Mother's Day

by godblessthefandom

A Brittana story, and a sequel to my story, Father's Day.

Brittany was seven when she figured out Pierce Pierce wasn't her biological father.

It had happened rather suddenly. She had gone to play at a friend's house, and was looking at family pictures on the wall. Pictures of her brown haired friend and her brown haired father and brown haired grandfather. They all had the same happy eyes and lopsided grin. They all had the same skin, and the same freckles. They just looked alike.

Brittany had always known she didn't look like her dad. But it wasn't until that day that she had put the pieces together and realized why.

Pierce Pierce was not her biological father.

The news didn't shake her like her parents thought it might many years later. When her dad had come to pick her up later that day from her friend's house, she had run into his arms as usual, letting him lift her up and swing her around, even though he was only a foot or so taller than she was (she was tall for her age). And she giggled, and cuddled him, and had gone to get ice cream afterward. Nothing had changed.

He was still her Daddy and she was still his little girl, and who cared that they looked nothing alike?

The only people it mattered to were the strangers who gave them looks as they held hands in the park. Or maybe the store clerks who wondered why this curious person was dancing and making faces to get the little blonde girl to laugh after she scraped her knee after falling down. Maybe some parents at school who thought it was a bit odd that a small Korean man was doing his best to balance this lanky pale kid on his shoulders, while they raced around the playground.

But those people didn't matter. Brittany loved her father, and he loved her, and she couldn't imagine her life without him, so she didn't try.

The first time Brittany had brought Santana home from Cheerios practice, he had been waiting by the door, all grins, waiting to meet the girl who had, in his words, 'stolen his daughter's heart.' He gathered Santana up in his arms for a patented Pierce Pierce Welcome Wagon Hug, and Brittany stood doubled over with laughter.

Santana had considered it all rather strange, and asked her who that man was.

"He's my dad." Was Brittany's only reply.

"Oh."

Of course, because she was Santana (and was in love with Brittany, even then), she accepted it without question, and never brought it up again.

Many years later, Pierce and Whitney were on their way to Brittany and Santana's home out in Westchester, and nine year old Tesla Lopez-Pierce could not have been happier.

"Oma and Opa are almost here!"

She had banged on Santana and Brittany's bedroom door, and waiting only a moment, barged in, racing through the room, and jumping onto her mothers' bed.

Brittany had been asleep before the interruption, and could offer only a soft groan in response. Santana looked up from her iPad, and chuckled.

"Silencio, Tess, what did we say about noise in the morning?"

"I know, Mami, but Oma just texted me and said they are in New York! They'll be here in two hours!"

She could barely contain her excitement, and was hopping up and down on the bed, much to Santana's chagrin.

Santana could hear her wife groan again under the covers, and putting away her tablet, slid from under the blanket and grabbed her daughter around the waist, picking her up with a grunt, and carried her out of the room.

"Tess, honey, Mommy is sleeping, so we should let her sleep. Waking her up is not going to make Oma and Opa get here any sooner." She chided softly.

"Pero, Mamiiii…"

"Callate, Tess. Let's go downstairs and make some breakfast for Mommy. You can pick some flowers out of her garden, and help me to make up for waking her up. Maybe that will put her in a good mood."

"Like you did that time you let Aunt Rachel take me to her show and she got me that gold star tattoo that was fake, but Mommy thought it was real and-"

"Exactly. And that's why Mommy had to take a sabbatical from letting you hang out with Aunt Rachel."

They bounded down the stairs and before long, there was bacon sizzling, pancakes to be flipped, and a gallon of orange juice ready to be poured on the counter. Tesla had chosen a playlist of classic Usher, and left to go get her flowers. So, Santana was left bouncing and singing alone in the kitchen.

"So that shawty was checking up on me. By the game she was spitting in my ear you would think that she knows me. I decided to chill. Conversation got heavy, she had me feeling like she's ready to blow. I was saying come get me, so I got up and followed her to the floor she said, 'baby, let's go.' That's when I told her…"

Suddenly, firm hips pressed into her butt, and strong hands wrapped around her thighs. Brittany pressed hard up against her, and started moving with the music.

Santana would never be over the way her wife danced, and even now it was as intoxicating as ever. They swayed a few more moments, and Santana turned around in Brittany's arms.

Finding her wife's lips with her own, she kissed her long and hard, grateful that she had gotten up earlier to brush her teeth while Brittany was still asleep. She broke away, turning back to the stove, and expertly flipping a pancake.

"Tesla is making you breakfast as an apology for waking you up."

"Mmm." Brittany cooed, wrapping her arms around Santana, and melting a bit into her back. "I could think of worse ways to be woken up than by my amazing daughter, and my awesome wife."

"Yes, but honey, the next time she bursts in we might both be awake. And both of us awake, and in bed could only mean one thing."

Brittany kissed the side of Santana's neck. "Point taken. So, has she learned her lesson yet?"

