A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed. Please feel free to let me know what you think of the story in the reviews.
AO3: sarcasticscully
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything associated with Glee.
This part will start off with a flashback of Santana in her POV and newborn baby Kenai. The rest of it is in Brittany's POV as always. Kenai is three and will be turning four very soon.
TW: NSFW stuff. Santana being totally whipped for Britt (nothing new there!)
Four Years Ago
"Santana, aren't you going to get out of bed today?"
Teenaged Santana groaned, pressing her face deeper into the pillow she was holding and grimacing in her miserable state. She pointedly ignored her mother who was lightly rapping on her bedroom door. To say she was exhausted and angry at the world would be an understatement.
She had been unhappy for most of her life but now for the first time everything felt truly hopeless.
"Are you just going to lay there and feel sorry for yourself today, Mija?" Maribel Lopez whispered in a stern tone, cracking open the door to the room.
"Yes! Leave me the fuck alone!" Santana yelled back furiously at the top of her lungs, finally sitting up and glowering at her mother. She knew she was being childish and Maribel was only trying to help her but even the presence of her mother made her more incensed these days. Santana felt like a failure.
She winced, looking down guiltily when her own loud, angry voice woke Kenai up and he started wailing. She hadn't thought about how it would affect him when she yelled. She was always upsetting him without meaning to, it seemed.
Maribel cut her eyes at Santana irritably when this happened, shaking her head at her daughter in disapproval and went to pick up the baby herself, trying her best to soothe him. Despite the presence of Kenai, the Lopez home felt lonelier than it ever had with just Santana, her mother and the baby all to themselves.
"Why don't you try to take care of him better?" Maribel asked softly, sighing as Santana just lay back on her bed without moving. "He needs you, Santana. Be the parent he needs."
"I don't want to be a parent! I never have!" Santana snapped instinctively as soon as Maribel said this, annoyed at her mother for judging her. Then as soon as she said it, she felt a cold, horrible feeling inside and regretted her words, deep waves of guilt consuming her as she glanced over at the newborn. She really hoped he couldn't understand what she had just said.
Maribel just clicked her tongue and gave her a reproachful look, not bothering to argue with her on that point. She was constantly telling Santana that she was too selfish and the teen just tried her best to ignore her words, even though a tiny, growing part of her hated the fact that her mother was right.
"Don't set your face up like that, Santana. Don't you see that you're scaring him? We need to work on your anger."
Santana continued to glare at her even more aggressively in response as Maribel sighed, mumbling something like "Teenagers…" under her breath.
It was unfair that one stupid, thoughtless decision that she hated and regretted every second of had lead to this. She hated everything - the outraged look on her father's face when she had finally announced in a terrified voice that she was having a baby, the way Abuela had screamed at her in Spanish, the judgmental looks every student gave her as they passed by her in the hallway when the secret was exposed.
Her ex Cheerio friends who had once invited Santana to every party now turned away in disgust at the sight of her.
Clayton Devereaux III. That was the asshole's actual name. How gay is that name?…was her first thought. Or was it Chad? Cameron? WASPs were insane, that was all she knew.
As much as she hated being a mother, it was just as well that the Devereauxs had no place in the baby's life - had insisted that Santana and the infant had no connection to them, in fact - as the thought of an innocent being given over to that family of cold-hearted demons was too cruel to imagine.
He was a big white dude, that was all she remembered through the haze of her drunkenness. Everything about that douchebag jock was wrong for her, all hard angles, rough skin and large hands that repulsed her to her core and left her dry and empty, just as it always was with men. His hair was bright blond that caught her eye at first but it was too short, instead of the flowing, beautiful hair girls had that Santana was always mesmerized by. She had thrown up on her shoes, her brain spinning when she woke up and thought about what she had just done in an attempt to be the popular, straight girl Cheerio.
She liked blue eyes but his were just a dull, lifeless grey blue with a mean look to them. All hard aggression came from his mouth, making Santana yearn to sink nails into his neck and choke him whenever he spoke in the few times they had interacted.
Whenever she allowed her mind to drift off, Santana fantasized about pretty-faced blonde girls with long hair, delicate hands, soft curves, silky skin and sweet voices, pliant under her touch. She would feel that instant pang of breathless arousal and her pulse would quicken startlingly fast in a way it never had before for anyone.
She was just a teenager. She wanted to be just a teenager without a care in the world. She wanted to party, to drive fast and be reckless. She wanted to find an actual girlfriend who would maybe love her for once, instead of a few quick, sweaty fumblings with pretty girls in the backseat of her car or in bathroom stalls at clubs she was too young to be going to. Sex made her mind feel blissfully numb.
Now she had just turned eighteen weeks ago and there was a baby boy sleeping in a crib next to her bed in her childhood room, with its black walls and her black bed in the basement of the Lopez' huge house.
