CHAPTER 51

A/N: I know it's been a while but there are so many subplots in this story that I have created a beast lol and it makes it more challenging to write. But anyway, I'm back with a new chapter! Thanks to pacumeme57, Olivia, brittnsan, Yadi, andyjayj, Marie RieRie England, Kitana1, Cissou28, Berrylucky5, Tamardejong, pjay413, Itsskik, idk87, heyamustbreal and the Guest for their reviews! Special thanks to WhitWalk for proofreading this chapter. It's so, so nice to see that some of you are still there, guys! But back to the story now!

A FEW DAYS LATER (NIGHT TIME) – AT HOME – SANTANA POV

Laying on top of a naked Brittany, I place a few gentle kisses on her bare chest as we're both trying to catch our breath.

"Well, it's… 00:07 now, so…" I pant, quickly glancing at the clock before looking back at her. "Happy birthday, honey…" I say, tenderly kissing her lips.

"Thank you…" She smiles, holding me tighter in her arms. "That really was the best send off into my thirties I could have asked for!" She chuckles, making me laugh.

"Well, it had to start in a proper way! After all, 30 is a big milestone…" I say. "And what better occasion to celebrate than you being born?" I smile, capturing her lips in another loving kiss. "So, tell me… What's the verdict after three decades on this planet? Are we happy?"

"So happy!" She immediately replies, caressing my hair. "My life started a bit lonely though… But then, I met you… and I never got lonely again!" She smiles. "You really changed my life, Santana Lopez-Pierce…" She adds, locking eyes with me.

"For the better I hope?"

"Of course, for the better!" She says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Look at all that happened since we met! I got a best friend, the most wonderful wife, three beautiful kids… and a lovely home!"

"And a satisfying sex life, right?"

"Oh, way better than satisfying!" She chuckles, kissing me again.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER – IN BED

"I still can't believe you don't want a big party for your birthday…" I say, as we're snuggling in bed. "You're 30 years old, Britt! You should do something special!"

"But I prefer that we celebrate it together, once you turn 30 as well!"

"Well, you may wait a very long time then, because I've decided that as from now, I would turn 29 every single year so…"

"Really? So… when I'm like 63, I will be married to a 29 year old?"

"Exactly! You're welcome!" I say, shrugging proudly.

THE NEXT MORNING – AT HOME – BRITTANY POV

"Britt, honey… it's time to wake up…" I hear Santana's soft voice, before feeling her lips on mine.

"Hi…" I whisper against her mouth, trying to emerge from sleep.

"Morning, wifey…" She smiles, gently caressing my hair. "Happy birthday again!" She adds, placing a tender kiss on my cheek. "By the way, something came for you."

"Really, what?" I ask in a sleepy voice. After cracking a mischievous smile, Santana nods towards something behind me, making me turn around.

There stand my children, all three smiling big. I quickly notice that Sofia is wearing a t-shirt with the word "Happy" printed on it. Standing next to her, Diego has the word "birthday" across his chest while Gabriel has "Mommy!" written all over his clothes.

"Oh my God… you guys are so cute! And so sweet!" I say, smiling back at them.

"Oh, but there's more…" Santana says. "Come on guys, let's show mommy!" She adds and if Sofia turns around by herself, the boys need their mama's help to do the same. But once I see the words printed on their back that read "We love you!", my smile turns into an even bigger one.

"Thank you my babies, I love you too!" I say, getting out of bed to kiss them. "And your mama is really good at surprising me!"

"And you have seen nothing yet!" Santana immediately replies. "I have planned quite the day for you, wifey!"

"Oooh, really? Tell me!" I say in an excited voice, getting really curious.

"Well… first, I'm gonna prepare us a killer breakfast! And then, I thought we could go to the zoo?"

"We're going to the zoo?!" Sofia suddenly screams in excitement.

"Maybe…" Santana chuckles. "It's mommy's big day, so it's up to her really…" She adds, and our daughter immediately looks at me with hopeful eyes.

