Sooo... what happened when Santana called Teresa "Teri"? Been rereading DB cause your writing has a very calming effect on me lol especially the baby faberry stories.
Well, you know Santana loves her nicknames, so she was obviously going to try out a few when she started dating Teresa. Teri is the most obvious one, and it popped up pretty fast, like maybe second or third date when Santana is trying to persuade Teresa back to her apartment for a little nightcap.
"I'm not having sex with you yet."
"Who said anything about sex? We can just hang out, talk some more, maybe practice that goodnight kiss a little." Santana smirks, stepping a little closer. "What'd'ya say, Teri?"
Teresa's face darkens. "Call me that again and we're never having sex."
Santana frowns, confused. "You don't like Teri?"
Teresa shakes her head. "My dad and brothers are the only ones who call me that. It always makes me feel like I'm five."
Santana's lips curl into a smirk. "Well, I can confirm that you are very grown up in all the right ways."
Teresa rolls her eyes. "Just...don't call me Teri. I know that might be hard for you with how much you like your nicknames."
Santana holds up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I can pick another one. How do you feel about Tera?"
Teresa steps away. "Goodnight, Santana."
"Resa?"
She glances back over her shoulder as she continues to walk towards the subway station. "Maybe."
"I'm not even getting a goodnight kiss? Teresa...? Hermosa?"
(She does, in fact, get a goodnight kiss. But nothing else.)
This isn't really a ficlet. It's 10,000+ words of OC POV set after Nothing Now Could Change My Mind and before Rest Your Soul With Me. There's a little Rachel and even less Quinn, so it's totally skippable if you don't like Santana.
Santana has a rare afternoon free after early rounds at the hospital, and under different circumstances, they'd probably be heading out for dinner and maybe some drinks and dancing, but they—well, Teresa—had committed to babysitting duty before they'd known Santana would be available, and Teresa isn't one to shirk her commitments once they've been made, despite her wife's best attempts to sway her to the dark side.
So I love your DB universe, read it more than once and I absolutely adore Teresa. I'm just wondering how Santana told her about brit and if the two of them ever meet.
I'm glad you love Teresa. She's pretty fun.
I actually have three unfinished fics sitting on my drive that feature her, and one of them actually deals with the Brittany question.
And since I got really stuck on that one and may never get around to finishing it, I think I'll answer your ask with a snippet of it under the cut:
~
Teresa learns about Brittany Pierce fairly early in their relationship. It’s a sort of quid pro quo of ex-lovers with Santana saying, “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” after Teresa asks her what, exactly, her reasons had been for avoiding serious commitments in the past. The initial evasion is a little annoying to be honest, but it’s only their third (actual) date and they’re getting along well enough that Teresa still wants to see where this might go. So she tells Santana just enough about Olivia to satisfy her curiosity without entirely outing her ex, and in exchange, Santana shares the history of her one serious relationship with her once best friend who’d been the first (and last) girl she’d actually loved.
It makes a certain kind of sense to Teresa—once bitten, twice shy, and all that—but Santana rolls her eyes and emphatically denies that getting her heart broken by Brittany had turned her off relationships. “It’s just a lot of fucking time and effort to put in with someone you just met,” she points out with a shrug, “and all my positive energy was focused on getting through med school and becoming a doctor. It just seemed like way less of a headache to keep my personal life uncomplicated until I got my professional life worked out, which it is now,” she’s quick to add, as if sensing that her explanation might not be winning her many points, but then that familiar wolfish smirk appears on her lips once again. “And besides, it was the first time I was single in a city full of hot, available ladies since I’d come out. Like I was passing up that opportunity.”
That makes a certain kind of sense too, and while Teresa does appreciate Santana’s brutal honesty, she doesn’t love the size of her little black book. She does, however, understand it a little bit better after hearing more about Santana’s past. Teresa has her own past, after all, and not all of it involves Oliva. She’d had her heart broken a time or two before Liv, and she’d even enjoyed her own (very brief) period of exploring her sexuality with a little less discretion than she currently employs.
She eventually tells Santana a little bit about those other women too, not all at once, of course, but gradually over the weeks they spend dating and getting to know each other better. They even trade stories of the guys they’d dated in high school before they’d really figured themselves out, though even there, Santana’s list is far longer than hers. Despite her colorful past, Teresa only grows more confident in the relationship with every day that passes, so she doesn’t really have a reason to think much about Santana’s most significant ex until she announces that Brittany is coming to New York for a visit.
“It’s kind of a working visit. She’s got some dance workshop thing she’s invited to,” Santana informs her. “She wants to get together for dinner or something.”
“She wants to have dinner with you,” Teresa repeats flatly, not at all liking the implication of that. Her stomach swirls with something that feels very much like jealousy—the kind that she can’t just laugh off like she has whenever one of Santana’s many ex-conquests has come up in a conversation. Brittany wasn’t a conquest. She was the woman Santana had been in love with. Teresa is sure, by now, that she’s fallen in love with Santana, but she can’t be sure if Santana feels the same about her because neither one of them have dared to utter those words yet.
