CHAPTER 35
A/N: Thanks to BrittanaAus, Michelle, Olivia, Lina Jacob2, Buffycl, Itsskik, Jaclyne and the Guest for their reviews, and to those who contacted me on social networks. I hope you had a nice break and I wish you all a happy new year! Like most chapters, this one alternates POVs and we start with Santana's.
A FEW DAYS LATER - AT HOME
"Seriously, guys... I really appreciate your help! And your willingness to suffer the whole weekend…" I say to my friends. "As you know, we only have two days to do this while Britt and Sofia are at Mike and Tina's. So let's divide and conquer, OK?" I add. "Justin and his team are already working on the home office room, to turn it into a guestroom before my dad comes over for Christmas... otherwise I will never hear the end of it! But your job is to take care of the twins' bedrooms, alright? The paint cans and all the material you need are already in the rooms."
"So… Puck, Quinn, 'Cedes, you're Team Baby A." I add, pointing to the room.
"Trouty mouth, Naya, I need your help in Baby B's room since he's your godson… And people, keep in mind that no matter what, we need to finish painting today, so that we have enough time to assemble the cribs and other furniture by tomorrow night, got it? No one leaves until we're done!" I say.
"Chop, chop, let's go!" I add, clapping my hands.
ON THE NEXT EVENING – AT HOME
"Oh my god… San, it looks amazing!" Brittany says as she discovers the twins' rooms. "I can't believe you did all this in just a weekend! You're very efficient when you're in charge!" She adds, giving me a kiss.
"Well, I'm a natural born leader that loves torturing little soldiers so… But the guys were great! Apparently, you just need to pick them as godparents and they completely eat out of your hand!" I laugh. "But I'm glad you like it, honey… Of course, we still need to add a few decorations here and there but that's more your area of expertise, mommy, so… I'll let you pick."
"I'd love to!" She replies with a smile. "Besides, that's the least I can do! I kind of feel bad that you dealt with all this by yourself while I was just taking it easy at Mike and Tina's!"
"Well, I'm the one who sent you there, remember?" I say. "I didn't want you to be stuck in the noise and the dust… And you're growing two of my children so… I think you're doing plenty already! But now… let me show you what we did with the dance room…" I add in an excited tone, taking her hand.
"The dance room?" She asks, surprised. "What about it?"
"You'll see…" I reply with a smirk. I never told her that we would also work on the dance room because I wanted to keep it a surprise but I'm sure she's going to love it! Now that it has mirrors and speakers, my dance goddess finally has all she needs.
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT PARAMOUNT
"I have a couple of ideas, for the rest of the season…" I tell Quinn. "I think we should do a disco episode…"
"A disco episode?" She repeats. "San… I know that Mr Schue made us sing and dance on disco music in high school but… that's going to cost a lot of money! I already worry about Lee's reaction once you tell him about the Michael Jackson tribute…"
"What about the MJ episode?" I ask. "People are going to love it!"
"Maybe so… but the costumes alone cost a fortune, and then you have the location shooting… And we need to bring back all the Warblers…"
"So? It's a musical TV show, Q! It's our job to offer something artistically stimulating, otherwise what's the point?"
"I agree but you know Lee… He always tells us to stay within budget."
"And he also says that we have to maintain and even increase the ratings!" I argue. "How can we do that if we don't propose mind-blowing musical numbers?"
"I just don't think he will give you the money, San…"
"Well, we won't know for sure unless we ask… So here is what we're going to do: can you put a rough estimate together? I will ask Lee for a meeting and… hopefully I can convince him…" I say.
LATER THAT DAY - AT HOME
I get home from work around 6:00 PM and the house is suspiciously quiet. Usually, my little monster immediately runs towards me to tell me all about her day. And normally, my lovely wife is right behind, to greet me with a kiss. But right now, I'm completely alone in the hall… Where are my girls?
"Britt?" I shout while taking off my shoes.
"Living room!" I hear.
As I enter the room, I see Brittany sitting on the couch but there is no trace of our daughter. "Hi honey!" I say. "Where is Sofia?"
"In her room, she's grounded." She replies and I open my eyes in surprise.
"Why? What did she do?" I ask.
"Can you sit down, Santana?" She says in a serious tone, crossing her arms.
Santana? What did I even do?! And where is my kiss...?
"Um… Am I in trouble here?" I ask, taking a seat.
"You tell me…" She replies and I get even more confused.
"When I picked up Sofia at daycare…" She says. "… Ms Carter informed me that our daughter pushed another kid. Apparently, she also screamed 'Imma go all Lima Heights' before doing it." Brittany adds, looking at me in the eye.
So now it's going to be my fault just because Sofia reused my words?
"Ok… well… did the other kid provoke her?" I ask.
