A/N: It's been asked what seasons this fic will cover. This story will probably run through the end of season 1, but I'll consider writing a sequel if enough people are interested and ask for it. And to the guest reviewer who feels Brittany shouldn't be tagged in this story: if the summary and the first 16 chapters didn't indicate to you that this isn't a Brittana fic, I'm not sure that untagging Brittany would actually help you. Everyone else, I hope you enjoy. As always, feel free to let me know what you think.
SANTANA
The only way to go about this is to just tell her. Tell her what Coach wants and then we'll figure out what to do together. Or maybe I need to talk to Britt first. This is so fucking stupid. I'm tired of being a pawn in Sue Sylvester's crazy schemes.
Me: I need to talk to you B.
I hit send and feel an almost immediate tap on my shoulder that makes me jump.
"Whoa, sorry," Brittany says, "you looked a little stressed out, thought maybe you needed someone to talk to? Wait, hang on, my phone's buzzing."
I watch my pretty blonde friend pull out her phone and read my message.
"Damn, I'm good. Let's go for a walk," she says with a smile.
We walk outside and go under the bleachers. It's out little safe haven, protected from view and the wind whipping across the football field. Britt and I used to come here on occasion to make out. I peek a look at her, wondering if she's thinking the same thing.
"So what's the story? Something going on with you and Quinn?"
"Not exactly." I sigh deeply and look at my best friend. "I told Sue that if she wouldn't let Quinn come to Cheerios anymore, you and I would quit."
I feel terrible for dragging Britt's name into my ultimatum without talking to her, but she nods at my statement and waits for me to continue.
"She said Quinn could stay for now, if you and I try to date fucking Finn Hudson to get Berry to quit Glee."
Brittany raises her eyebrows at that and blinks hard.
"That's dumb. It won't even work. Finn and Rachel are totally going to end up together," Britt says with certainty.
"I don't even want to know why you think that, because they're possibly the most annoying combination of human beings ever, but that doesn't change my problem. Quinn will flip if I do this, and I really don't blame her. What am I supposed to do? I can't quit Cheerios, I don't want to ruin Glee, and I definitely don't want to pursue Finn."
"Well what if I go after Finn alone?" Britt proposes simply.
Honestly, this idea hadn't even occurred to me before. The idea of tossing B out like a lamb to slaughter actually makes me queasy. I can't sacrifice her to protect me and Quinn.
"I can't ask you to do that, Britt. I shouldn't have dragged your name into this in the first place."
Brittany regards me for a moment, studying me in her unique way before apparently finding whatever she is looking for.
"Okay then, here's what we'll do. Three-way date. Finn is a dude, who hasn't lost his virginity yet. He'll jump at the chance to go on a date with two smoking hot chicks. Then we'll be as rude as humanly possible for the entirety of the date and chase him off. This way we'll comply with Coach's request, we'll get dinner at Breadstix, and neither of us will actually have to date Finn."
I'm completely blown away by Britt yet again. I can't begin to understand why anyone would think she's dumb just because she doesn't care for school. Brittany is smart in all of the ways that matter, I legitimately have no idea what I'd do without her.
"Once again you prove your brilliance, Brittany S. Pierce. We cover all of our bases without any horrific downfalls. I'm pretty sure Q will still be upset though. Do you think you could come over after school so we can talk to her together?"
Brittany smiles at me and pulls me in for a quick hug.
"Of course, but I think she'll handle it okay. That whole Spence thing was just a bad moment because she didn't know how to handle it. Quinn loves you, she'll understand that you're doing this for her in the end. We'll get through this together, don't worry."
Quinn is quiet, her eyes focused on her hands resting on her lap. She looks contemplative, but not upset. Still, her silence unnerves me. Brittany catches my eye and shakes her head, telling me to wait for Quinn to speak when she's ready. When my girlfriend's pretty green eyes finally look up, they are calm and clear.
"So if I just don't come to Cheerios anymore, would you still have to do this? I mean, I appreciate you trying to keep me around, San, but it's not worth it if Sue is going to use me to make you guys do a bunch of crap."
Brittany and I look at one another for a beat and I can tell we're on the same page.
