CHAPTER 32

A/N: Thanks to Lana66, Olivia, BrittanaAus, Buffycl, Lina Jacob2, Glassy85 and the Guest for their reviews and thanks to those who reached out on social networks. This is partially a filler chapter with a few domestic scenes but not only... Please note that it alternates again between Santana and Brittany POV. We start with Santana's, a few hours after their kiss...


LATER THAT DAY – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS'

We had dinner with the whole family but somehow I felt like I was alone with Brittany... Our kiss must have had some impact on her because even though she was being discrete, I definitely noticed all the subtle flirty looks and smiles that she threw at me. Coming to Lima really was a good decision because we have grown a lot closer over the past few days and I even feel butterflies all over my stomach, much like people get at the beginning of a new relationship. But maybe that's what it is after all…

After dinner, Brittany's parents unfortunately had to leave but the rest of us gathered in the living room to discuss. My mom showed us a lot of pictures from our teenage years and even though she couldn't remember anything, Britt was particularly interested in those old pictures of us dressed up for Halloween or for prom…

We are now watching a movie all together but Brittany fell asleep on my shoulder already a while ago and I can't stop myself from pressing my lips on her forehead every now and then. As I glance at my parents, I see that they are also snoozing on the couch. Surprisingly, Abuela is wide awake.

"Can I run a few name suggestions by you?" She suddenly asks me out of nowhere.

"Abuela… please don't…" I sigh.

"Just one, Santana. OK?"

"Fine, one." I sigh again in defeat because I know that's what's going to get me out of that conversation the quickest.

"Well… one per baby that is." She clarifies. "So that makes two."

Good lord...

"So… for Baby A… I was thinking 'Arnulfo' and…" She says.

"Ok… no." I interrupt her. "Let me stop you right there and tell you my answer for your next 50 suggestions, Abuela: No." I state in a calm but firm voice.

"Don't you interrupt your grandmother, Santana! You were raised better than that." She replies with a threatening look and it feels like I'm 8 years old all over again. But seriously, it's like she's on a mission to find the most awful names that exist! And she's lucky that Britt is asleep right now, otherwise I would not be so calm.

"And for Baby B… What do you think of 'Filemón'?" She adds.

I close my eyes and shake my head in despair. I actually wish I was the amnesiac one right now, at least I wouldn't have to remember all those terrible baby names!


ON THE NEXT MORNING – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS'

I slowly emerge from sleep and for the first time in a million years, I'm feeling well rested! That's probably because I could sleep in for once, since my parents and Abuela were taking Sofia out for breakfast this morning. As I finally open my eyes, I find Brittany watching me in bed.

"Morning…" She whispers with a smile.

"Hi…" I smile back. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Maybe…" She says with a mischievous smirk. "I have been awake for a while and… you're just so cute when you're asleep."

"And I'm not cute when I'm awake?" I pout, which makes her chuckle.

"You're definitely cute when you're awake too…" She replies, gently tucking my hair behind my ear before grazing my cheek with her thumb.

Our eyes lock and all I can think of is how much I want to kiss her right now… But I am not sure where we stand and I don't want to pressure her… It's probably best if I just go with the flow but I am definitely going to flirt back though.

But of course, before I can compliment her, someone knocks on our door.

"Girls, are you awake?" I hear Abuela say through the door.

"Yes, Abuela… we're awake." I reply.

"Are you… decent?" She asks again. "Because there is a little señorita here that keeps asking for her moms…"

I roll my eyes before replying "Yes, we're decent! You can let her in…"

As the door opens, I see Abuela covering Sofia's eyes with one hand while covering her own eyes with the other. Seriously?

"It's safe to look, Abuela!" I say in exasperation.

As soon as Abuela uncovers her eyes, Sofia runs towards us and climbs on our bed, holding some children's book in her hands.

"Ok so I leave Sofia with you, there is a cooking TV show that I don't want to miss." Abuela says, before exiting the room.

"What's this, mija?" I ask, pointing at her book. I have never seen it before.

