Tesla Alma Lopez-Pierce was used to being the center of attention. For a long time she was the only prodigy of Brittany and Santana Lopez-Pierce, and that came along with four grandparents and a slew of faux aunts and uncles who couldn't wait to shower her with love and affection. The closest thing that she had to a sibling was the family cat, Lord Tubbington, and though she was pretty sure he still weighed more than her, he didn't really count.
And so year after year, glorious birthday after glorious birthday, she sat at the top of the pile, so to speak. While her social life left something to be desired, she was really happy all around. Her parents were proud of her, and she was planning on asking them to let her skip a grade or two in the coming school year. Tesla knew they'd been talking about it, and she wanted to convince them that she was up to the challenge. At the end of the school day, she would come home after class, usually to meet her Mommy at the bus stop near her house, and they'd walk the short distance back to the house, sometimes racing, sometimes balancing on the curb to see who could go the longest without falling. She relished this time with Brittany, who'd been spending more and more time at the dance studio, leaving her and Mami to while away the hours after her homework was done. The dancing was a seasonal thing, and it was supplemented by more time at her teaching job, as she geared up to travel for her research presentations. It was Tesla's least favorite time of the year, because it was sometimes a week between sightings of her Mom, which made her Mami cranky, and affected her mood as well.
But today was a rare day for her during the busy season, and she was delighted to have some time with her Mom, though today she was a bit quieter than usual. Tesla was surprisingly keyed into her Mom's moods, and knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it. It really didn't make it any easier.
"How was school today, Tess?"
Tesla grabbed a fallen branch, and dragged it behind her, raking pebbles from side to side.
"Good, I guess. A little boring. I'm so happy you're home, Mom, because I've been working on this new equation, and I really needed your help."
Tesla hoped that her voice sounded excited. She was pretty excited to get to spend some time doing math with her Mom, it was one of her favorite things. But the conversation that they needed to have still hung over them like a cloud.
She'd known that something was going on with her parents for a while now actually. They thought they were doing a good job hiding things but Tesla still knew. They'd starting doing that thing where they'd sometimes stop talking the moment she entered the room. They thought she wouldn't notice, but they'd forgotten that her Mami was pretty much the snoop of the century, and she'd inherited those genes. At first she'd thought it was about her tenth birthday party, which was only a few months away, but that idea went out the window when her Mami had asked what kind of party she'd wanted, and if there were any friends she'd like to invite one night as she was tucking her into bed.
And then it'd hit her like a ton of bricks. She'd gone to use the computer to look at a soldering set that she'd been begging her Mami for for weeks (her Mom had already agreed, but Santana had thought it was too dangerous for a nine year old), and she accidentally opened the previous tabs.
It was a Google search for "Good prenatal vitamins?"
Tesla knew how protective her Mami could be, and also knew that she had been acting more protective of her Mom, even more than usual; trying to keep Tesla from bounding into her lap, scooping her up before she she land on her on the days when Tesla would hop into bed. She tried to be more careful, but sometimes found herself getting carried away. It even got to the point when Mami and Mom would argue quietly (but intensely) when Mom would try and tuck Tesla under her arm and carry her down the stairs like she'd done since Tesla was a baby. .
The discovery had only been a few days prior, but Tesla had managed to ignore the pang in her chest, and the butterflies in her tummy. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad, and had simply chosen to ignore it the best that she could. Now, walking beside her Mom, she could practically feel Brittany trying to figure out how to broach the subject.
"Oh yeah, honey? A new formula, huh? We'll get to work on it right after you finish your homework."
Tesla smiled and nodded, dropping her stick and taking Brittany's hand. "I'm glad it's just you and me right now, Mommy. I miss you so much when you're not here."
Brittany stopped, turning towards Tesla, and her daughter could see the tears forming in her eyes. Tesla took a step back, alarmed.
"I'm sorry, Mommy, I didn't mean to make you cry."
Brittany sank down to her knees and gathered Tesla up in her arms. "It's okay, baby. I've just been really emotional lately. It's nothing to worry about. I'm glad to spend time with you, and I miss you too, so much."
Tesla bit her lip and hugged Brittany tightly. Being Santana's daughter, after her discovery she had done a bunch of research, and even asked kids in her class everything they knew about pregnant women. Stevie Nickel, one of the few kids in her class who was a bigger nerd than she was, said that his mom spent half of the time yelling and the other half crying for a whole month while she was pregnant. Tesla wasn't very happy to have that to look forward to for who knows how long.
"It's okay, Mommy." Tesla patted Brittany's back, and held on a second longer, until her mother pulled away slightly.
"How about we take a detour, and go to that ice cream shop that your Mami is always trying to steer us away from?"
Tesla smiled and nodded, but without as much excitement as she normally would have given at the prospect of ice cream (She was Brittany Pierce's daughter, of course), and Brittany took her hand and led her away from their house.
\
It was only a few hours later, as Tesla sat over her homework in the kitchen that her Mami came home, slamming the door as she usually did behind her. The weather had finally broken and it seemed like Spring was just around the corner. It was Santana's favorite time of year, and the crabbiness of the Winter went away, replaced by a kind of cautious optimism. For the most part Spring was a slow time of year at Santana's firm, and she would trade in long days at the office for half days and telework, so she could spend as much time as possible with Tesla and Brittany. Today seemed a little out of the ordinary because it was almost dark before she burst through the door, blustering loudly as she shook off her coat.
"De mierda wind. I would have thought it would have been all blown out by now."
"Language, Mami." Tesla tsked from the kitchen counter.
Santana ducked her head, tucking a wisp of dark hair behind her ear and leaned into kiss her daughter on the forehead.
"Perdon, bebe. Mami is just dealing with a lot at the moment."
"What happened? An interesting case? Something with a murder this time?" Tesla bounced in her seat excitedly. She loved hearing about Santana's grisly cases, though generally they were few and far between.
"No, mija. I'm helping your Aunt Mercedes and Uncle Sam with the record company they're trying to get off the ground, remember? Basic, boring business law."
Tesla made a face. "Oh, yeah." She thought a moment before brightening again. "Does that mean it won't be long before we can go see Aunt Mercedes on tour again?"