"So not the point, Santana."
Wow OK, she called me Santana twice within 5 minutes… I was hoping for some sexy times tonight but I guess that's off the table now…
"You know I don't want my children to be violent with other kids!" She says, angry. "Or anyone for that matter. And clearly, she has picked that up from you!"
"Hold on! What did she pick up from me exactly?" I say, offended. "I didn't tell her to go push a kid, Britt!"
"Really, are you sure about that? Because when I questioned her, she said – and I quote - 'mama showed me some 'sef-defess' moves'. Would you care to explain?"
Thanks for throwing me under the bus, kid…
"Ok look…" I say. "The other day, Sofia told me that one of the bigger boys at daycare was mean towards the smaller kids… and she was afraid that he would eventually pick on her too… So she asked me what to do if that happened… and yes, I showed her some moves but I made it clear that it was just to defend herself! I told her that it's never OK to start a fight by herself, which I only said because of you by the way! Because personally, I have no problem with starting a fight with jerks! But I'm sure she didn't start this!"
"And when were you going to tell me about that exactly?" She asks.
"I don't know! Never?" I shrug. "Sofia specifically asked me to not tell you, Britt! Because she knew you would be mad. And I knew that too so…"
"Of course I'm mad!" She replies. "But she's my daughter too, you're supposed to tell me these things!" She protests.
"Oh come on, Britt… As if you and Sofia didn't have your own secrets!" I argue. "She's smart, she knows that for some things, it's better to come to me and for others, it's better to come to you! Every kid on the planet does that with their parents!"
"But we are supposed to speak with one voice, Santana! If you tell her the opposite of what I say, she's going to get confused! You have to back me up here!"
"I'm sorry but I can't back you up in this specific situation, Brittany… because I don't agree with you! Life isn't all rainbows and unicorns! Especially when you're a kid with two moms! There are bad people out there and mean kids too, and you can't let them walk all over you! Did you even ask her why she pushed that kid?"
"She said that he was annoying Charlotte…"
"See? She stood up for her best friend against a bully! I'm sorry but she didn't do anything wrong! If anyone should be in trouble, it's that boy, not her!"
"And what message does that send, San? The boy fell and hurt his knee because of her! What are we going to tell his parents?"
"Oh boohoo, he has a scratch on his knee! Call 911!" I comment sarcastically. "I'll tell you what we're going to do! If his parents dare to complain, I will simply tell them the truth: their son is a bully and a coward that picks on little kids! And I will also tell Ms Carter to do her damn job, I already warned her about that kid days ago! Where was she when this happened?" I say, raising my arms.
"And think about it, Britt! If Sofia had not intervened, Charlotte would have been the one to get hurt. And maybe our little girl would have been too!" I say. "I am actually proud that she can handle such situations on her own, that's even more important now that she's going to have two little brothers to look out for! Let me tell you that in Lima Heights, you risked way worse than a simple scratch on a knee! That's why Melissa and I learned how to defend ourselves because…"
"Don't you bring Melissa into this!" She suddenly cuts me off, raising her voice. "This has nothing to do with her!"
Her reaction takes me aback for a moment. I know she's mad but maybe I have underestimated her anger level… She looks unusually pissed tonight, is it her hormones?
"We need to talk to Sofia together…" She says. "But we don't even agree on what to tell her so… what do we do now?"
"We were bound to disagree on the education of our kids at some point, Britt…" I sigh. After all, Brittany and I are very different people...
"OK look…" I add. "You always say that Sofia is a mix of you and me so… how about we go for a mixed approach?" I suggest. "We tell her again that she can't ever start a fight on her own and… if someone bullies her, she should first use her words, and only use self-defense as a last resort, when someone is in danger… And we insist that no matter what, she should always inform her teacher and… both of us."
"Fine…" she sighs in defeat. "Let's go talk to her then… but you better stick to that exact version, San."
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER - AT HOME - BRITTANY POV
I'm sitting on the couch, reviewing our list of baby names for the thousandth time while Santana is working on her scripts.
"Well… I officially give up for today…" I suddenly say. "Baby B might remain nameless forever because I still hesitate between the same three names!"
"I know…" Santana sighs. "I also keep thinking about it but I don't have a preference, all those names are equally great! I even ran them by Mel last night and…"
"You what?" I cut her off, offended.
"I huh…" She says, obviously confused by my reaction. "I just thought it could help us to have someone else's opinion…"
"I thought we agreed to keep the names secret until the boys are born, Santana!" I object. "And you went on telling Melissa? What if she repeats the names to our parents?"
"She's not going to tell anyone, Britt… I told her it was confidential! I trust her!" She shrugs.
Well, I sure as hell don't trust that woman.