"I hope so."

They were quiet a few moments more, enjoying the domesticity of the scene, before Brittany spoke up again.

"My mom texted Tess?"

Santana laughed. "I told you, hun, she's getting good with the technology. Pretty soon, we'll be Skyping with them every day, just like they've always wanted."

Brittany laughed as well.

"How far out are they?"

"Not sure, ask Tess, she knows all the details."

Brittany sighed.

"What is it, babe?" Santana asked, turning again to look Brittany in the eye.

"It's just that Tess is getting so big. She's getting texts from my mom, and she's starting 5th grade this year, and she was telling me that she's got a crush on some boy in her class and-"

"Wait, what? What boy?"

Brittany's eyes widened. "Oh, well, it's not a big deal, just some kid. I dunno, honey, you're missing the greater point here."

"My little girl had a crush on some boy? This is the greater point. Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because she got the feeling that you might overreact. Like you're doing now." Brittany smiled at her wife, gripping her hand tightly.

"I'm not-uh- well, I just think I should know these things."

"It's no biggie, sweetheart. She'll come to you when she's ready. She knows you'd kick this kid's ass if she needed you to."

"Damn straight."

"It's just… where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, and now she's all grown up."

"Not quite, dear."

"Well, she's getting there."

Santana finished stacking the last of the pancakes on a plate, turned off the stove, and turned back to her wife.

"She's still got plenty of growing left to go. And she'll always be our little girl, Britt, no matter what happens."

Brittany's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"You're right, San, of course. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm getting so emotional."

"You're just happy to see your parents. It's making you all nostalgic. I told you we can go and see them more often during the year. That'll be great for all of us. We'll go back to Lima and alternate weeks with our parents. Tess doesn't see them nearly enough as it is."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"I know. You're not the only one of us married to a genius." She kissed the tip of Brittany's nose, before turning to the refrigerator to grab some eggs.

"I'm so glad I did. And a hot one at that." Brittany said, climbing effortlessly into one of bar stools at the counter.

Before Santana could reply, Tess bounded back into the kitchen, skipping and singing happily. Santana eyed her daughter.

"¿Dónde están las flores, mija?"

"I left them outside, Mami. It's supposed to be a surprise, and I didn't want to ruin it. Morning Mommy, I'm sorry I woke you up this morning."

Tesla crawled into Brittany lap, laying a head on her mother's shoulder. Santana scoffed.

"You can't cuddle your way out of every problem, mi amor."

"Says who?" said Brittany, squeezing her daughter tight. "You know better than anyone I accept cuddles as a form of apology."

Tess laughed and nuzzled Brittany's shoulder.

"What time did Opa and Oma say they were getting here?" Santana asked, remembering Brittany's question.

"Um, they said two hours ago, but that was almost half an hour ago. I bet I could figure out how long it will take them to get here based on their average speed. I bet I could figure it out to the minute!"

Tess bounced up and raced across the room to the chalkboard on the wall. She began furiously writing numbers, and Brittany sidled over, silently checking her work.

Santana smiled. Her two big nerds. Just when she thought she couldn't love them more, they bond over some obscure math equation and she falls even farther.

Tesla was already doing work (both math and reading), at a high school level. But, Santana and Brittany both had fears about moving her up more levels because she was so young. Brittany was worried that she might be picked on, and Santana worried that starting high school at nine might be a little much for the young Lopez-Pierce. So, they held off, keeping her in elementary for the time being, but Brittany worked with her almost everyday, tutoring her, and giving her new projects to work on, so she wouldn't be bored. Luckily for them, Tess was more rambunctious at home than she was at school, so she rarely had to be disciplined.

Santana finished scrambling the eggs, and turned off the stove.

"Ladies, I'd hate to interrupt your calculations, but if you want to be showered and dressed by the time Oma and Opa arrive, I think we should go ahead and eat now. Go wash your hands, and then set the table for us Tesla."

Tess looked like she wanted to argue but a stern look from Brittany brokered no resistance. She bounded off to the bathroom, and Brittany came over to the counter, setting down two mugs, and poured coffee into them. One she put a little sugar into, and handed to Santana. The other, she loaded up with spoonful after spoonful of sugar and cream, and took a few sips from it before smacking her lips happily.

"Perfect!"

Santana laughed, taking a few sips from her own mug. "Honey, you want a bit of coffee with your cream and sugar?"

"I can't help it, San. After kissing you all day, I have to add a box of sugar to make it taste sweet again."

Santana laughed indulgently, placing a kiss on her wife's lips.

"Help me make the plates, Romeo, and you'll get all the kisses you want."

"Is that a promise?" Brittany said, cocking her head gently.

"That's a guarantee."

\

The Pierces arrived exactly on hour and twenty two minutes later (Tesla was only off by thirty seven seconds, a fact that she was quite proud of). They came into the house all large suitcases, and bags, filled with gifts for their daughter and daughter in law, but mostly for their granddaughter, who they spoiled to no end.