"Oh, we're definitely going to the zoo, peanut!" I have barely the time to say that Sofia already jumps up and down.

"Wow, ok… She might be enjoying your birthday even more than you!" Santana laughs.

"I'll say…" I laugh along. "So, we'll spend the whole day there?" I ask.

"Not quite…" She replies. "We can stay there a few hours but I was planning to pick up food on our way back and have a picnic in our garden, it's supposed to be pretty warm today!" She adds. "So, mommy, what do you think of this program? Do you validate it?"

"I love it!" I say, smiling so big that my face hurts.

LATER THAT DAY – AT HOME

"You know, I don't care what people say… This is living it up!" Santana says, as we're laying on the pool deckchairs, drinking champagne and watching the kids play in the garden with Penny.

"I couldn't agree more!" I say, caressing her hand that is resting on my thigh.

"So… how are you liking your birthday so far?" She asks me, taking a sip of champagne.

"Well, honestly… I'm having the most perfect day!" I shrug. "I feel very loved, and very blessed…" I add, giving her a grateful kiss.

EVEN LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – AT HOME – SANTANA POV

Although we could enjoy some sun for a few hours, it eventually got too chilly to stay in the garden and we moved the party inside the house. Brittany put on some music and we ended up dancing with our kids in the living room, like there was no tomorrow!

At the request of our little girl, Britt and I even performed "We Got the Beat" in front of our children and for some reasons, they all laughed hysterically at our little choreography.

But to make sure the kids wouldn't get too excited right before their bed time, we decided to switch to slow songs a while ago.

"Okay… this one is gone." I tell Brittany as I can feel Gabriel getting heavier and heavier in my arms.

"This one too…" She whispers, still dancing while carrying Diego.

"And apparently they're all in dreamland!" I add, nodding towards Sofia who is sleeping on the couch, sucking her thumb.

"Yeah, I think it's time to put them to bed!" She says.

LATER THAT NIGHT – AT HOME

"She's asleep?" Brittany asks me, as I carefully get out of Sofia's bedroom.

"Yeah, she didn't even wake up!" I laugh. "It was a good idea to get them ready for bed before dancing! What about the twins?"

"The same, really! Now, they're peacefully sleeping in their beds."

"Good!" I smile. "Well, the night is still young…" I say, checking my watch. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"No…" She says, wrapping her arms around my waist to pull me closer. "I think we should come full circle, and end my birthday celebrations the same way we started them…" She smirks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well, that's a genius idea, birthday girl…" I smile, before pressing my lips on hers.

THE NEXT DAY – AT HOME

"Okay, so… the reason I asked you to come by is because I would like to use two of your songs in the season finale." I tell Naya.

"Oh my God, are you serious?!" She says, opening her eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm dead serious!" I confirm. "I was thinking of using this track here only as background music, but I thought you could perhaps sing that song on screen? The text is really perfect for the scene I have in mind!" I say. "Besides, not only did you lose 40% of your salary because of me, but you even had to co-finance an episode so… it's time that I give you some money back, Rivera!" I joke, making her chuckle. "If you agree, I can book some studio time for you tomorrow…"

"Oh, I agree, I agree!" She immediately says in an excited voice.

"Great!" I chuckle at her enthusiasm. She looks like a kid who is about to open their Christmas presents!

"And if I may…" I add. "I think you should record the rest of the songs before the new season comes out. It's a momentum we shouldn't miss because the show is really the best publicity you can think of, believe me! It will bring a lot of attention to your album…"

"Well, that sounds perfect!" She smiles.

LATER THAT DAY – AT HOME

"Oh… Hi Naya!" Brittany smiles once we enter the living room.

"Hi Brittany! Oh, and here is my little munchkin!" Naya says as Britt hands her a smiling Gabriel. "How are you, baby? Auntie Nay Nay missed you so much!" She adds before giving him a kiss, and I can't help but smile. It always warms up my heart to see my kids so happy around her.

"I didn't know you were coming today!" Britt says. "That's a nice surprise!"

