A/N – Ah, here it is, the final chapter, the wrap up I suppose. I really like Cop Santana so I'm contemplating another story with her, we'll see. Anyway, thanks so much for alerting, reviewing and reading. I really appreciate it! You peeps are stinkin' awesome!
Chapter 10
"B, I'm so sorry!" Santana exclaimed. "I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen. Finn doesn't mean anything to me!"
"Oh yeah?" Brittany cried, tears streaming from her sad blue eyes. "Then why did you kiss him? If you kiss people who don't mean anything to you, does that mean I don't mean anything to you?"
Santana furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly, trying to follow Brittany's logic. "What? Brittany, Finn doesn't mean anything to me; you mean everything to me! And I'm so, so sorry! Please, tell me what to do to make this up to you. I'll do anything B, please!"
Brittany sighed and scuffed her shoe on the ground. "I think maybe I just need a little time to myself right now."
Santana felt her stomach drop. "Um, ok B. Whatever you need."
Brittany nodded and turned to exit the McKinley hallway and head home. Santana watched her go, her shoulders drooping slightly. She immediately knew she had to fix this. She couldn't lose Brittany, not when they were finally a couple and happy.
Santana gave the blonde the night to collect her thoughts and cool down. First thing the following morning, a Saturday, Santana left her house early and began the mile walk to Brittany's house. It was the longest walk of her young life.
The brunette stood on the front stoop of the Pierce residence and fidgeted nervously. She cocked a brow and glanced sideways spotting Mrs. Pierce's flower garden. Santana reached over and plucked a single daisy from the garden, knowing they were Brittany's favorites.
Santana steeled her nerves and rang the doorbell. When Mrs. Pierce opened the door, she looked surprised to see the Latina standing there.
"Santana? What on earth are you doing? I didn't think you knew what a doorbell was. Come on in then, Brittany is upstairs moping. See if you can straighten her out, we're having company over later and I don't want her sour mood to spoil it."
Santana nodded and silently slipped up the stairs to her girlfriend's bedroom. She stood out in the hall wondering if she should knock or just walk right in. She opted for a soft knock before simply popping her head in.
"B? Can I come in?"
Brittany was sitting cross-legged on her bed and plucking at a loose string on her comforter. She shrugged and nodded slightly.
Santana nodded once and moved to sit across from the blonde on the bed. The two sat in silence for a time, neither sure how to proceed. Santana finally extended the daisy toward Brittany.
"I brought you this." She said softly. "I know they're your favorites."
"You picked that from my mom's flower garden."
Santana's jaw dropped. Brittany, who was thought by most to be dense, could always manage to see right through her and could pick up on the littlest things.
"Wh-h-how did you know that?" Santana asked surprised.
Brittany finally raised her head to meet the brunette's gaze. She shrugged again. "I saw you. I was watching for you out the window and I saw you pick it."
"You were watching for me?" Santana asked softly. She felt her heart swell at the thought that this girl knew her so well that she knew she would show up first thing in the morning to apologize.
"Of course I was watching for you San. I've been waiting for you. I knew you would come over. Just like I know you're sorry about kissing Finn in front of the whole school."
"I am!" Santana exclaimed. "I really am! I don't know what I was thinking. I was so stupid Britt, I'm just so sorry."
Brittany nodded, still looking sad. "You were like…dumber than me. And that says a lot." She said softly.
Santana felt tears stinging her eyes. She cringed because Santana Lopez didn't cry, ever. "I'll go." She said, her voice cracking with the effort of keeping her tears at bay. "I'm so sorry Brittany. You deserve so much better than me. I totally understand why you're breaking up with me and I don't blame you."
"What?" Brittany exclaimed. "San, I'm not breaking up with you! My feelings are a little hurt but I know you're sorry. I don't want to break up."
Santana wiped furiously at her face and the offending tears spilling freely. "You don't? You don't want to break up with me?"
A small smile finally broke on Brittany's face. She nudged Santana's knee gently with her toes. "Of course not silly. Why would I want to break up with you? So you kissed Finn. I'm totally a better kisser than him. I can't break up with you. Who else knows that daisies are my favorites? And who else would take me to feed the ducks every Saturday morning when it's like our only time to sleep in? And who else takes the time to help me learn that tacos and sombreros aren't the right answers on every Spanish question? It would be pretty stupid of me to let you go now wouldn't it?"
