ME IN YOU
TO PASS AND LOOK BACK AT THE GOALS I`VE MISSED
Five miles in fifty-eight minutes Santana noted contently, as she slowly jogged up the driveway after her bi-weekly run. Thanks to the new something-something-tape her doctor had given her, her knee wasn't giving her any trouble anymore as long as she didn't push too hard.
Checking the time again she noticed that she still had an hour and a half before Quinn would be home, more than enough time to stretch, take a shower, do the dishes and prepare dinner. God, she was getting so good at that whole married adult routine, she should be given an award or something.
She barely noticed someone sitting on their porch as she was about to start her stretching. With a frown she took her headphones out and approached the young girl sitting in front of her house.
"Hey!" She addressed the intruder loud and clear when she realized that the blonde hadn't noticed her. "What are you doing here?" She asked when she was certain that she had the teenagers' attention.
Quickly getting up from the steps she had been sitting on the blonde nervously stepped from one foot to the other before she answered, "I'm looking for someone… ma'am."
Santana´s face darkened at the 'ma'am', did she really look that old? So what if she'd already crossed the bridge to thirty, she still looked super fine; stupid kid. "And who are you looking for? Santa Clause?"
"No, ma-" she stopped when she noticed the frown deepen even more. "No."
"Well? You´re going to have to give me a name if you want me to help you," Santana stated impatiently.
"Quinn Fabray," the blonde girl answered quickly, "I'm looking for Quinn Fabray."
It only took a second for the penny to drop, and along with it Santana's jaw nearly dropped too, but she could stop herself in time.
"Do you know her?"
Santana took a deep breath. Of course this had to happen while Quinn was still at work and she was alone at home! She didn't want to deal with this situation and she wouldn't have had any problems with letting the girl wait in front of the house until Quinn came home, but she figured that her wife probably would've a really big problem with it if she found out.
Great, so she didn't have a choice.
"Excuse me? Did you hear me?"
Santana grunted out a yes and looked down the driveway, hoping against hope that Quinn would come home early just this once and save her.
Naturally that didn't happen.
"Yes, I do know her," Santana then said to her counterpart.
"So, she lives here?"
"Yes."
"And you're a friend? Neighbor? Cleaning lady?"
Santana made a face at the last suggestion. She never thought about having to come out to her wife's daughter one day. "No, I'm… I'm… Santana. Quinn's… wife," the Latina finally said. She watched the teen closely to see her reaction, but the shorter blonde only nodded her head, a slightly worried expression still present on her face.
"You're Beth, right?" Santana asked after a long moment of silence.
The young girl probably hadn't known whether or not her birth-mother had ever told her partner -who was apparently a woman, and not the tall businessman she had imagined- about her, but she seemed somewhat relieved when it became clear that Santana already knew who she was.
"Yes. How do you know?"
"Well, who else could you be?"
"So, she told you about me then?"
Santana took a seat on the steps, stretching out her legs in front of her. "We went to high school together, so obviously I knew about you. I was even in the hospital with her the day you were born. I mean not with her, but I was there," Santana babbled nervously.
"So, you're high school sweethearts?"
"God, no, absolutely not. But I think our relationship is not exactly a first-conversation topic."
"Noted."
Santana awkwardly fiddled with the hem of her running shorts for a while. What were they supposed to talk about? She wondered.
"So, is Misses Fabray home?" Beth asked when it became clear that the adult next to her wasn't going to say anything anytime soon.
"Um, no, not yet," Santana said awkwardly, "Quinn's still at work."
"Oh."
"Are you hungry?"
Beth nodded her head quietly, she had been so nervous for the last forty eight hours that she'd barely eaten anything.
"Come on then. I'm going to make you something to eat and call Quinn to tell her you're here, sounds good?"
"Yes, thank you."
Following Santana's example the young girl stood up and went after the Latina into the big house.
"Do your parents know that you're here?"
The silence told Santana all she needed to know. "I'm going to have to call your mom or dad then. Tell them where you are and that you're safe. Where do you live now?"
"Rockford, Illinois, ma- Misses Lo-"
"Just call me Santana."
"Okay."
"I'll just go and freshen up real quick before I call Quinn, okay? Are you alright on your own for a few minutes?" Santana asked as she put down a glass of water in front of her guest.
"Yes."
##
After a super short shower Santana slipped into some fresh clothes and dialed Quinn's number while she put her hair in a bun.
