Santana Lopez pulled out of the white-painted hospital's parking lot and made a left turn for the blacktop road. She drove a few more blocks and abruptly pulled up in front of a certain school office's parking lot.
She quickly emerged from her Elantra and scanned the school grounds with keen eyes, looking for a certain brown-haired, blue-eyed little girl.
She saw the tall, lanky girl who makes up half of her world sit on the far end of the ground, along with her friends.
"Mama!" Santana's six-year old first-born squabbled her way through a bunch of kids and ran towards the waiting Latina.
"Careful, Zoey!" Santana mumbled as her first grader advanced towards her. The little girl then hugged a leg.
A grunt escaped Santana's lips, but a loving look was passed from mother to child. A few of Zoey's friends wore jealous looks as Santana took her daughter's backpack and walked hand in hand with the child towards the car.
"Mama, how are you today?" Zoey asked as the doctor buckled her daughter's seatbelt.
"Pretty fine. A lot of patients." Santana by then moved to the
"Mama, what do you do with them? Do you stick needles in their arms like Uncle Dave does with my arm?"
"Well, a little of that, but I more of like I make people beautiful," Santana attempted to give Zoey a hint to stop asking about her job. How would she be able to explain that she's giving people boob jobs almost half of the time? Surely, her wife could do that, but not her. It was what she loved about Brittany. Brittany Pierce has something to say when Santana could not find any way to explain some things.
"Mama, are your patients ugly?"
"No. They just don't know it."
"Then why do they ask you to make them beautiful?"
"So we can earn a lot of money and buy things you love."
"You cannot buy what I love." Zoey pouted her lips, which was very much like Brittany's.
"Really? Why?"
"You cannot buy you. And Mommy. I don't think both of you are for sale," Zoey crossed her arms, again, reminding Santana of Brittany.
Santana felt a knot in her chest tighten as so much joy and love seemed to wrap around her heart.
"Ha-ha," Santana let out a failing sarcastic laugh. "And who told you that?"
"Mommy," Zoey answered Santana.
It was more than enough to make Santana's heart swell and seem to burst at its seams. It was as if Santana was lighter than air.
The drive home was filled with quiet thought as Santana kept her words inside her. Zoey was looking out of the window, shifting her glance from time to time.
"Mama…" Zoey said, her voice was very soft and childish.
Instantly, Santana knows what would follow next. Zoey wants something. She can read her daughter's mind even before the child could speak out. "What is it, honey?"
"Can we drop by Uncle Artie's ice cream shop?"
"Mr. Softy?" Santana raised an eyebrow. This was returned by a wink form the six-year old brunette. The child then shifted her antics.
"Please, Mama, please?" Zoey's eyes beamed brightly, clearly expecting an affirmation from the Latina.
With those eyes, Santana could never say no. Not to Zoey. She can say no to Brittany and maybe fight for a little but then give to her wife's wishes but when it comes to Zoey, the kid is the boss.
"Alright, but you know Aunt Berry and Aunt Quinn is coming over for dinner, right?"
Zoey clapped her hands in delight before letting out an excited 'yay'. Santana just shook her head and made a turn towards Artie's little coffee and ice cream shop.
Santana brought two scoops of Rocky Road for Zoey and a cup of yogurt for herself. True to tell, Santana was very conscious of her body as well as her health.
Zoey happily took her ice cream, whilst mumbling a 'thank you' to her mother who was sitting in front of her. She ate the sweet, creamy stuff with such happiness that Santana just sat there, her mind was caught in amazement, seeing her whole world in front of her.
"How was school today, Zoey Daniella?"
"Fun," Zoey grinned.
It is always fun, and all is fun. Zoey was truly a Pierce. She tends to see everything her way, that all is just happening for a good reason.
"Really? What did you do?"
"I finished reading my primer," she said proudly to her mother.
"Wow. I'm so proud of you." Santana nuzzled the brown-hair, inhaling the scent that she had loved to smell, next to Brittany's scent.
The sun is shifting now and Santana rose up. "Come on, time to go home. We wouldn't want to make Aunt Berry wait won't we?"
"Okay. I don't want to let them wait. I can't wait to see them both!"
The drive home was apparently quiet, with Zoey seeming to be in deep thought. Very unlikely, Santana thought. The traffic was heavy and Santana wasn't comfortable with it.
"Zoey, dear? Are you alright?" Santana asked, her voice filled with worry.
"I'm okay, Mama. I was just thinking."
"Hmmm…what are you thinking about?"
There was silence as Zoey looked away and smiled softly to herself. That was one quick manifestation that Zoey is indeed having the Lopez fire inside her.
She's being secretive; something must be going in her mind.