"Oh well, it was a very improvised meeting. Santana just asked me to pass by, to discuss my album. Your wife is freakin' awesome by the way!" She says while Gabriel plays with her hair.

"Ah, tell me something I don't know…" Britt smiles, kissing my forehead.

A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER – AT PARAMOUNT

I'm on set today and while the crew adjusts the latest details for the upcoming "Brittana" scene, I check the script one more time.

"Hi sexy lady!" I suddenly hear Brittany's voice behind me, making me turn around.

"Britt! What a great surprise!" I smile, kissing her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well… the kids are at daycare, and since I'm not teaching today, I thought I would come visit my lovely wife! What's going on here?"

"Oh, we're actually just about to shoot our engagement scene!" I smirk.

"Really?" She says in an excited voice. "Can I watch? Oh please, tell me I can watch!"

"Of course you can watch, honey!" I chuckle. "Here, take a seat."

A FEW MINUTES LATER - ON SET – BRITTANY POV

"Naya, you can go sit at the piano…" Santana instructs and the actress immediately takes her place. "This scene is obviously a very emotional moment for your character: she's singing her guts out and making a big declaration to the love of her life. So, the emotion has to be raw, because her most intimate feelings are exposed, making her completely vulnerable. Okay?" She says and Naya nods in understanding.

"Tony, I need you to do a close-up shot of Naya's face half way through the song…" She tells the cameraman. "You can start when she sings this line here." She adds, pointing at the script. "And then, as soon as the song ends, you enlarge it and Naya, you get up and walk over here, to your mark."

I really love watching Santana work! She's always 100% invested and God, she's so sexy when she's the big boss!

"HeMo, you'll sit on the couch for most of the scene but camera 2 will be exclusively on you." Santana warns Heather. "Gary, you caught that?"

"On it, boss!" The cameraman answers.

"Of course, it's also a very special moment for your character…" Santana tells the blonde actress. "And it's not going to be easy because in this scene, you'll have to express your deepest emotions solely through facial expressions." She adds. "Then, as soon as Naya finishes singing, I need you to immediately get up from the couch and throw yourself at her for a hug, alright?"

"Yeah, okay…" Heather replies, nodding.

A few minutes later, I watch everyone take their place, patiently waiting for Santana to give the signal.

"Okay… Take 1, ACTION!" She shouts.

A WHILE LATER – ON SET

"CUT!" Santana screams, interrupting the scene once again. "Okay, I'm sorry but that's just not gonna do it."

If the song itself only took 2 or 3 takes, the actual engagement scene is another story… This was take 12 already and I can tell that Santana is not going to let go until they get it right.

"I'm sure you're all thinking that I'm being picky…" She tells the cast and the crew. "… but first of all, this scene is about the very beginning of my marriage, so it means a lot to me! If it was not for that moment, my whole life would be completely different! My children wouldn't even exist! And if you think I'm being difficult now, you should have met me before Brittany and I got together, I was a lot bitchier then! Right, Fabray?"

"Oh, you know it!" Quinn immediately says, nodding in confirmation.

"And if I fought the entire Fox Board for three years and moved the show to Netflix, it's exactly because I wanted to finally shoot this kind of scene!" Santana says. "So, we'll redo it as many times as it takes until it's perfect! Even if we have to put an all nighter!" She warns in a sure voice and no one dares to say a word.

"Don't get me wrong, ladies…" She tells Naya and Heather in a softer voice. "You've been great but… I need you to be outstanding! You know better than anyone how long the fans have been waiting for this!" She says. "And let me remind you that if we chose to end the season with my character popping the big question, it's for a reason! And it's not just to have a cliffhanger, it's to create a climax, so that people would want the show to return!" She adds while the two actresses just nod in silence.

"And I know that we won't show your kiss in this season but… you need to level up!" She says in a determined voice. "It's an engagement kiss! That means that your characters love each other so much that they just decided to spend the rest of their lives together!"

