CHAPTER 47

A/N: Thanks to Berrylucky5, Tamardejong, Lynn, pacumeme57, May1217, Lina Jacob2, Olivia, Yadi and Itsskik for the reviews (and also to those who reached out on social networks). Special thanks to pjay413 for proofreading this chapter. We now pick up where we left off… Watch out the POV (it's indicated when it changes) but also the location as this chapter is split between Hawaii and L.A. Enjoy!


Here is what you missed (on Glee)

"Did something happen between you and Patrick?" I eventually find the courage to ask.


SANTANA POV

"What?" Brittany says in a surprised voice, turning her head to lock eyes with mine. "Are you asking me if I slept with Patrick?" She frowns.

"No! Nothing happened!" She quickly clarifies before I can even open my mouth.

"Not even a kiss…?" I ask.

Patrick is not a stud but even I can see that he's pretty cute with his chestnut hair and beard, and his piercing blue eyes like Britt's. If she was not with me, I could totally picture her with a guy like that: someone who is obviously kind, always smiling… and a great father, based on how he acts around his kids.

"No!" She says, offended. "How can you possibly think that I would cheat on you, Santana?!"

"I don't know, Brittany!" I say in an upset voice, suddenly getting out of bed. "Maybe because our marriage was in serious trouble back then? Have you forgotten how bad it was? We were constantly fighting and we were not even having sex anymore! You were so mad at me for not wanting another baby that you flew 2500 miles just to be away from me!" I say as painful memories come back to mind.

"You and I were not even talking when you were in Hawaii… But apparently, you were having lots of fun without me!" I add in a bitter tone, raising my hands. "Do you know what I was doing while you were off going to romantic restaurants and partying with Patrick? I was working like crazy and drinking my sorrow at the pub, wondering how I could save our marriage! I was so devastated that most nights, I would sleep at Quinn and Puck's, to forget how terribly lonely I felt without my wife and my child!"

"And you think I was not lonely?" She questions, getting up as well.

"When did you have time to be lonely exactly?" I ask. "When you were having fun with your friends? Or winning that dance competition? You had your parents, and Patrick, Charly, Louise… and God knows who else! And more importantly, you had Sofia with you! I was all by myself!"

"I was lonely too, San! You don't know what it was like for me! I had no one to talk to about what was happening between you and me because I didn't want my parents to worry… I only told my mom on the very last day of my holiday and I didn't even say 10% of what was really going on! At least, you had Quinn and Naya to listen to you!" She says. "And yeah, maybe I could smile for a minute when I was playing with Sofia or hanging out with my friends… But you can be surrounded by plenty of people and still feel lonely! I missed you so much that I cried every single night in bed…" She confesses and we both fall silent, exchanging sad looks.

"I just hate that this baby fight happened…" I eventually say.

"I know… me too." She nods in admission. "But it's in the past now, San…"

"Is it?" I ask, looking into her eyes. "Tonight, I heard strangers telling stories about you that I had no idea about, Brittany! It was like I was watching a movie about someone else's life!"

"I don't even know my wife…" I add in a sad whisper.

"Of course you know me! If someone on this planet knows me, it's you…"

"Then why didn't you tell me you were hanging out so often with Patrick? Or about the dance competition? Or Charly and Louise? You had two years to say something and you never even mentioned them!" I argue. "It feels like you have something to hide!"

"There is nothing to hide!" She immediately replies. "San, I didn't even know Patrick before Louise asked me to play volleyball with them! And I only accepted because I thought that it would distract me for a while! I never planned to hang out with any of them after that but… now that you've met Louise, you can easily imagine how she is! After the match, she insisted that we all go get some refreshments at one of the beach bars, then lunch and… I don't know, it was just nice to talk to other people than my parents for once!" She says. "Then Patrick and I realized that we were neighbours and in the following days, the kids hit it off so… we ended up talking while they were playing on the beach, that's all!"

"That's all, really?" I ask sarcastically, crossing my arms. "And what about those dinners with him at candlelight? Or all that dancing?"

"OK… First of all, those were not dates if that's what you're implying! It was just a group of friends going for dinner, I never went alone with him! And Louise is the one who enrolled us in the dance competition! I didn't even want to be part of it at first but once again, she kept insisting and I eventually went along with it because dancing always makes me feel better so why not…"

"Well… you have a justification for everything, don't you?" I ask. "When I think that you scolded me just because I went for drinks once with Julia… you sure have double standards!"

"That's not comparable at all!" She says, upset. "I knew Julia wanted to have sex with you! And I was right, wasn't I?"

"Oh and Patrick didn't?" I ask. "I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that a divorced guy wouldn't try to seduce his beautiful neighbour, especially when she was having marital problems of her own."

"No, he never tried to seduce me!" She replies. "I'm pretty sure he was not even thinking of dating anyone! He had been divorced for less than a year at the time and it was clear that he was not over his ex-wife!" She says. "And I never told him we were having marital problems, San… I just said that my wife couldn't make it because of work, that's all…"

"So…" I say in a calmer voice. "...there was really nothing to hide…?"

