"I told you she was perfect for it," Rachel grinned at Puck as they were getting ready for dinner with Brittany and Santana, "That character was lacking something before and now it's perfect. Santana would bring so much more depth and edginess to the show. It's amazing."
"She hasn't said yes," Puck pointed out, looking through his wide array of button down shirts.
"She will," Rachel shimmied into Puck's closet and into his arms, planting a sweet, yet baiting kiss on his lips before finishing her thought, "Because Bradley wants her and what Bradley wants, Bradley gets and no amount of money will stand in his way."
"How do I look?" a little girl with wavy blonde hair asked with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a light green dress with white tights and flats. She'd picked an outfit worthy of a magazine cover at the tender age of five. Rachel and Puck were convinced it was a mixture of Quinn's genes and Shelby's influence.
"You look beautiful," Puck swept his daughter up into his arms and gave her a hug as she wrapped her small arms around his neck.
Rachel smiled from the doorway of the closet. She always loved the softer side of Puck that not many other people got to see. He's mellowed out a lot since high school and she was positive Beth had a lot to do with it. One night he told Rachel that he wanted to be a man Beth would be proud to call her dad and from that night on, he'd been working hard to be that man.
When the trio arrived at the restaurant, they found that Santana was already there, seated at a table for five.
"Aunt Santy!" Beth called and squirmed until Puck put her down so she could run into Santana's arms.
"Hey baby girl," Santana picked up the little girl and gently squeezed her, loving the feeling of someone actually being excited to see her.
Puck pulled Santana into a hug before Rachel tentatively took her turn. When the hug Santana gave Rachel involved no pain at all, Rachel smiled and seated herself across from Santana. Beth insisted on sitting by her aunt and Puck just smiled, sitting across from his daughter.
"How's school going?" Rachel asked Santana as she looked over the menu, a sly glint in her eyes.
"It's okay," Santana shrugged, picking up her menu. She leaned over to Beth and asked, "What's good here?"
"Fechini!" the little girl announced.
"Oh yeah?" Santana grinned and rubbed the little girl's back, "You like the Fettuccini?"
Her blonde curls bobbed as she nodded and picked up a crayon to color on her menu.
Rachel was the first person to notice Brittany walk up, "Hey." She stood and hugged the blonde.
"Sorry I'm late," Brittany easily slid into the last vacant seat on the other side of Beth. "The conservatory called me just before I left."
"Oh yeah?" Rachel prodded.
"They want me to teach a hip-hop workshop," Brittany offered like it happened to her all the time. She turned to the little blonde girl next to her, "Hey Beth."
"Hey Aunt B," Beth stood in her chair so she could hug the blonde.
Brittany smiled into the hug with her eyes closed. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Santana watching her. She her smiled faded a bit, but was still on her face, "Hey."
Santana smiled nervously back, "Hey."
After Beth sat back down, everyone around the table got quiet.
"Finn called my PA today," Rachel mentioned, trying to break the silence, "He wants me to come talk to his glee club."
"How's he doing?" Santana asked to keep the conversation moving.
"Not so good after the divorce," Puck answered, "But he says glee is helping a lot."
"Where'd Quinn move to?" Brittany asked, apparently knowing more about the situation than Santana.
"Here," Rachel picked up her drink, "to be closer to Beth. I had lunch with her the other day. She said she feels better now that she's out of Lima and closer to Beth. She still feels bad about being a twenty-one year old divorcee, but she's coping. She's staying on Tina and Artie's couch until she finds somewhere else to live."
"Didn't you say you were looking for a roommate?" Puck asked Santana.
Santana nodded.
"Are you and Quinn on good terms?" Rachel asked Santana, "Because she has a job already and some money left over from her move. She could definitely help you with the rent."
"That'd be great," Santana added, not looking at Brittany who was trying just as hard not to look at her.
Rachel grinned, "Fantastic. I'll give her your number when I talk to her tomorrow."
The rest of the dinner was pleasantly uneventful. Brittany and Santana kept using Beth as wall between them, each taking turns cooing and playing with the little girl, while the other stared at their food.
When the check came, Rachel insisted on paying because she asked everyone to come out.
Brittany had to stifle a yawn as they all shuffled out the door, "I'm tired."
"Me too," Rachel nodded, "Rehearsals are wearing me out."
"I kinda already promised Beth that we'd go get ice cream," Puck added, holding his little girl in his arms, "But I'll see you two at home."
Rachel stood on her toes to give Puck a kiss, "Be careful." Then she turned to Santana, "I'll see you tomorrow at the theatre. And don't feel pressured to join that cast at all. I support whatever you want to do. We should have lunch with Quinn."
"Sounds good," Santana smiled.
Rachel hugged her and then looked at Brittany, "Ready?"
The blonde nodded. She glanced back at Santana, "See you later."
"Yeah…bye," Santana added. She watched as Brittany and Rachel hailed a cab before turning to Puck and Beth, "So, who wants ice cream?"
"I do!" Beth raised her hand.
Once they made it to Beth's favorite ice cream shop, they all ordered and sat at the table, "So, what are you going to do?"
"With that?" Santana asked.
"Are you going to join the show?" he asked, picking up and napkin and gently wiping off Beth's chin where ice cream was making a steady trail south.
Santana took a deep breath, "I don't know. I kind of want to do it. And I kinda don't."
"Why don't you?" he asked, picking up his down spoon, "Brittany?"
She nodded, "That's part of it. I don't want to invade her space."
"She's only going to be here for another week," Puck offered, "Then she's heading to back to LA to look for somewhere to live."
"She doesn't have anywhere to live?" Santana asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
"Rachel said she put all of her stuff in storage to go on tour. She's been all around the world for a year," Puck offered. "So you won't be invading her space for very long."
"Oh." Santana was quiet for a moment.
"You miss her," he stated, looking at Beth to make sure she was okay. The little blonde was looking out the window, licking her ice cream and humming to herself.
"Yeah," Santana finally admitted out loud, "I do. A lot.'
"Maybe she could move back to New York," Puck ran a hand over his close-cropped hair where his mowhawk used to be.
Santana sighed, "Maybe." This line of conversation was depressing her so she decided to change it, "Have you seen Quinn lately?"
"Yeah, I saw her last week," he nodded, "She's doing good. She works for a casting agent uptown."
The youngest of the trio suddenly spoke up, "I have to go potty."
Puck shot a panicked look at Santana then turned to Beth, "Really?"
She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and nodded.
"Are you really that helpless without Rachel?" Santana smirked and stood up, offering her hand to Beth.
Puck nodded with a tiny smile, "Yes. Thanks San."
Beth took Santana's hand and they raced to the bathroom. Puck sat alone at the table for a minute before he pulled out his phone. He shot a quick text to his girlfriend then continued to eat his ice cream.
His phone buzzed on the table and he looked down at it, smiling at Rachel's reply. How am I an evil genius?
Your Santittany plan is working. He texted back, using the code name Rachel came up with.
Rachel's reply made him laugh to himself, barely able to keep himself from choking. In hindsight, Santittany wasn't the best blend of their names.
He added Love you. Be home soon, as Beth and Santana returned to the table.
Once the ice cream was gone, Puck and Beth dropped Santana off at her apartment before heading home. Santana silently trudged up the stairs and slowly unlocked the door, not looking forward to being alone in the empty apartment.