Brittany helped Santana unload the car, while Pierce and Whitney listened in rapt attention to Tesla explain the equation she used to figure out their exact rate of speed and arrival time. They both used the face they always made when Brittany would be talking about the high level maths that she got so excited about.

When she finished they each wrapped their arms around her.

"That's our little Tessie, just like her Mama!" Whitney cooed.

"The world's smartest family!" Pierce echoed.

Brittany lead Santana down the stairs, and perched on the arm of the couch.

"Isn't she awesome? My little girl is the smartest thing since sliced bread."

Santana gave her a sidelong look. "Sliced bread, darling?"

Brittany only beamed, not noticing the non sequitur. "Yep!"

Santana laughed, throwing her arms around Brittany's shoulders. "Tess, you should go upstairs and get dressed. We can't have you in your pajamas all day."

"Pero, Mami-"

"Don't pero me, hija. Porque-"

Brittany pulled her wife closer interrupting her before she could get going on a Spanish language rant.

"Listen to your mami, Tesla."

"That's right, Tess. We're going to the zoo later, so wear your best animal outfit!" Said Pierce

"The zoo!" Tess squealed and raced up the stairs.

"That kid loves the animals." Whitney sighed happily.

"Just like her mommy." Pierce agreed.

"How are things, Brittany?" Whitney asked carefully. "How'd the conversation about her dad go?"

Brittany had called her parents a few weeks before, detailing the incident with Tess and her classmates, and how she had felt after coming home and talking about it with her moms.

She looked at Santana, clearing her throat. It was still a sore point for her. She knew that Tesla was more than happy with her as a mom, but for the first time in her life, there was this nagging uncertainty. This disappointment.

Santana wrapped her arms tighter around Brittany where they leaned against the couch.

"We're still working our way through it." Santana said, filling in for what she knew was a tough subject for Brittany. "But Tesla is okay. She's thinking about it in her own way. In that way that she and Brittany think. They're helping each other."

Whitney walked over and put her arms around her daughter, pulling her out of Santana's embrace and into a bear hug of her own.

"It's okay, baby. She knows you love her more than anything, and that's more than enough. Like you and your father. Did you ever doubt that he loved you?"

Brittany shook her head, finding words a little difficult.

"Then you should know that Tess will never doubt that you love her."

At this Brittany nodded, returning her mother's hug.

Santana peered around the couple, looking over to Pierce Pierce smile softly at their two statuesque wives. He gave her a thumbs up, and walked over, wrapping them both up in his arms.

\

Santana hadn't seen Brittany in almost three weeks.

It was the longest time that the Pierce's had been in town, and Santana hadn't made an appearance. At first, Whitney and Pierce were worried, then anxious, but then, following day after day of Brittany not wanting to talk about it, they just waited. They waited until something gave. They would listen behind Brittany's door at night, while she cried herself to sleep. They would notice the dark bags under her eyes, and the fact that she barely ate anything, and they noticed her smile (when she did smile), didn't shine as brightly anymore.

They knew it had something to do with Santana, but they didn't blame her. Santana had a lot of issues, but when she came into the Pierce household, she was always respectful and polite, and never slammed the door, or thumped loudly up the stairs. She always greeted them, and asked them about their days, and gave them news about her parents. She never kept Brittany out too late. Since Santana and Brittany were about 14 years old the Pierces knew they were in love with each other, and somehow, they knew they could trust Santana with their daughter's heart. She was always careful, so, so careful, and she couldn't break Brittany's heart, even if she tried.

And then she did.

Santana didn't know any of this, of course. She was in her own little world of heartbreak. First coming out to her parents, then being shunned by her abuela and the whole school talking… Now sitting on pins and needles, waiting for the commercial to drop. She felt like she was being executed. It was like she was in a guillotine, and she could feel the white, hot heaviness of the blade at the top. Taunting her.

So, yeah, she had pushed Brittany away. She had to. She felt like the Incredible Hulk. She felt like a ticking time bomb. Just a few days before at Troubletones practice she had blown up at Ms. Corcoran and almost left the woman in tears. She hadn't want Brittany to get caught in that kind of crossfire. The look of disappointment alone she got from her, as Santana had stormed out the makeshift choir room was enough to quench the smoldering rage in her stomach, and replace it with a burning hot shame. She wanted to save herself that feeling, too.

So, Santana did what she always did when she felt things were getting too real: she pushed people away. Normally Brittany was immune to such things, and had been for a long time. But a hurt like this, a deep abiding thing, it made Santana do things that she didn't like. Things that she hated. Not being around Brittany chief among those things.

Brittany had been texting her every day since Alma had kicked her out of her house. Santana had been silly to think there would be no repercussions because of what that idiot Finn had done, but she'd been optimistic after talking with her parents. They'd always love her, they said, and who she loved didn't matter. But all the wind had been sucked out of her sails after her abuela. And Brittany knew it.