"Hello, Quinn Fa-"
"You have to come home right this moment," Santana urgently said into the phone, not even letting her wife finish.
"San, if this is about you being horny again I'm going to hang up now. This isn't the right time for a booty call."
"Ha ha, very funny, I only did that once!" Santana said, for a short moment forgetting what –who- this call was actually about.
"Then why do I have to come home now? What can't wait another hour and a half? Did something happen?"
"I- I don't exactly know how to tell you this," the Latina stuttered out. "Are you sitting down?"
"Santana! What is it?" Quinn asked getting a bit worried.
"Quinn, Beth is here."
There was an eerie silence on the other end of the phone.
"Quinn? Babe, are you still there?"
"Yes," the blonde said after another stretch of silence. "I'll be home in a bit, don't scare her away," with that she hung up.
"I've been like super nice to her," Santana mumbled to herself on the way back into the kitchen. "So, Quinn will be here in half an hour or so," she informed her guest and put the phone on the counter top.
"Okay," Beth said, still sitting on the stool at the breakfast bar too afraid to move just one inch. "I'm really sorry for intruding like that. I'm… yeah… sorry."
"You don´t have to apologize. I'm just a little surprised and Quinn will be too."
In that moment it occurred to Beth that Quinn –her mother- didn't have six months time to prepare for this moment, didn't have reassuring talks with her best friend about meeting each other. She only had thirty minutes, and that other woman, Santana, even less.
Maybe she should've called first.
"Woah! You're not going to pass out or something, right?" Santana asked when she saw the color drain from Beth's face. "I mean I'm really good with first aid and stuff, but I would appreciate it if you didn't faint in my kitchen."
"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I'm fine. Just nervous."
"There's nothing to be nervous about. Quinn´s the nice one of us."
Beth didn't look too reassured, even though Santana really did her best to not be scary and such. "So, sandwich?"
"Yes, please."
"Anything I need to know? Are you a vegetarian?"
"Nope, nothing special."
"Good."
Like any child of Quinn (and Puck) would ever not eat meat, Santana thought with a smile.
While Santana was busy preparing a sandwich for her guest, Coffee Bean strolled into the kitchen, ignoring the intruder and walking right up to the nice woman who always gave her ham and bacon (if only Quinn knew about that). The cat sat down right next to Santana and started mewling and begging for her to drop something.
"Hey Coffee Bean," Santana greeted the feline. "What's it gonna be today? Some of Quinn's favorite bacon?"
"Your cat's name is Coffee Bean?" Beth asked amused as she watched the feline gobble down her treat.
"Yes. I'm kind of a coffee addict and it just seemed to fit."
"She's cute."
"You can have her if you want," Santana said with a grin.
Not being used to Santana and her humor Beth didn't know what to say.
"Just kidding. Quinn would kill me if I gave away her beloved cat. I mean… uhm… I didn't mean it like… she doesn't… it wasn't… that came out all wrong," she took a deep breath. "Wow, this is awkward. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Beth said trying to keep the mood light.
"Yeah, okay," Santana mumbled, "here you go."
She put the sandwich down in front of the young girl and sat down next to her.
"So how did you get here? Please tell me you didn't hitchhike."
"I didn't hitchhike. The sister of my best friend drove me to Chicago and I took a plane from there. And a cab from the airport."
"Good, good," Santana said nodding her head.
They remained silent as Beth finished her sandwich, both deep in thought.
"So, I know that this is probably very hard for you, and really scary, but I want you to remember that this situation isn't easy for Quinn either. She didn't think you'd wanted to see her, at least not for another four years, so please keep that in mind, okay?" Santana quietly said as Beth finished eating.
She was a little afraid of how Quinn would manage this situation and even though she knew that the teenager was probably scared out of her mind, her wife and her well-being were still her first priority.
"I know," Beth acknowledged nervously. "Thanks for the sandwich, it was really good."
"No problem."
They both took a deep breath when they heard the front door open. A glimpse at the clock told Santana that Quinn must've sped the way home from work. Just seconds later the older blonde stood in the kitchen doorway, her eyes on Beth.
"Hi," she said after a tension-filled pause, "I'm Quinn."
"Hey, I'm Beth- your daughter," the teenager said and got up from the chair.