Santana laughed through her tears. "Yeah, I guess it would be. 'Cause I'm totally smokin' hot and you most definitely are not stupid."
The brunette threw herself forward into Brittany's arms, landing in her lap, and let her tears flow freely. The blonde just held Santana as she cried and stroked long fingers through her dark locks.
"Thank you." Santana mumbled into Brittany's lap. "Thank you for forgiving me. I don't deserve you B."
Brittany chuckled. "I could never stay mad at you San. I'm pretty sure you're like my soul mate or something."
Santana could only nod as she held tightly to the blonde.
xxxx
Mike called Santana that evening to let her know that Brittany was safe and sound with them. She was of course distraught over Hailey's now certain fate.
"I think maybe she just needs a little time to herself." He replied softly after Santana asked if she could come by and see Brittany.
Santana choked out her agreement and hung the phone up. She then turned to her next best option, a bottle of scotch and Quinn. An hour later she was sitting sullenly in Quinn's living room after the blonde wrestled the bottle from her grip.
"You've had enough Santana!" Quinn exclaimed, pouring the remaining liquor down the drain. Santana whimpered as the expensive alcohol slipped away.
"Quinn, do you have any idea how much that bottle of scotch cost me? Like a whole fucking week's pay!"
Quinn smirked. "Then you either do not make enough money or you have horrible taste in alcohol."
Santana dropped her head into her hands once she managed to get herself back into the living room. "Fuck you Fabray."
"Wise words indeed." Quinn replied with a chuckle. She cautiously dropped onto the couch next to the brunette, leaning with her elbows on her knees.
Santana glanced up at her friend. Quinn hated the sight of the broken woman beside her. Santana Lopez was not one for self-pity or depression and Quinn was certain she hadn't seen the Latina this upset in years.
"She hates me. I've just pretty much guaranteed her sister will spend the rest of her life in prison. Which is the only thing she seemed to care about since she went to great lengths to protect her. She should fucking hate me."
Quinn sighed. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you San. She's just upset and probably in shock. She'll come around."
"I didn't hurt her intentionally." Santana cried miserably. "I swear; I was only trying to help her. I had good intentions."
"Well, you know what they say," Quinn replied softly. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Santana once again felt tears biting at her eyes. "You're not really helping right now Quinn. I've probably lost her for good this time. What do I do?"
Quinn turned so that she was facing Santana. She narrowed her eyes and reached for her friend's hand. "You want to know what you do now? You do what you weren't given the chance to do ten years ago. You go and fucking win your girl back!"
"Yeah?" Santana replied with a hiccup, somewhat surprised at Quinn's language. "Do you think I can?"
"What?" Quinn replied with a smile. "You doubt the wooing abilities of one Santana Lopez? San, Brittany is still in love with you, I'd bet my law license on it. You two are like Romeo and Juliet or Guinevere and Lancelot."
"Quinn," Santana whined. "Those stories had horrible endings!"
"Ok, ok." Quinn replied with a chuckle. "So you're more like Shrek and Fiona. What I'm trying to say is that you two are epic. If ever there were two people meant to be together, it's you and Britt. I'm certain of it."
Santana met Quinn's firm gaze and chewed her bottom lip. "Yeah?"
Quinn smiled and squeezed the brunette's hand. "Yeah. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to sleep off this drunken funk, tomorrow morning you're going to get yourself up and put on some clean clothes that don't have coffee or cheap scotch stains on them and you're going to go over there and tell her how you feel. You're going to beg if you have to, but you are going to win her back."
"Yeah." Santana replied with a nod. "I'm totally badass. I got this…I think."
xxxx
Santana finally spotted Brittany sitting in the only park in the City, gazing out over the pond and watching the ducks. Santana smiled at the sight and cautiously made her way closer to the blonde. She stood off to the side slightly, still watching Brittany. From the way the blonde tensed, Santana was certain her presence was known.
"Hey Britt." Santana said softly. She dropped onto the ground beside her, both gazing intently at the water.
"How did you find me?" Brittany asked softly after some time had passed.
Santana chuckled. "I asked Mike and he said you went for a walk. I knew I would find you here. Plus…you forgot to take the GPS bracelet off your ankle. So basically…I low jacked you." The brunette was disappointed that Brittany didn't even crack a smile.
Brittany just nodded once, never breaking her gaze from the ducks in the pond. Santana sat quietly for a few more minutes, the silence beginning to frighten her. She sighed and extended her hand towards the blonde, a single daisy in her hand.
