Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, but the idea is mine and I will own some potential OCs to come in in later chapters.

Author's note: This is a sequel to The Best Laid Plans, which can be found here. It will be looking back at prior events in Finn and Santana's life, or one major event, actually, through a series of current day occurrences. Timeline is roughly seven years into the future from the end of TBLP. You don't have to really have read TBLP to understand this story, but it will probably help in a few instances. Please read and review.

"I can't do this," she stammers, pacing back and forth even though that's probably not the best idea, given the circumstances. She usually has an iron strong will, and once she decides to go through with something, she does, but this is a big deal. Like, a life altering, permanently changing type of deal, and Santana Lopez is not sure that she's ready for that. She's twenty-two, she knows that she's in love with him, but she's not sure she can be the wife he needs her to be, the kind of wife that he deserves. She doesn't even want kids, and she's never told him that and there's all these things she feels like he doesn't know about her, even if they've been dating since they were fifteen. Well, technically, since they were seventeen... It feels like a bad idea and even though she said yes, she's never been sure about this from the beginning. She rejected his proposal twice, and mostly she just didn't have the heart to see pain in those big, brown, puppy dog eyes. Not pain that she had caused, anyways. There had been enough pain in those eyes because of her, to last a lifetime. She was pretty sure that standing him up at the altar would cause him pain, but would making the wrong decision hurt him more in the long run? Either way, she felt like he was going to get hurt.

"Yes, you can," her mother insisted, running her hand affectionately over her arm. "You look beautiful, sweetie. You love Finn and he loves you. I know this is a big deal, but you'll get through it. You two have been through some much, you belong together."

"Thanks mom," she replies, making an attempt to toss her mom at least a half-hearted smile, but her mother's words do little to comfort her. They have been through a lot together. It's made them both stronger. He's a little less naive, and she's a little less of a bitch. But it's because she knows what it feels like to lose him. She can't go through that, not again. So, she takes a deep breath and steps into her dress, pulling it up and turning around to let Brittany help her zip it up. It's still ridiculous to her that she wanted a streamlined dress with no complicated fancy dangles or sparkles or any shit like that, and yet she's in the poofiest, most princessy gown she's ever seen. At least the train on her dress isn't one of those long, obnoxious ones – the bridal store she went to in New York isn't into trains or something, so it's just the dress, pretty much. There's enough beading and sparkles on this thing for two wedding gowns, but she can't deny it, she looks gorgeous. She's never had a problem with acknowledging her own good looks, but she usually feels hot. Today, she feels beautiful, and she understands why people make such a huge damned deal out of getting married. It doesn't make her feel any less apprehensive about all of this, but she understands now. She didn't get it, even through the two months of planning, but she does now.

"Mrs. Lopez, can you go check on my little sister? Being in church makes her fall asleep and I want to make sure that she stays awake to see how pretty Santana looks," Brittany smiles, one of those big smiles that you just can't say no to.

"Sure, sweetie," Mrs. Lopez replies, leaving her daughter with her best friend, shutting the door behind her in case Finn happens to pop out of his dressing room on the other side of the hall, so he won't see her.

"Okay, vent," Brittany insists, as soon as the door shuts. "You look like you need to say something, and I figured you probably didn't want to talk in front of your mom."

"I just... I don't know if I can do this, Britt. The whole, 'I now pronounce to you, Mr. And Mrs. Finn Hudson' thing. Santana Hudson... I'm not sure I'm ready to change my name," Santana sighs. That's one worry, among other things she's worried about right now.

"I'm sure if you explain that to Finn, he'll let you keep using Lopez. He's Finn... you took his virginity, and he's getting married to you now. The way to get a man to follow you forever? Take his virginity. I was totally right. He's your puppy dog for life, now, San. A name's not really going to make much of a difference, I'm sure," Brittany nods, tossing her a reassuring smile.

"I know but, I'm afraid I'll like disappoint him or something. Usually I wouldn't give a shit, but it's Finn. What if I'm a terrible wife? What if we fight all the time or something?" she sighs, shaking her head as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"You've been living together for a year. I think if you were going to be a terrible partner, or if you two living together wasn't going to work, he would have figured that out already and he never would have asked you to marry him. But he did. Three times," the blonde reminded her, shaking her head.

"You're right. I'm just making excuses," Santana nods, biting her lip as she takes a seat as best she can on the tiny chair next to her. "Do you... do you think she'll show up?" It's barely above a whisper, but it's still loud enough that Brittany hears it.

"No," she replies, shaking her head again. "And it doesn't matter. He chose you, not her. She's a terrible person and he knows that. She used him and took advantage of him. You loved him and you only -"

"Okay, I don't want to talk about it anymore. You're right, she won't show up. And if she does, he's marrying me and not her," Santana nodded. Just the thought of her seeing them get married, of realizing that she had lost him forever was enough motivation for the Latina to go through with all of this. She loved Finn Hudson and she was just going to have to figure this wife thing out. Being married wasn't supposed to be easy or some shit like that. It was always supposed to be a work in progress. She had heard that at a wedding once, and she was realizing that it was right. They were always a work in progress, they always would be, but so long as they were working together, that was what really mattered to her.

Both girls looked towards the door as it opened again. "Santana, it's time," smiled her dad.

"You sure you can do this dad? A Lopez never cries, remember?" she teases, sticking her tongue out at her dad as he walks into the room.

"Rules are made to be broken. Sometimes," her dad points out, winking at her as Brittany squeezes her hand before making her way out the door. "You look beautiful," he adds, helping her up and fixing the back of her dress.

"I know," she smirks, taking a deep breath. She can totally do this.