For a moment they stood motionless in front of each other before Quinn finally took a step forward and put her arms around Beth, giving her a slightly awkward hug.
"Okay, so I'll leave you two alone and go call your mom now, alright?" Santana said, excusing herself.
Beth nodded her head a little worried. "Tell her I'm sorry and that I still love her," the teenager said.
"I will."
There was a short silence after Santana had left the room.
"So, has she been nice to you? Santana, I mean?"
The Latina appeared back in the doorway, "Of course I've been nice to her! Tell her!"
"She was very nice," Beth confirmed only slightly scared of Santana.
"Have you been eavesdropping?"
"No, but I can't call anyone without a phone, now can I?" Santana asked as she grabbed both her cell and the phone off the kitchen counter.
"Do you have everything you need now?"
"Yes. I'm already gone."
"So, she's really been nice to you?" Quinn asked just to make sure.
"Yes, though she did inform me that you're the nicer one," Beth said with a small smile. "I think she tried her best."
"Good."
An awkward pause followed and they could faintly hear Santana talking in the other room.
"So, how are you doing?" Quinn finally asked.
"Good. Fine. I'm a bit tired and nervous, but I-I'm good."
"Good, that's good."
"And you?"
"I'm good as well, thank you for asking."
There was another lengthy pause. While Beth surveyed the room, trying her best to not look too intimidated, Quinn had her eyes on her daughter, looking for any similarities, for a physical sign that she was her child.
"So, Santana wasn't lying when she said she was a coffee addict, huh?" Beth asked motioning to the collection of coffee makers occupying the kitchen counter.
"She is, actually I think we both are," Quinn answered. "Santana even owns a coffee shop in the city."
"That's cool. I met Coffee Bean earlier, she's super cute."
"Yeah, do you have any pets?"
"No, I mean we do have some fish, but they don't really count."
##
"What did she say?" Beth asked nervously when Santana walked back into the kitchen half an hour later.
"Well, she wasn't exactly happy, but she's glad that you're okay. She's going to come here the day after tomorrow to pick you up and she wants you, actually the both of you, to call her later tonight."
"Did she sound mad?"
"No, she was surprised and worried and okay maybe a little bit mad, but other than that she was pretty calm."
"Okay."
"So, Beth already had a sandwich, but do you guys want me to make dinner anyway?" Santana asked, "I was planning on some home-made pizza."
"Sounds good to me," Beth replied quickly.
"Quinn?"
"Sure, Cookie," the blonde answered with a soft smile.
"Alright, then why don't you two go sit down in the living room and I'll come get you when it's time for you to choose your toppings, okay?"
"Um, sure, but I have to use the bathroom first," the younger blonde stated as she slipped of her chair.
"Second door on the left," Santana told her with a nod down the hall.
When Beth had left the kitchen Santana stepped closer to her wife and pulled her in for a hug.
"Thanks, I really needed that," Quinn said, relaxing at least a little bit.
"Are you okay?" Santana asked running a hand down the blonde's back. "'Cause it would be okay if you're not."
"No, no, I'm fine, just a bit nervous. What if she doesn't like me?"
"Do you want me to be bitchier so that you'll look super nice next to me?"
"No, that's kind of sweet of you, but no. I think you in HBIC mode would just scare her for life."
"Nah, since we've got married I totally lost touch with my inner bitch, I'm not half as scary as I used to be."
"Are you sure about that?" Quinn teased some of the tension leaving her body over the banter with her wife.
"You'll do fine. Just be yourself and I'm sure she'll like you," Santana told her with a grin. With a kiss and a pat on the back the Latina send Quinn to the living room.
##
"So, I guess there are some questions you want to ask me, right?"
Beth shrugged her shoulders and played with the glass in front of her. "My mom already told me a bit about you, that you were still young, why you couldn't keep me, that you were part of something called glee club. What was that about?"
For the next few minutes Quinn told her all about their glee club, about Nationals and all the drama that was high school. She even told her about her career as a Cheerio.
In turn Beth told her some more about her life in Rockford, about her hobbies and her best friend Michael.
"There has been a guy occasionally, but they never stuck around, so it was mostly just mom and me," Beth explained. "And ever since I was five. Michael of course."
"So, you've had a happy childhood?"
"The best, though mom says that being an only child kinda turned me into a brat," Beth said with a grin.
