Ferguson had officially given Santana the go ahead to fully live this pregnancy. She was now 10 weeks in, meaning she was safe from the worst; like a miscarriage. Her babies were clutching hard in her stomach. This and the fact that she felt marvelously well meant Santana couldn't be happier.
Consequently, Santana figured she could take advantage of her condition to start packing up at her office. She'd put on some loud music and danced around in small steps which grazed the ground in rhythm while she filed all the boxes with her files, demos and anything else she'd need to be able to work from home for a while.
She hadn't even talked to Brittany about it. She already knew how happy Brittany would be when the moment came for her to ask her wife to move the boxes from the office to their house. Santana would work from the couch, dressed in the snuggest clothes she could find. An added bonus of this arrangement was the fact that she'd be very close to her bed if she felt dizzy or in need of a nap. Santana knew this would sound like a glorious plan to Brittany's protective mind.
Once the large cupboards were emptied and filed away, she tackled her desk. Shrugging happily, she sat and looked through her purse, wading through all the mess. She soon found her bunch of keys and looked for the key she had safely kept with her during all these years and opened the last drawer. In it were dozens of demos, scores and lyrics, the one she had written and recorded in the secrecy of her studios over the past years without anybody being aware of it. She grabbed a handful of sheets and flipped through them with a satisfied look. She knew it was a gold. She was sure to the bone that a very successful album was hiding in this drawer. She'd kept it secret, waiting for the day she knew she would feel ready enough to write another page of her personal history. But right now, she was carrying a much more important page. Even more important than the silly dream of another album.
She stretched to pull an empty box closer, and very tidily classified her lyrics, her scores and all the music her heart had sung since Sophia's birth. She smiled to herself, pleased at the sight of her life's work until someone knocked.
"Come in!"
Her assistant passed her head through the door. Carla. Her super efficient assistant had been an angel during all these years. Classifying her as an assistant seemed so wrong though, Carla was doing much more than that. She was some kind of a co-worker, without the proper title. By leaving the studio, Santana would soon fix this.
"You're busy-... Wow, what's happening in here?" Carla exclaimed at the sight of all the unexpected boxes piled in haphazard piles across the office.
"Come in, come in, I have stuff to tell you," Santana told her, beckoning her inside with a hurried gesture of her hand. She grabbed a remote on the desk and stopped the music, abruptly plunging the room in a silence.
"Good thing, 'cause we have stuff too," Carla said, entering the office with Puck at her heels.
"Oh!" Santana let out, surprised to see him in the doorway. "I feel some serious talk about to happen. It's not very often you guys come together into my office," she kidded, showing them they were free to sit in the two chairs in front of her desk.
"But Santana, why are you... packing?" Carla inquired, dumbfounded at the surrounding mess.
Santana giggled, "Tell me your news first 'cause you'll be pretty smashed by mine!" She didn't wait for Carla's response however, and simply tified the sheets she was holding and put her box away.
"You haven't heard ours just yet..." Puck commented taking a seat. The two lovers exchanged a deep stare, bracing themselves.
"So?" Santana said at last.
"We're getting married," Puck blurted, pinkening acutely under Carla's proud and happy gaze. Carla handed her hand out to show Santana the big ring on her finger that could almost compete with her own. Santana's jaw dropped to the ground.
"No fucking way! Oh my gosh!" Good thing she was sitting, Santana thought, because she would have sure as hell stumbled at the news. "How! I mean... wow! Congratulations!"
"Hold on, there's more," Carla giggled, nudging Puck in the ribs with a pointed glance.
"We want you to officiate our wedding," Puck announced, smirking.
To say Santana was dumbfounded was an understatement. "...Me? Why?"
"Because without you, without this studio, nothing would have never happened, and I would have never met my soulmate, that's why," Carla laughed. "We figured we could fill those forms online and that you know... you could marry us."
"So you're in?" Puck insisted, leaning forward in his seat and clasping his hands hopefully.
Santana leaned against the back of her chair, taking in the news. She eyed her best friends. Carla, who always had her back at the office and Puck, who had always been around during the saddest times of her life. How could she refuse. "That'd be an honour..." Carla and Puck relaxed, radiant with joy. "But... when is the wedding planned?"
Carla fidgeted in her chair, she was obviously the one in charge of the wedding planning, "Okay, so we were thinking about March, a springtime wedding," she explained beaming.
"So in 6 months," Santana put her hand on her stomach.
"Yup, exactly."
Santana softly chuckled. She stroked her bump which was fully hidden under her large shirt. In six months, she'd probably be confined to bed, too heavily pregnant to even think about going out of the house. Her waters would probably break any minute and she'd be living the very last days of a long and careful pregnancy. She wouldn't even be able to attend their wedding and there was nothing she could do about that.
"That won't be possible..." Santana said in a whisper, glowing.