"We've thought about that," Britt tells her, "but we're pretty sure Coach wouldn't back off this if we caved. She wants the Glee club, she's just using you as extra incentive for us to do it. We're pretty sure she'll still try to force us to do this."
Quinn nods, she knows better than anyone how Sue is.
"I just feel bad that you guys have to do this, even if it's only ostensibly for me. I know neither of you really like Finn all that much. But in terms of us, Santana, my heart, my love—they belong to you," she echoes my words to her, looking into my eyes, "and I know I have yours. I trust you, love. We'll be fine. Besides, if anyone can be rude enough to get Finn to look past their overwhelming hotness, it's you."
Quinn gives me a smartass look and I pretend to be affronted.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I am as sweet as pie." I respond with mock curtness.
Brittany and Quinn snort at my assertion and start reciting some of my "greatest hits" insults. They're laughing heartily and I can't help but join in. It's actually much funnier to hear someone else say the crazy ass shit I come up with. I feel so much lighter now. We've got a solution, and it's not God awful.
Crisis averted.
QUINN
Brittany and Santana are recounting the details of their "date" with Finn and I am absolutely dying laughing. I feel a twinge of guilt that Finn had to endure their crazy antics, but it's impossible to ignore how hilarious these two girls are when they're together. I love hanging out with the two of them because there is an entirely different side to Santana that shines through when she's with Brittany. San is protective of Britt, but she also has this tremendous confidence in B that no one else seems to possess. I have to admit that even I have snapped at Brittany before when she made a comment that made no sense to me, but Santana maintains a steady acceptance of our weirdly brilliant friend that I admire so much. If nothing else, Santana has proven time and again her steadfast loyalty to those she loves. It's one of the things I love most about her.
Our little trio has grown so much closer over the past couple of weeks, and I couldn't be more thankful. My relationship to Brittany has become stronger with every day, which is so important because I know I couldn't handle their friendship without having such a great one with Britt myself. It's the only way I was able to calmly watch these two link their pinkies and approach Finn in the flirty, sexy way that only they could really pull off. I trust them both. It's kind of strange, because having that kind of faith in people is not my forte, but it's also a relief.
"So then San told Finn that the deal was he had to buy us dinner and we'd make out in front him," Britt says with a laugh.
"Oh my God, as soon as I said that all I could think was 'OH SHIT,' because honestly I didn't know if we could pull off being rude enough to make him run away from watching that. Let's be honest: best. deal. ever."
I'm watching them with a bemused expression, but I'm actually kind of curious now.
"So what would you have done if he'd stuck around for that?" I ask.
Two sets of eyes snap to mine and I look between them, almost laughing at the deer-in-headlights expression they're both wearing. Brittany's searching ends before Santana's, as if she's already seen everything she needs to know. She offers up a shrug.
"I mean, I guess we'd have just made out. It's not like it would have meant anything," Britt states with calm indifference.
Santana's head whips around to look at Brittany, her eyes wide. Her face wears an expression that's the closest thing to disapproval I've ever seen San express towards Britt. My girlfriend is sputtering, apparently lost for words. Rare to see, at best.
"Whoa love, calm down, it's fine!" I say as I reach for her hand. "I honestly don't think that would bother me, in that context. I was just curious, really."
Santana looks unconvinced. Her eyes are searching mine again, her hand squeezing my own.
"You're the only person I want to kiss, Q." Santana says quietly, before adding, "No offense B. You're a fantastic kisser and all…"
Brittany rolls her eyes at San and looks at me for a long minute before leaning forward and giving me a sweet, soft kiss on the lips. It's short and innocent, and clearly meant to make a point. When my eyes slide over to Santana, she is frozen in shock, her mouth hanging open.
"Well now I've kissed you both, so either you can both be weird about it and keep making sure I don't feel bad because you only want to kiss each other, or you can believe me when I say that I'm really, really super happy for you guys and don't need or want you to feel bad that you are meant for each other and not me. I've been crossing my fingers and my toes since the first time you two kissed, hoping against hope that you'd see what was soooo obvious to me. I had a teensy crush on you," she says to Santana, "when I first met you, but once you guys kissed I knew I would only ever be a placeholder for you. And I was okay with that, because even though kissing you was nice and I love being around you, I know real love when I see it. You guys are tethered to one another in some way that I might not ever understand, but I can feel. So can we just all be best friends without feeling bad that I'm your third wheel? Last time I checked, you can't have a tricycle without three wheels, and tricycles are basically awesome."
