LbN: Sorry for the wait! I'll be quicker with the next one!

Rachel tossed her things into her bag after rehearsal. It had been a week since the Thanksgiving Sit-down. She was trying to be okay, but she wasn't. And Santana & Quinn knew it. She wasn't actually worried about Santana leaving. She knew her wife, and she knew genuine emotions when they came from her wife. Santana was incredibly remorseful about the whole situation, to the point where Rachel had been a bit worried about her. There was one thing that still bothered her, which was the idea that they couldn't go back to being themselves. She was done feeling worried. She was done with the uncertainty and her wife and best friend walking on eggshells around her. It was time to put this to rest for good. As she headed toward Beth's belt test, she formed a plan

As they watched the various levels test, Rachel leaned over to whisper to Quinn. "We open on New Years Eve. Do you think you'll be able to come?"

Quinn turned to her w/ a slightly surprised look. "Um, yeah. Absolutely."

"I told you, Quinn - I get it, & I'm fine as long as that was the end of it."

When she turned to ask Santana when Beth was up, she found her wife looking at her with an expression that was a mixture of relief and hope. She kissed her cheek & decided to wait to talk to her that evening.

When Beth's class stepped onto the mat, Rachel pushed everything from her mind to focus on her daug- sister.

Beth didn't want to take her bright orange belt off. She'd been in such a hugely excited mood that none of the three women had the heart to make her change, or deny her request for pizza.

"Q, can I go home with you this weekend?" Beth asked, starting on her fifth slice of pizza.

"What have we said about inviting yourself to people's houses?" Santana asked.

"I don't do it with everyone - just Q, because I know she'll say yes mostly."

Quinn looked abut pleased about that. "Sure , but I'm putting you to work. I'm starting my balcony garden & I need help."

"Okay!"

Later, Santana & Rachel drove home in a comfortable silence. Every once in a while, Rachel would look over at Santana, who took her hand. When they finally reached their house, she waited until Santana had dropped her purse on the hall table before pushing her against the wall and kissing her soundly.

When they disconnected a minute later, Santana was looking a bit stunned.

"Umm..."

"We're moving past this tonight," Rachel said quietly, removing her jacket. "We can talk until we're blue in the face. We can get counseling, and do therapy, and micro analyze the past month, but I know us. All of that might be needed," she said, pulling the shirt over her head. "But for us to be okay, we need to BE okay."

"Are we okay?" Santana asked after a split second of hesitation.

"You tell me. You love me?"

"Yes. You know I -"

"And you want a family with me."

"Yes."

"And you... You still want me?"

"Yes," Santana said, reaching out for her.

Rachel smiled slightly. "Then all the rest can wait until tomorrow." She pulled her skirt off and tossed it aside. "Right now, prove it."

"I feel like we should somehow codify a date night for them," Quinn mused. "Just so you don't keep blindsiding them with your requests for Q-Time."

"Ha!" Beth squawked. "I knew you'd come around to using the title."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "It grows on you. Like a fungus."

"Fungi are delightful."

"We're not going down that road tonight. Normally I'm up for your informative and extremely colorful science chats, but I don't have the focus right now."

"Maybe I should copy Rachel and make presentations to go with it..." Beth threatened with a grin.

Q gave her a Look as the stepped onto the elevator in her building. "With color-coded notes in a three-ring binder?"

"Don't hate. Those binders were the reason I was Science Superhero for three years running in elementary."

Quinn laughed as they entered the apartment. "Science Superhero?"

"It was Science King & Queen when I was in 1st grade, but they changed it to a gender neutral term."

"Got it."

"I think we should have a sleepover tonight."

"Are we not already?"

"No, I'm just staying at your house. I mean a real sleepover. Staying up late in our PJs, talking about boys. Or girls," she amended.

Quinn burst out laughing. "Okay, go get changed and I'll pull out the futon."

"Quinn?" Beth asked, hesitantly.

"What's up?"

"Are you and my mo - Rachel and Santana, alright? Like...the three of you are okay?"

Quinn smiled slightly. "Has anyone ever told you that you're terrifyingly perceptive?"

"Santana tells me all the time. But that didn't answer my question."

"Santana, Rachel and I are best friends. We've had...bumps in the road before, but we've always worked through them. This is no different." She privately prayed that she was telling the truth.

Santana and Rachel lay wrapped in the thick red blanket. It was nearly two in the morning, but both were holding off on sleep.

"I love you," Santana mumbled, pulling Rachel closer.

"I love you too. Hey," Rachel said, sitting up just enough to lean over her wife. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Santana said. "I just...I feel like there should be...talking of some kind? Like...are we really okay?"

Rachel kissed her and nodded. "We can talk if you want to. We probably should - Quinn came back really…"

"Abruptly?" Santana offered.

"That exactly. We talked about boundaries with her and Beth, but we should've discussed what it meant for us as well. I'm not talking about that," she added, seeing Santana's expression. "I'm not saying I thought…. I just mean that Quinn means a lot to both of us, and we both had moments of jealousy directly related to her. We need to talk about what that means."

"Threesome?" Santana suggested.

Rachel gave her a Look.

"Right, too soon."

Rachel snorted and lay back down next to her. "I'd love to see you explain that one to Beth."

"Oh god…. Anyway, you're right. But let's talk over breakfast - I think I need to sleep after the workout you gave me." She could feel Rachel's smile against her shoulder.

"Night, love."

"Night, baby."