"No!" She shrugs.

"But then… why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"Well… I couldn't tell you about it when I was in Hawaii because like you said yourself, we were not talking… And when I came back home, it didn't seem necessary to talk about Patrick or the others because they were just people I crossed paths with on holiday!" She says. "You and I had way more important things to discuss at the time, San… our marriage, our family… our future…" She shrugs with a sad voice.

"Did you speak to any of them in the past two years?" I ask.

"No, I didn't."

"Then why they act like you all just saw each other?"

"Because that's who they are, San…" She shrugs. "Now that they have met you, they will also treat you like their BFF… You've seen how close they act with my parents as well…"

Our eyes are still locked but I don't say anything. Our discussion has brought back so many painful memories that I find myself trapped in my own thoughts.

"Can we please make peace?" She suddenly asks, gently cupping my cheek. "Nothing ever happened with Patrick, San… and nothing ever will. He's just a friend."

"I…" I whisper before pausing. "It's not just about Patrick, Brittany…" I say as the realization finally hits me. "I just… I thought I was over our baby fight and the fact that you left me behind when you went to Hawaii but… I'm not." I add in a cracked voice before going out of our bedroom.

BRITTANY POV

I'm so stunned that I just watch Santana exit the room, unable to say a word. I never expected she would say that… I thought the baby fight was far behind us now! After all, we had a good talk when I came back from Hawaii… We took our time to discuss the situation in an open and constructive way and… I waited! I waited for her to ask for that baby herself because I wanted to be sure that she was ready.

I really want to go after her but I know it's not a good idea… She never wants to talk when she's this upset so I better give her some space…

I decide to get back in bed, even if it takes everything I have to not get up and check on her… I eventually grab my book to help me pass the time but I end up reading the same page over and over, unable to focus.

More than an hour has gone by when Santana finally returns to our bedroom. Our eyes briefly lock and my heart immediately breaks because I can tell that she cried… I watch her get under the sheets and turn off the light, without any of us saying a word.

We remain silent in the dark but as I throw a discrete look at her, I can see that her eyes are still open, set on the ceiling. She looks so sad that this time, I can't stand it anymore. Before I know it, my hand cups her cheek to gently make her turn towards me and I tenderly press my lips on hers. She doesn't fight the kiss but I can feel her silent tears on my skin.

"I'm sorry…" I whisper as a long overdue apology, rubbing her cheek with my thumb before kissing her forehead. "You know we will have to talk about this eventually, when you're ready…" I say, resting my forehead on hers and she quietly nods. "But maybe for now we could just try to catch some sleep…?" I suggest, laying back down to hold her tight in my arms.


ON THE NEXT MORNING - BRITTANY POV

It was still the middle of the night when I woke up. I tossed and turned a thousand times but I never managed to fall back asleep, I just couldn't put my mind to rest! I ended up watching Santana sleep for a while but once the sun finally rose, I got up and went for a run, to clear my head.

After jogging for one hour, I'm walking back home when someone suddenly calls my name. As I turn around, I find myself face to face with Patrick.

"Patrick… hi!" I say, surprised to see him. "What are you doing out so early?"

"Oh I go for a run every morning!" He says with his usual enthusiastic smile. "Just to stay in shape, you know? Besides, I kind of have to get fit now, considering we'll be up against Charly and Louise at the dance competition…"

"Um… about that… would you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Sure! We can grab a cup of coffee if you like? There is a nice coffee shop down the road." He suggests and I nod before following him.

We chat on the way until we reach the shop and after ordering coffee, we go sit at a small table outside.

"So… what's on your mind?" He asks.

"Well… I have been thinking about it and… I think I'm going to drop out of the dance competition…"

"Really?" He says, clearly surprised.

"Yeah… Don't get me wrong, I had lots of fun last time but… this is the first summer vacation Santana can take in years and I don't want to waste this precious time on rehearsals or competition… I just want to be with her, and the kids…" I shrug. "I'm really sorry for letting you down… but…"

"Please, Brittany…" He cuts me off. "You have nothing to be sorry about! Sure, dancing is fun but I'm not obsessed with this competition like Louise is! It's all good, really…" He nods. "If anything, I'm relieved… I haven't danced in a while so I would have probably dragged you down anyway!" He shrugs. "And spending more time with your wife is the right choice… believe me."

"Thanks…" I whisper, grateful for his understanding.

"How long have you two been together?" He suddenly asks, curious.

"12 years…" I smile. "We met in high school…"

"What a coincidence! That's also how I met my ex-wife!"

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes! We got together our freshman year…" He replies and this sends cold sweat down my spine. Patrick is a few years older than me so even though he's now divorced, he must have stayed with his wife for a very long time if they started dating their freshman year! I always tend to believe that people who have been together most of their lives – like Santana and me – stay together forever but that's obviously a very naive thought…

"We were together for 20 years… until she decided she wanted to be with her yoga instructor…" He adds in a bitter tone.