"She actually made some good points…" She adds. "And her favorite name was…"
"I don't care about her opinion!" I interrupt her again, getting angrier by the minute. "What we name our children is not her business, don't you think it's a decision you should make with your wife rather than your friend?"
"Ok… let's chill for a second…" She replies. "I didn't decide anything with Mel, Brittany… I just asked for her opinion, out of curiosity! Of course this is a decision that you and I will make together, that goes without saying…"
Why did she have to ask Mel of all people? I would rather ask our mailman than her!
"Are you sure you're OK, honey?" She adds. "I'm a little worried about you… You've been quite on edge lately… Is it because of your hormones or is it just getting too long? I know that the last few weeks can be particularly difficult, I remember that at the end of my pregnancy, I was also getting…"
"I'm fine." I cut her off. "Unlike you, I actually love being pregnant and I'm more patient than you will ever be so…"
But when I see the surprised look on her face, I immediately regret what I just said.
"I'm sorry…" I whisper. "I didn't mean to sound so bitchy… It's just that…" I sigh. "… there are some things that I really would like to keep only between you and me, OK?"
"OK…" She nods. "I'm sorry too… I shouldn't have told Melissa…" She adds, hugging me.
ON THE NEXT EVENING – SANTANA POV
I'm making dinner in the kitchen when I hear Brittany coming back from the dance school and I immediately feel relieved. Thank God, she made it home safely… Even if she's extra careful and I made sure that her new car was equipped with the highest safety standards, I'm still very nervous when she drives by herself.
"I just saw the bouquet in the living room..." She says as she enters the kitchen. "You bought me flowers?"
"I did…" I reply with a smile. "Do you like them?"
"Of course, I do! They're beautiful, honey! But… are we celebrating something?" She asks, confused.
"I just thought that with the babies coming soon, it would be nice to spend some time just the two of us…" I reply. "So I kind of planned a romantic date night at home, to pamper my lady…"
"I love that idea!" She says with the biggest smile, which I immediately return.
I really think that Britt and I could use some time alone, because we haven't really had any since the accident… Either we were fighting or there were too many people around. Besides, she really needs to relax a little…
"So what do you have in mind?" She asks, curious.
"Well… Sofia is staying with Mercedes and Sam until tomorrow, so the night is ours." I say. "I was thinking of a nice romantic dinner at candle light… I'm even making your favorite! And then, it's up to you… We can either play games since you love that or I can set up the projector to watch a movie… and we see where the night takes us?"
"It sounds perfect…" She replies. "But I already know where I want the night to take us…" She whispers before pressing her lips on mine.
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT PARAMOUNT – BRITTANY POV
I spent the morning shopping for clothes because nothing fits anymore! I still have one month to go and yet I'm already much bigger than Santana was at full term! But at least, I found what I needed and since I was in the area, I decided to drop by Paramount to see if Santana would have time to go out for lunch. But Quinn said that she was in an important meeting with Lee so she invited me to stay with her in the meanwhile. We have been talking for half an hour already but there is still no sign of Santana.
"I'm sorry it's taking so long, Britt…" Quinn says.
"That's alright, I can wait… Actually, Quinn, since it's just the two of us… can I talk to you about something? In full confidence…? And by full confidence, I mean not a word to San?"
"Of course, Britt!"
"Thanks… So… you know Melissa, right?" I ask.
"Santana's childhood friend? I know who she is but I don't really know her… I just met her briefly in Lima that one time… And I've had her a few times on the phone since then, but that's it."
"You had her on the phone? How come?" I ask, surprised.
"Well, you know that I sometimes filter Santana's calls when she needs to focus, right? So I picked up a few of Melissa's calls."
I didn't even know that Melissa also called San during the day! As if she didn't call her enough at night already! That woman is really invasive!
"But why do you ask?" Quinn says.
"I can't stand her!" I suddenly say in frustration. That's not exactly what I meant to tell Quinn but this phone calls business upset me.
"Um… OK…" She comments, confused. "I don't think I have ever heard you say that you can't stand someone…" She adds. "Why don't you like her, is she going after San?"
"No, I… Well… I don't know actually!" I reply.
"Does she like women?" She asks.
"I don't know…" I shrug. "Apparently, she had a serious relationship that ended recently and it was a bad break-up but I don't know if she was with a man or a woman! I am not even sure that Santana knows because she said that Melissa doesn't like to talk about it… But anyway, it doesn't matter whether she's straight or not because I'm pretty sure she would go gay for Santana!"
"Even if it's the case, I wouldn't worry, Britt…" Quinn says. "Honestly, I don't think that San even notices other women than you!"
