a/n: Somehow I managed to write this without using my right index finger at all. it wasn't easy, and spell check was employed far more often than usual so if anything is weird I apologize. It doesn't always like my words. Hopefully I'll be able to use it again after tomorrow. Happy Hannukah by the way to those who celebrate. I know this is a Christmas story but I support all holidays. See you in the next chapter- GEK

p.s there's a gift for y'all around the middle. it's separated by dashes so if you're not looking for the NSFW sexy shit you can skip it.

Chapter 5: Freedom and Frost

That Sunday, the women woke up to a phone call from CPS. They'd been informed by the police that Dino's aunt and uncle had reported domestic abuse in the home. It wasn't something the police could pursue alone, CPS had to be involved, and that meant Brittany and her boss did too. Her role was small but important- she was to provide any evidence she had of abuse and make a statement based on her interactions with Dino as his dance instructor. However, an 8 am phone call from CPS was always a shock, and getting to their Manhattan office on a Sunday morning wasn't any more pleasant. Santana accompanied her, taking in the work they did at the public office. It wasn't that Santana hadn't ever considered being a social worker for the government- it was that she was lucky enough to pursue her work at a private non-profit. Still, she always wondered if she'd be a better fit at CPS- that day proved her decision was right. Brittany was worried the entire time that she would be reprimanded for not properly reporting, but the truth was the hammer wouldn't come down on her. To her surprise, Mr.Young had reported every single incident that she'd told him about on her behalf. She'd never appreciated her boss more than she did that day. Being a mandated reporter was Brittany's least favorite part of her job. It was a well known fact that Mr.Schue had failed on multiple occasions to report things that were mandatory- the clubs drunken Kesha performance, Sam's work as a stripper while underage, and even the violence between themselves and the Warblers deserved some form of attention- though Brittany wasn't sure what. So when she realized that she would have to choose whether to be responsible or act like him, her choice seemed obvious. Then she met her dancers and suddenly realized how troubled many kids who expressed themselves through performance were. Almost every dancer she interacted with, but especially the teens, reminded her of someone in the New Directions. It didn't make her responsibility easier seeing her friends reflected. That was why she always went to Mr.Young with the issue- she thought he could advise her on the right steps to take. And he had. He just circumvented the process, so any heat would fall on him. Santana was nearly as thankful as Brittany, knowing her wife's obvious discomfort with her position. She was well familiar with the laws and was glad that Mr.Young had Brittany's back.

It was pretty clear after Santana managed to sneak a peek at the file that Dino's parents were going to pay for what they'd done. His aunt and uncle would assume guardianship, whom they met on their way out. They were clearly prepared and loved Dino, she recognized them from the performance the night before. They'd left as quickly as they came, but they had been there to support him. She could tell that Dino would be so much better off with them. However, she hoped they'd still allow him, and maybe join themselves, to come to Christmas dinner.

The rest of their Sunday was free of responsibility and gave them a chance to truly just enjoy being together. Santana told Brittany all about the office design, and Brittany talked about how her, Lia and Dino were teaching Tony to dance. It wasn't something anyone thought he'd consider seriously, but he did love how happy it made Lia to see him up and moving. Both Lia and Brady were old enough to remember how sick Brady had been when he was born. He was eight years younger than Lia, a surprise addition to the family, and unlike his older siblings who shared the same deadbeat dad, he had a different father. A decent man who had come into the Thompson home when Lia was only three and been a surrogate father of sorts. Unfortunately, much like his son, he had cardiac issues. He died before Tony was born. Not wanting to give her son a different last name than the rest of the family, she gave him the same first name as his father- Anthony. Santana had heard this story when she'd met with Ms.Thompson that week to get her set up with their financial aid program and a coworker she trusted to treat their case with the highest priority like it deserved. Some of the people at the firm put high profile cases at the top of their list, but Santana and Helen, an older lady who'd joined the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for twenty five years, knew that it was those who couldn't afford their services who needed their help the most. For Linda, only the best would do, and Helen was the best. Tony wouldn't only be saved from unnecessary procedures and costs, but also be ensured fair treatment. Things were looking brighter, and Santana felt like the world was righting itself. She thought she'd never feel better than she did that June when they visited D.C for the verdict in gay marriage in the Supreme Court, but seeing two kids have their lives changed was better. On top of that, she was doing it by her wife's side, something she wasn't sure she'd ever get. She knew she would get to see lives turned around in her line of work, but doing it with Brittany was a dream come true.