"Why not?" Puck raised an eyebrow.
"If you really want me to do it, or simply attend your wedding guys, you'll have to delay it for a good month, two to be safe," she continued, stroking her hidden bump. She peeked up at them, seeing the highly confused look on their faces. "I'll be eight months pregnant by March. And it's twins so I'll be stuck in the marital-bed until they decide to say hello to the world," she explained, half giggling at the mental image.
Carla and Puck froze. "And you drop that like that!" Puck started laughing.
Santana burst into laughter, "I'm not, I told you a had a news!"
"This is not a news, it's a wonder!" Carla exclaimed, already standing up and walking towards her. Santana followed and hugged her friend. "Congratulations," Carla said in the tight hug. They parted and Carla shyly bit her lip. "Can I?" she asked raising her hand.
Santana nodded, all smiles. Carla couldn't help but feel somehow jealous when she felt the small and rounded bump through Santana's shirt, leaving no doubt that she was well and truly pregnant.
"It's so sweet..." Carla cooed softly.
"You'll get the same one day," Santana whispered for Carla only, the two friends chuckling. Santana knew that if they were getting married, it was probably because Puck wanted to do things right this time, create a family in the sheer tradition and atone for his highschool years' mistakes.
"Come on, my turn to hug the Mama," Puck said and pulled Santana in a tight embrace. "So that's why you're packing?"
"Yup, I'll be working from home for a while. But that doesn't solve the wedding thing!" she said loudly, so as not to steal any of their big announcement pride.
The fiancés shared a deep look and a huge grin. "We're delaying," Carla stated.
"Yeah, I want you there for my wedding, that'd mean a lot to me, to us," Puck confirmed. "When do you think that'd be possible for you?"
Santana let out a happy sigh, "Oh... My due date is mid April but they'll probably come out sooner than that, so let's say... Late April, or May maybe? I don't want to make you delay it for too long..."
"May should be just fine," Carla softly said. "After all, I'd be nice to see you in your first post-partum gown! What an honour!"
Santana laughed, "If I can fit in one!"
- o -
"Babe, I have awesome news!" Santana announced, her voice cutting in the deep silence while entering the apartment.
Brittany tiptoed from the corridor leading to the bedroom, and hushed, a finger on her lips. "Don't make any noise," she whispered.
"What are you do-"
"Shhh!" Brittany crept like a cat along the wall leading to the next room. Santana followed, intrigued.
Brittany checked everything in sheer silence, every corner of every room. She peeked under the cloth on the dining table, behind the curtains of the dining room and headed to the living-room. She sighed. There were so many hiding places in this huge room. She scratched her forehead, wondering where the hell Sophia could be hiding.
Santana tapped on her shoulder, and quietly gestured to her that she'd help. Very loudly, she got rid of her stuff on a table.
She sighed heavily. "I'm so happy to be back home! But I'm wondering where is everybody... Brittany? Sophia?" she called teasingly, almost yelling.
A curtain moved. Probably Sophia struggling not to laugh. Santana pointed to Brittany the exact location of their precious daughter with a wry smirk. Brittany nodded and walked forward, carefully making absolutely no sound.
Santana sighed heavily again. "Too bad I'm all alone, I bought a huge box of candies I'll have to eat on my own then..." A surprised breath escaped the curtain. Brittany came closer, getting ready to catch her daughter while Santana walked to the curtain noisily. Sophia giggled, tiptoed so her feet wouldn't show. "Is there someone hiding in here?" she asked, hands on her hips, filling her voice with suspense.
"No," Sophia let out innocently.
"Peekaboo!" Santana hurriedly pushed the curtain open, and Sophia ran, yelling in the other direction. Brittany caught her and heaved her up high before bringing her down, only to tickle her furiously.
"Not under the arms!" Sophia shouted trying to defend herself but she had absolutely no chance, so firmly stuck in her mother's embrace as she was. "Mommy! Not the arms!" Sophia could be complaining, yet she was laughing her heart out.
Santana watched the scene with loving eyes. She giggled at the two loves of her life laughing against the wooden floor of her living room. Quite soon, Sophia would be grown up, and she'd tickle two kids against the same floor, yelling the same pleads to stop, and crying while they laughed. Maybe one would get on Sophia's back to defend his or her twin. Sophia would struggle more than the kids and she'd end up calling her moms to her rescue. Perhaps the twins would always team up against their older sister, and that Sophia would have to master strategy to have a chance to win at least once. Santana giggled at the scene and thoughts, feeling herself melt.
When their laughs finally died, Santana held out her hand out to Sophia so she could get up. "Are you guys ready to leave?"
"Yes! Are the candies for the party?" Sophia asked, getting back on her feet and catching sight of a huge box on the table.
"Yeah, I bought the ones you told me."
"Yay!" Sophia ran to the table to check. "Barry loves these!"
