CHAPTER 3

A/N: Thanks to Ludipa, Marie RieRie England, Kitana1, May1217, JerzyMare, Whit Walk, pacumeme57, Mariu4, elisemiller67 for their reviews! This chapter will address both Brittany and Santana's POV, starting with Britt's (it's indicated when it changes). There might be "uncomfortable" moments but there is a good bit of comedy too this time so, push through! ;-) Special thanks to Whit Walk for proofreading this chapter.

Reminder: Fanfiction changed the notification system so if you want to be informed by email when I post a new chapter, make sure to manually activate the option by going to Account - Settings - Opt in (website version) or Account – Alert (app).

Enjoy!

A FEW DAYS LATER (MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT) - AT BRITTANY'S HOUSE – BRITTANY POV

"Britt... honey…" I hear from afar as a gentle hand carefully shakes my shoulder.

It takes me a few seconds to emerge from sleep but when I open my eyes, I see Nick standing over me, all dressed up in his navy suit.

"Hi…" I say in a sleepy voice. "You look really handsome…" I add, smiling at him.

"Thanks!" He chuckles. "You look very pretty too!" He adds, kissing my lips.

"What time is it…?" I ask, sitting up.

"It's 5:00." He replies in a soft voice, caressing my cheek. "I only woke you up because you insisted I say goodbye before going to the airport... but you should go back to sleep now."

"No… I want to walk you out!" I say, getting out of bed before he can object, and we walk hand in hand towards the front door.

"Do you really have to go…?" I pout, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I'm afraid so…" He replies, placing his hands on my hips to pull me closer. "It's only for four days, I'll be back before you know it!"

"That sounds like an eternity…" I complain in a sad tone and he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, before giving me a long goodbye kiss.

"I have to go…" He whispers against my lips.

"Ok… Call me when you get to the hotel?"

"Will do!" He says, kissing my lips one last time before walking to the cab parked in front of our house. "I love you!" He adds, waving goodbye.

"I love you too!" I reply, waving back.

I stay on the doorstep until the car drives away and get back inside, to an empty house. The kids are with Santana this week and now that Nick is going to Dallas for a seminar, it's just me and the dog here…

THE NEXT AFTERNOON – AT THE CINEMA – SANTANA POV

"No, Diego… We have popcorn for an army here, there is more than enough!" I say.

"But I'm hungry!" He complains.

God, that boy is always hungry! Where does he even put it all?!

"Eat these first and if you're still hungry, we will have dinner after the movie anyway… so I think you'll survive!"

"Oh, mom is here!" Sofia suddenly says, immediately walking away, followed by her brothers.

Wait, what?

As I turn around, I spot Brittany a few feet away, hugging our kids.

"Well… Hello stranger!" I say, joining them.

"Hi!" She smiles, kissing me on the cheek. "Sorry, I had no idea that you guys were here!"

"Yeah well… these three kept insisting on seeing the new action movie and I thought it would be a nice way to kick off the weekend… But what about you, where is Nicholas?" I ask.

"He's in Dallas for a few days… And I was so bored at home that I thought I could catch a movie for once…"

"Okay…" I reply. "Well… do you want to join us?"

"Oh… No, I don't want to impose… It's your week with them…"

"I don't mind!" I shrug. "I still get to be with them either way!" I add with a smile, knowing that this argument will ease her mind.

"Well… sure, why not?" She eventually says, making the kids smile.

"You're sure Mel won't mind?" She asks as we are walking behind the kids, on our way to the screening room.

"Oh, she's not here, she took her students to the theater tonight… but I'm sure she wouldn't mind!" I say, knowing that Melissa is not the jealous type.

A FEW MINUTES LATER – AT THE CINEMA

"It's 'embarrassing' to sit with your mothers?!" I repeat, frowning.

"Of course it is, I'm 13!" Diego replies.