"She definitely notices Melissa, trust me." I reply. "And that's not just Santana, it's her whole family! As soon as Mel visits or calls, that woman becomes the center of attention and that's because she does everything to be just that! She never shuts up, she just tells joke after joke as if she was a stand-up comedian, and has a million of childhood anecdotes… And can you believe that before San ran into her in Lima, I had never heard of Melissa? We have been together for 11 years and she never talked about her childhood friend?! Isn't that weird?"
"Well… they had completely lost touch with each other, so maybe it's not so surprising…" Quinn replies. "And I guess that Santana is just happy to finally reconnect with her friend after so many years…"
"I don't know... I normally don't worry easily but... I keep seeing red flags, Q! And I do feel threatened... She's the original!"
"The original…?" She asks.
"The original best friend…" I say, in a sad tone. "They were really close when they were younger... They were always together, ever since they were two years old! And when I hear all their stories, it feels like Santana had nothing but fun with her! Even now, you should see how often San laughs whenever she speaks to Mel… I don't know anyone else that makes her laugh like that!" I add. "And they have so much in common... They both grew up in Lima Heights, in a religious family, and they both have that same badass attitude…" I add, thinking that if Santana and Mel had kids together, they would probably not disagree on their education, unlike San and me. "And what am I next to that? I'm just a shy, quiet woman that is against violence… It's hard not to feel like a consolation prize…"
"A consolation prize?" She repeats, surprised. "Knowing how much Santana worships you, that seems highly unlikely, Britt! Why would you even think that?"
"Because I can't stop thinking that if Melissa had not left, San would have never picked me… I'm not even sure she would have paid attention to me at all! She would have fallen for badass fun Melissa who would probably be the wife by now!" I reply, realizing how different my life would be if that happened... I would not know what true love is… and my children would not even exist.
"But you can't know that for sure!" She replies. "To be honest, I don't think that Santana would fall for someone that is so… similar to herself. She went for you because you're basically her opposite and that's exactly what she needed! Do you even realize that you make 'grumpy Santana Lopez' happy? That's what I call a miracle! And you're driving yourself crazy over something hypothetical that didn't even happen, Britt... It's too late for Mel anyway because Santana is in love with you! You're her best friend now, and her wife... and her kids' mom! Talk about history!"
"Maybe you're right…" I say, wondering if I'm overreacting. After everything that happened in the last two years - the baby fight, the accident, the amnesia - have I become more insecure? But I can't shake off the feeling that Mel is competing with me over Santana... And I don't know if we are just competing for the best friend part or for more than that...
Her phone suddenly rings, interrupting our conversation. "Well, talking about the devil, it's your wife…" She says, checking the screen. "I guess she's done with her meeting! Let me pick up… Hi San!"
"So what did Lee say?" I hear Quinn asking over the phone. "I see…" She sighs. "I'm really sorry, San… even though I expected it! We can discuss this afternoon if you want and see if we can come up with an alternative? But in the meanwhile, I know what will cheer you up! Britt is in my office right now! Yeah… She was in the area! Can you join us? Ok… See you!" She adds, hanging up the phone.
"You should have heard how her voice went from depressed to happy as soon as I said your name… I'm pretty sure she's going to run here!" She laughs.
Quinn has barely said that that Santana knocks and opens the door.
"Hi honey!" She says, looking at me with a big smile before kissing my lips. "I'm so glad to see you…" She adds, sitting next to me and taking my hand in hers.
"I heard you're having a bad day?" I ask and she immediately nods.
"Lee is such a jackass, really…" She replies before turning to Quinn. "Can you believe that he actually admitted that ambitious musical numbers would boost the ratings but he still refuses to increase the budget?"
"Did you tell him that without that extra budget, we simply can't do 'ambitious musical numbers'?" Quinn asks.
"Of course, I told him! I even detailed the estimates and I spoke like a businesswoman, arguing that it's a worthy investment considering the profit he would make… but he shut me down! He even said that my role is to make him rich and certainly not to come to the network for more money!" She adds while Quinn shakes her head.
"So… I guess that we can forget about the MJ and disco episodes…" Quinn says.
"I guess so…" Santana sighs in defeat while I rub her back to comfort her.
"Oh I'm sorry, girls but I have to run…" Quinn suddenly says, checking her watch. "I'm meeting Puck for lunch... San, I'll come find you this afternoon, to discuss the rest of the season, OK?" She says, grabbing her jacket. "It was great to see you, Britt! Let's continue our conversation another time…" She adds, before exiting the office.
"So… do you have time for lunch with your wife?" I ask Santana.
"Yeah, I do…" She replies with a small smile but I can tell that she's bummed by her meeting with Lee. "Where do you want to go, honey?" She asks.
"Well… How about we order and have the food delivered in your office? That way we can even make out a little while we wait?" I suggest.
"I like how you think, Ms Lopez-Pierce…" She says, this time with a much bigger smile.