"Do you think he'll be happy with the firetruck and the candies?" Brittany inquired, smoothing out her clothes and drying the tears from too much laughing.
"Yes! And he'll love them more because it's me who give it!" Sophia said proudly and true to herself, left the room running to grab her stuff for the party and actually leave.
Both moms watched as she left, chuckling. "50 bucks she's gonna date him when they hit college," Brittany challenged smirking.
"50 bucks I'm gonna slap the crap out of him when he steals my daughter's little flower, yeah."
"Score!" Brittany laughed. "You're ready to go? You wanna eat something before?"
"Nah, I'm good, I had lunch with Puck and Carla- OH! The news, I haven't told you the news!"
"What news?"
"They're getting married! And-"
"Oh my god!" Brittany started, beaming happily for their friends.
Santana gestured that there was more, "And they want me to officiate it!"
Brittany froze. "Hold on, what? When?" she frowned. Even the greatest news couldn't rid her of her protective mindset.
Santana smiled lovingly at her, understanding what was going through her mind. "Relax, they're doing it in May. But I had to tell them about the babies though because they were thinking about doing it in March so..."
"Out of the question, you're not leaving your bed in March," Brittany said through a wince, big eyes hard and resolute.
Santana laughed, "That's exactly what I told them, chill..."
Sophia stormed in the room, carrying Barry's very well wrapped birthday gift. "Can we go now?"
Brittany ruffled her hair, "Yeah baby, we're ready too."
In the car, Brittany and Santana started to stress a bit. They hadn't been in a room full of strangers in... years. Decades maybe. They realized now that they were always surrounded by people from the same world, singers, actors, producers... There was no housewife or single parent in the picture. They'd have to actually talk to them and it would be totally different from when they fetched Sophia at school. Even worse, they'd be together. One of the most famous lesbian couples of the generation, eating cupcakes and chatting about diapers in the middle of Barry's parents' living room. Awkward. They'd have some major adapting to do. Their daughter had been in very famous people's arms, rocked to sleep on set by oscars winners, and nannied in the studio by singers whose contracts were worth millions of dollars. Sophia was always talking about "Mommies' friends", those friends who the parents at the party were bringing pictures to their hairdresser to get the same hairdo. They were buying their clothes, seen in the magazines, or their fragrances, which Santana and Brittany had attended the launch parties for.
Of course they had been normal parents before, like on their daughter's first day at school. But they never had to actually melt in the crowd. They had always let things flow. This time, they'd have to take the initiative. There would be no teacher to listen to, to keep themselves busy. They would well and truly have to interact with the parents. They felt weird at this prospect but one thing was sure, they were prepared for the parents' stares. Santana was wearing her loosest shirt, no long necklace that could betray her bump if it rested on it accidentally. They mentally prepared themselves not to stroke Santana's stomach too often, to avoid all the little gestures all parents knew very well.
When the GPS finally rang in front of a pretty house with a well decorated front, they braced themselves.
"We're here, baby. It's there," Brittany announced, pointing to the house.
Sophia fidgeted as Brittany and Santana got out of the car to unbuckle her and grab the presents in the trunk. Sophia was thrilled. At least, Brittany and Santana had managed to raise a normal and happy child. Sophia wasn't any kind of different to the other children. She digged the exact same things, laughed at the same games and was totally unaware of how privileged she was. And it was a good thing too, Brittany and Santana would be the only ones to feel awkward while their little devil would have a marvelous time and that was all that mattered.
Sophia climbed the stairs of the front porch two by two and jumped up and down in front of the door.
"Ring the bell, Mommies, ring the bell!" she hurried, the bell being way too high for her to reach on her own.
"Alright, calm down," Brittany hushed. "Soph', you don't say anything about the babies, you promise?" Brittany asked for confirmation pointing at her.
"Yes, Mommy!"
"We're super serious, nobody should know, not even Barry," Santana insisted.
"Mommies! I'm not stupid, I get it!" Sophia was getting impatient. "Ring it!"
Both moms chuckled, and Brittany finally rang the bell after an amused sigh.
"Who could it be?" A man shouted playfully for the kids from the other side of the door. Arnold, one of Barry's dads opened the door with a beaming smile. "Look at that, Barry... it's Sophia!"
"Sophia!" Barry stormed outside and hugged his dearest friend. "Look! There's a bouncy castle in the backyard!" He grabbed her hand and they were already gone.
"Now Sophia's here, the party is officially a go," Arnold kidded, pointing to the fact that the two were inseparable. He gestured for Brittany and Santana to come in. "Arnold, very nice to meet you," he said holding out a hand to Santana, the only mother he hadn't met yet.
"Hi, Santana," she introduced herself shaking his hand.
Arnold smirked. "I know. Hi, Brittany."
