"Ricky, what did your mom say about that skateboard in the house?" Santana asked as her twelve year old son skated past her.
"Yea, but Mom isn't here." Santana put the mail she was inspecting down on the counter and looked at her son. "Why can't I skate in the house?"
"Because these floors were expensive, Ricky. If that board is inside, you're carrying it. Got it?" Ricky sighed and nodded. "Thank you.
"K. Can I go to Tyler's house?" Santana shook her head. "Why?"
"Because your mom is coming home before nine for the first time in a month, Ricky. You're staying here for dinner, clear?" Santana said. Ricky nodded. "Thank you. Now go upstairs and put that skateboard away."
"Got it." Ricky said, skating out of the kitchen.
"Ricardo Elliot!" Santana said, frowning as another voice said it with her. "Rach?"
"Mom?"
"Ricky, carry that skateboard upstairs."
"Yes ma'am." Santana smiled as she heard her son running upstairs.
"I'm home." Rachel said, smiling as she walked into the kitchen. Santana grinned as she hugged her wife.
"I missed seeing you before Mia's bedtime." she said. Rachel smiled. "When's the last time you tucked her into bed?" Rachel shrugged, thinking of their three year old daughter.
"I definitely will be tucking her into bed tonight though." Santana smiled and nodded. "First things first: dinner. What are we having?"
"Um... I kinda forgot to think about it. I'm sorry Rae... It's the first time you're actually home for dinner in a month and I didn't think of dinner." Rachel smiled softly and hugged her wife.
"Oh baby, it's okay. As long as as you, me, and the kids are there, it'll be perfect." Santana smiled softly.
They'd used Matt Rutherford as their sperm donor after reconnecting with him during college. Santana had been the one to carry their oldest son and Rachel had been the one to carry their second son and daughter. Their fifteen year old son, Ronnie, was born three years after they'd gotten married. He was into the rebel of the Lopez kids and the troublemaker. He always knew how to get a rise out of Santana. Their twelve year old son, Ricky, was born three years after Ronnie. He was the athlete of the Lopez kids, an avid skater. He constantly wore baggy clothes and tight fitting beanies (instead of the helmet that Rachel wanted him to wear) and carried around his skateboard.
Ironically, they were scared of Rachel even though both of them had at least six inches on her. They were only scared of Santana when "Mama Snix" came out around them, which really only happened when they were stupid enough to be disrespectful to either one of their moms, especially Rachel. Their three year old daughter, Mia, was showing interest in ballet and loved singing show tunes with Rachel.
Santana smiled as she held her wife. "We can order pizza or something."
"Sounds great." Rachel said, moving to grab the phone.
"Rachel!" Santana sang, pulling her wife into her arms. Rachel giggled and leaned into the lawyer. "Remember your graduation?"
FLASHBACK
Santana smiled as she watched her girlfriend finish up her valedictorian speech. Though it'd been three years since her own graduation, she'd been back for every Glee competition and formal dance that happened.
"To the friends who stuck by us through everything: thank you. To the family members and teachers who helped us get to this moment: thank you. And to the members of the class of 2012: we did it. We finally did it!" Santana smiled proudly as she her girlfriend's eye, Rachel smiled softly. "And finally, to my girlfriend: I love you. You're the love of my life... Santana, will you marry me?" Santana froze as everyone turned to look at her. "San?" Santana snapped out of her trance and made her way toward the stage and her girlfriend.
"You really want to marry me?" she whispered. Rachel smiled and nodded, grabbing the ring box she'd put on the podium before kneeling down and biting her lip. "Can we wait for a little bit?" Rachel grinned and stood up, pulling her girlfriend into a hug.
"We can wait as long as you want, San." Santana laughed and kissed the diva. "I love you so much."
"I love you too!" Santana said.
END FLASHBACK
"Three years later I was Mrs. Lopez." Rachel whispered. Santana chuckled.
"Three seems to be our number. I'm three years older than you, we started dating after three weeks of knowing each other, we got engaged after three years of dating, we got married after three years of engagement, we have three kids, Ronnie was born three years after we got married, Ricky was born three years after Ronnie..."
