Chapter 16

Just like a dream.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
and there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years …

"Baby!"

"Ma-mi."

"Baby!"

1 year old Dominic exclaimed through a toothy grin and resumed chewing on a soggy cheerio mashed with a little wet cube of pear. The rounder part of his rosy cheeks covered with bits of fruits and cereal, his eyes bluer with the morning light entering from the huge kitchen window.

Brittany contained her chuckle at the sight of her son happily sitting on his high-chair while devouring breakfast "Ma-mi…" She enunciated for him to repeat but to no avail. It has been 2 days since his first word and he exclusively was sticking to it with some babbling in between.

"Ba-by." The darling boy said again and offered her a cube of peach topped with some drool so Brittany smiled painfully but ate it anyways. The joy of parenthood.

"I swear to God. Dom's playing with my feelings." She said after swallowing the piece "I won't give you more cheerios." She directed with a huge smile at him.

Watching the whole exchange, Santana had stopped reading the book in hand and laughed while caressing her restless round belly. She was almost 8 months pregnant with their second baby boy. At first it wasn't as smooth as with Dominic due to a bad case of morning sickness that lasted longer than expected. But now, knowing more, it was even better.

"Britt, stop blackmailing our child and Dominic, stop teasing your mom." She chastised playfully while walking towards them, standing next to Brittany and traded her fingers through her blonde hair. She couldn't be more thankful for their privileged situation that allowed them to practically work from home now that they needed it and Brittany kept her business trips to a minimum.

"Baby!"

Brittany attempted to pout but chuckled instead "See? Pollito is being mean. A big meanie!" Tickles accompanied her words and Dominic laughed overtly, unsuccessfully swatting the playful hands away with one of his own on his mouth, tasting the sweet residues.

"Nono!" He repeated.

"He'll talk our ears off soon and I'll laugh at you, I will." Santana teased her and took a bite out of a sticky round cheek when Brittany pulled him out of the chair and held him, paying no attention to the mess on the bib and chubby hands. Dominic was done with breakfast. She smothered him with playful kisses and proceeded to kiss pouty lips before asking a common question on those days.

"How's Chris doing today? Is he quietly attempting to swim in there?"

The blonde woman asked as Santana winced a little and softly nudged back on top of her belly "He's been kicking non-stop, all morning. Even more so when he heard you and Dominic play."

Brittany smiled widely when she felt the not so subtle movement of her second child still inside Santana. Dominic looked up at her, blue upon blue, and mirrored her actions as he finally stopped giggling and planted his own hands on Santana's bare stomach; he looked up again, this time to dark eyes, in amazement when he felt his brother moving against his palm and laughed again at the odd sensation.

"That's your baby brother saying hello, Dom." Santana warmly said to him and kissed the top of his blonde hair while ignoring the ache on her back and the swollen feet.

You see, baby Christian Pierce turned out to be a little of a soccer player/boxer judging by the strength and amount of activity he had inside his mother's womb (Brittany strongly believed that those were his callings) and by the end of the pregnancy, Santana swore he knew where the exit was, if the hammering against her cervix was any indicator of it.

Dominic for his part, was the designated spokesminiperson to communicate baby no. 2 news to the family and closest friends. Well to be honest, all he did was sport a t-shirt Brittany got for him that said I'm gonna be a Big brother!and the family brunch turned into a madness fest.

Santana tried to be more active, it helped her to relax and be more productive given her obvious circumstances. Been able to work from home was a huge relief for both of them along with the fact that Becca's sister, Emma, was their housekeeper now and provided a much appreciated help.

An adorable fact that Santana confirmed throughout the time together was that Brittany was absolutely delighted and proud to be her wife and having Dominic on her arms and a pregnant Santana on her side was the best thing. Weekends and free time often were spent along curious looks for Dominic's age and the pregnancy; knowing smirks and the occasional thumbs up from strangers were common as they leisurely strolled around the park, mall, and a few times even the office. Indeed, they were a beautiful family.

She was a wife now, and most importantly, a mother. They went from working hours, to loving nights, to paediatrician appointments, some lack of sleep, monthly check-ups for the pregnancy and all of the in-betweens Brittany talked about. Perfect was something they weren't but it didn't stop them from trying.