Brittany shook his hand as well, and gave him the presents. "Hi, sorry we're a bit late."
"Don't worry, it's more than fine. I'm just happy you could make it. My husband will be very pleased to meet you actually but he's in the backyard watching the children," he told them casually, leading them to the heart of the house.
A bunch of parents were already there; some couples, some single parents and even some nannies to replace busy parents. Brittany relaxed. Perhaps they were famous and it could make things awkward, but at least they were there for their daughter. The both of them.
Unsurprisingly, some throats tightened when they entered the living-room of this very chic and wealthy-looking house. They started to shake all these hands, some trembling, some very firm. Brittany and Santana gave up on politely introducing themselves, after a good dozen "Oh I know", "That'd be hard not to know", "I never thought I'd meet you one day", or worse... "I'm a big fan of yours". When they were done shaking all these hands reverently, Arnold came at their rescue.
"That mustn't be easy everyday..." he said with a sad smile, apparently the only person in the room not to be that impressed by them. After all, that wasn't so surprising since their kids were best buddies. All of them knew they'd meet at some point. They had time to get accustomed to that idea.
"It's alright, you get used to it," Santana explained with a reassuring smile. "It's been years we haven't gone on a walkabout actually," she kidded.
"Oh I'm sorry, I asked for hysterical groupies, but the company only had clowns available for today," Arnold kidded making them laugh. "Come on, let's take a seat," he invited leading them to the couch, where other discussing parents made room.
Sitting around a table covered in cupcakes, candies and fruit juices, seemed like a much better setting in which to get to know each other. Santana took a comfy position, fully leaning against the couch's back. Brittany poked lightly her; her bump was showing this way. She did her best to hide her smirk and leaned on her side against the armrest, making her shirt crease to hide better. Santana already liked Arnold. He was a blonde good looking guy, with a charming and reassuring smile. He seemed chill and entertaining company. Both moms relaxed. They were in good hands in this house.
Suddenly here was some commotion in the form of squealing children that sounded suspiciously like Barry and Sophia. Brittany and Santana turned and tried to hold in their growing mirth at the sight of a man, which they guessed to be Barry's other father, carrying the two under his arms with a large boyish grin. Sophia and Barry were cackling madly in the man's hold and wriggling to try and free themselves. Arnold laughed loudly and chided his husband for kidnapping the birthday boy before he even got his presents. Brittany threw her wife a sidelong glance smiling softly and nodding towards the two men who were fawning over the children. Santana nodded subtly and squeezed Brittany's forearm in confirmation; she liked them.
"Alright, alright, everyone! I think it's time for presents!" Arnold sang.
Children all over the house began to scream in exaltation, racing into the living room and jumping around Barry excitedly. His father Eddy chuckled as he came in carrying the heavier gifts, his lean muscular body making the feat look almost easy. Arnold was at his heels answering children kindly on their queries of whether Barry would open their gifts first or not. Brittany smiled as she threw an arm around Santana's shoulders and watched as Barry tore through gift after gift, revealing numerous toy cars and Sophia's ruby red fire engine that had his little eyes bugging out of his head.
"Dad! Look!" Barry yelled and Arnold placed a hand over his heart while Eddy knelt by his son and pushed it forward.
"Are you going to thank Sophia, big guy? I think you should. That was an awesome present," Eddy told him and pushed the truck again for emphasis. Arnold nodded tearfully and Brittany kissed the side of Santana's head when her wife 'aww'ed' happily.
Barry nodded shyly and walked towards Sophia who was sitting calmly in the crowd of other kids. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and all of the adults just about died at the action; Arnold and Santana most of all. Eddy laughed and called out a "That's my boy!" just as Brittany started to fumble in her pocket for her phone.
"Okay, I gotta take a pic of that. It was so sweet I think I got a cavity!"
"Me too!" Arnold said hurriedly, already looking for his own phone. "Barry sweetheart, can you just kiss Sophia's cheek again so Papa and Sophia's mom can take a picture?"
"Do I have to?" Barry groaned, now aware of all the eyes on him and going as red as his fire engine.
"C'mon, buddy. One more pic and then we get to open the best present of all," Eddy negotiated with an eyebrow waggle.
Barry sighed dramatically and, at the insistence of his peers who were yelling things like 'chicken! Barry's a chicken!' leaned down again to plant a longer kiss on a crimson Sophia's cheek. Brittany and Arnold both snapped a dozen quick photographs before allowing Barry to race back to his father and for Sophia to settle back with her other friends and swoon over Barry's toys.
"Alright, last one, buddy. You ready?" Eddy said with a large grin, catching eyes with one of the other fathers in the room who raised his drink jokingly.
Barry nodded quickly and held out his hands, mouth dropping open when his father pulled a long package from behind his back and laid it carefully in his son's careful hold. The young boy placed the package almost reverently on the ground and started to tear it open under a dozen other kids amazed gazes. Parents were craning their necks to see what Barry would discover under all the gift wrapping and Brittany turned to Santana and arched an eyebrow.