"I'm really sorry…" I say. "I can't imagine how painful this must have been…"

"Well… I'm not going to lie: it was officially the most horrible time of my life! She was my very first girlfriend so… she was all I had ever known!" He shrugs. "We had always been so close that I honestly never imagined that she would ever leave me…" He says. "Anyway… that's why I think it's very wise of you to spend more time with Santana. Don't be a fool like me… don't ever take her for granted!"


A LITTLE WHILE LATER – AT THE BEACH HOUSE

When I get back home, Santana is no longer in bed but I find her in the bathroom, obviously getting ready for the beach. She's already wearing her red bikini and is brushing her hair.

"Hi…" I say timidly, behind her.

"Hi…" She replies, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"San… I… I would like to…" I trail off.

"I don't want to talk, Britt…" She sighs, cutting me off.

"But…"

"No, Brittany!" She says louder, turning around to face me. "You said you would wait until I'm ready to talk, and I'm not ready, OK? Besides, it's time to wake up the kids now." She adds before leaving the room.


LATER – ON THE BEACH – SANTANA POV

While Brittany is keeping an eye on Sofia, I'm reading a book under the umbrella, next to my sleeping boys. Since I'm in no mood to talk to anyone, that's really the perfect spot for me today. But as I'm about to finish the third chapter of my book, Louise's voice suddenly interrupts my peace and quiet.

"What the hell, Pierce?" She tells Britt out of nowhere, raising her arms. "Patrick just told me that you dropped out of the competition?"

What…? Britt dropped out of the dance competition?!

"I'm sorry, Louise but…" I overhear Britt say. "…I thought some more about it and…"

"What's the matter, are you scared we'll kick your ass?" Louise cuts her off.

"Yeah, you got me." Britt says in a rare sarcastic tone and I immediately know that something is wrong.

"No, you know what? This is unacceptable, Pierce!" Louise complains, probably not appreciating Brittany's tone. "You promised me you would participate so that's exactly what you're going to do."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Britt says, unusually raising her voice. "I don't care about your stupid dance competition, okay? There are more important things in life!" She adds before walking away, leaving everyone in shock, including me.

"Brittany!" Whitney says in a reproachful voice but Britt keeps on walking.

"What did I say?" Louise asks, turning to Charly who just shrugs in response.

"Did you see that?" Whitney asks me. "What's got into her?"

"I'm not sure…" I reply, my eyes not leaving Brittany as she's getting further away. I know why I'm upset but why is she…?

"Whitney, will you be OK watching the kids? I think I better follow her." I say, getting up.

"Sure, honey… Go, go… We'll see you back at the house."

I get moving and follow Britt but only from afar, figuring it would be best to give her some space to calm down first. I can tell that she's really upset because she's walking very fast. Fortunately, she progressively slows down and by the time she reaches the house, she seems calm.

"Brittany!" I eventually call her as she's walking towards our front door.

"What are you doing here...?" She asks, surprised.

"I followed you…" I shrug. "And it's a good thing I did because you left so suddenly that you forgot to take the keys with you…" I add, opening the door so we can both get inside.

"What's going on, Britt…?" I eventually ask. "You left us all pretty stunned back there…"

"Have dinner with me tonight." She simply says, making me confused.

"What?" I frown. "Britt…" I sigh.

"Please, San… Have dinner with me." She insists, looking into my eyes. "No friends, no kids, no parents… Just you and me. Please…"

"You won't have to talk if you don't want to…" She adds upon seeing my hesitation. "I mean, it would be nice if you could talk a little but not necessarily about last night…" She says, looking at me expectantly.

"Fine…" I sigh. I better accept anyway because something is definitely up with her…


LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – AT THE RESTAURANT

"We have a reservation, in the name of Lopez-Pierce…" Britt tells the hostess.

"Certainly, please follow me…" The lady replies, leading the way. After crossing the main dining room, we take the stairs to the upper floor.

"Right this way…" She says, inviting us to enter a room where there is a single table and two chairs.

"Here are your menus…" She says once we are seated. "… and the bell to call the waiter when you're ready." She adds before exiting the room, leaving us completely alone.

"What is this place…?" I ask Britt, looking around. The room is pretty nice, it is filled with candles and it has big windows with a view of the beach and the ocean. There is romantic music in the background and for some mysterious reasons, there is also a fountain a few feet away from our table. "Have you come here before, with Patrick and the others?"

"I have come here before, but not with them." She replies. "I actually discovered this place all on my own, two years ago…" She adds.

"You know that this morning, it was the first time I was going for a run since we arrived in Hawaii?" She suddenly asks, making me confused.

"Running always helps me clear my mind, especially when I'm sad…" She says. "And this morning, it was the first time I was sad since we got here… because of our fight. But two years ago… I was going for a run every single morning because… I was the saddest I had ever been!" She admits. "I was missing you, I didn't know where our marriage was going or how to fix it so… I ran!" She shrugs. "I ran day after day… and one morning, I passed in front of this place. I was hungry and it looked pretty so… I sat downstairs and had breakfast. And then, I noticed that text printed on the back of their menu… a legend, about a 'magic' fountain."

"This fountain?" I ask, pointing to the right.

