CHAPTER 14

A/N: Thanks to Olivia, kelenhermitha, Berrylucky5 and May1217 for your reviews. I read attentively your comments and try to take them into account when I write! This time, as promised, the pilot finally airs and it's a longer chapter because many things are happening.


LATER AT PARAMOUNT

I'm standing in the rehearsal room with Quinn and Artie by my side, silently watching people taking their place. Even though I actually know every single one of them, I somehow never realized that so many of us were working on this project… It's actually a fucking crowd! I feel my anxiety raising, thinking once again that all these people could be out of a job soon… My nervosity is not lost on Quinn who suddenly whispers "Unholy Trinity" in my ear and then gently elbows my side. It's just two words but that's enough for me to know what that means: she has my back and so does Brittany… And just like I was one of the top bitches in high school, I have to toughen up and be "the fierce Santana Lopez" I once was, at least for this meeting…

I inhale deeply and start my speech in front of everyone: "Thank you all for being here. I asked you to come in today because in about a month, the Glee pilot will be on air… And let me cut through the chase: we just have one shot at this… that's it! Either it's picked up and we continue this amazing adventure together or… it is not picked up and it ends right there. I wish I could give you a pep talk but to be honest with you: everything is against us for now, this is… an underdog project! Just like people didn't care about Glee club in real life – except those who were in it – people are not interested to see it on TV! But I truly believe in this project, I believe that it can become something special and have an impact on a whole generation. But for that… it first has to be picked up!" I say, raising my arms.

"And for that to happen, we have to get people interested, curious enough to turn on their TV for the pilot... And frankly, I am not sure that the network's promotion will be enough to reach that goal. So… I need your help, guys. All of you. We have to join forces to turn this around. It doesn't matter what your role is on this project, you are all involved in the arts one way or another. Some of you are from L.A, and many others – like me – are originally from another state. Together we have connections all over the country. So I need you to talk about the show to your families, your friends, former colleagues, within whatever community you are part of… Post about it on your social networks, from now until the pilot airs." I continue.

"And of course, I will do the same on my side, together with my friends." I add. "Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry have the best visibility out there and they have already promised to talk about the pilot at every occasion possible. The Gleeks will all travel soon to Ohio for our annual reunion and we will use our time over there to kick off our own promotional actions. But it's really important that you also do your part, we need all the help we can get! So we will send you an email later today, containing some promotional pictures as well as the trailer of the pilot. You can use that material to post about the show, whenever and wherever you want… I really hope to work with you all on more Glee episodes, and I thank you for your support." I conclude, under applause.

After the meeting, we let most of the people go for the day but I ask the cast to stay a bit longer.

"Ok…Guys… I asked you to stay because you need to know what will happen in the next few months. If the show is picked up, things will move very fast! We will have to go back on set as from July, to shoot the other 12 episodes that the network has ordered. I managed to get their approval on the script for episode 2. Quinn is going to distribute the copies now so that we can do a table read and I want you to memorize your lines in the coming weeks." I say, as they each take a seat around the table.

"As a favour to me, my wife created the choreographies for that specific episode." I add. "But it's our new choreographer Zach who will teach you the moves."


A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT HOME – EVENING TIME

I pull over in front of our house after a very long afternoon. I spent the last few hours with the guys from my label, discussing the promotion of my album. It's now confirmed: it will be released a few days after the pilot airs. The comings weeks are definitely going to be challenging, on multiple levels…

As soon as I open the front door, I hear some disco music coming from the living room. Curious, I walk into the room and find Brittany dancing with Sofia. Although to be precise, it's actually Britt that is dancing around, carrying our baby in her arms and holding her tiny hand in hers. Sofia is laughing hard and I am so grateful to come home to this. I silently watch them for a minute but Brittany quickly notices my presence.

"Look peanut, mama is here! She can join our little dance party too now!" She says. "Come on, mama!" She shouts, smiling big at me.

I gesture "no" with my hands but Brittany is clearly not having it. She's dancing her way closer to me, with that damn pout on her face, while Sofia is smiling at me. It should be forbidden for my wife to team up with my baby against me, how can I resist that?

I join my girls for what I believe is just one dance but the truth is that half an hour later, we are still singing at the top of our lungs and shaking our bodies with the little one… But that's exactly what I needed to relax after such a stressful afternoon…

A slow song suddenly goes on and Britt starts slow dancing with me… and Sofia… My wife is getting dangerously closer to me and I see the look in her eyes changing progressively… into lust.

"Britt.." I say with a chuckle… "Control yourself, woman! Let me remind you that there is a child in the room…"

"Right…" She says, still not letting go of my eyes. "Well, it's past her bedtime anyway, so I'm going to put her to bed. And then, San… I'm going to come back and put you to bed." She says in a playful way, wiggling her eyebrows.

I'm definitely not going to say no to that.