"I got you this. I remembered they're your favorites." Santana said hopefully. Brittany took the flower but didn't say anything. She twirled it between her fingers as she continued to stare intently out across the water.
"Britt," Santana said softly, the silence finally getting to her. "I know you probably hate me, and I understand. But I just want you to know that I had the best of intentions. I just wanted to help you. I love you and…I just couldn't let you go down without a fight. I'm sorry that Hailey got hurt in the process but when it comes down to it, I'm always going to do whatever is necessary to protect you. I love you Brittany, always have, always will."
Brittany exhaled and turned her face away from Santana. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, daisy still firmly in her hand, before turning her head back to the pond once again. Santana was certain what was left of her heart was shattering at the blonde's continued silence. But she refused to just leave. Not until Brittany asked her to and even then, not without a fight.
"I didn't know Hailey was seeing Jackson, not until you showed me the pictures." Brittany said softly. "I actually thought she had found out the baby or something and had done it to protect me but…guess I was wrong."
Santana groaned at the realization that she had inadvertently broken the news to Brittany that Hailey and Jackson were cheating behind her back. "Britt, I-I'm so sorry. When I showed you those pictures, I thought it was you. I didn't know it was her, I swear!"
Brittany just shrugged but didn't say anything more. Santana sighed, shaking her head. "I've really fucked things up worse than I thought." She laughed ruefully. "I'm so sorry, for everything. But please believe me, I was just trying to help you. I was trying to do the right thing! I would never hurt you like this on purpose. I swear my intentions were good."
The two sat in silence a while longer. Brittany continued to twirl the daisy between her fingers while still gazing out across the water. Santana would occasionally glance at the blonde but kept quiet. She was slightly encouraged that Brittany hadn't asked her to leave yet.
"I was just trying to do the right thing too." Brittany finally whispered. "She's my sister, I couldn't let her go to prison. I'm the big sister, I'm supposed to protect her."
"B," Santana replied softly. "Of course you want to protect her but you can't take responsibility for something that she did, not something like this."
Brittany sighed again. "I should have told her about Jackson. If I had just told her, she wouldn't have gotten involved with him and she wouldn't have had any reason to be there that night! I was just trying to protect her, I didn't want her to worry about me. If I had told her about the baby she never would have started dating him and she wouldn't have killed him. It's my fault Santana! She didn't know and that's my fault! It's my fault she got involved with him, that's why it was right for me to take responsibility."
Santana once again felt tears stinging at the sight of Brittany losing control in front of her. The blonde was crying openly and had buried her head in her knees, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Santana placed a tender hand on Brittany's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "B, I have to say, and hear me on this, I'm really, really sorry that Hailey is now in this mess. But I'm honest to God relieved that you're not with him any more. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but the thought of you with that man makes me want to kill him myself! And if he had to die to get you away from him, I'm ok with that. I'm just sorry you're in so much pain. If I could do anything to help you, you know I would."
"Why?" Brittany wailed miserably. "Why? I don't deserve your help Santana. I should have left him years ago and now because I didn't I lost a baby and my sister's life is ruined. Just like Grace! Fuck, I'm such a horrible sister. My parents were right. I killed Grace and now I might as well have killed Hailey!"
Santana scooted closer and grabbed Brittany, turning her. She fiercely gripped the blonde's face between her hands and shook her slightly.
"Brittany, stop it. This is not your fault! You didn't kill Grace and you didn't force Hailey to kill Jackson. I don't know everything that Jackson said or did to you but he's got you convinced that you're not worth saving and it's just not true. Everything I said in that room, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it! I've never met anyone like you, it's like you think of everyone before you think of yourself. And it kills me to know that I've had a hand in hurting you."
Santana pulled Brittany into her arms and rocked her gently as the blonde continued to sob. She ran her fingers through blonde hair and cooed softly until Brittany was calm again.
"I'll help hire a good attorney for Hailey." Santana whispered. "I'll fight for her too, just like I fought for you. I'll drive Quinn so crazy she'll beg her boss to reduce the charges. I promise, I'll do everything I can."
Brittany remained silent but didn't pull away.
"I know you hate me right now B, and like I said, I don't blame you." Santana continued in a shaky voice. "And I don't expect you to forgive me any time soon. I'm just asking you to try. I love you Brittany; I never stopped loving you. And I'm going to wait for you. I'm going to keep waiting for you."