"Yes, that very one… According to the legend, that fountain was built by a magician a thousand years ago, for his wife that was very sick." She says. "Every day, he would make her drink a glass of water from that fountain, to restore her health and keep her alive. And even though the doctors said she was condemned to death, she lived for another 30 years! The magician told her it was because the water was magic but she believed it was his love that kept her alive…" She adds. "Of course, they eventually both got very old and when they were ready to… 'crossover', the magician told his wife they should both throw a coin into the fountain, to make sure that their souls would meet again in their next lives." She says. "And according to the legend, they met and fell in love with each other in 9 more lives before they got to heaven."

"They call it the 'Eternal love fountain'…" She adds. "And the owner of the restaurant loved that story so much that he managed to convince the mayor of the city to place the fountain here. At night, you have to book this room if you want access to the fountain because this is where they have their most romantic dinner table but during the day, it's open to anyone that wants to make a wish." She explains. "The legend says that if you're alone to throw a coin into the fountain, you'll find your lost love… and if a couple throws two coins together – just like the magician and his wife - they will find each other in every one of their next lives. So… two years ago, I threw a coin and made a wish for us to find a way to stay together…" She suddenly confesses. "And I promised myself that if we were to come to Hawaii together, I would take you here… and hopefully you would agree to throw coins with me, for our souls to find each other in every single life…" She adds, taking my hand in hers.

"Brittany…" I whisper, suddenly feeling very emotional.

"I know I hurt you when I went to Hawaii without you… And I would have felt exactly the same if you had left and took our child with you…" She admits. "I would have felt like I didn't mean anything to you… like our marriage didn't mean anything to you…" She says and I immediately look down because that's exactly how I felt. "But I didn't go to Hawaii because I wanted to get rid of you… I came here to save our marriage!" She says. "Things were so tense between us, San… I was afraid that if we stayed like that, it would only escalate! I didn't want us to end up saying bad things we didn't even mean and ruin everything! We needed space to get a bit of perspective… And as painful as it was, it worked!" She shrugs.

I raise sad eyes towards her and even though I originally didn't want to discuss this, now might actually be the right time to get some things off my chest.

"But do you remember what you said when you came back?" I ask. "You mentioned 'divorce' as an option, Brittany… How do you think that made me feel? I couldn't even picture a world where you would not be my wife and you were thinking of a divorce!"

"No! I never wanted to divorce you, San… Believe me, it was the last thing I wanted! But you can't blame me for thinking that when a marriage is going through such a crisis, divorce is unfortunately a risk… Whether we like it or not, it's always a risk, even when people have been together for a long time! You were yourself aware of that when I had amnesia, that's why you went to a lawyer!" She argues. "And I didn't mention a 'divorce' to threaten you, I actually said that I would do everything in my power to make sure it wouldn't get to that! I really, really didn't want to lose you…"

"You're just saying that now because we have three children but what would you have done if I had not changed my mind about having more kids?" I say, finally asking the question I have had on my mind for years. "You would have left me, Britt…" I shrug. "And you would have found someone else to have a baby with you." I add, my blood immediately running cold at that awful thought.

"I would not have had a baby with someone else!" She immediately objects, in a sure voice. "I wanted another one with you!"

"Come on, Brittany… you said it yourself back then: you would have been heartbroken if you didn't have another kid so..."

"And I also said I would have been heartbroken if I lost my wife!" She argues.

"Then answer the question!" I say, getting impatient. "What if I had never agreed to have another kid, uh? What would you have done?"

"I don't know!" She replies, raising her arms in frustration. "If we had really broken up… I don't know, I guess that… maybe I would have had a baby all by myself. But I know that none of us would have let it get to the point of a breakup, we love each other way too much for that!" She says, placing her hand on top of mine.

"And to be honest, I was pretty sure that deep down, you did want another kid, San…" She shrugs. "That's just how your mind works: sometimes, you don't know you want certain things because you're blinded by fear but you do want them!" She says. "It's usually even the things you want the most! It's like when we were in high school… Deep down, you wanted to be with me but for a long time, you were too scared to admit it, even to yourself! Then after high school, you went to Kentucky even if all you wanted was to go to New York! And look what happened with the twins… you first panicked because Gabriel was not planned and now you can't get enough of him!" She adds and I remain silent because she is completely right.

"You always said you wanted children…" She shrugs. "Don't you remember what you said when we bought our house? That you could picture us having big family dinners in our garden, with our children and grandchildren… And that we would…"

"… sit on the swing and watch the kids play and run around…" I say, completing her sentence myself.

"Yes…" She says with a timid smile. "You just needed to see past your fears to admit that you wanted another kid… And that's exactly what happened! Once we looked at your pros and cons list and found solutions to all your worries, you even asked to have that baby!" She adds and we stay silent for a moment.

"I hate that you know me so well…" I eventually say, making her smile.

"Can we please put that baby fight to rest once for all?" She asks with hopeful eyes and after a couple of seconds, I get up to go sit on her lap.

"Yes…" I whisper, giving her a long and tender kiss as she wraps her arms around my waist.

