AN: This chapter is dedicated to Breakdown6 and Chicavolcom for dealing so patiently with my brand of crazy.

Chapter 35

Santana pulls the basement door closed and drops her head forward against it with a thud. She bangs her forehead a few times then flips her body and throws herself back against the door. Her eyes fill with frustrated tears because it had taken every ounce of will power for her to walk away from Brittany - laid out beneath her, body glistening with sweat and eyes closed in submission.

She crosses her right leg over her left, desperate to quell the throbbing that has intensified to painful levels of discomfort. When it doesn't work, she spreads her thighs just enough to cup herself and press against the seam of her shorts - causing much needed friction. "Ungh," she moans and rubs furiously but stops - unsure if getting herself off is allowed. "Dammit!" She pushes herself off the door, heads to the kitchen, and bangs the swinging door open. Quinn jumps in surprise and Santana grunts out a greeting.

Quinn laughs. "Girl, your hair is a mess, your shirt is inside out and your shorts are pinched in certain areas. Did you give in?" She offers her friend the glass of orange juice she'd just poured for herself.

Santana straightens herself out and accepts the juice. "No, but I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out."

Quinn pours herself a glass, refills the one Santana has just drained and returns the carton to the fridge. "Let's get some fresh air before you burst into flames.

They step out into the cool night air and over to the picnic table at the far end of the yard. Santana places her cup on the table then flops down on one of the benches - her legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded over her chest.

Illuminated by the full moon, Quinn glances down at Santana as she passes and sees the pained expression on the girl's face. "Have you considered giving in?"

"Of course I have, but it grosses me out. Have you ever...?"

"No and I don't want to, but it doesn't repulse me the way it does you. I just don't think it would feel good. Is this the first time B asked for this?"

"No, but this is the first time she's ever pushed it and I still don't understand why it's suddenly a big deal."

"You gonna ask her?"

"Eventually."

"Eventually?"

Santana responds nonchalantly. "I'm enjoying the game."

"I imagine you must be. Puck and I are practically creaming just watching the two of you."

Santana sits up abruptly and beams proudly at her friend. "You've gotten so crass in your old age. I like it."

"Whatever." Quinn rolls her eyes. "Teasing is too much work for me. I'm more the straightforward type." She snaps her fingers, points at Santana then drops her wrist and points down at her own crotch.

Santana cracks up. "Please tell me you've never actually done that."

Quinn holds her glass in both hands and raises it to her mouth, hiding her embarrassment by taking several sips. "I told you my hormones were out of control when I was pregnant."

"Have you and Puck done anything, yet?"

"No." Quinn lowers her voice and leans forward. "I want to kiss him so badly but what if he gets his hopes up?"

"He's a big boy."

"Maybe." Quinn returns to the previous subject. "Have you and B played the teasing game before?"

"Yah, we have. When we visit our parents we sneak in touches to see how long we can last before I'm dragging her off to our old rooms like a horny teenager. This is the first time I'm actually trying to win so I'm really enjoying how flustered she's getting."

"Are there rules?"

Santana laughs. "It's not an official game like with a rule book and uniforms." Quinn quirks an eyebrow in challenge. "Fine, yes there are rules. No naked touching down there. That's why I said she wasn't playing fair when she stuck her hand down my shorts." Santana stares off into the distance as she replays the memory of Brittany sliding her finger in her mouth and licking it clean - over and over.

Quinn snaps her fingers in front of Santana's face.

Santana laughs, "Sorry. What were we talking about?"

"Rules."

"Oh yah, other than that, no, I don't think so."

"Are you allowed to touch yourself?"

"I don't know, but I need to ask because this is the longest we've ever gone."

"It hasn't even been a day!"

"I've never had a reason not to give in before." Santana glances longingly at her bedroom window then sighs loudly. "This is gonna be a long week."

Quinn laughs, puts the two glasses on the grass then jumps up and grabs her best friend's hand. "Come on."

