Chapter 13: Almost There
"Are you okay?" The question means a lot more now. It's more than being okay enough to function or being okay enough to get through the day. Santana hears the question in a different perspective.
"Are you okay? Will you be able to live your life again? Do you need me to hold your hand? Do you need me to help you to stand? Are you okay? Are you better than okay?"
Santana turns to meet worried blue eyes. Brittany's grip on her hand never once faltered since they walked out of the cemetery. She gives her a small smile. They had a couple of hours before sunset and Santana wants to get this over with.
"Soon. I need to go home." Uncertainty flashes in Brittany's eyes and she bites her bottom lip the way she does whenever she's nervous or scared about something. It wasn't easy to witness Santana's pain on the mere sight of the remnants of the house. But she needs this and Brittany doesn't have the heart to stop her.
"Come with me?" Santana whispers softly. Brittany smiles at her.
"Of course. Where else would I be?" Santana's heart beats a little livelier.
Quinn moves to the song playing on her iPod, unaware that she is being watched. She drops the mushrooms into the pan and the aroma of roasted beef occupies the room. Quinn looks smugly at the pan, her hips moving to the beat. She turns around her eyes closed and fingers snapping. Caleb chuckles from the doorway, amused. The promise ring is dangling on her neck and his breath hitches. Quinn opens her eyes, meaning to grab the turner. She catches sight of Caleb and he had never seen anyone blush so fast in his life.
"Caleb! H-How long have you been standing there?" Quinn adjusts her apron, still flushing in embarrassment. Caleb smirks playfully.
"Long enough to see you do a sexy dance." Quinn scoffs.
"I can't dance to save my life. I think you're confusing me with Brittany." Caleb laughs and moves to land a kiss right on Quinn.
"Santana will kick my sorry ass if I do that to Brittany." Quinn smiles at him and turns to stir the sauce and the beef. Caleb flops down on the counter, yawning.
"How's your afternoon nap?"
"Good. But it feels even greater to wake up know that I'll see you right after." Quinn blushes.
"God, you are so corny and cheesy."
"You like it."
"Whatever. It doesn't change the fact that you are." Quinn banters back playfully.
"Right. Is that ready yet? I'm starving."
"Who says you're going to get any?" Caleb pouts but Quinn puts on a hard face.
"Please?" Caleb bats his eyes to add to the effect.
"Are you gay?"
"Would you still love me if I was?" Quinn's jaw drops in mock horror.
"Oh my God! I'm going to marry a closeted gay!" As soon as the words come out of her mouth, both sports a look of shock. Quinn doesn't know where that came from and Caleb's just shocked that he thinks she just said yes to an unspoken question.
Caleb smiles and stands up to put his hands on Quinn's shoulders.
"Did you just – …?"
"No!" Quinn says a little too fast. She turns to the pan and begins to serve the food. "Sit back down. We're going to eat." Caleb chuckles quietly to himself. Judging from the way Quinn's avoiding his eyes, he knows that she's not ready yet and that's okay. It's enough to know that she's at least considering it.
Caleb takes hold of her wrist just as she set down the rice. Quinn is as red as a tomato but her eyes meet Caleb's out of sheer surprise.
"It's okay, you know. We don't have to talk about it yet. I can wait if you're not ready." Quinn turns to normal and Caleb sees her exhale the breath that she might have been holding since he touched her.
"Thank you." She smiles in relief. He lets go of her wrist and eyes the food in front of him.
"So, I don't know about you but this smells great. I'm digging in." Caleb shoves his spoon into his mouth before he could even finish the sentence. She laughs.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Brittany asks one more time stopping three blocks away from Santana's former home. She had grabbed Santana's face, her worried blue eyes peering into brown hesitant ones. Santana places her hands over Brittany's, bringing them down and gripping her hands.
"No. But that's exactly why I want you there with me. I need to do this, B. You understand, right?" Instead of answering, Brittany grips Santana's hand hard. She leans her forehead on the brunette's for a few seconds before capturing her lips with her own. It was simple, a light peck on the lips that lasted a little too long. But it's enough to give Santana the courage she needs. Brittany smiles at her. They move forward, hands joined in anticipation.