"Oh yeah sorry… I forgot you are a man now!" I repeat sarcastically. "But I'm still not letting you sit by yourself so…"

"It's ok, Sofia can sit with me!" He suggests.

"Fine by me…" His sister shrugs, jaded.

"Oh, so sitting next to me is embarrassing but next to your sister it isn't?" I ask.

"No, it's fine! People will just think she's my girlfriend."

"Excuse me?" Sofia replies, frowning. "As if anyone would believe I would date a 13 year old boy!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm sure that even at 13 years old, I'm more mature than your 18 year old boyfriend!"

"Keep dreaming…" Sofia mumbles, crossing her arms.

"Ok you two, enough now!" I say. "Actually, I don't mind if you sit somewhere else, at least I'll be in peace!" I add and they both roll their eyes before walking away.

"Come, mijo…" I tell Gabriel. "You can sit next to me." I add but he doesn't move, looking down at his feet.

"Don't tell me you don't want to sit with us either…?" I say in a sad tone.

"I'm sorry, mama… but I just spotted Stella in the room so I… um…"

"Fine…" I sigh, giving up. "Go sit with your brother and sister then…" and I have barely said that that he's already gone.

"Who's Stella?" Brittany whispers.

"It's a girl from his poetry class and he's all smitten for her!"

"Really?" She says in a curious voice. "I didn't know he had a crush!"

"Oh, big time!" I reply. "I only know because he asked me for advice on how to flirt with a girl…" I chuckle. "But it broke my heart, I'll tell you that… My handsome boy used to only have eyes for me and now, he's too busy looking at girls…" I complain.

"Maybe it's for the best…" Britt says. "I always thought he was way too obsessed with you when he was a baby. Do you remember that he would cry like crazy as soon as you were out of his sight?"

"Oh and Diego was not obsessed with you?" I argue.

"Well maybe… but he's not anymore!"

"Of course, he's not… because now he has a girlfriend."

"What, he has a girlfriend?" She replies, surprised. "When did this happen? And how come you know all about our sons' love life?"

"Actually, I don't know if she's his girlfriend girlfriend but when I picked them up at school the other day, Diego was busy kissing a girl. And by kissing, I mean really kissing…" I say and Brittany's jaw drops in shock.

"It's your fault!" I complain. "You made two beautiful boys and now girls are all over them!"

"Right…" She chuckles. "But have you seen Gabriel's crush? I want to see what this Stella looks like…" She adds, looking around the room.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where she's sitting right now but he sent me a pic of her anyway… Look!" I add, handing her my phone and she immediately starts laughing.

"What…?" I ask, frowning in confusion.

"I should have known he would fall for this type of girl, she looks just like you did at her age!"

"No, she doesn't!" I protest.

"Come on, San… She's clearly Hispanic and she's a pretty, brown eyed girl with big hair, it's totally you!" She argues. "Apparently, his Oedipus complex is not yet solved…" She adds, making me roll my eyes.

"And yet, if you were not here, I would have watched the movie all by myself because apparently, our kids have no problem abandoning me…" I point out.

"Well… look at the bright side: more popcorn for us!" She says with a smile, plunging her hand in the bag of popcorn I'm holding on my lap.

LATER THAT DAY – AT SANTANA'S HOUSE – IN THE KITCHEN

"You sure it's ok if I stay for dinner?" Brittany asks me, uncertain. "I don't want to abuse…"

"Of course it's ok, Britt! It would be silly for you to go back home alone when we have a ton of food here! Come on, sit…" I say, pointing at a chair.

"I made a traditional Spanish dish, based on a recipe that my Abuela found a few months ago. It was hidden in an old family book, can you believe it?" I add. "It's so good that the kids can't get enough of it! I'm sure you're going to love it too!"

A WHILE LATER – AT SANTANA'S HOUSE

Even though having dinner together was not planned, I really enjoyed this family moment with Britt and the kids! And I think it made our children happy too… After all, since the divorce, we are not often gathered around the same dinner table…

While the boys are playing videogames upstairs, Brittany and I are chatting in the kitchen when Sofia suddenly joins us.