A crying, so very tiny, fragile baby who was completely helpless and would need her assistance with everything. This should be someone else's problem, she thought. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Everything was so terrifying and she wasn't ready. She didn't know what to do with him. He was looking at her and reaching for her expectantly now, causing her to flinch away nervously. There was no one there except her to be a parent to this child. This wasn't her; she was supposed to be the most popular girl in school that everyone looked at with fear and envy.
She remembered it in a blur. There was a whirlwind of pain and then this tiny thing was placed in her arms. Some wild, instinctive side of Santana wanted to run away and hide with him, burrowing away like a feral animal into a hollow somewhere, away from anyone else who could harm either of them.
He had cried all night every night since then, waking up promptly every few hours. Since his birth she had cried and raged constantly, worse than she had even months ago, her emotions spinning out of control.
Santana's thoughts were all mixed up and confusing. She found it difficult to keep her eyes open and sit up in her sleep deprived state. Maribel made another disapproving noise then she handed Kenai to her and Santana held him awkwardly away from her body. Most of the time her mother was the one who held Kenai and rocked him while Santana kept her distance, confused and awkward.
The baby only cried harder at first, jerking away from her when Santana held him properly in his arms for the first time since the day he was born. She felt a deep pain and a sense of guilt that her own son seemed to be afraid of her. Did this mean she was a bad parent?
She frowned and her anger flared.
"Mija, I'll bring you something to eat," Maribel said quietly, watching Santana with thinly veiled pity and concern in her eyes. "You haven't eaten properly in days. You're looking so thin."
Santana was about to argue that she didn't want food but instead she grunted a thank you, feeling bad about her rudeness toward her mother.
Her mother left the room and she tried everything to calm him down as he instantly started wailing again, feeling exhausted half an hour later when nothing seemed to help. She had fed him, changed him, and even tried to rock him but he was still not calming down and turning red in the face.
She hadn't put his diaper back on quickly enough, always forgetting what her mother advised her to do when changing him and he wet all over her shirt as well as her face, making her curse. She couldn't even get his diaper on properly without a struggle.
Maribel wasn't helping her this time for once and in her desperation, Santana was almost tempted to beg her mother to help. Santana couldn't do anything right. This baby needed another mother, she thought. A soft, nurturing mother who would know how to do everything right that Santana wasn't doing.
"Why are you still crying, Baby? I've done everything I can!" She snapped, a little more aggressively than she intended to and her muscles tensed up, which of course made him freak out even more. "Ahh I can't do anything right!"
Santana sighed in exhaustion and gave up, sitting on the floor and began to sing a song to herself as she sometimes did when she was really upset, more in an effort to calm herself. She tried to soften her vexed, scowling face in front of the baby.
She blinked at the baby who had finally stopped crying when she adjusted him in her arms and sang quietly. Something peculiar happened. He looked up at her softly with dark eyes that matched hers and she swore he was smiling at her then, twin dimples identical to hers showing on his cheeks. He was gumming her shirt and drooling on her sleeve but she didn't even mind like she would have before.
Santana fell silent. This was the first time she had properly looked at him as her son. His skin was impossibly soft and warm in her arms. His face was pretty. She had never imagined a baby could be as pretty as he was. Her lips curved upwards as well and for a brief moment, she felt genuine happiness.
For the first time, she truly felt overwhelming love towards someone else. She had never expected she could feel this way, that she could care about someone more than herself. It finally hit her how small and helplessly fragile he really was.
The callous Devereaux family didn't want him and without Santana, he would be completely alone and abandoned. The thought of little Kenai being all alone, rejected by everyone made her heart shatter completely. He was a good boy.
"I'm sorry I haven't been a good mom. I'll never let anyone hurt you." She told him softly, holding him closer as he grasped onto her shirt tightly and burrowed his tiny head against her shoulder. It surprised her that he clung tightly to her like he still loved her, even though she had been so bad and was so undeserving of that love, she thought. From then on, he became the best thing in her life.
Santana hadn't wanted to let Brittany or Kenai out of her sight at all for a long time after Brittany's last run in with Sebastian, always glued to their sides and on the lookout for anyone or anything that could hurt the two.
She didn't like the idea of Brittany being unprotected at the diner, or walking alone anywhere as she grew increasingly anxious by the day. Everytime they were out anywhere and any man walked a little too close or looked vaguely intimidating, Santana would wrap her arm around them tighter and want the three of them to leave immediately, beginning to panic.
After a while, her overprotectiveness was starting to become a little stifling even for Brittany, even though she loved how attentive and caring Santana was being.
"Santana, it's fine," Brittany assured her one last time, kissing the woman's neck quickly and leaving a lipstick mark. She grabbed her tiny purse then fixed her hair one last time in the mirror before she left to meet with her friends. "Tina, Mercedes and Rachel will be with me the whole time."
She was wearing a powder blue mini dress and very high heels that made her tower over Santana along with red lipstick and a shimmery eyeshadow that brought out the striking blue of her eyes.