The walls of cement stood, black and dead. Half of the roof is gone and the other half looks like it's going to fall off. Santana feels a sudden urge to run away. So she plants her feet firmly on the ground. She chose this.
Fightorflight.
She has done enough running away. She takes a deep breath, the smell of old wood filling her lungs and she knows that this is it and there's no turning back. She can feel Brittany's steady hand in hers and it grounds her to this reality. She feels a gentle squeeze and it pushes her forward to take the first step. She's walking like a goddamn snail but it doesn't matter. She's walking forward.
Santana doesn't know how but for one reason or another, the wind chimes survived the fire. As she steps inside, it creates that nostalgic sound and that alone felt almost surreal. She steps inside the house taking Brittany with her. She takes a few more steps and then suddenly, she's in the middle of what used to be their living room. She looks around.
This is the place where they opened Christmas presents. This is the place where her parents met her first boyfriend and girlfriend. This is the place where they endured a hundred repeats of FindingNemo. This is the place where they can just be a family.
"The walls were beige." She starts. Brittany turns to her. "There was a huge, as in really, really, and possibly the biggest couch I have ever seen right about here." She gestures to a black space. "There's a coffee table right here and my dad always, alwaysputs his feet up as soon as he sits down." She chuckles quietly and the she turns toward the opposite wall. "My dad bought a flat screen TV. It was seriously overused. We couldn't stop watching movies after movies. And then there were two plants on each side of it because my mom just had to put them there. Don't ask me why. I can't remember." Santana falters at the end of her statement as she stares right in front of the empty space where she says the TV was. She crouches down.
"And this is where I lost my mom and sister." She says quietly. Brittany aches at the slight tremors of Santana's body. She walks past Santana and into another section of the house.
"What was here, San? What did it look like?" The determination in Brittany's voice startles Santana out of the painful memories. She looks at where Brittany is standing and for one moment, she doesn't recognize what part of the house it was. She could only see flames.
"Santana." Brittany could almost see the fire in Santana's eyes so she snaps her out of it. She needs to remember the good memories because that's how people should live. "I want to know what it looked like." Santana feels a jolt and suddenly color wraps the space where Brittany is standing. Almost wantonly, she moves toward Brittany.
"This was the kitchen." Santana is moving around, gesturing different spaces. "This is where the stove was." Fire erupts in her mind but she struggles to reign it in. She continues. "I burnt so much food in here before I stopped being stubborn and let my mom teach me how to properly cook eggs. There used to be a dining table here. Rectangular table. Five chairs." She's standing right beside Brittany. "One day, everybody was having such a crappy day. It was the first of many. You know what my dad did? He threw spaghetti at Tiana. We were all confused. And then he started laughing and pretty soon I had meatballs in my hair. There was a full blown food fight. It was a pain in the ass cleaning the mess. But it was fun." She paused. But before she could remember exactly how her half-burnt mother crawled her way over to the living room, Brittany intercedes as if she knows exactly what she was thinking about.
"I want to see your bedroom." And so they move on. Santana thanks her very few lucky stars that her parents decided that the house be made more of cement that of wood. However, they could only climb until the last step of the stairs since the whole second floor except for the walls was made of wood. Santana gestures the right.
"That's Tiana's room. Across that would be my room." She moves to the middle space. "And that is where my parent's bedroom would be. My room was all black. Don't judge. And against everybody's suspicions, it was video game posters that were posted on my walls not chick flicks."
"Classy." Brittany jokes. Santana laughs lightly with her.
"Tell me about it. Quinn never failed to laugh at my room whenever she came over which was like every single day. The controller was never more than five feet away from me. I had more stacks of video games than that store near McKinley ever had." Santana admitted. She turned to Brittany who was smiling in that way that never failed to relieve whatever pain she was feeling. Blue eyes are fixed on her and Santana is suddenly struck with how right this feels.
"Tiana?" Brittany prompts. Santana turns to the space where Tiana's room used to be.
