Written with Nephewsnixx.


New Year's eve was the last day together for one couple, a first for another and a chance to relive their first date, now with a healthy ankle and as a double date, for the married ones. Rachel and Santana, together with Quinn and Puck took a special New Year's Eve sailing that included all the good stuff; fireworks, a luxurious dinner, a dance floor and of course, a loving kiss after the countdown. At first, the married couple was reluctant about leaving Riley and letting him spend the night away from home, but with the babysitter being Shelby and the encouragement from their friends convinced them to go out and enjoy a night out. It turned out to be the good choice; according to Shelby, Riley had little to no problems during the stay and Santana and Rachel had a wonderful time with their friends.

What the married couple didn't know, or anyone for that matter, is that Shelby wasn't the only one taking care of the boy that night. His other grandma was there and despite the women plans to enjoy a nice bottle of wine together, they were both glad to have that quality time with their grandson. The next morning, after Riley was picked up by Rachel, Shelby took Maribel to the airport and they both agreed that the night was better than they expected. The light blush that covered their cheeks when they stood in front of each other wasn't caused by a memory of anything Riley did the previous night, but because when the clock hit midnight, they both leaned to kiss each other. It wasn't a sensual kiss, but it took their breath away; it was familiar, comforting and made them feel good. They didn't talk about what it meant, but Maribel promised to be back in New York soon which put a 'To be continue' on whatever it is they have between them.

For the younger girls in the family, things weren't as clear at first in terms of what they were going to do. Dani wanted Marley to enjoy a night out, but the large crowd that was going to be there made her nervous. Marley had to wake up early the next day and Emily was torn between her friends and her girlfriend. They talked and attempted to plan something for the four of them together and at some point they managed to find a compromise. The five of them, apparently Elliot was able to get a night off, got a reservation at a nice restaurant where they ate a late dinner and went from there to see the ball drop.

Emily told her friends she'd meet with them later that night, she couldn't pass on spending that evening with Beth and for their fun to lead to a sweet kiss at midnight. For Dani, her anxiety kicked when they start walking around, but she was able to keep it under control until a little after the ball dropped. She reminded herself that Marley wasn't going to be there for her birthday or Valentine's Day so she had to pull through and enjoy that celebration. And she did, all of them did; the food was good, the music wherever they went were pretty much alright, but most of all they enjoyed the company.

When the night was over and they said goodbye to Elliot, the engaged couple waited near the entrance of the building for Beth to say goodnight to Emily. Beth was yet to confess her feelings, but since her realization and verbal admission to Dani, every moment with Emily felt a little different; better, but mixed with nervousness. Emily told her she was going to a friend's place for a couple of hours and that she'd call at a reasonable hour the next day. They shared a short kiss and a lingering look, then Beth walked out of the car and went with Dani and Marley up to their apartment while Emily drove off.

It was mostly a sleepless night for Dani. She was tired, but when they got into bed and Marley fell asleep in her arms, the silence got her thinking. She saw her fiancée's bag near the door and the uniforms on the chair. She wished she could've hide them or thrown them away or that if she was strong and hold Marley down hard enough and long enough, then she won't have to go. But nothing could've stopped Marley from going away for another... Who knows; 6 months, a year... More? Dani sighs and shook her head, life is crazy, she thought; getting her to fall hopelessly in love and have all this happiness, only so the woman she loves would go to war and risk her life.

Marley woke up at some point, in the darkness Dani didn't know what time, and mumbled if she was ok, because she was thinking too hard that it woke her. Dani chuckled and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

In the morning, Dani asked if Marley enjoyed the week and did everything she wanted. Marley, who stopped dressing up and walked over to her fiancée, she pulled her for a warm embrace and told her it was one of the best weeks of her life. She got to spend some time with her mom and brother and a lot with Dani, she saw Riley and Dani's family and ate great food, got a much needed rest and just.. Enjoyed being home.

Before they left the room to say goodbye to Beth and drive to the departure area, it was time to break down, just a little. Dani couldn't control the tears and Marley joined right after. They held each other close and again, Marley promised to do everything she can to come back safely. Dani reminded her about their future family and the wedding they still have ahead of them, she told her that not coming back was not an option. Marley heard that and the unspoken words Dani was holding in for her sake. She comforted her and said she would try to call when she get the chance. They shared kisses that were supposed to hold them until their next meeting and 'I love you's to give them power to wake up and do their best each day. They let themselves break in the safety of their room, in the arms of the person they love most in the world. But time couldn't be stopped and they had to get going. Marley hugged Beth tightly and told her that she and Dani should keep watching each other and that she loves her very much. She took her bag and Dani took the keys to the car and they left.

More tears and kisses just moments before Marley had to get out of the car and actually leave. Dani held her tightly and let the moment consume her; Marley strong arms, her breath on her neck, the smell of her perfume and her voice. They told each other they'd see one another soon, then Marley took her bag and walked away. Stalling was only going to make it harder. Dani repeated 'We'll see each other again' to herself in the car before she drove back to the city.

The same morning that Marley left, Rachel dropped with Riley to see how her daughter was doing. She knew the first period of time is hard on Dani more than the usual. She brought some breakfast and with Beth, they all ate and talked. Rachel was much more relaxed that Dani wasn't alone there, but yet suggested to her to come and spend a few night at their home. Dani insisted she was alright and had a lot of studying to do that it'd keep her busy. To add to that, Beth reassured her big sister that she'd keep an eye on her and be there if and when she'd need her.

The week following was difficult on Dani and Beth ended up spending most night holding her niece, than sleeping in her own bed. Dani hated those nightmares and how crippled she felt by the fear. But at least it only occurred at night and she knew it'd not be as bad as times goes by.

