CHAPTER 36
A/N: Thanks to DarkSouls3777, Olivia, Buffycl, Lina Jacob2, Flmagic, Berrylucky5, Jaclyne and the Guest for their reviews, and thanks to those who interacted with me on social media. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, this was exceptional because it was a very busy month for me and as I said, I'm currently under medical treatment so I'm not feeling at my best and I'm extremely tired, which makes it very hard for me to focus and therefore to write. I'm still waiting for my medical procedure – which will take place very soon - but I decided to post a chapter in the meanwhile because you have been waiting for long... So here you go! It's mostly a filler chapter but at least you'll get to know the twins (and will finally know their names!) I don't like to repeat stuff I have already written so since I fully covered Sofia's birth and the related short nights many chapters ago, I will not focus on those aspects here. This chapter covers 2-3 months of the girls' lives, and will focus quite a lot on Santana, but the POV alternates between San and Britt. Enjoy!
Here is what you missed (on Glee)
Brittany woke up Santana in the middle of the night because she was in labour... After driving Sofia to Puck and Quinn's house, the girls went to the hospital, to meet their twin boys :)
A FEW HOURS LATER – AT THE HOSPITAL – SANTANA POV
Our boys were born just a few minutes ago and I feel such an overwhelming happiness and… infinite love for them that I can't stop crying tears of joy… Even more so as I watch Brittany finally holding them in her arms for the very first time… She's also very emotional but she looks insanely happy! I know how much this means to her because she has waited so long for this moment… Looking back, it basically took us two years to have our sons… We first had to go through our heartbreaking baby fight and countless failed attempts at getting pregnant but… it was worth it because our little men are finally here now! And it's truly a miracle considering that we almost lost them in the car accident…
A WHILE LATER – AT THE HOSPITAL
Brittany and I are both sitting side by side on her hospital bed, each of us holding one of the twins and we just can't stop looking at them… I'm trying to memorize every little detail of their faces but that only makes me fall in love with them even more. Our sons are absolutely perfect and although they definitely look like brothers, they are very different! One is blond while the other has dark hair and is slightly bigger… even if in all fairness, they are both smaller than Sofia was at birth but that's to be expected with twins.
"I can't believe we have three kids…" I say. That still doesn't feel real…
"I know…" She chuckles. "Not so long ago, it was just you and me…"
"Yeah…" I smile. "It's crazy how much our lives have changed in the past few years… Now we have this whole family together… A big one!" I add before kissing her lips, knowing that this was a long-standing dream of hers. And as I look once more at our beautiful babies, this feels so right that I can't even remember why I wanted to stop at one kid.
Someone suddenly knocks on the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Can we come in, moms?" Quinn asks, opening the door a little. "The big sis is here and she would like to say hi to her baby brothers…"
"Yeah, come in, come in!" I reply with enthusiasm.
"Fair warning though…" Quinn says as she enters the room, holding the hand of a suddenly very timid and impressed Sofia. "… We have quite a crowd with us."
And indeed… behind her follow Puck, Naya, Sam and Mercedes! Wow OK… the whole "Godparents" team is here…
I hear them all gasp in amazement as they go around the bed to look at our baby boys.
"So are you going to introduce us to the little dudes or what?" Puck asks while lifting Sofia so that she can take a closer look at her brothers.
"Well… I guess we should start with this little boy because he was born first…" Brittany says, nodding towards the baby she's holding.
"So, everyone… this is… Diego." She says, making them all gasp again.
"Oh my god… look at him! He's beautiful!" Quinn comments. "And 'Diego'? I love that name!"
"Thanks! Obviously, we do too…" Britt replies with a smile. "But we can't take credit for it because San's Abuela named him."
"Can you believe that the old woman finally suggested a good name?" I add, laughing.
"So… Diego is the one with the dark hair…" Puck comments. "Well… that's a relief! At least, you won't mix them up!" He adds while I roll my eyes.
"You want to say hi to your little brother, peanut?" Britt asks Sofia, who timidly nods while holding on to Puck's shirt. He brings her even closer to the baby and she looks at him in silence before giving him a soft kiss on the forehead, like she did with her cousin Alex when she met him for the first time.
"Hi Diego!" She finally says, waving at him and I feel like I'm going to die from all that cuteness. I really have to stop having kids now because they truly turn me more and more into a softie…
"You say hi back to your big sister Sofia?" Britt asks Diego, gently holding his tiny hand to make him wave back.
"And look, your godparents are also here: Uncle Puck and Auntie Quinnie…" She adds, handing the baby to Quinn.
"Hello, little Diego…" Quinn says with an emotional smile… "It's so nice to finally meet you!"
"God… he's so cute!" She adds in a squeaky voice, turning to us.
"And what's the name of that handsome little fella over there?" Mercedes asks, pointing at the baby in my arms.
"Yeah, I guess it's his turn to shine now…" I chuckle. "So guys… meet… Gabriel." I say and a few awes immediately fill the room.
Britt and I were still desperately hesitating between the same three names for our little boy but once we saw our baby's face, we both agreed that Gabriel was the right pick. He could only be named after an angel because that's exactly what he looks like with his light blond hair and that whole angelic face that reminds me so much of Brittany. He's really like a mini version of her… And he's also very calm, just like his mommy.