The texts were frantic at first, asking her if she was okay, begging her to talk. When she missed two days of school, the texts became forlorn. Brittany just patiently telling her to take care of herself, and asking her to call or text or email. After Santana came back to school, Brittany had done everything she could to corner her, and get her to talk, but it hadn't worked, and the texts had almost all but stopped. She still sent one a day, right as Santana was getting ready to go to sleep. They always said the same thing. They always simply read, "I love you."

They were easy to ignore at first. There were so many noises in her head, so many voices screaming, so much anxiety that it was easy to miss that soothing, calming voice in all of it. It was that voice that she always turned to, and could always count on. The voice that counted on her too sometimes, and in those moments she would be so proud that she was strong.

But as time went on, as the voices in her head quieted down, and the people that cared about her (really cared) started asking way too many questions about why they hadn't seen Brittany in such a long time, and she found she dreaded that late night text. Those three words were seared into her brain, and hearing the telltale chime of her phone was almost physically painful.

So, three weeks later, she sat in bed, eyes closed, phone on the bedside table, counting down, and waiting. The guillotine was still dropping, but there was another countdown in her head, another rustle on the edges of her mind.

Suddenly, it happened.

The phone dinged in a short burst signifying she had a new message.

Santana didn't move.

Suddenly her bedroom ceiling began to swim. It was covered in the glow in the dark star stickers that she and Brittany had stuck up the day after Brittany's 15th birthday. On her actual birthday her parents had surprised her with a trip to Cincinnati to take her to see Wicked. So, the next day, she had insisted on staying over at Santana's. She had bought the stickers in Cincinnati at some gift shop, and made Santana put them up, so they could cuddle under the stars, and avoid the cold. Santana had grumbled, but done it regardless, earning a kiss for every one that was put up to Brittany's exacting specifications.

She'd earned fifteen perfect kisses that night. And returned every one.

The memory made the tears that were just pooling around the corners of her eyes flow freely, running down her cheeks. The burning in her stomach, moved to her chest, and it began to roar, sounding in her ears until she could barely make out the ticking of the clock in her silent room.

Before Santana knew it, she was pulling on a hoodie over her shirt and Cheerios sweatpants, stuffing her keys and her phone in her pocket. She opened her door quietly, and peered out. A quick look at her phone told her it was 11:33 PM, and her parents were, no doubt asleep in their bedroom.

She quickly snuck down the hall, and down the stairs, listening for the faint sound of the TV that told her that her father had a hard day and would be watching infomercials until he fell asleep. Hearing nothing, she disabled the security alarm (making sure that it would re-arm as soon as she locked the door), and slipped out the front door.

The night was cold, but Santana didn't feel it. She headed to her car, putting it in neutral, and using all the strength she could muster to push the little roadster down the hill of her driveway, she managed to get it a good ways from her house before she turned the key in the ignition, and started it.

She rode in silence.

Normally, Santana would listen to music while she drove, but she wasn't sure if she could hear anything above the thrumming of her pulse in her ears, and anyway she hadn't felt much like enjoying music as of late.

As she drove she was almost in a trance. She turned left and then right, and then left again. She hadn't thought about where she was driving to, or what would happen when she got there, but exactly eight minutes later, she pulled up to a familiar curb.

She could see the lights were off at Brittany's house as well. Santana hadn't known what she expected. Of course, she'd be asleep, Brittany always sent the text as she was going to sleep, and by now almost twenty minutes had passed since she'd received it. The Pierces went to bed generally later than her family, but a quarter to midnight was still way too late to be up on a school night. Not with Brittany's little sister Ashley, headed into the fifth grade.

With a sigh, Santana shut off the car, and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Everything was too big and too fast, and too much. She hated that she waited this long to come find Brittany. She hated that she'd been too afraid to.

She got out of the car, closing it quietly behind her, and walked to the Pierce's back yard. She'd spent plenty of time there as a kid, and in the cool night air, with the moon shining brightly above her, she could almost imagine the times that they'd played there. The times they'd sunbathed there, working on their tans. The times that Brittany had been cutting the grass, or trimming the shrubs, and Santana had watched, enthralled by her muscles rippling under her jean cut offs.

She scoffed. How could she have ever called herself straight?

Santana plopped down on the old wooden swinging bench that sat under an elm tree in the back yard. It creaked loudly, and Santana froze, looking up to the back of the house where she knew that Brittany's parent's bedroom was. When she didn't see a light come on, or the curtains move, she relaxed, pulling her knees under her sweatshirt and to her chest, and wrapping her arms around herself.

She must have swung there for only a few minutes before she dozed off. She didn't remember feeling particularly sleepy but coming over had been a spontaneous act that was mostly fueled by adrenaline. Plus she had been pushing herself pretty hard for this past few weeks during Cheerios. Her favorite way of not thinking about her problems was working ridiculously hard.