She smirked as Santana visibly swallowed and her jaw dropped when she walked out looking like that, arousal clouding her eyes as Brittany swept through the room gracefully like a model, so very tall and showing a lot of leg.
"Mommy is a Barbie giant!" Kenai shouted, in complete awe when he saw her. This made both adults laugh. "You's so tall!"
Santana was holding Kenai in her arms, watching her with a sad and slightly nervous pout after she had admired Brittany in her outfit. Kenai had an identical facial expression of despair at the thought of his "Mommy" leaving him for a while, already trying to reach for Brittany with his grabby little hands.
It would be the first night in a long time that Santana had been left completely on her own with Kenai. Despite being his primary caregiver for so long, she looked endearingly clueless and lost at the prospect of being alone on babysitting duty with Brittany not being there.
"Okay but if anything at all happens, anything shady or suspicious at all, just call me and I'll be down there, Britt. I mean it, anything at all."
Brittany gave her a weird look that said, "Oh you," rolling her eyes affectionately.
"Don't go, Mommy!" Kenai screeched, already showing signs of throwing a mini tantrum. Brittany decided she had to make her getaway quickly before he freaked out, even though she would miss the little guy just as much.
"I'll be back soon! Love you!" Brittany shouted back at her over her shoulder at Santana as she walked away. "And you too," she added, blowing a kiss toward the toddler, who pretended to catch it in his hand and hold it to his chest like the way Brittany had taught him.
Santana said nothing, sputtering in her flustered state and Brittany just shook her head in fond amusement. Santana still hadn't said she loved her back since the day of Brittany's confession but she was so delightfully shy and bashful whenever Brittany said anything of that nature.
She hadn't expected Santana to say anything like that back to her, knowing how she was, but she wanted to remind Santana constantly that she loved her anyway because she seemed to need that reminder.
It made Brittany smile big when she finally got back to the apartment in the early hours of the morning and found an exhausted, grumpy looking Santana still awake, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed after what looked like a rough few hours.
The TV was on in the background and Santana was in a faded tank top and an old sweatpants slung low on her hips. Her shirt was wet with soapy water, clearly after an attempt to wrestle Kenai into a bath again. As much as Brittany enjoyed the girls' company, she was relieved to be back in Santana's presence again. She always felt safe when she was close to Santana.
"Oh Santana. You didn't need to wait up for me, Sweetie." She giggled softly, "You should join us next time. The girls want to get to know you better."
"Hmph." Santana grunted in irritation, though her eyes brightened with relief and elation that Brittany was finally back. Brittany just laughed merrily and sat herself on Santana's lap boldly, putting her arms around her neck casually. "I'm glad you had a good time, Britt."
"See? I'm all good. No one hurt me, Babe," Brittany whispered into her ear and hummed seductively, kissing Santana's neck as tan hands reached for the blonde's hips. "Now you can take this dress off and have your wicked way with me like I know you want to..."
She felt Santana's heartbeat speed up despite her grouchy facial expression that she had since Brittany came back in.
"You're… gonna have to keep it down. The little guy is sleeping." Santana got out, barely holding back a moan as Brittany began to kiss her neck, already rolling her hips into her.
"Me? Keep it down?" Brittany let out a tiny, amused laugh then imitated Santana's sex noises. "Look who's talking Ms. I need Brittany to tell me to calm down before someone calls the police when we have sex … Oh, oh Britt! "
Santana just grumbled at her teasing half-heartedly, her hands all over Brittany's silky legs and slipping under her tiny dress, clearly loving everything she saw and pushing the fabric up higher. They began to kiss heatedly, Brittany sighing as Santana nipped her lower lip.
"Fuck, you're stunning. You're just so sexy like this." Santana hissed in between kisses. She looked up at the tall woman with a besotted gaze, completely captivated with Brittany as if she was some kind of gorgeous angel on her lap. Santana couldn't seem to stop kissing her and it was clear to Brittany, not that she hadn't already known it before that she had the Latina completely wrapped around her finger.
Brittany stood up, still wearing her heels and Santana let out a sharp, surprised gasp as Brittany lifted her, her arms scrambling to grab onto Brittany's shoulders. Brittany knew Santana loved how feminine and soft she was and yet how strong she was as well, as she would get so turned on whenever Brittany's athletic dancer side showed.
Brittany let out a low, breathy chuckle teasingly as Santana squirmed, holding onto her for dear life. Santana was just so small and cute…and at the moment completely aroused as she locked her ankles behind Brittany's thighs and stared up at her questioningly with wide, dark eyes.
"B-Britt…" She squeaked into her ear, nervously holding on but arching her back into Brittany as the blonde continued to kiss her neck. She ran her hands over her small body and palmed her chest. She smirked, feeling how hard Santana's nipple was, making her desire for Brittany obvious. "A-are you sure? Fuck!"