"He was born two minutes later…" I say. "… making him the youngest of the Lopez-Pierce tribe…" I add as Pucks brings Sofia closer to me.
"What do you think, mija?" I ask, looking at her.
She observes him for a while without replying to me until she suddenly turns to Puck. "Pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming!" She asks him and he obliges.
She looks at her arm where he pinched her and then turns back to me. "So it's real?! I have TWO brothers?!" She says in excitement, before giving Gabriel a kiss and I can't help but chuckle.
"Can we take them home now?" She asks me enthusiastically.
"Well… They have to stay here for a few days, baby girl… But after that, yes they will come home with us!" I say and she looks just as excited as when she met Santa Claus.
"Are you ready to meet your Auntie Nay Nay, mijo?" I ask Gabriel before carefully handing him to his godmother.
"Hi Gabriel…" Naya says, smiling at him. "Welcome to the world, baby boy! You picked a very nice family, you know that?" She adds, looking at him in adoration.
"Honestly, I'm not sure which one is cuter! Clearly, you two can only make beautiful kids…" She comments before passing the baby to Sam.
"Hey little man!" he says, making funny faces at him.
God… I hope that his humongous mouth is not going to scare my boy.
"Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me…" He suddenly adds out of nowhere, imitating Don Corleone from the Godfather movie.
"Seriously, Trouty mouth?" I sigh. "Don't make me regret choosing you as his godfather!"
LATER – AT THE HOSPITAL
"Sofia, baby, look over here…" Quinn says as she's about to take another picture of us.
Our daughter is sitting on my lap and I'm helping her holding Baby Gabriel while Britt is sitting next to us, holding Diego in her arms.
"That's going to make one lovely picture!" Quinn says. "But we're going to take a few more just in case, OK?"
Of course Q is going to turn this into a never-ending photoshoot! She really can't stop herself, it's like an addiction!
"OK Fabray… enough now… Are you trying to blind my children or what?" I say.
"Fine…" She sighs. "Let's stop here… I'm going to send you the pictures right now, San…" She finally says.
"Well, I guess we should get going and let you rest now." Mercedes says, grabbing her bag.
After saying goodbye to everyone – including our little girl since she'll be staying at Puck and Quinn's until Britt is discharged from the hospital – I grab my phone. Now that we have pictures of the babies, it's time to announce the big news to everyone.
GROUP MESSAGE TO "PEOPLE I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT": Sometimes miracles come in pairs… Sofia is delighted to announce the birth of her twin brothers, Diego and Gabriel Lopez-Pierce, born on December 17, respectively at 07:19 and 07:21 AM. To know which is which on this picture: Diego is the one taking a nap in his mommy's arms while the big sis is holding Gabriel.
Of course, it doesn't take long for me to receive dozens of messages.
FROM "MOM": Congratulations to you two (and Sofia!) for those handsome baby boys! We can't wait to meet them! And you actually managed to make your Abuela cry, Santana… She still can't believe you went with one of the names that she suggested!
FROM "WHITNEY": Oh my god… they're so cute! What a beautiful family! Congratulations, girls! We're so excited to meet those sweet little boys soon! Big hugs. Grandpa and Grandma.
FROM "GAY BERRY": Just as cute as their sister! Congratulations to you both and welcome to the babies!
FROM "LADY HUMMEL": Your little men are absolutely precious! Congratulations!
FROM "MELISSA": I still can't believe you're a mother of three, Lopez! Your boys are beautiful, congrats to you both! I hope I can come for a visit very soon!
FROM "MR SCHUE": Congratulations for these handsome little guys, ladies! Danny can't wait to meet the newest additions to the Baby Glee club!
By the time I finish reading one text, five more are coming in… It's crazy!
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT THE HOSPITAL
"So are you ready to go home, honey?" I ask Brittany as I enter her room.
"More than ready! And so are the boys! Right, my babies?" She adds, smiling at our sons. "How did it go with the lawyer?" She asks.
"It went great! Look!" I say, proudly showing her the adoption papers.
I can't believe that it's finally official… Diego and Gabriel are legally my sons now and no one can ever take them away from me. Not even Brittany, because even if we were to get a divorce, I would at least be entitled to partial custody. I know that she wouldn't keep the kids away from me but after her unexpected amnesia, we both agreed that we simply couldn't take any risks when it came to our parental rights. So as soon as we came back from Lima and just like she promised, we went back to the lawyer and we signed an adoption agreement stating that I was the twins' other parent. That was a very important step because it already gave me rights over them but the adoption procedure could only be finalized once we had the babies' birth certificates… But now it's finally done, my name is everywhere on those papers and I can't even describe the relief I'm feeling. This means more to me that I could ever explain it but I know that Britt gets it, because she went through the exact same thing when Sofia was born.