"She… She was the best sister anyone can ever have. She was my best friend. She dragged me out of my room when nobody could. She even countered my bitchiness when I got too out of hand. Sometimes she was the older sister out of the both of us. I could rely on her to know me. She and Quinn helped pick me up when I couldn't stand on my own two feet. She was harsh at times but she would always, always apologize when she knows she crossed the line. She cared too much for people and I think everybody deserves a friend like her. Sometimes she can be so messed up but as cruel as this may sound, I kind of feel good when she is because that's the time that I can be something to her – the time when I can pay my little sister back for everything she's done for me."
"It's not cruel." Santana smiles at Brittany. "I wish I met Tiana."
"Yeah, I wish you had too." Brittany began to lead the way down the stairs and Santana took one last glance at the entire floor. For a split second, she could see the floor before the flames. She could see all the memories, she could hear the joyous laughter, she could feel the warmth of being home. And it felt good. So she doesn't stop.
"Mami. She was a great cook. Oh my God, you should have seen her. She looked like she was working fucking magic. She could cook anything under the sun. But she's an even greater mom. I never wished for another mom. She knows when I'm drunk and what to do when I'm too intoxicated to climb the stairs. She would talk too much sometimes but that's okay because she would always forgive me. Mami would whisper 'I love you' to my ear every single night. She was amazing. She would have loved you." Santana whispers the last part as they reach the foot of the stairs.
"I already love her!" Brittany replies her smile never faltering.
"Papi is so much like me. He hates mornings as much as I do. And he would always understand me even when I don't say anything. He knows when to pull me to his lap and tell me that I'm beautiful. He knows when to just hug me and then leave me alone to think. He never hit me. But there was this one time that he yelled at me because I came home so late and I forgot to call. It was the only time he yelled. And I never forgot to call after that." Brittany chuckles. "When I told him I was gay, he closed his eyes and he didn't talk to me for two straight days. And I was so scared that I lost him. But you know what? On the third day, he suddenly barged into my room. He picked me and then he twirled me around as if I was seven years old. And then he said, 'my princess'. And told me that I will always be his princess no matter who I love. Papi loved me and until now, knowing that is more than enough."
Santana falls silent, having poured her heart out. She leads them back to the living room.
"San, are you okay?" Brittany asks, finally allowing the worry to reach her voice. Santana looks at Brittany. This. Her. This is her present.
"I love you." The life in her voice fills up the room and the sound of pure love carries through the entire house. Brittany blushes at the intensity. Unable to formulate words, the blonde gathers Santana in her arms, sighing in content.
"I'm proud of you, I hope you know that." She says against Santana's neck.
"Thank you." Santana breathes in Brittany's warm embrace. Just as she was about to pull away, something shiny in the corner caught her eye. She pulls away from Brittany softly, offering a small smile at Brittany's confused expression before she moves toward the corner. She brushes away ashes and rubble and picks through the dirt. She holds it up. Her heart pounds.
It was the silver bracelet Tiana gave her. She brushes away the dirt marring the chains, gripping both ends as if her life depended on it. She flips the bracelet and there it is.
"Dream." Brittany reads for her. Santana nodded. Her fingers brush over the engraving and turns to look helplessly at Brittany. The blonde answers her with a smile. "Dream, San. Dream." Dream something better. Dream life. Dream love. Dream to be more. Dream just because you can.
Grace can't help but pace in the living room no matter how many times Annie told her to calm down. Brittany and Santana have been gone for almost three hours and it's well past lunch time. Annie had long given up on trying to calm down her mother and is on the couch reading a book. She's been reading the same page for almost an hour. Mr. Pierce is in the kitchen, cooking dinner since Grace seems to be incapable of stirring the vegetables without getting burns today.
"Mom?" Grace is snapped out of her worried state with the uncertainty in Annie's voice.
"Yes, dear?"
"They're okay, right?" Annie looks at her. The 15-year old looks as worried as Grace.
"I hope so. Santana's a little broken. But I'm sure she won't do anything to Brittany."
"Mom, she's a lot broken but yeah. I think she's okay." Annie bites her lip.
"They're fine." Mr. Pierce suddenly says from behind the couch Annie was lying on. "But I hope they come home soon, dinner's ready and I want to meet this Santana – both the sad and happy sides." He says, brushing back his brown and a little gray hair.