For Riley, things were going much better, his first tooth finally came out and the pain wasn't as bad anymore. That was a big relief for Santana and a big moment for the whole family. Rachel made sure to get a picture of their son with his one, shiny white tooth and put it in his baby book and Santana made sure to tell him, over and over, that biting mommy is not allowed , especially when she breast feeding him.

Thursday evening, Santana and Rachel had plans with Quinn and Puck, since their last double date together was so successful. They got Kurt to watch Riley and Dani texted them that she was joining him, which made her mothers happy; they were always close and Dani needed all the love she could get.

How they all agreed to go with Rachel's idea was beyond Santana, Quinn and Puck, but they did and now they find themselves at a karaoke bar.

When the group got to their booth, Rachel relaxed in her seat and took in the atmosphere of the bar. She takes a couple breaths. "The place isn't as crowded as I thought it would be." she points out.

"Yes, and we're all very surprise by it, Rach." Quinn comments as she looks around and gets Santana to chuckle.

Puck looked through the menu they had there, some of the appetizers sounded rather good in his eyes but was unsure if Quinn wanted to go for it. "Hey, babe, should we get the Mozzarella Sticks?" he asks and points to the item on the menu.

Rachel also decided to take up the menu, she looked at the drinks section, when she saw the price of the non-alcoholic drinks, she was almost disgusted by the sight. "God, these places really want people to get drunk or something…" she mentions.

Quinn looks at the menu, then leans back. "That sounds good, honey." She answers her husband.

"Well, they have a good reason for that." Santana tells her wife while her eyes still scanning the area. "Alcohol brings money and crowds. People love to get drunk and make fool of themselves." She finally turns to the people in the booth. "On another subject, will you be ok with me drinking one drink?"

"You did a good job, Rachel." Quinn smirks at the couple on the other side of the table.

"Yes, but only one." Rachel says as she sets down the menu. "So, how did your guys' week go, busy I hope?" she asks the other couple as she rests her head on her palm.

Puck looked at Quinn with a genuine smile. "Oh, I'd think so." he says then looks back at the couple. "I got a raise at my job, which is partially why was excited for tonight." Puck gently grazes Quinn's hand with his thumb.

"That's great, Puck." Santana smiles at him. "Congrats."

"It really is, he worked hard for it." Quinn gives the man's forearm a small squeeze.

Rachel slightly smirks at Puck. "So, you're going to spoil us with your cash there, Moneybags?" she jokingly asks while flipping through the pages of the menu.

"Well, I don't see why not." Puck shrugs then slightly turns to Quinn. "Also, babe… Here." he says and hands Quinn a lengthy but small jewelry box. "Happy anniversary." he says with a smile.

Quinn glance between the box and her husband a couple of times. "You remember this date?" She didn't know he does and the fact that he is melts her heart. She opens the jewelry box and gasps. Inside there is necklace with her birthstone. "Noah, it's beautiful." Quinn turns and cups his face with her free hand. "Thank you, I love you." She tells him and pecks his lips a couple of times.

Santana, who was watching closely, smiles and she has to admit two things to herself; she's only ok with being lovey-dovey, not watching other couples being like that, and that things truly have changed. "Now I really need a drink, you guys are way too sweet."

Rachel glances at Santana with a slight smirk. "You love it." she says quietly then wraps an arm around Santana's waist. "What do you want to drink, babe?" she asks while flipping through the menu again.

"No, I love you." Santana grins at her wife, then signal for a waiter who gets there quickly and asks them for their orders. "I'll take one White Russian and fries," She says, then points at the other couple. "They want mozzarella sticks and.." Maybe she called him too soon because Santana doesn't know if the other want to drink of if her wife wants to eat. "Babe, what do you want to eat?"

"Make her order of fries the biggest you got and lots of ranch, please." Rachel asks. "And I would like the Bottomless Pepsi." she says.

Before the waiter could ask what Puck and Quinn wanted, Puck sat up some and said. "I want a bottle of your freshest white wine, preferably shipped today." he says with a smile. "Also extra marinara sauce with the mozzarella sticks, please." he slipped the waiter a couple 20s. "More if we get that wine soon." he says.

Santana put her arms on the table and rests her head on them. "Look at you, big man." She says with her brow raised as soon as the waiter is gone. She can't help the chuckle when she sees the eye role Quinn is doing; maybe some little things stayed the same.


While the party was having fun at the karaoke bar, Kurt and Dani were hanging out with Riley in the theater room. For the most part they were having a good time; Riley got to bounce around to some of the music that played in the background, sometimes making grunting noises with each bounce. Dani laid beside her little brother, looking over to the screen, ultimately just feeling a little bummed out, but that was normal with the previous times that Marley had left. Kurt was making some popcorn along with some special applesauce, which the recipe he learned from a few sites that specialized in baby care.

Kurt noticed Dani's bored expression from the kitchen area of the theater room; he purses his lips and blinked a few times. "Hey, D, you doing okay?" he asks before mixing the applesauce some more.

"Do you want the answer people usually wants when asking that question?" She asks as she moves the hair from her brother's face. "Because the truth can't be further."

"Honestly, any answer would suffice." Kurt answers as he turns the heat off the portable stove. "Just as long as I got a reaction from you, ya know?" he slightly frowns. "You know, right now she's working her a-... Butt, she's working her butt off for our country, thinking about you, and all…" he points out before moving the small pot from the stove to the fridge.

Dani starts to pant, she feels the tears fighting to break and slide down, but her brother is right there and she cried so much that it stings. "You think I'm not aware of that?" Her voice laced with pain and a hint of anger. "She a hero, I admire her and respect her for her service and reasons." Dani looks at Riley and knows that thanks to Marley and many others, he will have a peaceful life and opportunities to be whoever he wants. "Call me selfish, Kurt, because I want the girl I love since I've been 14 to be home with me, to be safe in my arm. Call me egoistic for wanting to plan a wedding and not thinking of the endless possibilities of my fiancée ending up not returning home as she left it." Her voice is more broken than anything. She's been holding so much inside, always letting just bits and pieces out because this is so much and it's ugly. "It wasn't my decision to enlist and I could never stop loving her. So yeah, she's doing an amazing job wherever she is, but I wish she didn't have to." Dani bites her lip so hard that she can taste the metallic taste on her tongue. She refuses to cry and with Riley dancing and smiling next to her, maybe she won't.

