31Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, though I would like to thank RIB for letting me borrow their characters.
This is an AU story. The story came about through readings, throwaway lines, and over a bowl of ice cream.
Brittana is the endgame.
I take full responsibility for all wordsmithing errors.
A few of the show's 'minor' characters will be referenced or make appearances in the story.
There are several OCs, mostly as background or to round out a character's backstory or current life.
Rating will change throughout the story.
Trigger Warnings will be added as needed.
The first third of this chapter is the background for Brittany and her new community in Lima.
Chapter 1 - Welcome to Lima
The downtown street concerts were a tradition in Lima, held every other Friday during the summer. Starting the Friday night before Memorial Day, continuing to the last Friday before the start of school. These bi-weekly concerts brought people from all over the county and surrounding counties to spend money, dance, and socialize. It was a celebration of Midwest summers.
Brittany moved to Lima at the beginning of the year to work for an ice cream manufacturer, Karofsky Enterprises Inc. Locals referring to the company as 'key' for KEI. Co-workers told her the street concerts were one of the highlights of the summer. When the concert committee announced that a popular cover band named 'Space Travelers' would be performing at the summer 2018 kickoff. It became the number one topic at her work. It surprised her to learn that her landlord, Noah Puckerman, and co-workers Ryder Lynn and Sam Evans were members. Also, in the band were Finn Hudson part-owner of a car repair shop and Joe Hart, a social worker from community health services.
Before starting at KEI, Brittany had been sent a welcome packet entitled 'Come, Know Lima' by the Human Resources Department. The brochure included lists of apartment buildings, rents, entertainment spots, stores, and realtors plus a town map. With a recommendation to contact a realtor to help the new employee settle into town. From that list, Brittany had selected a realtor named Quinn Fabray. She had picked her simply because her first name reminded her of the Bob Dylan song 'The Mighty Quinn.'
Quinn asked the right questions to find her a rental property. Using the map, she'd driven Brittany around town, pointing out the town's landmarks and recommended the businesses to be frequented. As an added benefit, Quinn took Brittany to lunch at Breadstix, where she found out both had lived in New York City. After their meeting, Brittany felt a strong kinship for the shorter blonde-haired woman. This kinship grew into a friendship as Quinn continued to help Brittany adjust to Lima.
Brittany considered it good fortune when she found out Quinn knew her co-workers like Mercedes, Tina, Kitty, Mike, and Trent. She too had helped them adjust to Lima living.
Even though she liked Lima and her work, Brittany felt like it had become all work and no play. She missed a community of like-minded friends to hang out with, even if that meant an evening sitting at home eating pizza and watching a Netflix movie. Quinn again provided a solution when she invited Brittany to a St Patrick's Day party. It was at that party where Brittany finally found her 'community.' She met Quinn's spouse, Rachel Berry. Found out her own co-workers, Mercedes and Tina were a couple, and Kitty's girlfriend was Marley Rose, a pediatric nurse. She also met Mike's spouse, her landlord's half-brother, Jake. Rachel introduced her to Sam, whose boyfriend turned out to be Ryder. Also, Brittany met a married couple Kurt and Blaine Hummel-Anderson, and Spencer Porter, all three, like Rachel, were teachers. Finally, her own team lead, Trent, the man responsible for teaching Brittany her new job, was also a member of the 'community.'
On her drive home that night, Brittany thought about her decisions choosing the ice cream manufacturer over the chicken factory. Choosing Quinn based merely on a song, over the other realtors. Both had been a stroke of genius. Yet, what would you expect from a genius?
As soon as Brittany, Rachel, and Quinn arrived at the concert venue, they stopped to buy dinner. Quinn went for a grilled pork chop on a stick. Vegan Rachel, a bean and rice burrito. Brittany selected steak and potato kebabs. Using the pre-purchased tickets they'd bought when they entered the gated area, they each added a red solo cup of beer to their evening meal. Rachel found an empty round table on the plaza area in front of the stage where they planned to stay for the evening's entertainment. All-knowing the minute, they left another group would occupy it. Shortly after the band started playing Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, and Tina joined them at the table.
The late spring evening turned out to be nice for the event drawing a large crowd to the venue. The band mainly covered country music, all the men alternating lead vocals. Joe, with his dreds, didn't seem to fit the genre, yet his voice did lend well to the folk, hillbilly, and gospel. Finn seemed to have a voice that matched the cry in your beer she up and left me love ballads. Puck seemed to favor the country rock and outlaw songs. Sam had the enthusiasm for bro-country and rap. For the more traditional country songs from the past, Ryder picked up the slack. Rachel added another dimension to the band when she went up on stage to perform a Carrie Underwood followed by a Kelly Clarkson song. Brittany had no idea that Rachel could sing like Barbra Streisand. Tina noticing Brittany's reaction, leaned over to tell her, "If you like Rachel's, you should hear Mercedes sing. She's Aretha." a prideful smile on her face.
