A/N: Hello fine readers! Time to answer some questions I keep getting asked. 1. Yes this story ends in a few more chapters. 2. No, I'm not continuing this story to NYC. There's lots of NYC Brittana fics out there, and I don't feel I can add much to that. 3. No future Brittana!Moms fic either. 4. Yes, perhaps some one-shots involving Mama Lopez, but no more multi-chapters. I think she's had a good run. You flatter me with your questions and honestly just reading this, so thank you fine unicorns. You are the best. Mama Lopez loves you and thinks you should wipe that smirk off your face. Again, big thanks to my beta slayhue .
"I swear to god if I have to listen to one more show tune, I can not be responsible for my actions," Santana complained from the backseat of Kurt's SUV.
Kurt rolled his eyes and passed his iPod to Brittany.
"Pick something else then," Kurt offered.
Brittany smiled at the opportunity to pick the Ikea trip play list and eagerly scrolled through Kurt's music.
"Wow Kurt," Brittany whispered to herself.
"What?" Kurt looked over, concerned.
"You really are the most unicorn of them all," Brittany replied. "I'm still scrolling through Broadway shows," she said shaking her head.
Santana huffed a breath of frustration. "Please tell me you have some Beyonce in there. Rihanna? Hell I'll even take some Maroon 5 as long as I don't have to listen to Defying Gravity for the 100th time."
Kurt looked over at Brittany with a "please help me" look. Brittany looked back and shrugged. She pinched her tongue between her lips as she created a play list. Ten minutes later, Brittany was still choosing music.
"Britt Britt," Santana gently called, leaning forward and placing her hand on Brittany's shoulder. "We're only going to West Chester, not California."
Brittany nodded, but didn't look up. "Almost done," she replied with a little smirk.
Santana sat back and flipped through the dog-eared Ikea catalog. Couches, coffee tables and rugs were all circled or cross out. Santana was willing herself to keep an open mind. She had her preferences, and was really looking forward to winning the apartment-decorating contest she had imagined with Kurt. Just because he had an eye for cutting edge fashion and design, didn't prove to Santana that he had good taste. Brittany reached back with her left hand and petted Santana's shin. That little touch reminded Santana to play nice. "It's only furniture," Brittany reminded her the night before.
The Jackson 5's "ABC" played through the speakers.
"Nice Britt," Santana and Kurt both praised.
Brittany grinned and started dancing in her seat.
Santana was the first to grab the store map and pencil from the holder at the bottom of the escalator. She inspected the map as they rode the escalator upstairs.
"Looks serious," Kurt whispered to Brittany.
Brittany nodded and smiled. "She's a planner," Brittany whispered back.
"You mean schemer," Kurt kidded.
Brittany gave Kurt a playful smack to his arm. "Used to. Now she only uses those powers for good," Brittany explained.
Kurt raised an unconvinced eyebrow. Brittany just shook her head and smiled. She was looking forward to Kurt understanding Santana better. Santana walked ahead and made a beeline for the couches and easy chairs. She found one of the couches they had circled in the catalog and sat down.
"Ugh, this sucks," Santana grimaced.
Kurt and Brittany both sat down with her.
"Well that's disappointing. It was my favorite design too," Kurt sighed.
Brittany put her arms around both Santana and Kurt and pulled them forward. "Come on. There's three more to try out," she said cheerfully.
Brittany, Kurt and Santana took turns sitting on the couches. Brittany always took the time to lay down on them, curl up on them, drape her legs over Santana on them, to make sure she covered all major couch use positions.
"I feel like Goldilocks," Brittany mused.
The last couch was Brittany's favorite. It could seat three people, with one section a chaise. It had hidden storage and converted into a double bed. Santana liked the functionality and she didn't hate the color options. Kurt agreed that it had everything they were looking for in a couch, including comfort.
"Alright Santana. Write that one down," Kurt conceded.
Santana wrote down the tag information and let a small smile sneak across her lips.
"I get first dibs on pillow choice," Kurt added.