Kurt's eyes widened a bit, then he walked towards the couch that was sitting not far from the kitchen. "Whoa, D, you know I wasn't trying to imply anything bad…" he purses his lips then sighed. "Never mind, forget I said anything." he turns to walk over to kitchen once more, checking on the applesauce that he had made.

"See? All people want to hear when they ask you that question is that everything is alright." Dani says bitterly. She jumps when Riley tries to use her finger as a pacifier. "Hey!" She usually wouldn't mind, but her hands aren't clean enough. She shakes her head when she sees him smiling, but replaces her finger with his pacifier.

Kurt just sighs as a response and puts the applesauce back in the fridge, he then walks to where the bowl of popcorn is, picks it up and walks it over to where Dani is, and places it on her lap. "Here." is all he says as he walks over to the couch and sits down on it, looking at the screen on the other end of the room.

Her eyes are burning, this is not how she planned her evening to go; she hopped for the exact opposite. "This is not for you." She says quietly to Riley when he tries to reach the bowl, then sat it on the table where he can't get to it. She kisses his forehead and stands up. "Enjoy your evening." She tells Kurt without looking at him and turns to leave.

He takes a deep breath then sighs, his eyes now focused on Dani. 'I am getting too old for this...' he thinks to himself. "Dani, where are you going?" he asks.

"I thought I'd get a break." Dani stops, but doesn't turn. "I have enough of this when I'm alone, I don't need other voices."

"Enough of what?" Kurt asks with a slight tone. "Look, I wasn't trying to get you worked up, I was just trying to remind you that you have an amazing partner, and how she always comes back no matter what." he points out. "You don't need to leave, nor do you need to act like I have anything going against you." he sighs once more then shakes his head. "Just… Forget it, I'll just shut up."

Dani sniffle and stays with her back to her uncle. "Don't you know by now that I'm no like you all? I can't just forget it because it's in a loop in my head and it's going to stay there for who knows how long. This is how fu.. How damaged I am." She tries to control it, but her voice shakes a little. "You might not have meant it, but in my mind it's like I'm the bad guy for feeling so broken that she's not here, for wanting her with me and not there." She gulps. "I take my pills and I talk to my therapist and Beth and.. I have good days, great days, but when it's bad, it's really bad. When she leaves, it's the worst."

"Because as much as people say that it'll be okay, you never know truthfully." Kurt adds on then slightly looks over at Dani. "That's how I felt when Blaine left…" he says honestly and rests his head on his palm. "Difference is, he left me, and isn't coming back no matter what." Kurt purses his lips then looks over at Riley.

"And you don't need him back." The anger is evident in her voice. She stays in place, feeling like is she's going to stay, she needs to collect herself before returning to sit beside her brother.

"Yet… There's still that empty feeling that will always stay in my heart no matter what, even with dating Jake." Kurt sadly admits then adjusts his body some. "Come here." he pats the seat next to him, "Please."

Dani takes a few deep breaths, then joins her uncle. "Blaine was your big love and it ended." She looks at him and pulls her legs up on the couch. "You don't think you'll get to love that way again?" Dani knows she wouldn't be able to; Marley is her one, there will never be space to anyone else.

"Bingo." Kurt turns a bit to look over at Riley, he smiles at the sight of the baby lifting his toy up and down as fast as he can. "Look at him, he's the cutest little boy on earth, and he doesn't even know it." he points out while relaxing a bit in his spot.

"Sometimes I think he does." Dani jokes. "He's a beautiful angel." She looks at the boy with nothing but love. "For what it's worth, I think you should give Jake a real chance." Dani's legs still close to her body and her eyes fixed on her brother, but she's calming down. "It won't be the same, but look how it ended the last time… We both know how much you want to share your life with someone and he can be good for you, even if that love is different from what you know."

"You really want him to be the other Uncle in your life, don't ya?" Kurt asks with a soft chuckle. "You know, I forgot what it was like to date anyone, being taken for so long, kind of has that effect you…" he admits somewhat nervously. "You, Rachel, and even Beth all found that special someone that makes you forget about dating, and just be yourselves around people who can return the same feelings and then some." his gaze lowered to the floor while he nervously picks at his thumbnail with his index fingernail. "Dani, no matter what, don't have what Blaine and I did… Because it wasn't real, and it hurt me a lot in the end… I know we never talked much about him leaving, but take it from me, you don't want to end up being 30 and questioning the first person you're with since high school."

"I saw a lot of relationships, including some very dysfunctional ones that were based on abuse." More than a decade of her life she had to live in a loveless place, with no idea of how to be a decent person, what real parents are of how to be in a healthy relationship. Dani is still trying to figure out how she's able to have a healthy relationship of her own at all. Her therapist says that it's thanks to her mothers and other role models in her life, to the person Marley is and intense therapy. "We would never let it get there, we know it's a lot of work and we're willing to work. Her being away is something we'll have to pull through together." She sees Riley is tired of his toys and tries to reach her while making the cutest noises in an attempt to call her. So Dani let her legs fall back down and leans to pick her brother up into her arms, cuddling him close to her. "And Uncle Kurt, what I really want, is for you to be happy. Look how much time and pain it took for my moms and how happy they're now. It's a shame to give up on love."

Kurt calmly smiles, feeling a bit better himself from this conversation that could have actually gone south, and fast. He's glad that his bond with Dani is almost the same that he had with Rachel and Santana, only, something about this bond just amplified things, for the better of course. "We'll see how Jake and I do, okay sweetie?" he asks and slightly looks towards Dani.