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT HOME
Our parents and Abuela finally arrived yesterday and ever since they met the twins, they have been completely obsessed with them and even keep fighting over who gets to hold them! The story repeats itself…
Being as predictable as ever, my dad keeps speaking Spanish to the boys all day long – even if half of the room doesn't get it - while Abuela uses every chance she gets to read out the bible to them… All that used to piss me off because in my view, they should first ask if it's OK with us but… now I know better than wasting my time on this. I couldn't prevent this when Sofia was a baby so I'm pretty sure I won't be able to prevent it now.
As for the Pierces, well… Britt's dad can't stop himself from doing lame magic tricks in front of Sofia and the twins, over and over, and I can tell that my little girl is starting to be tired of it. Meanwhile, Whitney keeps coming up with some mysterious remote cousins that she thinks look like Diego or Gabriel and I can't help but laugh because Brittany tells her every time that she 'doesn't even know who those people are'.
But I'm happy that the whole family could make the trip and that they will stay with us for what is going to be our very first Christmas in L.A. We normally go to Lima for the holidays but that was not an option this year… And I'm really, really glad to have all those extra pairs of hands around because handling three kids at once is really not easy…
LATER THAT DAY – AT HOME – BRITTANY POV
We just finished dinner with the whole family and I'm so grateful for all these people around us… It's crazy to think that when I was a teenager, it was just me and my parents but now… we really are one big family, we are actually 10 people in the house right now! And I can't stop myself from observing them all, it's one of my favorite things to do…
Right now, I am watching Maribel holding a sleeping Diego and attentively listening to Sofia who is telling her all about the gossip from daycare. I usually love listening to my little peanut's rambling because it's hilarious but I'm quickly distracted once I hear Gabriel crying. As I look to the other side of the room, I notice that Abuela seems to struggle with him.
"You're OK, Abuela?" I ask, moving closer to her.
"I don't know… I'm not sure why he's crying…" She replies. "You breastfed him not so long ago and I just checked his diaper but it's all clean… I don't understand… Usually I can calm kids down easily but I can't get him to stop… Can you try maybe?" She asks.
"Sure!" I reply, taking my baby in my arms. I try to comfort him for a while but he still continues to cry…
"Mmh… I think I know what this is about." I say. "He's normally a very calm baby, he's even calmer than Diego but when he doesn't stop crying and there is no obvious reason, that's just because he wants Santana… And I'm afraid he won't calm down until his mama holds him." I add, walking up with Gabriel to Santana.
"I'm sorry, guys…" I say, interrupting her conversation with her dad. "But San, your son is asking for you…" I add, placing Gabriel in her arms.
"Hi handsome…" She says in a soft tone while looking into his eyes. "Why all those tears, mijo?" She adds, gently pressing her lips on his forehead.
And just like that, Gabriel stops crying…
God knows that I have witnessed this a few times already but it still amazes me… They really have a special connection.
CHRISTMAS DAY – AT HOME – SANTANA POV
We are all gathered in the living room now… because it's presents time! While I'm feeding Diego, Brittany is helping Sofia distributing the Christmas gifts and our little girl is clearly very proud of the mission she was tasked with: bringing everyone their presents! It's incredibly cute but it makes it harder for us because we can't say who the gifts are from in front her, since she believes that everything is from Santa…
"Ok this one is for your Nana Alma." Brittany says, passing an envelope to our little girl.
Sofia immediately runs towards Abuela, gives her the envelope but can't contain her curiosity for long. "What did you get from Santa, Nana?" She asks in an excited tone.
"Well, let's see… Oooh it is a voucher, for… a new sewing machine?!" She says, surprised. "But… I already have a sewing machine…"
"Did Santa make a mistake?" Sofia asks, confused.
"Santa does not make mistakes, mija." I reply. "He's very smart and he knows that Nana's sewing machine is going to fall apart soon considering that she already had it when I was a child." I add, looking at Abuela straight in the eye so that she would understand that this gift is from me. "And he even knew that a voucher was better than buying the actual machine because Nana wouldn't take it with her on the plane."
"He's very smart!" Sofia comments.
"He sure is!" I confirm.
"Yeah, that's very thoughtful of… him…" Abuela comments, looking back at me. "I must say that it's a great gift! I'll make sure to thank Santa!" She says.
"Ooh this one is for me and mama!" Brittany suddenly says, holding a flat box that she quickly unwraps.
"A fancy spa weekend?" She says, dropping her jaw before looking at me with enthusiasm. "Sauna, hot tub, massage, a romantic dinner and a night in a 4 stars hotel?" She adds in an increasingly excited tone, reading the leaflet out loud.
"Seriously? That's amazing!" I comment in disbelief. I look around the room to see who had this great idea but this is probably very expensive so I assume that they all chipped in. God, I could kill for a spa weekend right now…
"It does sound great…" my mom adds. "And this is usually valid in the whole country I think… So you could use it in L.A. or during one of your visits in Ohio, if you want us to take care of the kids when you're away."
"Santa has really thought of everything…" Brittany says with a chuckle, before picking another present.
"These two gifts here are for Diego and Gabriel…" She says, giving them to our daughter.
Sofia first goes to Britt's parents as her dad is holding Gabriel, before coming to me.
"I have a baby in my arms, mija… Could you open it for me?"
"Okay!" She says, tearing down the wrapping paper before showing me a tiny tuxedo onesie.