Santana wanted so much to ask Zoey, but she opted to stay out of it. However, Zoey surprised her Mama with a serious question.
"Mama, how did you fall in love with Mommy?"
Santana irked and was taken aback by the child's question. However, she smiled at her daughter's forwardness, and besides, she won't hide her love story to anyone, especially to her daughter.
"We've loved each other since…we're like fifteen…"
"That's cute, Mama."
"Yes," Santana smiled as the memories flood back. The first day she saw her.
Santana was already a freshman in and school couldn't be worse. Her first class was Organic Chemistry and she was sitting next to a blonde-haired girl who never runs out of stuff to talk about.
"Hi. My name is Brittany, you?"
"Santana." It was a short answer, direct to the point, signalling Brittany to stop asking questions.
"Are you new here? Because I lived around here for the whole of my life and I haven't seen you once."
"Listen, that could only mean that you are such a loser that you never saw the elite side of Lima, Ohio." This clueless blonde was sure to get the message now though.
"Oh, well, then it's nice to know you. Where are you from?" The smile from the blonde never faded. And this annoyed Santana even more.
"Lima. Do you always annoy people you don't know?" As irritating as Santana found the conversation, she was intrigued by Brittany. Most people drop conversation with her when she pulls the bitch card, but Brittany's smile hadn't even faltered in this slightest.
"What's your next class?"
"General Psychology."
"Oh, me too! This is so exciting!"
Santana, who was very irritated by that time rolled her eyes and was ready to tell the blonde to shut the hell up and fuck off, but when she saw that ever-melting smile, her words were lost into thin air.
Brittany looped her arms around the Latina, making her uncomfortable as she was sitting and the teacher came in. He was talking about the class rules and stuff then went directly in choosing partners for the term's case studies and laboratory experiments. He chose Santana and Brittany.
Santana wailed as if she was in pain. Brittany faced her and smiled.
"I'm so excited, Santana!"
Santana prepared for another insult, but a thought ran through her mind. Why was she entertaining this irritating blonde?
Zoey's mouth was pouting already as Santana was expecting a violent reaction from her daughter, which was never failed.
"Why do you have to be mean to Mommy?" Her daughter's eyes narrowed at her.
"Look, I was very stupid that time. Mama could be so stupid at times, that's why she needs Mommy to help her out. You know that she and all the decisions that I had hesitated and had been so scared of making were the best things that ever happened to me?" Santana said defensively.
"I'm just playing Mama. Of course you love Mommy now, don't you?"
"I've loved her since the day I met her."
"Then why didn't you tell her right away? Do you really have to pretend and be mean if you really love people?"
"Well, I don't think so, but I think I was scared at the time."
"Why do you have to be scared?"
"You'll understa-"
"Understand it when I'm older. Mama why does it always have to be when I'm older?" Zoey wailed, just like Brittany does when she can't do something.
"It just works that way, baby." Santana took her daughter's hand in her own.
"Mama, how did you let Mommy know that you love her?"
Santana chuckled at her daughter, very much like her and very much like her wife. They raised her just right.
"I remember, I was in high school…"
"Santana…" Brittany woke Santana up. She was having a sleep over at the Lopez house and the scent of her who was sleeping next to Santana was really infuriating and at the same time turning the brunette on that she had a hard time falling asleep last night. They were already seventeen, and their parents pretty trust them. They are big girls already.
"What?"
"Wake up, your mommy is cooking something really good." Brittany's hand rested on Santana's left shoulder blade. A diary was lying open on her bedside table. It was Santana's diary.
Alarm coursed through her as she saw the open hardbound book. All her secrets were in there. And all meant her feelings for Brittany.
"I read it." It was a simple statement. There was no vehemence or discrimination. It was just a plain, simple statement.
Her blue eyes were very dark. It was as if the blue diamond Rose Dawson in the Titanic film was inside Brittany's ball sockets. She was inching closer and closer to Santana.
"Did you mean all that you have written? And you want me to be your girlfriend?"
"I…" lips that Santana had been craving for since fifteen crashed into Santana's own.
"What? What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing Mama. I just think I ought to keep my diary out of someone else's eyes and hands, especially when friends sleep over our house."
Santana had to laugh. Her daughter never failed to make her laugh.
"So Mama, how did you marry Mommy?"
Santana smiled at Zoey. "Oh, mi hija," Santana chuckled.
"Okay, this is it. This is it," Santana stood at the beach. She was nervously tapping her hands on her thighs. She's 23, yet she felt like she was a six-year old.
Damn! This is scarier than midterm exams! Santana thought. Her phone buzzed.
I'm here. Where are you? – B
She did not tap out a reply. Instead, she looked around to see a familiar back towards her. She went up to the blonde.