She opened her eyes to the sound of the back door opening and closing, and the dark figure was almost on top of her before she noticed, jumping so suddenly that she nearly fell out of the chair.

"Sorry, Sarafina. The missus saw you out here on her nightly bathroom trip, and demanded I either bring you in or send you home, since it's so chilly. I split the difference and brought you a blanket. Oh! And some cocoa."

Mr. Pierce stretched his hand out, giving the cocoa to Santana, before wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. He then sat down beside her, kicking the ground beneath them so the chair swung a little.

It took Santana a moment to figure out what was going on, but quickly nodded, taking a sip of her cocoa. Her old lessons kicking in, she gave him a soft smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Pierce. Sorry for…" Her voice trailed off. There was so much she was sorry for. She was sorry for the way she'd treated Brittany. Sorry for the way she'd disappeared. Sorry for the way that everyone had found about them. Sorry that she couldn't protect Brittany from Finn's stupid mouth. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

"Just sorry, I guess."

Pierce looked over at Santana, giving her a sad smile.

"There's only one Pierce you have to apologize to, Saint Anne, and it's not me."

Santana only grunted. She kept looking down at the cup, the chocolate swirling around and sending curls of steam rising into the crisp fall air.

"Mr. Pierce, I-"

"Brittany is special. She's a very special girl. But, I think you know that." Pierce Pierce looked up at the stars as he spoke. There was nothing hard about his words. They were soft and peaceful. They were as warm as the cocoa Santana held in her hands. Just as smooth.

Santana snapped her mouth closed. She nodded.

"I love both my daughters very much. And they both love me. But Ashley is like her mother. She thinks about things in a straight line. When I met Brittany's mother I was working at a pizza place. Did you know that? She was already a manager at Linen's and Things, and they were looking to send her to the corporate office. She was a rising star, and once she gets a goal in mind, she sticks with it. Ashley is the same way. She's only in elementary school, but she's already planning on joining the Cheerios junior squad once she's in middle school. She's always making plans, that one, always working towards her goals. I love that about her."

Santana nodded again, sipping slowly at her cocoa. She was sure that Mr. Pierce had a point, he always did, but sometimes it took him a while to get there.

"Brittany is like me. She finds interest and joy in the smallest things, it takes so little to make her happy, and a lot to make her sad." He sighed sadly. "And when she loves you, it's like a little piece of the sun shining down on you."

Santana felt the corners of her mouth turn up. Of course it was like that. Brittany was like the most amazing sunny day. She could make Oscar the Grouch feel like dancing. She was kind of a genius at it.

"Now, you've spent a lot of time here, over the years. I've gotten to know you Santita, and I know that you love like a slow burn. It doesn't happen all at once, but once it does, it's like a freight train. It's a beautiful thing to witness. I get the feeling that many people don't get to see it. Your parents, us, Brittany, and that's a shame."

Mr. Pierce turned to look at Santana again.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you, or at school. Your parents have told us to be patient with you, to just be patient and give you love, and we will, like we always have, but you don't have to be afraid to step out in the sun every once in a while. It might do you some good."

Santana wanted to ask what he meant. She wanted to know how he could know all that about her, or how much he knew about her and Brittany. But if the moon in the sky was any indication, it was too late to have that conversation. She yawned.

"Thanks, Mr. Pierce."

He patted her shoulder enthusiastically. "My pleasure. Now, let's get you in before you freeze to death. That kills more people in the state of Ohio than bears."

He gathered up the blanket, and stood, making his way towards the house.

Santana blinked, incredulous. "You're not going to send me home?"

"Nah, it's too late. Plus, I have the feeling that Brittany will never forgive me. I'll call your parents and tell them you're spending the night."

Santana scrambled up behind him, careful not to spill her cocoa.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Pierce stood for a moment before gathering up Santana in his arms, and hugging her tightly.

"Of course. Now get up stairs. And remember, it's a school night, no fooling around."

Santana swallowed loudly. She didn't know what he meant by 'fooling around', but she didn't stick around to find out. She raced up the stairs as quietly as she could, brushed her teeth with the toothbrush she kept at Brittany's house, and changed into the sleep clothes that were always waiting for her in the top drawer of Brittany's dresser.

She stood at the head of the bed, not surprised that Brittany hadn't woken up yet, she seriously slept like the dead. Brittany's features were illuminated in the soft moonlight, her blonde hair cascading around her shoulders in waves. She looked like an angel.

Santana slid under the covers, and heard a gasp as her legs, still cold from the crisp night air, rubbed against Brittany's.

"What-?" She started. Her eyes opened and widened in surprise. "San! What are you doing here?"

Santana managed to look bashful and shy, even laying in bed with Brittany.

"I got your message and came over. I wasn't going to come in, but your dad told me I could."

Brittany still looked unsure. "Why didn't you call me or text me, or anything, San, I was so- I just-" She couldn't finish. Her breathing started coming out in hiccups as tears threatened.