Silence falls upon the family. It's almost seven in the evening and though they want to trust the girls, their worries do not cease. Finally, just as Mr. Pierce was about to suggest calling the police, they hear the front door open.
"We're ho—…" Brittany wasn't even able to finish her sentence when her mom comes flying out of nowhere and lands in Santana's arms. The brunette flashes a surprised look at Brittany, not really used to the show of affection. But before Brittany can say something reassuring, she finds her arms filled with Annie.
"We've been waiting for forever." Annie says, glaring at her sister when she pulled away. "Daddy was about to call the police." Mr. Pierce nods solemnly beside her.
"Where have you two been?" Unfortunately for Santana, Grace decides to pull away in that very moment and all eyes land on her. She gulps and stares hard at her mud-covered shoes.
"S-sorry." She stutters. But Brittany laces their fingers together and laughs. Santana blushes scarlet when everybody starts laughing at her.
"Come on in. You're just in time for dinner."
"Thank you Mr. Pierce… Mr. P… Uhh." Mr. Pierce chuckles and moves to clap Santana on her back.
"Mr. P is okay, Santana."
The Pierce family plus Santana moves to the dining table and sat down, Santana beside Brittany. The food's aroma makes Santana's stomach grumble and it is only then that she realizes that she's starving.
"So, Santana, what do you do for a living?" Mr. P asks.
"Cliché much, Dad?" Brittany says, giggling at her father's mock appalled expression.
"I wanna get to know her, B! I want to know if she can support my baby girl." Santana smiles.
"I'm a lawyer, sir."
"Ohh, a lawyer, huh? And how does that work for you?"
"I love my job especially when I get to yell at criminals for their own stupidity." Mr. P laughs.
"I see." Santana is starting to feel more at home by the second. She hasn't felt like this in a long time and she briefly wonders if this is all just a wonderful dream. But Brittany turns to look at her, blue eyes shining with love and she knows it's not a dream because dreams can't capture that.
"You okay?" Brittany whispers to her when the whole family laughs at a joke Mr. P failed at telling. Santana smiles and this time, she really does. It reaches her eyes and there's a spark in there that was always missing. Brittany thought it was impossible to love her more than she already does.
"Better than okay." Santana replies. Three words change everything. Everything is suddenly wrapped in color and she breathes a little easier. But the best part of it? She feels Brittany in a way she never has before. There's no pain, no sadness, no regret, no guilt. Only her warm, steady hand that never left hers. Suddenly, life is worth living for.
After dinner, Santana insists to help Grace in cleaning up and the older woman doesn't argue. Both sends Brittany away to have fun with her dad and sister and as their boisterous laughter start filling up the living room, Santana is washing the dishes beside Grace who is drying them.
"I'm sorry for freaking out like that and for sneaking out and for dragging your daughter in my messed up life." Santana suddenly blurts out. Grace smiles softly.
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Santana. But as a mother, I'd like to know of your feelings toward my daughter." Santana pauses, thinking of how to explain to Brittany's mom just how much she loves Brittany.
"Brittany is a dream I never realized I had. Brittany will always be that only person who can make my heart beat like crazy. Brittany is my life, my everything. It's not possible for me to believe in life without her. It's not possible for me to love anyone this much aside from her."
"You know, loving someone that much is a little scary."
"It doesn't matter if she doesn't choose me. I'll let her go if she doesn't want me anymore. I'll fight for her if I see even just a shard of doubt. I will never hurt her because doing that will hurt me more than it can ever hurt her. And even when I do hurt her, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."
"So she's the one?"
"She has and will always be the one."
"And you love her?" Santana laughs and Grace peers at her. Santana's brown eyes are shining with emotion, the smile on her face is so full that Grace forgets the broken woman she met hours ago. She wonders if love can really do that. She wonders if love can really change a person drastically.
"Yes, Ma'am. Without a doubt, I do."
"Glad to hear that. Santana Lopez, I expect you to protect her and take care of her okay? And I also expect you to visit us here every now and then."
"I promise." Santana says and for a split second, she sees her own mother. It doesn't hurt anymore, instead she smiles because somewhere in her they live.