Santana laughed, wrapping one arm around her daughter, while scrolling through emails on the phone in her other hand. "Yep, would seem like."
"I had SO much fun in Tokyo last year. All the kids in my class were jealous."
Santana looked up from her phone, and locked it before putting it in her pocket. "Well, Tess, even at your school not everyone is as fortunate as we are to be able to travel and do nice things like that. I don't want you getting a big head, and thinking that you're better than anyone."
Tesla shook her head. "Oh no, no, Mami, Yo no haría eso. I just think it's pretty cool is all."
Santana hugged Tesla closer to her. "Bien, bien. Esa es mi Tessita. You're the sweetest girl I know."
Another kiss on top of Tesla's head, and Santana moved around to the stove, frowning slightly.
"Where's Mom? She didn't start dinner?"
Tesla put her head down, and pretended to focus on her homework. After they'd come back from ice cream, Brittany had said she wasn't feeling well, so she'd gone to lay down. That was almost an hour and a half ago, and she still wasn't up. Tesla had felt guilty enough to go lay down with her for a little while, but she'd known that Santana would not be happy if her homework wasn't done by the time she got home, so she finally went downstairs to finish.
"She's got a stomach ache, so she's laying down. She said we can order take out tonight. And she said I could pick."
Tesla couldn't be bothered to hide her disappointment. Her mother was obviously not feeling well because of the baby, and Tesla was a little annoyed with her new brother or sister because of the way it was making Brittany feel. She ignored the gentle pat on her back while Santana hurried out of the kitchen.
"Well, what Mommy wants, Mommy gets. You pick the place, and I'll order when I come back down."
Santana was almost out of the kitchen before she stopped and turned slowly around. "Mommy didn't say anything to you today, did she? About some news?"
Tesla perked up. Was one of her mother's finally going to tell her everything?
"What news?" She asked, carefully.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought she might have asked about your birthday, you know." Santana trailed off. She blew Tesla another kiss and was out the door. "Make sure you finish your homework soon, Tess." she called over her shoulder.
"Sure." Tesla sighed.
She'd hoped to get some information out of Santana. Her Mami really was a sweetheart, and Tesla could disarm her with one well timed pout, but Mommy was pretty much a sucker for them, and Mami was getting better and better at ignoring them. She quickly finished up her homework, and went to the kitchen drawer where they kept their take out menus. She knew that Mommy love spicy food when her stomach was hurting, but what if spicy food hurt the baby? She'd have to Google that later. She took the Mexican menu, and a pizza one just to be safe, and climbed the stairs, walking up to her mothers' door, and raising a hand knock.
"Britt, we've got to tell her."
Tesla froze.
"I knoooowwwww." Brittany whined, her voice muffled as though buried in a pillow.
"Then you've gotta do it."
Brittany's voice was clearer now. She must have sat up to face Santana. "Why me? I can't, San. She just looks at me with those big eyes, and I just can't…"
"Why not, mi amor? We talked about this. It's important that it comes from you."
"I know."
"And you had the perfect opportunity today-"
"What if she thinks about what we talked about late last year? What if it all circles back to who her real parent is?" Brittany blurted.
Tesla's heart was in her throat. What did her mom mean by that? Having pushed this whole baby thing to the back of her brain, she hadn't really thought about the implications. Did this mean that her mommy finally had a child of her own? What would that mean for her? Mami certainly wouldn't disown her. Not now, right? But the way that she pampered Brittany… What if she had to choose between Tesla and the new baby? She started to panic, and took a step back from the door.
She hadn't looked behind her, because if she had, she would have noticed Lord Tubbington skulking about, and certainly wouldn't have planted her foot directly on his tail.
He screeched, bolting in the opposite direction, and Tesla found herself tumbling backwards, landing on the ground with a thump.
The door to her parent's bedroom opened in a flash, and Santana was on her knees beside her, cooing gently, and feeling around the back of her head for bumps. Brittany stood in the doorway, and Tesla could see that she had been crying. She crossed her arms in front of her and watched Tesla from where she stood, as if she were afraid to come any closer.
"Are you okay, baby?" Santana said softly.
Tesla pushed her Mami's hands away from her head, and sat up quickly.
"I just stepped on that stupid cat." She said, straightening her clothes and clambering to her feet.
Brittany was shocked. "Language, Tesla Alma! You know better than the talk about Tubs like that. He's very sensitive."
"He's just a dumb cat, he doesn't have feelings." Tesla yelled, crossing her own arms now, angrily.
"Tess-" Brittany started, taking a step forward.
"And you're dumb for thinking anything else!"
Brittany's eyes went wide with shock. Tesla had never spoken to her Mommy like that before, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. She covered her mouth, and raced to the bathroom, barely locking the door behind her and making it to the toilet before the remnants of her afternoon snack found their way into the bowl. She sat on the floor beside the bathtub for a few moments, trying to catch her breath.
She wasn't sure what had come over her. Tesla had been so angry, and she wasn't really sure why. She loved Brittany, adored her, in fact. Her Mommy was gentle and kind but lively and boisterous and always was the first person to run into her room when she was crying from having a bad dream. But this baby… This baby could change everything.
She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. She pressed her face against her knees, but couldn't stem the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She muffled her sobs against her legs, and heard a soft knock at the door.
It was Brittany.
"Tesla, honey? Mija, please open the door, okay?"
Tesla didn't say anything but sat on the floor a moment longer.
"Tess, you know how Mami is, okay? She went downstairs to get the tool kit, and I don't want her breaking down the door." Brittany said, a touch of humor in her voice.
Tesla sighed and stood up, walking on shaky legs to the door. She took a deep breath, bracing herself and turned the knob.
Brittany stood at the door, her hair disheveled, and eyes still red from crying. Tesla fell forward, ignoring the care she had been trying to take with her mom's tummy, and crashed into her, wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist.
"I'm sorry, Mom." She said, doing her best to control her sniffling.
Brittany returned the hug, placing a hand under Tesla's chin, and stroking her face gently. "Tess, what has gotten into you?"
"I've got a tummy ache. I shouldn't have eaten so much ice cream. I think I just want to go to bed."
Brittany nodded. "Okay, baby. I'll come and tuck you in."