LATER – AT PARAMOUNT
"It's just that… you know how angry it makes me when I cannot run my show the way I want…" Santana says as we're having lunch in her office. "I'm sick of being limited by Lee and the network guys, it's so frustrating! And that's the story of my life, really!" She adds. "You can't have the solo, Santana because Berry is the star! You can't marry a girl, Santana because girls marry boys! You can't show two high school girls kissing on screen because it will upset the audience, Santana! You can't turn the damn guestroom into a bedroom for your son because your house is too small, Santana!"
"I know, honey but… you always find a way to do exactly what you want anyway!" I reply. "You did get solos, and not just in Glee club, you also got solos when we went on tour with Mercedes… You did marry a woman, and no matter what your dad says, we still live in our house and our son will have his own bedroom!" I add. "You even managed to show a lesbian romance on Glee and now it has a huge fan base… I'm sure there is also a solution for those big musical numbers that you want to do."
"Maybe there is but I'm so tired of fighting, Britt… Did you see how far I had to go to get the lesbian storyline on Glee? And what I want to do this time is not even controversial! And yet, I can't do it because I'm not the producer! Lee is always going to have the last word because he's the one with the money!"
"Could you go to another investor, someone that is not from the network?" I suggest. "Is that allowed?"
"Yes, actually it's allowed… That's even what Lee said, in his usual condescending tone: If you find an idiot that agrees to pay for this from their own pocket, you can have your episodes."
"Well, if it's not restricted to the network… why don't you produce it yourself?" I ask. "Do we have the money that you need?"
"Well, yeah we do… and I have actually thought about it…" She says. "But it's still a lot of money, Britt… The TV world is crazy expensive! I can't use all that just for Glee! Even Lee who only thinks about profit doesn't want to risk it."
"But that's not a risky investment, is it?" I argue. "Glee is a successful show that has a stable audience…"
"Yes but investing is always a gamble…" She replies. "If it was just the two of us, I would go for it but… we have kids, I have to be responsible here…"
ONE WEEK LATER – AT HOME – SANTANA POV
I'm sitting at the piano, writing yet another song… I still can't believe it but I have composed more songs in the last few weeks than I have in my entire life! Not only did I manage to write a few pieces for Naya but I even started to write some songs for myself… I'm not in a rush to release a second album but… if there is one thing I have learned is that inspiration works in mysterious ways… you never know when it comes and when it goes… So I have decided to write as many songs as I can while I'm inspired and I will go from there…
I'm so focused that I don't hear my little monster entering the room and I startle when she addresses me out of nowhere. "Mama! Can I ask you something?"
How typical… I spent two hours playing with her earlier, during which she had plenty of opportunities to ask me whatever she wanted to ask but no…. of course, she has to do so when I'm in the zone…
"Can you ask mommy, mija? I'm a little busy right now…"
"I asked mommy but she said that I should ask you!"
Of course. Thanks a lot, wifey…
"Fine…" I sigh. "What is it?"
"Can we have a dog?" She asks.
God… Why do they all want to add more living creatures to this family? When it's not my wife that wants more kids, it's my daughter that wants pets?
"I don't know, mija…" I reply. "A dog is a lot of work, you know… You have to walk it and you have to train it… It destroys everything and when it barks, it can disturb the neighbours! And if we go on vacation somewhere, we will have to find people to take care of it while we're gone…"
"Please, mama… I really, really want a puppy! They're so cute! And… I could walk it… and train it too!" She says, excited.
Yeah… all that would be great if she could actually walk the dog by herself but that's not really possible when you're just 3 years old! I will have to be the one walking the kid that walks the dog! And Sofia won't be the one cleaning up after the dog either!
"What did mommy say exactly?" I ask her.
"She said that… if you said yes, she would say yes too."
Great, so now I will end up being the mean mom…
"You don't need a dog, mija… You're going to have two little brothers soon…" I reply. "Trust me, it will be like having pets!"
"Santana!" I suddenly hear behind me. Yeah… of course, Britt has to walk in at the exact time I say this…! That's just my luck...
"What?" I say innocently, looking at Brittany. "Isn't it true? Last time I checked, a baby does the exact same things as a dog: eat, sleep and poop!" I add as my wife rolls her eyes.
"Besides, you don't even need to walk babies…" I tell Sofia. "Because it takes them forever to even learn how to walk anyway! But more importantly… as their big sister, you get to boss them around! How cool is that?"
"San…" Brittany sighs. "Can you please stop corrupting her innocent mind with your evil thoughts?"
"You're the one that wanted to give her siblings, Britt! What do you expect exactly? She's going to torture them, like all eldest children do!"
"What if the twins also want a puppy?" Sofia suddenly asks, clearly not letting go.
"What if they don't?" I reply, following the same logic.
