Being 'grounded' at the moment inspired two of these one shots, this one being for my 'What If' story line. It will remain a one shot unless further inspired.
New York
Lopez-Pierce Loft
Shuffling into their bedroom Santana found Brittany exactly how she'd left her after breakfast, leaned against the headboard on her lap top working, "How's it going sweetie?" Santana climbed on their bed crawling over to Brittany, peaking over Brittany's shoulder she saw the blonde was editing 'Fondue for Two'.
"Almost finished." Brittany answered reaching over she tugged the Latina closer. "What about you? Did you record your new song?" Brittany kept her face tilted until Santana kissed her cheek.
"I did, I was able to mix Wheezy's with mine and sent her a copy, it's a weird ass way to record a duet." Santana snuggled closer resting her head on Brittany's shoulder. "Sam went shopping and the kids are on their last lessons of the day, well most of them."
Brittany laughed "Brighton."
"Yep," Santana nodded "Bella and Beth are reading, Dameon and Georgie are tracing their letters and Brighton is arguing with Abulea."
"I still can't believe she moved up here to help us out." Brittany shook her head, Santana easily avoided the messy bun, she knew it meant Brittany was going to dance, she'd been recording videos for her students to practice. "I mean she hated the fact you were gay and then flipped out when you were pregnant."
"I love that she no longer flinches when we kiss or hold hands." Santana smiled. "She loves you and says you're perfect for me. Sue is evil, but that woman has a heart too."
"She's my good luck charm." Brittany beamed, reaching up she brushed her knuckles against Santana's cheek. "It's thanks to her we met and it's thanks to her Abulea's back in your life."
"I'm glad she is, especially now, because we can keep an eye on her, I mean I know the kids in Lima Heights would have looked after her but I like her here." Santana admitted. "And this whole thing..." Santana shook her head, "Papi calls every day to check on her and she reminds him that he's the doctor and is the one that needs to be checked on."
"I'm glad Santi's with your mom." Brittany admitted.
"Me too, he makes her stay home while he does the shopping." Santana said.
"He's my favorite cousin." Brittany said turning her lap top off.
"What about Quinn." Santana reminded.
"Doesn't count, she was my best friend before her mom married Uncle Geoffry." Brittany stretched, Santana sat up letting her stand. The girls were in near matching clothes, leggings and and oversized t-shirts, Santana just wasn't going to put an effort into getting dressed since she wasn't leaving the building. Her hair was it's wavy normal self because she wasn't spending nearly an hour to straighten it. Brittany of course preferred it loose and wavy any way.
"And now she's your cousin and neighbor." Santana chuckled taking Brittany's hand and climbing off the bed.
When Rachel and Kurt moved out to be with their spouses Santana and Brittany moved Alma upstairs, when the other neighbors moved out it was Quinn, Sam and Beth's turn to move in. Once the last neighbors moved out they were the only tenants, Brittany didn't feel like renting the fourth apartment out so it became a storage for holiday decorations and other things they didn't want to throw out. Alma was using it for her classroom and play area for the kids.
Lima
Rose home
Because they didn't want Millie alone Finn, Marley and Christopher moved in with her, they still had Finn's apartment but Millie's home had more room.
"Mami I don't get it." Christopher called from the dining room table.
"He likes your help better." Finn shrugged, chuckling Marley got up and went to the table where the seven year old was sitting and glaring at the lap top. Marley was Mami, Christopher had been calling her that from the start, when Santana was teaching the twins that she was Mami, Christopher picked up the word and started calling Marley Mami.
"What's the problem Sprout?" Marley leaned over him kissing the top of his head.
"I don't understand what they want." he pointed at the screen.
Sitting next to him Marley pulled it over to read it, he missed school, the separation was driving the little boy crazy, it wasn't that he loved school but he missed playing with his friends at recess, unlike his cousins, who he saw every summer and most holidays he didn't have anyone else his age to play with. "Let's read the story and see what they want, then after homework we can call your grandpas and see how they're doing and Nonna and Poppa too." they'd taken to calling the other grandparents at least once a week. "And then we can call Mom and Pop." that was what he called Rachel and Jesse.
"Okay." Christopher nodded cuddling close to Marley. "When do we get to go back to school?"
"August." Marley answered honestly.
"This sucks, I don't get to play with no one." Christopher pouted.
"I know, and I'm sorry." Marley gave him a squeeze.
