A/N: Hey everyone. I wanted to get this up sooner but I just kept getting tied up and my computer lost my first draft, which was not fun at all.
Anyway, this is another really long one. It's the final chapter before the epilogue of this story so there was a lot to cover and I had a lot of time to move through. I considered splitting it into to but it didn't feel right so instead you have another long one to deal with :-) This really closes out the Finchel arc of this story and the bigger Brittana arc although they still have a little ways to go. The Epilogue is going to be about the length of a normal chapter so look for that sometime next week. This chapter also has a tiny bit of everything, including a little bonus jealous Britt since everyone seems to love her so much!
I hope you all will continue to follow the sequel and if you have anything you'd really like to see included I'm definitely open to suggestions! I know where the story is generally going and I have a start and end and a bunch of things I know will happen, but there's definitely room to include things. The response to the last couple chapters has been so great and I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this one as much and be back with more soon!
Apologies for any typos, I wanted to get this up and I was in a huge rush today!
True to her word, Brittany didn't let Santana out of the house for the majority of their first week back together after their summer apart. They spent most of the couple weeks before school started back just cuddling up in bed, putting the finishing touches on their apartment and just generally enjoying each other's company.
A few weeks later they were back at school and the first Friday night the band had a gig at the Station while Brittany worked, which was always a pleasant occurrence for Santana. They were the second act that night and after the first band cleared out they quickly took to work, getting the stage set for themselves as Brittany kept busy behind the bar.
"Yeah, well I heard while she was gone all summer she was screwing around with some other dancer and it was a dude." A small blonde said definitively as she took a swig from her beer. Brittany scrunched her brow as she listened, trying her best to ignore what she heard.
"No way. Who would cheat on her? She's smoking hot."
"I heard things are really shitty between them. They're pretty much done. So, you know, time to make my move. Someone that hot doesn't stay on the market long." Brittany narrowed her eyes as she watched them walk away with a cloud of anger.
"Fucking little bitches." She muttered and snapped her head forward as she turned to see Santana standing in front of her on the other side of the bar.
"Who are you talking about?" She asked in a mixture of shock and confusion
"No one. Do you need something?" she asked with annoyance.
"Britt." She said, grabbing at her hand. "What's up with you? Did I do something wrong?" Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Not you, I just hate those…girls." She said motioning in the direction of the small table in front of the stage.
"Oh…" Santana groaned. "Don't worry about them. They're super annoying."
"Why do you put up with it?"
"I don't!" she defended. "But they always bring a bunch of people so I can't just tell them to go fuck off…although I'd really love that. But the guys have all been adamant about me just ignoring them."
"Why do they know so much about us?" Brittany asked aggravated. "It's creepy."
"Ugh, Jimmy was hooking up with one of their friends for a while."
"Ew, tell your guitarist to get better taste in women."
"He's just a manwhore." She sighed.
"Can't you at least make it clear to them that we're not breaking up?"
"Breaking up?" she asked with confusion and her face turned angry. "Oh they are not starting that shit again!"
"I should toss them for underage drinking."
"Babe, you'd have to toss the entire bar. Including me." She said, squeezing her hand with a smile. "Relax, everyone here loves you and knows us. It's no biggie. Besides, who cares what anyone thinks?" Brittany sighed.
"I guess." She said picking at the strings of the rag. "What do you need? A water?"
"A water would be amazing." She responded sweetly and tugged back Brittany's hand. "A quick break to the alley before I go on would be better." She added playfully. Brittany's eyes shot up and her face broke into a wide grin.
"I-"
"Yo Santana!" Adam called and they both sighed.
"It's okay, maybe later." Brittany said squeezing her hand before reaching down and grabbing her one of the bottles of room temperature water she held for her behind the bar.
"Definitely later." Santana winked before heading off in the direction of the stage.
After the first set the band took a short break but the bar was packed and Brittany could hardly spare any time as she worked her end of the bar to get drinks to everyone who asked. It continued that way for most of the night and while she regretted not being able to sneak in much time with Santana, the tip jar was looking pretty good so she wasn't complaining.
As their last set finished up the night was dwindling down and since there was no one else on after, the bar gradually began to clear out. Brittany breathed a tired sigh of relief as 80s music began blaring out of the jukebox and there was only a small and very manageable crowd left.