Dani turns to Kurt, she give him a bright, genuine smile and nods. That's why she came here tonight; spending time with Kurt and her brother, she was granted to feel better. Except the outburst caused because her feelings are basically everywhere.

"Is there… Anything, at all that you want to talk about?" Kurt asks as his smile fades away, he rests his hands on his lap, thinking to himself to not go overboard on the emotional talking.

Dani looks away and her legs jump up and down, causing Riley to slightly jump as well and he starts to laugh. "I'm sorry about before.. I'm still on edge." She says nervously.

Kurt scoots closer to Dani, leaning to peck the top of her head. "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that without… I dunno, being more gentle I guess. Or maybe I shouldn't have done that in general." he says then slightly reaches his hands out. "Can I?" he asks with a smile.

Riley reaches for Kurt and saves Dani the need to answer. She pulls her legs back up and turns her body towards them. "Can it stay between us? My moms are worried enough about me as it is." She asks of him quietly.

"Of course." Kurt answers while taking Riley in his arms, he says with a smile as he gently bounces the baby on his lap. "Hey little man, you've grown so much." he compliments, Riley just looks at him with a smile, Kurt was doing something right by doing this. The baby reaches his arms up, probably as a sign that he wants more affection, so Kurt stops bouncing Riley and holds him close. Riley pats his hands a few times on Kurt's chest, looking at his shirt like it's the best thing he's ever seen, then he starts drooling a bit which Kurt notices instantly as the drool hits his shirt. "D-Dani, take him, quick." he hands Riley over to Dani.

"W-What? What happened?" She takes the child back into her arms. "Don't tell me you have a problem changing diapers.." Dani says with a bored tone of voice.

Kurt gets up and looks around for his bag. "No, I have an issue with my stupid decision to wear a sensitive $200 shirt to babysit in." he answers as he walks over to where his bag was sitting at. "Should have changed shirts when I got here, but no I didn't." he mumbles towards the end.

Dani keeps looking at Kurt for a moment, then shift her eyes to Riley. "See, baby brother, this is a whole different type of craziness." She jokes and put a few kisses on the boy's head.

"Oh, ha ha ha." Kurt says sarcastically as he sets his bag back down and sits on one of the barstools.

"It's a safe place, Uncle Kurt, you can admit your quirkiness." She says in an overly sweet tone. "You are, after all, a part of this wonderful family." She laughs.


Not so long into the double date, Quinn, Puck, and Santana had some alcohol in their systems. And boy was it ever an entertaining thing to be around, at least specifically Puck and Quinn since they had a whole bottle of white wine shared among the two of them. Santana honored the one drink rule that Rachel placed, but in exchange Santana gets every other cup of Pepsi that gets filled for her wife, which was more than a fair trade. A small amount of time later, the karaoke booth was finally set up and was awaiting people to sign up, well little did Rachel know, Puck had signed her up on his way back from washing his hands, and now it was time for him to play the waiting game until Rachel's turn is up.

"... And I said "Hey, look… My shirt is killing me, let me change into something I can breathe in." and the makeup girl just looked at me like I was crazy." Rachel was in the middle of telling a story from one of the shows she did an interview on, she mentioned how there was a fanatic makeup girl who wanted to learn a lot about Rachel's climb to fame.

"There are a lot of young people who look up to you and want an advice, but there are some who take it a little too far.." Quinn should know, she's been managing Rachel long enough to see all kind of fans.

Rachel shrugs and relaxes in her seat. "I just wish she didn't act so scared after I had asked that, it's not like I was going to bite her head off or anything." she purses her lips and took another look around the room, lightly swaying her body to the music.

Santana smiles at her wife and intertwines their fingers, brushing her thumb softly over her hand. She then remembers something Dani told her earlier and wonders how the other people around the table feel about it. "So did you guys hear about Beth's girlfriend renting an apartment?"

Puck raised a brow and smiled. "That's g-hic… Good." he says with confidence.

Rachel was looking at her phone, her eyes were practically focused on it for some strange reason. Her tongue glides across her lips while her thumb strokes the screen, she sighs followed by pursing her lips. "I don't think I could do this…" she thinks to herself.

"Yeah, I've heard they were going strong." Santana continues without paying special attention to her wife's doing.

Quinn nods and looks from the glass in her hand to her friend. "She told us about her, having heart-eyes each time." She giggles and sighs. "Young love…"

Puck leaned some against his wife, wrapping his arm around her lovingly. "She FaceTimed us around the time Emily got settled in, showing off the apartment, which looks nicer than my first apartment, that's for sure."

"Don't get me started on mine with Kurt and Rachel." Santana chuckles. "Anyway, it looks like they're good for each other. Don't you think, babe?"

"Yeah, I think they're great." Rachel answers as she puts her phone back in her pocket. "For each other..." she nervously bites her lip. "So... The music's nice."

"You're acting weird.. If you want to sing, go sing; that's why we came here for." Santana tells her. She moves closer to her ear and whispers. "I think Quinn is drunk enough to go with you." She gesture to the couple across from them and laughs.

"First of all, you married me for my weirdness, second of all, I'm not gonna go up and sing." Rachel slightly leans against Santana. "I like sitting here next to you." she says in an honest, yet loving tone of voice.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen give it up for Shawn Jacobs for his fantastic rendition of "Magic" by B.o.B, once again if you want an MP3 of your track it's $2 to buy and we'll send you a download link via e-mail." The DJ announces then looks down at his list. "Alright, next up… Lopez, Rachel…" he looks around. "Is there a Rachel Lopez in the building?" he asks.

Rachel's eyes shot up towards the DJ, almost as if he was insane. "I didn't sign up for-"

"You should get up there and sing, Rachel, let's hear your lovely voice!" Puck says, followed by a chuckle.