"Come on now… let's go throw those coins into the fountain, soulmate." I suggest with a smile.

"You're sure?" She asks. "Because once it's done, you're stuck with me for the rest of your life and any other one after that!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way…" I say, pulling her into another loving kiss.


A FEW DAYS LATER – AT THE SPA CENTER (HAWAII)

Even though we arrived at the center a bit later than planned, I'm really excited to finally use our Christmas voucher and have that fancy spa weekend! Originally, the voucher included just one night but we decided to pay for a second night ourselves, to prolong the fun.

"Alright, let's check it out…" I say, inserting the key card in our bedroom door.

"Oh my God… look at this room! It's huge!" I say in amazement before my eyes fall on the king size bed decorated with a heart made of rose petals. "Oh… apparently, they expect us to have sex." I chuckle.

"Well… we are going to have sex, right?" She asks.

"Duh!" I reply. "I was already planning on it before we even got here but now that I see this romantic setting, it would be a crime not to!" I add, making her smile.

While Brittany looks around the room, I check the mini bar and I'm pleased to see that they have a wide selection of alcohol to choose from.

"San! Get over here!" I suddenly hear Britt say from the bathroom and I immediately join her.

"Oh my God, is this our bathtub?!" I say in disbelief. "It's gigantic!"

"It sure is… I have never seen anything like that before! How many people do you think can fit in there?"

"I'm not sure but we'll never know because let's be clear: I am only sharing this bath with you, no one else!"

"I'm good with that…" She chuckles. "Aw… look at all these candles…" She says. "Wow, this place is really romantic!"


A LITTLE WHILE LATER – IN THE HOTEL ROOM

"Ok so I unpacked everything…" I say, closing the cupboard. "What are you doing?" I ask as I see Brittany looking at her phone.

"I was just about to call my mom to let them know that everything is fine and say hi to the kids."

"OK, Britt… wait. We need to lay down some ground rules."

"Ground rules?" She repeats, frowning.

"Yes! I'm fine with calling the family now and say hi to everyone but after that, that's it!" I say in a serious tone. "We are here on a romantic weekend, so you tell your parents that we shouldn't call each other unless there is an emergency, OK? I don't want to get a one-hour long call just because Sofia is in the mood to tell us every little thing she has done in the day or because the twins didn't nap. And no picture either!"

"But…" She protests.

"No, Britt! This is finally our chance at a kids-free weekend! We're here to relax, drink champagne and make love, not wondering what the kids are up to!"

"Fine…" She sighs.

"You promise?"

"Yes, San… I promise!"


A FEW HOURS LATER – IN THE HOTEL ROOM

"To us!" I say, raising my glass of champagne.

"To us!" Britt repeats, clinking her glass against mine.

"So how are you liking it so far?" I ask.

"Oh I'm having the most fabulous time!" She says with a big smile. "I really enjoyed the couple's massage, it was so relaxing! And dinner was delicious! But this right here might be my favorite moment so far…"

"Really? What a coincidence!" I reply. "Because being naked with you in this giant bubble bath and drinking champagne is definitely my favorite moment of the day too!" I say, moving closer to straddle her. Our eyes lock and as she gives me that magic smile of hers, I gently take the glass of champagne from her hand to place it next to mine, on the corner of the tub.

"Hi you…" I say in my most seductive tone, cupping her cheek.

"Hi…" She smiles, rubbing her nose against mine before connecting our lips.

The kiss is slow and loving and just like every time, I can't get enough of her! I even find myself humming against her soft lips as our tongues slowly swirl together. There is something about the taste of her mouth mixed with champagne that makes my senses go even wilder than usual.

She pulls away for a few seconds and gently brushes my hair away from my face. As she stares at me, I completely drown in her perfect blue eyes. God, I'm so in love with that woman…

"You know what's best about this room?" She suddenly says in a sexy voice.

"No… what?" I asked, curious.

"Someone in the guestbook wrote that the rooms were so well soundproofed that there could be a murder and no one would know."

"Okay…" I squint. "No offense, Britt but… I think we need to work on your dirty talk, honey… because murder isn't exactly sexy."

"That's not what I meant…" She chuckles.

"Oh good, so you don't plan to kill me? That's a relief!"

"No but I definitely plan to make you moan my name…" She smirks, capturing my lips in another kiss.


ON THE NEXT DAY (LATE AFTERNOON) – IN THE HOTEL ROOM – BRITTANY POV

I'm really loving this spa weekend! We have had such a fantastic time today that I feel like we're in heaven! After making love all morning, we had brunch in bed, went out for a walk and had a "well-being" afternoon with facial treatments and an aromatherapy massage. I have never been this relaxed in my life!

After taking a shower, I get back to Santana and find her typing on her phone, on top of our bed.

"Who's that?" I ask and given the way she's startled by my voice, she must not have heard me getting back into the room.

"Oh… um… it's… Quinn…" She replies but I immediately know that she's lying.

"Quinn, really? I thought you told her not to contact you about work while you were on holiday?"

