and she would buy him treats. Both women loved and looked forward to their little visits. They would spend a few minutes talking, and in doing so, they started to learn a little more about each other. Their time together was always brief, much to their dismay, because Santana couldn't be away from the station for too long, and on the rare occasions that the alarms sounded when she was at the store, their visit was even shorter because she had to leave abruptly.

Despite not knowing each other very long, Brittany cared greatly for Santana, and every time that she heard the alarms sound when Santana was on duty, Brittany would worry about her safety, but when she would see Santana through the window returning from the call, she would feel a little better. Then came a Sunday night in August that Brittany finally had a visual of the dangers Santana's job brought, and she found herself pacing the floor in worry.

The evening news was reporting on an ongoing fire at a house not far from Brittany's store and there was an unconfirmed report that the Fire Captain suspected that the fire had been set on purpose and an accelerant had been used. There was a family of six that lived in the house, and a team of firefighters had already entered the house looking for them.

When the camera panned over to one of the fire engines, Brittany felt her stomach drop because it said 'Lima Fire Department, Engine 60' on the side of it, and she knew that that was Santana's team, and that she was supposed to be on duty that day. Brittany was glued to the TV as she watched everything unfold, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw members of the family being pulled to safety. With the full gear on, it was hard to tell what the firefighters looked like, but Brittany knew that Santana was the only female firefighter in Lima, so she just looked for one that could be her.

She didn't see her until there was a loud crack at the house and part of the house started to collapse. There was a piercing scream, and the camera panned over to the mother who was hysterical about one of her kids not being out of the house, and then a few moments later, cheering could be heard and the camera panned back to the house. A firefighter, that Brittany knew could only be Santana, based on their size, was exiting the house carrying a small child and a medium sized dog.

The child, a little girl, was still conscious and moving around because Santana had put an oxygen mask on her. Once they were far enough away from the inferno, two paramedics ran up to Santana and took the child, but then she set the unconscious dog on the ground and she pulled off her helmet, and then her mask, so she could administer CPR to the dog.

From the moment that Brittany saw Santana exit the house, until the dog was conscious again, she felt like everything zeroed in on Santana and moved in slow motion. Brittany literally let out a relieved yell and a tear rolled down her cheek when she saw the dog move and then Santana cradle it in her arms and put her oxygen mask over its muzzle.

Brittany felt so relieved that Santana was okay and she thought her selfless and heroic feats were nothing short of amazing. Her admiration and feelings for Santana just grew and when she came into the store the next afternoon to get Blaze's treat, Brittany just rounded the counter and pulled her into a tight hug. She rested her nose in the crook of Santana's neck and just breathed her in.

Santana quickly wrapped her arms around Brittany and held her tightly, but she was totally taken by surprise by the embrace because in the three months that they had known each other, that was the most physical contact that they had had. Santana smiled because she enjoyed the feel of Brittany in her arms. They just held each other for a few minutes and they didn't say anything until Brittany pulled out of the embrace, but she didn't let go of Santana completely. She slid her hand down her arm and held her hand.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked anxiously. Santana looked fine, but she knew that sometimes firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and other issues that were not always visible.

"I'm totally fine." Santana said with a nod and lightly squeezed Brittany hand. "So I guess you watched the news last night." She said. It wasn't a question. She knew it had to be true by Brittany's reaction.

Brittany nodded. "I was so worried about you last night, but then I saw you getting that little girl and the dog out of the house, and oh my god Santana, you were absolutely incredible. I mean I knew you were badass, but actually seeing it…I couldn't take my eyes off you."

Santana smiled while running her thumb over Brittany's knuckles. "I didn't do anything that any other firefighter wouldn't have done." She said downplaying her actions.

"Well not everyone could do what you do, and you saved both of their lives. They're all still alive right?"

Santana nodded. "Yep, the Captain checked on the family this morning and everyone, including the dog is recovering."

"Good." Brittany sighed. "I'm glad you're okay too. I wasn't kidding when I said I was worried about you. I've been worrying about you for months, every time I look out that window and I see you go out on a call, but last night it became so much more real because I could see what was happening."