"Because you're an expert on pillows, princess?" Santana smirked.
"You're one to talk," Kurt retorted with a smile.
Santana immediately frowned and looked to Brittany. Brittany ignored both of them, and started walking toward the coffee tables.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Santana hissed at Kurt.
"Neither do you, so we're even," Kurt whispered back.
The coffee table choices became a non-issue when they looked at them in person. They all agreed. No arguments. Santana wrote down the ticket information. She looked up to tell Brittany they were headed down to rugs, but she was nowhere to be found. Kurt had his head stuck in the display of storage baskets.
"Where's Britt?" Santana asked.
Kurt turned and scanned the area. Beyond the coffee tables and media centers, there was Brittany, climbing up a loft bed. Kurt tapped Santana's arm and pointed. Santana smiled.
"She always wanted bunk beds as a kid," Santana said, shaking her head.
Brittany grinned as she saw Santana and Kurt approach.
"I know we talked about using my bed, but this would be perfect. We could fit so much more stuff if we have a loft bed," Brittany reasoned.
Santana inspected the price tag and performed some quick math in her head. Kurt stood under the bed and measured the space.
"I could use one of these as well," Kurt mused. "I hate to go all 'college dorm' look, but with the right alterations…"
"You picking function over fashion Kurt?" Santana asked leaning down from the loft ladder.
"Working within the limitations provided is where creativity and necessity combine to create something new," Kurt explained. "And that new thing, is hopefully, fabulous."
"Well if you're doing it, then it's guaranteed fabulous," Brittany added.
"Thanks Britt," Kurt smiled.
Santana wrote down the ticket information for the bed. Brittany looked down from the loft with a grin.
"Really?" Brittany asked.
Santana looked up and nodded with a smile. "It's a smart choice. Come on, one last stop in rugs, and then we're out of here."
"Don't forget the cinnamon rolls," Brittany said.
"We won't Britt, promise," Santana replied.
20 minutes and 50 rugs later, they were down to two. Kurt wasn't budging on his pick of muted tones. Brittany insisted on one bright splash of color for the apartment, and Santana honestly didn't care at this point.
"Everything else is plain. I don't want everything to be plain," Brittany complained.
"I promise I'll pick colorful throw pillows Britt. Honest," Kurt pressed.
"This is a happy rug. It'll brighten up the place," Brittany insisted.
Santana compared both, side by side. Muted beige, black and cream stripes versus bright primary colored stripes. It was practically a rainbow rug. Santana smiled.
"Look Kurt," Brittany stood, meeting him eye-to-eye. "I went along with the couch choice, the coffee table choice, your ideas for throw pillows, storage bins and the curtains you suggested last week. I get the rug, even if I have to pay for it myself."
Kurt opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shifted his eyes to Santana, who stood there with her arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.
"Kurt, meet stubborn Brittany. Brittany, meet the Kurt who is going to use his brilliant creative mind to work with your choice of rug," Santana announced with confidence.
Kurt's shoulders slumped a little and turned to the rug.
"I guess can work with it," Kurt grumbled.
"There you go Prancy," Santana said, patting him on the shoulder.
Brittany beamed in triumph, and threw her arm around Kurt's shoulder. "I knew you'd understand," she said, giving him a squeeze.
"I'm still not sure that I do," Kurt admitted.
"You will," Brittany said with confidence.
"Please tell me you made dinner," Santana pleaded as she and Brittany entered the house.
Mrs. Lopez looked up from Gourmet magazine. "Rough day at Ikea?"
"You'd think since all that stuff comes in 50 boxes, the boxes would be light, but no, it's some of the heaviest sh…stuff," Santana whined and slumped over the counter.
Maribel looked over at Brittany. Brittany blew a wisp of hair from her face. "The boxes really dig into your arms too," she said rubbing her biceps.
"Just think, you're going to have to do that all over again and take it up all those steps in New York," Maribel smirked.
Santana groaned. "I take it back, I don't want to move to New York anymore."
