a/n: just want to pop in and say thank you so much for the likes, follows and amazing reviews. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the story. I have to warn you that the next chapter will likely not be up until the 20th. I'm having a surgery on my finger and it'll make typing nearly impossible. don't worry, I'll be okay, it's nothing super serious, but the healing process requires rest. Enjoy, and while your waiting for an update, hop on over to my older Christmas story and give it a read or check out Emo Santana or Room For Four. Cheers!- GEK
Chapter 4: Pizza and Presents
After the showcase there were only two weeks until Christmas, and suddenly Santana and Brittnay had a lot more shopping to do than they had originally anticipated. They had planned on getting gifts for their families to exchange when they came to visit and for each other, but now they had a New York family. Sure, having Kurt and Blaine was a little like family, but being around the Thompsons was different. Despite having initially agreed to just the Christmas meal, Brittnay found herself spending a lot of time with Lia, Dino and Tony. Santana was happy for this as with the secondary office opening she was slammed at work. Stella always asked if she needed to step away, but Santama insisted that as long as she could have the last few days of the year free she would be there. One of her hidden talents and passions was interior design, so she found herself really happy as she helped create a warmer environment than the cold office of the other building. It was still professional enough to present themselves as prepared to fight on behalf of their client, but also had a calming presence when you walked in. It was as she was figuring out the most tasteful way to display pride flags when Dino showed up unexpectedly.
"Mrs. LP, I hope I'm not interrupting." Dino said as he dusted off the snow from his jacket "But I could really use your help."
"Of course. Grab a seat real quick okay?" Santana went to find Stella and explained Dino's situation.
"Santana, family matters are a sticky situation. Be careful." Stella said.
"I always am. I do hope that one day we can help these kids though." Santana admitted.
"Getting them access to care is the best we can do." Stella sighed. Santana nodded and returned to the lobby.
"What's going on Dino?" Santana asked, sitting beside him.
"Well, y'know I'm gay and whatever right?" he said, obviously nervous. Santana nodded encouragingly "Well I just wanna make sure that I'm careful. And educated on y'know- stuff."
"You're thirteen Dino, I really hope you're not going there yet." Santana worries. She was with Puck and not long after her and Brittany started messing around. Puck took both of their virginities before they turned 14 or finished middle school. At the time Santana hadn't admitted that messing around with Brittany was more than fun- it was an easy way to avoid Puck.
"I ain't, I mean I don't plan on it, but I'd rather know in case." Dino sheepishly scratches the back of his head "I don't really know how things are gonna turn out with my family, and so I want to learn while I can."
"You're a smart kid. But seriously, wait. Not waiting is one of my biggest regrets." Santana grabs some booklets that they were creating "Hopefully these can offer you some guidance. And look, I'm not able to tell you what's going on with your family. What I can tell you is that Brittany and I won't let you go back to that abusive household."
"Thanks Mrs.LP." Dino hugs her "And if I have questions I can ask you or the other Mrs.LP, right?"
"Sure, but you can call me Santana." Santana smiled as he left.
"You better have intentions of keeping your promises to that kid." Stella said leaning against the door frame "The system doesn't exactly love runaways."
"Everything in my power I will do to make sure there's never another bruise on his body." Santana grits her teeth.
"Your wife saw some?" Stella questions and Santana nods. "She really hid this longer than she should've, didn't she?"
"Brittany wasn't trying to avoid her duty. She was confused." Santana explains "she doesn't really always grasp that family doesn't always have your best interests in mind."
"And you understand?" Stella asks.
"There are still cousins and aunts and uncles who won't speak to me or my parents. I'm lucky that my parents accepted me. Not everyone is as lucky." Santana goes back to work, far from happy with the conversation. Stella realizes she struck a nerve and drops it.
"What's going on mi amor?" Brittany asks as she watches Santana move food around her plate without actually eating. "You usually love Chinese takeout."
"I'm just wondering what will happen to Dino. I promised I wouldt let him go back to that abusive household." Santana runs a hand through her hair "And then Stella and I talked about how not everyone is accepted by their family."
"I know you miss your cousins and aunts and uncles." Brittany sighs "But they were toxic."
"I know. I can't imagine if that was my parents." Santana sighs "Poor Dino. Do you know if he has any accepting family in the city?"