EVEN LATER – ON SET

"CUT!" Santana shouts in the middle of take 16. "Look…" She sighs. "I'm aware you've never been engaged but… try to imagine what it would feel like if the love of your life proposed to you! Because I need more than this, okay? More emotions, more love, more passion!" She adds and I can read the despair all over Naya and Heather's faces.

"San…" I suddenly say, getting up from my chair. "May I…?" I ask.

"Sure, Britt… Be my guest…" She sighs.

"Okay, ladies… So, um…" I mumble, feeling a bit shy now that I have to talk in front of so many people. "Just… look at the person in front of you right now." I eventually advise. "This is your soulmate… your person!" I shrug. "It's the one you're so in love with that your heart beats outside of your chest when you're around them! The one whose babies you want so bad…"

"But it's also your best friend." I add. "The one you can tell everything to, who is there for the good and the bad, who… always has your back and comforts you when you're sad…"

SANTANA POV

"As for the kiss…" Brittany says. "You just need to remember that the love you two share is so strong that you thought it only existed in movies!" She shrugs. "And not only were you lucky enough to find it but your partner just promised to be by your side and love you every single day of your life!" She adds.

"So, the kiss has to be loving but also kind of… needy. As if you had only one minute left together and it was the very last time you could ever kiss! Like this…" She says, suddenly pressing her lips on mine, completely catching me off guard. As her hand cups my cheek, she gives me one of those heavenly kisses that always turns my legs into jelly and agitates every single cell in my body.

"There…" She says, pulling away, while I'm struggling to remember where we are.

"Anything to add, San?" Brittany asks.

"Uh… what?" I say in confusion.

"Any additional advice for the girls?"

"Um… no… I… um… what she said!" I just reply out of breath, making everyone laugh.

Yeah, I bet I must be looking all flustered right now…

A FEW DAYS LATER (EVENING TIME) – AT HOME (LIVING ROOM) – BRITTANY POV

I turn off the TV as soon as the movie is over and quickly glance at Santana who is still sleeping in my arms. She fell asleep barely 5 minutes after the movie started but I didn't mind. I always love snuggling with her on the couch, whether she's awake or not.

"Honey…" I whisper, placing a few kisses on her forehead to gently wake her up.

"Mmmhh?" She grunts, her eyes still closed.

"I know you don't want to move but we should go to bed."

"I thought you wanted to watch a movie…" She mumbles in a sleepy voice against my chest, barely articulating.

"I already watched the movie, San… It just ended."

"What?" She raises her head, confused. "Did I miss the entire thing?" She frowns in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so…" I say, gently caressing her cheek.

"You should have woken me up…" She replies, hugging me tighter.

"I could tell you really needed this nap, honey… You were practically in a coma! The movie was very noisy, with gunshots, explosions… and you didn't even flinch!"

"Yeah, I guess I have been pretty tired lately…" She finally admits. "It's the final stretch before wrapping up season 4 and the big musical numbers are so complicated to shoot that my days are exhausting!"

"I thought Artie was directing the musical numbers?" I ask, confused.

"He is, but considering the colossal budget of the last two episodes, I thought I should be on set as well…" She says, yawning. "Anyway, let's go to bed…" She adds, slowly getting off my body.

ONE WEEK LATER – AT PARAMOUNT – IN SANTANA'S OFFICE – SANTANA POV

"Ah guys, great, you're here!" I say, as Artie and Quinn enter my office.

"Come on, show circle!" I quickly add, gesturing for them to get closer to me, in the middle of the room.

"Why are we doing a show circle?" Quinn frowns, yet placing her hand on top of Artie's and mine. "We're not performing…"

"Because I'm about to send season 4 to Patricia Miller…" I reply. "And… I don't know, show circles help me feel less nervous!" I shrug.

"Come on!" I say again while looking at them, our hands joined. "One… twooo… threeeee…"

"AMAAAAAAZZZIIIING!" We all scream in unison, raising our arms.

"See? Now I definitely feel better!" I say, before sitting at my desk, inviting them to look at the screen.