Santana whines and trudges forward. "Where are we going?"

Quinn drags her to the start of the obstacle course. "We're gonna work off some of that energy. Ready?"

Santana doesn't really want to run around the yard but Quinn looks like she needs this so Santana relents and drops her hands down to the grass and playfully wiggles her ass in the air.

"GO!"

The two girls shoot off the start line and drop to their stomachs to crawl through the tunnels. Santana exits first and jumps up, landing with a hop in the center of the first hula hoop circle. Quinn is close behind, bounces through her hoops faster and cockily spins and backpedals through the cones but trips over her own feet. Santana laughs and clambers over the picnic table. Quinn catches up and by the time they round the tree they are neck and neck, skipping back toward the starting line. Quinn reaches out and grabs Santana's shirt to pull her back but Santana barrels forward and wins!

Santana leaps into the air, both arms extended high in celebration. A loud whooping and clapping echo through the night and Santana and Quinn look up to see Brittany cheering from the balcony. Santana clasps her hands together and shakes them in self-congratulations. Brittany imitates the sounds of a roaring crowd then blows Santana a kiss and rushes back inside.

A few seconds later, she and Puck join them in the yard. Brittany sprints toward Santana, picks her up and spins her before falling to the ground and landing on top of her. "You were amazing, babe!" gushes Brittany proudly.

"Yah?" Santana asks as she basks in her wife's praise.

Brittany nods and leans down slowly, her bright blue eyes shining excitedly. Their lips touch briefly and the sparks that fly shoot straight to their cores. Brittany relaxes into the kiss and mercilessly rolls her hips down in a long, even stroke. Santana moans and Brittany smirks, jumps up and skips over to Puck. "Come on! Puck and I against you two."

Santana sits up and drops her head back to plead up to the heavens. "Please, please make this week go by faster."

The four play, change partners several times and extend the course until it takes up the entire yard. Over an hour later, they collapse onto the grass.

"That was awesome!" yells Brittany.

Everyone agrees and after a few minutes of replaying key moments in the race they call it a night. Santana and Brittany head upstairs and Quinn walks Puck to the front door.

"Good night." He turns to leave but Quinn stops him, her hands wrapped lightly around his forearm. He faces her and waits patiently for an explanation.

Quinn doesn't make eye contact - choosing instead to stare straight ahead at Puck's chest. She swallows nervously, suddenly filled with doubt. What if he tries to do more? What if we start kissing and I want to do more? Or worse, what if I don't like it? She furrows her brow with worry but cannot deny that her body is craving physical intimacy. She takes a second to collect herself, push away the nagging fears and decides to take the risk. "If I asked you to kiss me goodnight...could that be all we do?"

Puck smiles and opens his mouth to respond but closes it quickly - not trusting himself to say the right thing. He extends a shaky hand to tilt her head up by her chin, leans forward and presses his lips lightly to hers.

"What time do we need to leave tomorrow?" Brittany asks, through a mouth full of toothpaste.

Santana holds her finger up as she finishes gargling and spits into the sink. "7-7:15."

Brittany rinses her mouth, gargles and smacks her minty fresh mouth loudly a few times. "Kissably fresh." She waggles her eyebrows and leans forward for a kiss.

Santana wipes her mouth on a hand towel and smirks. "I heard there are a thousand and one uses for a towel." She tosses the towel to cover Brittany's head and runs out of the bathroom. She doesn't even make it halfway to the bed before she's being tackled to the floor. She wrestles with her wife playfully but after mere seconds, the sexual tension reaches almost unbearable levels and she knows she won't be able to withstand another round of teasing. "Is Q coming with us tomorrow?" Brittany cocks her head in question so Santana explains. "To take pictures of us with the kids, so we can both be in them."