"No, but I can ask. I assume those places aren't safe from his parents." Brittany shrugged.
"Can you ask now?" Santana shifts nervously.
"Sure." Brittany texts Dino and he replies pretty quickly.
Dino: yes I do. My aunt and uncle. But they're having trouble keeping my parents away. They said I'm safest somewhere they can't find me
Brittany: Your parents are that dangerous?
Dino: yes. I'm lucky to be alive. Remember the three days I missed rehearsal? They're why.
Brittany: I hope they go to jail for what they've done to you
Dino: with the evidence my aunt and uncle have I have no doubt.
"San, look." Brittany passes her phone to the Latina.
"This is great news!" Santana smiled "I mean not that he got hurt, but he's got a home."
"How soon do you think they can do something?" Brittany asks.
"His aunt and uncle can file a case right now." Santana says "And they should."
"Really? Getting the police involved?" Brittany asked.
"Britt, I know it may seem unnecessary but the police will be involved in a domestic abuse case uncovered by CPS anyway." Santana explained.
"Okay. I'll let Dino know and hopefully he'll let his aunt and uncle know." Brittany smiled sadly as she typed out the message. Neither of them had any appetite left after that. Instead, they warmed up some hot cocoa and snuggled on the couch to watch some mind-numbing reality TV. Brittany wasn't in the mood for a Christmas movie that night.
The next morning, Brittany decided to stay home to Santana's surprise. She'd been taking Tony, Lia and Dino to the park, ice skating or elsewhere everyday that week and it was Friday. She wondered why the sudden dampening of spirit.
"Britt, what's wrong?" Santana asked as her wife dragged their quilt to the couch.
"I just want to stay in today. Brady will be around so he can take them out." Brittany shrugged.
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind your company. He reminds me of Finn." Santana offered.
"Sanny, I really just don't feel like going out." Brittany sighed "Is that so wrong? I'll get some online shopping done."
"I just hate that I can't stay with you. You're always so lonely in the house." Santana sat beside her on the couch "Are you sure you don't want to come to the office with me?"
"The cats will keep me company. I promise, I'll be okay." Brittany looked into Santana's eyes to try and convince her.
"Okay, okay. I'll try and get home early tonight." Santana kisses Brittany and heads out the door. Brittnay was glad she got the woman out the door. She had a lot of work to do on Santana's Christmas present. Long ago Brittany had decided that every present she gave Santana would have more sentimental value than economic value. She knew that the Latina could afford to indulge in her own being and if she didn't get herself her dad would have no qualms about spoiling her. Brittany didn't mind spoiling her either, but she really enjoyed putting a special touch on every gift. She'd ordered a bunch of things for the gift she planned on making and knew that when it was complete it would be something Santana cherished, almost as much as the personalized denim jacket she gave her when they first got back together. That jacket had gone with them on their vacation after Brittany graduated, with patches from some of Santana's favorite artists and New Directions and Cheerios emblems, all the way to Lesbos and back. However, the jacket had started to wear out by the time they got to New York and so it had been retired to hanging on the back of the chair at the desk in the corner of their bedroom. Santana loved that she could see it, but she wished there was a better way to preserve it. Brittany had worked endlessly on the embroidery and the perfect stitching of the patches. Her wife had a hidden talent that their mothers had helped her develop- needlework. She was constantly helping patch up any rips Santana got in her clothes and adding little embroidered flairs to her blazers. She even hand embroidered their wedding towel set. She hoped Santana would be upset that she was fixing up the old jacket. She'd bought a brand new fleece lined denim jacket she knew would stand up against the frosty New York air, so long as snow or rain wasn't actively attempting to ruin Santana hair, and she even had gotten material to add a hood. Santana's one complaint with many of the jackets she owned was lack of a hood. You wouldn't know it from the way she protected her hair, but Santana loved a good hooded jacket. She liked the way it kept her neck warm. And so, Brittany pulled out her sewing machine and got to work. It had been a birthday gift shortly after their wedding, given to her by her grandmother. It may have been rather old, but it was the machine Brittany had learned on. She first worked on the hood. She had printed out a pattern at the library yesterday when she took Tony, Lia and Dino to pick out a book or two to read. It had come to her attention that Tony, on top of his heart problems, had some mental delays as well, similar to her own. He was dyslexic, and she wanted to help him learn to read the way she had- lots of books. So she asked Lia and Dino if they'd help him read and they did so gladly, now that they had library cards. Brittany had never sewn