Brittany takes a deep breath after her mini monologue and looks at us both pointedly. I feel a ridiculous, huge grin slowly taking over my face and I shake my head a little. Santana looks at me, trying to discern what my reaction means.
"Brittany Pierce, you're awesome. More than awesome. You're the freaking best. You are totally the glue of this little threesome," I declare sincerely.
"Wanky."
Santana is smirking at her own dirty little comment, and Brittany and I groan.
"That was a sincere moment, San!" I whine.
"Yeah it was. Sincerely wanky," Santana answers me cheekily.
"Honestly you are just shameless, I give up."
Santana's eyes light up and she hops to her feet, reaching out to pull Britt up beside her.
Well I'm SHAMELESS
"Oh God," I say, my eyes wide.
When it comes to LOOOOOVING YOUUUUUU
Brittany catches on quickly and joins Santana's boisterous singing.
I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TOOOOO
I'LL DO ANYTHING AT ALLLLLL
"Okay guys, I get it," I try to acquiesce to get them to stop.
Instead, they pull me up to sway with them as they continue their crazy country warbling. Santana is holding a non-existent mic in her hand and she's in full crooner mode. She grabs a hold of my hand and sings directly to me.
And I'm STANDING
Britt stop singing along and instead turns on her cellphone screen and starts waving it from side to side. Santana continues without skipping a beat, her voice less goofy but still carrying that country twang.
Here for all the world to see
Santana spreads her arms wide and gives a little shrug of her shoulders.
Oh baby that's what's left of me
Don't have very far to fall
You know now I'm not a girl
She winks at me when she changes the lyric from "man" to "girl."
Who has ever been
Insecure about the world I've been living in
Santana pulls me closer to her and softens her voice, singing more like herself.
I don't break easy
I have my pride
But if you need to be satisfied
I'm SHAMELESS
The deep, sexy quality of her voice shines through when she sings "shameless," and I can't help myself any longer. I press my mouth to hers, her shirt bunched in my fists as I pull her to me. We kiss for a long minute before slowly pulling away, little smiles on both of our faces. We both register Brittany looking at us with big grin and breathe out a couple of soft laughs.
"Hey, you didn't want us feeling sorry we're so in love, right?" Santana ask Britt with an innocent little shrug of her shoulders.
God she's so cute. I kiss her adorable dimple and release her shirt in favor of looping my arms around her. My bump prevents us from being fully pressed together, and just when I feel a frown forming on my face Santana brings her hand down to rest on the side of it as she throws a quick kiss on my forehead almost absentmindedly.
"Don't stop on my record, I think it's kind of hot," Brittany responds.
"Accord, B. It's don't stop on my accord," San corrects casually.
"Good call Sanny, that actually makes a lot more sense." Britt says before she hops up and walks into San's bathroom.
I look at my girlfriend's face to see her reaction to being called "Sanny." Unsurprisingly, she looks completely unaffected, but I know that if anyone else on earth called her that she'd be throwing daggers with her glare. Well, except maybe me, but "Sanny" sounds so foreign to me I don't think I'd ever call her that. She's always been "San" or "Tana" to me, and most recently, "love." That last one is my favorite, because it's the perfect nickname for her. She is love. She's my love.
"What's going on in your head, pretty lady?" Santana murmurs, her eyes studying my face.
"Mmm nothing, just thinking about how much I love you," I tell her.
"Oh yeah? How much do you love me? This much?" She holds her fingers an inch apart.
I shake my head emphatically.
"This much?" Her fingers spread the tiniest bit.
I shake my head again.
"Well how much then?"
"This much," I breathe out before kissing her slowly and deeply.
"That's a lot of love, Q." Santana says, a little breathless.
"You have no idea."
SANTANA
I am legitimately exhausted. Between Cheerios and Glee, actually passing my classes, and my hormonal pregnant girlfriend keeping me up half the night, my body is overwhelmed. Quinn has reached some crazy part of pregnancy where all she wants to do all the time is have sex. As a general rule, this new development is 1000% okay with me, but I can feel myself getting more run down. We only have a few weeks until Christmas break and Quinn is into her second trimester now. I'm fixing my eyes on getting to break so that I can get some rest. I don't want to get sick, because I know my dad will totally isolate me from my girlfriend, and rightfully so.