She trailed her hand down Santana's stomach, feeling her tight abs and scratching her skin just slightly with blunt nails. Santana panted hotly in her ear. By the time Brittany eased down her sweatpants and cupped her between her legs, Santana shuddered and cried out. Brittany smirked at how hot and wet she was just from them kissing. She was dripping down her thigh. Santana gasped at Brittany's tantalizing touches and she continued to rub her in a way that made Santana tremble and jerk against her, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck tightly as she groaned.
"Shh… " Brittany husked, giggling against her ear and slipping into her. She touched her just right and Santana rocked into her fingers roughly, trying to find a release for the tension that was building up low in her core.
Brittany's other hand squeezed Santana's ass while Santana began to touch her pale, full breasts, making Brittany close her eyes and whimper. She almost forgot what she was doing as her nipples pebbled against Santana's palms and she arched into them.
Brittany held her gaze intensely, knowing what Santana needed and tapping her fingers just so inside. Santana's hands jumped to Brittany's back and she came very quickly and hard after that, squeezing around Brittany and cursing like a sailor into her ear. She was so loud that Brittany had to kiss her to keep her voice down, smiling into it.
"Oh my God…" She huffed, trying to catch her breath as her chest heaved. "Oh fuck, Brittany! Goddamn."
"Are you okay?" Brittany giggled as they lay on the couch afterwards fully naked, Santana on her back and Brittany laying on top of her, trailing her fingertips over her chest. Santana was still out of breath and dazed. Brittany pulled a sheet over their bodies. "I think you liked that, San. Felt good? Did I wear you out?"
"N-no way, Babe. We're just getting started." Santana husked out, taking offense and playfully glaring at Brittany's teasing. She grabbed Brittany's ass, pulling her up so that she was straddling Santana's hips and smoothed her hands over her pale thighs, squeezing them.
"Oh really?" Brittany hummed into her ear, sucking on her earlobe and then kissing the place just behind her ear. "Show me…"
Santana's hand was between her legs so fast that Brittany didn't know how it got there and the blonde gasped. She trailed the tips of her fingers along her inner folds, making sure she was ready before thrusting into Brittany. Brittany's eyes rolled back and she moaned, rocking her ass into her as Santana hooked her fingers and she forgot about everything and anything else.
Several weeks passed and things had been peaceful, neither of them having any confrontations with the vengeful Sebastian or anyone else in the town who had something bad to say to them. Brittany was relieved to see that while she was never completely at ease, Santana was finally acting more like her normal self again and some of the light had returned to her eyes.
"Britt, I- I have a surprise," The lawyer announced, stuttering awkwardly as she drove over to pick her up one Saturday afternoon that summer when Brittany had the day off from work. Santana was so uncharacteristically nervous and jittery as if she was a high school boy on his first date. Brittany could only stare at her with amusement, waiting for her to continue. It was so endearing to see this side of Santana. "A surprise date."
"Ooh a date? For little old me?" Brittany smirked, batting her lashes flirtatiously and loving the spontaneity of Santana's idea. "You shouldn't have."
"These are for you… " She handed Brittany a bouquet of pink roses. Brittany practically swooned at the simple yet romantic gesture. The fair-haired woman loved everything pink. Santana certainly was pulling out all the stops to impress her. "Shit, sorry I didn't even ask if you like flowers or if you have any allergies…"
"Santana, it's fine!" Brittany smiled at how timid and flustered Santana was being. "They're beautiful."
She noticed Kenai in his car seat in the back and was a little confused as Santana usually asked Maribel to babysit him whenever she had a date planned with Brittany. She wasn't unhappy at all to see the sweet little guy but it wasn't their typical arrangement.
"Mommy!" He cried, waving frantically with his little hand and trying his best to climb out of his seat to get to her.
"Hi, Kitten!"
Brittany blew a kiss at him, reaching over to stroke his hair affectionately and getting into the passenger seat as Santana got out to hold the door open for her chivalrously before getting back into the driver's side.
"It…it's something I think you'll like. We do have to drive out of town a fair distance to get there," Santana told her softly, that endearing hint of nervousness still in her voice. She gestured towards Kenai. "Sorry, the rugrat needs to be here with us for this one. Just trust me on this."
"Ooo now you've got me curious, Santana. Where exactly are we going?"
"Shh…" Santana put her finger to her lips, looking back pointedly at Kenai who started to giggle about something, almost blabbing the truth to Brittany accidentally in his excitement. "We can't tell you. That's why it's called a surprise . It's a secret."
"Okay." Brittany smirked, pretending to be mad and playfully rolling her eyes just a little as Santana grinned at her teasingly. "So mysterious. Trying to sweep me off my feet with all your suave, debonair ways, are you, Ms. Lopez?"