She chatted with a couple from out of town at the bar as she watched the band start to break down their stuff now that they were done. Across the room Santana put her mic in it's case and Brittany watched out of the corner of her eye as she was instantly met by the same girls hanging out by the end of the bar.
"You were great." The blonde said, smiling flirtatiously.
"Oh, yeah." Santana shrugged with disinterest. "Thanks."
"Can we buy you a drink?"
"Yeah, or a shot?" Added the blonde and Santana could feel eyes glued to her from the bar.
"Oh, no thanks I-"
"I love this shirt." The girl said reaching up to lift a hand to Santana's shoulder which she quickly brushed back.
"Whoa, back off blondie." Santana snarled. Over at the bar Brittany fumed as she excused her self from the couple and hopped around to jog over.
"Hey baby." She said with an overly flirtatious smile as she pushed in front of the girls, without giving them a second glance. "You sounded so sexy up there." She brought her hands up to Santana's cheeks and pulled her into a deep, intense kiss.
Although taken by surprise, Santana instinctively brought her hands quickly around Brittany's back, grabbing onto the back of her shirt as she gasped at the force. Brittany smiled and used the opportunity to push her tongue past Santana's lips, allowing them to duel briefly before she pulled back and looked at her girlfriend's dazed face.
"Back alley?" Santana asked intensely, ignoring the guys in the band playfully hollering at them. Brittany shook her head.
"Boss is gone. Office." Santana nodded and quickly turned, grabbing Brittany's hand tightly, before noticing that her girlfriend wasn't moving with her. She turned back to see Brittany facing the pouting girls she had already forgotten were standing in front of them.
"Next time you want to come into this bar and try and spread bullshit rumors about me and my girl, I'll have you tossed so quick-" Brittany yelled, pointing a finger towards them as Santana's eyes widened and she tugged at her.
"Come on Britt." Brittany looked back at her and considered for a moment before turning back around.
"She's taken. So back off and get over it!" she said, before relenting and letting Santana drag her into the back room, attacking her the moment the door shut behind them.
"Mmm…Britt." Santana said between kisses as she felt Brittany's hands run under her shirt. "Hey, Britt." She said pulling back but Brittany pushed her harder into the door.
"What?" she asked breathlessly, aggravation at being stopped evident.
"What was that?" Santana asked through a giggle.
"I told you I hate those girls." She said as if it was obvious. Santana just smiled wickedly.
"It's so sexy when you get all forceful." Brittany returned and grin and brought their lips back together.
"Yeah?" She asked, teasingly. "Maybe I should get all forceful on you." She said tugging at Santana's waistband and causing her to swallow hard. She laughed and crashed her lips onto Santana's neck, fumbling with her button until they felt a pushing at the door.
"Uh…hello?" A familiar voice said awkwardly from the other side.
"Ugh." Brittany complained, face scrunched in frustration.
"Hello? Brittany?"
"What the hell do you want gigantor?" Santana yelled.
"I uh…need the keys to the back?" She let her head fall back against the door.
"Unbelievable. We move out and he still finds a way to stop me from getting my mack on."
"Home." Brittany said, kissing her firmly. "Only and hour to go." Santana pouted as Brittany pulled her away from the door and opened it to find their friend with an awkward smile on his face.
"Hey, what's up?" Santana just shook her head and brushed past him as he looked to Brittany in confusion. "Did I interrupt something?" He asked and shook her head.
"You never learn." She said, heading back to get the keys so she could help them get their stuff out. "Never learn."
"Ohhhhh." He said, realization washing over his face. "Oops." Brittany just smiled and nodded, motioning for him to follow her. "Sorry."
The next months passed on quickly and for the most part Brittany and Santana spent their time enjoying living in their new place together. Before they knew it school started back up and they once again found themselves falling into the routine of busy schedules between school and work. For some reason this seemed to be one of the busiest semesters yet.
Santana managed to pick up two shifts at the bar – one waitressing and one behind the bar. She could have had more but 3 of the days were the ones Brittany wasn't working and if summer taught her anything it was how much she valued time with her girlfriend. Instead, she accepted two and once she got back into the swing of things in school she started to talk to her professors about work. By the end of October she was able to score a paid internship 4 days a week after classes at a smaller talent agency. It didn't pay great but it was a start and she figured it would look good on her resume. And besides, making her own money felt good even if she didn't need it.