"Oh my god, that's adorable!" I say. I didn't even know that this kind of stuff existed! "And at least, now we know what they'll wear on New Year's eve!"
LATER THAT DAY – BRITTANY POV
Just like every year, I ate way too much but I just can't resist Abuela's cooking and I'm pretty sure that her plan is to stuff us to death… She basically succeeded considering that everyone was incredibly lazy after dinner, even Santana said that she couldn't get up from the couch anymore. So I offered to help Abuela to clean up in the kitchen. It took us a while but now we are finally done and I really enjoyed having a private conversation with her!
But as we come back into the living room, we find everyone asleep on the couch: San's parents, mine… but my eyes are quickly drawn to Santana, who is also sleeping while holding both of our sons in her arms, in front of what appears to be the Lion King. Sofia is sitting next to her, also asleep, her head resting on her mama.
"Sshh…" I say to Abuela, pressing my finger against my lips before grabbing my phone. I really need to capture what is possibly the cutest moment I have ever witnessed. Especially because knowing San, she will deny that this ever happened. After taking a few pictures of my wife and kids, I take a seat and continue to watch them in silence.
I'm so lucky.
EVEN LATER – IN BED
After a long day, we all went to bed and fortunately, the kids are now sound asleep! They were pretty tired... Normally, Santana and I always have sex on Christmas day but I am not allowed to do that since I gave birth a week ago… I offered to just take care of her but she declined, saying that she preferred to wait until 'we could both enjoy it'. So we are cuddling instead… and for once, she's the one resting her head on my chest, her hand close to her face. I am really enjoying this closeness, especially because for so many months, my pregnant belly was always in the way… But now, I can hold her as tight as I want.
I'm so sleepy that I know I will fall into slumber very soon but my eyes catch the wedding ring on her finger and beautiful memories of our big day immediately flash through my mind, making me smile like a dork.
"I love you…" I whisper, pressing my lips on her forehead, not knowing if she's still awake.
But a few seconds later, I hear her sleepy voice break the silence. "Love you too, wifey…"
NEW YEAR'S EVE – AT HOME – SANTANA POV
For our first New Year's Eve in L.A., we decided to take it easy because we are both like zombies right now… Our parents and Abuela left a few days ago and it's much harder to deal with the babies on our own because they both wake up at random times during the night. Sometimes we can't even sleep more than 30 minutes in a row… Brittany and I have been trying different methods to see what would allow us to survive but it's not easy… Right now, we are trying the "shifts method": one of us takes the "night shift" to take care of the babies while the other is getting some rest. And the one who got to sleep during the night takes the "day shift" while the other is napping. But it's almost impossible to take care of two babies alone, so even when Britt takes the night shift, there is always a moment where I eventually get up to help her out. Maybe it's for the best anyway, otherwise I don't know when I would see my wife. But we are quite lucky in our misery because Diego and Gabriel are relatively calm, much more than Sofia was… Clearly, they take after their mommy…
And fortunately, we also get a lot of help… I'm so grateful for Anita, our cleaning lady, because she really takes care of so many things right now: cleaning, laundry, groceries… and she occasionally cooks or helps out with the twins during the day. After my Britt, she's definitely my favorite person right now! Of course, that help doesn't come for free and it's even going to cost us a lot of money but I don't care! I can't imagine doing chores right now, taking care of three mini humans is already taking all the energy I have left.
At least, I don't have to go to Paramount because Glee is on hiatus right now. But I hope that the boys sleep through the night by the time I go back to work, otherwise I won't make it…
Since Quinn and Puck came back to L.A right after Christmas, we decided to celebrate New Year together in our house. They came over a while ago and we just finished a very nice meal – that we obviously ordered because there was no way that Britt and I would have been able to cook these days! Our friends are already lucky that we put on some nicer clothes tonight, because since the twins were born, we have basically been living in sweatpants and shirts covered with baby spit-up.
LATER THAT DAY
"Honey… I'm sorry but you need to wake up now…" I suddenly hear Britt say.
"What?" I reply in a confused tone as she caresses my cheek.
"You dozed off…" She says.
When I open my eyes, I realize that we are still in the living room and that I apparently fell asleep on her shoulder. I'm even more confused when I see that Quinn and Puck are not in the room anymore. "Where are they?" I ask her.
"Diego cried a little while ago and Quinn volunteered to go take care of him. And Sofia insisted so much that Puck agreed to teach her how to play the guitar, they're in the kitchen. I let you sleep as long as I could but I think they'll come back soon…"
"Alright…" I say. "I'm sorry I fell asleep but I'm just so tired…"
"I know, baby. Me too…"
"Your kid is good!" Puck suddenly says, coming back to the room. "She's a natural."
"Well… it's not like she's completely new to music, I teach her piano a little every day after all…" I reply.
"And yet, she asked Santa for a guitar…" He says, proudly. "The girl has taste!"
"I'm sorry, do you have something against pianists?" I ask, offended.
"No, playing the piano is… nice and all, but it's not as cool as a guitar, Lopez!"