"I asked them and they said that they wanted one." She says.
"You asked them?" I repeat, crossing my arms. "How?"
"I called them on the phone!" She replies in a matter-of-fact way and I'm so stunned that I just turn to Brittany who is trying really hard not to laugh.
"Oh so they have a phone in mommy's belly?" I ask, trying to play along.
"Yes!" She replies as if I was silly for even asking such a dumb question. "And they also have a TV and toys… and a pool!"
I didn't know that Brittany's womb had all the commodities! It's like a 4 stars hotel…
"So let me get this straight…" I say. "You 'called' your unborn brothers and even though they have absolutely no idea what a puppy is, they told you that they wanted one?"
"Yes, they did!" She confirms, not even ashamed of lying to my face. And then Britt says I'm the evil one, really?
"When did you call them?" I ask.
"Yesterday…" my daughter immediately replies. Does she have an answer to everything?
"Mmhh it's strange because I called your brothers this morning, and they told me that they prefer to have teddy bears rather than puppies…" I reply. Two can play this game after all!
My little girl frowns at me as soon as she understands that I have outsmarted her.
"Estás mintiendo!" Sofia replies in a very upset tone.
Oh really I am lying but she's not?!
"I will call them again and you will see that they want a puppy too!" She adds in a determined voice before running out of the room, leaving me alone to face my wife's disapproving look.
"Don't you look at me like that!" I tell Britt. "This is all your fault!"
"How is that my fault?" She asks.
"Go ask mama, really? How about next time you say something like 'I don't know, peanut… I will discuss it with mama and we will see…'? At least we could have told her no together, now you basically set me up as the bad cop!"
"I was just hoping that if she was the one asking you, you wouldn't be able to resist and you would say yes… That's all." She says.
"Oh my god… You want a dog too?!" I say, frowning.
"Well… yeah! I think it would be good for our kids to have a pet… I really loved having Lord Tubbington around when I was growing up!" She says. "And I know that you don't like cats… but your daughter wants a dog anyway so… could you at least consider it?"
"Fine, let me consider it." I say, pausing for two seconds, pretending to think about it. "No." I add.
"San…" She sighs.
"No! Brittany... the twins will be here soon, we'll already have a full house! I don't want a damn dog thrown in the mix!"
"Fine… but just so you know… I just called the twins and they also told me that they wanted a dog!" She says while I roll my eyes.
"Why you two always team up against me?" I ask.
"Because you always say no to everything, honey…" She replies.
"That's not true! I say yes to plenty of things…"
"Like what exactly?"
"I don't know… Like sex for instance! Go ahead, ask me!" I challenge her.
"Maybe if you say yes to having a dog, I will ask you that…" She says before walking out of the room.
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT HOME
I'm watching TV in the living room while Brittany is reading some documents next to me.
"You know, San…" She suddenly says, catching my attention. "I keep thinking about your big Glee musical numbers…" She adds. "And I really think you should produce those episodes yourself…"
"But we already talked about this, honey… " I sigh. "Even if the network pays for a normal episode and I invest just enough to cover the extra costs, it's still too much money…"
"But I have been looking at the numbers… and we can get by, San." She replies. "Why don't you just focus on the MJ episode for now and see how much you get back from it? If it's a success, you can reinvest that profit into the disco episode."
"But even if I finance just one episode, I don't want to risk that money when there is so much we could do with it for our family…"
"What if you use this funding instead then?" She asks, handing me a document.
"The dance fund?" I ask, frowning. "No, Brittany, I'm not touching that… It's money we put aside to renovate your dance school!"
"But you're the one that earned that money, San… from Glee! And it was very generous of you to keep it for my school but… we're doing just fine over there, there is no urgency in renovating it... You need that money more than I do!"
"And you have put so much energy into Glee, honey…" She adds. "You should be free to do what you want with your show! If you become a producer, it will not take any more of your time but at least, you will have Lee off your back! And if it works out, you will actually make more money than now… So you will be able to take care of our family or invest in my dance school if that's what you really want…"
I shake my head in silence, not knowing what to say. How can I even argue with her genius mind?
"What are you thinking about?" She asks.
"Honestly? I'm thinking that I married well…" I reply.
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT HOME
I had a long day but at least it's ending with my wife kissing me in bed and I'm definitely into it… I never have enough of that… especially when it's slow and tender like this…
"San…" Britt suddenly whispers against my lips.
"Mmhh…" I mumble, kissing her back immediately. I don't want to talk right now, I want more of this…
"About the dog that Sofia wants…" She says, pulling away from my lips.
"Is this what you're thinking about when you're kissing me?" I ask, offended. "Kids and dogs?"
"No, I was also thinking that you're very sexy…" She says with a wink but that doesn't convince me.