"Britt?" Santana asked as they were snuggling on the couch hours later, ignoring the rest of the world.

"Hmm?" Brittany asked, stroking raven locks, tucking them behind a soft ear.

"Is this all a dream? Am I dreaming? Are we really helping Tony and Dino and all of them together?" the Latina whispered the question softly.

"This is no dream babe. You're the superhero I always knew you'd be." Brittany kisses her forehead, soothing a worry line "And you'd be an even greater hero if you saved me from starving by making dinner."

"You are seriously the best and the worst all at once. And it is unbelievably attractive." Santana grins, tapping Brittany's nose and getting up to make dinner. Luckily she always kept prepped ingredients around so she could throw things together rather quickly. She put together some chicken enchiladas, and Brittany thanked her wonderfully while they were baking. Brittany's thank you performance was only interrupted by the timer going off, but Santana couldn't be upset. This was just fuel for another round of love.

After dinner, Santana had expected Brittany to just drag her right back to bed, but instead she turned down the lights, just the Christmas tree illuminating the living room. She plugged her phone into the speakers and put on a Playlist of their songs, all either acoustic or at the very least slowed in tempo. They danced in the multicolored glow of the tree, swaying and turning. Santana laid her head on Brittany's shoulder, content with life completely and utterly in that moment.

--

Their dancing became risqué, but still moved in slow delicate motions. Hands tracing every inch of each other's body sensually. Santana nibbled on Brittany's ear and in return the blonde left a mark on her neck.

"You're mine." Brittany purred.

"I always have been, and I will be forever." Santana whispered. Brittany spun her and pulled her back in, Santana's back to her front. She took advantage of the position to add a few more marks, and Santana really hoped Stella didn't ask about the scarf she was going to be wearing tomorrow. It too was made by Brittany, the very first thing she'd ever crocheted, made for her.

"Shh, stop thinking. Just enjoy." Brittany whispered. A pale hand snuck its way under her shirt and up to her breasts, toying with her nipples expertly, just rough enough to make her squirm. She let her head fall back and let the moment wash over her, consume her entire being. Eventually, she broke away and turned around so she was facing her wife again and pulled her down into a desperate kiss. She held the blonde close, and gasped into the kiss when Brittany lifted her up. Santana legs encircled the dancer's waist as they made their way to the bedroom. Clothes were quickly tossed aside and Santana looked at Brittany with blown pupils. There was no mistaking that look- what to the untrained eye was unadulterated lust was love. There might as well have been hearts in her eyes.

"I love you." Santana squeaked out.

"I love you too." Brittany said as she plunged two fingers into Santana. Immediately, nails dug into Brittany's back spurring her on, fingers curling to bring Santana to the edge. With a few perfect taps and her thumb circling the Latina's clit, the woman below her fell apart. Once again, Brittany climaxed simply from pleasuring Santana, but they were far from done. It was an intimate dance they knew well, Brittany riding Santana's fingers into oblivion, finding themselves in every position mentioned in the Kama Sutra (they knew because it sat proudly amongst their toys), and a toy or two turning things up a notch. That night Brittany found herself on the receiving end of the strap, and she loved the way Santana's abs clenched as she expertly moved her hips to hit that spot that drove Brittany wild. The way her wife would bite her lip and close her eyes as her raven hair curtained them, that always took Brittany flying over the edge. Nails scraped down an arched tan back as Santana followed Brittany into orgasmic bliss. The strap on was carelessly discarded to be washed when one of them undoubtedly tripped over it in the middle of the night. Santana curled into Brittany, and the taller girl held her, letting her come back down from the high slowly. Brittany knew that her wife always needed comfort as part of her after care, the spike of adrenaline and emotion overwhelming her. She held her gently, sure to avoid any feeling of being trapped, and waited until Santana's breaths evened out. Her wife was asleep and Brittany quickly joined her to dream about what they just did.

--

Santana was dragging as she got to work Monday morning. She'd gotten plenty of sleep, but her morning had already been exhausting. While she was in the shower, CPS had called Brittany again, apparently Dino's aunt and uncle wanted her contact info. She had confirmed that it was okay to pass it along and as soon as CPS hung up they called. Santana came into the bedroom wrapped into a towel and raised an eyebrow.