##
While they finished preparing their pizza, it was Santana who kept the conversation going. She stayed away from all the heavy topics and stuck to innocent small-talk asking all the right questions to make Beth (and Quinn) feel a little more at ease.
"Are you sure that's still edible?" Beth asked as she watched Santana put jalapeños, pepperoni and everything else sharp she could find in the kitchen on her part of the pizza.
"Not for anybody else but her and the devil," Quinn answered with a grin.
"You two just stick to your boring bacon and leave me alone."
After a relaxed dinner Quinn and Beth called Shelby while Santana took care of the dishes.
##
"Do you have everything you need?" Quinn asked Beth from where she stood in the doorway of the guestroom.
"Yeah, I'm good, thanks."
"Alright, well, goodnight then," the older blonde said with a timid smile.
"Night."
Softly closing the door Quinn left her daughter alone.
##
Santana was already in bed and reading a book by the time Quinn was finished with her shower. Turning off the light in the bathroom Quinn entered the room and quickly got into bed with her wife. She was emotionally exhausted and all she wanted to do was curl around Santana and go to sleep.
"Do you think we should tell Puck?" Quinn asked after a moment, her eyes on the ceiling.
Putting her book down on the bedside table Santana turned her attention to the blonde. "I don't know. I mean, that's kinda between Beth and him, right?"
"So you think I should let her decide?"
"I think you don't have any obligation to tell Puck. And yeah, you should let her make that decision. She probably thought about it already, so maybe you should just talk to her about it tomorrow. No need to worry about it all night."
"Okay."
A little while later when Santana was already on the verge of falling asleep next to her, her hand firmly grasping Quinn's, the blonde couldn't help thinking about how things could have been. Maybe her life would've turned out completely different had she known at sixteen what she knew now, that Santana was a perfect match for her. Well, obviously not perfect perfect, but perfect enough to make her happy and make her wake up with a smile almost every day. Then again Santana hadn't been exactly stable back in high school either, plus she didn't want kids.
"Make your brain shut up," Santana mumbled after another five minutes of serious thinking.
Quinn smiled into the darkness and turned to her side to press a short kiss to her wife's lips. "Sorry."
"She seems to be a great kid, so don't worry. You made all the right decisions."
"You really think so?"
"I really think it's already past midnight and I have to get up early, so yes, if it makes you go to sleep I really think you did the right thing."
"That's not exactly what I wanted to hear."
"Q, babe, she's a normal teenager, who dresses a bit like a hobo and probably thinks it's cool to listen to Nirvana or whatever. She's everything she's supposed to be. And she actually seems a lot more pleasant than we were at her age."
"I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," Santana said around a yawn, hiding her face in Quinn's neck.
"Did you just drool on me?"
Santana giggled tiredly beside her, "Sorry, babe, but you're just so drool-worthy."
"Dumbass," Quinn complained good-naturedly and pulled her wife closer. "Just so you know there will be no inappropriate touching tomorrow."
"What? Why? She's not a kid anymore."
"Still."
"Fine, then I'l have to do all the touching now."
Surrounded by Santana's warmth and a hand firmly grasping her behind, Quinn fell asleep.
THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF ME INSIDE YOU
When Quinn woke up the next morning she was alone in bed. It was barely seven and she knew that Santana was probably just about to eat breakfast. So even though she was still tired she got up and made her way to the kitchen. If she was going to spend the whole day with Beth, her daughter, she would need some encouraging words from her wife first.
Just as predicted she found Santana at the breakfast bar drinking coffee and obviously sharing her totally overpriced favorite cornflakes (the ones she had nearly chopped off Tina's hands for eating while she had stayed with them during the summer) with Beth, who much to Quinn's surprise was already up too.
"Hey you two," Quinn said as she entered the room.
"Hey, why aren't you sleeping in? You've got the day off," Santana said knowing only too well that her wife could've needed another hour of sleep.
"Well, I didn't want to miss out on all the breakfast fun. How did you sleep Beth?"
"Really good actually. The bed in the guestroom is like super comfy," the young girl replied around a mouthful of cornflakes.
"There´s still some of our smoothie left," Santana informed her after a short pause, "It´s in the fridge if you want some."
"Let me guess: Mango?"
The Latina grinned at her, "You know it."
For some unknown reason her wife had quite the obsession: she loved the fruit, her favorite shower gel supposedly smelled like mango and papaya, they always had a bottle of Indian mango liquor at home, and when she smoked she preferred mango cigarettes.