"Mama…?" She says and I already know by the tone of her voice that she's about to tell me something that will upset me.

"Could Liam um… spend the night here tomorrow…?" She asks shyly.

"No, Sofia." I immediately reply, frowning. "He can't."

"Mom…" She pleads, turning to Britt for help.

"Don't you look at your mom!" I immediately say, offended. "My house, my rules! And as long as you live under my roof, you're not spending the night with your boyfriend!"

"But because of you, mom won't let him stay at her house either!" She complains.

"Yeah well, tough luck!" I reply, not giving a damn.

"I can't wait to have my own place…" She mumbles between her teeth, walking away.

"Can you believe this?" I say, turning to Britt.

"Actually, I can…" She replies, taking me aback.

"What?"

"She's 17, he's 18…" She shrugs. "And they've been in love since they were like 2 years old! They've been together literally all their lives, San!"

"So? I'm still not going to let them sleep in the same bed, we know what would happen!" I argue but Brittany doesn't say anything. Instead, she pours some more Martini into my empty glass.

"Drink this." She says, pushing the glass towards me.

"Why?" I ask, confused.

"Trust me, San…" She says, nodding to encourage me and even though I find this weird, I drink half of my glass.

"It already happened…" She eventually says but I can only frown, not understanding what that means.

"Sofia and Liam… it already happened." She repeats upon noticing my confusion.

"What?!" I say in angry tone, opening my eyes wide. "That Irish jerk defiled my daughter?!" I add louder before drinking the remaining Martini to ease the shock.

"Shhh…" She says, pressing her index finger against her lips. "He's not a jerk! He's a polite young man that has always cared very much for her! And… 'defile', really?" She asks, questioning my choice of words.

"How else would you say it?" I argue.

"I don't know… They 'made love'?" She suggests.

"Oh God…" I say, shivering in disgust. "She can't make love - or any other way you say it - she's a baby!"

"I'm afraid none of our kids are babies anymore, San…" She says.

"How do you even know it happened? Did she tell you?" I ask and she shakes her head no. "Oh my God, did you walk in on them?" I say, horrified. "I thought you had an open door policy to discourage them from being too close, like us here!"

"No, I didn't walk in on them… and we do have an open door policy."

"Then how can you possibly know?" I ask, still hoping she got it all wrong.

"I just can tell… And you would too if you were not living in denial!" She says and after thinking in silence for a minute, I suddenly get up from my chair.

"Where are you going?" She asks.

"To break his balls!" I reply in an upset tone, taking my jacket.

"Okay, you're not going anywhere…" She says calmly, grabbing my arm to stop me.

"I am!" I say, trying to walk away but I can't because she's too strong.

"What are you going to do exactly? Going to his place and attack him in front of his parents?"

"No… You're right…" I say in a calmer voice and she eventually lets go of my arm. "I should confront him at the school exit, it's safer!" I add.

"Are you insane?" She asks me. "You're not going to attack or confront anyone, ok? Look, San… It would have happened eventually! So isn't it better that her first time was with her steady boyfriend who we know is a good guy?"

"A 'good' guy?" I repeat, outraged. "I've never liked him! Not even when he was a toddler!"

"Oh, I know that…" She sighs. "But the truth is that you just decided that he was… no, actually you decided that no one is good enough for your daughter!"

"That's not true!" I object, crossing my arms. "But she definitely deserves better than him!"

"You mean better than a guy who has always been there for her and supported her projects? Better than a good student with a bright future, who offers to help her mothers around the house?" She questions.

"See? He's a loser!" I say, knowing that I'm not making any sense right now.

"San… even your parents let us spend the night together when we were their age…" She says, trying another type of argument.

"That's only because they thought it was a sleepover between friends, Britt! If they had known what was really going on in my bedroom, they wouldn't have let you set a foot in our house!"