"Yeah, unfortunately it seems that's how Sofia sees it too." I reply. "She even got highly disappointed in me when I told her I couldn't play the guitar, can you believe it? And when I mentioned that she could learn with you or her Uncle Sam, you guys became like superheroes and she forgot that I even existed. Apparently giving her life is not as impressive as playing the guitar…"
EVEN LATER
Ever since they got here, Quinn has been acting strange and as the night progresses, I'm getting increasingly suspicious… Something is definitely up.
"Spill the beans, Fabray." I suddenly say out of nowhere, interrupting their small talk with Britt.
"Spill the beans?" She repeats, confused. "What?"
"Save it, Q. You can't fool my psychic Mexican third eye!" I say while she pretends not to know what I'm talking about.
"Are you pregnant?" I ask, remembering that she has not drunk any alcohol tonight. Although she's not much of a drinker...
"Oh my god, you're pregnant?" Brittany repeats in excitement, before Quinn has a chance to comment.
"No…" Puck says with a nervous chuckle, frowning. "No, right…?" He asks in a more uncertain tone, turning to Quinn.
"No! I'm not pregnant…" She says.
"Well if you didn't get knocked up again, what is it then?" I ask. "You're hiding something."
"Way to go to ruin the moment, Lopez…" She sighs. "But OK… I guess that now is as good a time as any to tell you… So… um… Puck and I…" She pauses. "… we're engaged."
My jaw drops in surprise because although I expected something big, I didn't think that Puck was the kind of man to get married. But I come out of my stupor once Brittany gets up from the couch and hugs them both. "Oh my god guys, this is GREAT news! I'm so, so happy for you!" She says.
"So… you're going to be 'Quinn Puckerman' now?" I blurt out, pouting in disgust, but Britt is quick to slap my arm. "San!" She whispers in a disapproving tone.
"Ow!" I complain. "Why are you hitting me for? It's a legitimate question!"
"I'm keeping my name, Santana…" Quinn replies, rolling her eyes.
"Oh thank god, because honestly, I think that 'Mrs Puck' would put an end to your career in the TV industry…"
"San…" Brittany sighs again, in a desperate tone.
"Right, right… Sorry!" I say. "Now that we have cleared the name issue, I can officially congratulate you! You know that I've always been a big fan of this pairing anyway!" I add, pulling them both at the same time into a hug.
"Thanks…" Quinn says with a smile. "I'm glad you're supporting this because we have a favor to ask you. Both of you actually." Quinn adds before throwing a look at Puck, encouraging him to speak out.
"Um…" He says. "Well… I know it's not very conventional but… Lopez, I was wondering if you would be… my best man…?"
"Me?" I ask, stunned. Why doesn't he ask one of the Glee guys?
"Yeah… Since Finn died… you're… well, you're kind of my best buddy… You know?" He replies while a soft "aw…" escapes Britt's mouth.
"Huh…" I comment, still trying to process his unexpected request. But when I think about it, it actually makes sense. Puck doesn't really talk much but whenever something big happens in his life, he always calls me and either we go to the pub to drink in silence together or… we go to the pub and end up having our most serious conversations.
"Oh what the hell… sure!" I say. "But what do I have to do exactly?"
"Not much…" He replies. "Standard stuff like keeping me calm on the big day so that I don't sweat through my suit… hold on to the rings… and… oh, plan my bachelor party of course! And I definitely want to see strippers!"
"Strippers?" I repeat, frowning. God… what did I just put myself into?
"Yeah!" He replies. "It's tradition! And we both love lady parts… so why not? I'm sure you'll have fun! If Britt is OK with that of course…" He suddenly adds, turning to my blonde.
"Well… as long as there is no touching of any kind, she can look." Britt replies, much to my surprise. If roles were reversed, I wouldn't even let her look.
"The same goes for you, Puck. No touching." Quinn adds.
"You're really going to let him go to a strip club?" I ask Quinn, confused. That doesn't sound like her at all.
"Well, it's just a one time thing, obviously. And yes, I'm fine with it because I know you'll keep an eye on him!" She replies.
"Fine…" I sigh, turning to Puck. "I guess I'll go watch naked women with you…"
"Yes!" He comments, pumping the fist in victory while I roll my eyes.
"OK now that that is settled…" Quinn says. "Brittany, I wanted to ask you if… you would be my maid of honor?"
"Oh my god, I would love to!" Britt replies in an excited tone, hugging her once more.
"Woah woah woah…" I say, raising my arms. "Let's clear out a few things first. There better be no stripper at your bachelorette party, Fabray… because if there is, I swear that I'll come get my wife, understood? And since I'm pretty sure that you're going to be all about wedding traditions like forcing Puckerman to sleep elsewhere the night before the wedding and shit like that… be warned: your best man is definitely going home with your maid of honor, no matter what kind of crazy uptight rule you might have in mind."
"As long as you don't sneak out to have sex during my wedding ceremony, I'm fine with that." Quinn says.
"I'm afraid I can't promise that." I reply, making her frown.
"Don't worry, Q… We'll behave, you have my word." Brittany says, much to my disappointment. "So when is the wedding?" She asks.
"We haven't set the date yet…" She replies. "But it will most likely be in the summer…"
"This summer?" Brittany replies. "But that's like six months away… are you sure you can plan it all in such a short time?"