Mrs. Lopez chuckled and drew her daughter into a hug. "Did you get everything you needed?"
Brittany nodded. "And cinnamon rolls", she said, rubbing her belly.
"I see the sugar wore off then," Maribel said, petting Santana's head.
Santana nodded into her mother's shoulder. "Unloading all that stuff into Kurt's garage was the last straw."
"Well, I didn't cook dinner, but I was planning on ordering out, so come pick what you want," Maribel suggested, pulling away from Santana and grabbing a menu from the drawer.
After dinner, Brittany retreated to her bedroom to review her Chemistry notes. Santana stopped by to see Brittany on the phone with Quinn, talking through a new chapter of material.
"You can ask her over if you want," Santana quietly suggested.
Brittany looked up, a little startled and shook her head no. Santana left Brittany to her reviewing and returned downstairs and joined her mother on the deck.
"How's Brittany doing?" Maribel asked as Santana sat down and let out a heavy sigh.
"Studying," Santana flatly replied.
"That's what she's doing. I asked how she was doing," Maribel prodded.
Santana shrugged and looked at her mother. "She's stressed. She's studying hard. Trying to get good grades so she graduates."
"And so you and Kurt and she can go to New York," Mrs. Lopez added.
Santana nodded and bit her lip.
"Are you worried?" Maribel asked.
"About New York? Strangely no," Santana paused to gather her thoughts.
"I was a mess at the beginning of the summer. Stressed about not having a job or a place to live. Now those two things have lined up, I'm really pretty good actually," Santana said.
"But now I'm worried about Britt. Not that she won't graduate, because really, I think she will. She's smart, you know?" Santana said, looking at her mother for agreement.
Maribel smiled and nodded.
"She was smart enough to date you, wasn't she?" Maribel teased.
"Or crazy enough," Santana chuckled.
"I'm just worried she's putting so much pressure on herself because of me. That's what's hurting her grades. Not her smarts. I'm making things worse for her," Santana sighed.
Maribel gave Santana a gentle smile and put her hand on Santana's.
"Since when is Brittany loving you your fault?"
Santana looked at her mother like she had two heads.
"You said you were making things worse for her," Maribel reminded Santana. "She wants to do well, not only so you can be in New York, but also so she can go with you. It's not just you, though I'm sure that's a lot of it. She knows you'd be heartbroken if she couldn't come. Throwing all your plans into a mess. You think Brittany wants to be left behind, and repeat her senior year without you? You think she doesn't have New York dreams of her own that she wants to pursue? She loves you. She loves you so much. As much as you love her. Doing right by you, means doing right by herself as well you know."
"But, I don't want her to worry about me, I just want her to do well for herself," Santana explained.
"When you're in love, sometimes doing things for yourself, means you're doing it for the other person as well," Mrs. Lopez replied. "You two are so tied up in one another. And you're learning now, that the other person's happiness is almost the same as your own. She's stressed and unhappy, which is making you stressed and unhappy. That's what you get for caring so much," Maribel said.
"It would be a lot easier if sometimes we didn't give a damn as much as we do about people we love," Mrs. Lopez concluded, looking out into the yard.
Santana sat in silence and took her mother's words to heart. She rolled them around her brain, trying to figure out her next steps. She looked over at her mother, who turned pensive as well.
"You're not just talking about me and Britt, are you?" Santana ventured to guess.
Maribel looked into her lap with a sad smile and shook her head.
"I wish we had these kind of talks a couple years ago, sometimes. Feels like cramming for a final I don't even want to take," Maribel confessed, looking out into the yard again.
"A couple of years ago I was so far in the closet I was in Narnia. I couldn't have talked to you about love or relationships or Britt or anything beyond Cheerios," Santana consoled.
"And just because I'm leaving for New York, doesn't mean I'm leaving you Mama," Santana soothed, and squeezed Maribel's hand.
"But you are. The house is going to be so…" Maribel couldn't finish her sentence. She shook her head to shake away the feeling.