Leaving a plate of carrot sticks and ranch next to the duo Millie ruffled the boy's brown hair giving him a wink. "Thank you Gramma."
"You're welcome baby." Millie smiled joining Finn in the living room, sitting on the couch she sighed. "You know I would have been fine on my own."
Finn gave a shrug and a half smile "I know but this way you get to see Marley and Sprout, and we both know Marley would have been worried every day."
"Why don't you boys pitch a tent in the backyard and have a camp out, maybe it will get his mind off of things." Millie suggested.
"Seriously?"
"I don't care if it might kill the grass, it will make him happy, you can barbecue and play games."
"That'd be great, I'll do the shopping and get the mail and I'll grab the camping stuff too." Finn nodded "Thanks Millie."
Lima
Berry home
LeRoy and Hiram beamed at the lap top they'd just finished singing to their grandson, Christopher laughed, they always sang him songs from Broadway musicals sometimes he remembered the words and sang along. "So how are you doing buddy?"
"I don't get to play with my friends." Christopher frowned then smiled remembering "Grandma said we could camp in the backyard! Me and Dad and Mami are going to get the tent set up, Grandma says she's going to play with us but she's going to sleep in the house because bugs."
"That should be fun." LeRoy nodded.
"Daddy said when the virus thing is over we're going to go camping with Poppa." Christopher didn't completely understand what was happening but he knew his Poppa Burt wasn't allowed outside because he got sick easy.
"That sounds like a good plan." Hiram smiled. "When this is over we can go to the park and play."
"That'd be great." Christopher smiled.
New York
St. James apartment
Rachel sat next to Jesse holding her phone in hand as they talked to Christopher. "So how's your day?"
Christopher frowned but answered "It's boring, I had homework but Mami helped. Daddy's been shoppin' for Poppa and Nonna, and Grandpas, and us but when he gets back we're setting up the tent and camping in Gramma's backyard."
"Well that sounds like fun." Jesse smiled.
"We're gonna play games and sing campfire songs." Christopher told them what Finn had told him
"Singing's always a good plan." Rachel agreed resting her hand on her round belly, she'd talked to Kurt and Blaine about being their surrogate but ended up pregnant while they were still discussing it, and her pregnancy was going great until the virus hit. She was still in good health and close to having the baby but Kurt and Blaine called every day to check on her and panicked when she didn't answer right away, even Jesse wasn't as concerned as they were.
"How are you doing Mom?" Christopher asked.
"I'm okay, just bored" Rachel admitted "and the baby's moving a lot today."
"You and Pop should sing, you sing nice she might like it."
"We do," Jesse agreed promising "we'll take a video and send it to you, then you can see if your sister likes it."
"Cool." Christopher nodded squirming. "Okay gotta go, I gotta pee."
Rachel giggled "Okay honey, we'll talk more later, love you."
"Love you buddy." Jesse chuckled.
"Love you, bye." Christopher bolted from his seat leaving the video on, they could hear Millie chuckle before she sat down at the lap top.
"He really had to go."
Rachel smiled "Thank you so much for taking care of them, I know they think they're taking care of you..."
"We're taking care of each other, you don't worry, you just take care of yourself sweetie and call any time." Millie smiled.
"Thank you Ms. Rose." Rachel smiled "Bye."
"Bye sweetie."
Hanging up Rachel sighed "I wish there was something we could do for him, Finn said no more video games."
"I agree, he's got the sports games, dance games and singing games that's good enough." Jesse chuckled. "We'll just call him more right now let him know what's going on here he likes hearing about the baby, talk to him about the new recipes we're trying, ask about his homework. Anything to make it seem like a normal day for him."
"I just feel so helpless, he's there and we're stuck here, all the pressure's on Finn and Marley." Rachel sniffled.
"I promise we'll visit as soon as we can." Jesse hugged her knowing it was her pregnancy hormones making her weepy.
Lima
Hummel house
"Hi Nonna, hi Poppa!" Christopher waved excitedly at his grandparents.
"Hi sweetie." Carole and Burt squeezed together to see Christopher "How's your week been?"
"I got nobody to play with but Mami and Daddy try. Grandma colored with me and we made you oatmeal raisin cookies, she said they're good for you Poppa." Christopher said bouncing in his chair. "And we're going camping in the backyard!"
"Camping's always fun." Burt chuckled "We'll go when this is over, fishing too."