"And you do know that you're going to get a talk like this with Brian and Annie, right?" Santana has just finished washing the dishes. She dries her hands.
"I'm prepared."
"Prepared for what?" Suddenly warm arms encircle Santana's waist and she's enveloped with a feeling she will forever cherish. "What are we talking about?"
"It's a secret." Santana replies, chuckling softly. Without turning around, she can already see the pout that must be present on the blonde's face. Grace smiles slyly at them, inconspicuously leaving the room but not before winking at Santana. Brittany lets it go and sighs contently against Santana's neck. She shivers.
"Are you okay?" Brittany asks for the fourth time that day. Yesterday, it might have been the hardest question someone could ever ask her. Yesterday, the answer might have been a half-hearted "yes" or a downright "no." Today is different.
Santana turns in Brittany's arms and stands on her tip toes to kiss Brittany. It's soft and unlike all their other kisses, this one feels light and truly happy. Brittany smiles through the kiss and holds Santana gently against her this time not because she's afraid that she might break but because this time, finally, Santana is truly hers. Right now. Here. Santana is in her arms fully in the present and not caged in the past.
In the night, it's Santana who holds Brittany. Her front is pressed comfortably against Brittany's back, her head buried in her neck as she breathes in the scent of Brittany. She hums a nameless lullaby, lulling Brittany to sleep.
"I was lost and you found me." She says, when she is sure that Brittany is asleep. "I was broken and you picked up the pieces even when you got hurt in the process. I wasn't worth anything but you would always say otherwise. I was a fucked up person B. The me right now was nothing but a dream. I gave up but you hoped for the both of us. You believed in me when I couldn't. You held my hand and picked me up when I couldn't save myself." She brushes a stray strand of blonde hair. "You're so adorable when you sleep. And I know I sound like a creep but you're asleep so whatever. I wish I'll have the courage to tell you this someday but right now, I'll just have to settle for this. I love you. I really, really do. I love you and somehow no matter how many times I say it, the words can never fully tell you just how much." She tightens her hold on Brittany and presses them so close together just because they are a perfect fit.
"Sweet dreams, love." She whispers before finally letting the pull of sleep take her.
Tonight she will dream not of flames and ashes and death. Tonight she is certain she will not wake up in the wee hours of the morning in terror. Tonight she will dream of light and love and Brittany. Tonight she will rest in order to wake up and watch the love of her life breathing and dreaming in her arms.
Brittany opens her eyes as tears drop. She had heard every single word and her heart beats erratically and so for the woman who's holding her right now. She turns gently in her arms and wraps her arm around Santana's waist. She had never seen the brunette sleep so peacefully and so content before.
"I love you too, S." She says, feeling every word with her entire being.
"Stay?" Quinn asks almost inaudibly. Caleb's hand is already on the door knob. She had never asked any guy to stay in her home since a very long time and though Caleb wanted to stay, he wasn't sure if it's okay for Quinn. So it's perfectly reasonable for him to freeze when she asks him to stay.
"What?" He stammers. This time, Quinn marches up to him, her left hand taking his hand that's somehow stuck on the doorknob and her right hand pushing the door close.
"It's okay." Caleb looks dubious and Quinn finds it sweet the way he cares.
"Are you sure?" He asks. " It's okay. Really. I can go. You don't have to force yourself to do this."
"I'm not. I want to watch stupid romcoms with you and eat popcorn and cuddle and sleep in the same bed with you. You have clothes here from the time when you passed out here right after you drove us back home from that vacation we took with Santana a year ago. But it's okay if you really wanted to go. I'm not going to be hurt or anything…" She rambles off eventually as she lets Caleb's hand go, suddenly feeling shy. But Caleb cuts her off with his biggest smile yet.
"Of course, I'd love to stay." He drops his keys on the counter and makes a bee line to the couch, dragging Quinn with him.
"So, what are we watching?" He says enthusiastically, as he shuffles through the DVDs. Titaniccatches his attention. He grins evilly, fully aware of the side of Quinn he's going to see. The blonde catches the evil glint in his eyes and she protests.
"No."
"Pleaaaase?" Caleb pouts like a lost puppy and Quinn curses herself for not looking away fast enough. Why is it that she feels like the whipped one in this relationship?