"Maybe. Is it working?" Santana laughed and Brittany lightly hit her on the arm, unable to keep the huge smile off of her face during their banter. Santana could certainly charm her and sweep her off her feet, despite how aggressive she seemed to outsiders.
"You look beautiful." She breathed after a moment had passed, taking in Brittany's softly curled, fair hair flowing down her back in waves and the bright, eye-catching red lipstick she was wearing that stood out against her glowing alabaster skin. She was dressed casually but fashionably in suspenders paired with jean shorts that she knew Santana loved on her because they showed off her long legs.
"So do you." Brittany flirted back and meant it, her voice husky as she let her eyes rake over Santana's slim form in her leopard print bustier top and classic jeans. Brittany noticed a hint of a flush in the woman's cheeks as she swallowed hard, bashful as she always was under the blonde's gaze.
She drove for about an hour to a town just outside of Lima and Brittany gasped when they finally arrived at their destination, her eyes going big. She felt giddy when she realized where Santana had taken her. This was very different to the usual high-end restaurants and clubs Santana was into. It was a million times better.
"A carnival?"
Santana cleared her throat nervously, watching her facial expression carefully and biting her lip as if she expected her to be disappointed. "Sorry, I know it's not too fancy… I thought it might be fun."
Brittany practically jumped onto her lap and threw her arms around her, kissing her happily while Santana smiled in relief that her date idea appeared to be a success. " I love carnivals! How did you know? This is the best date ever!"
Santana held her hand with a soft expression, interlacing their fingers and Brittany swung their hands between them as Santana held Kenai's other hand tightly while they moved along through the crowds. There was no trace of her usual, serious frown on her face as Santana looked more carefree and genuinely happy for once.
Brittany's heart beat faster, thinking about how this was exactly what it would have been like if she and Santana had been on one of their first dates as teenagers. She imagined a shy, cute Santana ringing the doorbell and stuttering while she spoke to Brittany's mom, Whitney then gazing at Brittany with a lovestruck expression when the blonde finally glided down the stairs in a fancy dress.
"This is the first time he has ever been to one of these." Santana smiled gently at her son as he looked around at all of the brightly coloured stalls and amusement rides in awe, just as delighted as Brittany was by everything he saw. "I thought it would be a good experience for the little guy."
"Oh this is exciting!" Brittany exclaimed. "Don't worry, I can show him everything he needs to know. There's cotton candy, the Ferris wheel, the carousel, the tilt-a-whirl, bumper cars…ooh and the duck pond! The haunted house might be too scary for me."
Santana chuckled at her enthusiasm, rubbing her thumb over Brittany's knuckles affectionately. She always loved Brittany's quirky side.
"Sounds like you have lots of experience with this."
"You can say that again! I used to practically live at carnivals as a child. Mom forgot me at one once and I made friends with a clown…actually that didn't turn out to be so bad," Santana gave her a confused look and shook her head, as if wondering if she should follow up on that comment, "So what should we do first, People?"
"Cars!" Kenai cried, seeing the bumper cars up ahead and Brittany and Santana smiled at each other, following him as he ran off. It seemed the decision had just been made for them.
Kenai had a blast with Brittany sitting beside him in their car, ramming into others as Santana watched on proudly. Brittany then tried the Duck Pond and ring toss with the boy helping her and he was fascinated with everything.
Santana was impressed with her skill as the blonde was managing to win effortlessly at every game she played through pure skill, racking up prizes that she handed to Kenai everytime, including what looked like a cross between a lilac and pink unicorn and a big black and red, fire-breathing dragon. It had a horn but also wings and a tail.
"He's like our future baby, see?" Brittany joked, holding it out toward Santana proudly. "How adorable. It gets the dragon side from you and I'm the unicorn, obviously. Well, maybe I'm a bicorn…"
"I wanna be a dragon unicorn!" Kenai shouted proudly, making Brittany smile.
"That's what you are." Brittany laughed.
She noticed the way the dark-haired woman became a little flustered, tensing up at the mention of them having a baby. Santana looked at the stuffed doll strangely, completely bewildered by the thing but Kenai immediately hugged it, shrieking happily just as Brittany had so it became clear that the unidragon was there to stay.
"Hey, watch this, Britt," Santana then smirked, signaling to Brittany and nudging her head in the direction of Kenai who was staring at a group of pretty women with long hair and short skirts with fascination. Brittany was wondering why the boy had been quiet for such a long time. "This one loves all girls."
"Just like mom," Brittany grinned, poking her in the side playfully. "Lord Tubbington is the same way too. Kenai gets it from all sides of the family."
"Already, quite the ladies man, aren't you, Kenai?" Santana snickered, giving him a proud look. "Three years old and he's already a little chad."
He didn't even hear them, his mouth dropped open as the girls noticed him and waved.
"Aww, sho cute!" One of the women gushed, blowing a kiss at him. Kenai hid himself behind Santana shyly for a moment. The friendly girls who seemed to be in their twenties came up to fawn over him for a moment and Kenai basked under all the attention, turning up the cuteness factor and was all silent instead of his usual sassy, chatty self.