"Nana Alma gave it to me!"

"What is the story about?" Brittany asks her.

"It's about a unicorn and a hippopa… hippopamatus."

"Hippopotamus." I correct her.

"Hippopanamus" she mispronounces again.

"You can also say 'hippo', peanut…" Brittany adds with a chuckle.

"Hippo!" our little monster repeats in an enthusiastic tone. "And there are also two boys who are brothers, Cástulo and Alvaro."

"Hold on." I say, getting increasingly suspicious because this is not a Spanish book.

"Mija… Is it Nana who told you that the little boys were called like that?" I ask.

"Sí." She replies.

I open my mouth in disbelief. So now Abuela even manipulates my own daughter to pass on baby names for the twins?! I'm going to kill her!

"Can we read it together?" Our little girl asks. "Mommy can do the voice of the unicorn and you, mama, you can do the hippomanamus!"

How typical! I get the fat disgusting hippo while Britt gets the majestic unicorn… Every single time we read a book with Sofia, the same thing happens: Brittany gets the sweet or brave characters while I systematically get the ones that are either hideous or evil.

"Why do I get the hippo and mommy gets the unicorn?" I complain.

"Because in the story, the hippo snores!" Sofia replies in a matter-of-fact way, as if that was a legitimate justification and I immediately feel offended. Even more so when I see Brittany covering her mouth with her hand to refrain a laugh.

That's a conspiracy, that's what this is.

Thanks a lot for ruining my game, kid! How am I supposed to seduce my wife now?


LATER THAT DAY – AT THE DANCE SCHOOL

When we arrived at Ms Cooper's dance school a couple of hours ago, I could tell that Britt was still very nervous because she was squeezing my hand so hard that she actually hurt me! But Ms Cooper has been her sweet usual self… She immediately teared up at the sight of Brittany's pregnant belly and just like I predicted, they have mainly talked about our kids. Ms Cooper has even taught some dance moves to a very motivated and attentive Sofia and I couldn't help but notice once more how much our little girl reminds me of Brittany. They really move in the same way, it's freaky! I am pretty sure that Sofia will be an amazing dancer some day, just like her mom…

With her benevolent smile and encouraging words, Ms Cooper has even managed to convince Brittany to practice a few dance moves with her and Sofia. I have been watching them for a while and I can't stop smiling… It's just so good to see my Britt dancing again, even though it's a simple choreography. And I really love the cute complicity they all have, especially because Brittany used to dance a lot with Sofia before the accident… Hopefully, sharing this moment today will help them to get closer…


LATER – AT BREADSTIX'

While most of the Gleeks will travel later this week, Quinn, Puck, Mike and Tina arrived in Lima a few hours ago. As Britt's parents were more than happy to babysit Sofia, we joined our friends at Breadstix' for dinner.

"When you think that at the time, Puckerman still had his horrendous mohawk!" I laugh, before taking a sip from my glass of wine.

"You were actually dating me when I had the mohawk, Lopez! So surely you must have liked it!" He replies and I immediately pretend to barf.

"We already went over this, Noah: sex is not dating!" I comment. "And even that was just a momentary lapse of judgement!"

"Actually when I think about it…" I add. "… except for Trouty mouth that I dated for like two minutes, the only one I have ever dated is my girl Britt here. And now, we're married!" I say, proudly.

"Yeah, it all worked for the best…" Puck agrees. "I don't think I could have put up with your bad temper much longer anyway… You're a saint, Brittany. I honestly don't know how you do it."

"She's actually not that bad…" Britt comments before smiling at me.


EVEN LATER – AT THE KARAOKE BAR – BRITTANY POV

After dinner, we went to the only karaoke bar you can find in Lima. Puck, Tina and Mike performed three songs together and I must say that they totally rocked the place!

