A/N: This chapter is dedicated to LaurenKnight13, she knows why. Thank you for the ideas as well!
And all those who read and review, or just read: thank you so much!
On a Saturday morning a few weeks later, Santana wakes up alone in bed. The smell of coffee spreading through the apartment tells her that her boyfriend isn't far away. The thought makes her smile - Quinten really is her boyfriend, and they really are living together. It's been a while now, but at times it still makes her feel giddy.
She stretches and goes over the day in her head. Holly has moved to New York with Aliena, which means that they get to spend more time together. Holly has a job starting on Monday, so Quinten and Santana offered to take Aliena for the weekend. Santana has to admit that she likes the girl more than she thought she would. Aliena is very honest and just fun to be around. She's warmed to Santana as well, which is a relief to everyone. After all, this is the first time she has to share her daddy with someone else.
A few minutes later, Quinten enters the bedroom carrying a tray with two cups of coffee that smell ridiculously good. Just like the sight of him in nothing but his boxers looks ridiculously good. Santana licks her lips and smirks. "You're my favourite."
Quinten hands the tray over to Santana and gets comfortable on the bed. "Glad to hear it. I just got a text from Holly, she's dropping Aliena off in two hours." He quirks an eyebrow. "Sounds like plenty of time to have some... fun," he smirks.
Santana bites her lip and places the coffee tray on the ground next to the bed. She rolls over to Quinten and leans in for a kiss. He responds eagerly and immediately takes off her shirt. Her hands blindly find their way to his boxer shorts and in no time, they're both naked.
Santana has just wrapped her hand around his dick when his cellphone rings. They both groan.
"Don't answer," Santana says. "I really need you right now."
Quinten closes his eyes and grunts. "Fucking hell, I need you too, but it could be about Aliena."
Santana nods. He's right. She takes a deep breath. "Okay, you should probably pick up."
She watches him as he picks up the phone. After a few seconds, his face changes and Santana gets scared that something happened to Aliena - she's never seen him this worried. He frowns, and then says: "I'll be right there."
He puts down the phone and Santana's almost too afraid to ask what's wrong - what if she doesn't want to know the answer?
"It's my sister," he says, looking stunned. "Brittany's had an accident. She's in hospital. They don't know if she'll make it."
Santana gets up and walks over to him so she can hug him. "You've told me about her. She's strong. I'm sure she'll be fine. Are you heading over there now?"
He nods. Then he realises. "Shit. Aliena - I have to let Holly know that she can't come over."
Santana shakes her head. "No. You go to the hospital, and Aliena can still come over. I'll take her out, spend some time with her. We can swing by the hospital when you let us know it's okay."
He frowns. "You're sure? She's my little girl, but I'd understand if you wouldn't feel up to taking care of her all day."
"She's your little girl, and you're my boyfriend. She's part of who you are, so of course I don't mind taking care of her. Besides, she's awesome to be around. It's not a heavy task - I want to do this."
Finally, a small smile plays on his lips. "Okay. Thank you, baby. I guess I'd better go and get dressed then. And give Holly a call so she can tell Aliena I won't be here."
Santana makes sure she's got her cellphone with her at all times, in case Quinten wants to call her to give her an update or just to talk. Holly drops Aliena off, who looks worried and sad.
"Do you know what happened to aunt Brittany?" Aliena asks Santana while she's pouring a glass of orange juice.
Santana shakes her head. "I just know she was in an accident. But your daddy promised to let us know how she's doing." Just at that moment, her phone rings. She looks at the screen and smiles. "See, it's your daddy. I'm sure he'll know more now."
"Hi, Quinten," Santana says, putting her finger on her lips so Aliena knows to be quiet. „How is she?"
"It's not as bad as they thought," Quinten says, the relief audible in his voice. "She'll make it, no doubt. Some drunk dude ran her over while she was crossing the street. She's got two broken ribs, a broken arm and a severe concussion. She's awake now, and she's on heavy sedatives, but she'll be okay. Sam and I are staying here though, we want to support her. Can I talk to Aliena for a second?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm really glad she's going to be okay."
Aliena's face lights up at those words, and Santana hands over the phone to her. "Hi, daddy!"