"It's okay, Mommy. I'm just going to get in my pajamas and go to bed."
She pulled away from Brittany and raced down the hall, closing the door behind her.
\
Brittany found Santana elbow deep in her tool kit at the back the garage, grumbling angrily in Spanish. She was surrounded by tools, which she'd strewn about in an effort to find the one she was looking for, and it would have been a pretty sexy scene if it weren't for what Brittany had just witnessed a few moments before.
"She knows, Santana." Brittany exclaimed, dragging her wife's attention from the dirty toolbox.
"What? Britt, how could she know? We haven't said anything, and we've both been careful, right? Anyway, you're only a couple months along, and we didn't know ourselves until about a week ago."
"I don't know how, and I don't know when, but she knows."
Brittany pulled herself onto the trunk of her Audi, crossing her legs, propping her elbows up on her thighs, and burying her face in her hands.
Santana grimaced about the shoe prints on the detail job she'd driven her wife's car out to get but decided to focus on the much more pressing issue, which was her wife's unhappiness and her daughter's near breakdown.
She'd never heard Tesla speak to anyone like that before, much less Brittany. If anything, Santana figured she'd have a few more years before she and Tesla were having full on screaming matches in Spanish, like she had done with her mother when she was a teen. But she hadn't expected that until Tesla was at least a bit older. Maybe even later if Tesla never grew out of the awkward stage that she was currently in. But when it was all said and done, she figured that she'd be the one receiving the brunt of Tesla's teen anger, not Brittany. Tesla seemed to worship her Mommy, and was pretty much resolved to do anything she could to keep her happy. Especially since the revelations of the last year, it had seemed to Santana that they'd grown even closer, if that was even possible.
That made this most recent outburst all the more surprising.
Santana walked over to Brittany, and took her hands in her own. She then turned both of Brittany's hands palm up and gently kissed the center of each one. She then placed their hands down in Brittany's lap, stilling them, and smoothed her hands over Brittany's shoulders, slowly up and down the sides, matching the gestures up and down to the rhythm of her own steady breathing. She waited until Brittany's breathing matched her own before she spoke again.
"If you think she knows, we should talk to her. We can talk to her right now." Santana didn't move but braced herself, and was proven right when Brittany grasped her arms.
"No, not now. She's not feeling well, she was sick. She went to bed. We'll talk to her tomorrow. I'll be home to meet her, and we'll go for a walk before dinner."
"Sure, but tomorrow night is dinner with Samcedes, supposedly. If we manage to get all the stupid paperwork with their label taken care of. But we can cancel, and reschedule with them next week. I think you have a free evening on Wednesday-"
"No, no, Samcedes is important too. I'll talk to her before dinner, and then she can spend some time with Mercedes, Sam, and little Lila. She always likes spending time with Lila, maybe that'll help her feel better."
"Okay, okay honey." Santana resumed her rubbing of Brittany's shoulders. "Can we at least go back inside to figure this out? That wind has got this garage fricking freezing."
Brittany nodded, and slid off the car into Santana's arms, who walked with her back into the house, closing the door behind them. She sat Brittany down on the couch, wrapping her up in a blanket, and put on some soup for her to eat (even though her wife insisted that she wasn't hungry), and then jogged up the stairs to Tesla's room.
She didn't bother knocking, but slipped quietly into the dim bedroom, slowly making her way over to the bed. The faint glimpses of sunset illuminated the room, but Tesla's bedroom was normally neat, and there was nothing on the floor to trip her up.
Santana sat on the bed with a thump, and waited a moment, listening to the steady breathing of her daughter.
"You really upset your Mommy today. And I know you didn't mean it, mija, but it happened all the same. I want you to think about how you feel right now, and multiply that by a hundred, because that's how bad your mommy feels when you yell at her. Escucha me, Tesla Alma. I learned it the hard way. The worst thing you can ever see is a sad Brittany Lopez-Pierce. She loves you, honey. She loves you very much. Don't ever forget that. And I love you too."
Santana didn't wait for a response, but leaned down to kiss her daughter on the head, and walked towards the door, turning before she left.
"She'll be up later to kiss you goodnight, Tess."
With that she left, leaving the door open a crack behind her.
She was a little angry with Tess, but more bewildered. There was no way that she had found out about the baby, right? They'd taken a lot of care not to let on. But Tess was smart like her mother. If anyone could have figured it out, it would be Tesla. That's why they'd waited so long before they'd told her. They wanted to make sure they could phrase it in a way that would make sense in her too advanced, but still immature mind. It worried Santana. Tesla had always been such an easy to manage child. She rarely misbehaved, and when she did, it was usually because she was too excited about something or stayed up half the night reading, not because she was deliberately setting out to be disobedient.
Santana brushed a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself before she went back down the stairs. Brittany was still lying on the couch, staring off into nothingness, sniffling quietly. She'd gotten pretty emotional since all her baby hormones had kicked in, making her much more sensitive than usual. Usually it was Santana crying about every milestone Tesla hit, or that really, really touching Pixar movie. You know, important stuff. But lately Brittany had been crying about almost everything. Santana would have thought it was adorable if her heart didn't break with every tear that rolled down her wife's face. So, she pasted a cheerful smile on her face, scooped some soup into a bowl, added a few oyster crackers, and carefully placed the dinner tray on Brittany's lap, gently sitting down on the couch, and pulling her wife's feet into her lap. She guided her feet under the covers, and began to massage and knead softly while Brittany ate. They didn't say anything for a while, just basking in each other's company, and Santana was happy to see that Brittany seemed to be feeling better. Her tears had stopped, and she was really enjoying the soup, much to Santana's satisfaction. She rubbed her feet more gingerly now has she felt them loosen up, and cleared her throat.
"You should go up and say goodnight. Before she falls asleep, I mean."
Brittany sighed, setting her bowl on the table, and lying back on the couch. "This is exactly what I was afraid of Santana."
"I know, Britt."
"That she would, I dunno, hate me for this. Why didn't we talk to her before we got pregnant? Why did we let it get this far?"