ONE WEEK LATER – LIMA – SANTANA'S PARENTS' HOUSE

"So I just dropped Sofia at my parents for the morning." Brittany says. "They will drive her to your Abuela's this afternoon. And then your parents will pick her up there and bring her back here." She adds, kissing my cheek.

We arrived in Ohio last night and we will stay in Lima for a week but it's going to be so fucking busy for me that I don't consider this a holiday at all… I'm not sure when I'm going to see our families or even my daughter... But as Britt always says: one thing at a time. The next stop is McKinley, for the Glee reunion.


LATER THAT DAY - AT McKINLEY – GLEE REUNION

We are all hugging each other in our beloved choir room when Mr Schue suddenly says: "Ok, Guys, take a seat!"

I'm taking the chair next to Britt as Mr Schue starts his usual speech.

"It really means a lot that after all these years and despite living far away, you still come back for our annual reunion… I'm so grateful and so happy to see you all! But as you know, this year is a bit special. We are still going to sing and dance but… we will also promote the Glee show that our very own Santana has created and which will be on TV in less than three weeks!" He announces, as my friends cheerfully clap their hands.

"Santana, please tell us more about what we will do in the coming days." He adds as I join him in front of the others.

"OK so… You know that at our reunions, we usually redo some of our old numbers" I say. "This year is not going to be different, except for two things. One - we will do that in front of cameras. Mr Schue convinced the school's AV club to film our performances so that we can use them to promote the Glee show online. And two - I exceptionally decided the setlist by myself".

"About that Santana, I want to make sure that you picked the right songs that will allow me to…" Rachel says but I cut her off.

"Shut up, Berry. I'm grateful for your help but we are on the clock here and I don't have time to negotiate with you, so you will sing the songs I picked, period."

"But…" She starts again, leaving me no other choice than cutting her off once more.

"What is it going to take for you to stop arguing, Rachel? Do I need to kick your ass outside?" I ask.

She raises her hands defensively, with an offended look on her face, but at least she shuts up.

"So… as I was saying before the midget's interruption, I'm sure that we would like to do a lot more but here are the 10 songs that I have picked." I add, taking the setlist in my hands:

"We'll have our usual diva off on "Gravity", sung by Mercedes, Berry and Lady Hummel.

Mike and Britt will do their iconic dance number on "Valerie", which I will be singing.

Berry, you will sing "Don't rain on my parade" but please don't make it too boring!

Mercedes, obviously you will sing "Hell to the No" with me and Tina as back vocalists, because that's our ultimate success story, it shows what we can do when the Gleeks join forces.

The Unholy trinity will sing "Toxic" because… well, sex sells.

As mashups are always a good way to impress people, our handsome guys will perform "In The Name Of Love/Free Your Mind" while the girls will do "Halo/Walking On Sunshine".

Following my wife's genius idea, Britt and I will do a duet on "Songbird" because as you know, I wrote that song for her and love stories are a good way to get people's attention.

And finally, we will sing "Loser like me" and "Don't stop believing" altogether, Mr Schue included!" I add.

"So you listen to Britt's suggestion but you don't even give me a chance to express mine?" Rachel interferes again.

"That's right, hobbit. Brittany is my wife, and thank God, you're not! So what's your point exactly?" I reply and she just shakes her head in defeat.

"We will sing all those songs today and tomorrow we'll meet here again for interviews." I add. "Mr Schue will interview each of you separately, in front of the entire school and on camera. The idea is to explain what Glee club means to you and how it changed your life. It's Sue who asked us to do that in front of the students, so that we can show them that there is a way out of Lima. And frankly, that's good publicity for the show."

"Then…" I continue. "In the evening, we'll perform Don't Stop Believing at Breadsticks', followed by our annual dinner."


LATER THAT DAY – SANTANA'S PARENTS' HOUSE – EVENING TIME

I'm in bed, exchanging texts with Quinn about the show's promo while I'm waiting for Britt to join me.

TO "QUINN": D'Shon has put up a poster of the show in both his New York and L.A. recording studios. Apparently he talks about the pilot to every artist he works with.

FROM "QUINN": Great! Mike and Tina sent the trailer video to all their contacts in Massachusetts. Rachel also mentioned the pilot in a few interviews, they are already online, I will send you the links.

TO "QUINN": Thanks! Mercedes did the same in her recent interviews. And Lady Hummel arranged a wide publicity at NYADA.

FROM "QUINN": Excellent. Oh before I forget, Mercedes and I have talked to our church groups, they will share the news as well.

I'm about to reply to Quinn but Brittany suddenly enters the room and takes the phone from my hands. "That's enough for today, honey."

"But Britt, I was chatting with Quinn, it's about the promo, it's important…" I argue. "What are you doing?" I ask as I see her putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi Quinn, it's Brittany!" I hear her say on the phone. "I'm going to confiscate San's phone for the night because otherwise she won't sleep. You two can discuss further tomorrow, OK? Yeah. Thanks. Good night to you too, Q. See you tomorrow."