Santana dropped Blaze's leash and took Brittany's other hand into her own. "Britt, thank you for caring about me." She said and Brittany felt her heart flutter at Santana shortening her name for the first time. "I love my job, and I love helping people, but I know what I do is dangerous. I know you worry, but I want you to know that I want to come home from every call that I go on, so I will do everything that I can to make sure that I do."

Brittany nodded and then pulled Santana into another hug. "Good. I would hate for something bad to happen to you."

When they parted from the embrace again, Santana looked down at her watch and saw that she had already been away from the station for ten minutes. "Britt, I hate to leave, but I have to get back."

Brittany nodded, sad to see Santana go, but she was happy to have had a longer than normal visit from her. "Before you go, let me get Blaze a treat." She said and went behind the counter. She took a medium sized box and started to fill it up with random treats from the display case. She was sending Santana home with a box of free treats, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"What are you do-?" Santana started to say as she looked down to pick up Blaze's leash, but she couldn't find him, so she looked around and it took a moment for her to find him curled up next to Lord Tubbington behind the counter. "Would you look at that?" She said and pointed to them.

Brittany turned to look and she smiled when she saw them cuddling. "I guess they're officially friends." She said and then reached down to grab the leash. She coaxed Blaze to stand up by rubbing his back and then led him to Santana.

"Thanks." Santana said taking the leash and the box of treats from Brittany.

"These are on me. Don't argue with me. Just take them home and give them to him there." Brittany said. "That way you can still come over here when you work to get him a treat, because I really like our visits."

Santana smiled and nodded. Brittany hugged her one more time, but kept it brief because she knew she had to leave. When Santana took her by the hand, Brittany looked down at their clasped hands and then up at Santana's hopeful expression.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Santana asked.

"Nothing." Brittany said and her heart rate started to pick up because she was hoping that Santana was finally asking her out on a date.

"I get off duty in the morning and I'm off for a couple of days, so I was wondering if you would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

"As in a date?" Brittany asked because she didn't want there to be any confusion.

Santana smiled widely and nodded. "Yes, as in a date."

Brittany returned the smile and giggled. "I would love to."

"Great." Santana said letting go of Brittany's hand and reached over to the counter and scribbled her number down on the pad of paper that was by the register. "Text me your address and I'll pick you up around seven."

"Sounds good." Brittany beamed. She could barely contain her excitement.

"Well, I really gotta go. I lost a bet eight months ago and I got stuck with cleaning the engine for a year, so I need to go give it a bath." Santana said and Brittany felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach at hearing that she was going to wash the engine. She knew she was going to be glued to the window for the foreseeable future.

"I'll talk to you later and I'll see you at your place at seven." Santana said.

"Bye, Santana. Be safe." Brittany cooed and waved as Santana walked to the door.

-()-()-()-()-

Brittany opened the door when Santana picked her up for their date, and she almost died when she saw her with her hair down for the first time and in a tight form fitting dress. Brittany already thought Santana was gorgeous, but when she saw her all dressed up and in clothing as far removed from her job as she could get, she couldn't believe her luck that the most beautiful woman in the world wanted to go out with her. She tried to compliment Santana, but she beat her to it and gasped, spouting her own compliments when she took in Brittany's breathtaking appearance.

Their first date was to a little French restaurant where they shared a bottle of wine over dinner and then they sat and talked for hours until it was time for the restaurant to close. When Santana brought Brittany home that night, she asked her out on another date as she walked her to her door, and then she gave Brittany a sweet kiss goodnight. It made Brittany's whole body buzz to feel Santana's hand gently cup her cheek, and her lips press against hers softly. Brittany thought about asking her if she wanted to come in, but in the end, she didn't, because while Santana was sweet and completely charming, there was something about her that was reserved and shy. She didn't want to push Santana on what was already the perfect date, so they parted that night, both happy and in a daze from the night they spent together.