Santana can't hear what Quinten is saying to his daughter, but he's clearly trying to explain what's going on the best he can.
"Tell aunt Brittany I love her very much and she has to be okay because I need to tell her about my new rabbit, Randy."
A few seconds later, Aliena hands the phone back to Santana. "He wants to say something to you."
"Yeah?" Santana says into the phone.
"We'll see how things develop but I might be staying over at the hospital tonight. Do you mind?"
"No, not at all. You do what you need to do, Aliena and I will be fine."
"Okay, I'll let you know. You can probably come here tomorrow with Aliena. She's excited about Randy - her last rabbit died a few months ago and she's wanted a new one ever since."
"Sure. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
"I will." She can almost hear the smile in his voice. "I love you, baby."
Now it's her turn to smile. "I love you too." Aliena waves to get her attention and then puts her fingers together in a heart. Santana chuckles. "And so does Aliena."
"Put me on speaker for a second?"
Santana does so, and Quinten clearly addresses Aliena. "Princess, daddy loves you very much too. I can't wait to see you again! You can probably come here tomorrow. I want you not to worry because aunt Brittany will be fine. You can just have fun with Santana, okay?"
"Okay, daddy!" Aliena shouts happily.
Santana ends the call and turns to Aliena. "So, looks like it's just us then! What do you want to do?"
Aliena shrugs. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Santana frowns exaggeratedly and pretends to think very hard, which makes Aliena giggle. "I've been thinking - it truly has been ages since I've been to Build-a-Bear."
"Yay!" Aliena jumps up. „I love love love Build-a-Bear! Please can we go? Please?"
"Of course we can."
They end up spending way more time at the store than Santana thought was even possible. It's absolutely insane how much accessories and clothes you can buy for these stuffed animals, but the smile on Aliena's face and her excitement make up for the giant gap this trip has left in her wallet. The old Santana would have been annoyed and demanded her money back from the kid's dad, but she doesn't even care. Seeing Aliena this happy is worth much more than her wallet can hold.
Aliena is cradling her new stuffed rabbit in her arms, talking to it softly about her family. About her mommy and her daddy, her uncle Sam, her aunt Brittany, her rabbit Randy - and it almost melts Santana's heart when she hears Aliena say: „And Santana, she's daddy's girlfriend and she's really pretty and really nice."
Finally, Aliena turns her attention back to Santana. "Can we get something for aunt Brittany? Daddy said we could probably visit her tomorrow."
"Of course," Santana smiles. „Or even better - you can make something for her!"
"Oh, I can do a painting!" Aliena says excitedly. "I can paint Randy for her so she can meet him already because Randy's at home now."
"That sounds like a great idea," Santana agrees. "Let's go and get what we need to make this awesome painting."
An hour later, Aliena is working on her painting in the utmost concentration. Santana shakes her head - if anyone had told her a year ago that she'd be making a painting with a five-year-old and actually having fun, she's have declared them mad. But Aliena is just adorable, and Santana got so attached to her already.
When it's finished, Santana takes Aliena to the bathroom so she can clean off the paint that she got all over herself. The end result doesn't look like a rabbit that much, but it's the idea that counts. Aliena surprises Santana by hugging her when they get back to the kitchen.
"Today was so much fun, Santana," Aliena says softly. "I didn't even have time to miss daddy."
Santana smiles and convinces herself that those aren't tears she can feel prickling in the corner of her eyes. "I had fun too, Aliena."
"I love my daddy. And I love my mommy. And I also love you."
Okay - now she really can't deny it, they're tears. "I love you too," Santana smiles, and she means it.
"Can we watch princess movies on the big TV tonight?" Aliena asks, completely unaware of the emotional state Santana is in.
"I'll do you one better - we can make popcorn and then watch princess movies in the lounge!"
"Yay!" Aliena squeals happily.
Santana chuckles and grabs her phone to text Quinten.
Your little girl is the best. She just told me she loves me. And I love her too.
It doesn't take long for him to reply.
Quinten: For real? Wow. Fuck. I love you both so much. I'm so happy right now.
Santana smiles and replies. For real. We love you too. Now I'm off to make popcorn and watch princess movies!