"He's such a flirt. Your son is adorable." One girl with long red hair told them, looking at both Santana and Brittany as she said it. Both women blushed. Santana tensed up for a second and her mouth opened as if she was about to explain that he actually wasn't their son but before they could say anything more, the women walked away. Brittany bit back a smile but a comfortable silence fell between them as neither of them chose to talk about the incident.
"Wait a minute, isn't that the hobbit who works with you?" Santana asked suddenly as they walked ahead to another part of the fairground, raising an eyebrow. Sure enough, Brittany could see the short brunette girl cheering on one of Lima's young firefighters, Finn Hudson, at the high striker as he swung the mallet as hard as he could. "Whoa, Britt, are you seeing what I'm seeing? Those two are definitely an item."
Santana snickered at this bit of gossip as Rachel caught them staring at herself and Finn. Her face turned bright red, putting a little space between herself and Finn as she waved shyly at the two women from a distance.
Rachel shrieked in delight, jumping into his arms when he successfully beat the game by launching the puck to ring the bell at the top, winning her a huge stuffed cat. A bunch of burly looking dudebros surrounded him, each clambering for their chance to show off their manly strength.
Brittany and Kenai's eyes went big when they saw the giant cat plushie Rachel was holding, bigger than Kenai himself, that was one of the prizes for the game.
"Ohh it's so big! I want one!" Brittany shouted, practically bouncing up and down with Kenai in her arms. He clapped his hands, agreeing with her.
"I can win you that, Britt," Santana gave them a smug look, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt to expose her thin arms.
"You're so cute, Santana." Brittany laughed, giving her a skeptical look. She kissed her cheek to encourage her as Santana pushed her way through the crowd brutishly with her head held high and a haughty expression as she practically shoved Finn, who had stopped to eat a giant turkey leg while Rachel struggled to hold her cat and Finn's mountains of other fair snacks. Rachel scolded Santana in her shrill voice for pushing Finn, only to be completely ignored by the black-haired woman.
"This will be a piece of cake. Get out of the way, Hudson."
Brittany had to admit, the idea of Santana using her strength was really sexy and the blonde did always have a thing for jocks.
Santana didn't have much success with the game, only managing to get the puck a fraction of the way up the tower every time. This was making her increasingly infuriated. She growled at the men standing around her who were giving her funny looks and threw the mallet at one of them who had burst out laughing when she only reached the "Weakling Level" of the Strength-O-Meter after her fifth try.
"I swear this game is rigged!" She yelled, shaking her fist in the direction of the stall owner who cowered, hiding behind his table.
"San, it's okay, really," Brittany put a hand on her arm to stop her after she had cursed out the men who were now full on laughing at her whenever she made another futile attempt. The crowd of parents standing around them narrowed their eyes at Santana, covering their children's ears. "I know you're strong, Honey. You don't have to. We can do something else."
"No, no, Britt. I said I'm gonna get my girl that cat and you're getting it." Santana insisted stubbornly, staring up at the tower with a look of determination.
"Yeah Mami, get the big kitty!" Kenai chimed in beside Brittany. The waitress smiled to herself at how cute he was while Santana puffed up with the encouragement.
"She can't get it. She keeps doing it wrong." A snarky little girl piped up tauntingly, standing beside him. Kenai practically lunged at her and Brittany had to hold him back by the collar of his shirt while Santana just rolled her eyes at the girl who was probably around six years old with pigtails and rainbows on her shirt.
"You take that back! My Mami is strong!" He shouted in defense of his mom. "You're just mad because your shoes is ugly!"
The little girl gasped in outrage.
"Okay Kenai, c'mon, Sweetie." Brittany laughed, picking the sassy boy up and carrying him away before he could make a scene as they watched Santana make another attempt. He continued to make threatening faces at the little girl.
Unfortunately… Santana's plan to use brute strength to beat the game didn't exactly work and she walked away grumbling darkly under her breath. She did however manage to threaten the owner of the stall so aggressively that he gave her the huge cat plushie anyway. "Alright already you can have it! Just leave me alone!"
"Told ya I'd get it for you." Santana declared smugly.
They walked off with Brittany holding the enormous cat Santana had presented her with proudly while the Latina was carrying Kenai in her arms as he gazed at the stuffed toy in adoration.
"You're cute, Babe," Brittany whispered to her flirtatiously, stroking her bicep. "Have you been working out? I like it."
Santana choked, shivering when Brittany nipped her ear.
"Britt…" She muttered in a low, warning tone then squeaked, her voice ten octaves higher when Brittany pinched her ass playfully. "Brittany!"
Brittany just gave her a teasing, innocent look, fluttering her eyelashes as she moved her hand away.
