Author's Note: This is the continuation of chapter 19, I'll probably do a few more chapters in this 'verse, but for now this is the end.
Six Word Story: "This city smells like broken dreams."
Rachel smiled brightly as she looked around her, "I love New York with every fiber of my being, but isn't California beautiful, San? Look at this view, imagine hiking through these hills every single day."
Santana frowned as she caught up to her wife, "I don't like it here."
Rachel gasped, "Are you kidding? Everything about this place is amazing, the green juice, the hiking hills, the weather, I could live here! I'm totally a New Yorker, but I think I was meant for California."
Santana rolled her eyes, "I'll take my Starbucks and the gym and snow over this crap any day."
Rachel laughed as she looped her arm through Santana's, "You're insane. I think we should invest in some sort of property here, I would love it."
Santana shook her head as she lead them back down the trail, "No way, I am not vacationing in California."
Rachel sighed as she gave one last stare to the city in front of them, "But it's so pretty, baby, and the people are so much nicer than they are in New York. The whole city smells like sunshine."
"This city smells like broken dreams." Santana said flatly.
Rachel laughed and laid her head on Santana's shoulder, "I love you, I'm glad we decided to do this hike on our own. I love our babies but they wouldn't appreciate the walking or the view."
Santana nodded along, "I'm glad girl and boy Chang didn't mind watching them while we went out."
"Mike and Tina haven't seen them in so long they would probably watch them for the entire week if we asked." Rachel laughed.
Santana scoffed, "That's not going to happen, we're going to be on Ellen tomorrow."
Rachel grinned excitedly, "I can't wait!"
"Don't wanna wear this, mami!" Gabe whined, tugging at his KH Original dinosaur printed bow tie that Kurt practically insisted he wear and name drop.
"Gabriel you better leave that bow tie on." Rachel warned as she straightened out Grace's dress.
"But, mummmmma, too tight." He whined again as he fidgeted under Santana's touch.
Santana groaned as the toddler moved again, "Rach, his hair is impossible to style. He won't stop moving."
"Okay help Gracie with her headband while I help Gabe." Rachel said as she swapped places with her wife.
"Two minutes, Mrs. and Mrs. Lopez. Ellen wants to know if just one of you can come out with Gabe first, and then the other come out with your daughter afterwards." The stage manager asked.
"Yes of course, did she say which of us?" Rachel asked.
"I guess whoever found him first would make sense. I'm going to need the two of you to follow me now, she's going to call you out any minute now." He said.
Rachel pecked Santana on the cheek, "See you out there, beautiful."
Gabe frowned, "Can I take off this?"
"No, Gabriel, you may not take off your bow tie. Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine would be so sad." Rachel said as she lead him out of the room leaving a snickering Santana behind.
"Now our next guess is the cutest Houdini I've ever seen, please welcome Gabriel Lopez and his mother Rachel!" Ellen said as she stood to greet her guest.
Gabe gripped onto Rachel's hand nervously as they walked out to the chairs, he wasn't used to so many people watching and clapping around him at once.
Rachel held the toddler's hand just as tightly as they reached Ellen, smiling softy as the boy gave her a stiff hug.
"It's so nice to meet you, Gabriel! I'm so glad you could make it." Ellen said as the audience noise quieted down.
"You sound like Dory." He said shyly.
"Do I? We're very close, almost like we're the same person." Ellen joked.
"I have to ask this and I'm sure you're tired of answering it but how did you climb in that machine?"
Gabe sighed and covered his face, "I just did."
The audience laughed at annoyed answer from the little boy.
Rachel blushed in embarrassment from her son's behavior, "We honestly have no idea how he got in there, the makers of the machines have tried to figure it out also and they say it's impossible for a child his size to fit."
Ellen shook her head in disbelief, "That is just crazy, I can't believe it. I must have watched the video over a hundred times."
Rachel laughed, "We're still surprised ourselves, all of our friends and family have watched the videos dozens of times too and they just can't figure it out."
"Well thankfully there's actual proof because I wouldn't have believed it without the video. I'm still convinced it was a hoax video, he's a hologram, right?" Ellen joked.
Gabe looked at his mother in confusion, "What?"
The audience laughed at his confused expression causing him to become more confused.
"Can I take off my bow tie now?" Gabe asked as he kicked his legs.
"That's an awesome bow tie, do you like dinosaurs?" Ellen asked.
Gabe shrugged, "Uncle Kurt made me wear it."
"Oh, I'm 'pose to say KH 'riginal designs." Gabe said with a big grin.
Rachel covered her face as the audience laughed again.
Ellen laughed at the boy's bluntness, "We've gotta take a commercial but we'll be back with the rest of the Lopez family after the break, stay tuned!"
"So you were on Broadway, right?" Ellen asked as they took their break.