"Oh well… um…it's not a work-related conversation… It's more of um… she just wanted to know how we were doing…"

"Oh yeah? That's sweet…" I say, moving closer to her. "It's strange though, I could have sworn you were texting my mom behind my back…" I suddenly add, yanking her phone from her hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" She says.

"I knew it! You're such a traitor!" I say, looking at the brand new pictures of our kids she received today. "I think someone has some explaining to do…" I add, letting her phone drop on the bed before crossing my arms.

"Fine, you caught me!" She admits. "I really love having some alone time with you but I… I miss the kids…" She shrugs. "There, I said it!"

"Oh thank God… because I miss them too, so much!"

"Well… then… how about we make a short video call… just to say hi?" She suggests and I immediately nod in approval. "But no more than 15 minutes, OK? Because I know we're moms but…"

"… we're also wives… I know…" I nod, repeating the quote I have heard so many times.


A FEW DAYS LATER – AT THE RESTAURANT

"You're really sure you don't want to participate?" Louise asks me for the millionth time, pouting.

"Yes, I'm sure! Sorry, but this year, it's all about the wife and the kids."

"You could always team up with Santana…" Charly suggests.

"Are you nuts?" Louise whispers, slapping his stomach.

"What?" He shrugs.

"You want us to lose or what? You really think the judges will pick us as winners if we are up against a couple of sexy lesbians?" She asks him. "And I bet Santana is even a better dancer than Patrick!"

"Don't worry, Louise…" I chuckle. "Santana and I only plan to dance for fun, we will not compete."


A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT THE DANCE COMPETITION

Tonight, the whole gang reunited to watch Louise and Charly perform at the dance competition, and without any surprise, they won. They were already pretty good two years ago but I can tell that they must have practiced a lot because tonight, they were far better than any other contestants! I guess Louise really wanted to win!

"Well… to the Dance King and Queen!" I say, raising my glass of champagne.

"To the King and Queen!" They all repeat, clinking glasses.

"So… are you happy now?" I ask Louise.

"Mmhh I have mixed feelings." She replies. "Obviously, I'm happy we won but… would I have won if you had participated? I will never know! And that's frustrating!"

"Oh I know the answer to that: you would have lost." Santana comments.

"Someone's cocky!" Louise observes.

"I'm just realistic." Santana replies, taking a sip of champagne. "No one is better than my Britt! She's a professional… and a goddess!"

"Well… why don't you two come back next year and we'll see if you're right?" Louise suggests in a defiant tone.

"We might…" Santana shrugs and I can't help but smile because I wouldn't mind coming back here… I've really had an amazing time! And even though our holidays are sadly ending in two days, I'm really grateful for all the family moments we have had and the beautiful memories we get to take with us…


A FEW DAYS LATER (AUGUST) – LOS ANGELES - AT HOME – SANTANA POV

"OK, Fabray…" I say, taking a sip from my cup of coffee. "Show me what you've done while I was lazing on the beach with my sexy wife and my beautiful kids."

"Well… I edited your draft scripts so… episodes 1 and 2 are now ready for your review. And I also drafted episodes 3 to 5, based on your synopses."

"Awesome! I'll get right on that tomorrow." I say. "What else did I miss?"

"What else… Oh, I spoke to Artie a couple of days ago. He's still in New York to film the outside footage and just like we suspected, it's quite time consuming for the crew to travel from place to place so… I told him to film as much as possible so we can hopefully reuse it for several seasons… providing that the show is renewed of course."

"Great thinking, Fabray…" I say, nodding in approval. "See, that's for this sense of initiative that I pay you so handsomely…" I add. "But that reminds me… would you have time to travel to New Haven next week and show Artie around? No one knows the area better than you…"

"Sure, no problem! I would love to go down memory lane!" She replies with a smile. "Oh… before I forget, I have a question…" She says. "What is this mysterious 'secret' episode 3?! You didn't even write a synopsis for it…"

"Um…" I say, suddenly becoming serious. "I huh… I was thinking of… making a tribute episode to Finn…" I finally manage to say. "I mean… the show is slowly reaching that period of our lives…"

"I know…" She whispers, looking sad.

"To be honest with you, I hesitated for a long time but then… I thought this was an opportunity to honor his memory so… before going to Hawaii, I sat down one night, and I swear, Q… words kept flowing!" I shrug. "I wrote the entire script in just a couple of hours and I even already know all the songs I want to use but… I want to show it to Rachel first." I admit. "I can't shoot that episode unless she's OK with it. With all of it."


TWO WEEKS LATER – AT HOME – BRITTANY POV

We are a full house now as our parents and Abuela arrived a few days ago for their annual visit. But this year, at least, Santana can fully enjoy this precious time with them since she won't start shooting Glee before October. This change of schedule has been really good for our family… Not only could we finally go on a real vacation but Santana has also stayed home for the rest of the summer, allowing her to spend more time with me and the kids.

"How is she doing?" My Latina asks me as I finally join them all in the living room.

"She's still pretty upset…" I reply. "I think you should go see her, San… I never thought I would be saying this but this is one for 'Lima Heights' mama…"

"What happened?" Abuela asks.