"Sorry. I don't mean to lay that on you. You have your own work to do with Brittany." Maribel forced a smile. "So, what are you going to do about your little stress ball upstairs?" Maribel asked.
Santana hesitated, not wanting to dismiss her mother's sad confession, but Maribel's face was set. She was done talking about herself. Santana understood and let it go, for now.
"I have no idea what to do. I need her to relax and just do for her what she needs to do, without thinking about me, so she can do well in school and we can all get what we want."
"You better go remind her that she has to take care of herself before she can take care of you then," Maribel advised.
Santana smiled and nodded. She got up and sat in her mother's lap and gave Maribel a strong hug.
"I'll miss you too Mama," Santana whispered.
Santana walked inside and left Maribel to wipe a stray tear from her eye. "God I hate it when my kid says the right thing," she said to herself.
Santana went upstairs and heard Brittany on the phone.
"I will. I promise. Thanks Mom. Love you too. K. Bye," Brittany said.
"How's your Mom?" Santana asked, stepping half way into Brittany's room.
"Oh she's good," Brittany said with a relaxed smile as she set down her phone.
"Well I'm glad you got to talk to her. You look a lot more relaxed and happy," Santana said, sitting on Brittany's bed.
"Yeah, I just kind of dumped on her and she gave me some good advice. I'm feeling better," Brittany replied.
"What kind of advice," Santana asked, genuinely curious.
"For me to just focus on the here and now, and not something that hasn't happened yet. Take care of me and one day at a time, I'll see everything fall into place, without even looking," Brittany smiled.
Santana forced her smile, "That's great Britt. So glad your Mom was there for you. And she's absolutely right."
"Need help with Mr. Poe tonight?" Santana offered.
"Nah, I'm good tonight. Tomorrow though?" Brittany suggested.
"It's a date," Santana said.
Santana leaned over and kissed Brittany. "I love you so much," Santana said, stroking Brittany's cheek as they pulled apart.
"I love you too Santana. So much," Brittany smiled back.
The week progressed like most others. Brittany got her grades back on Monday. A 74 in Chemistry and an 82 in English Literature. Both Quinn and Brittany were happy with the results of the review test and they did another Wednesday night. Brittany was in better spirits and more relaxed, just focusing on her work and not thinking about New York or how Santana and Kurt were counting on her to graduate so they too could go to New York City without worrying about rent.
Dr. Lopez came home Thursday evening and dropped a packet of papers on the kitchen counter. Santana and Brittany stopped their English review and looked at the very official-looking legal documents.
"What's this?" Santana asked as she started to flip through the papers.
"Your lease agreement. I just got back from the tire shop. Kurt's already signed, so we just need you two to read and sign it," Dr. Lopez explained.
"Wait, this is your friend's place though, right?" Santana asked.
"Yes, but he has a management company run everything. They handle the leases, the maintenance, the inspections, so he doesn't have to worry about it," Dr Lopez said.
"Is this in English?" Brittany asked, reading over the first page.
"Yes, well sort of. We'll call it legalese," Dr. Lopez chuckled. "Here, I'll walk you girls through it."
Dr. Lopez sat down and translated each paragraph and what it meant. Brittany worried her lip into her mouth, and signed all the sections Dr. Lopez explained and pointed out.
"There. That's it. I'll sign the guarantor paperwork and we're all set. You're official," Dr. Lopez said, kissing both of the girls on the head.
Santana looked over at a visibly pale Brittany.
"Britt Britt? You okay?"
"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Brittany mumbled.
Santana got up and wrapped her arms around Brittany. "Come on, let's go upstairs."
Santana led Brittany to her bedroom and they laid down on the bed. The thought of killing her father passed, as she looked at Brittany's worried eyes.
"It's all legal now. Like, if I don't pass, it'll be like breaking the law," Brittany whined.
"No, no honey. Britt. Look at me," Santana pleaded. She kissed Brittany's cheeks and nose and eyes and forehead with little butterfly kisses.