"So how long have you been up?" Quinn asked taking the seat in the middle.
"Half an hour or so?" Santana answered, "Not too long."
##
"Okay, so I'm gonna leave now," Santana told them twenty minutes later. "How about I take you two out to dinner tonight?" She asked slipping into her jacket.
"Do you like Chinese?" Quinn asked Beth, who was on her third bowl of cornflakes.
"Sure."
"Great, then I'll come pick you up after work," Santana said before leaning down to place a quick kiss on the corner of Quinn´s mouth. "Have fun today," she told the two blondes and with an encouraging smile and a wink she left for work.
##
After breakfast Beth looked around the living room, taking in all the pictures and photographs decorating the walls and shelves.
"So, are you guys happy?" She asked, picking up a picture of Quinn and Santana from their honeymoon.
"Yes, I like to think so."
"Do you love her?"
"Yes, I do, very much so," Quinn answered honestly as she took a seat on the couch.
"How long have you been together?"
"Four years… more or less," Quinn answered vaguely.
"And married?"
"Two and a half."
"That's cool. You look good together," Beth said and put the picture back down. "So, do I have any siblings?"
"No. I mean not on our side."
"Do you guys want to have kids?"
"No. Santana doesn't really want children and I… I've got you."
Beth nodded her head. "And my dad? Does he have kids?"
"At least two that I know of. He and his wife have two sons."
"Oh, so he's probably not interested in meeting me then, is he?" Beth asked looking through the window into the garden.
"I- I'm sure he'd love to meet you," Quinn answered honestly. She was certain that Puck would like to meet his daughter. "Your dad, he wanted to keep you, but we were in no situation to take care of a child. He was pretty much still a child himself," Quinn explained as best as she could. "I think he would love to hear from you. I can give you his phone number if you want. Or we could call him together sometimes if you'd like that better."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Your dad's actually the one who chose your name," Quinn said after a while.
##
"Mom told me three years ago and I've wanted to find you ever since," Beth told Quinn while they did their nails.
Beth had found some of Santana's old nail polish in the fridge, and was now busy painting her nails a dark violet.
"And how did you find me?"
"My best friend, Michael, did. He's like this super tech genius and he hacked into some databases. And my mom told me your name, and where you had been living and the school you went to and stuff. The rest was just a piece of cake. On the company website was a short CV and a picture of you."
"God, I look awful on that photo, Santana always calls it the picture from hell," Quinn said remembering the photograph Richard had decided to publish, claiming she looked professional and reliable.
"It's not that bad… I mean after you get over the initial shock that is," Beth said with a cheeky grin.
##
"I mean I´ve read about all those horror stories online where people found their real parents and they turned out to be total assholes, but I still wanted to meet you, and I don´t regret it," Beth explained.
"So I don't fall into the asshole-category then?" The older blonde asked while she prepared them a snack.
"No, I don´t think so," Beth said with a shy grin.
##
"So, you and this Michael…"
They were sitting in a nice Chinese restaurant and Santana had just learned about Beth´s best friend, so naturally she had to probe some more.
"Oh, don´t worry, he´s gay. He was totally happy when I told him that my birth-mother was a lesbian."
Quinn made a face at that. Sure she´d only been with Santana for the last years, but somehow she´d never considered herself a lesbian.
"Yeah, your birth-mom, the good old lesbian," Santana teased with a grin, earning herself a slight shove.
"But you like… boys..?" Quinn asked, not exactly comfortable with the topic.
"Yes. I mean, I´m not ruling anything out here, but so far the only person I´ve ever had a crush on is Toby Phillips," Beth replied with a sigh.
"So is he your boyfriend?" Santana asked, never one to say no to some gossip.
"Leave her alone," Quinn admonished with a small shove and a stern face. "You don´t have to talk to us about this."
"Why not? I´m sure we could help. Nobody´s ever said no to me," Santana argued, "and something tells me that she´s not talking about this with her mom. I know I sure as hell didn´t."
"Yeah, you always went to Miss Holiday."
"I wonder what she´s doing nowadays. I bet she´s still some hot piece of- OW! What was that for?"
"Watch your mouth!"
"Why? I´m still fluent in teenage lingo, but whatever. I bet she´s still as attractive as she used to be. Better?"
"You thought she was attractive?"