"Don't move."

Brittany stopped. They were by the pool, against the lounge chairs where Santana had found a comfortable position sitting crossed legged on a huge pillow to have a little sun after Brittany and Dominic splashed in the water. Dominic had been trying to walk on his own and he was determined.

He looked at them as he propped himself up with both hands on the steady surface. He was barefoot and dressed in nothing more than a swim diaper, round and proud belly full on display.

"But I want to film it." The blonde whispered through gritted teeth and carefully reached for her camera, which apparently was a fabulous toy for him whenever his little hands caught it.

"Be discrete, act nonchalant. If he starts laughing at you he'll fall." Santana responded in the same manner while her dark eyes were focused on the little guy in front of them, his blonde hair reflecting the streaks of the warm sunlight. Dominic took a tentative step first and let go of the chair with one hand, to then the other.

"You're making me nervous."

"Shush, he's trying harder. I think this time he'll make it."

Brittany lost it and practically squealed in delight at seeing a concentrated Dominic take a couple of steps forward. His bare feet feeling the soft grass beneath "He's totally going to make it!"

The camera was already capturing the moment on video. He stopped to regain the balance and smiled, and then he made it. He walked the other steps and stood proudly on his own in front of Santana who promptly opened her arms to receive him.

"Hey pollito, your first solo!" Brittany beamed and they both melted when Dominic clumsily bended and dropped a sloppy kiss to Santana's belly, hugging as much as he could of her.

"Baby." He clearly said.

Both set of teary eyes cherished the precious giggle and the undeniable feeling of accomplishment, as little as it was "You did it Dom! You walked alone!" It was the first of many for the darling boy.

"Britt, his first steps and he reached for…"

"I know." Brittany did her best to swallow the lump in her throat. She couldn't.

After a while, he just went from one chair to the other as he played with his beloved toys, making choo-choo sounds and the occasional bark.

"Come here chicken." Brittany called for him and offered a sippy cup with apple juice. His blue eyes beamed and unsteadily, Dominic reached for it "He wants to run already." She caught him on time and Dominic got cosy on her lap, already falling asleep as if all the day's activities fell on him.

Santana just observed them for a while, cashing in the fact that Christian was probably asleep as well, so her insides weren't a punching bag.

"I've been thinking… I want to find my father."

"Are you sure?" Brittany asked as she took the cup from a sleeping Dominic. She cuddled him a little more and kissed the top of a blonde head. The warm breeze enveloping them in quietness.

"Positive. I mean, we don't even know if we'll find him but if we do, I want to see him." She sighed calmly and felt a tiny flutter when she lazily stretched "Chris is almost here so, after he's a little older would be good. We'll probably have to travel."

Brittany just nodded and as she could scoot closer with a not so light boy in arms, she kissed Santana, soft but deep at the same time and stole her breath.

"What was that for?" Santana smiled hazily when their lips parted.

Brittany shrugged "Nothing, I just don't want you to be sad or something."

Santana shook her head determined "I'm perfectly happy…" She smiled. "And heavily pregnant. This kid better look exactly like me, it's my turn." Santana smirked at her, earning a heartfelt laugh.

41 weeks

It took Christian 41 weeks and 16 hours of labour to finally meet his mothers and family. He looked like his brother when he was born, so Santana gave up. The only difference was that his hair was darker and unlike Dominic, that had Santana's, Christian had Brittany's nose. All in all, turned out that Christian resembled even more to Brittany, just with very light brown hair. Santana often would call him the delayed twin and later on, people wouldn't be able to tell who the older one was.

"Hey Sally." Santana said warmly when she saw Brittany entering their bedroom. Christian was having his meal, wrapped on a soft blanket. They were just back home from the hospital.

"Hi Jack."

Santana giggled when Brittany smooched her soundly "I'm glad there was no passing out and bumping your head this time." Scrunchy face made an appearance as she teased.

Brittany sat on the bed, close to them and ran her pink lips on top of the soft baby hair "I'm a pro now. The third one will be a walk through the park." She murmured and gave Santana a smirking glance "Hey you, welcome again baby Chris."

"I just pushed another of your human beings into the world and you're already talking about a third… That's it, no more sex."