"Babe…" Santana wiggled out from under Brittany's feet, and went to the other side of the couch, kneeling down on the ground beside her. "We weren't even sure if it was going to take. Remember how long it took with me? Who'd have known you'd be so fertile?"
Santana smiled brightly, but Brittany's face stayed in a frown.
"We should have talked it over with her first."
"We talked about that too, Brittany. We love Tesla, and she's our world, but we can't let her make decisions for us. We knew it would be uncomfortable, but all kids get a little antsy when a new one comes along. Especially when she's used to being all on her own like Tesla is. Remember how you acted after Ashley was born? Your mom still hasn't stopped telling us that story about how you put up flyers all over the neighborhood for a baby sister for sale."
This pulled a smile to Brittany's lips, but she still didn't meet Santana's eyes. "Yeah, she only brings it up every Thanksgiving."
"I'm just saying, there's going to be a conflict. It's natural. She'll get over it in a couple of weeks, and will be back to hanging off of you like a jungle gym in no time. And then when the little one comes, she'll be the proudest big sister there is. You'll be bringing it up tomorrow, and by June she'll be claiming the whole thing was her idea. You know how in sync you two are. That won't change."
Brittany finally lifted her eyes, and Santana could see the worry there.
"But San, I just love her so much. I don't want her to ever think that I don't. Or that this baby is going to change how I feel about her."
Santana tucked a bit of hair behind Brittany's ear, and cupped her face.
"I know that, Brittany, and you know that, and Tesla knows that. You have to trust me on this. Try not to worry, okay? That's supposed to be my job for the time being."
With that she pressed a gentle kiss to the end of Brittany's nose, and smiled at her.
"What do you say?"
Brittany only nodded in response.
"How about we cuddle up in our bed, and watch some Netflix? I'll let you pick."
Brittany smiled again. "This isn't going to be one of those Netflix and chill scenarios, is it?"
"Who, me?" Santana held her hands up in mock surrender. "I'd never tarnish the good name of Netflix like that."
Brittany sat up, and reached up a hand to Santana, who pulled her off of the couch. "Sure. Like all those times you invited me over for Sweet Valley High, which just devolved into make out sessions?"
"Hey, I can't help it that my lips are so irresistible."
"They really are." Brittany purred, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss onto Santana's lips.
Santana waited a moment before opening her eyes, and shivered slightly. "See, that's the kind of thing that turns Netflix and chill into other things."
"Oh yeah?" Brittany winked. "Is that a promise?"
"Let's see what's playing and find out."
\
Brittany left early the next day, and Tesla didn't have a chance to see her. She wasn't in a rush to face her after their argument the day before. Tesla still felt terrible about it, and she almost considered trying to convince her Mami that she was too sick to go to school. But she remembered that they were supposed to be having dinner with her Uncle Sam, Aunt Mercedes and Cousin Lila that night and if she was too sick to go to school Santana would want to stay home with her, and that might ruin everything. And the last thing she wanted to do was be a bigger burden to her parents.
Brittany had come into her room the night before, right as Tesla had felt herself falling asleep. She sat by the bed and rubbed Tesla's back for a few minutes, before kissing her on the forehead. The small gestures had made Tesla feel even more like a jerk, and she'd practically cried herself to sleep.
Now she was exhausted, and really didn't feel like going to school, but had loaded up her bookbag anyway, and climbed into her Mami's SUV, careful not to leave scuff marks on the door frame. She folded her hands and sat perfectly still in her pressed school uniform, her hair done in perfect pigtails that hung down her back. Her Mami had brushed and braided her hair as Tesla sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal. Santana hadn't mentioned the night before, and she was grateful, they only talked about the dinner that night, and asked again about Tesla's birthday.
The drive was pretty quiet, with Santana spending a fair share of it on the phone with who Tesla could only assume was Aunt Mercedes. Well, probably Uncle Sam by how rude she was being. They were only a few blocks from Tesla's school when Santana had finished her call, and turned the radio down.
"Did you think about what I said last night, mija?"
"Si, Mami."
"Are you going to do better by your Mom?"
"Si, Mami."
"¿Prometemelo, mi amor?"
"Te lo prometo, Mami."
Tesla could feels Santana's eyes on her, but couldn't bring herself to look over. She had to make this right, somehow. She had to fix things with her Mom.
They pulled up to the school a few moments later, and Tesla braced herself for Santana's kiss, as her Mami leaned over the console of the car, and planted a gentle one on her cheek.
"Que tengas un buen dia, Tesla. Study hard."
"Si, Mami." Tesla responded, without much enthusiasm.
Santana gave her a wary look, but pulled away.
Tesla had the day to figure out how she was going to square things with her Mom, and she wanted the answer sooner rather than later. She had to figure it out before they had their big, inevitable talk that evening. It was something to be solved just like all of the math problems that she'd faced before. The most important thing was figuring out the right question, and then she'd be able to get to the right answer. She solved the Blasure Conundrum in 56 hours, and her Mom hadn't even helped her at all. She could do this.
She tugged her bookbag closer, and put her head down, walking towards the school. There were about twenty minutes before the bell rang, and she wanted to find an empty classroom with a white board.
As she walked the halls she thought back to her first days there at Pennington Preparatory School. It was pretty much the best school in the whole state, and she knew her parents had spent a lot sending her there. Most of the kids came from well off families, and it showed, some of them could be pretty spoiled. But she avoided the worst of them for the most part, and though she was still finding it a little difficult to make friends, she'd had a few gems come her way.
Literally in this case, as one of her best friends (and certainly her weirdest), Stevie Nickel came bounding over, his bookbag splayed open, and the contents spilling out as he jogged.
Stevie was a short and squat kid, nothing like the height and long limbs of Tesla. He was pale like he'd never been out in the sun, with shockingly red hair that called even more attention to him from the bullies. Today he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, with a pink polo top. The outfit should have been stylish, but on Stevie it seemed out of place, and ill fitting. Tesla put up her hands.
"Whoa, Stevie, slow down. You're dropping your stuff everywhere."
Stevie looked back at the trail behind him and flushed a deep red. "Oh yeah."
He turned and began picking up the debris, stopping when he got too far away from Tesla (who had renewed her search for an empty classroom), and jogging up to her again.
"What are you doing, Tess? Class starts soon."