"No." But her voice wavers and the next thing she knows she's grudgingly sitting and watching the first part of the movie. By the middle part, Quinn forgets why she resisted watching this movie in the first place especially when Caleb's arms are around her. But she is reminded when they reach the end of the movie and Quinn is reduced to a burbling mess. The tears are unstoppable and when the credits rolled around, she's still crying and she can't stop it. Caleb looks mildly amused. But he's aware as to why she's actually crying. So he takes her into his arms and carries her to her bedroom even when Quinn weakly protests. He spoons her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Q. In fact, I can stay here forever." There was nothing else to prove when Quinn looks into his eyes.
Santana wakes up to the sound of a child's joyous screaming. Confused, she surveys her surroundings and digests the fact that she is not in her own bed. She peers to the light shining right on her face and the noise catches up with her. She hears adults talking and laughing and children still screaming. It's 8 am in the morning and it's too early for Santana. What gets her to wake up though is the fact she's clutching a goddamn pillow when it she would rather be clutching a person, Brittany to be exact, at this time in the morning. Seeing as the blonde is nowhere to be found inside the room, she grunts as she drags herself out of the warmth and comfort she had peacefully slept in last night.
She quickly assesses the number of people outside and thinks that it might be best if she takes a quick shower. She thanks the heavens when she discovers there's a shower room inside Brittany's room.
Fifteen minutes later, she emerges, fresh and clean. She grabs a pair of jeans and a crisp white three-fourths from the clothes they packed. She winces when the children began screaming again as she warily stares at the door, not sure if she should be dreading the number of people outside. She chooses to wear Chucks since heels would notbe the best option if there were children running around the house especially if she wants to stay on her feet.
"Keep it down, Abby." She hears a mother's voice rebuke the child who must have been the one with the highest pitch of scream. Santana closes the door behind her and silently makes her way down the stairs, definitely not used to having so much people in a house.
"Hey, San!" She sees Brittany beckoning her over form the living room. A brown-haired boy is sitting on her lap, his small, chubby hands playing with a train. The image warms something inside Santana and she feels a pleasant pull at her gut. She makes her way to Brittany and kisses her cheek.
"Good morning." She settles down next to her, eyeing the child as Brittany blushes slightly. "Why is there so much people in here?" She could two pairs of parents not counting Brittany's chatting animatedly at the counter and she's not sure if there're four or five children running around in the backyard. She turns to Brittany who is now looking at her, guiltily.
"I forgot to tell you that my cousins are coming over." Santana sighs, wary of the noise. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm just not used to this much people, you know that." She goes back to eyeing the child as if the boy will somehow turn into a hideous creature that will eat her alive.
"This baby is Dave. He's the youngest of all my cousins."
"Okay." Santana says, uncertain. Brittany quirks an eyebrow.
"Are you scared, San?"
"No!" She replies a little too fast.
"Hold him then."
"Uhh, I don't think your aunt or uncle would appreciate it if I accidentally drop the guy. And I think Dave…" She hesitantly pokes his cheek. "…is quite comfortable on your lap." Brittany laughs and Dave peers at her and then looks at Santana, finally noticing her. Santana stares right back at him and she does have to admit, the kid is kind of cute except for the fact that there's saliva running down the side of his mouth. The two have a staring match until Dave scrambles out of Brittany's lap.
"Whoa… Err, Britt?" Dave transfers to her lap, making himself comfortable. Santana's hands are raised in surrender, letting the baby be the boss. Brittany is giggling beside her and she shoots her a glare. It's not that she hates kids. No. In fact she adores them. But it's been so long since she was fit to be around their happy bubbles.
"Relax. He's not gonna bite you." Santana looks form her face to the kid's. Dave is looking as if he wants to sleep. He also looks like he's about to cry and that prompts Santana to do something. She picks up the baby boy just as he hiccupped signaling the start of wailing and stands up from her place on the couch. Instincts take over and somehow her arms remember how she held Tiana and Miguel. She rocks back and forth when she hears sniffling, completely forgetting the very possible chance of her dropping the child. She wipes the saliva from his face before letting him nestle on her shoulder. She rubs his back when he whimpers. Before she knows it, she's humming the lullaby she was humming last night. She's completely relaxed at this point and the baby knows it. He stops sniffling that tells Santana that she has successfully prevented the onslaught of tears and wailing.