"Mami is such a drama queen, don't you think? But you'll love her as much as we do, she's perfect. You know, I can't wait for you to meet your brother but he's taking a nap." Now she was delicately trading her fingers on the brown turf as he nursed and was soon to fall asleep "You already know him though; he's the little voice that babbled along with me to lull you to sleep and he's the one that gave you lots of sloppy kisses through mami's tummy."

Santana smiled wider, watching the exchange between her wife and the brand new little Pierce "Ok, we'll have 5 more. Come here." Blue eyes were full of mirth and pink lips accepted the languid kiss pouty ones offered.

A little while later, Santana was watching Christian as he started to stir awake. His pudgy tiny fists closing and opening on reflex. She grinned down at him when he managed to open his eyes and carefully carried him to Dominic's room. She was listening on the baby monitor to the cheering her wife was doing to their oldest as he still practiced his walking skills.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of Dominic sitting on the middle of Brittany's stomach while attempting to tickle her. His laugh was infectious and he looked adorable with his blonde hair messily settled from his nap. Brittany saw her and grinned back at her, managing to sit with Dominic on her lap. The darling boy gave her a toothy grin as well but his expression turned curious when he saw the alert baby bundled up on his mami's arms.

Brittany stood up and grabbed his hand to walk towards Santana, who was sitting on the bed. Dominic looked from one woman to the other, questioning them adorably.

"Mami?"

"Do you know who this is?" Santana asked him when he was settled next to her, sitting on Brittany's legs. He shook his head but smiled when his baby brother grabbed a hold of his index finger when he pointed to him.

Brittany whispered to him "He's the baby."

"Baby?"

"Yes, he's your little brother." Santana chuckled at the surprised tone of his voice "His name is Christian."

Dominic looked up to Brittany, as if asking for confirmation. She nodded enthusiastically "Do you want to give him a welcome home kiss?"

"Yesh!" He answered joyfully and Brittany helped him to carefully and soundly smooch his baby brother while giggling when Christian opened his mouth to trap his nose.

Ok, so maybe having a toddler and an infant wasn't the easiest time of their life but they wouldn't have it any other way. Raising and cementing a family was exhausting at times but even more wonderful and fulfilling than anything else. The commitment they shared was fundamental part of it all, including diaper duty that most of the times ended on Brittany's hands.

Dominic loved his little brother since day one and the only thing he was annoyed about was that he had to wait for Christian to get bigger, like him, to be able to play and sing along before bedtime. As they did with Dominic, Santana stayed home the first months of Christian life and Brittany returned to work, part time. Having Emma sure helped a lot around the house and sometimes with the boys. Everything fell into place when they finally established a routine for the boys and the shared time as a tight family.

Dominic was two years old and Christian was 9 months old when it was time for Santana to do what she had waited her whole life. The family travelled to Cleveland, where Brittany's private investigator had found him not a few weeks ago. Maribel accompanied them to help with the boys but she didn't want to see him.

Brittany drove through a nice neighbourhood and parked their rental in front of a modest house. Santana was oddly calm but the death grip she had on Brittany's right hand said otherwise. On slow but determined steps, they walked the paved path in between a withered garden.

Santana took a deep breath after Brittany kissed her on the lips and stood behind her. After ringing the obnoxious doorbell, a tall man opened the door. He was thin, his hair a mess of brown and white tresses. His eyes devoid of any light, the blue of them almost imperceptive.

"Good afternoon, Sir. I'm looking for Mr. Armando Lopez."

"Who-" He stopped abruptly and took a step forward, his eyes were carefully scanning the face in front of him. Swallowing visibly, he said after long minutes "Santana?"

She frowned for a moment, watching him closely as well "Yes… Hi, Sir." The words were spoken evenly and Santana didn't know why she managed a little smile.

Armando rearranged the collar of his grey shirt, his hands slightly trembling "Is really you… What are you- what are you doing here?" He was even paler as he spoke and noticed the blonde woman standing behind his daughter.

Santana shrugged and looked at her feet "I- I just…" The hand on the small of her back reassured her and her dark eyes found his again "I just wanted to know why you left us, why you disappeared from my life, from our lives," A sad smile appeared on her lips that were the same as the man in front of her.