"Well we don't want a big wedding, we just want an intimate ceremony with the people we love… Only our moms and the Gleeks, that's it! So it should not be too difficult… Oh and that reminds me… we would like Sofia to be our flower girl, if that's OK with you…?"
"Of course!" I reply. "I'm sure she will be super excited about it!"
A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER (MID JANURY) – AT HOME
"Beautiful, Rivera, truly…" I comment, once Naya finishes singing the last song I wrote for her.
"Thanks!" She replies with a smile. "I think this one might be my favorite…"
"Honestly, it's mine too! That text that you wrote and the vulnerable softness in your voice… it seriously sends shivers down my spine! That's going to be a hit for sure…" I reply, returning her smile.
"So with that one, we now have five songs…" I add. "I think we can stop for today, what do you say?"
"Sure!" She replies. "Oh before I forget, I brought two other texts that I wrote, if you want to have a look? For this one here, I was thinking of something a little more… jazzy perhaps?"
"Mmhh indeed, it could be a good idea…" I comment, scanning the papers. "I'll have a closer look and see if I can come up with something in that style…"
"Auntie Nay Nay!" We suddenly hear Sofia scream behind us. God, some day she's going to give me a heart attack sneaking up on us like that!
She immediately crashes into Naya's arms and gives her a wet kiss on the cheek. "Can you come play with me?" My little girl asks.
"Mija… You can't ask Naya to play with you every time she visits. She's a busy woman!"
"That's alright, I can stay a for a bit… It's too hard to say no to that face anyway…" Naya replies, laughing as Sofia impatiently pulls her by the hand to lead her to her bedroom.
ANOTHER TWO WEEKS LATER (FEBRUARY) – AT HOME – BRITTANY POV
"San?" I knock on the bathroom door. "May I come in?"
"Of course, Britt!" I hear through the door.
When I enter the room, Santana is putting the final touch on her makeup and I can't help but stare. She's so beautiful that I wish I was going with her to that Paramount dinner. At least, I could look at her all night long…
"Your phone just rang…" I say, holding it in my hand.
"Oh, who was it?"
"I don't know… I got to it too late…"
"Can you check for me, honey? My hands are busy…"
I nod and check the list of missed calls.
Melissa… Of course. And she already called Santana three times today?! Seriously?
"It was Mel." I say through my teeth.
"Oh…" she says before looking at the clock. "I'm afraid I won't have time to call her back, I'm already running late… Quinn is going to be here any minute now. Could you text her back to let her know that I'm busy tonight and will call her another time?"
With pleasure.
"OK…" I comment in my most neutral voice, typing on her phone. I'm writing exactly what San said but if it was up to me, I would type something like 'Hi Mel, it's Britt. Could you please find yourself a lover to keep you busy and stop calling my wife so often?'
"I'm really sorry I can't come with you tonight…" I add.
"That's OK, Britt…" She replies. "One of us should stay with the kids and it's just a dinner with the other Glee producers! Believe me, it is going to be boring as hell! I wouldn't want to impose this torture on you anyway…"
"Well to be honest, I still wish I was going because you look very pretty tonight…" I pout.
"Yeah?" She says with a smirk. "How pretty exactly?"
"So beautiful that I would kiss you right now but I'm afraid to mess up your makeup."
"I'll risk it." She replies, pulling me into a kiss.
I'm trying hard to keep my hands to myself even though I really want to tangle my fingers into her hair to pull her even closer to me.
"Wow…" She says, pulling away from my lips. "Well, I'm definitely going to hold on to that kiss, it should help me get through this shitty dinner." She adds, smiling at me.
"Well… happy to help!" I reply, returning her smile. "But you know… you should wake me up tonight when you come back home…" I say in a flirty way.
"Really? Are you sure?" She says in a surprised tone.
I know that she didn't expect me to say this because we haven't had any sexy times since the twins were born but I'm ready… I don't think I am capable of waiting any longer anyway. Not when she's looking this stunning.
"Definitely…" I add, before pressing my lips on hers again.
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT HOME – NIGHT TIME – SANTANA POV
I'm on the "baby night shift" tonight and I got up an hour ago because Diego was crying. He was hungry so I fed him but just when I was about to leave, he smiled at me for the first time and I got completely excited! So I smiled back… and… well… I have been exchanging smiles with my son for something like half an hour now and I just can't stop! What is happening to me? I totally blame Britt for this, she actually made me like kids!
After a while, my sweet little boy finally falls back asleep and I suddenly hear my inner voice… It's not so surprising because it keeps happening when I'm around the kids… so often in fact that I even keep a notepad in their rooms in case I suddenly get inspired… just like now…
ONE WEEK LATER – AT HOME
Gay Berry is in town for a few days and she came over this afternoon to meet Diego and Gabriel for the first time. Fortunately, shortly after she arrived, I had to go to Paramount for a last minute meeting, in order to go over the budget for the upcoming MJ episode. Thanks to my financial contribution, we got the funding we needed to do ambitious musical numbers and I officially got the green light from the network.