Brittany watches Santana, her eyes wide in wonder and amazement. Santana's eyes are closed, concentrated on calming the baby. The picture is so perfect and Brittany aches. Suddenly, she yearns to see this every day of her life. Santana is glowing as if the baby released feelings inside her that were locked up. She watches as Dave dozes off, his chubby arm wrapped loosely around Santana.
"She's a natural." She hears her Aunt Jenny, Dave's mother, say quietly. Santana doesn't seem to notice as she continues what she's doing until she feels Dave's deep and easy breathing. She cracks her eyes open trying to decipher when she closed them. She turns to Brittany, a smile on her face. She notices her aunt looking at her, amused.
"Who knew Santana Lopez, the stoic lawyer, is a softie when it comes to babies?" Brittany teases. Santana glares at her, a blush creeping to her cheeks.
"I see, you got Dave to fall asleep. You know, he never did that before. He would always wail his little lungs out before he falls asleep." Brittany's aunt says. "I'm Jenny, that little boy's mother." At this point, Santana is drowning in embarrassment. Brittany laughs at her.
"Uhh, good morning." Santana says. "Santana Lopez. I'm Brittany's err…" Unsure if she should know about their relationship.
"She's Brittany's girlfriend, Jen." Grace says as she approaches them.
"Ohhh, she's quite a catch Britt. You got lucky." Jenny says.
"Believe me, I'm the lucky one." Santana can't resist.
"Sap." She teases Brittany. "You know we can argue about that all day." She says and the older women laugh when Brittany sticks her tongue out.
"Awww." They gush. A lean man around his forties approaches them and encircles an arm around Jenny's waist.
"You must be Santana. Grace wouldn't stop talking about you. I'm Gary." He stretches out his hand and Santana balances Dave on one arm to shake his hand. "You got my little man to sleep. You guys better put him in the crib in the guest room before those kids over there decide to take their chaos inside." He chuckles. Santana gently hands Dave to Jenny who takes him gently and proceeds to drag her husband with her.
"Your Aunt Nina and Uncle Tom are preparing the grill. We're going to have barbecue later. I'm going to go help around the kitchen. You guys do whatever. No locked doors!" She says as she waves and walks away. As if on cue, five children began running inside and to Santana's horror, they were running toward Brittany who smiled widely. A six-year old boy launched himself in Brittany's arms and she caught him easily.
"Whoa there, pirate." Brittany says.
"Who are you?" A girl sweetly asks Santana. She was wearing a pretty pink dress and her brown hair is in pigtails. The kid reminds her of Tiana. She crouches down and smiles kindly. "I'm Abby!"
"Hello Abby. I'm Santana."
"Tana."
"Tana?" Another boy asks.
"Who's Tana?" Still another asks. A girl appears right beside Abby, slightly taller than the latter. Santana assumes that she's Abby sister.
"Are you Tana?" She asks. Santana nods and smiles.
"Hello, Tana!"
"Hello, boys and girls. What were you guys playing?"
"We were playing Pirate! But it's unfair coz they have more pirates than we do."
"Can I join?" Brittany gaps in surprise at Santana's request. "We fight to save Princess Brittany over there." The kids squeal in joy. Ten minutes later, Brittany and Santana find themselves amidst bandanas and flags and makeshift ships. Santana's has landed on her ass more times than she can count and they have "saved" Princess Brittany countless times. By lunch time, the girls are tied to the boys. Brittany suggests a draw to which they all agree.
Lunch was spent with the family getting to know Santana. She may or may not have gotten a few light threats to which Brittany would defend her. She feels the essence of family and the sense of belonging. Santana latches on to the feeling.
Three Disney movies and whole pizza later, it's time to go for both families.
"Will I see you again, Tana?" Bobby asks. His eyes looked teary, his hands clutching his twin's hand.