"Dino's aunt and uncle." Brittany whispered, covering the phone. Santana had more questions but decided to save them until she'd gotten dressed. To her surprise, Brittany was still on the phone 20 minutes later after she'd put on her makeup. The blonde looked at her apologetically. Usually Brittany would cook breakfast while Santana got ready. The Latina walked to the kitchen and quickly made some scrambled eggs with chorizo. As she was finishing her serving, Brittany finally finished on the phone.

"I'm sorry baby" Brittany hugged Santana, kissing her temple "They wanted to know about dance, and then they asked about his friendship with Lia. They also asked if I knew if he had a boyfriend, which as far as I know he doesn't. There was just so much. I asked why they didn't ask him, and of course they reminded me that he's a teenage boy, which I sometimes forget since he honestly acts so mature for his age. Do you think that the abuse forced him to grow up too fast?"

"Probably. I also get the sense his parents weren't very well off. From my classes I've learned that growing up with financial struggles can really affect kids that way." Santana pulls on her winter coat.

"Are you upset with me?" Brittany asks "I didn't mean to ignore you this morning. I had wanted to join you in the shower. You seemed really vulnerable last night. It's been a while since you've fallen that way."

"I'm not upset Britt. You didn't intentionally get stuck on the phone. I do wish we had time this morning, because you're right. Something just overcame me last night." Santana sighed "But I really have to get going. I want to walk."

"Can I walk with you? We can walk and talk?" Brittany asked. Santana bit her lip and nodded "I'll get ready super quick I promise." The blonde ran off and was back 5 minutes later. Santana handed her her coat and they headed out the door, running into Kurt and Blaine briefly on their way out.

"So…" Santana laced her hand with Brittany's "Should I just like…try and describe it?"

"We don't even have to talk if you don't want to." Brittany assured as they took the steps down to the subway "But I do want to understand."

"Well" Santana said as they paid their fare with their phones "It's kind of like I completely surrender to pleasure when we're intimate." She looked around to make sure no creeps were eavesdropping. "And it's weird when I'm topping but it's like my body becomes this sort of tool to please you. But I also become one with you and so as you fall it prompts me to come tumbling over the edge too." Santana shakes her head. She's not sure she's making much sense.

"San" Brittany says and the Latina looks up at her "That makes SO much sense. You're taken into an out of body experience and so that orgasmic bliss is like a shock. You come back into your own body at sonic speed, crashing back into your own consciousness. There's so much emotion so suddenly and you're feeling so much that you just have to feel grounded afterwards." Brittany notices the train coming and pauses. They get on and then continue their conversation.

"So you get it? And it doesn't bother you or anything?" Santana asks.

"Why would it bother me?" Brittany questions.

"Well like, I obviously usually can't keep going after that and I feel like that might not be your wish." Santana blushes.

"Honey, even if it was, seeing you like that, being able to bring you back to Earth, that is amazing too. So amazing. Trust me. I'm never upset when that happens. Besides, obviously you're in a mindset where you can't consent and you won't. I'd never do anything when you can't or don't." Brittany assures. They get to Santana's stop, and Brittany follows her. She made the trip, she might as well see the office and meet Stella.

"Good morning Santana." Stella says "Oh and you must be the wife, Brittany, right?"

"That's me." Brittany shakes Stella's hand "This place looks great."

"You have your wife's mind to thank for that. My hard labor though. She hates breaking a nail." Stella rolls her eyes.

"Gee thanks." Santana shakes her head and sets her bag down behind the secretary desk.

"She has a point, San. I built all our furniture." Brittany teases.

"You two are not allowed to team up on me. I forbid it!" Santana boots up her laptop with the 3D model design. "Britt, let me show you the end result." Brittany leans over her shoulder before looking up again.

"You're almost there then?" Brittany asks.

"We are. We could finish today if you feel like sticking around for a bit."

"I'm sure you have better things to do hun." Santana smiles, "You don't have to."

"No, I don't have any plans until after lunch."

"What's happening after lunch?" Santana asks.

"I promised to meet Dino's aunt and uncle with him. He's a little nervous." Brittany explains.

"That's the kid you've been worrying about right?" Stella asks and Santana nods "I'm glad things seem to be working out."

"Me too." Santana said "Well Britt, I hope you're ready to work hard. Stella has saved the most labor intensive stuff for last."

"Your wife is too smart for her own good." Stella sighs "But she's telling the truth. Hopefully you don't care about your clothes."