"Yea but Mia wasn't born three years after Ricky." Rachel pointed out.
"Nine is a multiple of three." Rachel chuckled as she hugged her wife. "Love you, Rae."
"I love you too, San." Rachel said, smiling softly. Santana grinned and pulled away. "I'll order some pizza."
"No. You go see Mia. I'll order pizza." Rachel smiled and went upstairs just as Ronnie walked in.
"Hey Ma." Santana paused her dialing as her son walked in.
"Ronaldo Emilio Lopez, what the hell do you think you're wearing?" Ronnie looked down at his outfit.
"I always dress like this." Santana scoffed.
"No, you're usually just wearing clothes that are too big for you, but your mom and I decided to choose our battles on that one. You're dressed like a thug. Wait... Is that an earring in your ear?" she exclaimed. Ronnie grinned and nodded. "Hell no. Absolutely not."
"You can't tell me what to do."
"You're fifteen years old, Ronnie. I can tell you what to do and I'm telling you to take that damn earring out of your ear right now." Santana said. Rachel ran into the kitchen.
"What is going on in here?" she demanded, looking at her wife and son.
"Ronnie thought it was a good idea to get his ears pierced." Rachel raised an eyebrow and turned to her son.
"Ronnie..." Ronnie shrugged, but didn't say a word. "Why-"
"More importantly, how? You're fifteen. What idiot pierces a fifteen year old's ear without parental consent?" Ronnie bit his lip and looked down, causing Rachel to gasp.
"Ronaldo Emilio Lopez, where did you get your ear pierced?" she asked.
"Does it even matter? It's already done!" Ronnie yelled, glaring at the actress.
"Yes it matters!" Rachel said.
"Why? It's not your ear, so back off!" Ronnie yelled loudly, causing Rachel to flinch. Neither of the women had ever been yelled at by one of their kids in that way.
"Ronnie!" Santana said, glaring at her son before checking on her wife. "Rae, baby..." Rachel held up a hand and walked out of the room. Santana glared at the boy. "How dare you talk to your mother like that. Who the hell do you think you are? You think that stupid earring makes you cool?" Ronnie nodded, "It doesn't make you cool enough to disrespect her that way or anyway." Ronnie sighed. "Take it out. Now!" Santana yelled.
"I can't." Santana rolled her eyes.
"I've had my ears pierced since I was seven, Ronnie-"
"Then what's the big deal with me?" Santana raised her eyebrow.
"Because my mom took me to a safe location to have them pierced. You went without our knowledge or consent to somewhere sketchy enough to not care that you're fifteen years old and your parents weren't there. Ronnie, do you even realize how dangerous that was?" Ronnie sighed.
"Ma-"
"Ronnie, take it out before your ear get infected. Your hole is going to close and that's that." Santana said.
"When can I get it pierced again?" Ronnie asked, angry. Santana sighed.
"I don't know, Ronnie. Give me the damn earring." Ronnie scoffed and took the earring out, handing it to his mom. "You looked ridiculous with one earring by the way." she said, moving to find Rachel. "Baby?" she asked softly, finding her wife in their bedroom.
"Yea?"
"I got the earring. I can't guarantee he won't get them redone the second he turns eighteen, but hopefully he'll match." Rachel forced a laugh out. "Baby, I'm sorry he spoke to you that way."
"Thanks for sticking up for me."
"I'll always stick up for you, Rae." Santana whispered. Rachel smiled slightly. "Ever since the first day we met, I wanted to do nothing but protect you."
FLASHBACK
"Check it out, San. Freshmen." Santana chuckled as Puck examined the incoming students, clearly picking out his targets. "That one's kinda hot, actually." Santana followed his eyes and saw a tiny brunette searching for her locker.
"Yea she is, but I thought you only went for Cheerios during football season."
"I can make an exception." Santana rolled her eyes; Puck never stuck to that rule anyway.
"You're gonna waste your time on a freshman, Puck. Why not just go after the juniors or something?" she asked.
"Because freshmen are so eager to fit in that she'll go along with anything I say." Santana shook her head in a mixture of disgust and irritation. "I'm gonna go talk to her."
"No need. She's coming over here." the cheerleader said, standing up straight.