"Not in front of the kid," Santana hissed, still flustered as Brittany giggled. "I swear, you're trying to kill me, Woman."
After a few hours had passed, they had been on the bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, Ferris wheel, and even the small rollercoaster they had at the funfair - Santana and Kenai huddled close to Brittany in fear the entire time they were on it despite being the ones insisting that they go. They were all tired, dizzy and starving after they were finished.
Brittany loved how much being with Santana and Kenai made her feel like she was a girl again, more than she had ever felt with anyone else. Santana was actually laughing and acting like a kid, almost as much as Brittany and Kenai were, a far cry from her usual serious self.
"I'm hungry, Mami. We needs to eats now because I'm starving ," Kenai said, tugging at Santana's shirt and pointing at a stall selling all flavours of ice cream. "Can I have that?"
"Okay, Mr. Sassmaster. Tell me what flavour you want." Santana agreed with a laugh.
Several trips to food stalls later, Brittany was sharing pieces of pink cotton candy with the two of them, Kenai constantly amazed by how it kept melting on his tongue. Santana became flustered each time Brittany fed her little bits of the candy. The toddler was holding the ice cream cone Santana got him tightly, happily finishing it off and getting melted vanilla ice cream all over his face.
Between that, the churros they had shared between the three of them, funnel cakes and curly fries, Santana joked that she would need to run laps when they were done to work off all the extra weight she had probably gained just that afternoon. She drew a line at trying the fried candy bars Brittany was offering her.
Brittany on the other hand was willing to try everything at least once and was curious about everything. Santana watched with amusement, raising an eyebrow as Brittany managed to eat all of it easily.
"Yum, carnival food is the best." Brittany gushed, taking a bite of a giant pretzel and her cheeks flamed at the way Santana was observing her with such fondness.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Santana chuckled, smiling genuinely with her dimples deepening at Brittany's adventurous side.
Being at carnivals always put Brittany in a bright mood. It was blissful to be outside, going on adventures with the Lopez clan without a worry in the world and even the thoughts of Sebastian and his gang disappeared from her mind the longer she spent at the carnival.
Brittany couldn't help but notice that most people around them were couples with small children too - some of them sappy and loved up while others bickering casually like they had been married forever - and it made her think about what herself, Santana and Kenai would look like to others who saw them.
For a fleeting moment, thoughts of what the three of them would be like as an actual family waded through her mind and she felt a thrill go through her.
She wondered if Santana was thinking the same thing as they held hands, the dark-haired woman never letting go of her the entire time. It made her wonder if Santana was proud to show her off as her girlfriend.
Sixteen year-old Brittany sat on her bathroom floor, looking glumly at the four pregnancy tests that were scattered beside her feet. All negative.
She should have been relieved or even happy but instead she wiped away a tear that was slowly making its way down her cheek, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Artie told her that he didn't want to be a dad. They weren't ready, he said, after she had informed him in a timid voice about her pregnancy scare. There was no way he could handle that kind of pressure and the look on his face was one of horror. It saddened her that he never wanted that with her whenever she brought anything like that up.
The stork wasn't coming for her.
She put a hand on her flat stomach, yearning for something she couldn't quite explain and felt empty. Instead of feeling relieved, she instead felt depressed. She envisioned herself holding a dark-haired baby boy but for some reason she never saw Artie beside her in her fantasies even though the bespectacled boy was her boyfriend. She eventually got up, and just sat cross-legged on her bed, feeling lost and alone.
"Brittany, Dear, are you alright? Your father just made his Hawaiian chicken!" Whitney, her mother shouted. When Brittany didn't answer, Whitney quietly opened her bedroom door and sighed when she peered in, seeing Brittany sitting quietly on her bed, depressed. "It's really bad but we can pretend we like it and then if he hates it enough he'll order pizza instead."
"Oh that's great, Mom." Brittany replied disinterestedly.
"Oh Honey, what's the matter?" Whitney asked, instinctively sensing that something was bothering Brittany as she was always able to do, "Is it that Four Eyes again because you know I'm not so sure about him for you…"
"No, it's not that." She sighed. "Well actually… it might be. Mom, how did you know Dad was the right one for you?"
"Well, he was certainly the smallest man I'd ever met," Whitney acknowledged but turned away with a lovesick sigh, "That short little man just knocked the socks off of me the day we met in the subway. He couldn't resist these curves - he nearly got whiplash turning his head around so fast to check me out. So I was being sneaky trying to seduce him - I bought some blinds from him - did I tell you he was selling blinds? - and he did what no man had ever done for me before, he came over to install them in my house. What a stud he was. He said "Whitney Pierce, you're the sexiest, biggest woman I've ever seen" and the rest was history."
"Oh. You two really do love each other." Brittany sighed. Artie was a nice guy but despite all of the flowers and chocolates he brought her, she couldn't say she had ever felt anywhere close to that about him. She didn't feel smart or special around him.