"Ideas?" she asked.
Santana bit her lip. "I really want to say a box of legos."
"Boring," Brittany whispered in her ear. "I want to say a bow and arrow."
Santana let out a breathy laugh. "You and your obsession with Robin Hood."
"You'd totally love it if I swooped in and saved you from angry forest people with a bow and arrow," Brittany purred, one eye on Barry who had uncovered a small unmarked white box.
"Save it for the bedroom, Casanova." Santana nudged her wife's rib lightly. "We're at a kid's birthday party."
They were brought back to reality when Barry let out a loud gasp and picked a small wooden ukulele from within the box. He looked at both his fathers' in wonderment, as if asking if this was truly his and, when Arnold nodded, his face broke out into the widest grin. He strummed the strings and grimaced, looking up when it didn't automatically create a masterpiece like he'd expected.
"Why doesn't it work?" he asked Eddy.
"You've got to learn to play it," Eddy replied as he picked up the loose papers littered across the living room.
"Can you teach me, Dad?"
"Hm.. I'm sorry, kiddo," Eddy said hesitantly, sharing a look with his husband. "I don't know how to play. Hey, William? You know how to play this thing?"
The man who had saluted Eddy, the buyer of the gift probably, shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, Ed. Not feeling the music today I'm afraid."
"What? C'mon, man. It's my kid's birthday. Show him a few tunes."
William's eyes drifted noticeably towards Santana sitting peacefully at Brittany's side and shook his head once more. "Sorry, bro."
Eddy groaned and Arnold looked concerned when Santana shifted uneasily in her seat and looked at her wife. They knew William's reluctance to play was due to her presence. Who in their right would want to play in front of a musical icon? It was a sure set-up for embarrassment on his part. William sipped at his cup of orange juice and dropped his gaze down to his shoes.
There was an awkward pause which was broken by Sophia proclaiming quite loudly, "Oh! I know what it is! It's that mini guitar thing Mama has that Uncle Puck plays for me like, all the time!"
Brittany had to stifle her chuckies when she saw the other parents shuffling awkwardly at her daughter's admission. Puck was a star in his own right and a household name all across the country. To hear Sophia call the legend her 'Uncle' was both unsettling and incredible to these suburban dwellers. She cracked a wry grin and winked at her daughter when Sophia turned to look at her, wondering what it was she had done to instill an even bigger silence in the room.
Santana sighed good naturedly and beckoned for Barry to come forward, distilling the tense atmosphere instantly. "Hey, Barry. Want me to show you a couple of things?"
"Yeah!" And he ran up to her with the tiny ukulele under his arm and an army of children following him to the couch where Brittany and Santana were sitting. Santana smiled in thanks when her wife scooted to the other side of the couch to give her space.
"Up you go." She heaved the small boy up onto her lap and tried not to roll her eyes when Brittany made a jerky motion, as if wanting to push the boy away, wanting to make sure his weight didn't harm the precious cargo Santana was carrying within her. But thankfully she stilled and let out a long breath before smiling at the young boy whose eyes were as round as saucers as he looked up at his best friend's mom.
Santana placed the ukulele on Barry's lap and put her arms around him, showing him the appropriate places for his fingers and asking him to strum. The kids grouped together at the base of the couch giggled when he made a false note and he scowled at them all. Sophia, with her chin resting on her hands, pouted sympathetically.
"Nice try, buddy," Santana said kindly. "What if I make the notes and you strum? We'll sing a song together. Do you know 'Over The Rainbow'?" Barry shook his head sadly. "That's okay. I'll hum along and you make the music." Seeming to like this plan, Barry smiled and took up his position. "Alright, let's go."
Barry began to strum and Santana changed the notes, beginning to hum as parents and kids alike watched on amusedly as Barry had a hard time keeping up. He faltered quite a bit and his face scrunched up in concentration, eyebrows pulling together as he tried to keep pace. The tempo was a little off and Brittany had a hard time not laughing when the humming Santana was doing didn't follow the music, but overall it was an awesome rendition for a four year old musician and his singer.
Suddenly Barry stopped and this in turn made Santana stop mid-hum. Eddy and Arnold shared a confused glance when their boy looked at his ukulele and then up at the woman who was helping him during his first ever concert. "It's too hard! Can you show me, can you play for me so I watch how to do it?" he said timidly, through a grimace, shaken by disappointment over his own abilities.
Santana's heart melted at the meek query and she nodded without thinking. Barry grinned and crawled off of her lap and into the empty space between Santana and Brittany, settling happily and waiting for Santana to start playing once more. Brittany ruffled his hair affectionately and cupped Sophia's cheek when the little girl crawled up towards them, wanting to be included. It felt like being at home again. The parents evaporated, the music from outside melted away and it was only the four of them in their living room, entertaining their children and pressing soft affections against their heads and holding them close.