"Ooooh good idea. I'll go ask her." Brittany goes downstairs but when she steps into the hall, she hears a noise at the front door and turns to see Quinn and Puck kissing. She jumps up and down in a silent squeal and races back upstairs. "Quinn and Puck are kissing!"

Santana freezes mid crunch. "What? Where?"

"Front door." Brittany dashes back out with Santana close behind. When they reach the bottom of the stairs, Brittany holds her index finger to her lips and peeks out to see if they are still there. They aren't. "Darn!" Santana goes back upstairs but Brittany is dying to hear about the kiss and skips down the hall to Quinn's room.

Brittany returns to her bedroom with her bottom lip in a pout and crawls into bed beside her wife. "She's going with us tomorrow but she didn't tell me about the kiss."

"That's okay baby. Let her enjoy it for tonight."

Brittany clicks off her bedside lamp and Santana holds her right arm up so Brittany can slide in close. Brittany rests her head on her wife's shoulder and lays her arm and leg over the smaller woman's body possessively. Santana wraps her arm around her wife, scratches at her scalp and combs her fingers through silky blonde hair. Brittany's eyes flutter closed as she relaxes into the familiar touch.

"I love when you do that."

"I know," Santana says sweetly. Santana repeats her actions a few times, then tangles her fingers and tugs lightly. Brittany tilts her head back and raises her chin - puckering her lips playfully for a kiss. Santana leans down and licks the plump flesh to indicate she's more serious than Brittany thinks. Brittany whimpers then parts her lips and waits. Santana smirks, thoroughly enjoying the effect her teasing has had on her wife. The usually aggressive "top" has become more submissive since their game began.

Santana kisses her sweetly - enjoying the taste of mint and the tingle it creates. She doesn't feel the need to rush or intensify anything and massages their tongues together in a gesture full of tenderness and love.

Brittany sighs contentedly.

Santana smiles and shifts to pepper kisses across Brittany's face and neck. "We need to get some sleep baby. Tomorrow is a big day."

Brittany pulls Santana closer and nuzzles into her neck. "That was a really good kiss."

"Yah, it was." Santana squeezes her wife tight, laces their fingers and tangles their legs. "I love you."

Brittany hums in response and drifts off to sleep.

The following morning, the alarm beeps and Santana throws her arm up to shut if off. She nudges her wife, "Britt, time to get up." Brittany shakes her head and stubbornly buries her nose further into Santana's neck. "Honey, preschool." Santana's heart jolts in her chest when Brittany flings the covers off and jumps out of bed, clapping excitedly. She runs out of the room to wake up the twins.

Thirty minutes later, Santana is serving the mini-pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. Quinn backs into the kitchen with a camera pressed to her eye - the shutter clicking rapidly. The twins enter wearing jeans and matching t-shirts, "YES! I'm a twin."

Santana melts at the sight of her daughter's braided hair. "Awww, that's the same way you used to do my hair."

Brittany smiles, "I know, isn't it adorable? You guys have the same hairline."

Santana serves breakfast and asks, "Are you excited for preschool?"

Tony sprays them with crumbs when he yells, "YES!"

Ella nods but her little forehead is crinkled with anxiety, "I don't want to go."

Santana's forehead instantly mimics her daughter's and she twitches almost imperceptibly. Brittany smiles reassuringly at her wife knowing she is ready to throw her arms around their little girl and keep her home forever. She says, "School is where you go to learn and make friends. You'll play games, sing songs, learn new things. You'll have so much fun!"

Ella, like any three year old, is easily distracted and says, "YAY!"

Santana sighs in relief and smiles gratefully at her wife.

When they arrive at the old fashioned school house, Quinn jumps out of the van to take pictures of the twins exiting the car, putting on their backpacks and holding their matching lunch bags. Santana holds her hand out and Ella rushes to take it. Tony runs ahead despite Brittany calling his name.