"Exactly my point!" She says. "What was really going on is that at 17, we were having sex together, Santana! Even long before that! So, we shouldn't be hypocrites…"

"It's so not the same!" I argue.

"Why isn't it the same?" She asks.

"Come on Britt… Are you really going to make me say it?" I sigh, knowing that the answer is obvious. "With us, there was no risk of an unplanned pregnancy! And I don't want her life to be ruined because of a boy, ok? Besides, I can't be a grandma already!" I add, raising my arms. "I look way too hot for that!"

"She's on the pill…" Brittany suddenly confesses in a whisper and my jaw immediately drops, in a mix of surprise and anger.

"What?!" I frown. "You put her on the pill without consulting me?!" I ask, offended. "I'm sorry but last time I checked, she was our daughter, Brittany! She's not just yours!" I add, raising my arms and she looks down at her hands.

"Did she ask you for it?" I ask.

"No, she didn't ask me for it… I am the one who suggested it because I could tell by the way they were always all over each other that it was about to happen in a near future… and… better safe than sorry." She shrugs. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I knew it was not something you were ready to hear… And putting her on the pill was the right call, San… Deep down, you know it too."

"No, it wasn't! That's why we have an open door policy in the first place, to be sure that nothing happens and that there is no need for a pill!"

"Are you even serious right now?" She asks. "She did have sex, Santana... despite our open door policy! They don't necessarily do it at their parents' you know!"

"And where else?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I don't know…" She shrugs. "Liam has a part-time student job and Sofia has an allowance so maybe they paid for a motel room… Or they cut school during the day, to come back home while we were not there… or maybe in the car or…"

"What is this? The top 100 places for teenagers to have sex?" I cut her off, raising my arms.

"My point is that you couldn't have prevented them from having sex, San… Just like our parents couldn't stop us when we were their age! And you know that if we didn't have your bedroom at your parents' house, we would have found some other place." She says and I remain silent because I know she's right. I was so madly in love with her back then that nothing would have prevented me from being with her.

"So… what now?" I ask with a shrug.

"Well… She knows all about safe sex and she's on the pill… and most importantly, she's a smart young woman so… I say we trust her?" She shrugs and after taking a long inhale, I eventually nod in approval.

"I can't believe it… It feels like she was 5 just last week!" I say in a nostalgic voice, shaking my head before sitting back on the chair.

"I know…" She replies, squeezing my hand to comfort me. "It feels that way to me too…" She adds when her phone suddenly goes off.

"Sorry, I have to take this… It's Nick…" She says before walking a few feet away, to have her privacy.

I'm lost in my thoughts, trying to digest everything Brittany told me tonight when her laugh suddenly brings me back to reality, making me look at her. She's still talking on the phone and I can't hear what she's saying, but I smile as I hear her chuckle. As much as I love mocking Nick, I know he makes her happy…

A FEW DAYS LATER (EVENING TIME) – AT BRITTANY'S HOUSE – BRITTANY POV

After hearing the bell, I open the front door and find Santana on my doorstep.

"Hi!" I say with a smile.

"Hi!" She replies. "So here you go… the drawing material that your son forgot at my house…" She says, placing it in my arms, and I can't help but smirk. The other day, she went on and on about how Sofia is our daughter and not just mine but when the kids do something wrong, they're always just my kids…

"And if it was me…" She adds. "… I would tell Diego he shouldn't wait until the day before his drawing class to do the assignment he got one week ago but… it's your week, mom… so it's your problem!" She says, pointing at me.

"Well… you will be pleased to know that it's exactly what I told him…" I reply. "And I even said that next time, he should be more careful when he packs so his mama doesn't have to interrupt her evening and drive all the way here just to bring his stuff back…"

"Exactly! Thank you!" She says, raising her arms.

She must be going somewhere tonight because she's all dressed up in an elegant red dress, and has clearly put extra effort into her hair and makeup…

"You look very nice by the way…" I say.