"Someone stole Sofia's necklace when she was at her dance class today…" Santana says. "It was plastic so it's not like it was worth much but I'm still mad that some dumb child thinks they can steal from my kid."

"It may be plastic but it's priceless to her, San…" I argue. "It's a gift from her boyfriend!" I shrug while she rolls her eyes.

"Can we please stop calling him that?" She says, crossing her arms.

"What a world we live in…" Abuela sighs in despair. "I will never understand how a child can steal from another… but unfortunately, this kind of wrongdoing is not new! Can you believe that when Santana was little, someone once stole her underwear while she was swimming in the pool? How cruel can a child be to do something like that?" She adds in disbelief, raising her arms.

Despite my best efforts to remain serious, I can't help but smirk, remembering the anecdote Melissa told me a few weeks ago. But when I see Santana squinting at me, I know I have been caught.

"We'll be right back…" She suddenly says, pulling me by the hand to hurry me into the next room.

"You know." She says, staring into my eyes.

"I know what?"

"Oh please Britt, don't play innocent with me! I know you know about the fair incident, that smirk of yours is giving it away! Mel told you, didn't she?" She asks without giving me the time to reply. "God, she's so dead!"

"Don't be mad at her…" I say, caressing her cheek. "That story is what brought us to bond!"

"Oh great, I'm so glad you bonded at my expense!" She says sarcastically.

"Well… to be fair, we also bonded over our mutual love for you." I reply. "Although there is no way she will ever love you as much as I do." I add in a serious tone and her face immediately softens. "Come on now, go speak to your daughter…"


A FEW DAYS LATER – IN THE GARDEN – SANTANA POV

"You know what is the problem with Glee?" Abuela says out of nowhere while I'm eating a snack at the table.

"No… but I guess you're going to tell me…" I sigh. God, why does my family always insist on giving advice I didn't ask for?

"There is not enough sex in it!" She says, making me choke on my food.

"What?!" I say, coughing.

"Well… in the telenovelas I watch, there is always lots of sex! So why didn't you do the same on Glee? It would have attracted more viewers!"

"Because the network censored most of the sex references, Abuelita!" I reply. "That's one of the reasons I moved it to a streaming platform!"

"It's true." Brittany confirms. "For a long time, San was not even allowed to show two girls kissing on screen…"

"Oh is that why your characters didn't get much 'action'?" Abuela asks and Brittany nods in confirmation. "Oh that's a relief! Honestly, since Santana always says she stays 'true to the reality', I was afraid that your love life was as dull as what we saw on screen!" She adds, making me roll my eyes.

"Oh no!" Brittany laughs. "Our sex life has nothing to do with what we see on the show."

"Is it hot then?" Abuela asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Do NOT answer that!" I immediately tell Britt before she can open her mouth, raising my index finger.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Abuela asks, frowning. "You're a Lopez, there is no way you're bad in bed!"

"I didn't say I was bad in bed!" I frown. "I'm just telling you once again that my sex life is between me and my wife! We're not going to share details with my grandma!"

"Fine, suit yourself… I will see it on the show anyway!" Abuela replies.


A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – SOFIA'S BIRTHDAY - AT HOME

"Happy birthday dear Sofia… Happy biiirthdaayy to youuuuuu!" We all sing in unison even though I swear I can hear Berry's voice over everyone else's!

Once again, there is quite a crowd assembled in our garden… Besides all grandparents and Abuela, most of the Gleeks and mini-Chang are here, as well as Sofia's closest friends: Charlotte, a couple of kids from dance class and… the Irish little fucker. I didn't want to invite him but of course, Sofia insisted! But look at him… looking at my daughter with those goo goo eyes… Urgh, he's so on my list!

I watch my little girl blow the candles of her cake all at once, just like the boss that she is! God, I can't believe she's 4 already…

"Well done, peanut!" Brittany says, clapping her hands. "I'm sure everyone brought you very cool presents but mama and I think you should open ours first." She adds and that's the signal for me to place the box I'm carrying on the table.

Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this…

"What is it?" Sofia asks with big curious eyes.

"You've got to open it and see for yourself, mija…" I reply with a smile.

"Wait… I'll give you a hand…" Brittany says, helping her with the package and upon seeing what's inside the box, our little girl freezes.

"You got me a PUPPY?!" She finally screams, her face lighting up with joy and excitement as she observes the white little dog. "Is it a boy or a girl?" She asks.

"It's a girl!" I reply. "You want to hold her?" I ask and she immediately nods with enthusiasm.

"You need to be really gentle, peanut… OK? She's a little baby, you don't want to hurt her…" Britt says. "Here… let me take her and I'll put her in your arms myself."

"There…" Brittany says, placing the dog in Sofia's arms. "You can pet her but carefully, OK? Yes, good… just like that…"

"See? It's love at first sight…" Britt whispers, resting her chin on my shoulder while wrapping her arms around my waist from behind but I remain silent, still wondering if this is not a mistake… "You did good, mama…" She adds, kissing my cheek.