a hood onto a jacket before so she printed out not only a pattern but also picked up a book on sewing that had some great diagrams on how to perfectly add a hood. She'd initially thought the best she could do was add some buttons so it could be easily attached and detached, even though she knew Santana found that kind of hood provides less protection from the weather. She followed the instructions to a tee, having learned long ago that recipes were less confusing when you read them step by step. This was kind of like a recipe for clothes. It took her longer than she would've liked to complete the hood, but when she was done she knew that it was perfect, and well worth it. She rewarded herself with a well-deserved mug of cocoa and some relaxation time with the cats. She was sitting on the couch watching TV when her eyes drifted down to their stockings. They were just standard stockings, red with white fur lining. She knew that and to change too. She knew there was a character from a Christmas movie that Santana specifically loved- King Moonracer of the Island of Misfit Toys. She wasn't skilled enough to do that by hand, so she would need to get a print. She looked up her closest craft store and set off on a mission. She would make their stockings match by putting Rudolph on her own- she did love that reindeer anyway. He shined through differences and hardship just like she did. She had the patterns printed and then realized she could make the designs out of fabric. She collected everything she would need and headed back to the house. She wanted to finish the stockings before Santana got home, and she was in a bit of a time crunch. She knew that, when she really wanted to, Santana could get home as early as 3pm. Hopefully Stella wouldn't be too keen on this, but it was better safe than sorry. She got right to work, starting with embroidering names onto the stockings. She stuck to just Lady T and Lord T for the cats. It took her a while as the material of the stockings was a bit weird. Luckily, she figured it out after the first few letters and finished it pretty quickly. Then came the designs. The cats were easy. She gave them each cat that looked like them playing with a snowball. The cats on the stockings were remarkably thinner than their real life counterparts. Then she got to work on Santana's design. She decided hers could be last in case she didn't quite finish, that way she'd still have the surprise for her wife when she got home. She layered yellow and black furry fabric to create the iconic King Moonracer, and was delighted with how it turned out. She added the polka-dot elephant in his little hat as an extra little detail. Brittany checked the time and realized it was almost 3. However, Santana hadn't said she was on her way home and she always texted. It was something they both did, documenting if they were walking, taking transit, or taking a taxi and an exact time of when they left. It brought both of them peace of mind in the big city. Satisfied that she had a little more time to work, Britrany got to work layering brown and white felt for Rudolph before finishing it off with an actual blinking light nose she couldn't resist. It turned out really cute, and she was proud of what she'd done. Once again, she checked her phone for a message from Santana. It was almost 4 o'clock now, and she was starting to worry. To calm her nerves she did a sweep to make sure everything that could clue Santana into her Christmas present was hidden. She was able to leave the sewing machine out since she'd used it for the stockings, but everything else had to be hidden, including the partially finished product. There weren't many places to hide things from Santana, but there was one place she wouldn't look, which was in the currently empty ornament box up on the shelf in their closet. Brittany only hoped Santana wouldn't have the same idea for hiding her present. She pushed it as far back as she could so Santana wouldn't be able to reach it without a step stool. Satisfied, she once again wondered where her wife was. A text finally came through saying she was in a taxi and on her way home. Brittany cuddled back up on the couch to look like she'd laid around all day. The laptop was on the coffee table to elude to the online shopping she hadn't done, but putting on an act was important. Once Santana saw the stockings, she could let up. Santana came in the door ten minutes later, looking completely exhausted. She took off her jacket and fell into Brittany waiting arms.
"Decorating is exhausting" she groaned and Brittany stroked her hair "I love designing but implanting it is so hard."
"Couldn't Stella have hired a crew to help?" Brittany asked.
"She wanted it to have a quote unquote personal touch. Totally cliche." Santana sighed "But it does look really good. You should come see it on Monday."
"Glad it's Friday aren't you?" Brittany asked.
"Very. Can I just lay here forever?" Santana questioned, but then she heard the blonde's stomach growl "Did you eat today?" Usually Brittany wouldn't have to think about that- of course she had. She loved eating. But she realized that she hadn't had anything more than cocoa.
"I may have forgotten to." Brittany admitted sheepishly.
