"San, baby, we're here," Brett whispered. He turned in his seat, unbuckling his seat belt before reaching forward to gently nudge his girlfriend awake. The young woman murmured something unintelligible, swatting at his hand as she shifted her position. He chuckled, shaking his head at her antics; she always enjoyed her sleep. "Babe, the plane landed."
"Five more minutes, B," she grumbled. He rolled his eyes in response, undoing her seat belt as he continued to chuckle to himself.
The flight wasn't long, only two hours but as soon as Santana got comfortable, she knocked out. Brett felt too much nervous energy inside of him to fall asleep and spent the entire time in the air gazing at the love of his life.
Ever since the phone call his mom made, the couple hadn't gotten more than a handful hours of sleep each succeeding night. Brett felt guilty for being the cause of the forming bags beneath his lover's eyes but she reassured him that she was fine. Clearly it wasn't as fine as she wanted him to believe but he chose to not say anything as he nudged her again; this time she opened her eyes.
He smiled as he watched Santana blink slowly, recognition lighting her dark eyes as she offered her own sleepy smile. A small yawn escaped her as she stretched, pushing her chest forward and arching her back, so that the kinks in her back popped into place. She blearily rubbed at her eyes before she looked around, pouting at her boyfriend.
"I fell asleep on you," she said, her voice extra raspy from sleep.
"Yep, you did," the blond nodded.
"You should've woken me up, babe." The Latina sat back and shifted in her seat so that she faced her boyfriend, looking at him with the same look she'd worn since she found out about his deployment. It was a mixture of worry, admiration and endless, profound love. The last was nothing new, but it felt infinitely stronger since the news came to light.
"And have you go all Lima Heights on me? Nope, that's okay. Plus, you looked too adorable." He flashed her a grin before he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Let's go, San, your mom's probably getting ready to charge passed the flight attendants and yank us by our ears."
She rolled her eyes at him but grinned nonetheless, knowing full well that her mother was 110 percent capable of doing such a thing from previous experience. She followed after him down the aisle of the plane after getting her small carry-on, giggling when he stepped to the side so she got off first. If there was anyone Brett was afraid of, it was Maribel 'Mama Bear' Lopez. Alejandro Lopez was easier to deal with but Maribel was in her own class when it came to intensity and Brett still wasn't sure how the woman felt about him, even after years of –obviously– being in love with her daughter.
The couple was surprised when they hadn't spotted the older Latina right away but decided to look for their luggage so they could head straight home once they found her. They walked hand in hand to the baggage claim, trading soft smiles and quick glances along with brief kisses the entire way.
"Dios bendito, you two still look as if you're newly in love," Maribel exclaimed. Santana stared at her mother and father who stood side by side next to what the young woman recognized as her and Brett's belongings.
"Mami, papi?"
"Don't just stand there; give your parents a hug!" her mother teased, opening her arms.
With a shake of her head, she did as was told and pulled them into an embrace that soon included Brett. She smiled as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder, feeling content to be wrapped up by three of the most important people in her life.
"You guys wouldn't wait, would you?" she eventually mumbled, unintentionally prompting an end to the embrace.
"Your mother couldn't but be glad I talked her into it. It was either this or another scene with airport security," Dr. Lopez chuckled. Brett tried his hardest not to snicker when Maribel glared at her husband.
"Gracias, papi," Santana said with a smile, looping her arm through her mother's. "Let's go home now."
Her boyfriend and father shared a look, taking two suitcases each as they followed after their women.
"Lopez women," Alejandro muttered, causing the blond to smile and shrug, knowing full well what he meant. It was how they bonded; their women brought them onto the same ground and set their friendship.
"We heard that," Santana sang, turning to look at the pair over her shoulder. They smiled sheepishly and continued the rest of the walk to the car in silence.
Once the car was loaded with the couple's things, most of which was Santana's, they began the two hour drive to Lima. It started relatively pleasant, getting through the basics a reunion always called for: how school went, how their jobs were, what crazy antics were their neighbors up to and things like that.