"Santana-"

"No, It's ok… Now that I'm here-" Her voice quivered a little and she had to take a deep breath "Now that I'm here I don't need to." She chuckled in realization and regained the confidence as her mind settled "I just want you to know that I don't resent you, not anymore. When you left us, you changed our lives, my life specially, for good. And now, now I can thank you for that."

His voice was hoarse "I don't think- I don't know what to say."

"This is my wife and the mother of my two sons, Brittany Pierce." She calmly stepped aside and introduced her, surprising him even more. It was all surreal for Armando, seeing his daughter after more than 20 years.

"Mr. Lopez." Brittany extended her hand in a polite manner and he gently accepted the gesture, taking in the features of the woman He was just frozen in place but he understood Santana needed closure now that she was a family woman and he would give her that, even if the regret was all he had left.

"And this is my card. In case you need anything" She offered him wholeheartedly but she knew her father would never use it.

He observed it like a treasure and smiled sadly. Santana Pierce, it read.

After an awkward hand shake, she said goodbye to him and was walking next to Brittany, back to the car, when he called for her.

"What are their names?"

The proud beam didn't go unnoticed by him when she spoke "The oldest one is Dominic, he's 2 and Christian is 9 months old." Armando just nodded, his expression remained the same, thinking Santana was the only good thing he had done.

A sense of relief invaded her; they remained in a comfortable silence and Brittany's right hand never left hers all the way to the hotel where Maribel was with the boys. She didn't ask questions when she saw her daughter, she just kissed her and hugged her, leaving them alone with the sleeping children snuggled on the king sized bed.

Santana silently crawled next to them and smiled at how Christian had his head on Dominic's chest while basically sprawled on the bed. Kissing them both on the nose, she scooted as closer as she could to her boys and sighed when she felt Brittany following behind, spooning her to take a deserved nap.

That was the closure she needed.

Of course over the next 5 years there were arguments, disagreements, apologies, first days of day care, preschool, scratched knees and elbows, numerous band aids and kisses to make something better or to make-up after messing up, a few tantrums or interruptions of alone time, swimming lessons, training wheels, even a few nights on the literal couch.

But most importantly, they were a solid marriage with 2 healthy and happy boys. One of them whom refused to go to preschool because he didn't want to leave his little brother alone, so he sneakily had Santana with him on the first week in the classroom with his new friends.

Brittany was still on the board of Unicorp but was now teaching some classes at her former College and Santana had taken her place at the company, prioritizing the time for their children above anything else.

But did you think those 2 boys would grow up dominating the Pierce household? Nope. There still was a place left.

After Christian was born, Santana and Brittany decided on a long acting and effective contraceptive method because they still hadn't decided if they wanted a third baby. So, when the time was up and after talking about it in between lazy kisses, both reached to the obvious conclusion they would try for a third one.

They were sitting in front of Quinn, waiting for the results of Santana's check-up when she let out an amused chuckle while she read and both Brittany and Santana looked at her curiously.

"Is something wrong?" Brittany half smiled at her, clearly confused.

Quinn kept the smile on her lips "No, in fact, I think everything is more than fine. I don't know what you guys do but-"

"What, Q? You're freaking me out here." Santana anxiously looked at Brittany and then directed at Quinn.

"You're already pregnant, Santana. Your concerns about the side effects of the contraceptive are out the window now." She joked.

And they just looked at Quinn for a while before the happy news registered on their brains. 4 weeks and counting.

"What are you laughing at?" Santana playfully asked Brittany after they left the practice and were walking on the parking lot towards the SUV.

"I don't know. I'm just so happy." Brittany answered but laughed even harder, almost doubling over.

Santana started to laugh with her "Stop it! This is your entire fault!" She teased but hugged Brittany as they both calmed down.

Brittany recovered her breath and sighed deeply, kissing Santana's forehead "I guess all that making up we did, unknowingly, had the desired effect. We're pregnant, San."

"I know babe and I'm so pleased it wasn't as complicated as we thought it could be." Santana admitted relieved and pecked her on the lips.

She was already walking when Brittany gently turned her around again, pulled Santana against her and kissed her, hard and deeply until them both needed air.

"Although the making-up part was awesome and I'm over the moon we're having another little one, I really hate it when we fight and I'm so sorry I was silly." Brittany murmured looking at dark eyes.