"Excuse me, but you're blocking my locker." the girl said softly, looking at Puck. The boy smiled charmingly and stepped aside, grabbing the girl's schedule in the process. "Um-"
"So your name is Rachel Berry?" The girl nodded. "I'm Noah Puckerman."
"Nice to meet you. And you are?" Rachel asked, looking at Santana. Caught off guard, Santana stuttered,
"Uh... Santana Lopez." Rachel smiled softly at the cheerleader, earning a smile from the Latina as well before she stole the brunette's schedule from the boy. "Your first period is French... I'm heading that way for my first period. I can show you where it is if you want." Santana offered.
"I'd like that" Rachel said. Santana smiled, barely noticing as Puck sulked off. Soon, the two were walking.
"Here's your schedule, by the way." Rachel blushed.
"Thanks."
END FLASHBACK
"You've been saving me since the day we met." Santana chuckled.
"Puck was trying to creep on you." Rachel smiled. "Something about you just... Caught my attention. I can't explain it, but it just did. That's why it only took us a month to start dating."
"Three weeks." Rachel mumbled, causing her wife to laugh softly.
"Of course." she whispered, kissing the side of Rachel's head. "I'm gonna go order dinner and-" Santana was cut off by a knock. She looked up to see Ricky standing in the doorway. "What's up mijo?"
"Mom, can we talk?" Santana stood up.
"Well, I can tell when I'm being rejected. I'll be downstairs ordering." Ricky grinned at his mom as she walked out before sitting next to Rachel.
"What's going on?" Rachel asked. Ricky bit his lip.
"So there's this girl, Kayla... We're sorta dating, but her parents don't really like me-"
"Why?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Cause I'm a skater and they want her to date someone who's the cliché perfect high school guy." Rachel nodded. "I don't want to lose her though."
"Ricky, did I ever tell you about the time Ma and I had to sneak around your grandfathers' backs?" Ricky shook his head. "My fathers couldn't stand Ma."
"But they love Ma." Ricky said. Rachel nodded.
"Yes, but it took them awhile to feel that way about her. See, Ma was a senior and I was a freshman when we began dating. My fathers didn't like that and Lima is a small town. She was a cheerleader and I was the daughter of the only gay couple in town. They were convinced it was an elaborate plan to humiliate me and forbid me from seeing her."
"What did you do?" Ricky asked. Rachel smiled.
"I told them I wouldn't see her if they didn't want me to, but it was impossible. So we got one of her friends Matt to come meet my fathers as my friend. He would pick me up when I wanted to see Ma and drive me to wherever we were meeting and then he'd pick me up later and take me home." Ricky nodded.
"I'm guessing this is the part where you teach me something." Rachel laughed and nodded. "What happened?"
"Ma and I were having dinner together about a month after my dads told me not to see her again. We weren't expecting your grandfathers to walk into the restaurant literally just as we were walking out of it. Grandpa's eyes couldn't seem to stop staring as we held hands while Granddad just kind of stared at me. They were oddly calm as they told us to go to my house and wait for them while they ordered something to go. The four of us had a very long and honest conversation. Finally they were able to see how much I cared for Ma and they let us be together."
"So you're saying I should just be honest and tell Kayla's parents how much I care about her?"
"Yes. I should have done that from the beginning." Rachel and Ricky looked over to see Santana smiling at them. "Dinner will be here in thirty minutes."
"Great." Rachel said as Ricky stood up. "Does that help, Ricky?"
"Actually yea. Thanks Mom." Rachel smiled as Santana sat back down.
"Your dads totally love me now, by the way." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"We need to think of a punishment for Ronnie." Santana nodded.
"I punish better on a full stomach." Rachel giggled as Mia walked into the room.
"Mommy! You haven't come see me!" Rachel picked up the toddler and kissed her cheek.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I'll make it up to you and tuck you into bed."
"Yay!" Mia cheered as Ronnie walked into the room.
"What's my punishment?" Santana sighed.
"I don't know yet, Ronnie. I'll let you know after dinner." Ronnie sighed and walked out of the room, quickly followed by his sister. "I'm worried about him, Rae."
"So am I." Rachel whispered.