"Alright, Barry. Here we go. I'm gonna play the same song again so you can see what it looks like, alright?"
Santana began to strum slowly, closing her eyes to get into the mood of the music as it began to wash over her mind. Music had always held a special place in her heart and it was in moments like these, family moments, that she realized how special it could be. She hadn't played in front of a crowd in years and honestly, at first she'd hesitated but one look at Barry's puppy dog eyes had made her mind up for her. She began to strum with more energy, hitting the palm of her hand against the ukulele for extra effect and Brittany smiled lovingly at her, watching her wife get lost to everything but the music. When Santana began to sing, her wife stroked Barry's back lightly, hoping he was paying attention and smiling at the serious look on his face as he surveyed Santana's hand positions.
Arnold felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and looked up slightly to see his husband grinning wildly at the scene playing out in front of their eyes. Their son, their Barry, was sitting between Brittany and Santana Pierce like it was the most natural thing in the world. They were getting their very own private concert from a musical genius and Barry seemed totally nonplussed by the fact, just totally taken with the way Santana's hands were moving up and down the frets. It was precious. Too precious. Arnold snuggled into Eddy's embrace and sighed happily.
Out of the corner of her eye Brittany spied the woman beside William taking out her Iphone and aiming it at Santana and felt her muscles tense. They relaxed again when she saw Eddy follow her gaze and break away from his husband to whisper in the woman's ear, who immediately put the device away with a soft blush. Brittany smiled at this and felt a new surge or respect and kindness for Barry's parents. This in turn manifested itself into a large dose of happiness, realizing that they were in a safe place at last where they could simply be Sophia's parents rather than celebrities.
She took hold of Barry's little hands and made him clap with her and smiled widely at her wife. Sophia joined in happily and soon enough all the children and parents were clapping along. It was clear Santana was having a ball and she showed this through her use of complicated jazz riffs that delighted Barry and the onlooking crowd. Sophia giggled at her mom and went all rosy-cheeked with pride when one of her friends murmured about how cool her parents were.
The song ended with a flurry of notes and Santana inclined her head in a small bow under the cheers and thunderous applause. She raised her hand up to Barry for a high-five and the little boy glowed under the attention and readily high-fived back, receiving Brittany's hair ruffle happily in the process. Arnold and Eddy watched on, seeing how well Barry seemed to fit in with the Pierce's and how normal it seemed for him to be included in their tightly knit unit.
"Thank you," Arnold mouthed to Santana over the chatter of the kids all wanting a go of the ukulele and the parent's conversations starting up once more.
Santana smiled at him and then down at Barry and Sophia playing with his fire engine, welcoming Brittany's warm arms around her and melting into the comfort as the party picked up again. She felt her wife's hand discreetly settle on her stomach and rub in soft soothing motions. They grinned at each other and looked up at a passing cough, noticing Eddy and Arnold with their arms full of dessert plates nodding at Brittany's hand and winking slyly. Brittany swallowed awkwardly and Santana laughed, dropping her head down on her wife's shoulder as they watched the two men continue to the back garden.
"See?" Eddy stressed in a whisper to Arnold. "You can't fool a gay designer's eye. He notices everything."
- o -
"Mama, is it true that I'll learn how to read next year at school? Abuelita told me they should teach us that," Sophia ranted in the elevator on their way back home after spending an afternoon at Santana's parents' house.
"Oh, I don't know baby, maybe not just yet. They'll sure teach you the letters and maybe a bit of reading but I don't know if you'd only do that," Santana explained playing with her keys.
"But I already know the letters!"
"Yeah, but that's because you're clever! You learned on your own way earlier than other kids, so you'll have to wait for them to know the letters too," Santana said with a reassuring smile.
Sophia pouted. She was hungry to learn new things. Waiting for the others seemed like no fun at all. "Can you teach me how to read?"
"I could, but what are you gonna do if you know the letters and the reading before everyone else?"
"I'll skip to a superior class then," Sophia let out, the solution seemed so obvious.
Santana chuckled. They knew their daughter was smart, but they were seeing a little genius in the making. Even if they tried not to burn the steps and let their daughter do her thing peacefully, Sophia was always craving new information, new things to learn or to practise. And she wasn't even 4 yet. What would it be like when she'd be 15? Santana sighed. After all, if Sophia wanted to burn the steps on her own, they weren't about to refuse.
"Alright, I'll teach you how to read," Santana agreed as the elevator doors opened for their floor.
Satisfied, Sophia danced her way to their door with a huge grin cutting her face in two. Santana ushered her inside, shaking her head at their little devil.
"Hey you two," Brittany welcomed, already standing by the door. "How was abuelitos' house?"
