Series: Daughters

Title: Briana

Pairing: Santana/Brittany

Rating: MA (for language, sexual situations and mild recreational drug use)

Summary: The future is unlike anything she imagined at all. A journey through the most important chapters of Santana's life.

A/N: This is the first in a planned series of 3 that follow a prologue I wrote back in 2011, about halfway through season 2. This is an AU take of life after high school for these characters as imagined then. I recommend you read that prologue first. It's long but the character journeys are wildly different from the show's third season and this story will not always make that distinction clear, rather it assumes you already know its wacky backstory. Enjoy!

p.s. If you read 'Playing House' posted 2 years ago, it's been since removed because that excerpt opens this chapter as originally intended. Please read from the start anyway as the flashback ties into the present story. Thank you.


Part One: Omens

Santana's a big fan of weekends at Grandma's. She always makes her favorite food and lets her stay up late. It's good times.

By now Santana's figured out that her parents will send her over whenever they need a break, so she made sure to soak up every ounce of energy they had in them this past week in order to guarantee this weekend's visit.

It's a sunny Saturday morning and they're people watching from the front porch. Apparently the next door neighbors have moved since Santana's last visit and there's a new family moving in. A pretty lady with long blonde hair and the bluest eyes she's ever seen breaks away from the brood after a while and walks over to introduce herself.

Santana starts waving hello when she notices the girl attached to the lady's legs. She only knows she's a girl because her All-Stars are neon pink, otherwise her head looks like it's stuck up the lady's butt. Santana stops mid-wave to cover her mouth, giggling at the sight.

"Britt Britt, come on," the lady blushes, urging the girl by pulling gently on her arm until her head pops into sight.

Santana immediately feels embarrassed for her. The girl looks to be about her same age and if her momma ever caught her sucking on her thumb like that, Santana would probably get the longest time-out of her life.

But then the other girl starts to cry and Santana jumps off the front porch swing, ready to make a run for her doll if necessary just as watery eyes dart towards the movement, suddenly wide and wondrous.

"I'm really sorry, she's not usually this shy but she just woke up from a nap!"

Santana's gone in a flash to fetch her doll.

On her way back she stops just short of slamming into the lady. She looks up to say sorry but the lady just laughs at her enthusiasm and when the girl peeks out from behind her legs, thumb no longer in mouth, Santana forgets to apologize altogether.

"Hey there, munchkin! I'm Amy and this is my daughter Brittany. What's your name?"

"Santana Marie Lopez," she says in one breath, unable to look back with her answer because if Amy's are the bluest eyes she's ever seen, then Brittany's have to be the brightest.

She offers her hand and Brittany extends her right, shaking it awkwardly once before realizing it's the wrong hand and switching to the one with the wet thumb.

Santana makes a face and giggles. "How old are you?"

"I'm five," Brittany says, spreading her fingers wide so Santana can count them.

"I'm five and a half!" She returns proudly, although Brittany probably doesn't even hear because she's already staring at her doll.

Santana knows she has the prettiest doll in the whole world because the other girls at school always want to play with hers instead of their own. It's a very expensive doll, but she fell in love with her when her daddy took her to the toy store after tricking her into going to the dentist and simply couldn't refuse her. Santana feels the compensation was more than fair.

"Wanna play?"

Brittany nods eagerly and her mom asks Santana's grandma if that's okay. Already knowing the answer, Santana doesn't wait for it and grabs Brittany by the hand, pulling her towards the backyard. Brittany lets go when they reach her playhouse and Santana walks through the front door, suppressing a smile when the other girl gasps.

It's not that Santana's spoiled, it's just that her sister lives with her mom all the way in Seattle and so she gets all the nice presents to herself.

Playing alone is not as fun, though.

"Hey! Can I-" Brittany starts excitedly but Santana quickly shushes her, carefully laying her doll down on the crib. Brittany lowers her voice down to a whisper. "Can I be the mommy, too?"

Santana looks at her new friend funny. "I don't think that's how it works."

"Oh," Brittany pouts, crossing her arms to shrug as if it doesn't matter, but quickly blushing and looking away when Santana shoots her a puzzled look.

"Fine," Santana relents with a sigh. "You can be the mommy, too. Just don't tell anyone I said, okay?"

"Okay!" Brittany agrees easily, smiling again.

"And keep your voice down," Santana whispers sternly. "You're gonna wake our baby girl."


