Brittany'd had a lot of firsts in her life. There was the first boy she ever kissed, a confused Finn Hudson in kindergarten when he had tried to peak up her dress on the jungle gym at recess. There was the first time she ever kissed a girl, a brazen Santana Lopez after the winter formal in seventh grade when someone had put some cheap schnapps in the punch and she'd had six glasses in three short hours. There was the first time she had sex, a surprisingly skillful Noah Puckerman after the second football game freshman year when she'd first perfected her right herkie and he'd scored the winning touchdown. There was the first real boyfriend she had, a talented Mike Chang that she started spending time with after he showed up in her ballet classes halfway through ninth grade and they'd been partnered up for the spring showcase. And now, there was the first time she got married, a perfect Sam Evans that decided that she was his soulmate and he wanted to spend the rest of the time he had left on this planet with her.
Sam would never be the first person she loved. That would always belong to Santana, and Brittany was glad about that. They had been best friends for so long that she knew something special needed to belong to pretty much the most important person she'd ever had in her life. However, there were moments when she thought that Sam might be the last person she loved. Santana had always been pretty supportive, but she had never fully understood Brittany. There would be moments where she would grimace and Brittany could just see the insult on the tip of her tongue. Sam never made her feel bad about herself though. He got that she wasn't dumb, she just saw the world differently. Maybe it was because of their blonde hair, maybe it was because they were just a little more innocent than their friends, but whatever it was, she liked that Sam got her. It made her feel safe.
That's mostly why she agreed to marry him in the first place. She knew that he would protect her whatever happened on December 21st, and if nothing happened, he wouldn't judge her on December 22nd. Instead, like he actually did when they woke up the next morning, he would smile at her and say how happy he was to have another day with her. She was only a little disappointed later when she found out they weren't really married. He had't even asked for Lord Tubbington's blessing, and that felt really important to her. Her parents had said a few choice words as well when they had made their announcement, that was until Sam explained how everything happened and then her father had only shaken his head and her mother had smiled fondly at both of them.
"Sam, if the world didn't end, that means Christmas is in three days," she realizes later, after Coach Bieste had explained everything to them. "I don't have any presents though! I spent all my money on the gummy bears we ate last night. I need to get something for my family! I need to get something for you!"
He smiles at her with a sparkle in his eyes and shakes his head. "I have everything I want for Christmas right here," he assures her as he squeezes her hand. "And I just happen to have a little bit of money that I saved just in case."
"Well, maybe we can split it and I will pay you back when Lord Tubbington gets back from Las Vegas. He wanted to spend his last day on earth playing pai gow at the Luxor," she explains. "Do you think you can drive me to the mall? I can't find the map you made me for the last time, and I know that you have your compass."
Sam patted his pocket before nodding and leading her toward his car. Ten minutes later, they're piling out of his car in the very crowded parking lot. Brittany reaches for his hand, looking a little afraid as the people swirl around her. They find an inexpensive scarf with unicorns on it for her mother and a set of heart stickers for her little sister and a coffee mug with a purple dinosaur on it for her dad. Sam even kicks in a few extra dollars to have them wrapped in the cute wrapping paper she picks out, with its smiling snowflakes and neon reindeer. They're just about to head back to the car when she stops short in front of a little jewelry boutique. Her eyes are fixed on a pair of little rainbow earrings in the window.
"Do you like those, Brit?"
"Yes," she says softly, "but not for me. They remind me of San. This is the first Christmas that I won't get to see her."
He hates seeing her so sad, so he pulls her by the hand into the store and pays for them without ever saying another word. Once they are tucked into a little purple envelope, he leads her over to the shipping place near the exit and spends double to make sure they get to Kentucky in time for Christmas Eve. He hands over the little card for Brittany to fill out before they drop it into the mail slot. She looks down at the notecard thoughtfully before signing it, "With love from Brittany and Sam."
She doesn't offer up an explanation and Sam knows better than to ask for one. He expects her to be sad when she lets the package fall into the bin with the others, but instead, she grins up at him like he's the best thing that ever happened. "You're really nice, Sam," she tells him before kissing him on the cheek. He likes the way her eyes glitter as if he is the only person on the planet. "I'm really glad we're soulmates. No one gets me like you do."
Three days later, Sam isn't surprised when a package shows up from Santana. Brittany opens it quietly and smiles when she pulls out a hot pink hat with floppy bunny ears. She wears it all Christmas day and doesn't care at all that it clashes completely with her emerald green dress. Sam tugs on one ear every once in awhile to tease her, but she just smiles back at him and tells him that it's her favorite gift so far. And later, when she opens the little silver ring with the pink crystal heart on it, she whispers not to tell Santana that she likes it better than the hat.
"I know it's not a wedding ring. It's not even an engagement ring or a promise ring," he tells her as he slides it onto her left ring finger. "It's a soulmate ring, a promise that I still want to spend whatever time I have left on earth with you. I meant everything I said before, Brit, before the wedding and since."
Brittany grins down at the ring and then pulls out her phone to snap a picture. Her fingers are tangled with Sams in the somewhat blurry snapshot, which she promptly uploads to Twitter with the very telling hashtag of #BestChristmasEver. Later on, when their tummies are full of hot chocolate and they're lying on their backs beneath the Christmas tree staring up at the twinkling lights, she turns on her side and looks at him seriously. He adjusts the brim of her hat and kisses her gently before pressing their foreheads together.
"I want to spend all my days with you, too, Sam, forever," she finally says. "You're my soulmate. I'm really glad you're going to be my last I love you."