Now Santana and Quinn are singing a song that they apparently performed together at our senior year's prom: "Take My Breath Away". After seeing all those videos from our show choir competitions, I already knew that Santana could sing very well but it's actually the first time that I hear her live and I'm really impressed… She already has such a sexy voice when she talks but when she sings… it really moves me to the core…

Our friends have joked a lot about her bad temper tonight and I don't know if it's because of my amnesia, but to me, she looks more like a superwoman than anything else. I even start wondering if there is anything she can't do? She's talented, she's successful and considering the recent events, she is also very strong... I am sure that she must have been really scared when I was unconscious and yet, she managed to take good care of all of us... even the twins! And once I woke up, she still took care of everything on her own and even fixed what I kept messing up… She never turned her back on me... even though there were times after the accident where I was truly horrible with her.

And after yesterday, I now can add "great kisser" to the list of her qualities… I can't even stop thinking about that kiss.

As soon as the girls finish their song, I see Quinn gesturing the others to join her on stage while Santana walks towards me.

"Would you grant me this dance, wifey?" She suddenly says, much to my surprise.

"Oh… I…" I mumble.

I really liked dancing with her yesterday but now that everyone is watching us, I feel a bit intimidated.

"The guys are going to sing a song I dedicated to you for Valentine's day many years ago… So you can't leave me hanging! That would be too cruel, Britt…" She adds with a sad pout and I just can't resist.

She leads me to the dancefloor and gently holds me in her arms as Quinn sings the first words of the song: 'Cherish is the word I use to describe'…

"Stop looking at me like that…" I whisper.

"Like what?" She asks, pretending to be innocent.

"I don't know… Like… you're undressing me with your eyes!"

"Guilty as charged…" She replies with a smirk.

"That's pretty unfair, don't you think?" I ask. "You can actually picture me naked but I can't because I don't remember how you look like under your clothes."

"Well… whenever you want to see me naked, you just got to ask, Britt…" She whispers in my ear while gently grazing the back of my neck with her fingers. "I would happily strip for you…" She adds before throwing a playful look at me.

I swallow hard at the thought and immediately feel my heart beating out of my chest. I wonder if she normally flirts like this with me? If she does, then I definitely understand why we are all over each other as Quinn said.

She smiles wide at me and just like yesterday, I feel pulled to her lips like a magnet. I don't know if I would dare to kiss her in front of everyone but… she's my wife after all, so why should I feel embarrassed? Besides, Ms Pillsbury said that I should live in the moment without overthinking things and right now, I really want those lips of hers on mine. So I decide to go for it and hold her cheek before kissing her mouth. She immediately reciprocates and deepens the kiss, her tongue grazing mine. God… that feels even better than yesterday, if that's possible… Why is it so good? Is that even normal? The longer we kiss, the more I want to keep doing it... It's like an addiction!

This time, she's the one who pulls away from our kiss and I immediately see her cute loving smile.

And that's when it strikes me.

I like her.


ON THE NEXT MORNING – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS' – SANTANA POV

While Brittany is getting Sofia ready, I'm drinking my coffee in the kitchen with my parents and Abuela. We will meet Britt's parents at the Lima Bean later this morning and spend the whole day with them.

"Gervasio." Abuela suggests.

"No." I sigh, jaded.

"Ok… then what about Hermenegildo?"

"Even if I put aside the fact that it's an atrocious name, that is way too long, Abuela!"

"Too long?"

"Yes! Can you imagine if the boy is about to do something dangerous and I have to get his attention to prevent an accident? By the time I finish saying his name, he might be dead already!" I reply.

"Fine… So I guess that I can also cross Espaminondo off the list…" She comments.

"Exactly."

Where does she even find those names?!

"Inolfo?" She asks.

"Absolutely not."

"But it's much shorter!" She argues.

"Maybe so, but it's just as ugly as the rest." I comment.

She opens her mouth to say something else but I'm quicker to react. "It's four suggestions already, Abuela, you have exceeded your quota of the day."

"I never agreed to that quota, Santana! You imposed it! Let me just share five more names…" She says.

"No, no, no…" I reply, shaking my head. "It used to be one name per kid, per day, Abuela. And now you have already doubled that for today. It's not my fault if you waste all your opportunities on horrible names!"