"These are my sweats." Brittany chuckles "I sort of left the house last minute. I guess I might need to stop home before meeting Dino." Brittany chuckles.

"Well then we better work fast!" Stella says. Brittany helps them install some shelves and lets Santana focus on the decor more. She helps her wife hang some tasteful art and helps put up the sign with the company logo and name. Furniture arrives and she helps move it into place with Stella while Santana prints pamphlets that remind Brittany of Emma's, but tasteful. The final pieces start to come together and the office looks great in the lobby. Stella has her help set up the desks and cubicles in the back. She notices that there's multiple offices too. Santana is busy so Brittany decides this is a good opportunity to ask.

"Is Santana getting one of the offices?" Brittany asks Stella.

"Well, initially she wasn't going to, but yes, she is. Even though she's still in school, her work is impressive. She won't be much second in command, I wouldn't want to take too much time from her studies, but she will be at a pretty high position." Stella explains.

"Cool. Surprise her with it though, okay?" Brittany requests.

"That's the plan. I had her design a couple offices, and one is clearly to her taste." Stella shows Brittany the model "Right?"

"Definitely." Brittany says checking the time "I better get going though."

"Take Santana with you. I think she'd really like to be at that meeting. I'll give her the afternoon off." Stella wishes then we'll as they leave, and Santana can't believe how much they got done. Unbeknownst to either of them, Stella had the furniture for the offices coming in and didn't want Santana to see it being delivered. She especially didn't want her to see the finishing touch- her name on the door.

--

They arrive just barely on time to lunch with Dino and his aunt and uncle. They greet them as they take their seats at a pizza parlor.

"I hope pizza is okay Mrs.LPs, my aunt and uncle told me to choose my favorite place. I should've chosen something fancier." Dino tugs at his shirt collar nervously.

"Dino, you're going to stretch your shirt" his aunt reminds "You don't need to be nervous tesoro (darling)."

"Scusa zia" he stops and laughs a little.

"You're too hard on the boy." his uncle says "I used to do the same thing when I was young. Drove my papà mad."

"Really? But you're so put together, zio." Dino comments.

"Ay, I'm outnumbered. Sorry about our family bickering, I'm Franny, and this is Enzo." She shakes hands with both Brittany and Santana.

"It's Lorenzo." His uncle says seriously, "But I think I'll like you enough to call me Enzo." he gives them both a firm handshake.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Brittany and this is my wife, Santana." Brittany smiles brightly.

"We've heard great things about you from Dino." Franny says "He really loves your dance class."

"She's the best" Dino assures "Before she came it wasn't fun, and the teacher was too formal."

"I have a different style of teaching." Brittany explains "They still learn technique."

"Don't worry, as long as he's happy, we couldn't care less what he's learning." Enzo says "Now, what kind of pizza can I interest you ladies in? Our treat."

"Oh no, we can pay, please." Santana assures.

"I insist. Order whatever you two would like, I promise not to judge you." Enzo encourages. They end up ordering two combination pizzas to share at the table along with a bottle of Mexican Coke for everyone. Santana will only drink the good stuff.

"So this stuff is really better?" Enzo questions as he pops the cap off.

"It's real sugar cane. None of that artificial corn syrup crap they put in everything here." Santana says "Give it a sip and tell me I'm wrong." Enzo sips it and smiles delightedly.

"Franny, I want a pallet of this stuff for Christmas." he insists.

"Not happening." Franny shakes her head "You're supposed to be having less sugar."

"Give zio a break. We're Italian. Carbs make up our entire diet." Dino jokes, clearly comfortable.

"Man my parents wouldn't have ever let me say that." Santana shakes her head "Britts did though."

"My parents wouldn't either." Dino sighs.

"Fuck them." Franny says surprising everyone by swearing "Excuse my language, but they can't rot in hell. Using catholicism as something to hate their own son over."

"Don't get too worked up zia. I'm okay now right?" Dino tries to calm her down "It's okay."

"Sorry. I'm not supposed to stress too much." Franny takes a breath "Blood pressure."

"His parents are unfortunately not uncommon. My grandmother did the same thing." Santana shrugs "She came to the wedding, but she never really understood properly."

"Generational turnover." Brittany reminds.

"Dios Mio Britt, that story every time?" Santana questions.

"Wait, I don't think I know this one yet." Dino says.