Brittany thought about the book she still had sitting on her desk of potential baby names. Even Tina had been fed up with Brittany's constant baby talk ever since they were little girls. Whitney gave Brittany a concerned look because of how quiet and depressed she was, putting a hand on her head to check for fever.
"Brittany, are you pregnant?" Whitney just blurted out after a long moment of silence. "Because I had a feeling this was going to happen sooner or later, Dear and don't worry your father and I already expected it…"
Brittany broke down and started to sob as soon as Whitney asked this, covering her face with her hands. "No. I'm not pregnant, Mom."
"Oh Dear," Whitney sighed, putting an arm around Brittany comfortingly and sitting beside her on the bed. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I know you really want a baby more than anything. Now isn't the right time but one day, just you wait, you'll have a little bambino of your own."
Brittany smiled sadly, remembering that pregnancy scare she had as a teen and thinking about how much she had always longed for a child. They kept a close eye on Kenai who was holding on proudly to his bright red balloon Santana just bought for him, excitedly throwing pieces of bread for the ducks in the lake nearby.
"He's the cutest little boy in the entire world." Brittany told her, noticing the way Santana's eyes softened and were filled with adoration when she looked upon her son. Brittany felt the same way herself. Santana nodded, a hint of wistfulness in her smile as she turned to Brittany.
"You know, the day he was born, he was so tiny and soft. He was premature, born about a month before we expected him. I thought about all of the people in this world who would try to hurt him and I never felt more protective of anything other than myself. I was so so scared of doing something wrong. I can't say it was easy and I made so many mistakes. I had no idea what I was doing. The first few months were the most stressful time of my life but they were worth it."
"I wish I could have been there with you somehow," Brittany sighed longingly. The thought of teenage Santana being alone and unloved made her heart drop. "I'm sure he was the most beautiful baby. You were all alone and you needed help."
Santana said nothing for a long moment, an unusually serious look on her face that wasn't typically directed at her as she gazed at Brittany.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked with a shy, nervous laugh, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.
Instead of answering, Santana just kissed her quickly but sweetly out of nowhere, pulling away with the most adorable, timid expression after a few seconds as her brown eyes met Brittany's.
"Not that I'm complaining…at all, about your sweet lady kisses…but what was that for?"
"I love you too, Britt. You said you loved me so many times and I didn't say it before ever because I was so scared of admitting it out loud… but Brittany I'm so, so in love with you." Santana breathed, her voice trembling slightly.
Brittany felt butterflies dancing inside of her at the tenderness in Santana's eyes, the way she was practically shaking with nerves as she could barely look at Brittany during her confession.
"I just needed to say it because I'm going crazy everytime we're together… sorry for being a complete emotional wreck," She chuckled awkwardly, wiping a tear at the corner of her eye. "And I know you deserve so much more - after all you've done for me especially, you deserve the most romantic love confession in the world with candles and flowers and -"
Brittany just smiled, rolling her eyes fondly at Santana's everything. She cut her off and closed the space between them, kissing Santana passionately and not caring who was watching. Santana gasped, kissing her back just as eagerly.
They separated after several people wolf whistled at them and they realized with blushes that if they continued anymore it would probably end up with them being arrested for public indecency. Brittany was breathless for a while and Santana looked at her with a sexy, smug grin.
"C'mon, Hot Stuff. I know exactly where we should go next." Brittany grinned.
"Britt…I'm not sure if I…" Santana's face looked a little pale afterward when Brittany grabbed her hand, pulling her in the direction of the big Ferris wheel at the center of the fair as it began to get dark outside. Kenai looked equally nervous, scrunching up his face and hiding behind Brittany's leg.
"Are you scared of heights?" Brittany asked knowingly, watching Santana with a hint of a smile.
"What? No, no that's not it!" Santana insisted though she too was practically hiding behind Brittany as if seeking protection, her face gone completely white. "I-I'm not scared ."
"C'mon, it'll be fun, you'll see. I'll protect you two," Brittany giggled, hugging them both and Santana allowed her to tug her along, going silent. "But we don't have to go if you really don't want to, San. It was just an idea."
"Of course I'll go. I'm not scared of some dumb Ferris wheel." Santana declared even though Brittany raised an eyebrow skeptically because the lawyer looked like she was about to throw up at the thought of it and her grip on her hand tightened. Santana was so small and cute. "I'm not scared of anything."
"Okay, San."
As soon as they got on, Kenai and Santana had the same reaction. They shrieked and just about jumped into Brittany's lap at the same time. Despite their skittishness, both of them practically squeezing Brittany's arms off at first as they moved higher, Brittany could sense the Lopezes relax eventually as they got used to the motion, even starting to enjoy it.
The three of them sat together at the very top, Santana laying her head on Brittany's shoulder and Brittany holding onto Kenai tightly in her lap as she pointed out all of the stars and pretty sights in the distance to him.