"Ok, look…" I say, frustrated. "If you really want the kids to have a pet, why don't we offer them a hamster? At least, it's low maintenance and it doesn't live long so it won't bother me for 10 to 15 years!" I add, raising my arms.
"Well… aren't we grumpy…" She comments before kissing me again.
After a few minutes of making out, I have completely forgotten about this whole dog thing but of course, she pulls away again.
"It's just that Sofia plans to ask Santa for a puppy…" She says.
"Well, we'll just say that Santa tried but all the good dogs were already reserved or something…" I reply, trying to kiss her again but she stops me.
"San…"
"Brittany…" I sigh again in frustration. "Can we please at least wait until our boys are here and they sleep through the night before even discussing dogs?" I ask.
"Ok… yeah, you're right... Let's revisit that then…" She says but my relief is immediately followed by despair once I realize that I basically offered to rediscuss this dog nonsense instead of shutting it down!
I'm pulled out of my thoughts when my phone suddenly beeps.
"Oh, I have a text from Melissa!" I say, excited. But before I can read her message, Birttany takes the phone from my hands and puts it on her nightstand.
"But Britt... I haven't..." I protest but she presses her lips on mine and I quickly get lost into the kiss.
A FEW DAYS LATER – AT THE DANCE SCHOOL – CHRISTMAS RECITAL
The recital is about to start and I'm really excited even though my Britt won't dance this time… That's kind of impossible when you're pregnant with twins, even more when you're just two weeks away from the due date… But I'm glad that she's still part of the event, as mistress of ceremony. As usual, I'm sitting on the front row with Tina but Quinn, Puck, Mercedes and Sam are also there.
After a few minutes, Mike and Brittany get on the stage, ready to present tonight's program and I can't help but smile. Even pregnant, Britt still manages to be the most elegantly dressed and the most beautiful woman in this whole room.
"Wow Lopez, are you sure that your woman is only carrying two babies?" Puck suddenly says. "Aren't you worried that she might pop on stage?"
"Shut it, Puckerman!" I reply. "Can you talk about my pregnant wife in an even more disrespectful way? Don't you dare saying that in front of her, I'm warning you!"
But if I'm being completely honest, I am worried. Doctor Montgomery warned us that because it's twins, Brittany can give birth any day now…
We watch a bunch of dance numbers, some that were taught by Boy Chang, others by Kate, the girl who took over Britt's classes when she stopped teaching. She seems pretty good but… it's clear that she's no Brittany! At least, my dance goddess can teach our daughter at home.
After an hour of recital, Brittany comes back on stage.
"As you know, it's tradition that Mike and I perform a little number of our own during each recital but I'm afraid I can't do that this time…" She chuckles. "Fortunately, someone very special agreed to step in for me… So without further ado, please welcome Mike and… my 3-year-old daughter, Sofia!"
"Seriously, Satan? My goddaughter is performing for the first time and you didn't even tell me?" Mercedes says, slapping my shoulder from behind while my little girl makes her big entrance, holding her Uncle Mike's hand.
"Ouch! Britt wanted to keep it a surprise!" I object. "And I don't even know what they're going to do… Brittany kicked me out of the dance room every time I tried to spy on them…"
"They did the same to me when they rehearsed at our house…" Tina adds.
They haven't started yet but Sofia looks so adorable that I feel like my heart is going to burst out of love.
"Q, you're ready?" I whisper.
"Yep, on it!" She whispers back, ready to film the performance.
As soon as Sofia and Mike start dancing together, my jaw drops to the floor… I know that my baby girl likes to dance, I've seen her shaking her little butt for fun but I had no idea that she was capable of doing all that! I don't even think I could pull off moves like these… But I should have known that she would be impressive, she has private lessons with Britt after all!
The longer they dance, the more I'm in awe… My pride is growing by the second!
"Oh my god, she's so good!" Tina comments enthusiastically.
"Right?" I say, still trying to process what I'm seeing.
As soon as they finish their number, they get a standing ovation but there is no doubt that my friends and I are the loudest clowns in the audience! I watch Mike taking Sofia in his arms as she waves to the crowd. Goddamn, stop being so cute!
Brittany joins them to give her a big kiss before pointing to me. I immediately wave like a lunatic, getting even more excited once my baby waves back at me.
"I don't mean to brag… Well actually, I do…" I say, turning to my friends. "Because I made that mini-genius! That's right! I made her!"
"I think we might have witnessed the greatest moment in show-business history!" Quinn says, shaking her head in disbelief.
"That was insane!" Puck adds. "It was like… watching a tiny dancing clone of Brittany…"
"I don't know why you're all so surprised!" Mercedes said. "Have you seen her parents? Her uncles and her aunts? Of course, that baby girl is talented!"