"I missed you."
"San…"
"Want to ride the boat, Britt-Britt?"
"Fine. I'll love that."
They walked hand in hand and went up to the rowboat. As they were rowing, Santana began to talk of things. But Brittany wasn't listening.
"so they loved each other and they hoped that everything life throws at them, their love would conquer it all… Britt, are you even listening?" Santana growled, seeing Brittany not paying attention to her. They were in the middle of the lake and the sky was pink with the setting sun.
"Huh?" Brittany said, absentmindedly staring at Santana's lips, almost drooling.
"Hey, isn't that a swan?" Santana pointed to shore. Brittany turned her head to, and missed seeing Santana hurriedly fumble inside her hoodie.
"It's a swan, San!" Brittany turned around to face Santana. Her eyes landed on the small, black velvet box containing a diamond ring the Latina was holding in her hand.
"I was hoping, that we could spend our own forever. That our love would conquer everything that throws our way," Santana was looking at those blue eyes from eye level.
"I love you, Santana…"
"Love me enough to say yes?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Zoey clapped her hand. "Aw, Mama, that was very beautiful!"
"I know. It was the second best moment of my life."
That triggered Zoey's curiosity again. "What is the first?"
"When we had you and now, Sophie," Santana laughed. The traffic seemed to lighten. There are a few more minutes to talk before they reach the uptown.
"Really, tell me. Mama, please tell me about it," Zoey pleaded.
"San…" Brittany played with Santana's hair as they sat on the couch. Their hands found each and their wedding bands made a soft clinking sound. They were twenty-five and both were too happy of the marriage.
"Yes?"
"I would like to talk about future, if you get my drift."
"What do you mean, Britt-Britt?"
"Like, birthday cakes and stuffed toys, you know. Balloons, and dropping and picking someone off from school. Me and you caring," Brittany said, her choice of words were making her hesitate.
"We both care for each other."
"Yeah, but I mean like, we can have something that's entirely ours…"
"We have this house, which stands near a lake and a few things to mention, plus a dog," Santana quipped as she motioned for the whole room.
"Well, not something. Oh, Britt…well, San, I was…ughh," Santana's wife made a grunt.
"Go on, spill it, Brittany Pierce-Lopez," Santana giggled.
"What if we have a baby?" blue eyes met the chocolate-brown ones. They held stares for a moment or two and Santana started to speak.
"Whoever put that idea in your mind…" Santana said sternly, her face cold and emotionless.
Brittany looked as if she would break down to tears. Santana cupped her face and looked deep into the blue-eyes Santana had grown so familiar with.
"Tell him I thank him." Santana planted a kiss on Brittany's lips.
"What are you smiling at?" Santana looked at her child.
"Nothing, Mama. I just feel so lucky," Zoey blew a kiss. She could see their house already. "I will give Mommy an extra big hug tonight."
"Yeah?"
"Yup-yup. And I need you for that extra big huggie. Please, Mama?"
"Alright, alright." Santana pulled up into the driveway. Then she took Zoey's backpack and her doctor's coat. She let Zoey open the door for her Mama to come in. She put down the stuff she had been carrying as Zoey rushed to a sitting dog.
"Hatchie," the kid lovingly patted the dog's head. Santana made her way to the kitchen. She knows that by this time, Brittany would be on her feet and in the kitchen.
"Now, what did I tell you about getting up?" Santana leaned on the door frame, not even flinching a smile when her wife looked up at her.
"San, pregnancy isn't a disease," Brittany smiled at her wife.
"I know, but let me do this," Santana took charge of what Brittany had been doing, dressing the chicken salad. Santana planted a kiss on Brittany's shoulder, before letting her sit.
"San, quit overworking. I'm not disabled, just a little bloated up, I guess, but I can manage. You don't have to do anything around the house. You work for our living, you drop our daughter off to school, and even dinner, you make them. That's enough work for a woman like you, Santana," Brittany wailed whilst she was sitting on a kitchen chair.
"You knw why I do and act these things, aren't you? You know I love you, wifey."
Brittany melted and felt as if her heart is ready to burst out any moment. Suddenly, Zoey barged in with a happy, preppy look upon her face. She had just washed and changed, and she did not look that tired, though.
"Hi, Mommy," the child kissed her mother's hand. Santana made it to a point that Zoey learns and upholds the Spanish traditions. The child then settles on her Mommy's lap.
"How are you today?" Brittany asked her first-born.
"Mama and I had a good time," Zoey grinned at Brittany with a toothy grin.
"Really, what did you do?"
"We bought ice cream and we got caught in the traffic."
"So, what was so awesome?"