"Goooood, Abuelita told me I should learn how to read and Mama said she'll teach me!" Sophia smiled all proud and excited.
Brittany looked at her wife who was shrugging, meaning Sophia hadn't left her any other choice. "Wow baby, you're gonna be super smart after that."
"The smarter of the whole school!" Sophia shouted, already storming to the living-room to go play.
"Hon, you'll have to tell Alma there's no need to hurry, she's not even 4. They're supposed to read at 5 or 6, what are we gonna do in between?" Brittany asked, happy to see her daughter so curious but, in the meantime, a bit concerned by their daughter getting too much advance on the other children.
"I know... I already told her. I guess I'll have another chat with her, but you know..." Santana playfully poked her own head, "Stubborn much."
Brittany chuckled, "Yeah, I know. Runs in the family."
"Anyway, you're ready for the surprise?" Santana inquired getting rid of her stuff in the entrance.
"Yup. I just got home 5 minutes ago, I was almost late!" Brittany dried the imaginary sweat from her forehead. Coming home late would have totally ruined it.
"Did you find one she'd like?" Santana asked, a fond smile stuck on her lips.
Brittany smirked, "Oh believe me, I took the cutest. She's gonna melt," Brittany admitted with a sly smirk. "Even cuter than the one we saw on their website."
"Is that even possible?" Santana joked, heading to the living-room.
"I swear, to die for," Brittany whispered so Sophia wouldn't hear their conversation.
Santana eyed her wife, thrilled. "Let's go?"
"Yup... Soph! Come here a sec, Mama and I have to talk to you," she called.
The little girl came running. "You'll teach me how to read now?" she asked excitedly.
Santana laughed. "No, we'll see that tonight," she crouched so she was able talk to her daughter face to face. "There's something we'd like to give you first."
Sophia glanced between her two moms skeptically. "But it's not my birthday today."
"I know. What we're about to give you is not a gift," Santana advised. "This is a big responsibility. But we trust you because you're big and caring enough now. You'll have to take care of it very well, Sophia, this is not a toy."
"Take care of what?" Sophia blurted.
"Okay, bring the surprise Britt," Santana said putting her hand on her daughter's eyes so Sophia wouldn't cheat.
Smirking, Brittany went to open the door leading to the dining room a couple of feet away. "Come here buddy, come here," she whistled playfully.
A little puppy came out, stumbling on the ground every now and then. It was a little happy bubble of white and light brown fur, almost walking on its own ears. Santana softly took her hand off of her daughter's eyes, smiling wide in expectation. As Brittany walked, whistling for it to follow, the puppy couldn't stop jumping gleefully on her feet, trying to scratch her legs in adoration. When it caught sight of Santana and Sophia, it stormed into their feet, running in circles, jumping and happily shaking its tail, craving cuddles and making its collar clink.
Sophia panicked. She wasn't sure if the puppy rolling about on the floor was a gift from God itself. It couldn't be Santa Claus, it was only August. Not the tooth fairy either, she hadn't lost any teeth lately. It had to be from some sort of Lord testing her, there was no other option. Anyhow, one thing was for sure, as soon as she laid eyes on this eighth marvel of the world, Sophia saw her whole tiny life pass right before her eyes. She burst down crying.
"Oh no babydoll! Why are you crying?" Santana softly inquired, stroking her hair and hushing her gently, an act that came straight from the deepest depths of her maternal instincts.
"Is-is... is it-.. f-f-for... for me?" Sophia managed to ask between heavy sobs.
"Of course it's for you sweetie... It's yours," Brittany said lovingly. Sophia cried even more, two large torrents of tears running down her cheeks.
"You don't like it? You want us to bring it back to the store and choose another one instead?" Santana worried. She had never seen her daughter reacting so strongly ever before.
"NOOOOO!" Sophia shouted as if her life depended on it. She shouted so loudly that both moms had to step back a little. Even the little puppy froze for a second. No doubt, she had Santana's Latin vocal chords.
Santana grabbed the little puppy to make Sophia cuddle it. It was so small that it fitted in only one hand. The puppy couldn't stop licking Santana's fingers affectionately, fidgeting and squeaking happily. She raised it to her daughter's level, keeping it still as much as possible so Sophia wouldn't be afraid by so much energy.
"Look how sweet he is! Stroke him!" Santana hurriedly glanced at Brittany. "It's a him, right?" Brittany nodded chuckling. "Good. Stroke him, don't be scared," she said softly.
Sobbing, swallowing all her tears, Sophia braced herself and attempted at stroking the little shaky head of her new puppy. The dog immediately tried to lick her tiny fingers. Sophia let him, enjoying it more than she could have guessed. Little by little, she got used to it, and Santana left him in her daughter's hands. Sophia cuddled it tight, wiggling her face away from the sudden onslaught of a ticklish tongue licking her face. The tears were soon replaced by laughs.