"You don't. So we were trying to convince her grandmother to come to our wedding right? Well, first, I've got to trick her, because just begging wouldn't work on her." Brittany squeezes Santana's hand. "So I pull off this elaborate scheme, I dress up as a nurse, bring her on my talk show, all of it. Then I lure her to our high-school auditorium and have Santana sing for her, because Santana's amazing." Santana blushes and Brittany continues "So, she sings her song, and then I tell her abuela about how she's my fiancé. We basically beg her to come to the wedding. Santana literally says that her life feels incomplete without her. But she still says that it's a sin." Dino looks down sadly. Santana notices and squeezes his hand too, Brittany smiling at the interaction "So I decide I'll have the last laugh. I tell her it's good that she's not coming, because the increase in support is mostly due to generational turnover."

"That's what they call crazy uptight bitches dying." Santana chuckles.

"Exactly. It was really hard, for both of us, because honestly Alma is a wonderful woman." Brittany shakes her head "Dino's parents are far worse, but the point really is that she did come. It took our crazy cheerleading coach, but she was there. She still didn't think it was right, but she's trying."

"Yeah. And I'm really glad she was there. It meant the world to me." Santana smiles.

"Do you think my parents will ever change?" Dino asks.

"You know kid, there's no way to know, and there's definitely more to worry about there." Brittany admits "But it's clear you have a family who does support you, and I bet more where that came from."

"Definitely. Your grandparents are coming around." Franny reveals "Cutting ties with my brother, your father, has been very hard for your Nonno and Nonna. But they love you and don't agree with his actions."

"Any word from mamma's family?" Dino says hopefully.

"We are working on it." Enzo says "They are not our family and so they are struggling a bit. Wondering why they couldn't take you. Apparently living in a different state wasn't a good enough reason."

"But they love me?" Dino asks.

"As far as we can tell, figlio (son)." Franny pats his hand.

"So Dino, are you ready to go home?" Brittany asks.

"Yeah, but I did want to ask one more thing." he says and turns to his aunt and uncle "Will you have Christmas dinner with the Lopez-Pierces, the Thompsons and I?"

"Of course! We were going to order pizza but that sounds fantastic." Enzo accepts the invitation joyously.

"Well, we need to get home, but we'll be seeing you." Brittany says and they make their way home. Santana is quiet as she takes her shoes off and hangs up her jacket. Brittany watches her carefully, and she knows that her thoughts are storming when she sees her mindlessly turn on the TV and curl up under a blanket on the couch, staring blankly ahead. Brittany kisses the top of her head, leaving her for a moment. She returns with chamomile tea and sets Santana's mug down in front of her, sipping on her own, giving the Latina a minute to process. However, she sees no movement so she sets her aside and pulls the Latina to her. Santana's blank stare breaks, and the storm is released as she curls into Brittany, a rush of tears soaking the blonde's shirt. Santana sniffles and gasps and coughs, bawling. Brittany, caught off guard, just cradles her, trying to coach her breathing as nails dig into her back painfully. Her wife is falling apart in her arms, sputtering. It takes a good five minutes before she gets Santana's breathing slowed. She gently helps her sip the tea and slowly, Santana calms down, much to Brittany's relief. With that sigh of relief her focus flashes to her back which is stinging. Santana's grip had been deadly.

"I'm sorry." Santana croaks, her voice rough from crying.

"For what?" Brittany asks, knowing that her wife can't possibly know about the scratches in her back yet.

"Crying. I just had this rush of emotion about abuela. She barely acknowledged us at Thanksgiving." Santana whimpers.

"I know it hurts, baby. I didn't mean to bring it up." Brittany apologizes.

"It's an important story. I'm glad you told it. I wish I could survive its retelling better." Santana gives her wife a sad smile.

"One day." Brittany encourages.

"One day." Santana smiles before she notices a twinge of pain in Brittany's eyes. "Oh no…Britt, show me your back." The blonde turns and Santana yelps. "Oh honey." Santana gets some wound cleaner and some neosporin, putting bandages over a few. "God I'm so sorry."

"You weren't aware. It's okay. You needed to hold on tight. I knew and I took it willingly." Brittany promises. "So, how about we cuddle now and forget about the world, okay? The world might be big and scary, but we can face it together."

"Together." Santana nods.

a/n: again, apologies for any missing italics or weird spelling/grammar. I'm trying.