Brittany sighed, still burrowed in Santana's arms. "I don't think I could ever really hate you San. I hurt you too. So I guess maybe we're sorta even now. I'm still mad at you but I know you were just trying to help me. Now will you please take this GPS thing off my leg? It's creepy that people can high jack me."
Santana genuinely laughed for the first time since Brittany wandered back into her life. She pressed a kiss to Brittany's hair and nodded.
"And I'm staying with Mike and Tina for a while." Brittany mumbled. "Until we figure things out."
"Ok B." Santana replied, not releasing the blonde. "That's fair and probably a very smart idea. But I'm giving you fair warning, I'm not going anywhere and I'm not letting you wander away from me again. I'm going to fight for you."
"So you didn't mean it when you said you were lucky it wasn't you? You're not afraid of me?" Brittany whispered.
Santana sighed. "I'm really sorry I said all of that, I didn't mean it. I'm not afraid of you, just afraid of losing you again. I can't lose you again Brittany. I love you and I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much. You deserve so much more than me, but I'm asking you to give me a chance to make things up to you."
Brittany was quiet for a few moments before she shifted slightly to look up into Santana's dark eyes. "Ok. As long as you promise to never bring Bad Cop Santana out again. I don't like her very much."
Santana chuckled again and kissed the blonde's forehead. "Deal."
xxxx
18 months later
Brittany took her final bow to the cheers of the crowd. She had been cast as the lead dancer in what turned out to be a huge hit show. She smiled as the crowd stood to its feet, the applause filling the theater. That night was her last show. She was leaving to pursue other dreams.
She had trained her heart out getting herself in shape for the role after numerous auditions. The day she learned she had won the part was one of the happiest of her life. And now, as the curtain dropped, she smiled knowing that while one dream had just been fulfilled, many more were about to be.
Brittany accepted the congratulations of the cast and crew as she made her way to her dressing room. As the lead dancer, she was actually given her own private dressing room, much like the dressing room of the leading actress of the show. As she slipped inside, the scent of flowers immediately invaded her senses. She smiled, taking in the sight of numerous bouquets scattered around the room.
She picked up the card closest to her and her smile widened, seeing they were from Quinn and Puck. Brittany turned finally and glanced to her makeup table, smile growing impossibly wider at the sight of one lone daisy resting in front of her mirror. She walked over and picked it up, running a finger reverently over its petals.
Brittany could still hear the loud bustle out in the hallways but the sound of a soft knock on her dressing room door wasn't lost in the noise. She didn't even turn as the door opened slightly and was then closed softly.
"You were amazing baby."
Brittany's smile didn't fade as she brought the daisy to her nose and inhaled its gentle scent. She felt arms reach around her waist and embrace her from behind. A soft kiss was placed on her neck.
"Thanks for the flower." Brittany said turning slightly. "I love it."
"Anything for you. Did I mention you were amazing? And fucking hot?"
Brittany giggled and turned completely, wrapping her arms around her lover. "You mentioned that. But I'm pretty sure you're bogused or something."
"Biased B, biased." She replied with a chuckle.
Brittany furrowed her brow as if thinking the correction over but just shrugged finally. "Whatever, you totally are."
The brunette laughed. "I totally am. I'm so proud of you; you were incredible and the audience loved you! Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you want to give all this up to go back to just teaching dance?"
"I'm sure." Brittany replied without hesitation. "I'm hot stuff now, Mike is totally going to have to expand and pay me a ton of money with all the business I'm going to bring to his studio. Besides, I want to be close to home. I'm going to have a wife to keep an eye on soon. And that…I want more than anything I've ever wanted ever."
The two shared a soft smile, lost in each other's eyes and pinkies linked. Brittany sighed finally.
"Are you ok? You ready to go home B?"
The blonde let her mind quickly wander over the last year and a half of her life. Hailey was sentenced to fifteen years in prison on a reduced charge based on what Quinn called, a heat of passion crime. Brittany visited her every month at the women's prison a few hours away.
Santana, true to her word, had fought for the blonde and her time with Jackson seemed like no more than a distant memory. They took their time reestablishing their relationship but were now happier than either felt they had a right to be. It was as if the ten years apart helped them appreciate the time they did now have even more.
"Yeah San." Brittany replied with a soft smile, pulling the smaller woman in close and pressing their lips together gently. "I'm ready. Let's go home."