Rachel raised a brow and glared at Puck for a few moments. "You are an asshole, and you're lucky I don't try to make you blow your raise on getting Santana and I things we don't need but will want because it'd be on your dime." she says.

Santana laughs at how cute Rachel is in a state like this; well, when it's not towards her. "Come on, baby, you have to sing." She then leans in close to Rachel's ear. "Please, for the fan you're married to."

Rachel rolls her eyes and gets up. "Fine, but just know… I summoned the big-nosed curse on you, Noah." she says while giving him a more evil glare. "I hope your trick was worth it." she says in a cold tone then leaned down to kiss Santana once. "Wish me luck." she says in a sweet tone to her wife and starts to walk over to the booth.


While Rachel and Santana were enjoying a night out with their other married friends, Beth was on her way to Emily's new apartment. The redhead saw the place and knew that it was it. She signed the lease a few days after New Year's Eve and the work of moving her belongings had begun. It was strange seeing the room she grew up in empty and to now live all by herself, but when she started to put her stuff in place, it slowly felt more like home.

She has now all her things in her apartment, but because college and work consume most of her time, there are still many boxes lying around. Still, or rather because of that, she asked Beth over for dinner. Since the blonde finished all her work and Dani wasn't in need for her support tonight, she gladly accepted.

Beth arrived at the front door to Emily's apartment, with a bag of assorted foods that she bought in case Emily needed it. Also in the bag was a big bottle of a sports drink that Emily loves, she figured tonight was a good night for some reason. She knocks on the door a couple times and waits.

Emily practically runs to answer the door, all dressed up and excited for what she had prepared for her girlfriend. "Hey, little Bee." She says, grinning and keeping her coolness.

"I got stuff for your apartment, again." Beth says with a content smile. "And look at you, all dressed up and looking nice… Crap, I should have considered dressing up nice." she purses her lips.

"You look beautiful." Emily kisses Beth's cheek. "And thank you." She says and takes her hand in hers. "Now come on in." Emily says and pulls the blonde inside, using her leg to close the door behind them. She takes the bags from her girlfriend's hands and walks to put them on the kitchen's counter; she can later put everything in place.

Beth looks around and smiles a bit more. "This place looks a bit more cleaned up since I was last here." she says as she walks over to the couch, sits on one end of it and watches her girlfriend closely. "How was your day, so far?"

"Busy.." Emily answers. "I was called in for work for a couple of hours after my last lecture, then I stopped by my parent's place to pick a few things I forgot." She leaves a part out, only because Beth is soon to find out. "Yours?" She asks as she walks close to Beth.

"Busy as well, especially considering the fact that I'm trying to get two degrees under my belt before I turn 25, both in science but two different sciences." Beth starts explaining. "Maybe my goals are too high, you know?" she shrugs while keeping her eyes focused on Emily.

Emily sits on the armrest and looks deep into Beth's eyes. "If anyone can do it, it's you." She states. "You're smart, dedicated and actually interested in what you're learning. If you put your mind to it, I know you could do anything." Emily says with a smile and reclaims Beth's hand.

"Well, I don't know about any-" Beth stops herself and smiles a bit more. "I get what you meant, and thank you." she says while her thumb grazes Emily's hand gently. Sometimes Beth takes things literal, which is normal for her, but not always for everyone, of course, Emily knew this going into the relationship, and she got used to Beth's random slip ups. Beth keeps a calm smile about her after a bit. "I think you can do a lot more than I ever could, because you are you." she compliments.

Emily wasn't going to get into this cute argue, not right now anyways. She chuckles and quickly gets up, again pulling Beth with her. "I know the place still needs some work, but my clothes weren't the only thing I've managed to organize." The redhead tells her girlfriend while walking with her to her bedroom. Once they're there, Emily wastes no time and points at the left wall of the room. There are many photos spread on it of Emily's friends and family and some designs, but at the center, there are all the photos she and Beth took together 'till this point. Emily licks her lips as she stands in front of the wall and opens her arms. "What do you think?" She asks happily.

"It's…" Beth takes a closer look at the wall in amazement, seeing all the various moments of Emily's life prior to meeting, and all the moments after, she bites the inside of her lip. "It's beautiful, Em." she looks over at her girlfriend. "I love it." she says and moves closer to Emily, hooking her arms around the woman's neck.

Beaming at the fact that her girlfriend likes her work, Emily leans in for a kiss that lasts for a solid minute. "I always wanted a wall like that." She speaks and put an arm around Beth's waist. "My parents didn't want me ruining their walls, so when I finally got this place, this thing was on the top of my list." Emily looks back from the wall and smiles at Beth. "I knew you'd be in the center." She says more quietly, even though they're alone.

"Well, I'm glad to not only be in the center of your wall, but also the center of your… Heart… I suck…" Beth scolds herself for failing at her attempt to be romantic/cute about the situation. To be fair, she thought it sounded better in her head, kinda.

"You're adorable." Emily states and pecks her lips. "I'd continue kissing you, but it can wait. We have to hurry up." For the third time in less than an hour, Emily takes Beth's hand and leads her out of the room. She makes sure to stop at the kitchen, not really wanting to go back again.

Beth almost fell from the tug caused by Emily, she was curious as to what was up. "Hurry for what, I thought we were just hanging out here for the date?" she asks.

Emily grins at her while picking two paper bags from the counter, ones that she hope didn't sit for too long. "Not quite." She says as they walk to the door on the other side of the apartment. "After you." Her grin still in place as she opens the door for Beth.

"Uh, Okay." Beth walks in, feeling a bit more nervous than normal considering that Emily is changing up things and Beth had no idea why or what they were going to do. "Now what?" she asks while looking at her girlfriend.

"Up." Emily points at the stairs and starts going up.

Beth starts to follow Emily, close but not too close because she doesn't want to bump into Emily while they're going up the stairs. "Okay, what do you have planned for me, I'm very curious." she states while they continue to go up the stairs.