"I'm looking for a classroom, Stevie. I've got something to figure out."
"Is this about your mom again? I told you just stay out of her way, that's the best way to do it."
"That's not it, Stevie."
"Well, what is it?"
"Aha!"
Tesla found was she was looking for and ducked into a classroom. Stevie, looking around to see if the coast was clear, quickly followed. He watched her for a moment as she shrugged off her book bag and pulled out her own personal supply of dry erase markers then climbed onto a nearby chair and began furiously scribbling on the board.
"Tess, we should get going, the bell is about to ring."
He watched in fascination as Tesla wrote on the board. She drew graphs and flowcharts, venn diagrams and at least one genealogy tree. He saw her name written a half dozen times, and also several incarnations of Mami, Mommy and the word, SPAWN, all in capital letters. He pointed up to the board.
"Tess? What does spawn mean?"
Tesla took a step back to admire her handiwork. "It's a word for a baby you don't like. My Mami uses it all the time to talk about Cousin Sofie when she thinks I'm not listening. It's a pretty good word."
"You don't like your little brother or sister?"
Tesla paused, looking back at Stevie. "It's not that I don't like them. I just don't know them."
"Well…" Stevie looked down, fiddling with the zipper on his uniform jacket. "Maybe you will."
Tesla's face look grave, and she sat down on the chair she'd been standing on with a thump. "I don't know if I'll get a chance."
Stevie didn't say anything, but walked over to the board. In addition to the words, there were loads of numbers and equations. Tesla had always been really, really good at math, way better than he was, and even better than a lot of the teachers. She said it was because her Mom was the best mathematician in the world, and the one time he'd gone over to the Lopez-Pierce house, he'd gotten lost in the library, and seen a ton of books that her Mom had written. He'd also stumbled on a whiteboard that looked a lot like the one in front of him; covered in incomprehensible numbers.
He spent a moment trying to decipher it, but gave up and looked back at Tesla. "What does it mean?"
"It means, I have to leave."
Stevie's mouth dropped open and he was about to respond, but at that moment, the early bell rang, signifying they had five minutes to get to class before they were really late. Tesla was up in a flash, grabbing her book bag and bounding off into the hall, and Stevie scurried after.
"Tess, I don't think your moms would be happy if you left."
"You don't get it, Stevie. It's the only way."
"The only way to what?"
"The only way to make sure that they're both happy. They might be sad at the beginning, but then they'd feel better. I'm sure of it.
"I dunno. It just seems like they'll be really worried, and then sad, and then mad and then you get grounded for a year. That's pretty much what happened to me when I tried to start my own app that traded lunches. So, I dunno if this is the best plan."
"Look, Stevie, you don't get it!" Tesla stopped, swinging around to face him. They were outside their classroom now, and students were filing past. "My mommy is going to have a kid that she HAD, you know, that was in her tummy for the whole time. Not me! And she's not going to need me anymore. It'll just be sad for her to see me wandering around. And then my Mami always says, "What Mommy wants, Mommy gets.'" And my Mom wants this new baby. I don't want them to be miserable, Stevie. I still love them a lot, you know."
"Yeah, I guess." Stevie relented.
"Anyway, you've gotta promise me that you won't tell anybody, okay? This is a secret between you and me."
Stevie nodded. Tesla was his best friend, and he wouldn't lose her confidence now. Even if he didn't completely agree with her plan, he had to at least try for her sake.
"I promise, Tess."
They shook hands firmly.
"Now, let's get to class."
\
Santana hated corporate law.
She'd gotten into law to help out people who had been disenfranchised or who were getting pushed around. She loved that side of it, but what she was doing at the moment was not that.
And what she was doing at the moment was sitting in her wonderfully large office, with Mercedes on one side of her and Sam on the other, while they looked over the contract that was going to make their dreams a reality. She couldn't help but be happy watching them. Mercedes hit it big after her tour with Beyonce, and had gone out on a tour of her own. Four platinum selling albums later, the label had given her the go ahead to start her own record company. They had a team of lawyers ready to file the paperwork, but there was only one lawyer that Mercedes trusted with what was going to be her pride and joy (Besides her and Sam's three year old daughter, of course). And that's how they'd ended up in Santana's office almost three months ago, and had spent almost every moment in it since, going over every period, comma and colon in the novel length contract, one that would secure her brand, and make sure her sound stayed her own.
Sam was there, of course, mostly making a nuisance of himself, but also doing a passable job as Mercedes' manager, a position that he'd had for almost five years. Mercedes' hectic schedule kept them busy, but whenever they were in town, the Jones-Evans and Lopez-Pierces made time for each other. It was easy enough to find time to hang out with St. Berry, and Klaine and their kids, but Santana and Brittany both had a special place in their heart for Mercedes, and by extension Sam.
Less so Sam, especially now that he'd broken out his Clint Eastwood impressions. He sat at the impressive mahogany table with the pen in his hand, poised to sign the documents.
"You feeling lucky, punk?"
"I swear to god, Trouty, if you don't sign that contract, I'm going to make you eat that pen."
Sam gulped and quickly signed, right under where Mercedes had signed only a few moments before.
Mercedes chuckled and wrapped her arm around Sam's, pulling close to him.
"Can you believe it, you two? All this work, all the struggle, and we're here. We did it!"
Santana checked over a few pages, flipping through pages as she skimmed. "Yep, and here I am with a binder filled with billable hours to your record company. I call that a win, win, win."
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Well, while you were thinking dollar signs, I've been getting inspired. I can't wait to get back into the studio."
"Your studio." Sam drawled, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"My studio." Mercedes giggled, returning the kiss to his lips.
Santana stood up violently, clearing her throat and clattering a pen across the table.
"Ahem, excuse me? You still have an audience, if you don't remember. Jeez, you two, keep it in your pants."
Mercedes rolled her eyes again. "Are you joking, Santana? How many times since high school have we been subjected to your wife's pale behind sticking up in the air in some impossible position after we stumbled on you! We practically started having to ring a bell every time we entered a room. And you've barely gotten better since Tess came along."