"Thanks!" She smiles. "It's um… it's my anniversary with Mel so…"

"Oh… congratulations!" I say. "Any big plans?"

"Yeah, we're going to that new fancy restaurant downtown and… um…" She trails off but I already know what she was about to say. After dinner, they will go back home and knowing Santana, I can only imagine they will spend the rest of the evening having sex.

"Oh, yeah… I heard a lot of positive comments about that place…" I reply, to fill the silence. "Well… have fun then!" I add with a smile.

"Thanks! Kiss the kids for me?" She asks.

"Of course!" I say, waving goodbye.

LATER THAT NIGHT - AT SANTANA'S HOUSE – SANTANA POV

"More champagne?" Melissa asks me, ready to refill my glass as we're sitting on the living room couch.

"Hey!" I say, placing my hand on top of my glass to stop her. "You think I don't know what you're doing? You're trying to get me drunk to take advantage of me!" I say, making her laugh.

"As if there was such thing as 'taking advantage' of you!" She argues. "Even if you were completely sober, you would still jump on me."

"Damn right I would…" I say, pulling her into a slow kiss and it's so good that I end up humming in her mouth.

"You know what's the best part about shared custody?" I say in between kisses.

"What?" She smiles.

"That I can do this…" I say, unbuttoning her shirt while kissing her. "… even if we are in our living room, because… the kids are with Britt tonight and we have the house all to ourselves..." I add, wiggling my eyebrows.

"I know… I definitely love shared custody right now…" She smiles before reconnecting our lips.

A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER (LATE MORNING) – AT SANTANA'S HOUSE

I'm at home, working on a song, when my phone suddenly rings.

"Hi Britt!" I pick up, after seeing her name on my screen.

"Hi San… I hope I'm not disturbing you…"

"No, no, it's fine! What's up?"

"Well… I know it's my week but I was wondering if you could pick up the twins at school this afternoon?

"Um… sure!" I reply. "Is everything alright?" I ask, suddenly having a weird feeling in my gut. She doesn't sound like usual…

"Well… I've been better…" She says. "I slipped during my dance class this morning and I um… I badly sprained my ankle…" She adds. "It was such a stupid fall! But I am not able to drive, San… I can barely walk, even with crutches! So, I can't go pick up the kids myself…"

"Oh Britt… I'm so sorry! Are you… ok? Where are you now?"

"At home. I'm ok… One of the students' fathers was there when I fell and he drove me to the hospital… And um… yeah, it's not broken and it should be ok in a few days but… it's definitely a bad sprain. Maybe the kids should even stay at your place actually because Nick is in Dallas again and I'm afraid I can't take care of them by myself in this condition…"

"What, Nicholas is in Dallas again?" I ask, frowning. Since Sofia is away on a school trip until the end of the week, that means that Brittany has no one to look after her.

"Yes… He's teaching a seminar over there until Christmas, that's why he's been going back and forth…"

"Ok well… tell you what! I'll ask Melissa to pick up the boys while I come over and bring you back here."

"What? No, no… San, it's not necessary. If you can take care of the kids, it will be a huge help already…"

"Britt, I'm not going to leave you all alone in that house when you can barely walk! What if you fall and you can't get back up? You're staying with us until Nicholas comes back home, end of story."

"But…"

"I'm hanging up now!" I say, cutting her off. "I'll be there shortly."

A WHILE LATER – AT BRITTANY'S HOUSE

"Ok, so… I packed a few t-shirts, some pants…" I shout from her bedroom while she's laying on the living room couch… "Is your… um… underwear still in the same drawer as when we were living together? Because I do NOT want to open the wrong one and find Nicholas' undies, ok?" I warn.

"Um… Yes, it's still the middle drawer…"

"Ok so um… underwear is in the bag…" I eventually say. "I also took your painkillers, bandages and everything you need for your ankle." I add, walking back into the living room. "And I've got your phone, your laptop and the chargers… So, I believe we have everything! Are you ready to go?"