Emily pretends to lock her lips, then just smiles as they continue going up. Finally, they reach the roof where the redhead made sure would look as romantic as she could. There were pillows and blankets, a small table, big scented candles all around and jazz playing in the background. "It's both a celebration and my way of saying thank you for all the help." Emily says as she walks with the bag of their favorite take-outs and drink to the sitting area.

"Now why can't I be as romantic as you are?" Beth gives Emily a small pout but she pecks her lips a couple times before Emily could react to Beth pouting, and then gives her a genuine smile. "Thank you, this is already amazing and yet we just started." she compliments as she sits down at the table.

"To answer your question, because this is basically my 'thing' in our relationship. You get to be the smart and beautiful one, I get to be the amazing, romantic girlfriend." Emily says like it the most obvious thing. "Now let us sit and enjoy this wonderful night."

"Amazing, romantic, talented, beautiful, all rolled into one, that's what you are." Beth says with ease as she looks in one of the bags and takes out some of the containers that are in it. "One day, I'm going to treat you to a nice night, because you're spoiling me too much and I want to return the favor."

"Until then… We should eat before the food gets cold." Emily moves to sit behind the blonde, not able to wait until after dinner for them to cuddle. She put an arm around Beth's middle as she leans in and pick the chopsticks.

"Maybe I should let you feed me, to add on to the romance." Beth suggests before slightly licking her lips. "Just an idea." she says while partially looking at Emily, giving her a lip bitten smile.

"Mmm.. Bring the container with the food you want." Emily says and places a kiss on her girlfriend's shoulder. She adjusts her body to the side, so Beth could still be close and in cuddle reach, but in a way so she could feed her at the same time. She tells Beth to hold the container as she uses the chopsticks to pick some food and move it towards the blonde's mouth.

Beth holds the container with one hand, and with her other hand, she grazes Emily's arm while she gets fed. She let out soft noises of pleasure from the food being that good, well… Not the food that was that good, it was the fact that Emily was feeding it to her that it amplified the sensation of eating.

"You know, I love that I can let my romantic side go free and that you actually like it." Emily averts her eyes, but keeps her smile in place. "I always had to tone it before.." She admits with a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Tone it down, with me?" Beth leans back in Emily's embrace, brushing her nose against the woman's neck, or at least what she's able to reach. "Also, just letting you know, I love this." she says with a slight smile.

Emily places a kiss on Beth's head and takes her sweet scent in. "I'm glad to hear that." She says. "I'm already loving this living alone thing."

"Love…" Beth bites the inside of her lip for a few seconds then sits up some, she turns herself around, grabbing the chopsticks from Emily's hand, places them in the box and sets it on the table. "There is, uh… Something I need to tell you, but I don't know how to start…" she says while her head starts writing various paragraphs on what she wants to say, footnotes on how to say it, and a title, hell she could write a novel and not be able to express herself fully to Emily, that's just how romance seems to run in her family, which isn't bad. As Beth was about to say something, she felt her phone vibrate, so she felt around her pocket for the power button, and pressed it once to stop the vibrating. She takes a deep breath and gently grazes Emily's lap, keeping her eyes focused on the woman that she indeed.. Well… "We've been dating for almost a year, and that year has been amazing to me, I don't think I've been happier in my life." she starts with a slight smile. "I hope… I want us to have more years that are amazing, d-do you?" she asks.

At first, Emily got nervous about what Beth could possibly want to talk to her about. Not only that she relaxes to hear it, but it makes her happy to know they're on the same page in regard to their relationship. "I do," She brushes her hair with her hand, then move it over one shoulder. "This year was great and I'm looking forward to what we have to only grow and get better." Emily tells Beth while her eyes focused on hers and then she covers the hand Beth has on her lap with her own.

Beth smiles some more then rests her head against Emily's, taking soft breaths to fully relax. "Remember our date at the spa, I brought up the scientific saying of "With no risk, there's no reward."?" she asks, but it's more of something to help Beth finish everything she had planned to say. "Well, I want to keep risking with you, and do more amazing things with you, no matter what." Beth gulps due to being nervous, all this emotion was building up inside of her. But it's Emily, and she's more than worth the feeling of being nervous. "I guess… What I want to say is that, I.. I love you, Em." she says then bites the inside of her lip, awaiting the reaction of the redhead before her.

Emily was tensed only by seeing how nervous her girlfriend was being. She held her hand and let her say everything she had to. She didn't think the words she'd hear would melt her heart or cause such a wide smile to form on her lips. Then Emily heard those words and it was like the butterflies from their first date had returned. They were taking it slow and it benefit both of them, Emily got to really get to know Beth and open up in ways she never did before. "I love you too, Bethany Hope Corcoran." The redhead says back in a soft voice and feels herself drowning in Beth's blue eyes.

Beth let's out another soft breath and smiles somewhat big. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to say that, it was building up quite a bit." she softly chuckles. "Now, I would really like to kiss you, very, very badly." Beth mentions, pressing closer to Emily.

"Oh, and I can't deny such thing from the girl I love, now can I?" Emily's hands go through Beth's silky hair, then find their place on her thigh and waist. She moves her face a little closer and takes Beth's lips between her teeth for a few seconds, then pecks them and looks back at her girlfriend's eyes with a smirk.

"O-Okay, so…" The blonde's face was flushed from the action, she takes some more deep breaths then gulps. "Let's finish eating, you owe me some dessert and yes, that is an innuendo for kissing." she says with a soft chuckle.

Emily pouts and shakes her head. "What if we take a break for some dessert?" She asks and continues to pout.

Beth sees the pout game that Emily is playing, and she just adores the sight of it, she rolls her eyes then chuckles some more. "I guess we can microwave the food later on." she says as she cups Emily's face, meshing their lips together in the process.