“Not with me exclusively,” Santana is quick to clarify, clearly picking up on Teresa’s concern. “Like, all of us. Me and Q and Berry and Hummel. The Lima Escape Club,” she quips with a grin.
“Oh.” It only sounds a little bit like a sigh of relief.
Santana’s grin turns knowing, and she angles her body sideways on the couch, curling a palm over Teresa’s jean-clad knee as she leans closer. “You’ve got nothing to be jealous about, Rese.”
“I’m not,” she denies, her face already heating. Santana’s expression says bullshit even if her mouth doesn’t, and Teresa huffs. “Much,” she concedes, rolling her eyes. “She’s your ex.”
“Yeah. My ex,” Santana stresses, squeezing her knee in emphasis. “Who does not live in the same city and still want me back. Unlike your ex,” she grumbles, clearly still pissed with Teresa’s ex-girlfriend for dropping by Weather Up unannounced three days after the hospital gala.
“Olivia doesn’t want me back. She just didn’t like you at all.” It’s not strictly true. There’d definitely still been some measure of interest on Olivia’s part, but mostly, she’d just wanted to make sure that Doctor Lopez didn’t run in the same social circles as Olivia’s clients and could be trusted not to out her to anyone who might. “Wonder why?”
“‘Cause she’s an idiota. She let you get away. I’m not doing that,” she vows, voice gentling as she inches her hand up Teresa’s thigh. “Brittany’s my past. You’re my present and,” she glances away, cheeks darkening and looking endearingly awkward all of a sudden. “You know,” she finishes with an embarrassed shrug.
“Your future,” Teresa supplies, trying and failing to suppress her pleased smile.
“If you’re lucky,” Santana says, quickly recovering most of her cockiness.
“I think you mean if you’re lucky.”
Santana tips her chin in acknowledgment. “So...does next Thursday work for you?”
“For what?” Teresa asks, suddenly feeling like she missed part of the conversation.
“Dinner.” Santana looks at her expectantly before clarifying, “With the Lima Escape Club.”
“I’m invited?” She wasn’t expecting that, to be honest.
“Well, duh. You’re my girlfriend, and Britt wants to meet you,” Santana informs her easily, like she really is just talking about an old friend and not an ex-girlfriend. “Hummel’s bringing Harry too so she can check him out. She’s had some weird rainbow connection with him since she dated him in high school, so she wants to make sure his boyfriend isn’t a dick.” A wicked smirk curves her lips at her own innuendo. “You know, figuratively speaking.”
“Brittany dated Kurt?” Teresa was not expecting that.
“Yeah, for, like, a day.” Santana chuckles, undoubtedly from the look of sheer incredulity that she’s certain she’s wearing. “He was just experimenting with her...and the flannel.”
The attempt to picture Kurt Hummel willingly wearing flannel is even more inconceivable to Teresa than him dating a woman, nevermind the same woman as Santana. “Sometimes I really wish I’d gone to your high school.”
The stories she’s been told—
Santana barks out a laugh. “No, you really don’t.”
I love Teresa so much! I just went back and reread all your one shots with her and Santana! She’s such a great addition to the dynamic with everyone but especially for Santana! I love your writing thank you for still posting
All this Teresa love is making want to finish those ficlets. I really appreciate the kind words and the support for my original character. I never imagined so many people would end up caring about her back when she was flirting with Rachel and shooting down Santana.
Summary: Santana has been thinking about it for a while now, and the urge has only grown stronger since her friends had gone and given her a goddaughter to make her feel extra mushy and maternal every time she gets near the kid.
A Santaresa side-story.
Chapter 51 of It Happened In A Blink.
Warning: Santana centric. If you don’t like her, you can skip this one.
Did Brittany get invited to the Santeresa wedding? How did her first meeting go with Teresa, as well? Was it at the wedding or was there a chance she visited the New York gang?
So, my headcanon is that Brittany does come to visit at some point after Santana starts dating Teresa. It’s a little weird for both of them because Teresa knows Brittany was Santana’s first love and that their breakup was a contributing factor to Santana avoiding commitment for so long. And Santana feels weird about her current girlfriend meeting her ex, especially when she has to explain that Brittany is a little--shall we say--unique in the way she views the world. So Teresa ends up asking Rachel about Brittany before she meets her just to get an outside view because she thinks Santana is probably giving her a highly edited version of things, but Rachel mostly just confirms that Brittany is a little different and she thinks Teresa is a much better match for Santana--obviously because she played matchmaker for them. :)
There’s some worry on Teresa’s side that Santana still has feelings for her ex, just like Santana was worried Teresa still had feelings for Olivia.
As for Brittany, she’s a little sad that Santana found someone else but also happy that she seems happy. And of course, Brittany, being Brittany, thinks Teresa is hot and suggests a threesome. Santana has to decline, saying that she doesn’t do that anymore--which will have Teresa later asking how many threesomes she’s had in the past. :P
All in all, Brittany ends up liking Teresa, Teresa understands what Santana and Rachel meant about Brittany being different, and Santana is relieved it didn’t turn into some big, dramatic shit show of jealousy and confused feelings.
So yes, Brittany gets an invitation to the wedding.