ON THE NEXT DAY – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS' – MORNING TIME

"Morning, pretty lady…" I whisper as I see Britt opening her eyes.

"Hi honey..." She replies with a sleepy voice, before giving me a quick kiss, catching me completely off guard. Since the accident, it's actually the first time that she calls me "honey" and kisses my lips in the morning. Her memories might have not come back but she is slowly becoming herself again…

I carefully hug her and gently run the tip of my fingers along her arm. I want to enjoy every second of this precious alone time together, especially since the Glee reunion starts later today. I already wonder how I'm going to stand Gay Berry for an entire weekend…

"Can I confess something?" She suddenly asks.

"Of course, Britt. You can tell me anything."

"I'm still nervous about this reunion… I'm not used to see them all at once, and… I'm afraid to let them down… And more importantly, I'm afraid to let you down…"

"Why do you think you would let anyone down?" I ask.

"Because I know that you're all doing this with the hope that I get my memories back… But what if I still don't remember?" She asks with worried eyes.

"You shouldn't put pressure on yourself… There is no 'obligation of results', honey. Every single person that will be at the reunion loves you and they just want to help you. And yes… of course, just like you, everyone hopes that you will eventually remember who you are and your past but… very honestly, what we want the most is for you to be comfortable around the people that are part of your life: me, our family, our friends…"

"I'm comfortable with you, San…" She replies. "I know that we are not yet as close as a married couple should be but… I feel a lot more comfortable around you now than I was a week ago and I… I feel safe with you."

"I'm glad to hear it…" I say with a smile. "But you see that even without your memories, we have managed to grow closer, Britt… And that's because we have spent some time together! You have learned more about me and our history, and… we create new memories every day!" I add, pressing my lips on hers. "And if you spend some quality time with the Gleeks, I know that you will feel a lot closer to them too."

"You're right…" She nods. "Thanks…" She adds, hugging me tighter.


LATER – AT McKINLEY – BRITTANY POV

I don't know why but Santana has insisted for us to arrive early at McKinley. We have barely entered the building that she pulls me by the hand until we finally stop in front of a bunch of lockers.

"So…" She says with a big smile. "This used to be your locker in high school. And this is also where I told you for the very first time that I loved you." She adds, proudly. "Even though you blew me off to be with Stubbles McCripple Pants…"

"What else did you expect exactly?" I ask. "You confessed your endless love for me in front of… a locker? Really, is that your idea of romance?" I tease her.

"Well… considering that you completely broke my heart, I'm kind of glad that I didn't spend my money on you that day, Pierce…" She teases back.

"I'm sorry…" I comment, suddenly serious. Because joke aside, I remember that I cried when I saw that scene on her TV show... She must have been really hurt.

"That's OK, Britt. It happened a long time ago…" She replies. "And to be honest with you, I think it was for the best. Even though I really wanted to be with you, I was not yet ready to start an official relationship with you… I would have probably fucked it up! So yes, it was a tough few months for me but… it doesn't matter now because at the end, I got the girl!" She adds with a smile.

I smile back at her, squeezing her hand. "You know…" I add. "… despite the accident and the amnesia… I think I'm really lucky…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah… I could have woken up to... a miserable existence… But I apparently have this really awesome life…" I shrug. "I have a beautiful loving wife, a sweet daughter, two healthy babies and a lot of friends who don't hesitate to jump on a flight for me…"


LATER – IN THE CHOIR ROOM

All the Gleeks are here now and I can tell that they are all very happy to be together in the same room. They are all smiles and keep hugging each other or laughing out loud…

"Guys, please take a seat…" Mr Schue suddenly says and we all sit down. Santana is sitting right next to me and she's holding my hand, which I'm grateful for because I'm still a bit nervous…

"As always… it means the world to me that you all take the time out of your busy schedules to come back here." He says. "But this weekend's reunion is particular… You're all aware of what happened to Brittany, it's obviously a difficult situation for her, and for Santana…"

"Brittany..." He addresses me. "Santana told me that you have been watching the show so I suppose that this will not come as a surprise: when one of us is in trouble… we show up." He shrugs. "And I know that your friends have already been helping you since the accident. But what we shared in our Glee club years and have continued to share ever since is truly special and I want you to experience this for yourself… We want to show you how much we love you and let you know that you can count on every single person in this room. That's why we will only sing songs that you either sang yourself or that have a special meaning to you…"

"Ok guys, let's all move to the auditorium…" He adds. "And LET THE SHOW BEGIN!"