Emily smiles into the kiss and wraps her arms tightly around her girlfriend. Being too eager, she deepens the kiss, taking Beth's lips in her own to suck on, then glide her tongue over the blonde's lips. Their mutual confession sparked a strong desire in Emily to be connected and continue to express their love; even if with only kisses by now, she didn't mind, the kisses were mind blowing on their own. So the couple continued their little make out session a little longer. When they eventually pulled apart and got their breaths to even, Emily offered to go to reheat their food. They ate and later cuddled up while talking and listening to the soft music. Beth was thrilled about Emily saying it back and the redhead was glad that their relationship was continuing to move forward. It was a rather simple, romantic night, but a milestone nonetheless.


While the youngest couple was having their fun, the gang over at the karaoke bar was having a blast. Puck and Quinn got a little more drunk than they normally would, but it was pure entertainment for Rachel and Santana. Rachel got up on stage and sang a song, which the entire bar was in love with her voice, no surprise there. Quinn got up on stage after a while, and was slurring some words which kinda lowered some confidence Quinn had for singing on that stage, luckily Rachel joined her and they had a good time singing together, Santana and Puck cheered the loudest out of everyone there, and it was pure fun for the four of them. After another half hour, the gang was done with being at the bar, and half of the party was drunk off their asses anyways, so Rachel and Santana took the Puckerman's back to their house, helping them to their bed and making sure to set up a hangover remedy before leaving the household. 10 minutes later, they are home and Rachel was more than exhausted after the night they had, Rachel kissed Santana a couple times and told her that she was going to take a shower, Santana okayed this and went downstairs to check on Kurt, Dani, and Riley since she last heard that they were down there. She saw Dani watching a movie on the couch while Kurt and Riley were asleep next to each other, she almost laughed too loud at the sight of her best friend, not that it was funny, but that it was somewhat adorable, mainly due to Riley, not Kurt. Eventually Santana moved Riley from Kurt's embrace and into his crib, Dani grabbed a couple blankets and covered Kurt up so he won't get cold, after that she turned off most of the stuff in the room except for the projector, and the stereo system in case Kurt slept better with the sound. Dani gave Santana a hug and said her 'I love you's' and started to make her leave from the household to go back to her home.

Santana is in bed after changing to some long-sleeve shirt and sweatpants. Considering that Rachel is still in the shower, she figures she can check her mail and maybe take care of a thing or two. Unfortunately, the battery of her laptop is dead, same with her phone. 'Seriously?!' Santana groans and put the two devices to charge. Rachel seems to take her time and enjoy her shower, which leaves kind of bored. Not having the interest to look for something to watch, she leans to Rachel's side and take her laptop; her wife never mind her using it and it almost usually charged. She smiles when she sees that it's working and clicks on the already minimized internet window. What she sees there cause to gasp for a few moments, then slowly smirk as her eyebrow arches.

Rachel walked out of the bathroom, wearing her usual night time pajamas, she was in the middle of drying her hair while walking. "Hey, babe." she says with a smile but notices the smirk that was on her face. "Uh.. What's up?" she asks and walks over to the laundry basket, she tosses her towel in it then approaches the bed.

"I wanted to do some work while you were showering." Santana's eyes linger on the screen while she speaks in a lower tone than usual. "But my phone and laptop dies on me, so I took yours." She explains as her eyes scan through a page dedicated to, as it says, 'how to spice your sex life when you're married'. An internet page full of advices on new things to try and toys to use, it even has pictures; totally something Santana would have bookmarked, but not Rachel. "Well, I found something far more interesting." She finally looks up.

"I…" Rachel looks down to the floor, sighing softly. "I didn't search that stuff for me, well.. I guess technically I searched it up for me, but mostly I searched it up for you…" she starts to explain while keeping her eyes on the floor. "I know you never want to hurt me, because you love me too much to want that, but lately it seems like when we make love… You're not in it as much as you used to be." she scratches her arm. "By some expressions you have, mostly." she adds. "Now, you know me, I am perfectly satisfied by you, I don't need the surprises or the spice… But I didn't work for that club like you did, you're used to having things spiced up and when you and I became an item, you put off the spice for me." Rachel slowly sits down, keeping her eyes away. "I want to be able to satisfy you, in every aspect… Even if it means the use of one of those things…" she points to the screen and sighs.

Santana listened carefully and her heart clenched; she knows how hard it must be for her wife to even consider it. Any need for teasing faded away while Rachel talked. Now, she put the laptop on Rachel's nightstand and scoots closer to the woman. Sex was a big part of her life when she was younger and she tried many things, most of them she liked very much; it almost never was making vanilla sex for her. Even when she finally was with Rachel it took her time. But all that means nothing to the Latina; she would do only what Rachel is comfortable with. "Babe, I love you more than anything and in my eyes, you're the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world." She won't be the reason Rachel doubt herself. "If I could, we would've been making love all day every day." Santana tries to get even a small smile out of her wife. "Those things are great, but they're great for ones who want to use them." She put two fingers under Rachel's chin and makes the woman look at her. "You're more than enough, babe, I'd never want you to do something just for my sake." Santana says seriously and caresses her wife's cheek.

"I may have already ordered some." Rachel slightly frowns after admitting this. "I want to do my part as your wife, and as much as you say that I am more than enough, the look in your eye tells me a different story." she gulps and sighs. "I know I am more of the romance kind of person than I am a sex kind of person, you don't need to sugar coat that… If what happened to me didn't happen, I'm sure the talk right now would be about too much of the spice." she bites the inside of her lip and takes a deep breath.

"But it did and you are who you are. I married you because I love all of you, it doesn't really matter if we're different in some aspects." The last few months were so good for Rachel and Santana hates be the one ruining it. "There is no part, Rach. I would never do something you don't equally want." Just the thought of it makes Santana sick to her stomach. "I do have fantasies and things I'd love for us to do. I'm insanely attracted to you, so those thoughts are exciting, but they can remain thoughts and nothing more."