"Okay…" I sigh. "Ready?" I ask, hovering the cursor over the "send" button.

"Ready!" They both answer in a sure voice.

"And… sent!" I say in an excited voice, upon clicking the button.

LATER THAT DAY (EVENING TIME) – AT HOME

"You're ready to go, San?" Quinn asks.

"Yep, I am!" I confirm as I look in the mirror one last time, before we join the guys in the living room.

"Lopez, can you please tell Sammy Boy here that I am the one in charge tonight?" Puck asks.

"Right!" Sam chuckles. "Go on, San… Tell our friend Puck how wrong he is!"

"I hate to break your little hearts, guys, but… you're both wrong!" I reply. "Neither of you is in charge."

"What?" Puck frowns in confusion. "I don't understand… Are you talking about Brittany? I thought she was busy tonight?"

"You geniuses really think I would ask you to babysit my children if their mom was free to watch them?!" I question, crossing my arms. "She has a meeting at the dance school!"

"But then… who is it?" Trouty mouth asks.

"Sofia is in charge!" I shrug as if that was obvious.

"Wait, what?!" Sam asks, more confused than ever.

"Let me get this straight…" Puck says. "You ask us to drop our plans for tonight and babysit your kids but you put your 5 year old in charge?!" He asks, offended.

"She's not 5 yet." I correct him. "But yes, that's right."

"Okay, she's joking, right?" He turns to Sam who is looking as stunned as him.

"Let me be clear, boys…" I say. "The only reason you two are babysitting by yourselves tonight is because there was no one else available! And I know I can count on my little girl to pay attention to her baby brothers, unlike you! Plus, she knows how to call 911! And more importantly, she knows how to call me and Brittany! So, if you mess up, I'll know." I add, looking at them in a threatening way.

"Mija?" I say in a softer tone, still staring down at Puckerman and Froggy lips. "Come here, baby!" I add, and my little girl immediately runs towards me.

"Do you remember what we talked about earlier?" I ask her. "Since mommy and I are both busy tonight, Uncle Puck and Uncle Sam will stay with you until we come back." I say and she silently nods. "And you know what that means?"

"That I'm the lady of the house!" She screams in pride. "And they have to do everything I say!"

"That's right!" I smile, caressing her hair.

"See, I knew we shouldn't have let her reproduce!" Puck sighs, turning to Sam. "She's cloned herself!" He adds, raising his arms.

LATER THAT NIGHT – AT THE PUB

"Well, guys, we did it! Season 4 is officially in the bag!" I tell Artie, Quinn and Naya. "And now it's time to celebraaate!" I sing-song. So… here's to us!" I add, raising my glass.

"To us!" They enthusiastically repeat, clinking their glasses against mine.

"And seriously, none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for you all." I shrug. "So, Q…" I say, turning to her. "Thank you for… everything! For being my co-writer, my right hand, and even my therapist when I'm upset!" I add, making her chuckle.

"Oh come on, please don't tell me you're gonna get all emotional on us now!" Naya frowns.

"Shut up, Rivera! Your turn will come too!"

"Wheels…" I say, turning to Artie. "Thank you for being the best director and editor a showrunner could ever dream of! And above it all, thank you for staying on set when shooting goes on late, so that I can go back home to my wife and kids…"

"My pleasure!" He smiles, obviously touched.

"And finally…" I say, turning to Naya. "Rivera, thank you for doing such a great job at… well, at being me!" I add, making her chuckle. "But you did so much more than just acting on my show… Without you, there wouldn't even have been a season 4 at all!" I shrug. "I still can't believe you managed to convince the cast to give up part of their salary and seal the deal with Patricia Miller when that was not even your job!" I say, raising my arms.

"And of course, thank you all for co-financing the show, that means more than you will ever know…" I add. "So… needless to say, all drinks are on me tonight!"

MUCH LATER – AT THE PUB

"Oh, I know…" Artie says. "Name one thing that made season 4 completely different from the other seasons."