Santana kissed her and smiled against her lips before whispering back "I hated it too Britt and I accepted your apology. I know you won't lie to me again."

She was referring to the last argument they had over a month ago because apparently Sam was going through a crisis when he turned 40 and Brittany thought it was a good idea to not tell Santana they had gone to some high-end strip clubs (Rachel included) instead of a very long dinner with a client. Mike was the first one to break and told Tina, Sam confessed to Mercedes, Puck- well Puck was only reprimanded by Mrs. Pierce and Quinn almost kicks Rachel out and the last one to find out was Brittany's wife when Maddie told Santana her dad was grounded.

Needless to say, Santana was rightly upset with her for lying in the first place and for acting like a bunch of teenagers. She spoke to her only when the boys were present but when they were alone, she ignored Brittany completely. It didn't help the fact that Brittany insisted there was nothing wrong and Santana was exaggerating. True, it was a harmless night but a lie was a lie and she had to admit Santana was right.

"And since you've been a good wifey, I'll maybe give you a little show once the boys go to bed." Santana winked at her, earning a playful chuckle and another hazy kiss.

Dominic and Santana thought they were having another baby boy but Christian and Brittany were right, they were having a baby girl so these two won the breakfast bet that Brittany ended up cooking and serving in bed with the help of her two boys.

The birth of Alexis Pierce was quite a calm affair with all the experience and all (according to Brittany) and the labour wasn't as long as with the boys. Just 6 hours and she was welcomed into the world a little after midnight. Brittany didn't pass out and Santana was glad for it.

The 2 boys were enamoured with their baby sister and were constantly trying to help their moms whenever they could. She was blonde as well but had Santana's features and Brittany's eyes, shape and colour. She wasn't as fuzzier as Christian but not as calmer as Dominic and Santana liked to say she was the actual middle one.

"Hey Pollito, are you lost?" Brittany teased her oldest when she stepped outside their bedroom.

"No momma, I need to give Lexie something." Dominic answered Brittany, hiding that something behind his back. Brittany just smiled and bended over to kiss his nose, making the familiar scrunchy face appear, as always.

"Did you leave your aunt Q alone?" Rachel asked as she also was making her way out but stood in front of him. A few more years and he and Christian would be a lot taller than the woman.

He rolled his eyes playfully "Nope, she's with Chris and Uncle Mike and Aunt Tina and the twins and the possum that sometimes lives in the pool house." The twins were the Chang's, boy and girl and the possum was Uncle Puck. Rachel laughed at the 6 year old boy but instantly melted when he planted a hearty kiss on her growing belly and whispered I Love you. It would be her first baby with Quinn, a girl.

He quietly walked towards the bed where the 2 months old baby girl was sleeping next to Santana, who had witnessed the whole exchange. Dominic carefully climbed on the bed when she opened her arms to hug him, gifting him a sloppy kiss as well.

Minion, his beloved stuffed toy appearing in between them.

"I have a present for our baby."

"Really?" Santana said as her hands combed his blonde hair from his forehead "Well, I'm sure she will love it"

Dominic smiled wider and gave his Minion to Santana "But baby, you love this yellow guy… Are you sure?" His mother asked warmly.

"I know but I have Jack too and I'm a big boy now. She'll need it for the tough times." He said seriously.

Santana cuddled him again and kissed his cheeks repeatedly, remembering how he used to sleep with Minion when he was younger and hugged it for dear life when he went into their room after a bad dream. And when Christian's stuffed baby Panda wasn't enough, Dominic often took it to sleep with his restless brother.

"How about we keep him in your room and when Lexie is big enough to hold him, you can give it to her. What do you think?" She dropped a lingering kiss to his forehead.

The grin on his face told her he liked better that idea and Dominic proceeded to spend the next minutes just observing the sleeping little person, not minding at all the impromptu pool party on his home.

Santana was wrong about one thing. Her father did contact her but he only had one request: a picture of her family. So she granted him that courtesy and sent him one photo of each child and one of them with Brittany and herself. He had moved back to the Dominican Republic a year after she saw him.

"Lexie! Mami! There's a family of squirrels!" 5 year old Christian practically screamed as he ran to them, taking Santana out of her thoughts. His bare feet feeling the warm grass beneath.