Being busy made time fly and before they knew it they were heading into the holidays and packing up to go back to Lima for Christmas again. This year was even better than the last as things continued to only improve with Santana's parents, a trend both hoped would only going forward. Next year they were even hoping they might be able to get their parents to spend one of the days together. But for now, they took baby steps and were happy enough with the easily negotiated shared schedules. Santana's mom wasn't ready to have them both sleeping in one bed under her roof just yet, but they stayed at Brittany's and made frequent visits.
Things for Rachel and Finn moved along with the same speed. Finn was now fully accustomed to life at the firehouse and to his relief he was starting to actually see the shifts he wanted to at times as his seniority increased a bit with new classes. The job still made Rachel nervous but she was fully absorbed in her theater group's fall production of Guys and Dolls to the point where she could hardly worry. She easily landed the lead and as always took it very seriously.
Once January rolled around she started to put more thought into the wedding and move into the more detailed decisions, for all of which she seemed to want to involve anyone who would listen. By February with less than 6 months left she had turned into a full on bridezilla. Unfortunately for Brittany, being the maid of honor and the fact that Kurt was 3 time zones away combined to make her the most common target for Rachel's wedding induced insanity.
"I'm going to kill her." Brittany said hopelessly, as she walked into a scowling Santana, standing in the kitchen over the stove. She dropped her keys on the mail stand and shrugged off her coat, tossing it on the door of the nearby closet. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine." Santana huffed and turned back to the stove. "I just don't know how good it's going to be now that I had to re-heat it like 3 times."
"Ugh, babe, seriously. I know Wednesdays are our nights for dinner and cuddling and I'm sorry I'm so late. I know you worked hard to cook." She said slipping her arms around Santana's waist and placing a gentle kiss onto her temple. "Rachel's just transformed into this….beast. Every time I thought she was done another dress came out."
"It's fine." Santana sighed. "But that little troll needs to stop taking over our life and monopolizing all your free time. If it's this bad now, how's it going to be when we actually get close to this spectacle she's making into her wedding?" Brittany giggled and trailed kisses softly along her neck.
"Well, hopefully once she finds a dress things will calm down a little." She said. "Today she came to find me in the auditorium during a class so I could go through the pages she'd marked off in magazines. It was a nightmare." Santana stifled a laugh and craned her neck backwards to peck her lips.
"Go sit, we'll eat and then watch TV or something. Even if it is already 8:30."
"Okay." She agreed, squeezing her tightly before heading over to the table. Her eyes widened as her phone started to belt out the instantly recognizable tone of Rachel singing My Headband. Santana's head snapped around.
"Oh she is not calling you again." She said, with anger and disbelief. Brittany just shrugged it off.
"No, probably a pocket dial." She said and Santana frowned, but continued to bring plates over to the table as the phone went off again and Brittany quickly silenced it.
"Pocket dial huh?" Santana asked knowingly and Brittany bit her lip as texts began to chirp. Santana picked up the phone.
"Santana-"
"Hello Rachel, it's Santana." She said in an overly sweet voice. "Brittany can't come to the phone right now or for the rest of the evening. She's busy spending quality time with her girlfriend. You can reach her tomorrow. So you can take your latest dress, flower, shoe, or whatever disaster of the moment to your fiancée tonight. Ok? Good, glad you agree." She said, hanging up before Rachel could speak and turning off her girlfriend's phone.
"I love you." Brittany giggled, shaking her head.
"If she calls my phone next, she dies." Brittany just continued to laugh as they finished up dinner.
"Go for it."
"What's the matter baby?" Santana asked as she entered the bedroom on a Wednesday morning in early May. She tossed herself onto the bed and looked on as Brittany flipped through pages of bridal flower arrangements.
"I'm sick of planning someone else's wedding." Brittany muttered and Santana chuckled and pecked her cheek.
"It'll all be over soon and then you won't be subjected to the ridiculousness of finding the 'perfect centerpiece' any longer."
"Whatever." Santana scrunched her nose in confusion.
"What's your problem?"
"Nothing." Brittany said and Santana leaned over to place a soft kiss on her lips that was barely returned. She frowned again.
"What the hell?"
"Why don't you want to have a wedding?" she asked suddenly, turning to face Santana, who was taken aback by the anger she found in Brittany's eyes.
"Wha- Britt…calm down."