They reach the classroom and are thrilled to be invited to join in morning circle. Santana and Brittany beam proudly when their children are the only ones who know both their first and last name. They spend an hour with the class then say their goodbyes. Ella hugs her Mami tight and Santana whispers, "Divértirse el bebé." (Have fun, baby.) Ella nods, reluctantly lets go and turns to hug her Mama then returns to play with the other children. Tony waves from the fort he's building and Santana and Brittany reluctantly leave the room.

Santana holds Brittany's hand, drawing strength from her as they watch the twins play through the classroom window. She's excited for her children and their new adventure but she's also worried about them. What if the other kids tease them? What if their teacher doesn't like them? What if the work is too hard? What if it's too easy because I've been doing workbooks with them and then they get bored and act out and get in trouble and it'll be my fault? She squeezes Brittany's hand tighter and looks around at the other parents. What if the parents don't like that the twins have two mothers?

Santana puts her arm around Brittany and studies each parent for any sign of discomfort. Most of the parents are too busy watching and worrying about their own children. The few that do make eye contact seem unbothered and Santana sighs in relief. She turns her attention to the other children in the class and tries to determine their personalities. She eyes a boy twice the size of Tony and squints to read his name tag.

Brittany nudges Santana. "They'll be fine." When the concerned frown doesn't leave her wife's face, she leans in closer, "Babe, stop trying to identify the potential bullies."

Santana turns to her and laughs out, "How did you...?"

"Come on, let's go enjoy the few hours we have before we need to pick them up again."

Santana leans into her wife's side and nods but wishes they could stay all day. They exit the small building and see Quinn laying on her stomach taking pictures of Kelly in the grass. Brittany takes out her phone and snaps a picture of her adorable friend. Quinn sees them and picks up Kelly, spins gracefully and flies her gently through the air before making her way to the car.

"You're in a good mood," teases Brittany from the passenger seat.

"I am." Quinn buckles Kelly into her carseat and settles in behind Santana. Quinn silently asks Brittany how Santana is holding up. Brittany smiles and rubs her wife's neck affectionately but rolls her eyes exaggeratedly in explanation that Santana is an over-protective mess. Quinn stifles her laugh and nods knowingly.

"Where are we going?" asks Brittany.

Santana shakes her head - having been lost in her worries and driving aimlessly. "I have absolutely no idea. Where do you guys wanna go?"

Quinn spots a park and suggests they pick up sandwiches and have a picnic. The girls agree and soon they are enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze.

"I kissed Puck last night."

Brittany bounces her crossed legs excitedly, "And?"

"I'm not sure."

"Tongue?" asks Santana. Brittany shoots her a look and Santana shrugs, "What? It's a legitimate question."

"I was nervous and he was nervous and our lips were nervous. It was short and awkward."

Brittany asks, "Do you want to kiss him again?"

"Yah, I do." Quinn sighs then realizes Kelly has fallen asleep in her arms. She gently lays her daughter down on the quilt, picks up her camera and starts snapping photos of their surroundings.

Since Quinn has ended the conversation, Brittany and Santana lounge lazily in the grass. Quinn marvels at the way the two can so easily become lost in their own world. She watches as Brittany leans back on one arm while her other rests in her lap. Santana scoots closer to her wife, raises her hand to the side of Brittany's face and lovingly rubs her cheek with her thumb. "You're so beautiful, Brittany."

Brittany's eyes sparkle as she smiles adoringly at her wife. "I can't believe our babies started preschool today."

Santana smiles proudly and kisses her lightly.

Quinn calls out and they turn to face her. She snaps a picture of them, then looks down into the LCD display of her camera and swears the girls are literally glowing with love for one another. How is it that after all these years these two are still so in love with each other? It almost doesn't seem fair. Their love is so perfect. Yesterday they wanted to tear each other's clothes off and today they are cuddly and adorable.

Have they ever really experienced a rough patch? Santana says they have but I don't believe it. There's no way they could have gone through a truly difficult time and still come out as close as they are now. How come I can't have what they have? Puck and I have two children together but we never had a single moment where we looked at each other the way they do.