After that meeting, I went straight to daycare to pick up my daughter… We just got back home and even though I was gone for something like two hours, Berry is still in my living room, 'gracing us with her presence.'
"Auntie Rach!" Sofia screams, running towards her while I take a seat next to my wife.
"Hello, miss Sofia!" Rachel replies, hugging her. "Let me look at you! Wow, you're getting prettier and prettier!" She says, making Sofia giggle.
"I heard that your mommy is teaching you how to dance! What about singing?" She asks.
"I also sing, with mama!"
"Oh you do!" Rachel comments with enthusiasm. "Can you sing something for me?" She asks and my little girl nods.
"Um… Rachel…" Brittany interferes. "We should…"
"Shh shh, honey…" I interrupt her. "Sofia wants to show her Auntie Rach what she can do…"
"But…" Britt objects.
"Let's hear her sing first, Britt… We can chat later…" I say, placing my hand on her thigh.
Sofia proudly stands in front of Rachel and starts to sing. She's immediately completely off key and I watch Berry getting more and more uncomfortable. Once the song is finally over, Sofia stares at Rachel, obviously waiting for her feedback.
"Um…that was, you… huh… you have a… really unique style, Sofia!" Rachel says, looking uneasy.
"Thanks!" My daughter replies, satisfied.
"Peanut, why don't you go play in your room for a while?" Brittany says.
Once Britt is sure that our little girl is far enough, she turns back to the hobbit. "You can say that this was horrible, Rachel…"
"No, no! I just… huh… I…" Berry mumbles. "OK…" She sighs. "Seriously, have you already got her ears checked? Maybe she has a hearing problem…" She adds and I finally let out the laugh I was holding in.
"Why are you laughing?" Rachel asks, confused.
"Because she's evil…" Brittany says, throwing me a disapproving look.
"Pff you guys have no sense of humor…" I comment. "Don't sweat it, Berry. Sofia hears just fine… And she actually can sing really well… She just pretends to be bad because she loves to play pranks…"
"Are you… are you serious?" Rachel asks, frowning.
"It's true…" Brittany confirms. "I already told her to stop doing that but every time we have a guest, she pulls the same act…"
"Surely you didn't think that my kid wouldn't be able to sing, midget. Did you?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"I huh… I didn't know what to think!" She says, trying to defend herself. "I mean… some people really have hearing problems… Don't you remember how horrible Sugar was when she joined Glee club?"
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT THE PARK – AFTERNOON TIME
"So why are we meeting here exactly?" Quinn asks me while making funny faces at my boys in their double stroller.
"Because the twins kept Brittany up most of the night and she needs to rest this afternoon. So I decided to take the boys out for some fresh air while Sofia is at daycare." I reply. "What did you want to talk me about?" I ask.
"Well… I wanted to discuss Glee first, and then… my wedding…" She replies.
"I'm all ears, Q…" I say.
"OK so Artie said that we have to shoot some of the MJ musical numbers already this week otherwise we will be too late on schedule… But you're still on parental leave, right?" She asks and I nod in confirmation. "I would normally handle this myself, San, but… I know you have invested a lot of money in this episode so… how do you want to proceed?"
I take a few seconds to think… there is indeed a lot at stake but as I look at my smiling baby boys, I really don't want to leave them earlier than planned. They're so little… And just the idea of going back to work so soon and wait a whole day before seeing their cute faces is breaking my heart.
"What numbers do you have to shoot now exactly?" I ask Quinn.
"Well, there is Smooth criminal…" She says.
"OK I don't need to be there when Rivera sings, she's going to ace it, like always! What else?"
"Well luckily, Artie and I managed to rearrange the schedule so that the other 'big' musical numbers would only be filmed once you're back. So… for this week, we have Human nature and Ben."
"But you guys can totally handle this without me…" I shrug. "I'm more needed at home than I am at Paramount right now…"
"You're sure?" She asks. "Honestly, I've got to tell you… I'm a bit scared to run things without you when it's your funding, San… It's a lot of pressure…"
"Quinn… You've got this, I fully trust you! And don't you tell him, but I trust Wheels too. You'll both do great!"
"OK then… But if I'm not sure about something…"
"Yes, you can always call me." I interrupt. "But honestly, I don't think you'll need me. So… now let's talk about more juicy stuff: what's going on with that wedding of yours?"
"Well…" She sighs. "Puck called me earlier today and told me that he has to leave soon, for a couple of unexpected long-term missions…" She says in a sad tone.
"Long-term missions? Didn't he tell his superiors - or whatever they're called - that he was about to get married?"
"He did, and that's why he has to take those missions now so that they let him take time off for our wedding and our honeymoon."
"But… how long will he be gone exactly?"
"You know how it is, he never knows for sure… but he said that each mission will take between 4 and 6 weeks… So long story short: I will have to handle the wedding planning by myself… He might come home for a few days in between missions but he will be fully done only a week before the wedding…"
"I'm really sorry, Q…" I say. "But you know you're not alone, right? Britt and I will help you, and I'm pretty sure that the others will too…"
"I know…" She replies with a timid smile. "And I'm really grateful for that…"
"Maybe it's for the best…" She adds. "I don't think that Puck would have been of much help anyway… He's more the kind of guy who just shows up when and where he's told to…" She shrugs with a chuckle. "But could you take him out this weekend, for his bachelor party? I'm afraid he won't have much time after that…"
"Of course! That shouldn't be too difficult to arrange since he only wants to get drunk and force me to watch naked women..." I say, making her laugh.