"Fine, fine. Whatever. I'm just saying, okay? Take it easy. Anyway, congratulations to Hell to the No Records. If anybody deserves this, it's you. You've been toiling for that label for years, Mercedes, you should have had this a long time ago."
"Well, I'm not complaining now. I'm just glad to be able to do it. And now I'm ready to celebrate. Tell me you've got some of that good champagne chilling at the house."
Santana laughed. "Have you ever known me to skimp when it comes to booze?"
"I dunno, Santana. You used to stuff those big, cheap bottles of vodka down your skirt back in the day." Mercedes said, laughing as well.
"Oh my god, I forgot about that! Remember that time you distracted the clerk at the counter, and I got away with that awful tequila, then we got Rachel and Quinn to drink it with us and they ended up making out?"
"I remember something about that night, and it had more to do with you making out with Rachel."
Santana's eyes got wide for a moment, followed by a tight squint, and then wide again.
"No… That… that didn't-"
"You can ask Brittany. She was the one goading you on. Afterwards, you cried for ten minutes about how much you hated it because 'Brittany's lips taste like strawberry cupcakes and Rachel's tasted like old frog water.'"
"Frog water?" Sam asked.
"Yep. And then she hung off of Brittany all night, and it was at that moment that I realized you two were going to be together forever."
Santana squinted again. "I'm going to kill my wife."
"Oh c'mon Santana, it was 16 years ago."
"I can't believe she got me to kiss Rachel."
"Rachel's not ugly, Santana. I should know, I dated her."
"First of all, Sam, you dated every woman who ever spent more than fifteen seconds at McKinley, including the teachers. And secondly, it's not because she's ugly, it's because she's Rachel. She's like the annoying, annoying, annoying little sister that I never had, and there's no way I would have wanted to put my lips on that."
"And yet here we are." Mercedes said with a wink.
"We'll see about that. I'm going to call Brittany right now." Santana looked at her watch. "It's almost three, she should be finishing up soon. She'll let you all know."
"Fine, don't believe me, Satan. But your wife will tell you the truth."
"Anyway, we've got to go pick Lila up from school, for dinner tonight. I've got all the bags in the car for the sleepover." Sam said, standing up.
"You all spend so much time in our guest room, I should start charging you rent."
They all laughed, and Santana packed her things into her briefcase, dropped the papers onto her secretary's desk, and took out her phone. She frowned as she looked at the screen, unlocking it and tapping a few times.
"What's wrong, San?" Mercedes asked, holding the elevator doors open.
"It's just a message from the school, confirming an early dismissal for Tesla."
"I guess Brittany couldn't wait for that talk."
"Yeah, I dunno. Maybe."
She brought her phone to her ear, and walked slowly behind Sam and Mercedes as they reached the lobby.
"Hey hon. How's it going with Tess? Yeah, yeah. No, I thought you were taking her out for your talk. No, sweetie. No. I just got an email from the school saying that you had gotten her out early. Maybe two hours ago, but we were busy and I didn't get a chance to- What? Brittany-"
Santana stopped for a moment, listening intently.
"No, Brittany, don't worry, okay, baby? I'm sure it was just an oversight. I'm going to call the school, and I'll head there right now. No, don't worry. You go home, and I'll call you when I get to the school."
With that Santana disconnected with Brittany, she waved off Mercedes' questions and immediately called the school. Mercedes used the opportunity to pull Sam aside.
"You go get Lila and meet us back at their house. I'm going to go with Santana to the school."
"You're going to go with her?"
"Somebody needs to keep her from destroying everything in a nine mile radius, and as Brittany isn't here, I'm the best we've got."
"Good point."
She kissed him on the cheek, and turned back to Santana who'd just gotten off the phone.
"Those idiots! How does a nine year old just up and vanish from the most exclusive school in the city?! I'm going to go over there and rip their heads off their bodies, just to watch them die squirming." She seethed.
Sam touched Santana's arm quietly. He knew how hopeless he would feel if Lila was missing. He tried not to shrink back from her gaze.
"I'm sure she's fine, San. She's probably sitting in her classroom now. Get over there, and see her, and it'll make you feel better."
To her credit, Santana didn't lash out at him, and a moment of softness sparked across her eyes.
"I'm going with you, Santana." Mercedes said.
"You don't need to do that, 'Cedes-"
"No buts. Sam is going to get Lila, and by the time we get back to the house, we'll have this all figured out and have a good laugh about it."
Santana looked at Mercedes hopefully. "Yeah, maybe. C'mon let's go."
They parted with Sam (after he and Mercedes shared a quick hug) at the parking garage, and a few minutes later, they were careening down the busy streets in the direction of Pennington Prep.
"Of all the knuckleheaded things to do. I'm not paying the money I pay every year to that stupid school so they can lose my daughter." Santana grumbled as they sped down the road.
"Santana, maybe you should take it easy, you don't want to get a speeding ticket on top of everything else."
"I dare a cop to try to pull me over right now, I would sue the pants off the whole city!"
She continued grumbling, and Mercedes said nothing, figuring that being a calming force in the car would be more productive than arguing. Suddenly the phone rang from where Santana had wedged it in the middle console, and Mercedes grabbed it before she could get her hands on it.
"Focus on the road, okay?"
She connected the call, and turned on the speakerphone, holding it between the two of them.
"It's Mercedes, Britt. You're on speakerphone."
Brittany's voice sounded strained, like she was trying to hold in a panic that was slowly going spirling of control.
"Did you call the school?"
"Yeah, they said that someone checked her out right after lunch, and that it was supposedly you."
Santana's voice was as smooth as well worn cobblestones, but Brittany's raised an octave or two as she defended herself.
"Well, it wasn't me, Santana! I've been at the studio all day, and haven't had time to check my phone, and-"
"Brittany."
Santana's voice was calm and still. Mercedes noticed that she slowed down the car a bit, and seemed to be taking deeper breaths.
For a moment there was no response, and Santana paused before speaking again.
"Brittany?"
"Yes, Santana?"
The sharp edge of panic was gone from her voice, and she seemed to be breathing as well.
"You're in the car right now, right?"
"Yes, Santana, I'm about fifteen minutes away from the house."
"You're going to drive carefully, and within the speed limit, and I'm going to do the same, okay?"
Another pause.