Coach has only just gotten over the fact that Finn "turned down" the two hottest non-pregnant bitches in the school. Our punishment was certainly exhausting, but Brittany had actually turned to me during one of our many suicide sprints and smiled. I knew she felt like we had really won the standoff, and she was right. No amount of running would ever be worse than having to date Finn and Quinn is still an assistant coach on the team. I'm actually fairly certain Quinn's presence is part of why we were forced to run for the entire length of practice for five days straight. Britt and I are pretty fit, but we were definitely sucking by the end, and all Quinn could do was cast an occasional glance our way and mouth I'm sorry. Every night I'd assure her that it wasn't her fault and every night she'd try to keep our physical contact PG so that I wouldn't get yet another workout. We didn't succeed once.
This week has been slightly less brutal now that the insane running hell of Cheerios practice has ended and we're back to just practicing routines like crazy. I'm still tired, but I feel pretty confident that when Quinn sneaks out of her room and into mine tonight I won't be getting much rest. I could be a complete zombie, I'll never turn her away. She's just so fucking sexy. It's not even fair. How is anyone supposed to look at those eyes, those lips, that face, and have any kind of resolve?
My door cracks open slightly and the very face of heaven pops in my door with a radiant smile. She tiptoes in and slides under the blankets I'm holding up, turning into me and kissing me immediately. I wrap my arm around her tightly, pulling her against me. I'm a little surprised when she pulls away after just a moment.
"You need to rest." Quinn whispers sternly.
"Are you telling me or yourself?" I ask her wryly.
"Both of us," she says with a smile.
She turns and wiggles back into me. I gather her hair to the side and carefully press a small kiss to the back of her neck. With a happy sigh, I wrap my arm around her and rest my palm against her growing baby bump.
"Love you, pretty lady."
"Love you most, Tana."
We lie in comfortable silence and it isn't long until I feel Quinn's breathing evening out. It's honestly ridiculous how much I love her. I'm not one to worry about things too much, but sometimes I feel like things are just too good to be true right now. We're so young, there is so much ahead of us, and this is so new. I try not to think about it, but sometimes it's just overwhelming. If anyone else our age talked about forever or soul mates I'd laugh in their face and bring them back to reality real quick. And yet here I am, totally sold on the certainty that I want to be next to Quinn for my entire life. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I press a soft kiss to Quinn's shoulder and close my eyes, trying to quiet my thoughts.
Just as I'm nodding off, I feel something against my palm. My head pops up off the pillow and I wait, holding my breath. There. The baby just kicked my hand.
HOLY CRAP THE BABY JUST KICKED MY HAND.
I lie still and sure enough, she kicks again. I feel Quinn stir with that one, her handing coming down suddenly to cover mine.
"Did you feel that?" she asks me in a loud whisper.
"Yeah baby, I felt it," I reply thickly, tears on my face, "She's kicked three times, right at my hand."
"Oh my God, this is amazing! She's kicking! Holy cow!"
I smile even broader at that. Who says "holy cow," seriously. Quinn's reaction is so cute, my heart feels like it's going to explode.
"Pretty little girl is just saying hi to her momma," I murmur quietly into Q's ear.
Quinn turns over to look at me, a huge smile on her face.
"I'm so glad you're here for this, San."
I lean forward and kiss her soft lips.
"I'm blown away right now, Q. I can't believe how much I love this little girl. She's perfect, just like you."
Quinn gasps and grabs my hand, pressing it to her stomach. We look at each other and smile when she kicks again.
"Ella es un pateadora," I declare. "I think we should call her Dora until we pick a name."
"Maybe if you tell me what "pateadora" means," Quinn responds, laughing lightly. "Otherwise it just sounds like "Dora the Explorer.""
"God, no. It means "kicker," which seems kind of perfect and somehow less cruel than calling her diabla bebé," I tell her with a chuckle.
"Ooooh good one, San. I like it."
Quinn kisses me, then looks down and puts both hands on her stomach.
"Hi, Dora," she whispers, "We love you."