"I'll be damn! Look who's back in town? Did you know she was back, Quinn?" Kurt asked as he nodded in the direction of a man and woman, a child sat on the man's shoulders.
Curious to know, whom Kurt was talking about. Brittany looked over in the general direction to see the Plant Manager of the ice cream factory, Dave Karofsky, with a shorter dark-haired woman next to him. Her view obscured when a line of people blocked the couple to get near the dance area set up in front of the stage.
"Yes, I did. Rachel and I went out to the house last week." Quinn replied nonchalantly. "She came back after Mother's Day."
"Odd, Rachel, didn't mention it to me during Glee rehearsals this week," Kurt said, crossing his arms as he continued to observe the couple.
Quinn reached into her backpack, taking out her phone to look at something on it, seemingly as a distraction to ignore Kurt's comment.
Mercedes watched too. "Well, whatever you're thinking, Kurt, keep it to yourself. It looks like Rachel just invited them over." She said.
Both Kurt and Blaine stood when the four reached the table. Dave laying one arm across his chest to steady the toddler on his shoulders, reached out to shake the men's hands. Nodding his head toward the women, he said, "Ladies, good to see ya." Dave recognizing Brittany at the table, "Brittany, I don't think you've met my better half or son." Turning slightly so the dark-haired woman could stand next to him, he continued with his introduction "Brittany, this is Santana. And this little guy on my shoulders, Zee." Then he proceeded to introduce Santana to Brittany.
Brittany felt all the air in her lungs escape as she got her first good look at Dave's better half. Lustrous black hair that hung slightly over her shoulders, smooth caramel skin, full lips. When she slid her oversized black sunglasses onto the top of her head, Brittany realized she was stunningly beautiful. Warm brown eyes. Long lashes. A perfectly sized nose that befits her face. Brittany felt as though her heart skipped a beat before she heard Santana say, "Nice to meet you, Brittany."
Realizing that she hadn't had a heart attack or an out of body experience, Brittany answered, "Yo!" Immediately Brittany felt her eyes bug out upon hearing what just escaped from her own lips. She listened to the muzzled laughter of the people around her. She felt her face flush red from embarrassment. Quickly to regain her personal dignity and not come off as a dork, casting her eyes downward as "Sorry, nice to meet you to Santana." Brittany said when she finally dared to be polite again. She glanced up at Santana, who had a smile across her face, her eyes bemused with laughter, she winked at Brittany.
Unable to take her eyes off Santana, Brittany half-listened to the conversation around the table. Only tuning in to listen to Santana speak to the women, making friendly conversation. She heard her laughter, which Brittany thought music. She noticed dimples when she smiled. She noticed straight white teeth. When Santana turned around to look at something, Brittany noticed her form, fitting skinny jeans accentuate her ass. She saw breasts that seemed fuller then what the scooped neck shirt that she wore would allow. Suddenly Brittany became aware of how hot she was getting, reached down to the solo cup in front of her, chugging the contents until it was empty. Eliciting an embarrassing belch afterward.
She wasn't sure what Dave meant by a better half. Was Santana a wife, neither wore rings. Were they a past relationship that met up to share time with their child? Possibly Dave was a sperm donor, as a private adoption, she allowed him to spend time with the boy. An even slimmer possibility, they were friends Dave provided the male influence in Santana's mini-me toddler.
The spell broken, she heard Blaine say, "I hear belated congratulations are in order." Smiling broadly, "You had a baby girl?"
Dave swinging his arm around the toddler's legs again, he reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts pulling out his phone, using his thumb to tap and scroll, he quickly showed Blaine the screen. "Elliana Karofsky. We call her Elle for short. We combined both of my grandmother's names."
Santana interjected, "Dave likes to think that we did." She half shrugged her shoulders as if to say whatever he wants to believe, let him.
"When was she born, she looks like … 5 or 6 months? Blaine asked
"January second almost made New Year, missed it by eleven minutes. Thought I'd miss the OSU game when Santana went into labor."
"David," Santana said sharply, "You didn't miss a second of that damn game! You weren't even in the room with me."
Slinging his arm around Santana's shoulders, he snickered, "I couldn't get near your bed. You had your dwalla, your mother, that woman named Nikki, nurses, the doctor. What am I missing?" Giving her a peck her on the top of her head.