Brittany and Santana smiled wide. "You'll have to give him a name," Brittany said.
"Mr. Mango!" Sophia gasped. She had obviously dreamed about a little puppy before, how it'd look like and how she'd name it. In her colorful 4 years old mind, Mr. Mango was a badass name.
Brittany chuckled, "Hello Mr. Mango!" She eyed her wife. Santana's eyes were wide open with a weird smile, trying hard to hide the fact she had expected a name a bit more traditional. "Mr. Mango is fine! If she likes it," Brittany defended her daughter.
"I didn't say anything!" Santana said standing back on her feet. "If we ever come to lose him somewhere, you'll be the one yelling "Mr. Mango" in the streets," Santana said whispering to Brittany.
"Deal," Brittany muttered laughing. "Soph, you're happy?"
"Yes!" She carefully put the puppy down and stormed crashing into her closest mom, hugging Santana's legs tight. "Thank you Mommies," she then crashed head first in Brittany's legs, "Thank you!"
Brittany stroked her head. "You're welcome but remember, you'll have to take care of it!"
"Yes, Mommy!" Sophia answered looking up, her eyes shining like two big sapphires.
"Do you want to go to the park to walk him a bit?" Santana offered.
"Yes, please!"
"Alright, I'm gonna grab his leash then, I'll be right back," Brittany said pulling away.
Sophia didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She was so happy, she wanted to twirl, roll on the ground with Mr. Mango, hug her moms over and over again. Santana caught sight of her lost emotion. She crouched back, tickled the puppy and made Sophia do the same.
Santana and Brittany had felt so guilty for the past few months. All this sadness, all these tears without explanation weren't fair at all, especially for all the times when Santana had been a little too aggressive for no reason, or when Brittany had lacked her natural patience. Sophia needed a reward for having put up with them so well.
Considering the fact that Sophia was still so small and Santana was pregnant, they had chosen an easy dog to train, that would remain pretty small as an adult so Sophia would be able to walk him sooner. This specific breed only needed 6 months to be trained and to reach their adult size, the perfect amount of times for them to deal with him before Santana would deliver, in 6 months on the dot. Santana would be busy with him during those months, giving her some entertaining company when her wife and kid would be at work or school. But most importantly, Sophia would have this puppy-mission. She'd have to learn how to be responsible for someone, to care about a little life.
This was the perfect opportunity to teach her that a puppy wasn't a toy, just like a baby wouldn't be a doll. Slowly, Santana and Brittany would get Sophia to understand what a little being under one's responsibility implied. Also, a puppy would provide cuddles and laughter, when Brittany and Santana would be too busy changing the diapers and feeding the newborns, drastically reducing the time they dedicated to their eldest. It would keep Sophia busy, it would provide a nice diversion. And anyway, this dog was friggin' cute and already made their daughter insanely happy. Mr. Mango, whether Santana liked his name or not, would definitely be a bonus point in their life.
The walk was a delight. Sophia was so happy to have a puppy that she worried about everything. Each time Mr. Mango squeaked too loudly or stopped walking, she looked up to her moms worried to the bone that something wrong might be happening. Since she was still too small to walk him on her own, Brittany held the leash, and Sophia proudly helped by holding the thread as if she was walking him by herself. They peacefully made their way, arm-in-arm, enjoying a nice family moment.
"Mommy," Sophia turned around, "What are the babies' called?"
Both mothers chuckled, looking at their daughter. "I don't know sweetheart, we don't know if they are boys or girls just yet," Brittany explained.
Sophia bit her lip, thoughtful. "When will you know?"
"In about two months. Why?"
"I want to know what names the baby factory gave them," Sophia explained, dead serious.
"Oh, but it's not the factory that will-" Santana squeezed hard Brittany's arm to stop her.
"Yeah, I can't wait to know either!" Santana faked excitement.
"What the...huh?" Brittany whispered, perplexed.
"No way am I letting her know that we'll have to choose ourselves," Santana muttered, taking advantage of the park's noises. "She'd want to call them Cheddar and Bacon or whatever and last time I checked my uterus wasn't a Domino's Pizza commercial...!"
Brittany giggled, staring at her wife. She stopped walking to kiss her with all her love, a long lasting kiss that reminded her that she had missed those lips all day.
Sophia pulled on the leash. "Mommiiiiessss, don't stop walking! Mr. Mango wants to walk!"
Brittany pulled away smirking. "It's weird though, 'cause last time I checked, it tasted awesome," she whispered in the crook of Santana's ear.
Voilà! Tell me what you think about it! Any suggestion or comment? I haven't finished writing the next chapter yet, I sort of have a lack of inspiration these days... I'll try to finish it before next week, but it may take a little longer!
Have a great day everybody :) Lots of love!