Over the next four weeks that followed their first date, Santana visited Brittany at the store when she was on duty to get a treat for Blaze, but now, they would always share a kiss before Santana had to leave. They texted and talked on the phone all the time and they went on lunch and dinner dates that always ended with Santana kissing Brittany on her doorstep. Brittany would be lying if she said that she didn't want more than a kiss goodnight every time Santana brought her home, but at the same time, she loved that they were taking things slow. She had never been with anyone that put so much time and energy into getting to know her before they tried to know her body, and she was sure that Santana knew more about her at this point in their relationship than any of her previous partners did.

Brittany let her mind fall to Santana as she sat in the small sewing nook in the back of the store, making a batch of new bandanas, when her phone chimed to tell her that she had a new text message. Brittany checked it and she smiled when she saw that it was from Santana. She opened the text and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw what it said. She quickly finished her task, logged them for her inventory, and then cleaned up her area before she went out into the store to put them on the shelf.

"Tina, do you think I could leave a little early today?" Brittany asked, glancing out the window towards the firehouse.

Tina chuckled. "You're really asking me that? Aren't you the boss?" She teased.

"Well yeah, but I know there is a ton of stuff left to do today before we close. Santana is getting off soon and she wanted to know if I could come over for a tour of the firehouse and then she wants to go out to dinner."

Tina smiled widely and she nodded. "Sure, I can handle everything on my own."

"Thank you!" Brittany said as she ran behind the counter and hugged Tina. "I'll add a couple of more hours to your pay this week to make up for it." She said and untied her apron and tucked it under the counter before she sent Santana a quick text to say that she would be over in a few minutes.

"More money is always great, I'll definitely take it, but if Santana has a single firefighter friend, I wouldn't mind a little hook up, if you know what I mean." Tina said with a wink. "I've had my eye on the tall Asian one, he's hot, and his arm muscles are to die for."

"I'll keep that in mind." Brittany said with a chuckle and then ran into the office to grab her purse. "How do I look?"

"Pretty as always. Santana is a lucky woman."

"Thanks." Brittany said before she set a spare set of keys to the store on the counter. "I'll be back for Lord Tubbington in a bit." She said with a wave and walked out of the store.

As she was walking across the street, Santana came out of the station and met her outside.

"Hey beautiful." Santana said with warm smile and held her arms out for her.

"Hi, honey." Brittany said and leaned in for a hug and quick kiss. "Where's Blaze?" It was rare for her to see Santana at the station and Blaze not beside her.

"Oh he's in the lounge room with some of the guys. He smelled food and ran after them."

"Typical." Brittany laughed.

"So, before we go in here, I just want to warn you, all of the guys are dying to meet you, so they may come off a little strong, but they're harmless."

"I'm sure they're great." Brittany said with a little smile.

"Okay, let's go." Santana said and took Brittany by the hand and walked her into the firehouse. "So this is the engine." She said and Brittany could see the pride in Santana's face to be showing her something that was so important to her.

"It's a lot bigger when you're standing right next to it."

"Do you wanna sit in it?"

"Yes!" Brittany chirped and Santana chuckled as she opened the door and helped her in.

"Wow, this is cool." Brittany said looking around the large cab. "Do you ever drive it?"

"Sometimes. It's actually really fun to drive."

"I bet." Brittany said with a little smile. "Can I wear your helmet?"

Santana nodded, hopping down from the step of the engine and then helped Brittany down as well. She walked Brittany over to the cubbies that had all their bunker gear and she put her helmet and jacket on her.

"Oh my god, they're so heavy. It's like a ton of bricks on your head and back." Brittany said trying to get comfortable under the weight of the gear.

Santana smiled knowingly and nodded. "They have to be, that's what keeps me safe."

"Then this stuff is my new favorite thing in the world." Brittany said and it touched Santana to know how much Brittany wanted her to be safe. "You must be really strong if you can wear this and all your other gear, and still be able handle the hoses." She marveled.

"We have to be able to pick up and move 180 pounds while in full gear." Santana said as if it was nothing, but Brittany's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Holy sh-a 180 pounds?" Brittany gaped. She could hardly believe it. She knew that she was strong herself, but she also knew she would have trouble moving 180 pounds, and she had a good three inches and probably twenty pounds on Santana. "How? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're so petite."