"Okay."
"I know you didn't check her out, and I know I didn't check her out, but I'm going to find out what happened in a little while. Knowing Tess, she's probably at home waiting on you now."
Brittany didn't respond to that.
"Brittany?"
"Yes, Santana?"
"I love you, Brittany."
No hesitation this time. "I love you, too."
Santana nodded to Mercedes who disconnected the call, and sat back in the chair. The car had slowed down significantly, but Mercedes couldn't miss the way that Santana's fists tightened on the steering wheel.
\
Getting out of school had been ridiculously easy. Tesla went to the nurse's' office, and told them she was feeling sick. Then she logged onto her mother's email account from her phone, and sent an email to the school saying Brittany would be picking her up early from school that day. Then she used her taxi app to call one to the school. She only had to walk to the front door, and she was home free.
She hadn't been totally unprepared for this possibility. The one where she'd have to leave home forever. She'd considered it a lot the night before, and had prepared by packing a few changes of clothes, and all the money she'd been saving since the summer for a new telescope. It was almost five hundred dollars and included most of her birthday money, all the money her Opa Pierce had given to her when he thought her moms weren't looking, the cash that she'd gotten walking dogs after school, and her winter of shoveling walkways.
She'd really been looking forward to buying that telescope. She was going to set it up in the backyard, and spend the warming nights looking through it with Brittany. Her Mom had even promised that they'd take Aunt Rachel, Uncle Jesse and Christopher to the Catskills so they could do some real star gazing. They were going to stay in the cabin that her Mami had surprised them with three summers ago.
Tears began forming in Tesla's eyes. Now they'd get to do all that with the new baby. It only seemed fair.
She had changed out of her school uniform so she would seem less conspicuous, and sat on a bench inside of the subway station. She hadn't wanted to go too far in the taxi, mostly because of the expense, but also because she didn't want anyone to know where she was headed. She would take the subway into the city, and catch a bus from there. She'd researched the fares online, and figure it was the method with the least amount of questions asked.
She'd also researched places to go. The weather was still a little cold, so it would be better to go south. She couldn't drive, and renting an apartment was out of the question, but she might be able to get a hotel (she'd been working on her 'my parents are in the bathroom' schtick), and that could get her into a long stay hotel. Especially if she paid in cash. That's not to say she wasn't scared. After a little while, she'd head over to Lima, and maybe convince her Abuela and Abuelo to take her in. If she couldn't be with her moms, her grandparents would be the next best option.
All she needed now was time. Time for her parents to realize how much better their lives would be with her gone, and how much better they'd be with the new baby in it.
She hugged her knees to her chest and fought the tears again. It was going to be hard, and she was scared. She missed them already so much. But what choice did she have? The numbers didn't lie. She'd factored in the happiness quotient and everything. She sighed. Sometimes we have to do hard things for the people we love.
She looked at her watch. Only about five more minutes before the subway came and she was gone for good. The idea make her heart beat faster. She sat up a bit, placing her feet on the floor and looked up and down the tracks. There were a few people coming here and there, but no big crowds. It was still a bit early for rush hour. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, looking at the time. She'd put it into airplane mode as soon as she'd left the school, knowing that if she didn't it would have been ringing off the hook. The background was a picture of her and her mothers at the park a few weeks before. They'd been so happy. She locked her phone quickly, before she had time to lose her nerve.
Tesla felt a presence beside her before she heard or saw anyone. She shoved her phone into her coat, paranoid about pickpockets and thieves, and kept her gaze trained downward, looking at her shoes swinging back and forth on the bench.
The person took a step closer and sat down.
She didn't dare look up. She put her hands into her pockets, and tried to look as small as possible. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she was almost shaking she was so frightened. She started to stand up when a voice stopped her.
"Waiting on a train, huh?"
Her eyes snapped up. She would have known that voice anywhere. She'd heard it in concert about a dozen times, and it had even sung her to sleep on several occasions.
"Aunt Mercedes?" Tesla said, her eyes wide with shock.
"Yep, in the flesh. Want to sit down with me for a second? Or do you have to go?" She patted the bench beside her, and Tesla scooted closer, much too surprised to do anything else.
"No, I, um, I have some time." She pulled her hands out of her pockets, tugging on the edge of her pigtails. "What are are you doing here? Is Lila with you? And uncle Sam?"
Mercedes chuckled. "Nope, just me. I was looking for you, Tesla."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"How did you find me?"
"Your little friend at school-"
"Stevie Nickel."
It wasn't a question.
"That's him. He was concerned that this plan of yours could get you kidnapped, or worse."
"I'm fine." She said defiantly, jutting out her lip. "I knew he couldn't keep a secret. His whole look says he would be the first to crack under torture."
"Well, we didn't torture him, but a few minutes alone with you Mami would be as close as the Geneva convention would allow."
"That's exactly what Stevie would say is torture. Once he was alone with her in the kitchen for three minutes, and he had to go lay down in my room until his parents could pick him up."
Mercedes chuckled. "He does seem like a fragile child."
"He's not all that bad. He does have asthma though, but my Mom always said we shouldn't judge people because of their physical limitations."
At the mention of Brittany, Tesla looked down at her toes again.
Mercedes looked at her goddaughter, her brown/blonde curly hair hanging down in braids on her shoulders, her fawn skin tone (with a gentle rose color on the tips of her ears, and nose), her graceful shoulders and gangly limbs. She knew that Brittany hadn't carried her, and she carried none of Brittany's DNA inside of her, but she could see her best friend in that girl. She'd never doubted it for a second. So, when Santana had called her late last year and told her about the troubles that Tesla had been having, she didn't want to believe it. How could this girl, who was so much like her mother, not believe that she was Brittany's child through and through? She sighed deeply.
"Tesla-"
"My mom is pregnant."
The words fell like stones out of Tesla's mouth.
Mercedes nodded.
Tesla looked shocked. "You knew?"
"Well, I just found out today. They told me that it might be why you thought you had to run away."
Tesla looked down at her feet. "Well, it's not." She said defiantly. "Well, mostly not."
"Did I ever tell you the story of how I became your godmother, Tess?"