It was when all the pleasantries were dealt with that tension began to build in the small space of the vehicle. Nobody knew how to approach the topic that was on everyone's minds. It became increasingly obvious that no one was comfortable, especially Santana, so Brett did what he was best at, and he calmed her nerves.
"I've learned a little more Spanish since the last time we saw each other," he announced. Dr. Lopez raised his brow at the young man in the rearview mirror while his wife shifted where she sat to look at her daughter's boyfriend.
"What have you learned?" she asked.
Santana didn't say anything as she watched her boyfriend worry his lip between his teeth, shyness clear in his handsome face. She couldn't figure out why he still wasn't totally comfortable with her mother but never pressed him about it. She simply hoped that whatever was going on between them would work out for the best because there was no doubt that Santana was made to be with Brett.
"Aprendí a decir que soy un fan del equipo de fútbol de los Estados Unidos," the blond said with as much confidence as he could muster.
Alejandro guffawed and shook his head at the young man while his wife fought a giggle of her own. Brett beamed at his girlfriend when he saw her laughing along with her father.
"You're such a loser," Santana grinned.
"A loser who finally likes soccer," he replied.
The rest of the ride was spent trying to teach him even more Spanish, especially terms related to soccer. During that time he loosened up and spoke with a little more certainty in his voice, making silly jokes and pulling faces. Santana loved seeing him so relaxed and couldn't wait to meet up with his family to complete the reunion.
"Tracy and your sister are waiting for us at Breadstix," Maribel stated. Brett nodded, gazing out the back window to the rapidly fading image of the street he grew up on; the same street Santana once lived on as well.
"It'll be like graduation all over," the Latina grinned, pulling on the blond's hand. He turned his attention to her, staring at her with adoring blue eyes as he smiled back.
"Let's just hope that Susie doesn't get chocolate wasted this time," Alejandro added. They shared a laugh as they pulled into the parking lot, quickly finding a spot and heading in the restaurant.
"Brett-zel!" a young woman exclaimed, jumping from where she sat to rush toward the approaching group. Susana Elizabeth Pierce squealed with delight as she threw her arms around her older brother and favorite brunette, hugging them fiercely. It had been months since she last saw either of them because the last time they were in town, she was away at cheer camp.
"Seuss-ana!" Brett felt elated to see his sister, returning her embrace with as much gusto. Santana discreetly wiggled out of the hug to give the siblings their moment and moved to stand beside their parents who watched the scene with broad smiles.
"I've missed you so much, you loser," the blonde teen said, pulling back from her brother to glare at him. Even with her lips pulled into a frown and her brows were furrowed in an annoyed scowl, her blue eyes twinkled with mirth.
"It's not my fault that you fell under the dictatorship that is Sue Sylvester," he returned with a shrug, reaching his hand out for his girlfriend. She obliged him, entwining their fingers and smiling at him. "Mom didn't have to miss me as long as you because she stayed."
"But I still missed you, the both of you." Tracy Pierce stepped forward reaching for them, one hand resting on her son's cheek and the other on the Latina's. She shared their famous piercing blue eyes, fair skin and expressive smile, something that always made Santana feel at ease.
"We missed you too, Mama Pierce," the brunette grinned. She tried not to focus on the water that gathered in the corner of her eyes.
"Right, well, let's get to the food, we all know how our girl here likes her breadsticks."
"I forgot my wallet in the car, Brett come with me to get it," Dr. Lopez instructed, trying to wink subtly at the young man. Thankfully Santana didn't notice when Brett gave him a thumbs up and followed along.
A/N:I'm so sorry for the long wait. I have been swamped with so many things and lost a bunch of my writing stuffs. I'm also sorry that this chapter was so fluffy, I just wanted to throw a few details about certain things in so I wouldn't forget. There were little things in this chapter which will add to the general story.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited and just plain old read, it's all very much appreciated. Have a great day/night/evening/morning or whatever time it is! (:
P.S. All mistakes and such are mine and mine alone.