"Of course, you will, bug. But for now, you have to go okay? Take care of your brother. That goes for you too, Captain Brian." She addresses his sleep-looking twin. They both give a hug and though Santana would never admit it, it felt wonderful to be hugging kids again. They say their goodbyes with hugs and kisses and more reminders to take care of Brittany but eventually, they lapse back to the peaceful silence of the Pierce's home.
A couple of hours before their flight is about to leave, Santana finds herself in the veranda with Brittany's dad.
"Grace tells me that she talked to you about Brittany."
"She did." Mr. P takes a sip from his beer.
"I trust you, Santana. But I want to hear it for myself. As a dad you know. You have to make sure your princess is in the right hands." Santana nods. The wind blows and she relaxes. "Do you love her?"
"More than anything." She says without skipping a beat. Mr. Pierce smiles.
"Why her then Santana? There's a million pretty ladies out there. But why Brittany?" Santana contemplates the question. She looks out to the setting sun, her expression content. Mr. Pierce doesn't recognize the Santana that Brittany and Grace brought in just yesterday.
"Because out of the million ladies out there, none of them is Brittany. None of them would ever pick up the pieces of me and put me back together. None of them would sing to me and run miles just to keep me safe in the night. None of them can ever love like Brittany. She's that one in a million, Mr. P. She's that one person I'd choose over and over again, no matter what lifetime."
"Funny how Brittany can have such a big heart. Sometimes it endangers her and she forgets that not everyone in this world is good. You have to protect her."
"I'll do more than that. But I'll hurt her someday. I'll break her heart and make her cry. But I'll also pick up the pieces and beg for her to forgive me. I'm not perfect. I'll make mistakes. But if there's one thing that will never be a mistake, it's when I fell in love with Brittany." Mr. Pierce seemed satisfied with her answer.
"So you want to marry her?" Mr. Pierce asks and the question stuns Santana. In all honesty, she'd thought about it and she had already decided that if Brittany chooses to be with her, she'd gladly spend the rest of her life with her. Being with her and the kids a while ago had sparked some desire buried deep in Santana.
"If – If she wants to."
"Marriage is forever, my dear. It's not just some vows and blessings. It means that you'll be by the person's side no matter what."
"I know. And right now, as I'm pretty sure I will be to the day I die and beyond that, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than be beside Brittany." Mr. Pierce smiles at her, obviously pleased with her answer.
"San?" Annie's voice sounds behind them. She had obviously heard the whole conversation and is biting her lip apologetically.
"Hey, Annie."
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but Mom wanted me to call you guys. It's time to go." Santana chuckles.
"It's okay." Annie stands up straight and looks into Santana's eyes.
"You take care of her, okay?"
"I will."
In the plane going back, Brittany's head rests on Santana's shoulder.
"So, what did you and my dad talk about?" She says, her eyes closed.
"It's a secret." Brittany huffs and pouts, half-expecting the answer.
"You guys are mean." Santana laughs quietly. And she realizes then and there that if someone gave her the world on a silver platter in exchange for Brittany, she'd gladly decline. She realizes that this is where she should be, the place where she truly belonged.
"I'm glad Caleb brought you to lunch on that day, all those months ago." Santana whispers. "I'm glad I met you." She laces their hands together, enjoying the warmth of Brittany's hand. "I'm glad I fell in love with you." She says, kissing the top of her head. Brittany smiles in her sleepy daze and though she doesn't say it, she's just glad that she knows that she loves her too.
And no one can describe in words the love they have.
A/N: Okay. First off, I am so sorry. I had finals and God, the stress. T_T Thank you to all who responded to my request for the privatephilosopher's birthday. And most of all, thank you for the alerts and the reviews and the favorites. For the anonymous reviews, again, I will address each and every one of you by the end of this story. One more chapter guys!
Hint for the next chapter: Santana faces a challenge bigger than facing fire. ;)
Now, click on the review button and tell me what you think. :) Please? I'm begging here. Haha.
This chapter is especially dedicated to you guys because no words can describe how grateful I am. No words can describe how much I appreciate the time and effort you give to this story. But where words fail, I will let you guys feel. I hope my feelings reach each and every one of you. I love you, people. :)
Brittana (SOON ),
theangel1710