Tess tensed as she felt the train enter the station. She looked up at Mercedes who kept regarding her with the same calm expression, and felt the urgency leave her. She settled back into her seat.
"I don't think so."
"Well..." Mercedes began, smoothing her hands over her pants. "I wasn't married to your uncle Sam then. In fact we weren't even dating. We didn't even know we were in love."
"Really?" Tesla had thought Mercedes and Sam had been lovey dovey forever. Just like her parents.
"Really. We had dated in high school, and had given up on each other. It was only temporary, but we didn't know that at the time."
Tesla kicked her feet out scuffing the ground under them, and sat silent.
"I was here after opening for Beyonce, and people were waiting on new music, and I'd already spent the summer in the city, getting on everybody's nerves. I bounced between Blaine and Kurt, then some time with Rachel and Jesse, but that didn't last long. So, I ended up with your moms."
"In the city?"
"Yep, when you all were living in the city. Santana was really pregnant then, and they were trying to figure out what to name you and everything. I remember I used to come home from the studio exhausted after staring at the four walls all day, and Brittany would drag us all down to the park on 6th street, and she'd bring a blanket and we'd sit in the sunshine. She'd lay in your Mami's lap and whisper to you. She'd swear you could hear her in there, and she was telling you all of the fun stuff that we'd do when we were all together."
Tesla smiled, a wistful look in her eye.
"And it was a day like that when they asked me to be your godmother. I told them it wasn't a good idea, because I had no idea what I was doing with my life, and I thought I had a plan, but I wasn't so sure. I knew I had a lot of potential, but I wasn't sure where that would end up. I figured your moms would want someone with kids like Kurt or someone who was really well established like Rachel to be your godparent. But, they wanted me."
"Well…" Tesla said after a moment. "Why'd they chose you?"
"Brittany told me that I was the only person that she trusted to take care of her little girl. When we were in high school, and right after, we went through a lot. Everyone finding out that your Mami liked girls, which was considered strange at the time, your Mom's trouble with school, then later both of them trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. Back then, I thought I had it all figured out, and I helped them figure themselves out too. We're not doing exactly what we thought we would do, but I stood by them because they're my friends and I love them. They chose me because you were the most important thing in the world to them. You still are, and they wanted someone watching over you who would appreciate that. Who would treat you like a precious gift."
"Precious means a treasure. Something rare. I'm not anymore. Mom will have a baby of her own now. A real baby that lived in her tummy. What- What if she doesn't want me anymore?"
Tesla's face crumpled, and she leaned over, burying her face in Mercedes' lap.
Mercedes' heart broke just a little, and she ran her hands over Tesla's back, trying to calm her.
"Tess, love is an interesting thing. You know that your Mami loves your Mom, right?"
Tesla only nodded, trying to hold back her sniffling.
"Well, when I saw them together I knew that nobody could get between them. I mean, they were inseparable. Always hugging and kissing and- Well, you get the point. They would look at each other, and it was like no one else existed on the planet. But then you came along. And it was like they were more in love than ever. But I'd see them look at you, and you know what? I saw that same love in their eyes for you. Like there was no one else in the world. For both of them. Love isn't like a well, Tesla. It's not something that you can drain dry. It's like the ocean, it keeps going and going, and rain replenishes it and you can fill up bucket after bucket and it will never go dry. And I think there's enough love in that ocean for you and your new sibling."
Tesla kept her head down, but a few moments later her breathing returned to normal. Mercedes didn't let up petting her head, and gave her time.
"Tesla?"
"Yeah, Aunt 'Cedes?"
"Do you want to see your Mom, sweetie?"
Tesla sighed and sniffed, sitting up and rubbing an arm across her tear streaked face. "She's going to be mad at me. I did a pretty stupid thing."
"Yeah, you did. But that's the thing about the people that love us. We all do stupid stuff from time to time, Tesla, the important thing is that we learn from it. Our family never stops loving us. Not the family that matters."
"You're a part of our family, aren't you, Aunt Mercedes?"
"Yep, and so is your Uncle Sam and Lila, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Jesse and Christopher, Kurt and Blaine, Aunt Quinn and Tina and Mike and everyone. Some are the family we have, and some are the family that we make, and we look out for each other."
"Do you think my mom can forgive me?"
Mercedes cradled Tesla's face in her hands. "Oh baby girl." She nodded back towards the stairs leading up to the street. "Your mom is coming down those steps in a few minutes, and your Mami right after that. I want you to tell me after you see them what you think."
Tesla froze, wide eyed. "They're coming here?"
"I certainly couldn't have found you and not told them. What kind of godmother would that make me?"
"A pretty crappy one, I guess."
"Yep. But you just remember what Brittany told you a few months back. You are her little girl, Tess."
Tesla gulped and nodded, looking towards the stairwell.
"I'm glad you didn't run away, Tess. We would have missed you around here. Especially Lila. You've done such a good job taking care of her since we got into town."
"She's fun. I miss her when she's not here."
"See, having a little one around isn't so bad after all, huh?"
Tesla gave a small half smile. "I guess not."
She was about to turn her attention back to Mercedes, when she suddenly saw a pair of bright green Converse followed by a pair of checkerboard kneesocks that she knew could only belong to one person. Tesla held her breath.
Brittany was fully in view after a few seconds, and looked about wildly, finally seeing Mercedes sitting on the bench, and Tesla sitting beside her.
The little girl was on her feet in a moment,
Brittany raced over, moving fluidly through the small crowd that made their way out of the station. She dodged bodies with a dancer's grace, never for a moment taking her eyes off of Tesla. She didn't stop until she crashed into Tesla, sweeping her up in her arms, and squeezing tight.
"Oh, Tess." Brittany whispered.
Tesla wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, not willing to let go either, and couldn't help the heavy sobs that escaped her. She couldn't speak and just let her tears flow, soaking into the cotton of Brittany's shirt. She didn't notice Santana approaching, but felt another body slam into her back, and could hear some soft cursing in Spanish. This brought the tears even harder. They stood there for a few more minutes, until Santana pulled her a hair away from Brittany to check her all over for any trauma, and then left her to crash back into her mom, and begin crying all over again.
Mercedes placed a gentle hand on Santana's back. "Let's get you all back home."