The day before any major event in her life, Santana's always dreamed about her grandmother. She woke up on her wedding day with a big smile on her face and the memory of meeting Brittany for the first time still fresh in her mind. The dream had been so vivid that Santana could still feel her presence in the room.

It's not a feeling she ever thought she'd welcome, but she'd really missed her when Brittany proposed the year before. Santana had wondered sadly if she was through visiting her in dreams back then. But the one she'd just woken up from was confirmation that her grandmother was still very much with her in spirit.

Feeling her again and on such a special day was the remaining piece of the puzzle. It turned out to be the last bit of reassurance Santana needed to know with certainty that she wasn't rushing into this. That her life with Brittany had begun long ago and today was just a testament to that.

The two of them had settled into an admittedly blissful domestic life almost immediately after landing home from Vegas. She soon realized the other girl hadn't been kidding about starting her own clothing line when she woke Santana up bright and early the next morning, ready to get started. Santana had simply groaned and rolled over but Brittany was quick to remind her that this was sort of her idea, which Santana regretted for all of five seconds until Brittany started pressing kisses to her naked back and asked for help again extra nicely.

She happily obliged and did a lot of research for them over the following months, helping Brittany map out her goals for the line before deciding to just give it a go on their own. It was simple enough. They would try a few small pieces at first and see how they did. Brittany had already booked a dance convention that toured a weekend out of the month indefinitely. A surge of new dancers began attending it exclusively to take class from her and Mike when their show continued running successfully to rave reviews. Her paycheck was consistent due to the pair's sudden popularity in the dance community and the schedule really helped them launch the line in little time.

They'd started out with shirts and tops of simple design, with a few splashes of color that didn't cost as much to make while still using high quality fabric. Once they had the product in their hands, Santana attended the next convention as a vendor and set up a merchandise booth alongside the others. All Mike and Brittany had to do then was mention to a large class that they were premiering their dancewear line and Santana was sold out before the first day was even over.

A website followed and they were completely out of stock within a month. Seeing the success and the revenue it was already bringing in, Mike and Brittany decided to take the next step and invest a good starting amount to produce nicer pieces, branching the line out to include pants, shorts, and hoodies. They proudly named their company Bike Wear, Inc., adopting the moniker their fans had given the duo even though Santana protested that it was highly misleading. It didn't stop the line from taking off however, perhaps because it was their fan base that had brought them success in the first place.

Tina needed an internship for college credit so they brought her on to help them manage. She was still attending school in Toronto but she mostly handled website sales and tracked the online activity. It saved them a lot of time to plan their wedding while Mike was starting to get regular gigs out in LA. Santana was surprised to find how easy her new part-time job became after a while and how lucrative. They'd been able to save up enough to put a healthy down payment on a new starter home by the fall.

It took a few months before it was ready for them but they'd finally gotten the keys a couple of weeks before the big day and just in time for the holidays. Having already gone a little over budget on the wedding, they hadn't been able to purchase all of the furniture yet, but at least they already had a nice bed in the master. It was all Santana needed to feel like a grown-up, really, even though she was barely old enough to legally drink and had an entire life to look forward to. Nothing outside those walls would ever matter as much anymore. She was ready to start living her life before realizing she'd been waiting to at all.

Eyes still shut, Santana smiled contentedly as she reached over to Brittany's side. The habitual search for her body warmth came up empty and she lifted her head to inspect the space, frowning disappointedly when she remembered the other girl wasn't with her. Quinn had insisted they spend the day apart until the ceremony, however silly both girls felt about it.

They only made it until later that afternoon though, when Quinn foolishly stepped away from helping Santana get ready to look for a non-existent bag in her car. She heard the door to Quinn's old room re-open just a few moments after and her stomach clenched in anticipation as she looked up, grinning when she saw Brittany's reflection smiling triumphantly back at her in the mirror. She turned around to fully admire the shimmery white gown stunningly hugging every curve on her body.

"It's breathtaking, Britt," Santana shook her head in awe as she stood. "You look beautiful."

Brittany blushed, ducking her head shyly and stepping closer while reaching for her hands.

"I really wanted to be the first to see you in it..." she began regretfully before she trailed off, taking a half step back to appreciate the tight fit and short length of Santana's own dress. "It's perfect!"

"Yeah?" Santana glanced down with apprehension. It was a shade brighter than Brittany's, though it somehow matched its sparkle.

"Yeah babe," Brittany nodded breathlessly, conveying just how much she loved it as her eyes continued to survey Santana's body in it. A thought came to her and her baby blues lit up. "Please tell me you're wearing some killer red pumps with this?"