"I was a hormonal teenager, I found pretty much anyone attractive, especially hot blondes with long legs," Santana said with a wink, "but back to Toby Phillips."
##
"I mean, I´m not afraid or anything, I just don´t like them," Beth told Quinn later that night in the kitchen.
They had both been awakened by the storm brewing outside.
"Well, I am kind of a little bit afraid of them. Santana always makes fun of me for it, so I don´t want to wake her just because it´s raining a little bit harder than usual," Quinn said gripping her hot chocolate a little tighter when another lightning flash illuminated the sky followed by loud thunder.
"Are you kidding me? ´Raining a little harder´? This out there looks like the apocalypse! I can´t imagine how Santana can just sleep through it."
They talked for another half hour before Santana came into the kitchen looking for her wife. Thankfully she was too tired to make fun of them.
RAINBOWS OR BURNING BRIDGES
The next day Quinn had to go back to work and so Beth spent the day with Santana at the shop, waiting for Shelby to arrive in Boston.
"So, is selling coffee profitable?"
"Very. But don´t tell Quinn, otherwise she´ll stop spoiling me," Santana told Beth with a wink.
"Can I take a look around?"
"Sure," the Latina replied looking through the mail and trying to ignore the curious looks Jill, one of her employees/ friend, was giving her. She would explain that some other day.
##
"Do you want a coke or something?"
"Sure."
"It´s all about the caffeine," Santana told Beth with a grin when she put the can down in front of her. "We´ve got some coffee chocolate as well if you´re interested."
"Talk about addict here."
"Hey, don´t judge till you´ve made it through college without your daily dose of caffeine!"
"Do you mind if I play a bit?" Beth asked her eyes on the piano that stood in a corner of the shop, used only on special occasions.
"Sure," Santana answered, then added, "but only if you´re good. We don´t want to scare off paying customers."
"I´ll do my best," Beth replied.
##
It was a little after five when Shelby entered the shop, looking around for her daughter who was sitting at the counter skimming through one of Santana´s coffee magazines.
"What were you thinking?"
Santana watched quietly as Shelby took her daughter in her arms while admonishing her for her actions.
"She told me they were going on a three day field trip which I paid two hundred dollar for. Just so you know this means no allowance for at least two months," Shelby explained, taking the seat next to Beth. "And since Michael´s surely been in on this you´re not allowed to see him for the next two weeks either."
"But Mom!"
"You´ve only got yourself to blame for this young lady."
"I know, I´m sorry."
##
"It´s getting late," Shelby noticed. "I guess it´s best if we stay in a hotel for another night and fly back home tomorrow."
"You´re more than welcome to stay with us," Santana offered, hoping that it was in Quinn´s interest.
Noticing the hopeful expression on her daughters' face Shelby didn´t have it in her to say no, even though it made her a little uncomfortable. "Sure, thank you, Santana."
"No problem. Now would you like some coffee? It´s on the house and it´s the best you can get on the east coast," Santana said with her best advertising smile.
##
"Is this a problem?" Quinn asked Shelby when they finally had a moment alone. "Me being married to a woman I mean?"
"I don´t see how this would be a problem."
"So, you won´t keep her from having contact with me because I´m, well, gay I guess?"
"Quinn, you do remember that I gave Rachel to two gay men, right? And I´m pretty sure that Beth told you about Michael already. So the fact that you´re married to Santana is not a problem for me. And I won´t keep either of you from reaching out to the other one… I just… I thought I had another four years."
"Actually so did I," Quinn admitted, "but I´m not going to try and take her away from you or anything. She´s your daughter and I´m going to respect that. I just want to be her friend… or something like that."
"That´s okay," Shelby said with a genuine smile. She didn´t want Quinn to make the same mistakes she had made with Rachel.
They both walked into the living area where Santana and Beth sat at the couch table hunched over some papers.
"Beth, Santana is not going to do your Spanish homework!" Shelby admonished her daughter once she realized what Santana was doing.
"But mom, she´s like fluent and super smart when it comes to literature," Beth whined.
"It´s still your homework to do."
"Just write down your email address, I´ll send you something," Santana whispered conspiratorially. "There are certain things moms don´t need to know about."
"Cool, thanks!"
"Or wives for that matter," the Latina added when she caught Quinn´s stern gaze.
##
"Would you like some wine Shelby?"