Santana didn't take any offense. She knew that Brittany was genuinely curious and wasn't doubting her abilities like some people did when they said something like that. "I had to train for a long time to build the muscle so I could pass the physical requirements, but my brothers helped me. They're ripped. You should see them."

Brittany just looked Santana up and down and without missing a beat she said, "I'd rather look at you."

"Umm, thanks." Santana said and she had to break eye contact with Brittany. "So do you wanna see the rest of the place? It's not much, but-"

"Of course I want to see the rest." Brittany said, gently taking Santana's hand and rubbing the top of her knuckles with her thumb. "This is like your home away from home. I want to know what everything is, so when you talk about it, I can picture it in my head."

Santana felt her heart flutter when Brittany said that, so she helped her out of her gear, and then gave her a tour of the rest of the station. As predicted, all of Santana's friends teased her in front of Brittany, but when Brittany wasn't looking they were sending her winks and thumbs up to tell her that they approve.

After Santana's shift was over, the guys on duty offered to watch Blaze for the night, so Santana wouldn't have to take the time to take him home first. They went to Brittany's house so she could drop off her car and Lord Tubbington, and then they drove together in Santana's car to Breadstix for dinner, as it had become one of their favorite casual date places. All throughout dinner, and afterwards when they went for an ice cream, things were as they always were when they went out. They talked and joked around, held hands, and played footsy under the table. Nothing about the night told Brittany that it would be any different from any other night that she had spent with Santana, until they got home and walked up to her door.

When they kissed, they both seemed to let it linger between them and then Santana deepened the kiss. Brittany let out a little moan and tightened her hold around Santana as they kissed, and when they parted, they both were a little winded. Brittany rested her forehead on Santana's and she was about to throw all caution to the wind and ask Santana to come in, but before she could, Santana ran her hands down her sides, resting them on her hips and pulled her closer.

"Can I come in?" Santana asked as she placed a soft kiss on Brittany's lips.

Brittany smiled, nodding her answer before she fumbled in her purse to find her keys. When she finally had the door open, she playfully pulled Santana into the house. She kicked the door closed and then she led Santana through the small dark house and straight to her bedroom. She closed the door and the second she flipped the switch that turned on her bedside lamp, Santana surprised Brittany by spinning her around, pinning her between herself and the door before she buried her hands into blonde locks and kissed her thoroughly.

Brittany melted into the passionate embrace and ran her hands up and down Santana's sides for a few moments before she wanted to feel more of her, so she untucked the blue station shirt from her pants and pushed her hands under the shirt to feel Santana's soft, but muscular body.

Brittany moaned into Santana's mouth when she felt her perfectly toned abdomen, and she pulled on Santana's hips to press into her a little more, because she wanted to feel more of her body against her own.

They kissed against the door for a few minutes until Santana moved her hands out of Brittany' hair and wrapped her arms around her waist, picking her up. Brittany let out a breathy moan wrapping her legs around Santana. Brittany had never been with a woman that could pick her up and she liked it. She had to lean down a little because of the height difference to keep their lips connected, but she loved the way her hair draped around her and Santana and created a little cocoon for them.

When they finally parted from the kiss, Brittany giggled, looking down at Santana and Santana chuckled as well. They were still shrouded in Brittany's hair.

"Hey, Britt-Britt." Santana said with a smile.

"Hi, honey." Brittany said and leaned down to kiss Santana again. "Take me to bed."

Santana nodded and walked towards the foot of the end, pressing one knee into the mattress before she leaned both of them down to the bed and starting another heated kiss between them. Britany pulled at the band that was holding Santana's hair up in a ponytail, and then ran her fingers through the her wavy locks as Santana pushed her hand under Brittany shirt, running her fingers over the creamy skin as she started a slow line of kisses up Brittany's jaw to her ear. She sucked the lobe into her mouth, nibbling on it for a few seconds before she kissed down Brittany's neck until she ran into the collar of her shirt.

Santana sat up, straddling Brittany's lap and Brittany leaned up, running her hands down Santana's sides to her hips, pulling up on the hem of her shirt until it was off. She threw it off to the side and then she lifted the bottom of Santana's sports bar, pulling it over her head, and throwing it in the same direction as her shirt. Brittany looked at Santana's breasts, taking them in for the first time. She gently cupped the sides and leaned in, placing a soft kiss to each one.