Santana smirked, twisting her bare foot on the carpet and shrugging coyly. Brittany grinned back before carefully leaning in for a kiss, mindful of their fresh make-up until her hand slipped down to cup her ass and then it was Santana who couldn't help surging forward, carelessly mashing their lips together.

"Ahem," Tina cleared her throat and startled them apart. She was holding a doorknob in her hand while shooting daggers in Brittany's direction. "You locked me in the bathroom."

"Oh no!" Quinn reappeared right behind her, frowning disappointedly. "Why would you let her come over?"

"I didn't! Though all she had to do was ask." Tina narrowed her eyes back at Brittany while handing Quinn the doorknob, shrugging when Quinn just gaped back. "Britt's fault."

"Brittany! Out!"

"No!" She glared back, clearly over whatever tradition Quinn was imposing on them. Her pinky linked anxiously around Santana's and tugged. "Will you please tell your maid of honor this is stupid?"

"Come on, Q. It's our wedding."

"That's fine, but can't you two hold off on making out for another hour? Look at her face!"

Santana laughed suddenly, reaching a thumb to wipe her red lipstick off Brittany's pout only to further smear it in the process.

"Okay, stop!" Tina ordered her before running out to retrieve Brittany's make-up from the guest room.

Quinn rushed over to reapply Santana's.

"I was only trying to make the first time you saw each other today special, you know…" She muttered, still blushing from Brittany's little outburst.

"I know," Santana sighed. She grasped and stilled the hand working on her face to look her best friend in the eye, smiling sincerely. "And it was. Thank you."

Quinn had in fact done a wonderful job. Santana almost hired a wedding planner but every time they interviewed one, Quinn would dismiss their suggestions by instantly coming up with at least five better ones. Following a couple of unsuccessful meetings, Santana gave up and just offered to pay Quinn to plan the whole thing instead.

She'd declined compensation, saying it would be her honor (and wedding gift) before spending every waking hour she wasn't at work running invitation designs by her roommates and scheduling visits to Lima's limited selection of venues. They'd both hated every single one so Quinn had suggested looking outside of town when Brittany had the brilliant idea to have it at the Fabray home.

Santana pictured it then exactly as it happened: her father walking her down the spiral case to the beautiful foyer below, Brittany and her father just a few steps ahead, both men giving them away to each other while surrounded only by immediate family and their closest friends...

The affair was simple, elegant and stress-free. Mercedes, now a part-time student / part-time ordained minister performing gay weddings up in Boston, had offered to marry them the night Brittany proposed. She teared up as the couple said their own vows, involving an emotional exchange of old friendship bracelets for wedding rings that both Santana and Brittany struggled through themselves, then finally allowed them to get their sensible mack by pronouncing them woman and wife.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. and Mrs. Santana Lopez!"

Every reaction in the room was different, from Kurt's hearty laugh down to her father's loud whistle. But most importantly, all positive.

Santana had been a little hesitant when Brittany first mentioned changing her last name. She didn't think it was necessary, but then Brittany decided to play dirty and brought up the fact that Santana got crazy bling out of the deal and all she really wanted in return was her name, so she let her have it. They'd managed to keep it a secret until the moment Mercedes announced it, only telling her in private a few minutes before the ceremony.

A small reception followed in the back yard, under a heavy tent with plenty of heaters since Brittany had insisted on a winter wedding. They'd settled for the first of January to allow everyone to celebrate the holidays first and simultaneously kick off the new year on the highest note. All guests wore black and white per dress code, making the red roses decorating the space stand out dramatically in the candlelit room. The small fortune they'd spent was more than worth all the beautiful memories of that perfect day.

They honeymooned in Puerto Rico for a week. Her uncles owned a high-end resort on a smaller island just off the coast and they got to stay in their most lavish cabin as a wedding gift from Santana's parents. She took Brittany on excursions all over the main island to her favorite restaurants and eateries, partly to share her culture but mostly to satisfy her own cravings, and toured her through the places she visited every summer as a child.

In reality they spent most of their time in bed or lying naked on the private deck, lazily catching rays and z's in between marathon rounds of the best sex Santana had ever partaken in, but it was nice to bring her back to the place she was from to celebrate the rest of their lives together. It felt so natural that Santana couldn't help smiling like a newlywed the entire time, and she didn't stop, not even after they returned to Lima and spring semester started.


TBC: Will update this once or twice a week while I edit and finish this first volume. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated! Thank you for reading.