"You know that he doesn't even want to invite the guys? He just wants to hang out with you! I kind of find that cute…" She says.
"Or disturbing, one of the two…" I comment and she laughs again.
"But hey, at least… since he's going to have his party much earlier than me, you could also come to my bachelorette party? I really want you there, San!"
"Of course!" I reply with a smile.
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT HOME
"Come on, Lopez! Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Puck says.
"Hold your horses, Puckerman…" I reply. "There is no such thing as being late when you go to a strip club! Seriously, you sound like a virgin that has never seen a naked woman before!"
"So? Believe it or not, I have never seen a stripper before!" He says.
"What's a stipper?" Sofia suddenly asks out of nowhere. God… what is she even doing up?! Britt put her to bed an hour ago!"
"Um… it's a… dancer." Puck replies.
"Oh, like mommy?" Sofia asks.
"No, no! Definitely NOT like mommy!" I immediately clarify.
"Why not?" She asks, confused.
"Because… um… you know that there are different dance styles, right? Well, mommy doesn't do that kind of dance, mija." I say.
At least, not outside our bedroom…
LATER THAT NIGHT – AT THE STRIP CLUB
"What about that one, would you do her?" Puck asks me, nodding towards one of the strippers.
"Seriously, Puckerman… How many times are you going to ask me that?"
"Every time a new stripper gets on the stage!" He replies. "Come on, Lopez… That kind of talk is to be expected at a bachelor party…"
"Fine… but what do you want me to say exactly?" I reply. "That she is hot? Ok, yeah… she is. But my wife is hot too. And at least, I know for a fact that Britt is great in bed while your little friend over there might not even be good."
"Interesting…" He comments with a perv smile. "What do you and Britt do that is so great?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
"If you think I'm going to give you details about my sex life, you'll wait a long time." I reply. "Let's just say that… she knows how to get me off."
"But enough about the strippers now, OK? Just drink…" I add, pushing his glass closer to him.
We spend the next few minutes drinking without a word until he breaks the silence. "By the way… is it true that… marriage ruins your sex life?" He asks and I can tell by his tone of voice that he's actually worried about that.
"No, it's not." I reply. "Frankly, if anything ruins my sex life, it's my children. Not my marriage." I add, taking a sip from my drink.
"Your children?" He asks.
"Yeah, you know… when those little fuckers wake you up I don't know how many times during the night or invite themselves in your bed… It kind of complicates things. Fortunately, Britt and I still find ways to have some alone time, but you have to be… more creative…"
"Creative?" He repeats. "How so?"
"Well, like… Ok, please don't tell Quinn or she will kill me… But once I called her saying that Britt was away and that my car wouldn't start up so I asked her to go pick up Sofia at daycare… when in fact, I was just trying to squeeze in some sexy time with Britt before Sofia got home. It worked like a charm though."
"I see." He chuckles. "Well played, Lopez." He adds, clinking his glass against mine.
LATER – AT THE STRIP CLUB
"But you were dating me!" Puck objects for the fifth time in a row.
"How many times do I have to repeat it, Puckerman? SEX IS NOT DATING."
"Well, at least stop referring to it like it was a one time thing!" He says. "Because whether you want to admit it or not… you had sex with me multiple times, Lopez."
"Please, don't remind me of that…" I frown in disgust. "You're going to make me throw up!" I add while he rolls his eyes.
"But we were hanging out together and we were also fooling around so… why don't you consider that 'dating' exactly?" He asks.
"Because I was cheating on you the whole time! With Britt! And what I was doing with her was actually more meaningful than what I was doing with you! No offense but unlike you, the girl had my lady parts AND my heart! Even if I was too much of a chicken to admit it back then."
"Fine… We did not date." He sighs in defeat.
"Exactly."
"Nevertheless, I did what no other man ever did: I had sex with the whole Unholy Trinity." He says, proudly.
"Yeah, OK. I'm definitely going to throw up now…" I comment.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: I know it might be strange to end the chapter here because Puck's bachelor party is actually NOT over… It will continue in the next chapter, and Santana will have some interesting conversations with him. But I had to stop somewhere and even though it's not a cliffhanger, now you'll have something to look forward to… Anyway, what did you think of this filler chapter? Are you happy with the twins' names and all the family moments? I also set up a few things in motion (Naya's album, the Glee MJ episode, the "Quick" wedding…) but we will explore all of this in the next chapter(s). Drama is also coming, but you will see!
Since I haven't had my medical procedure yet, please be patient for the next update but hopefully you won't have to wait as long as you did for this one. Thanks in advance for your reviews as it's always interesting (and useful!) to see your reactions. Oh and I will do a Q&A session on Instagram (via my stories) so if you want to submit (anonymous) questions/reactions about this fanfic, Glee, me… check out my account: wordsofmo_fics
Thanks for your loyalty and take care!