"No…" She replies, shaking her head. "If I'm going to your house, I need to take a shower first. I'm not going to let Mel see me like that."

"But Britt, no one cares!" I reply in a reassuring voice.

"No! San, I feel filthy as hell… I danced and sweated for an hour before I fell… I'm not going to stink up your house."

As if she ever smelled bad in her entire life! But I know I'm not going to win this fight.

"Fine…" I sigh, giving up. "But taking your crutches in the shower is not an option so… I don't know, maybe I can just put a chair in it so you can sit?"

"Yes, that's a great idea!" She replies in approval.

Fortunately, it only takes me a few minutes to find a suitable chair and place it in the shower. But when I come back to the living room, I see Brittany struggling to remove her dance leggings.

"Need some help?" I ask.

"No, um… I…" She trails off, looking at her crutches before realizing that this will not work.

"Just lay down, Britt… I'll take them off." I suggest and after a moment of hesitation, she does as told. I carefully remove her leggings and shyly look at her when I realize that she won't be able to take off her underwear by herself.

"I can… um…" I stop mid-sentence, struggling to say the words out loud so I just point at her panties without looking.

"Oh… I… I don't know… Wouldn't it be weird?" She questions.

"Well… I won't look." I reply to reassure her.

"Right…" She says, clearly unconvinced.

"Hey, I have a girlfriend!" I object. "And it's not like I haven't seen you naked a thousand times before, Brittany… I don't even need to look to see you naked! I can just close my eyes and see it from memory." I add, closing my eyes for the fun of it.

"Stop doing that!" She says, kicking my thigh with her good foot.

"Okay, okay…" I say, keeping my eyes closed on purpose.

"Stop it!" She repeats. "You think you're the only one that can do that?" She asks. "Because I have a pretty good memory too, San…" She adds in a threatening tone before closing her eyes.

"I don't mind…" I say with a proud shrug. "Now that you're with Nicholas, you poor thing, you deserve some eye candy once in a while…" I add to tease her.

"His name is Nick!" She says, offended, and I'm having a hard time trying not to laugh.

"Look, Britt… I can put a bathrobe on top of you or something if that makes you more comfortable… But it's either I undress you myself or we ask Melissa when we get home. So… which one do you pick?"

"Fine…" She sighs, raising her arm to give me her greenlight.

Thanks to the bathrobe, I manage to undress her, help her sit in the shower and dress her again afterwards without making it too uncomfortable.

"So, are you ready to go now?" I ask, picking up her bag.

"You're forgetting something…" She says, leaning on her crutches.

"What?"

"Penny!" She says, as if that was obvious. "We're not going to leave the poor dog here alone for two days!"

"Fine…" I roll my eyes. "Penny!" I shout before whistling and it takes barely a second for the dog to run towards us.

"You know what's the greatest thing about our divorce?" I say, already pissed for having to take Penny with us. "You're the one who got the dog!"

"I didn't get the dog, you refused to take her!" She objects. "Even if you're the one that bought her for Sofia."

"I bought her when Sofia was 4 years old! I never thought for a second that all these years later, the damn dog would still be alive!" I say to defend myself. "Seriously, she must be 100 years old in "dog years" by now, no?" I add and she rolls her eyes at me.

"Let's just go…" She says.

A/N: So… I'm sure some of you didn't like the parts with Nick and Melissa but I wanted to show that at this point of the story, the girls are both happy with their respective partners, and that even though they are divorced, they are still "Brittana" (hopefully I succeeded but let me know!). I also wanted to explore how they would react to their daughter growing up, and I could only imagine them react in very different ways.

What did you think of this chapter? Please let me know in the reviews! Oh, and for those of you who also read my other fic, "Tell our story", I just want to say that I'm working on the next chapter but I'm a bit stuck at the moment... I'll post whenever I find a way around it! Besides, I also want to give people time to find out about the new "email notification" option… Thank you for reading and until next time!