"Well, for once, there was no one to boss me around!" I immediately say. "I mean, no one else than Quinn." I clarify, making Artie and Naya laugh.

"Yeah, I have to say that not working with Lee was definitely a game changer!" Quinn agrees.

"For me, what made this season so special was shooting in multiple locations." Artie says. "Oh, and also that we brought the musical numbers to the next level! What about you, Naya?"

"Mmh… well, I really loved that I got to play an actual grown up rather than a high school student!" She replies. "But I think that for me, the biggest change was all the on-screen sex! Seriously, Lopez, I don't think I have ever played that many sex scenes in my whole career! I'm not even sure I have had that much sex in my private life!" She says, laughing.

"Oh, let me reassure you, Naya…" Quinn says. "No one has as much sex as Santana and Brittany!"

"Why do you always talk about us as if we were rabbits in heat?" I ask Quinn, offended.

"Because you are!" She immediately laughs, making me shake my head.

"I know what this is about: you're envious!" I tell her. "If you want, I can talk to Puck for you…"

"Oh no, no, no, that won't be necessary." Quinn says. "If you want to break your lady parts, that's up to you, but leave mine be, okay?"

EVEN LATER – AT THE PUB

"Well, guys… it's been a fun night but it's time for me to go!" I say, getting up from my chair.

"Already?" Quinn asks, clearly surprised.

"Yeah!" I shrug. "I had to get to Paramount so early this morning that everyone was still asleep when I left the house! And even though I saw my kids when I picked them up at daycare, Brittany was already at the dance school, so… I actually haven't seen my wife the whole day! And I would like to go home before she goes to sleep."

"Oh… got it!" Quinn winks and smirks, while I roll my eyes.

LATER THAT NIGHT – AT HOME

When I get home, Britt is fortunately still awake, doing the dishes in the kitchen.

"Hey you…" I say, placing a kiss on the back of her neck, while wrapping my arms around her waist from behind.

"Hi!" She smiles as she turns around, before kissing my lips. "I didn't expect you to come home already, I thought you guys would celebrate until sunrise!"

"Well, that was the plan but… I missed you too much…" I admit timidly.

"Aww, honey…" She says, giving me another kiss. "I missed you too!" She adds, making me smile big.

"You did?" I ask, resting my forehead on hers.

"Of course!" She replies and I can't help but pulling her into another loving kiss.

"Hey, do you think we have too much sex?" I ask out of nowhere, pulling my lips away from hers.

"What?" She frowns in confusion. "Um… no!" She shrugs. "I think we have the right amount of sex, why?"

"I don't know, it's just that Quinn keeps implying we do it too much."

"Well, who cares what others think?" She shrugs. "We love each other! And as long as we both want to have sex, I don't see why we should deprive ourselves…"

"Exactly!" I agree. "You're really the wisest, wifey…" I whisper, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, since we agree… I will just mention that the kids are all peacefully asleep in their beds, and the dog is sleeping on the living room couch, so… if you want to, we could…" She trails off, playing with the collar of my dress.

"Oh, I definitely want to!" I say, making her smile.

"Well, let's to go bed then…" She suggests in a sexy voice and I immediately nod.

A/N: This was a shorter/transition chapter but I hope you liked it! I wanted to show how Santana would handle the Glee storylines now that she didn't have the Board to answer to, hopefully you enjoyed that! But it's a wrap for season 4 so it's also kind of a turn in the story. We will soon know if the show is renewed or not but either way, Santana won't work for a few months so we will also see what that brings!

Important reminder: to receive notifications when stories are updated, you need to manually activate them, and you need to reactivate them every 6 months otherwise it will automatically turn off! I hate this system too… (and it's very unfair to the writers!) To activate notifications, go to Accounts – Settings - Email Opt in on the web version or Account – Notifications on the app.

Please let me know in the reviews what you thought of this chapter and feel free to tell me if there is any specific plot/scene you would like to read (I'll see if it fits with the overall story!) Thank you for still being with me!