EVEN LATER – IN THE AUDITORIUM

While our friends get up on the stage, Mr Schue invites me and Santana to take a seat.

"Girls…" Mercedes suddenly addresses us. "About six years ago, we performed this song for you to show you our support… And we thought it was the perfect way to kick off our reunion. So… Brittany, Santana… this is for you… we love you." She adds.

As soon as the music starts, Santana whispers in my ear. "The song is called What the world needs now. They sang it right after Abuela refused to attend our wedding."

"But I saw Abuela on our wedding pictures..." I say, confused.

"Yeah, fortunately she changed her mind just in time…"


LATER

After performing What the world needs now, the Gleeks announced us that they would sing Don't stop believin'. Even though Santana immediately rolled her eyes and mumbled something in Spanish, she took my hand and we joined the others on stage. I didn't sing along but she encouraged me to dance with them and even though I was a bit nervous at first, I quickly caught on once I realized that they were mainly freestyle dancing, except for a few easy moves here and there. I must admit that I enjoyed dancing with them, especially because they all made sure that I felt part of the group.

After that number, Kurt, Tina and Quinn performed Single Ladies from Beyoncé. I apparently danced on that song with Kurt and Tina in the past, but since I can't remember the moves, Quinn replaced me. They were all very impressive but... Kurt completely blew my mind away!

While everyone is busy chatting during the coffee break – or tea for me - Santana pulls me aside for a private conversation.

"You're OK, Britt?"

"Yeah…" I nod. "I feel a bit overwhelmed at times, but you were right, it's fun! And I do feel their love…"

She gives me a smile in response and kisses my cheek.

"Why am I demoted to a kiss on the cheek?" I pout in disappointment.

She chuckles at my question and captures my lips in a soft kiss. "Better?" She asks.

"Much better…" I reply.

"We actually need to change clothes for the next number, Britt…" She suddenly says. "Including you."

"Why?" I ask, surprised.

"I don't know if you have seen it on the show but… back in the days, Mr Schue dedicated an entire lesson to accepting ourselves. He made us wear custom t-shirts on which we printed a few words that were supposed to reflect our insecurities or what we were ashamed of… That was his way to encourage us to accept and even embrace those parts of ourselves…"

"Born this way…" I say, remembering the episode.

"Yes… Back then, you made me a t-shirt to help me accept my sexual orientation, which I will wear again today… even if it's no longer something I'm ashamed of. Your own old t-shirt has become irrelevant and anyway, it wouldn't fit your pregnant body… So I made a different one for you…" She adds, handing me the t-shirt.

"Amnesiac" I read out loud, looking at the shirt.

"I know that you were not born amnesiac and no one knows how long you will be but… this is who you are right now. And you shouldn't be ashamed of it, Britt… because the truth is that even without your memories, you're still the most amazing person I know and… I'm still in love with you…" She shrugs in admission.


LATER – IN THE CHOIR ROOM

After a few more numbers in the auditorium, we went back to the choir room and even had lunch there all together. That gave me the opportunity to discuss more with a few of the Gleeks, especially Rachel and Kurt, since I saw them only once before, when they visited me at the hospital.

While we were waiting for Santana and Quinn to get ready for their next number, Mr Schue even rapped because we apparently used to mock him for it… Now I understand why! It was sweet of him to embarrass himself just to trigger my memories but... it didn't work.

Finally, I see Santana and Quinn coming back into the room, both dressed in their alumni cheerios outfits.