"Nothing has changed since before you signed that lease. Nothing. Okay? You're working on your homework. You're doing this for yourself, one day at a time. That's it. Nothing else matters," Santana cooed, kissing Brittany's lips softly, to seal in her promise.
"But…" Brittany began.
"No buts," Santana shook her head. "Remember Valerie? Hmmm? Remember how nervous you were about performing and feeling like the entire Glee club's chances weighed on your ability to kick ass with Mike, and dance like you never danced before? Remember?" Santana prodded.
Brittany nodded.
"Remember what happened?"
"We won," Brittany replied with a little smile.
"And what did it take for us to win?" Santana asked, giving Brittany's nose a little boop.
"Well your singing and Mike being an awesome partner, and…" Brittany started to explain.
"Nooooo, it took you working your ass off practicing, and then letting your abilities speak for themselves. And they did. And we won," Santana explained. "That lease hasn't changed all the work you've done and all the work you will do. It doesn't change how smart you are and it definitely doesn't change how you and I stick together. No matter what."
"No matter what?" Brittany asked for confirmation, though she knew the answer Santana would give and the answer already in her own heart.
"No matter what," Santana nodded and curled up into Brittany. She kissed Brittany softly, and nudged their noses together.
"Stay with me tonight?" Brittany whispered her request.
"Absolutely," Santana replied with a kiss and a sigh.
Brittany awoke to breakfast in bed. Santana brought a tray of scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, a glass of juice and a mug of coffee. Brittany rubbed her eyes and smiled sleepily at the gesture. Then she took in Santana's appearance. She was still in her pajamas, but they were covered in pancake batter dust. Brittany sat up and pulled Santana in for a sleepy kiss. She licked the side of Santana's mouth first.
"Got some chocolate chip on you," Brittany smirked.
"Had to taste them to make sure they were good," Santana shrugged with a smile.
"How's Brittany?" Quinn asked as Santana entered the bookstore.
"Better. We had a set back last night, when Papi thought it was a brilliant idea to drop the lease on the table while we were studying. Britt nearly lost it. She was doing great too. All confident. Taking one day at a time. She talked to her Mom. Then all the legalese and signing official papers sent her back ten steps." Santana explained.
"How did you get her to relax, and don't tell me stuff you know I don't want to know," Quinn warned.
Santana laughed. "It wasn't really a sexy times moment Q. We talked and cuddled and I made her breakfast in bed."
"And that's it?" Quinn asked.
"That's it," Santana smiled. "Now, you ready to get your ink on tomorrow?" Santana asked with a smirk.
"Definitely," Quinn grinned. "I'm so glad I'm doing this with you girls."
"Don't get all mushy on me now, Q," Santana teased.
"Too late," Quinn smiled.
Saturday morning, Quinn, Brittany and Santana pulled up to the tattoo shop just as it opened. Quinn sat down with Brian and Kelly waited for Brittany and Santana to decide who went first. Santana eyed Brian filling in the colors on Quinn's tattoo. The buzz of the tattoo gun and Quinn's gritted teeth were not as cool today as they were last week. Brittany saw Santana's fidgeting clasped hands and immediately sat down in the tattooing chair.
"Me first," she said cheerfully.
Before Santana could object, Brittany had slid her right arm out of her tank top and bra strap.
"Is that a massage chair?" Santana asked.
Kelly smiled and nodded. "If you're getting your back done, you want to be comfortable, right? We just replaced the headrest."
"It's super comfy. I could take a nap," Brittany smiled.
"If you nap through this tattoo, you can have it for free," Kelly joked as she wiped the space between Brittany's shoulder blade and spine clean.
Santana watched as Kelly unwrapped the needles from their sealed plastic sleeves and set up her tattoo gun. She shaved the baby fine hairs from Brittany's back, wiped it clean with a spray of disinfectant and gauze pad. Another mist of liquid and the tattoo stencil was carefully placed on Brittany's upper back. Kelly offered a mirror for Brittany and held another one to see the reflection of the tattoo.