"Beautiful." Brittany whispered, before she kissed them again.

Santana felt her body heat up as Brittany's lips pressed to her breasts. Needing to see Brittany's as well, she quickly removed Brittany's shirt, reaching back to unclasp the hook of her bra and pulled it off. Brittany unbuckled Santana's belt as Santana popped the button on her jeans and then Santana moved off Brittany so they could kick off their shoes and take off their pants.

Brittany turned to see Santana in her boy shorts, and she felt the knot that was already in her lower abdomen tighten. She thought the sight of Santana in just her underwear was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen. She reached over and slipped her fingers under the band of her shorts, slowly pulling them down Santana's caramel legs, and then she took off her own panties, before she leaned in, kissing Santana and lowering her to the bed.

Brittany palmed Santana's right breast, while Santana hooked her leg around Brittany's hip, holding her close to her as her hands roamed over every piece of Brittany's milky smooth skin that she could reach. When they were out of breath from the heated kiss, Brittany slid down Santana's body, leaving a wet trail of kisses down her neck to her breasts, and she wasted no time in taking each nipple into her mouth, taking turns sucking and teasing them with her tongue.

Santana moaned loudly, arching her back as Brittany worshiped her breasts. When the teasing became too much for Santana, she rolled them over and played with Brittany's nipples with her tongue before she ran the tip of her tongue down Brittany's abdomen, circling her navel before she went further to just the top of her center. She looked up at Brittany, asking for permission, which she gave her by nodding vigorously. She was aching to be touched there by Santana.

Santana smiled and playfully circled her clit with her tongue before she took the nub into her mouth and sucked while flicking it with her tongue.

Brittany cried out, gripping the sheets as she rolled her hips upwards, trying to get more. Santana put one of her hands on her lower abdomen to hold her down so she wouldn't buck too hard into her as she played with the nub in her mouth. When she thought she had Brittany close to her breaking point, she flattened her tongue against her core and made long, broad strokes, tasting her before she replaced her tongue with her fingers, coating them with Brittany's wetness, and then pushed up she could kiss Brittany's lips.

Brittany moaned into the kiss, and when Santana pushed two fingers inside her, Brittany broke the kiss, crying out into the room again as Santana started to slowly slip her fingers in and out of her.

"Yes, just…don't stop." She moaned, moving her hips against Santana's hand.

Santana kept a steady rhythm as she pushed in and out of Brittany, curling her fingers to hit her sweet spot. She increased her pace the more wound up Brittany became, and when Santana pressed her thumb against Brittany's clit, she couldn't hold on any more and she came unglued, moaning loudly into the room.

Santana continued to move her fingers in and out of Brittany as she tumbled over the edge. When she started to come down from her high, Santana stopped the movement of her hand, but she could practically feel that Brittany's whole body was still buzzing, so she pulled her fingers out and slid down her body, pressing her tongue flat to her center and licking up her wetness; her nose, and tongue purposely bumping into her swollen nub, causing Brittany to orgasm again.

When Brittany started to come down again, Santana curled into her, kissing her lips before she placed soft languid kisses to Brittany's neck as she recovered.

Brittany took deep breaths as she replayed everything in her mind. Out of all the fantasies that she had had about being with Santana physically, none of them compared to the real thing. She was in heaven, pure heaven from Santana giving her not one, but two of the most amazing orgasms that she had ever had. She could feel how wet Santana was on her leg and she could smell her intoxicating arousal. Knowing she had that effect on Santana was driving her crazy.

She took only a couple of minutes to gather herself; her desire to touch Santana intimately was becoming overwhelming. She placed light kisses on Santana's face before crashing their lips together and flipping her over. Brittany bit Santana's bottom lip, tugging on it before releasing it to move down to her breasts. She nipped and sucked on them making sure to place lingering kisses to her nipples, before leaving a trail of hot wet kisses down Santana's abdomen, on each of her hips, and on her inner thighs. Just when it seemed Santana couldn't take anymore teasing, she kissed her center, running her tongue through Santana's dripping folds causing her to moan and whimper as Brittany brought her higher and higher.