"Thank you very much for your enthusiasm!" Brittany suddenly says into the microphone. "But I must confess that we had an ulterior motive behind my daughter's performance tonight… We wanted to show you that even when they're three, kids can develop coordination skills and learn how to dance… That's why, starting as from next summer, the admission age will be lowered to 3 years old…" She adds, under applause.
"Well… As soon as Alex turns 3, I'm signing him up!" Tina says.
When Brittany announces the next dance number, I take the opportunity to run backstage because I really want to see my girls.
I look around and call Sofia's name once I see her. As soon as she spots me, she runs and throws herself into my arms.
"You were so GREAT, mija! I'm the proudest mama on earth!"
"Mmmh I don't know about that…" I suddenly hear Britt say behind me. "You might have to compete with me for the title of the proudest mother…"
"Well… one thing for sure is that I'm the proudest wife!" I add, giving her a kiss. "It's amazing what you did with her, I still can't believe it!"
"Actually, I didn't do much… Our peanut did all the work! She's better than I ever was!" She adds and Sofia lets out a shy giggle. God, she's really the cutest!
"Did you like dancing with Uncle Mike, mija? "I ask.
"Yes!" She replies with a big smile. "It was fun! I want to do it again!"
I smile big, thinking that some day soon, I will probably watch Brittany and Sofia performing together… If I survive so much cuteness…
A FEW DAYS LATER - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
"San…" I hear from afar. I know I'm asleep, so is this in my dream or in reality? I can't tell.
"San…" I hear again, feeling someone shaking my arm.
"Mmhh…" I mumble in complaint, I'm so sleepy.
"Wake up, honey…"
That's definitely Brittany's voice.
"What is it, babe…" I mumble again.
"I… I think I'm in labour…" She says and I instantly wake up! I'm so excited that in my rush to sit up, I inadvertently fall from our bed.
"Ouch! God…"
"San, oh my God, are you OK?" Britt asks in a worried tone.
"I'm fine, I'm fine…" I say, getting back up. "What about you, honey? Are you sure you're in labour? Do you have contractions? How far apart are they? Does it hurt?" I ask, placing my hand on her arm.
"Too many questions, San…" She says… "Ow… I… I woke up around 20 minutes ago because I felt pain… and yes, I have contractions… every 5 minutes or so…"
"OK… OK…" I say. "Well, um… let's get ready then…" I say in my most reassuring voice but I'm completely freaking out inside! I need to get it together or at least I need to look like I have it together…
"I'll get you some clothes…" I add, opening the wardrobe to take the outfit we picked for this exact moment, because it was easy to put on and to take off… "Do you need help to get dressed?" I ask.
"No… I got it…" She says. While she gets dressed, I put on whatever clothes I can find, I'm not even sure they match together but I don't care.
"I'm going to get Sofia and call Quinn to tell her that we're on our way to her house, OK? Deep breaths honey, I'll be back real soon…" I add, pressing my lips on her forehead.
"OK…" She nods, her hands supporting her belly.
I literally run to Sofia's bedroom. "Mija…" I say, gently shaking her. "You have to wake up, the babies are coming…" I add and she wakes up even faster than I did.
"Really?" She asks in excitement. "I'm finally going to see them?"
"Yes, you will, baby girl but… First I have to go to the hospital with mommy, so remember what we told you the other day? We're going to drop you off at Uncle Puck and Auntie Quinnie's and they will bring you to the hospital once the babies are there. But it's really important that we leave now, mija!"
She nods, and I help her put on her socks and shoes, there is no point in dressing her because she's going to go straight to bed at Puck and Quinn's anyway! Fortunately I brought them a few clothes and toys for Sofia weeks ago.
"Britt, how you're doing, honey?" I shout while holding Sofia's hand and my phone in the other hand.
"I'm… OK…" She replies. "Still 5 minutes…"
"OK I'll be right there!" I reply while I wait for Quinn to pick up. "Q! It's happening, Britt is in labour! We'll leave the house soon and I'll drop Sofia off, OK? Yeah… Ok, thanks, see you soon!" I say before hanging up.
"OK mija, wait right here…" I add, instructing her to stay in the hall, while I go check on Brittany.
"You're ready to go, Britt?" I ask, looking into her blue eyes.
"Yeah…" She nods.
"Ok…" I smile and quickly press my lips on hers before helping her getting up. "Let's go get our babies then!"
A/N: What did you think of this chapter? Thoughts on Santana becoming a producer? What do you think Melissa's deal is? Is Britt overreacting or does she have legitimate worries? Did you enjoy the domestic scenes between the girls or with Sofia?
Obviously, we'll meet the twins in the next chapter! Please, please review, because feedbacks are everything for an author! Everything! Thanks and take care!