"How's that look to you?" Kelly asked.
Brittany smiled and nodded, then looked to Santana. "What do you think?"
Santana stood back with her arms crossed and squinted with careful inspection, tilting her head in consideration.
"Looks great Britt. Quinn? Third opinion is a charm," Santana offered.
Brittany got up and turned to show Quinn who was concentrating on some invisible spot on the wall as Brian continued to shade and color her tattoo.
"That's going to look great Britt. Perfect," Quinn said with a strained, clipped voice.
"Alright Kelly. Ink me," Brittany proclaimed.
"Okay Brittany. I'm going to give you a little line and then stop, just so you can see what it feels like," Kelly warned.
Santana sat across from Brittany and held her hands. She looked over at Quinn, who gave her a quick wink and a nod. Santana redirected her gaze upon Brittany. The buzz of Kelly's tattoo gun combined with Brian's.
"Ready?" Kelly asked.
Brittany straightened her back a little. "Ready," she replied.
Santana ran her thumb over the back of Brittany's hand.
Brittany winced and sucked in a breath as the tattoo needles pierced her skin and moved about an inch.
"You okay?" Kelly asked.
Brittany let out the breath and considered how she felt. She smiled in relief and nodded to Santana.
"I'm good. Keep going," Brittany told Kelly.
"You got it sweetie," Kelly smiled and started up again.
"You sure?" Santana asked, as she watched Brittany bite her lip and wince occasionally.
"Yeah, it's not that bad. It's like taking the tip of a steak knife and dragging it across your skin. It feels like a scrape, not a cut," Brittany explained.
After about 10 minutes, Brittany let go of Santana's hands. "I'm good," Brittany assured her. "I'm used to it now," Brittany smiled. "Go watch what she's doing. It'll make you feel better," Brittany suggested.
Santana nodded and gave Brittany a half smile and shook her head. Brittany knew her all too well. The more information Santana had, the better. Kelly paused from Brittany's back and instructed Santana to pull up her chair near by. Santana watched as Kelly's latex-gloved hands moved the tattoo gun with precision over Brittany's skin. She tattooed and wiped away blood and excess ink in a steady rhythm. The more Santana watched, the less scary and strange it became.
"You ready to take a break Quinn?" Brian asked.
"If you're finished with the shading, yeah, I'll take a break before we do the next one," Quinn replied.
She got up and stretched and waited for Brian to clean and cover her tattoo.
"Almost done Brittany," Kelly said as she wiped the skin clean. "Just a couple touch-ups and you'll be good to go."
"Santana, do you have ibuprofen on you?" Quinn asked.
Santana checked through her purse and produced a bottle triumphantly.
"Good, Britt will need it, and so will we after we're done," Quinn smiled.
"You got the antibiotic ointment and fragrance-free lotion still?" Brian asked.
"Yep. All set," Quinn replied. "Santana, you and Britt should pick some up."
"Already did," Brittany said. "Santana researched tattoo care and got everything we needed."
"We'll give you a care instruction sheet when you check out anyway," Kelly offered. "It's like our warranty. If you don't follow the instructions, I can't guarantee my work."
Santana watched as Kelly retrieved a fresh tattoo gun, needles and ink and set them up on her tray next to the chair.
"When ever you're ready," Kelly smiled.
Santana took a deep breath and felt Brittany link her pinky and give a little squeeze.
"Ready," Santana said with a nervous smile.
"Not so bad ass now are you Lopez," Quinn smirked as she returned to her chair and got prepped for her Unholy Trinity tattoo on the opposite side of her back from her scars.
"Shut it Fabray. I'm fine," Santana dismissed her.
"We charge extra if you're going to fight about it," Kelly quipped.
"I'd actually pay to see these two have it out," Brian joked.
Kelly, Quinn, Santana and Brittany all rolled their eyes in unison.
Kelly cleaned, shaved and prepped the stencil and placed it on Santana's back, between her left shoulder blade and spine.