Rachel nodded along, "Yes for a few years but I'm mainly a vocal coach now, I help the fresh talent stay in vocal shape."
"That's amazing, what does your wife do?" Ellen asked.
"She works with a variety of troubled kids, whether they're homeless or neglected or if they're parents simply have run out of ideas on how to help them with addiction or something else." Rachel explained proudly.
Ellen nodded along, "Wow, that's amazing. Has she always done that?"
"No, she worked in public relations for a bit and then she found her calling. I helped her open a facility in the city, it's an amazing place." Rachel said.
"Is it just the one? How do you manage to help everyone who may need it?" Ellen asked.
"She tries her best to not turn any kids away, but sometimes when it's full and she's understaffed it's difficult." Rachel frowned.
Ellen nodded, "Does she plan on expanding in the future?"
Noticing the warning from her staff she frowned, "Actually I'll just ask her when she gets out here, break is over."
"If you're just tuning in now, I'm here with the boy who has boggled everyone's mind, Gabe Lopez! Or as many of you may know him; claw machine baby." Ellen said as she camera focused on her.
"We've been here chatting with him and his mother, but what you might not know is that he actually has two moms! That's right, America, two moms. Please welcome Santana Lopez and their daughter Grace!"
Rachel grinned goofily as her wife and daughter made their way out, scooting over so Santana and Grace would have room to sit.
Santana waved and smiled as she walked out, greeting Ellen with a tight hug before she sat down next to Rachel with Grace on Rachel's other side and Gabe on her lap.
"Welcome to my show, I'm so glad you all could make it! Rachel was telling me about your job during the break and I'd love to hear more about it." Ellen said as things settled down.
"Well it's only been about a year since I started it but it's doing fairly well which I couldn't be happier about. I just have to say hey to all the kids I know will be watching, I told you I wouldn't leave you out!" Santana said with a grin.
Ellen nodded along, "If y'all didn't know, Santana runs a facility in New York for kids that may be dealing with a number of things whether it be addiction, neglection or homelessness."
Santana smiled, "We don't turn our backs on any kids, we help without question. If they're brave enough to come to us for help we're going to do everything we can for them."
"That's such an amazing thing to do, there need to be more facilities like that throughout the entire country." Ellen stated.
"Anyways, back to why y'all are on the show. Grace, you were there when your brother crawled into the machine right?" Ellen asked.
"Yes, but I told him not to! I didn't think he would fit anyways so I didn't get mumma or mami right away." Grace said with her nose scrunched.
Ellen laughed, "At what point did you get your moms?"
Grace giggled and covered her mouth, "I never did, mumma found us and then lectured me forever and told me to get mami."
"This is such a remarkable story, I wish we had more time because I somehow still can't comprehend it. I have gifts for y'all if you'll follow me down." Ellen said as she stood.
"I figured what's a better gift than a clubhouse modeled after a claw machine." Ellen said as she led them down to the open stage area.
The large doors slid apart and revealed an extremely huge claw machine, the words on top reading Gabe's Clubhouse.
"Now, where the toys come out is actually a door and there are stairs in there to get to the top part which is the real clubhouse part, I don't think you can get stuck in this one. Why don't you go rest it out!"
Rachel and Santana gasped as it was revealed and the host explained how it was set up and how it worked.
Gabe ran excitedly toward the structure, climbing to the room quickly. "Wow!"
"Don't worry about bringing it home, I've already arranged it all, set up included." Ellen said to the two women.
"Now , Grace, I heard you love Disney princesses so I got you all of this,"
A large round table was pushed out with a variety of princess things, not one princess missing.
Grace gasped excitedly and hugged Ellen, "Thank you!"
"I also got you this," Ellen said as she handed the girl an air horn.
"Just in case your brother gets stuck again."
Santana stared at the woman with wide eyes.
"I'm sure your moms love me right now." Ellen said as she noticed the Latina's face.
"Now, one last thing. I really love what you do, Santana, and I want to help. I have property in New York and I want to help you expand the facility with a brand new building, you can design the entire thing while I worry about finding you another team of qualified workers."
Rachel covered her mouth in shock at the woman's words, she couldn't believe how generous one person could be.
Santana's eyes filled with tears instantly as she hugged the woman tightly, she couldn't believe this was happening.
This was a trip meant for Gabe, not for her.
She couldn't believe something she had put so much work and love into was getting the recognition and help it deserved.
Quinn stared shocked at the tv, she couldn't believe the things she was seeing.
She honestly didn't have a clue how her nephew getting stuck in a machine had turned into Santana finally getting the expansion she deserved.
She really couldn't be more proud, and maybe a little jealous that they were definitely going to be seeing more of Ellen and she had made fun of Rachel for thinking they'd be friends.
Maybe Rachel would let her meet Ellen when the celeb came to New York to help with the new facility.
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