"It's Doula. They would have made room for you." She elbowed him in his side, after correcting his pronunciation.
"I made it in time for her premiere. Can't say I didn't make the show."
Blaine smiled amused at the couple's banter said, "So almost 5 months then," nodding his head, he handed the phone to Kurt. "She's beautiful, another mini Santana it looks like."
"Thank God for that!" Dave answered self-depreciatingly, "It would be damn bad luck for her to have my mug." Dave lifted the toddler from his shoulders. The boy had wrapped his hands around his dad's forehead, kicking his dad's chest with his Nike high tops, running over to Quinn, he sat on her lap. When he flung off his toddler size baseball cap, to reveal a baby man-bun, stray wisps of curls around his forehead. Brittany noticed that he bore even more of a striking resemblance to his mother then what she'd seen sitting on Dave's shoulders.
"Why the long stay in Florida Santana? I'd think you'd want to be with Dave after such a joyous arrival?" Kurt questioned insincerely as he gave Santana a bitter smile, passing the phone over to Tina and Mercedes.
Not rattled by the question, Santana coolly answered, "I don't know Lady Hummel, which would you choose? Warm sunny Florida or freezing Ohio in the middle of winter?" The question caused the group at the table to snicker at Kurt's expense.
After letting out his own scoff, Blaine looked over guiltily, to say "Sorry" to his husband for having joined in the laughter. "Brittany, if I remember you said you're a dancer, would you care to join me on the dance floor?"
The band finished up Zac Brown's "Chicken Fried" Sam at the mic announced they'd play a couple more songs before taking a break. Turning around nodding his head for the count, the band started into Florida Georgia Line's "Simple."
"Quinn, can you watch Zee? Now is an as good time as any to get my promised dance over with." Dave joked as he took Santana's hand, directing her toward the dance floor. Santana took her hand back to slide off her leather backpack handing it to Rachel for safekeeping. She followed the other three to the dance floor.
The dance floor was the street, fitting since it was a street dance. Brittany had noticed that regardless of the tempo of songs, everyone did some variation of the country two-step. For some, it was basic two-step older, more experienced dancers added a bit of flair doing a mixmaster two-step. Dave kept it basic, adding only outside turns as he danced with Santana, it was evident to Brittany that dancing wasn't Dave's forte. She gave him credit for trying. On the other hand, Blaine turned out to be an excellent dancer, adding sweetheart turns, half turns, a pretzel, and promenades to the basic two-step.
When that song ended, the next song started Old Dominion, "Written in the Sand." Blaine graciously offered to dance another with Brittany. Warning her that he'd keep it to a slow two-step, they moved around the dance floor. Brittany noticed that Dave and Santana had stayed to dance to another song too. Dave bringing Santana closer to him as they danced, he seemed more comfortable now that he held her in his arms.
"She's a better dancer than what you see," Blaine said knowingly after he caught Brittany watch Santana.
"Huh?" Brittany trying to act surprised at the comment, asked.
"You haven't taken your eyes off her since she walked up to the table." He answered.
"Yeah, well, she's stunning." blushing, as she answered, not wanting to give away that she'd been caught eyeing up a man's partner.
"If it helps, she's watching you too." Blaine said, "She's just more discrete with her ogling."
"She is!" Brittany tried but failed to control the excitement in her voice or the grin she felt on her face from her dance partner's comment.
Blaine half-chuckled half smiled "She is." Confirming what he saw, "I'm going to tell you what people won't."
"What's that?" Brittany tilted her head slightly to the side, curious as to what the gel-haired man had to say.
"I'll deny it if you ever say it," waiting for her to acknowledge with a nod "They have an open relationship. They see other people." Blaine waited for Brittany to nod, "which is fine, but." He paused to think of the right way to explain a relationship that was a step backward, not forward. "They're a strangely united pair, Dave and Santana."
Not sure if she understood, Brittany, asked, "You had an affair with Santana?"
"No! Not with Santana." Blaine shook his head, taken back by Brittany's question. He gathered himself to be more direct, "The point I'm trying to make is they protect each other." Not wanting to divulge more, he added sincerely, "Be careful, Brittany." Blaine now worried if he'd said too much. Yet he couldn't help to think 'forewarned is forearmed' as he looked into the innocent blue eyes of his dance partner. When the song ended, he released his grip on Brittany's hand, dropping his other to his side. "Thank you for the dance; it was a pleasure to dance with a real dancer again." Blaine smiled as they walked her off the dance floor.