"They're friends with the hummingbirds!" Dominic said as he followed his brother that afternoon of exploring on their huge garden with Brittany.

She beamed at them "Oh my God, that's so awesome!" Santana was comfortably resting on a lounge chair with Alexis on her lap, grumpily waking up from a nap with a binky still in place. At 10 months old, they were starting to wean the pacifier away but without much success.

Brittany was still standing by the trees, finishing the refill of the bird's feeders. Her golden hair shinning under the gentle sun and spreading a smile on Santana's lips when she saw her concentrated look on the task at hand.

Christian kissed Alexis on the tip of her tiny nose and offered "Wanna go see, baby? Minion can come too; I'll take him if you want."

The baby girl snuggled further into her mother but nodded anyways. Santana set her on the grass, standing on pink chucks, and the boys grabbed a hold of her hands, flanking their baby sister while helping her to walk. Alexis' steps were still uncoordinated but when she felt a secure hold, she could walk for hours.

Santana followed them closely behind and without been able to erase the smile at the sight before her. Brittany saw them approaching and unceremoniously dropped to the grass, waiting for her children. The laugh that erupted from the baby girl made her lose the binky, leaving it behind for Santana to pick up.

Dramatically hugging her daughter, Brittany kissed her soundly on each cheek, nose and all over, tickling her tummy in the process to keep hearing the gorgeous sound "Ha! You're finally awake… Now I can eat some little fingers!"

Christian was all laughs "No, don't eat those, momma!"

"We'll help you, Lexie!" Dominic took charge and tackled her with tickles of his own, joined by his brother.

"I'm been attacked by a chicken and a panda! Santana! Help me!" Brittany demanded with Alexis already sitting on her taut stomach and the boys tickling her all over.

"Promise not to eat Lexie's fingers?"

"I-" She kept laughing "I promise!"

"Not even her tiny toes?" Santana continued to tease her, pretending to examine Minion.

"Not even those!"

Santana just hummed "Well, I guess we can give you a break then." She chuckled at the flushed face of the three when laughing as hard as they were.

"I can't believe you didn't help me." Brittany feigned the complaint after regaining some composure. Dominic and Christian also laid on the grass on each side of her while Lexie continued happily on top of her stomach, babbling away nono's. Santana kneel behind her and placed her head on her thighs while the boys settled against Brittany.

"You should know better. You have taught them well." Santana admitted solemnly.

Brittany grinned and after a little while, Christian broke the silence "Can we have some ice cream?"

"Maybe," Brittany started in a playful tone as she sat and gave Alexis an skimo kiss "If someone could perhaps tell me why there is a collection of rocks under my desk? Rocks that I stepped on barefoot this morning…"

Santana tried but failed to contain her laugh and both boys exchanged a sneaky look before running off to the house but not before blaming each other.

"Those two are like Phinneas and Ferb." Brittany said and stood up with the help of Santana and hand in hand started to walk to the house as well, observing two tops of blonde hair going through the kitchen towards Brittany's office.

Santana smiled and conceded "As long as they don't start asking for a platypus, I think we're safe."

"San?" Brittany called for her when she returned from the office after checking on the boys. Alexis was sat at her high chair and playing with some smashed fruits, paying no attention to the adults on the room.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." She said as she stood before her.

Santana frowned "For what, baby?"

"For you, for them, for our life."

She smiled, her dimples on full display "Hey, part of you, part of me, remember?"

Brittany nodded and kissed her, slow and gentle until…

"Mom?! Can we put the rocks on the chair then?!" Christian's childish and playful voice echoed through the house between giggles from him and Dominic.

Both Brittany and Santana stifled a laugh. Blue eyes winked at dark ones after another kiss.

"Ok, that's it. I'm going to eat some fingers!" She exclaimed and went on her way to do what she had said.

Santana has a family, a dream that seemed distant but it was closer than she thought it could be. She is a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter and most importantly, she is a loved woman living a fulfilling life with 4 marvellous human beings, 3 of them which she helped to create.

Yes, she is happy… and Brittany is too.

I could make you happy
make your dreams come true,
nothing that I wouldn't do
go to the ends of the earth for you …