"Confiscate?" I say, outraged. "I'm not a kid, Britt!"

"True, you're not a kid. But you're my wife and it's my role to take care of you. San, it's going to be a busy week for you, you need to relax and get some rest. So no more phone." She replies, before giving me a kiss.


TWO DAYS LATER – LIMA - SANTANA'S PARENTS' HOUSE

I'm finalizing my make up when Brittany enters the bathroom.

"Perfect timing, Britt! Can you zip me up?" I ask.

"Of course, honey" She replies, zipping up my new dress.

"How do I look?" I ask her.

I have bought this dress for the interviews I have with the local media today - which I got thanks to Sue.

"You look beautiful…" She says. "And very... sexy." She adds, suddenly staring at my boobs. I must confess that that's why I bought the dress, not only it hides my belly but it also nicely shows my cleavage.

"Yeah? You like what you see?" I ask in a flirty way.

"I definitely love what I see!" She replies, before looking a little too long at my lips this time.

"Okay… Britt, I'm going to go before you rip my dress off." I say, laughing.

"Good choice because that thought has actually crossed my mind!" She says with a smile.


A FEW DAYS LATER – LOS ANGELES – AT HOME

We came back to L.A. a couple of days ago, after an exhausting stay in Ohio. And I'm going to be even more busy in the coming days. I don't think I will see much of my wife and baby unfortunately…

But as I don't have to be anywhere this morning, I have decided to spend that time with them. I'm feeding Sofia while chatting with Brittany in the kitchen.

"But San, I know how busy it is going to be for you. We are like one week away from the pilot and you're doing this promotional marathon every single day! You don't have to come to my dance recital, honey. It's OK, there will be other occasions." She says.

"Brittany, there is no way I'm going to miss your dance recital, I never miss it! Not even when I was pregnant! It's the biggest event at your dance school, I want to be there! It's been a lot about me lately, it's been too much about me even, so… it's time to make it about you! Besides, your students' parents are always completely impressed with you after the recital and I really enjoy bragging to them about you being my wife, so please don't take that away from me!" I reply, making her laugh.

"Fine… If you're really sure, you know that I would love to have you there." She adds with a smile.

I smile back and I am about to reply when all of a sudden, I hear the cutest voice in the world say: "Ma-ma…"

I freeze, right there and then. I look at my beautiful daughter in amazement and quickly turn to Brittany whose jaw just dropped.

"Oh my God, did she just… ?" I ask.

"YES!" Brittany screams in excitement. "She just said her very first word!"

"Didn't you my little sugar?" My wife asks, kissing her tiny hand.

My heart is beating fast in my chest, hearing that word coming out of my baby's mouth somehow makes it so much more real. It's just one word and yet I feel prouder than ever. I lean and kiss Sofia's cheek. "My mini genius!" I whisper with a smile.

Out of nowhere, Brittany cups my cheeks and gives me a kiss on the lips.

"What was that for?" I ask, surprised. "I'm not the prodigy who said my very fist word."

"I just love co-parenting with you." She whispers, with the biggest smile.


A FEW DAYS LATER - AT THE "IN MOTION" DANCE SCHOOL

As I enter the dance school, I'm relieved to see that the recital has not yet started. I rushed here after finishing my interviews of the day. Fortunately, Tina has saved a seat for me next to her, on the front row. Quinn and Puck are also there, sitting behind us.

"So where is Sofia tonight then?" Quinn whispers.

"She's with Mercedes and Sam." I reply. "She will stay there until tomorrow as usually we get back home pretty late on recital night".

"Oh… Puckerman… before I forget..." I say, turning to him. "After what you said last time at the pub, I'm onto you. So don't you dare lay your eyes on my wife's ass, got it? And Quinn, you will make sure that he doesn't… because otherwise I will go all Lima Heights on him and he won't be able to knock you up again." I add casually as the show starts.

I smile when I see Brittany on stage with the youngest kids. She looks so happy! I don't know who's cuter: them or her… As usual, all groups are doing amazing, performing incredible choreographies on cool songs.

After an hour, Brittany and Mike come up on stage, for their usual teacher duet. Mike is very handsome in his tux but my heart skips a beat when Britt appears in a light purple dress that I have never seen before. They start performing a very elegant dance and I simply can't look away from my wife as she moves gracefully, especially when the light tissue of her dress flies around, revealing her long legs. I think this is the sexiest dress I have ever seen her in! As they finish their number, I can't help but stand up and applaud loudly.

"Well… I know what Lopez is going to do tonight…" Puck comments, with a laugh.

"Shut up, Puckerman!" I reply, even though I can't argue with what he just said.