"That's what Daddy said, he said we'll leave the grammas and Mami home and just us guys go."
"Well then we'll have a girls weekend." Carole laughed.
New York
Evans loft
"We're okay, really." Quinn promised her mom, poking the power button on the remote to shut off the television "Alma has all the kids." Quinn switched her phone to the other hand.
"You should be helping her Quinnie." Judy chastised her.
"I tried Mom, she threatened me with a shoe." Quinn said laughing the added seriously "She used to be a teacher so, she says she's got it handled, she has the kids set up at tables with their lap tops, she's even teaching them all Spanish." truthfully Alma seemed to be the only one not going stir crazy. She was keeping herself busy with teaching the grandkids and also the girls and Sam, she'd been showing them how to cook different things. Plus knitting, Quinn was tempted to take it up herself.
"Okay but are you kids taking care of the shopping? She doesn't need to be doing that." Judy reminded.
"Yes, Sam shops for us and I've never been so happy for his weird habit of buying things when they're on sale because people went crazy." Quinn said in disbelief. "But anyway how are you and Dad?" it was shortly after Judy marriage to Geoffry that Quinn had begun to call him Dad, he cried.
"Missing our grandchildren."
Laughing Quinn shook her head walking to the kitchen with the phone. "When class is over we'll call."
"Okay honey, we'll talk to you later, love you Quinnie."
"Love you Mom, bye."
"Bye."
Poking her phone Quinn sat it on the counter, she was starting to get cabin fever but she wasn't going to tell her mom that. Looking around the loft Quinn sighed, grabbing her phone she headed up to Brittany and Santana's, she usually ended up there while Alma had the kids and always while Sam was shopping. Rapping her knuckles on the door Quinn called out "Don't be naked." before opening the door and walking in.
"Sexy time is later." Brittany chirped from the kitchen, Santana chuckled from the couch.
"Lips shopping?" Santana asked when Quinn plopped down on the couch with her.
"Yes." Quinn muttered. "I've cleaned, I've read, I've studied my lines. I'm bored out of my mind."
"I hear you." Santana nodded.
"You could come to the studio and dance with me." Brittany suggested dropping on the couch on the other side of Santana.
"Do I have to put pants on?" Quinn glanced down at her own clothes, Sam's old football jersey and her old gym shorts.
"That's up to you." Brittany shrugged.
"Come on, let's go dance." Santana smacked Quinn's thigh.
"Ouch, bitch." Quinn rubbed the spot Santana hit.
"Let's go." Brittany bounced to her feet offering both girls her hands. "I need to make a video for the kids, you get to be my students."
"Wait what?" Quinn blinked.
"Oh hell no, I need make up." Santana shook her head.
"Me too." Quinn agreed "I'll meet you in the studio."
Rolling her eyes Brittany headed for the studio to set up, after first stopping to let Alma know where they were going to be. "We're going to be recording some dance lessons downstairs if you want to join us."
"I will send them down when they are finished." Alma smiled.
"Okay." Brittany nodded. "Thank you Abulea."
Lima
Rose home
"What do you think Sprout?" Finn gestured to the tent behind him.
"This is awesome!" Christopher beamed bouncing excitedly. The backyard was set up like a campsite right down to the horseshoe and corn hole games, and Millie already had a fire pit, Puck had helped Finn put it in. "Grammas making potato salad and Mami's cutting up fruit."
"You wanna get the burgers?"
"We're cooking out here?" Christoper asked, Finn nodded with a smirk. "Best day ever!" Christopher screamed running into the house. "Gramma! Dad's cooking outside!" Finn chuckled getting the barbecue set up. "Mami! Dad's cooking!" because the lived in an apartment they didn't barbecue unless they were at someone's house, the park or camping.
Marley smiled handing the boy the bag of hamburger patties she knew he was coming for "We're making smores after dinner." Millie chuckled as the boy ran outside to his dad yelling.
"Dad we get smores!"
"Really?" Finn asked with the same level of excitement "That's awesome!"
"I feel so bad that he has no one to play with," Marley sighed watching Finn and Christopher "I mean he does, but all his cousins are in New York."
"He'll be okay." Millie promised. "He's not the only child with no siblings to play with during this mess, you and Finn are doing everything you can for him and yourselves."
"Thanks Mom." Marley leaned kissing her mom's cheek.