When Brittany pushed two fingers into Santana and sucked her clit into her mouth, flicking her sensitive nub, it didn't take long for Santana to hit her peak and find her release.

Brittany watched the mix of emotions go across Santana's face, smiling at just how gorgeous and uninhibited she was in that moment. She wanted to make sure that she made Santana feel as good as she had, so she didn't let up until Santana collapsed on the bed, completely spent.

When Brittany slowly pulled her fingers out, Santana moaned and twitched. She motioned for Brittany to come back up the bed and Brittany kissed her softly on the lips, before wrapping her up in her arms, holding her tightly as she rested her head against Santana's temple, allowing her time to come down from the intensity of her orgasms.

When Santana's breathing returned to normal, she let out a happy sigh. "That was incredible."

Brittany chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to be with you." Santana cooed nuzzling her nose with Brittany's.

But Brittany did know, because she wanted it for just as long. "Can I ask why you waited so long?" Brittany asked softly. It was something she had been wondering, so she could understand what Santana was feeling, but she didn't want to ask until she thought the time was right. "I mean I've wanted to be with you for a long time too. I didn't mind waiting, because I didn't want to rush you, and I loved all the time we've spent together, but Santana you're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I can't get you out of my head. I just want to be as close to you as I can."

Santana sighed contently and then leaned her head back a bit so she could look into Brittany's eyes.

"I'm sorry I made us wait." Santana said and lifted Brittany's hand to her lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "It wasn't easy and I almost gave in more than a few times, but I was being cautious because my past has been filled with a lot of really painful experiences when it comes to women. I would sleep with them very early on, and then I'd start to develop real feelings for them, but for whatever reason, it turned out that they never felt the same way I did. I know a lot of people look at me, and what I do for a living, and they think I'm just some tough, cocky bitch who's out to prove something. I think that's part of the attraction, but the people who think that about me, don't know me. I'm actually really shy, and more emotional than people think. I'm at a place in my life where if the woman I'm with doesn't mean something to me, then I'm not interested in being with her. I mean sex is fun, but I want to feel a real connection, you know? So that's why I wanted to get to know you first. I wanted to make sure that you really liked me as much as I liked you. I think I knew that you did, even before we went out on our first date, but I just had to make sure, because I don't think my heart could've handled it if you didn't and I allowed myself to get in too deep."

"Aww, honey, you mean so much to me." Brittany said and leaned in to kiss Santana softly. "So, so much."

Santana smiled and rested her forehead against Brittany's. "You mean the world to me Britt."

"Is that your way of telling me you love me?" Brittany asked. "Because if it is, I want you to know that you mean the world to me too."

Santana felt her heart rate pick up at hearing Brittany say she loved her, and she pressed her lips to Brittany's, hoping that she could feel everything that she was feeling for her. "I love you, Britt." She said so there was no confusion in how she felt. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, San." Brittany said with a happy smile, and she kissed Santana again before she rested Santana's head against her heart and tightened her hold against her. "You hear that." She asked and Santana nodded. "It's beating like that because you make me happy."

"You make me happy too." Santana said nuzzling her cheek into Brittany's chest. "Happier than I've been in a long time."

"I'm so glad that I moved here, because I know there is no better place in the world than being here with you wrapped in my arms, and your heart beating with mine."

Santana lifted her head, kissing Brittany softly in the hollow of her throat before she nuzzled her nose into the crook of her neck, and for the first time in her life, Santana loved the fact that she lived in Lima. She had dreamt about moving away, and looking for something better, but it never occurred to her that maybe she was right where she belonged; all she needed was for Brittany to come and find her.

-()-()-()-()-

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you all liked this fic as much as I had writing it! If you get a chance, please send me your thoughts and feedback! It's always appreciated.

I'd like to send a huge thank you to my beta naynay1963 for all of her continued support, and one to Mama U for encouraging me to participate in this BrittanaCon fic prompt challenge. They're two of the best cheerleaders anyone could ask for!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.