"What God awful show could captivate you that much?" Santana asked, turning towards the TV which was muted and currently showing the news when she caught sight of the stockings "Oh my god, Britt, is this why you stayed home?" Santana picked up her stocking, amazed that the relatively unknown character was now a permanent part of their Christmas.
"Yeah, I wanted to personalize our stockings. It felt right, almost like a right of passage into our marriage." Brittany smiled, "I'm sure that I should've done Rudolph and Clarice, but I knew you'd love this more."
"It's really amazing. I can't believe you did this for me." Santana observed the craftsmanship, Brittany had a real knack. "Say Britt, have you thought of bringing this talent into the studio?"
"What, my sewing? No, it's just a hobby really, I'm not a master seamstress." Brittany admitted.
"Oh please Britt, you're really talented. I bet you could help with the costumes there." Santana assured.
"I'm not sure I would want to do it as a job. It's fun now as a hobby, what if I start to hate it?" Brittany wondered.
"Did you ever worry about that when it came to dance?" Santana questioned, "You still love to dance."
"I do, but I always planned to build a career from it. It's always had that doubled purpose. I love it, but it's not always fun to do outside of work. Of course I'm still passionate, and I enjoy a night out periodically, but I stopped dancing seriously for fun when I graduated high school." Brittany explains "And I'm okay with that. But I want this hobby to stay just that- a hobby."
"I wish I'd done that with my design work. Stella is making me hate interior design." Santana shook her head "I respect what you're doing by keeping this yours."
"Can we figure out dinner now?" Brittany's stomach growled again "I'm starving."
"Why don't I take you out?" Santana asked.
"Can we get pizza?" Brittany pleaded.
"Well why don't we just get it delivered then?" Santana questioned.
"We should, that way we can make out until it gets here." Brittany smirked.
"I like the sound of that." Santana chuckled. They put in their order for the pizza and just as Brittany had suggested, made out until it arrived. They almost got carried away, but it came just in the nick of time.
"Pizza break!" Brittany squealed, hopping off Santana to answer the door, shoving payment and a tip into the pizza boy's hand and taking the box. Santana laughed and followed her wife over to the table to enjoy a slice of New York's finest pizza. Okay, it was really just from the greasy local place down the street but it was really good. Santana swore there was an aphrodisiac in it too, because the thought of it made Brittnay horny, and afterwards she always followed through. They burned off the pizza calories in a flash every time. That night was no different. As soon as they'd eaten what they could, the bedroom became a playground yet again. The way Brittany kept treating her, she was starting to think sex was her gift that year. It would be unfair though, seeing as a couple of their toys had been presents for her birthday last month. Brittany wore Santana out and they fell asleep satiated, ready for the weekend. They would need their rest too as they had shopping to do.
Santana loved shopping, but she absolutely hated the mall. This was opposite of Brittany who adored the mall and all it had to offer. She loved that you could walk into any store eating a pretzel and sipping on a smoothie from the food court and no one would blink an eye. She especially loved that one store over from Macy's you could buy sex toys in the back sections. Spencer's was always an adventure. Santana insisted they make a list of stores to Brittany's disappointment.
"Britt, if we were back in Lima I'd agree to go into every store with you. But this isn't Lima, there's way more stores and they're way bigger here. We need to have a plan." Santana explained.
"But we won't know what we're missing if we skip any stores!" Brittany whined.
"Honey, we don't need to go into Lids to know we aren't buying any hats. We don't need to go into Victoria's Secret to know we're not buying any bras or lingerie today." Santana argued.
"Wait, we're not?" Brittany asked.
"No honey, today is about shopping for our family and the Thompsons. If you want to surprise me with lingerie you can come back another time." Santana reminded her.
"Well what are we looking for?" Brittnay asked.
"I had Linda send me some lists with things she couldn't afford but she knew that the kids would really love, including Brady. She was hesitant to send a list for herself, but I insisted she at least send some ideas." Santana showed Brittany what she had received.
"Wow Tony really loves Iron Man huh? There's no variety to his list." Brittany laughed.
"It's important to him. He feels a connection to the super hero, it's cute." Santana smiled.
"True. Lia and Dino asked for a bunch of dance stuff. I feel like they should get that for free, not as gifts. It's like school supplies." Brittany chewed on her lower lip "You think we should get them that stuff just in general and get the few non-dance things as gifts?" Santana asked.