Santana gathered Brittany up in her arms, and rubbed her back softly, hushing her. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Britt. I was just stuck in my own little world, and I didn't think about anything but me. I thought I was doing you a favor by staying away, but I didn't realize- Anyway, I'm sorry, Brittany."

Brittany sighed, and allowed her body to melt into Santana's. Her tears subsided, and she sniffled a few times, clearing her throat before speaking.

"I missed you, Santana."

"I missed you too, Brittany. So much."

They laid in silence.

"I love you too, Brittany."

\

To say that the Pierce-Lopezes loved the zoo would be a gross understatement. Everyone in the family was crazy about animals, even Santana who spent most of her time pretending to be too cool for most things, and everyone had their favorite spot to visit. They'd already been there for two hours, and they had yet to see the elephants (Brittany's favorite), the panthers (Santana's favorite), or visit the food court (Pierce's favorite). They were stuck at the parrots at the moment. Tesla had one in particular that she was fond of, and every time she'd come she'd try to teach it a new word or phrase. This week it was some of the lyrics to "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon.

Santana and Brittany sat spread on a park bench, laughing as Tesla crooned out the lyrics. Brittany had her feet on Santana's lap, and was nudging her wife with her foot.

"She certainly inherited your pipes, darling." Brittany smiled.

Santana nodded happily. She was watching the little girl with what could only be described as heart eyes. Her love and pride in her daughter beaming through.

"Yep! Let's see the Warbler spawn sing 80's power ballads like that!"

"Now, San, you promised you'd stop calling her spawn."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. To her face, I think is what I said."

"Our daughter is pretty awesome."

"Yep."

They sat for a few moments more in comfortable silence.

Santana cocked her head to the side, regarding Brittany carefully. "What would you say to another one?"

Brittany didn't respond at first. She played with Santana's fingers in her lap.

Santana, for her part, started to panic. She usually could read her wife pretty well, and her mentioning Tesla growing up quickly in the kitchen earlier, and just generally being more baby crazy than she usually was… But they'd never talked about another child before. Not seriously anyway. Ever since Tess was a baby, Brittany had hinted that she might want to try again. That maybe she'd want to carry this time. But, Santana's pregnancy had been expensive, and felt like it would never end, and after that, she was a little skittish about the whole prospect. But they were most definitely more financially stable than they were the first time. And just thinking of Brittany, all big belly and pregnancy shirts, made Santana feel like maybe it was a conversation worth having. Now, sitting there, having been the first to bring the subject up, Brittany's silence made her think it wasn't the best idea.

"Or, not. I mean, I was just wondering. Cause you said the thing about Tesla getting older, and I know she's maybe too old now for a younger sibling, and we just had so much trouble when I was pregnant with Tesla, and I-"

Brittany cut her off with a gentle kiss. She pressed her lips fully against Santana's, stemming the words, but also the rise of panic that was evident in Santana's eyes.

"I think it's an amazing idea. And I'm a little sad because I didn't think of it first."

"Really?"

"I love you, Santana. I love you so much. And I love Tess. Our family is awesome, and I would love to have another baby with you."

Santana squealed with joy, then caught herself, and straightened up, kissing Brittany happily. She wrapped her arms around Brittany, giggling wildly. Brittany returned her hug, and they nearly fell off the bench.

Santana's eyes widened as she thought of the implications of their decision.

"Oh my god, we'll have to get all of Tess's old stuff out of storage. I don't even know what we can use anymore. And, we'll have to convert one of the guest rooms. And, we have to tell our parents. My mom is going to freak. Your mom is going to freak. Tess is going to freak! What if it's a boy? Mercedes and Sam are already going to be planning the wedding with their rugrat-"

"Babe."

Santana looked at Brittany sharply, breaking her concentration.

"Huh?"

"Nobody's pregnant yet. Just breathe, we'll figure it all out."

Santana followed her instruction, trying to calm herself. She relaxed in Brittany's calming hand on her bank.

"Let's just keep it between us for the moment, huh?"

"Good idea." Brittany placed a gentle kiss on Santana's forehead.

Their tender moment was interrupted as Tesla bounded over and jumped into Santana's lap. She grunted.

"Careful, mija."

"¡Mami! ¡Finalmente, el loro cantó para mí! Al principio, no me hacía caso, y no portaba muy bien, pero de repente me miró, me miró directamente al ojo, Mami, y empezó las tres primeras notas de la canción. Con algunos días más, creo que le puedo ayudar cantar la canción entera. It's a rough estimate, of course, if I could have some sunflower seeds, I could speed it up even more! Oma and Opa la vieron, didn't you? Lo oyeron, Mami."

Tesla was bouncing excitedly in Santana's lap. And Santana was trying her best to calm the frantic movements of her little girl.

"Bien, bien, Tesla Alma, pero Mami no es un see saw."