"I asked Mama to tell me a story," Zoey nuzzled Brittany's neck. "She told me the story where she loved you, Mommy. She told me she had loved you since you were fifteen."
"Is it true, Santana?" Brittany asked her wife.
"Yes," a short shy answer came from the brunette. Their conversation was dropped when there was a knock on the door. Zoey swung the door open and the next thing happening was she was giggling loudly when her Aunt Rachel Berry was tickling her from everywhere.
"Auntie Tanaaaaa!" a blonde-haired little girl almost as the same age as Zoey called Santana.
"Hi, Thalia!" Zoey was smiling clutching Brittany's legs.
"Hi Zoey," the blonde beamed at her friend.
"Good evening, Aunt Quinn. Good evening Aunt Berry." Zoey kissed both of the women's hands. She then walks away and joins hand in hand with the Fabray child.
"You are such god parents, Britt. Being able to teach her all that."
"Well, you know Santana. She's strong-willed and much of a disciplinarian." Brittany explained to Rachel.
"So, Britt, how's being preggy with a second child going?" Quinn asked. They were already seated on the living room.
"Very fine, except that, your wife gets overprotective." Brittany shot a look at Santana, who had just joined them.
"What are you three looking at? I mean, is it so wrong to be overprotective? I mean I love her, and…" Santana trailed off as she saw Brittany's eyes well up with tears.
"I love you too." Brittany smiled and laughed. Then she wiped of the tears. "Maybe we should eat."
They all had lasagna and a chicken salad and cups of creamy tea. A few hours later, the Fabrays said goodbye and Santana went back to the kitchen, putting the plates and cups to the sink and she started wash the dishes. Brittany was upstairs, giving Zoey her night-bath and helping out with homework later.
It was already late when Santana went into the big room and slumped onto the king size bed.
"Hey," Brittany smiled at her wife.
"Hey, there," Santana was lost again in those blue eyes.
"Come to bed?" Brittany sheepishly smiled.
Santana quickly obliged, and laid beside Brittany.
"San…" Brittany's voice was serious.
"Yes?"
"Are you happy?"
"Why?" Santana's forehead scrunched. She doesn't know where the conversation is headed. She had dreaded fights before, and throughout their married life, they only fought once. And that was during when they chose for Zoey's name.
"No, let's name he Jojo, or Blake, oh please not Twyla or Brie," Santana wailed.
"What's with those names that you hate so much?" Brittany shot back.
"I'm not going to let my kid suffer inferiority because she has a girly-girly name!"
"She's not going to be bullied," the blonde replied.
"She's not going to be if her parent gives her a great name! Now if you can't see that because you think you're right then I'm not into this shit!" Santana yelled.
"That's it Santana! Out!" Brittany yelled, her eyes flaring.
Santana was taken aback by the harshness, yet her pride held her in. "Fine. I'm sleeping somewhere else tonight."
"Whatever you do with your life, I don't care."
Santana sulked on the couch. She could hear the bedroom door slam, then a few silenced sniffs.
Brittany was crying. With the realization, Santana's heart seemed to contract. She shot up from the couch and hurried to their room.
"Open the room, Brittany!"
"No. You said you'll go somewhere else!"
"Look, let's talk about this, not yell about this!"
"I don't want to," Brittany wailed.
"Please, Britt…"
A small slit opened for Santana. The Latina got in quickly, and saw Brittany's red and puffy eyes.
"Hey," Santana cupped Brittany's face softly, her emotions flooding.
"San…"
"Shh…I'm sorry I was so stupid. I'm sorry I yelled." Santana was rambling now, seeing Brittany cry feels like dying.
"I did not mean anything I have said," the brunette stroke the blonde hair.
"I'm sorry too, San…" Brittany mumbled. "If you want let's name her Blake."
"No. You decide, Britt-Britt," Santana cradled her wife in her arms.
"How about Zoey?"
A fire danced in Santana's eyes as she kissed her wife.
"Anything you want Britt-Britt. Anything," she whispered into here wife's mouth.
"San?"
"Yes, Britt. I'm happy. Why are you asking?"
"Because I'm so happy and I want to know if this was fair, me being so happy and you so busy because you had to do all the hard work."
"Hey, we wanted this, don't we?" Santana rubbed Brittany's protruding tummy.
"I know…but-"
"I love you too," Santana giggled and looked at her wife's face, which the moonlight had hit. It made Brittany look more like a goddess than a human.
"San…"
"Britt…" Santana motioned her to cuddle into her arms. A few moments later, Brittany was softly snoring in Santana's arms.
It was a perfect picture to Santana, she smiled when their wedding rings came in contact and she remembered the promise they said on that rowboat eight years ago…
And that our love would conquer all that life throws at us.