Instead, I turn to Tina and whispers: "Jokes aside, I have got to ask you, T… Do you also feel turned on every time those two do their damn recital number? Because right now I just want to rip Brittany's clothes off!"

She laughs before adding with a wink: "Let's just say that I also know what I'm going to do tonight after the recital…"

I smile at her comment, thinking that maybe Britt and Mike should do recitals more often, it's just so fucking hot.

A few more groups perform and it's now the turn of the 16 years olds. Surprisingly, Mike and Britt also get up on stage next to them. Before they start, I see my wife taking the microphone to address the audience.

"Hi again! We hope that you're enjoying the performances so far! The next number is very special to me and Mike, that's why we will exceptionally dance with our students. But first… I need to tell you a little story… When we were in high school, Mike and I were in Glee club, that's how we met and why we pursued dancing as a profession. Without Glee club, the "In motion" dance school would simply not exist today. It's also thanks to that club that my wife Santana and I started dating and how Mike met his own wife, Tina… So as you can imagine, it had a huge impact on our lives! My wife has created a TV show that tells the story of that club and that will premiere on TV next week. So to show her our support, Mike and I have decided to redo one of our fancy Glee numbers, together with our students."

I open my eyes in disbelief. "What is this number, there is no trace of it on the programme…" I ask Tina.

"It's a surprise for you." She replies with a smile, and as I look around, I can tell that Quinn and Puck also knew about this. Traitors.

As the dancers all take their position, I hear the first notes of "Valerie" playing, followed by my own voice.

Brittany used my version of the song.


ONE WEEK LATER – AT HOME – AFTERNOON TIME

The day that I have been both looking for and dreading has arrived: the Glee pilot is airing tonight. The die is cast.

And since this morning, I am basically a nervous wreck, I keep pacing back and forth in the house. I just don't know what to do with myself…

As I'm pacing in the living room, Brittany stops me, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"What…?" I ask.

As a response, she gives me one of those long loving kisses that always make me forget where I am.

"You were driving me crazy pacing like this, it was time to stop for a minute, San." She says. "And I have some amazing news for you." She adds with a smile.

"What news?" I ask, curious, as I try to recover from that kiss.

"Look!" She says, handing me her phone.

"Holy shit!" I scream. "Beyoncé tweeted about the show? Is that real?!" I ask, excited.

"It's very real! Mercedes made that happen! She didn't want to get your hopes up as she was not sure if Beyoncé would actually do it, but she did! And… it was retweeted over 50.000 times, honey!" She adds with a smile.

God, I can't believe it! It sure helps to be friends with the opening act of Beyonce's last world tour…


LATER THAT DAY – 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE PILOT AIRS – AT HOME

Our friends arrived a little while ago to watch the pilot together. I'm sitting between Brittany and Quinn, both of them holding my hands. Artie, Puck, Tina, Mike, Mercedes and Sam are also here of course.

My phone suddenly beeps a few times.

"Right on time" Brittany comments.

"What's that?" I ask, confused by her comment. Apparently I have received a few pictures.

"A little something we planned to show you our support!" She replies.

I open the first picture which shows a selfie of Rachel, Jesse, Kurt and Blaine in Rachel's apartment. They are on the couch with the TV on behind them, clearly about to watch the pilot.

On the second picture, I can see my parents in their living room, with Britt's parents and Abuela. There is another one of Mr Schue sitting with Emma, Sue and Principal Figgins. And finally, the last one is from Naya, she's in front of the TV with the rest of the cast.

"I… I don't know what to say…" I comment, feeling touched by their unconditional support.

Brittany kisses my lips and whispers: "I know it's stressful but try to enjoy it, honey. This show only used to be an idea in your own mind but in a few minutes, it will be on TV! I'm so proud of you, no matter what happens afterwards!"

As always, my wife is right… I have made it this far and I should just enjoy it.

"San, when will you know if the show is picked up by the way?" Mercedes asks me.

"I don't know... It can actually take a few days before I hear back from the network." I reply.


A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT HOME

I'm reading the most recent texts on my phone and I can't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Brittany asks me.

"Abuela!"I reply. "She is traumatized now that she has seen how much Naya looks like me! She says that she even asked my dad if he had an illegitimate child!" I add, laughing. "I wish I was there to see the look on his face when she…" I add but all of a sudden, my phone rings and I just stop talking.

"Babe?" Brittany says, confused by my sudden silence.

"It's Lee…" I say, turning to her with wide open eyes.

My heart beats extremely fast as I pick up the phone: "Hello?"


A/N: Comments, what did you think about this chapter? Do you have any favourite part? One more remark for those who didn't read my first story: Santana wrote Mercedes' first single, "Hell to the No". Mercedes was also the opening act for Beyoncé's world tour. Santana also wrote Songbird to show her love to Brittany and that song is featured on her own album. Thanks for reading!