"Desculpe, Mami, perdon." Tesla apologized quickly.

She jumped off of Santana's lap, and rushed back over to her grandparents, who were walking their way.

"On second thought, Tesla might be more than enough." Brittany joked. She smiled looking over to Santana, who had tears in her eyes.

"Another baby, Brittany."

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana, pulling her close.

"I know, babe. Won't it be amazing?"

\

They got back home by 6 PM. Tesla; from a combination of gorging herself on pizza at the restaurant they stopped in on the way home, getting skee ball lessons from expert skee baller Pierce Pierce, and running herself ragged at the zoo, promptly passed out on the couch, curled up in Whitney's arms. Her grandmother wasn't quite ready to let her go, so she smoothed Tesla's hair with soft touches, while the four of them discussed the newest stage show that Brittany was choreographing.

After a while, Brittany rose, slinging Tesla onto her shoulder, and hefting her up the stairs. She smiled as she listened to her father launch into one of his epic stories. Apparently, this was the time he'd helped Brittany choreograph one of her first Broadway shows. It was all true, of course. While her father wasn't much of a dancer, his very unique way of moving had always been an inspiration to her. She had watched him move around the kitchen preparing breakfast in bed for their wives one Saturday, and had come up with a complete second act.

Brittany walked Tesla into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed while she prepared a warm wash cloth and grabbed her daughter's favorite dinosaur pajamas from her dresser. She softly shook Tesla awake, sitting her up, and kneeling in front of her.

"Up, baby." She said, pulling Tesla's shirt over her head.

Tesla mumbled incoherently, but complied, and it was only a few minutes later that she lay down, comfortable and ready for bed. Brittany didn't leave right away, opting instead to sit beside her, rubbing Tesla's back softly. She got ready to head back downstairs when she heard Tesla's gentle sigh.

"What's up, chickadee?"

"Opa... Grandpa Pierce. He doesn't look like you or Oma."

Brittany resumed her rubbing of Tesla's back. She grunted in the negative.

"Did kids ever, you know, make fun of you because of it?"

Her question was so quiet and small that Brittany wanted to gather Telsa up in her arms then and there. But she refrained, clearing her throat a few times before answering.

"Maybe. I don't really remember. Kids would make fun of me from time to time. Until I met your Mami and she taught me how to stand up for myself. Kids will make fun even if there's nothing to make fun of. If they want to."

She watched carefully as Tesla nodded.

Waiting a beat, she continued. "Are there kids in your class making fun of you, Tess?"

"Oh no, Mommy, nothing like that. I mean, not because of you or Mami. They sometimes call me a know it all, but I don't mind. Mami says they're just jealous of my 'super high IQ and eidetic memory.'"

Brittany chuckled softly. "Is that so?"

"Yeah." Tesla mumbled sleepily. "But, I don't think my memory is that good. One time I got lost on the way back to my locker."

Brittany smiled. "Well, intelligence shows itself in a lot of ways, Tess. I would trust your Mami on this one."

"I do. She's really smart too."

"Yup."

They sat a few moments more until Tesla yawned again.

"D-do you think Opa ever thought of you as any different? Different than Auntie Ash? Because she looks a bit like him and Oma, and you don't?"

The unasked question hung in the air. Brittany felt her chest constrict at the thought. Tesla had never considered herself anything but Brittany's child, but now she knew that, at least biologically, she wasn't. She cleared her throat, stretching out on the bed, and pulling Tesla close into her arms.

The little girl didn't protest, but instead wrapped her arms around Brittany, snuggling into her favorite position on her mother's shoulder.

"Did I ever tell you the story of when I found out your Mami was pregnant?"

Tesla, whose eyes were already closed, wrinkled her nose, and shook her head.

"Remember I told you how we had to go to a hospital and get a doctor's help so your Mami could be pregnant with you? Well, it took us some time to do it just right. You have to be very precise, and you have to be lucky. It took us almost six months. We would go to the doctor's office once a month, and they'd give your Mami a shot, and then we'd wait and wait and wait. And every time, Mami would take a little test to see if she was pregnant, and every time the test would say no."

She smoothed her hands through Tesla's blond curls.

"We were sad and we were scared because we wanted you so badly, Tesla, and we were worried that you'd never come."

She gave Tesla a squeeze.

"So, we decided we'd give it three more tries. Not because we wanted to give up, but getting the shot was hard for Mami, and I didn't want her to be too sick any more. I thought maybe we'd try a few more times, and if you didn't come, we'd wait another year. We knew we wanted you more than anything, Tesla, but we thought it would be okay if we waited. Mami was a bit sad, but she said okay. It had been about two months since the last time we went to the doctor's by then. Mami was still feeling a little sick, and she took some time off of work to go to Lima to be with Abuela and Abuelo, and I hadn't seen her in almost a week because I had a show."

