Santana's feet were aching, her body screaming out for bed. She'd never been this exhausted or happy in her life. She'd just spent the entire evening dancing with her wife - her wife! - and everyone she loved. The entire day had been even more perfect than she imagined it to be, and more overwhelming than she ever thought possible..
Nothing was more overwhelming than seeing her Abuela in the front row, clapping as she watched Santana marry the love of her life.
Brittany was saying her goodbyes to Tina and Mike, while Santana managed to slip out of the room to somewhere a little quieter. The music had stopped, the party was over, but people were still hanging about, catching up and discussing the day. Santana wanted a moment alone to reflect on everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. It was a lot to take in.
As she walked outside, she heard voices around the corner of the barn.
"She was beautiful. They both were."
"I know. I know they were."
"She loves you more than you know."
"And I love her the same. It's just… difficult for me to understand."
Santana stood still, not daring to make a sound. Her mother and Abuela were talking about the wedding. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to listen or not. She didn't want to hear something that would tarnish the memory of the day, to take away from the joy of having her Abuela there.
"I'm glad you're trying."
"So am I. Seeing her up there… in that dress. The look she had in her eye when she was with Brittany, I've never seen her so happy. She's still my Santana… the same little girl I used to kiss goodnight before she went to sleep."
Maribel laughs. "She's not so little anymore."
"You're right, she's grown into a beautiful young woman. And Brittany… well, Santana has found an equally beautiful young woman to make her bride."
Hearing the words come out of her own Abuela's mouth, the same woman who years before had told her to keep her love for Brittany secret, who had kicked her out of her own home for it, it was all too much, and Santana choked out a sob. She didn't realise she'd even made a sound until the conversation stopped.
"Santana? Santana, are you there?"
She wiped her eyes, trying to make it look like she hadn't been crying. It didn't make any difference though, as these two women had raised her, and knew within a split second that she'd been crying.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was just- I just wanted some air."
They both smiled at her. "Santana, come here," her Abuela said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you for today. I'm so happy for you. You were beautiful. You are beautiful." Santana didn't even bother to cover up her tears this time, and cried into her Abuela's shoulder.
"Thank you for coming," she choked out. "It means the world to me. I don't think I could have imagined my wedding day without you."
"I couldn't miss it. Seeing you so happy… Whatever reservations I had about it, I couldn't miss something that made you so happy. Santana, what you have with Brittany is special. She's a wonderful woman. I'm glad you found each other."
Santana's heart felt like it was going to burst. She'd never felt this loved or this happy in her whole life.
"Santana?" She heard Brittany's voice behind her, and pulled away from her Abuela's arms. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, but didn't worry about Brittany seeing her cry.
"Hey," she said in a small voice, still in shock from hearing her Abuela say what she had.
"Are you okay?" Brittany asked, coming closer.
Santana looked at her, still glowing from their wedding.. "More than okay, Britt."
"We were just having some Lopez time," Maribel told her.
"But I guess you're a Lopez now, too, aren't you Brittany?" Alma said, smiling.
Brittany smiled back, and took Santana's hand in her own. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."
"Come on, we better be going home," Maribel said, kissing Santana on the cheek before moving on to Brittany to do the same. "It's late, and I'm sure these lovebirds want some time alone."
"I love you, Santana," Alma said, kissing her cheek, too. "And you Brittany," She took Brittany's spare hand in her own. "Keep making her happy. She's beautiful when she's happy."
"I think she's beautiful all the time," Brittany responded without hesitation. "But I'll always try to make her happy. That's all I ever want to do. Well, that and finish the time machine I've been working on."
Everyone laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow," Maribel said, leading the way back to the car, leaving Santana and Brittany alone for the first time in what felt like forever.
"I can't believe she's being so supportive," Santana said, tears still in her eyes.
"She would be silly not to be. I mean, who can look at us and be mad at us for loving each other? Maybe on paper in some ancient book it looks like something bad, but when you look at me and you in real life it's impossible not to love us."
"I find it impossible not to love you," Santana said.
"And I find it impossible not to love you, too." Santana leans in and places her lips lightly on Brittany's. She feels Brittany's arms wrap around her body, pulling her closer, her lips parting wanting a deeper kiss. Santana complies, and kisses her the way she's wanted to since their kiss before the ceremony this morning. All day she's been thinking about kissing Brittany. To be honest, that's all she thinks about most days.
They pull apart, resting their foreheads against one another, eye contact unwavering.
"I can't believe that you're my wife," Santana said, laughing a little in disbelief as she says the word. "We're married. By law."
"Can I tell you something?" Brittany asked. Santana nods against her. "We've always kind of been married in my head. I've always thought of you as my wife. I've never wanted anyone else. Every future I've imagined, it's always you there with me. So I didn't know how different it would be in my head, now that it's on paper. But... it's just… Santana, it's the greatest feeling in the world. It's like… my heart's too big for my chest, and every time I look at you and catch sight of the ring…. I guess I just can't believe you're my wife either."
"I love you so much," Santana said.
"I love you, too."