"Britt…" Santana says, smiling at me. "As you know, you, me and Quinn go way back… You're part of our prestigious Unholy Trinity and you would normally sing and dance with us on this but… given the circumstances, Quinn and I will perform our most successful number alone, for you."

Quinn starts singing the first verses of Toxic but my focus shifts to Santana right away… I immediately notice how that skirt reveals her sexy legs and even her underwear every time she shakes her butt or turns around… I can't take my eyes off her… Why is this dance so hot…?


LATER THAT DAY – AT SANTANA'S PARENTS' – SANTANA POV

At 4:30 PM, Mr Schue told us that we would stop for the day and that we would resume the singing and dancing tomorrow. The others were going for a coffee together but I told them that we would only join them later, for dinner. I thought that it was wiser to first let Brittany nap for a couple of hours... She's growing two babies, she needs her rest…

Britt has been sleeping since we came back home and in the meanwhile, I'm helping Abuela sewing, just like when I was a kid.

"Porfirio?" She asks.

"Abuelita… please do not start again… We are having a nice moment here, let's not ruin it…" I reply.

"But why is it such a problem for you when I suggest baby names? You're my only grandchild, Santana… Unless you plan to have any more kids afterwards, the twins are the only great-grandsons I'm ever going to have. Let me be part of this!" She pleads.

"Abuela…" I sigh. "It's not just because we do not agree on baby names… I also don't want you to get too emotionally involved… because… I… I can't promise that you will be their great-grandmother…" I confess for the very first time.

She frowns and looks at me in confusion for a while. "I don't understand… they're your kids and you're my granddaughter… So… why wouldn't I be their great-grandmother?"

"Because I… I am not even sure if they will be my kids…"

"Why wouldn't they be your kids?" She asks, even more confused.

"I'm not their biological mother…" I reply. "So I have to adopt them to legally make them my children. And with Brittany's amnesia, I… It's complicated between us, Abuela… We have to rebuild our marriage… And I know that right now, it seems like we're fine because we're getting closer again but just before we came to Lima, she told me that I was a stranger and that she was not in love with me… And it's a long story, but she also thought that I didn't even want to have the twins…

So… I don't know if she will actually let me adopt them… I don't even know for sure what will happen to our marriage... There is still a long way to go to get back to what we were..." I sadly add.

The situation has improved a lot between me and Brittany lately but there is still a huge difference between exchanging a few kisses and raising children together… And I now realize that I have been enjoying all the flirting so much that I let myself be distracted from the whole parental status issue…

"What are you saying, Santana?" She asks, getting increasingly upset. "Are you telling me that Brittany could take the twins away from you?"

I don't comment because it still is very hard for me to talk about that heartbreaking scenario…

"But she was married to you when she decided to get pregnant, doesn't that give you rights over them?" She asks.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't…" I sadly reply. "I even consulted a lawyer on this, Abuela… The first thing he did was looking at the fertility clinic papers… Ironically, my name and signature are on those papers because Brittany and I launched the procedure together… But he said that this is not a proof of anything…"

"Who is this lawyer, does he even have a good reputation?" She asks. "Can't he do something to prevent this?"

"He actually has a great reputation… And he did propose a "solution" but… I didn't like it…"

"Why not?" She asks. "Santana, I know that you love Brittany but you can't let her take your babies away! This is a very serious matter, you have to do whatever it takes to keep your children! What did the lawyer propose exactly?"

I sigh. "Ok, I will tell you but… you need to know that in the first couple of weeks that followed her accident, Brittany acted really strange… There was even… an incident between her and Sofia… So I happened to mention that during my meeting with the divorce lawyer and he said that... I could go to court and use all that to convince the judge that… Brittany is an unfit mother, which could grant me the sole custody of all our children…"

"Unfit mother…?" I suddenly hear behind us and I immediately freeze, a cold sweat washing over me.

Brittany.


A/N: I know that I end the chapter on a cliffhanger but I still have to think of what will come next and reflect. And I actually struggled a lot to write this specific chapter... So could you let me know what you think about it? Any feedback? Thanks in advance for your reviews and above it all, thanks for reading!