"She was supposed to come back on a Friday, I think, and made me promise that I would stay home and get some rest, and she would take a taxi back from the airport. This was still when we lived in the city, and lived by Aunt Rachel, and Uncle Kurt and Blaine. Do you remember the old apartment, Tess?"

Tess nodded.

"Anyway, so, I was worried because she had been so sick lately, and I was sad because I hadn't seen her in so long, and I was lonely, because you know how I get without your Mami. And I called your grandad. You know Opa always has the best advice."

"Like the time he helped me put my underwear in the oven!"

Brittany laughed. "Exactly. So, I told him everything, how worried about you that I was, how scared I was that I wouldn't do a good job as a Mommy, everything. And do you know what he told me?"

Tesla shook her head.

"He told me that he had been scared too, when Oma was pregnant with me. He had fretted and worried and paced. But when it was all over, when Oma put me in his arms, he knew it was going to be okay. He knew it because he loved me more than anything, and even though there were times later when he didn't get everything right, and he sometimes worried about me eating too much candy, or falling off the jungle gym, or getting my heart broken, he said he knew that he would always be there to help me get back up."

Brittany sighed. "So, I was a bit happier. I was still a little worried, and still a lot lonely, but I knew that one day you would come along, and I would love you so much, and everything would be worth it, every single sad day that I had would be worth a thousand happy ones with you and Mami."

"Then later that day, your Mami got home. She was acting really weird, and I mean, weird. She was happy to see me, and that's normal, and we spent a fair amount of time, um, kissing, you know."

Tesla buried her face in Brittany's shoulder and groaned. "Gross."

"Yep, and she went to her bag and brought out a little box. Just the smallest box, like something you'd put a watch in. And she told me she got me a present. It was weird, because she didn't usually bring me back something from Lima, but she said she saw it, and knew I'd want it forever and ever. So, I take it from her, and I'll never forget, Tess, as long as I live, her smile was so wide. It was like her face was going to split in half, it was so big. So, I take the box, and I open it, and inside is a pregnancy test, and it says, "Pregnant" right on the front, in big letters."

Brittany smiles at the memory.

"At first I couldn't believe it, but Mami told me that she'd been feeling so sick that she saw her doctor in Lima the day before, who did a bunch of tests and figured out she was pregnant. The first time we took the test after her shot must have been too soon or something. And, guess what, she was pregnant with you! I picked her up, and I carried her all around the apartment, yelling and laughing, and finally we laid down on the bed, and um, cuddled for the rest of the day. We called everybody we knew and we invited Aunt Mercedes and Uncle Sam, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jesse, Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine and cousin Sofie and we had a huge party. And that's the first night I felt it. That very first night when I knew I was going to be a Mommy. You were too small for me to feel or see, but I knew you were in there, and I could feel how much I loved you already, deep inside my heart. I could feel how excited I was to meet you, and I could feel how lucky I was to have you and Mami. And I still feel that way, mija. And I finally felt the way that Opa felt about me, and Aunt Ash, and the way Abuela and Abuelo felt about Mami when she was born. I felt complete. I realized that even though Opa and I don't look that much alike-"

And I don't look very much like you.

"-that feeling that you have, of loving your child, it changes you, and it's the kind of love that makes you think about everything differently. It makes you realize that you'd do anything for that person who depends on you, who trusts you, who looks up to you, who loves you. Opa is my dad. He always will be because he's always loved me like a dad should and I never doubted that. Not for a minute."

Tesla smiled sleepily, pulling Brittany a bit closer. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, Tesla Alma Lopez-Pierce."

Brittany made herself comfortable, dozing a bit as she lay wrapped in her daughter's arms. She woke to the sound of footsteps approaching the bed.

"You two look comfortable." Santana sat down on the bed beside them, covering the Brittany's hand on Tesla's chest with her own.

"I wanted to spend some time with my daughter, what can I say?"

"Your parents want to watch that new Black Widow movie, and it's on Netflix, so I said I'd come and get you. I know how much you love watching Scarlett Johansson kick guys' butts while wearing spandex."

Brittany turned her hand and grasped her wife's. "I never would have forgiven you otherwise."

"Well, good thing."

"Yeah."

There was a beat, and neither said anything.

"How about in the meantime we lay here a bit longer, and cuddle our daughter?" Brittany asked.

"Now, you're talking." Santana slid down the bed, squeezing herself between the quietly snoring Tesla and the roll bar. Her daughter, like her Mommy, slept like a rock, so she didn't worry much about disturbing her. She sighed. "Much better."

Brittany squeezed her hand lightly. "Can you imagine? One day it might be four of us trying to cram ourselves into this tiny bed."

"No way. We're only doing family pile ons in our bed from now on."

"Wherever we are, it's going to be perfect."

"I know, babe."

Another beat.

"Brittany?"

"Hmmm, Santana?"

"I can't wait to have another baby with you."

"Me either, San."

They lay there, in bed a few minutes more, watching over their sleeping daughter.