But... maybe one day we will. The girls keep telling me that Puck and I are doing well and heading in the right direction. I suppose that's promising. They seem to have faith that we can improve on our communication and make things work. I hope they're right.

Santana rises to her feet, brushes the grass from her pants and helps Brittany up. "Q, the old shelter is near here. Let's go check it out."

The girls arrive at a small, dilapidated building. The brick, probably once a brilliant and inviting white, is caked with dirt turning it into a bleak gray gradient with the only color coming from graffiti tags. The windows and doors are boarded up, but even those boards are weather beaten and barely hanging on. The overgrown yard is littered with discarded and broken cots, tables and chairs.

"I didn't realize it was so bad," says Santana sadly.

Brittany adds, "It's not very big. I wonder how many families were housed here."

Quinn walks around the building taking pictures from every possible angle. She climbs between the wreckage in the yard and inches her way closer to the only uncovered window. She peers into the blackness within but is unable to make anything out. She lifts her camera to her eye, takes a picture then looks down into the LCD display to see what was captured with the use of the flash.

She scrambles back through the broken furniture and over to the two girls. "Look." She shows them the camera and both girls gasp.

"There's people in there?" asks Brittany incredulously.

Santana cups her hands around the display trying to block out the sun's glare. "Are those children?"

Quinn nods then turns to return to the shelter. Santana grabs her arm. "Wait. What are you planning to do?"

"I wanna see the inside."

"Let's think about this first. We've already taken a picture without their consent. I don't think we should intrude any more. We need a plan." Santana tents her fingers and taps them against each other rapidly in thought. "Do you have enough shots to accompany a rough draft of the article?"

Quinn nods.

Brittany asks, "Do you think Sam's company could help rebuild the shelter?"

Santana looks to Quinn for the answer but she has already take out her phone and is dialing Sam's number. Santana laces her right arm through Brittany's and places her left hand on the small of Quinn's back to lead her toward the car.

"We're a good team," she says proudly.

That evening, Santana and Quinn are working on their story and Brittany is bathing the twins. Ella is shaping the bubbles on her head into a stiff peak while Tony is shaving his foam beard with a toy razor.

Brittany tiredly rolls her neck. "What did you learn at your first day of school?"

Tony yells, "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Dwayne!"

"Dwayne who?"

"Huwwy up and dwayne the tub I'm dwowning!" Tony shrinks into the water with his hand dramatically extended upwards.

Brittany laughs and tries to focus their attention on something other than the jokes they learned today. "Did you learn about colors? Shapes? Animals?"

"Why do the lamb cross the road?...To go to the b-a-a-rking lot." The twins roll and splash in the tub, laughing hysterically.

Brittany shakes her head but laughs again and again at the many, oh so many, jokes. She finishes their bath then helps them dress and sends them to the living room to play. She stretches out on the couch and falls asleep to the sound of the twins singing their ABCs. When she wakes up, the kids are still playing quietly and Quinn is reading to Kelly.

Brittany sits up, twists her back and cracks her neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep so long."

"That's okay. You must've needed it. Santana's working on dinner."

Brittany makes her way to the kitchen. Santana is at the counter chopping vegetables for the stir fry. Her hair is in a high pony, her bare neck practically screaming to be kissed. Brittany wraps her arms around Santana's waist - her left hand slides high to rest on a breast and the other slides much lower and presses firmly. "Knock, knock."

Santana drops her knife on the cutting board and grunts. "You're cheating." Already breathing heavily, she grabs both of Brittany's hands, trying to still them. Brittany's fingers move quickly - tweaking and rubbing until Santana is writhing against her. Brittany sucks eagerly on her wife's exposed neck and smiles against the tan skin when Santana whimpers.

"It's not cheating if I don't expect anything in return."

Santana stops moving. "You don't?"

"I'll give you two minutes."