They watch Quinn and Beth through the kitchen window as they sat on the steps of the porch bathed in the light of the slowly setting sun.
"Yes, thank you Santana," the older woman replied taking her eyes off of her daughter.
"I- I know that it probably won´t be easy, but if it´s okay with you I´d really like to try and build some sort of relationship with you," Quinn said quietly. She didn´t want this to be the last time she saw her daughter, not after she had gotten to know her.
"Like friends?" Beth asked looking up from Coffee Bean who sat on her lap, purring happily.
"Yes, something like that."
"Yeah, that´d be cool."
They sat in silence for a little while and for the first time since they´d met each other it wasn´t uncomfortable. They both took it as a good sign.
"Can Santana be my friend too?" Beth asked after a while, just to make sure. " `Cause she´s awesome. A bit scary, but that´s okay I guess."
"Of course, but that doesn´t mean she´s going to do all your Spanish and English homework from now on," Quinn said bumping her shoulder against Beth´s.
"Damnit, but she can at least help, right?"
"So, who wants to help me with dinner?" Santana asked with her hands on her hips as she stepped out onto the patio.
"I can´t!" Beth exclaimed immediately, "Big Bang Theory starts in five minutes," she explained and got up.
"You heard her," Quinn added getting up as well.
"You never watch that show," Santana said with a frown, "and you never let me watch it, because I think Penny´s fucking hot and you get jealous easily."
Snickering Beth slipped through the door; Quinn followed her but placed a quick kiss on her wife´s lips when she passed her in the doorway. "I´m sure you´ll be fine on your own in the kitchen."
"I hate you and I´m not your slave you know?" Santana called after her wife who had already disappeared into the house.
GATHERING WHAT YOU`VE LOST
The next morning after breakfast they were all standing outside to say farewell. Shelby was waiting in the rental car giving her daughter some time to say her goodbyes before they left for the airport.
"So, are you sure that´s cool if I call you guys sometime?"
"Of course, we would love that," Quinn confirmed once more with a bright (and somewhat teary) smile, and Santana gave a small nod.
"I think we would actually be kinda disappointed if you didn´t," Santana said, speaking mostly for Quinn.
"Cool."
"If you want to and if it´s alright with your mom, you´re always welcome back for a visit."
"That would be really great," Beth said with a smile, "I´m really glad I did this," she added after a short pause.
"Me too. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I´m very happy that you had the courage to come here. I couldn´t be more proud of you," Quinn replied sounding all motherly, making Beth blush and Santana smile affectionately.
"We´ll stay in contact, right?" Beth asked once again as she stepped into Quinn´s arms for one last hug.
"Of course," the older blonde replied teary-eyed. "You can call or visit whenever you want."
"I´ll make sure to come back again. Boston is much cooler than Rockford, after all."
"We´ll take you for a tour the next time you´re here then. Santana can tell you all about the Boston Tea Party at the harbor."
"We´ll make something cool too, don´t worry," the Latina added when she caught the expression on Beth´s face.
Santana didn´t even make a face or try to pretend to not like it when Beth hugged her goodbye, though she did give her a little shove when the teen said bye, bye, Cookie.
"Okay, I don´t want to keep mom waiting any longer. We´ll call when we´re back home."
"Okay, have a safe trip."
"Thanks, bye."
Santana put an arm around Quinn´s waist as they watched Beth get into the car, ready to go back home to Rockford. They waved goodbye and stood in the driveway even after the car was long gone.
Tenderly wiping away the tears Quinn had shed, Santana took her wife´s hand and led her back into their house.
AND I`M WATCHING YOU NOW
When Santana came home late on Saturday afternoon a few weeks later she found Quinn sitting outside on the back porch, talking to Beth on the phone. She pressed a quick kiss to her wife´s forehead and then went to change out of her work clothes.
"Yes, she just got home from work," Quinn said her eyes on Santana who she could see changing in their bedroom through the glass sliding doors. For a moment she was distracted as she watched her wife parade around the room in only some black sweats (which looked way sexier on Santana than any pair of pants should) and a bra, obviously looking for a sweater.
"I´ll tell her," Quinn spoke into the phone as Santana walked back outside to take a seat besides her, ready to spend the rest of the day lounging around with her wife. "Okay have fun tonight and we´ll talk again next week, okay? Bye Beth."
"She says hello," Quinn told Santana as she put the phone down beside her. "Would it be okay if Beth and her friend spend a few weeks of their summer holiday with us next year?"