"Oh God, I hope so..." I whisper, not convinced.


LATER THAT DAY – IN THE GARDEN

"Thank you for the puppy, mama…" Sofia says out of nowhere, climbing on me while I'm laying on the pool deckchair and giving me a hug.

"You're welcome, mija…" I say, holding her tight. "But it's not just a present from me, it's also from mommy…" I clarify, looking at Britt who is sitting next to us with the dog on her lap. "Are you happy…?"

"Soooo happy!" Our little one replies with a big smile. "Uncle Mike asked me what dog it was but I didn't know…" She says.

"It's a westie…" Britt replies. "Do you remember the white dog we saw at the pet store a few weeks ago?"

"Yes!" Sofia says. "She was pretty!"

"She was!" Britt agrees. "Well… when this one grows up, she'll look exactly like that!"

"Okay!" Sofia says, obviously satisfied. Before I know it, she gets off my body and runs away while screaming "Uncle Miiiike!"

"You want to hold her, San?" Britt asks, nodding towards the dog.

"Oh um… no, that's okay…" I say, waving my hands no.

"But you should hold her, honey… so she can get used to you! She needs to know your smell and everything, it's important…"

"Fine…" I sigh. "Hand her over…" I say, and Brittany holds her out to me as if that was Simba from the Lion King…

"See… she's a sweet girl…" My blonde says with a smile.

"I guess…" I reply, forcing myself to pet the sleeping dog. "She's very soft..." I comment. "And warm… and… oh my God!" I say, opening my mouth wide. "She peed on me!"

"What…?" Brittany says, surprised.

"She fucking peed on my brand new dress!" I say in an upset voice, quickly passing the dog back to her before getting up to go change.


EVEN LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – SOFIA'S BEDROOM

"But I want her to sleep with me!" Sofia pouts in protest, holding her new puppy close to her heart.

"We already talked about this, mija… The dog sleeps in the kitchen."

"What if she's scared during the night and she can't sleep?" She asks with worried eyes.

"It's a dog!" I reply. "She'll sleep, believe me!"

"Mama is right, peanut… Dogs sleep a lot when they're this little, they sleep all night and even most of the day!" Britt says, gently caressing our little girl's hair. "You don't have to worry about her… We prepared a nice little bed for her - which looks very comfy - and she will have her toys to keep her company."

"But you sleep with mama, so why can't I sleep with the dog? It's not fair!"

"Excuse me?! Are you comparing me to a pet?!" I say, outraged. "Mommy and I are married, that's why we sleep in the same bed!"

"Then can I sleep with my puppy if I marry her?" She asks in a serious tone, leaving me baffled.

"You can't marry a dog, mija…"

"Why not? You said I could marry whoever I wanted." She replies, pouting again.

"Yes… but…" I trail off. God, that little girl is way too smart!

"… It still has to be a human being!" I eventually add.

"Why?"

"Because people marry other people, not animals."

"Why?"

Good lord… here we go again…

"Why don't we try to find her a name?" Brittany suddenly suggests, probably trying to distract Sofia. "Do you have any ideas, peanut?" She asks but our daughter silently shakes her head no.

"You could name her after a character from the cartoons or movies you like…" Britt says. "Or find her a name that reminds of her white color… or … oh, I know! What word do you think describes her personality best?" She asks Sofia.

"A pain in th-" I mumble in spite of me. "Ow!" I say when Brittany elbows me for the millionth time since Sofia was born.

"I like mama's idea!" Sofia suddenly says in an enthusiastic tone, leaving us both confused.

"Mama's idea?" Britt repeats with a frown.

"Yes, what mama just said: 'Penny'!"

"Oh but…" Britt says before stopping mid-sentence, realizing that there is no point to clarify the misunderstanding. "So you want to name her 'Penny'?" She asks and our little girl nods.

"Okay! Penny it is then!" My blonde says with a smile.

"And what is her last name?" Sofia asks.

"It's a dog!" I repeat again, raising my arms. "She doesn't have a last name!"

"Well… she's part of the family now…" Brittany says, throwing a disapproving look at me before turning to our daughter. "So her last name is Lopez-Pierce, like all of us." She adds with a smile.

Great, a dog carries my last name now.


A/N: So… what did you think of this chapter? I brought the "baby fight" back because I felt the story had never acknowledged the betrayal and abandonment Santana felt when Brittany went alone to Hawaii and I thought it was time for the girls to discuss it… Otherwise, did you enjoy all the romantic moments, the scenes with Sofia and the return of Abuela? The dog has finally joined the family and as you can imagine, she will drive Santana completely nuts in the next chapter ;-) Please, please take a minute to leave a review because as I already mentioned, being an author is a very lonely job. I honestly put my heart and soul in every chapter and I'm always dying to know what you think of it… Thanks in advance! And let me remind you for those who are interested that I have a ko-fi page open for donations, 50% of the amount will be given to Alexandria House, during the Snixxmas charity drive, at the end of the year. Address is ko-fi [D O T] com [ S-L-A-S-H] wordsofmo. Thanks, take care and until next time!