Rachel sighs softly. "If there were fantasies I had, wouldn't you want to be the person to fulfill them?" she asks as her hand reaches Santana's, holding it to her chest where her heart is. "If I didn't want to… I wouldn't spend the money to get a.. Fucking… What's that thing right th- A vibrator with a remote that controls the speed." she chuckles for a few seconds but then gives Santana a serious look. "I m-might need to learn how to take something of that shape again, but it's a learning process that I am willing to take with you." she leans in and pecks Santana's lips a couple times. "So, we have time until those things come, and when they do, you can… Work with me on this, right?"

Santana takes a moment to just look at her wife, her appreciation for her keeps growing even after all this time together. And to think that she almost missed it, almost didn't have the wonderful life she has today. "I will, of course I will." She grazes Rachel's thighs. "But you need to be honest with me, Rach, I'm serious. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you'd keep doing it only for me." Her eyes never leaving Rachel's as she speaks. "Promise me."

"Of course I promise." Rachel answers as honest as she's ever been, although she's scared because of how her life was when it first happened, she knows that nothing bad can happen from Santana doing this with Rachel. "But I still won't use them on myself, nothing against self-relief and anyone who does, but it's not my thing for me to do that." she adds with a smile on her face.

"And you don't need to, I'm always happy to take care of any needs you might have." Santana licks her lips, feeling proud. "We'll take it slow.. I won't just stick it in you, we have all the time in the world to make you comfortable." That's a plus, Santana thinks to herself, part her profession was to get people comfortable with certain sexual things. She knows how to do it and with her wife, Santana would be ten times more gentle. "I just need to remember to bring lube from the club.." She says quietly to herself as way to make herself actually remember it.

Rachel genuinely smiles at her wife then places a gentle kiss on her lips. "Now, please close those tabs, I don't need them anymore." she giggles softly and repositions herself to where she can rest her head against Santana's shoulder.


Dani's journey home wasn't as horrible as she expected, but maybe it was thanks to her being in a mood to drive in listen to music. Besides her outburst, the time spent with Kurt and her brother was great. Even though she knew Kurt won't say a word of it to her moms, Dani had to speak about it to her therapist, or else she'd be fooling herself that she'd do well. Being without Marley is difficult and sad, but she had to pull herself together.

So she drove and enjoyed the loud music that filled her car. When she parked, she tried calling Beth, when there wasn't an answer, Dani figured she either still at Emily's or in the shower. She wished Beth was home, having her there made things easier, but Beth already was there for her all the time, she wasn't going to say a word that would cause her to cancel her plans with Emily.

Seeing that she was alone, Dani took a deep breath and started to get ready for a quick shower. She took a quick look at the clock, smiling because Beth was probably going to come back soon. She'd have to read or something until the blonde gets there; her presence making it easy on her to actually fall asleep and not have nightmares.

That's exactly what she did; a warm shower, then she got into bed with a hot cup of milk and a book she was close to finish reading.

Suddenly her phone rings. Dani closes the book and put it aside, then reach for her phone. "Grandma?" She asks curiously.

"Dani, hi, I'm sorry to call you so late." Shelby says while walking around in her apartment. "I… I've been trying to get ahold of Beth all night, I had something for her." she explains. "Is she there?"

This isn't going to be good and Dani knows it, which causes her to straighten up. She couldn't lie, her grandma would hear it in her voice and it'd make everything worse. "She's still at Emily's," Dani gulps. "Probably going to be back soon." She feels the need to add.

"Still?" Shelby asks but then sighs and shakes her head. "I.. That's why I got cut off every time I called her…" she takes a couple deep breaths in hopes to calm down, but sadly it's not working all that well. "Will you let me know when she gets back, I need to talk to her, and it's gonna be a different topic than what I had planned." she looks at the envelope not far from her that's sitting on the counter.

'Damn, B, you couldn't detach your lips for a second..' Dani sighs, there isn't really something she can say to make things better for the blonde. "They were probably unpacking and Emily always gives her rides back." Dani tries anyways. "And I will tell her to call you when she arrives."

"I'll give her that benefit of the doubt that she was only doing that, it doesn't excuse the fact she cut me off considering I still pay for her phone." Shelby says in a stressed tone, although she knows Dani isn't trying to make things worse, she's still upset about the situation as a whole. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lash out if I did.."

"It's alright, grandma." Dani understand, she experienced this before, and she had a feeling she'd be in situations like that once Beth moved in with them. "For what it worth, they're taking it really slow; nothing had happened or going to happen in the near future." This is weird, so weird and Beth going to owe her so much.

"Like I said, I will give her the benefit of the doubt…" Shelby opens her fridge, looking for something to at least cool her down. "I'll… I'll let you go, and if she gets there soon enough, I'll be over there." she says as she pulls out a carton of juice.

Dani eyes widen, it's worse than she thought. She hopes Beth enjoyed her night, because when she comes back it's going to be bad for her. "A-Alright.. I'd make sure she calls."

"Until then." Shelby says then hangs up the phone and places it in her pocket, she then looks at the envelope once more, she grabs it, folds it up and puts it in the pocket that has her phone then grabs her keys. "Maybe being alone while paranoid isn't the greatest idea…" she says to herself before walking out of her apartment.

Dani held the phone to her ear for a moment longer, then quickly tried to get Beth, but there was no answer. She knew she'd find herself in the middle and damn, she promised herself to stay out of it, but it was Beth and Dani wanted to protect her, even from her own grandma. She knew Beth is in love, but at the same time she knew how Shelby was feeling. The talk between mother and daughter wasn't going to be pleasant, that's for sure. She just hopes it won't be a too big of a fight and they could understand each other. Dani sighs as she put her phone next to her bed and picked up her book. She's going to wait until the blonde arrives, she has to stay awake.


'till next time.