"Here we go Santana. Just like Brittany, I'll give you a short line, so you know what you're getting into," Kelly warned.
Santana flinched and squeaked in pain as the first line was inked.
"So, should I give up or are you good to go," Kelly gently asked.
Santana glanced sideways at Quinn who eyed Santana with a daring look.
"Good to go Kelly," Santana forced a happy tone.
Brittany sat across from Santana and smirked. Santana's stubbornness would win out no matter what kind of pain she was in.
With their tattoos done, Santana, Brittany and Quinn walked out of the tattoo shop with their heads held high. Santana had an extra swagger in her step.
"Feeling like a real bad ass right about now aren't you S," Quinn remarked.
Santana nodded. "Sore, but yeah, it's a good hurt," Santana smiled.
"I'm starving, let's get lunch," Brittany suggested.
The car ride home was full of 80s rock ballads, fast food and singing at the top of their lungs. It was a distraction from the ill thought out placement of their tattoos when it came to sitting in the car for nearly two hours. None of them could lean back comfortably against the backrest of their seats.
Quinn dropped Brittany and Santana off at home. Brittany and Santana greeted Santana's parents as nonchalantly as possible, hyper aware of their tattoos and the bandages that might poke out from underneath their shirts. They finished their chores at Brittany's house that afternoon and returned bone-dry for the first time all summer. Maribel eyed them suspiciously as she returned the unused towel to the linen closet.
Brittany and Santana settled in with a movie on the couch as Dr. and Mrs. Lopez got ready to go out to a movie and dinner.
"Santana!" Maribel called from upstairs.
"Yeah?!" Santana shouted back, not taking her eyes from the television.
"Did you take my new lipstick?" Maribel yelled.
Santana paused and thought. She turned to Brittany with a guilty look. She silently mouthed "Oops."
"Yeah. Sorry! It's in my purse on my bed!" Santana called back.
Maribel huffed and shook her head and walked into Santana's room. She opened up Santana's purse and grimaced at the task of rifling through the receipts, packs of gum, and unidentifiable "garbage" her daughter had shoved in there. Maribel decided the easiest way to her lipstick was to dump the purse out.
"I swear I don't know how she can find a damn thing in this mess," Maribel grumbled.
She found her lipstick amid a handful of receipts and an appointment card with today's date and this morning's time filled out on it. She turned it over and saw the tattoo parlor logo and business information.
Maribel closed her eyes and sighed, then looked up at the ceiling, "Why?" she asked herself.
She returned everything back into the purse, including the business card. She heard Santana's footsteps race up the stairs.
"I'll get…it," Santana faltered as she saw her mother returning the last of the contents to the purse. "Oh. You found it okay?" Santana asked, in a fake light tone.
"I did," Maribel replied flatly, and turned to her daughter.
Santana remembered about the appointment card too late.
Maribel's eyes glanced over Santana's bare arms and legs.
"Let me see," Maribel requested firmly. It was a demand without the yelling.
"See what?" Santana asked.
Maribel tilted her head, and placed her hands on her hips. "Really Santana?"
"As long as you don't tell Papi," Santana pleaded.
"Brittany get one too? And Quinn?" Maribel asked.
Santana nodded apologetically. "We wanted to mark our friendship before we all went our separate ways," Santana explained.
"And you couldn't have made a scrapbook or something?" Maribel chided.
Santana shrugged and turned around, slipping off the left strap of her tank top and bra. Maribel carefully peeled off a corner of the tape and revealed the fresh tattoo shiny with ointment.
"Three sisters," Maribel commented.
Santana nodded.
"Well, I guess I can thank you for not getting a cartoon character, or a skull or a Mom tattoo," Maribel said as she replaced the tape back down on Santana's skin and made sure to press firmly.
Santana winced. "No, the Mom tattoo is the next one. Nice and big on my bicep. What do you think," Santana teased.
Her mother frowned.
"Too soon?" Santana guessed.
"Too soon," Maribel smirked through her frown.