"I do. Can we do that?" Brittany requested.
"Sure thing. Gosh, Brady's list is even sadder. He asked for new work shoes and new slacks. We have to get him something he'll enjoy too." Santana shook her head.
"But how will we know what to get?" Brittany wondered.
"We can ask Lia what he likes." Santana pointed out. Once they got the inside information, they headed off to the mall to make some Christmas dreams come true. First stop was the dance store, where the manager recognized Brittany. When she explained who she was shopping for, he gave them the friends and family discount. He'd seen the showcase and had been entranced by Dino's performance as well as Lia's. As he put it, he was investing in his entertainment. The next stop was HM where they bought everyone a new shirt and jeans, and Santana indulged herself and Brittany too with matching shirts. Then they stuck strictly to what the kids had asked for. First stop was the toy store where they found nearly everything Tony had asked for, nearly all of it was Iron Man related. He got a Lego set, an action figure, a dress up costume, and a Hot Wheels car. They decided to also get him a plush Iron Man Bear from Build a Bear workshop. Dino's wishes were the next to be fulfilled. When he wasn't dancing he was skateboarding, much to Brittany's dismay. She always worried he'd do something crazy at the skatepark that would end his dance career. So, when they were getting him the new skateboard he asked for (which has very specific instructions of what exactly to get) she insisted on finding out what safety gear was best and buying a set. Santana had a feeling the teen wouldn't wear all of it, but at least the option was there. They also got him a pair of Vans and a Vans sweatshirt. Lia was harder to shop for. Like most sixteen year old girls, she was easier to give a gift card. However, both Santana and Brittany hated the idea of gift cards. Luckily, all the conversations she shared with Brittany had given her insight into what the girl was into, and Hot Topic was the perfect place to match those interests. Santana shook her head as Brittany had to narrowly avoid buying anything for herself. Loaded up with pins and t-shirts, they headed off to fulfill a wish of Brady's that Lia had revealed. Apparently he was super into sports and something he always wanted but could never afford were personalized jerseys. All they need was the blank jersey and the letters and number patches. Brittany could sew them on so they would have to wait. They had a list of the New York teams he was a fan of and got a jersey for all of them. It was a little excessive, and certainly pricey, but the price was reduced quite a bit since Brittnay was doing the sewing. Last but not least was Linda who rarely treated herself to anything nice. They got her just a few things so she wouldn't feel bad. Once they were done with the Thompsons, shopping for their families was a lot easier. They knew exactly what their parents would want, and Brittany's little sister had been incredibly specific about exactly what she wanted. By the end they were struggling to carry all the bags, and Santana was grateful that Stella was paying her extra for all the hard labor she was doing to get the office ready. She'd also decided to see a few of her remaining cases through, having been working with those clients for a long time. It would've felt wrong to abandon them. This Christmas was definitely indulgent. At one point in the middle, she'd sent Brittnay to the car to load up some bags. This gave her just enough time to preorder Brittany's gift. She was getting her some new charms for their charm bracelets. She wanted to commemorate their life since they got back together. Most of what she wanted would have to be special ordered, so she'd come back another day to pick it up. On that day she would also buy Brittany the ballerina build a bear she'd denied her earlier.
With their shopping done, they stopped for a soft pretzel before heading home. It wasn't until they got home that they realized they hadn't bought wrapping paper. Refusing to go out to another store that season, Santana put in an Amazon order for gift bags and wrapping paper. It had been a good day, a long day, but a good day. Santana knew that this Christmas was going to be special, and made a lot of wishes come true.
"You're getting soft on me Santana Claus." Brittany teased as her wife told her how thrilled she was to make someone else's Christmas as magic as Brittany's had been in their junior year of high school.
"You make me want to share the Santana you always saw below the hard exterior. I feel safe doing that with you by my side." Santana cuddled into Brittany.
"Glad I could help bring the beautiful loving and caring Sanatna I fell in love with to the surface. Don't lose Snixx though, because I fell in love with that part of you too." Brittany reminded.
"Oh Snixx won't be going anywhere, she's got work to do." Santana kissed Brittany's cheek as they turned on yet another Christmas movie. It was A Christmas Carol, and Santana was glad to say she had changed just like Scrooge.