Santana furrows her brow. Did she just say I can let go and enjoy this? Brittany slides two fingers through her folds, dips for proper lubrication and slides back up to Santana's throbbing clit. DId I hear correctly? "Babe?"

"One minutes 40 seconds."

Brittany circles once, twice, and slides slowly into her wife. Santana's heart rate skyrockets and her breathing is so quick and shallow that she doubts there's any air actually entering her lungs. She shakes her head to focus and squeezes the hand that is massaging her breast. "Harder."

Brittany nods.

Santana's orgasm is so close she can taste it. She grips the side of the counter and bucks roughly into Brittany's hand. "Oh god..."

"MAMI!" yells Ella from the living room.

'Shit," Santana yanks Brittany's hands off her. "Wash your hands."

The swinging door bursts open and Ella stomps in. Santana adjusts her clothes and kneels down. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I'm hungry. Very hungry."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

"Very very very very very very..."

"Okay baby." Santana lifts Ella onto the counter away from her cutting board."Here, have a carrot."

Ella chomps on the carrot and swings her little legs happily. Brittany smiles and hugs her wife. Santana shrugs her off and whispers harshly. "That was too close. Go do something else."

Brittany's face contorts with hurt at the scolding. "She didn't see anything," she responds in a hushed voice.

"I don't care. It was irresponsible."

Brittany huffs, "It was or I was?"

Santana closes her eyes and takes a deep breath then meets Brittany's questioning gaze. "We were."

Quinn walks into the kitchen looking flustered. "Puck invited Kelly and I over for dinner at our house. What do I do?"

Santana and Brittany silently agree to talk later. Brittany turns to face Quinn but Santana grabs her arm and pulls her in for a peck to reconnect before they focus on other things. Brittany smiles gratefully then turns her attention to Quinn. "Do you want to go?"

"I'm scared."

Brittany opens her arms for Quinn to walk into and rubs her hands up and down Quinn's back and arms soothingly. "Scared of what?"

Quinn eyes Kelly cautiously and chooses her words carefully. "I'm worried Elphaba will make an appearance."

"Who?" asks Santana, not understanding the musical reference to Wicked.

Ella thinks Quinn said alphabet and starts singing her ABC's. Santana turns to her and kisses her forehead. "You're so smart, sweetie. Go into the living room while I finish cooking dinner, okay?" Ella nods, still singing, and leaves the room. Santana turns back to Quinn, "Okay, what?"

"Everything has been going really well between Puck and I and I'm afraid I'll turn into the wicked witch again."

"Sweetie, the fact that you're even worried about that shows how much you've grown. Go to dinner, enjoy yourself and if it gets bad you can always come back early." Brittany smiles reassuringly.

"We are doing well, right?"

Brittany nods. "You are but don't expect things to be perfect over night. Just enjoy yourself and try to remember to listen when he talks and respond kindly if you disagree about something." She moves to hug Quinn from behind so they can both see Santana. "We see how hard you're trying and we're very proud of you."

Santana smiles, "You'll be fine, Q. Do you want us to wait up?"

"No, that's okay."

"Wake us up if you need to."

Quinn nods gratefully and hugs Brittany's arms. "Help me get ready?"

Brittany claps excitedly. "Can I do your hair?"

"No."

Brittany pouts playfully and follows Quinn but stops at the door and rushes back to Santana. She throws her arms around the smaller woman and hugs her tight. "I love it when you're sweet to her." She kisses her wife and whispers into Santana's lips, "I can't wait to get you alone. You still have a minute left." She pulls back, winks and saunters out of the kitchen.

Santana watches her wife leave and shakes her head with a whimper. She returns to chopping vegetables and gasps when an idea suddenly occurs to her. She smirks. "I may not be able to touch you... but there's no rule that says I can't touch myself in front of you." She picks up a carrot and bites off a piece. Crunching thoughtfully, she formulates a plan.

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