"What friend and how many weeks are a few weeks?" The Latina asked getting comfortable half on top of her wife.
"Two weeks and Michael, her best friend. Shelby already gave her okay and I talked to his parents as well."
"So, what you´re trying to say is that you´re just asking me pro forma and that I don´t really have a say in this, right?"
"You got it."
"Well, tell you something: I would´ve said yes anyway."
"Obviously," Quinn noted with a smile, absently playing with Santana´s hair.
"And this means our holiday is canceled as well, right?"
"Yes."
"Figures. Then you also do realize that you´re very lucky I love you so much?"
"Yup."
"Good. And you know that in order to repay me for being such an understanding and incredible and perfect and loving wife you could get me a beer and … I don´t know… go down on me?"
Silence.
"Fine. Drop the pants then."
Santana´s grin was nearly blinding.
OUTTAKES
"Is she serious?"
"About what? Did she claim I´ve been in Playboy again?"
"Have you?" Beth asked wide-eyed.
"No!"
"But babe, I swear to god that chick looked exactly like you, she could´ve been your twin. You can tell me if it´s been you, I wouldn´t be mad or anything. It would actually be quite hot, being married to a playmate. Not that you aren´t my playmate anyway, but you know, a real one."
"I think it´s time for you to go and be ridiculously stupid somewhere else, Santana."
"Oh, oh, wait, is this one of those moments where you´re embarrassed because of me and wish you´d married someone else instead? ´Cause I love those!"
"Just leave already, go admire yourself in a mirror or whatever else it is you do when you´re alone."
"Q," Santana started wrapping both arms around Quinn´s waist, "you know all I do when you´re not with me is miss you terribly."
"Of course you do. Now leave us alone."
After collecting one last kiss Santana finally left them alone to talk.
"She´s not always this… obnoxious… well actually she kind of is, but you get used to it after a few… years."
"She seems fun."
"Yes, it does indeed never get boring with Santana," Quinn agreed with a soft smile.
##
"Ugh, believe me, you don´t want to meet that woman."
"San!"
"What? It´s the truth. Your mom just isn´t someone I would want to know. I mean she´s known me like forever and she still thinks I´ve got problems understanding English."
"Well, you´re a special case, and actually a lot of people don´t like you very much, not just my mom."
"Thank you, I always enjoy hearing you tell me what an awful person I am."
"I didn´t say that. What I mean is that you do rub some people the wrong way."
A smirk was already forming on Santana´s lips.
"Don´t you dare say it!" Quinn told her wife before she could even open her mouth. "There are children in the room."
"I´m fourteen, I´m not a kid anymore," Beth said rolling her eyes amused. "You guys are so much fun."
##
"So, are you good in school?"
"I´m doing okay," Beth said her eyes on the Yale University pen Quinn was nervously playing around with. "Though I guess I can´t compare to you."
"Oh, no, San´s been to Yale. Her mom´s had this crazy obsession to buy pretty much every piece of Yale merchandise there was. We even have Yale golf balls and Santana absolutely hates golfing."
A little intimidated Beth nodded her head. "Then where did you go to college?"
"Uhm, Harvard."
"Oh, wow, two brainiacs, huh?"
"I think we´ve just always had a little too much energy."
"Oh please, we just wanted to one up each other," Santana said, not seeing any need to filter the truth. "And if it hadn´t been for that stupid genius guy from India I totally would´ve finished top of the class."
"And yet all you do is sell coffee for which you wouldn´t even had needed a high school diploma for."
"I hate you."
A/N: So, it once again took me forever to finish this part. I´m sorry.:/ I also apologize to everyone who thinks that I´ve portrayed this situation/topic inadequately, but since this whole story obviously isn´t about drama, I wanted to keep things light. I hope that´s okay with everyone. Title/subheadings taken from the song ´me and you´ - Kings of Convenience.
Those of you you don´t have a problem with being spoiled (! -) I can tell that the next part is half-finished as well. And yes someone will be skydiving+ another former Glee-cluber will make an appearance. No idea when it will be posted though. Yeah, that´s it. Hope you had fun reading, don´t forget to review. :)
One last thing: Check this out # 9, the face mug http:/www(.)boredpanda(.)com/creative-coffee-and-tea-mugs/
I wish someone would get me one of those... :D