"No!" she said with frustration, tossing the magazine aside. "I'm sitting here, picking out arrangements for weddings and dresses and colors and you know what? I love doing all that stuff. I love that stuff but I'm still miserable." She sighed. "And it makes me feel like an idiot to admit-"
"You're not an idiot." Santana said firmly, but Brittany held up a hand to silence her.
"But I'm totally jealous that Rachel and Finn are getting married first. I've been in love with you like my whole life and I have to sit through planning someone else's wedding in extreme detail. And all you do is sit and talk about how much you hate weddings and you think they're a waste of time and money."
"Because they are."
"Santana." Brittany whined.
"It doesn't mean you don't get to have one." She said defensively.
"I hate your attitude about this." Brittany pouted. "I just don't understand why you're so against them. And the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure I get why we can't get married yet." Santana sighed, throwing her head back and ranted in Spanish, voice aching with frustration. "English!" Brittany demanded and Santana snapped her head back.
"We've been over this ad nasuem."
"I'm not nauseous!" Santana closed her eyes and calmed herself before speaking.
"We've discussed this a million times Britt."
"I know and you're constantly just talking about how we need to wait until we're done with school and stuff but I just feel like you're holding back because you're unsure or something." She shrugged. "I mean, are you not sure about us? You can tell the truth."
"How could you ever think that?" Santana questioned with disbelief.
"Because Finn and Rachel have gone through a lot more bad stuff than us and they're already getting married."
"But-"
"I know…I already know what you're going to say." She said, wrapping her arms around herself and rolling over on her side. "Sometimes I just feel like the way you act about it, maybe you don't know if you want it." Santana sighed and crawled up to hover over her shoulder.
"Brittany." She said gently, tugging on her sleeve. "Britt..."
"What?" Brittany asked, with a sigh, tossing her head back to look at her. Santana instantly leaned down, placing a long and loving kiss to her lips, finally parting with a few small pecks.
"Can I tell you something?" she asked softly, bringing their lips together once more and feeling Brittany soften into her kiss a little bit. She nodded as she pulled back to look Santana in the eyes.
Santana smiled, settling onto her side and tugging Brittany so she'd roll over and look at her. She complied, rolling to meet Santana face to face and study her unreadable expression with curiosity.
"You know how my family has that money set up for me? That fund?" Brittany nodded, not sure where there was going. "Well, remember how it became accessible to me when I turned 21?" She nodded again, unsure of where of this was headed. "Do you know what I did this week?"
"What?" Brittany asked gently and Santana smiled.
"I got the paperwork to get you added to it." Brittany furrowed her brown in confusion, shaking her head.
"I don't want your money Santana." Santana laughed and pecked her lips.
"It's not about that." She said seriously. "It's about the fact that we live together and we're going to be sharing the rest of our lives together and we're equal partners no matter what. Plus, last week in that law elective I'm taking we talked about things like that and I know it sounds silly but I want you to be protected if anything happens to me. You should have everything." Brittany looked concerned.
"You're making me nervous. Why are you talking about things happening to you." Santana sighed.
"No baby, it's not like that. I just…" she rolled her eyes. "I was looking at legal stuff and I just wanted to be safe. But that part is not my point. My point is I'm doing this because I'm absolutely certain that I want to be with you and only you. Forever." Brittany bit her lip and considered this. "I'm crazy kinds of in love with you. I always have been and I always will be. So don't ever think differently. You're pretty much the only thing I'm sure of." Brittany grinned.
"I'm crazy kinds of in love with you too." She said, leaning forward to kiss Santana lazily.
"So instead of being jealous of Berry, why don't you just think of all of this as like…a starter wedding." Santana shrugged and Brittany giggled.
"A starter wedding?"
"Yeah, like one day you'll want to have a wedding and now you're getting to see everything that goes into it. So when you have one you'll know exactly what's good and bad and what you like and what you don't." Brittany considered this.
"Are you tricking me so you can put off a wedding?" Santana laughed.
"I'm just giving you another way to look at it."
"I guess you make a valid point…" She took a breath before looking at Santana seriously as she gently tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Why are you so anti wedding?" Santana groaned.
"I don't know. I just feel like it's a big fuss for something that's only important to two people."
"It's a celebration of two people's love. With all the people that love them."
"I only need to celebrate my love with you." She said. "This is just some big scam that everyone pulls on you to get you to spend tons of money on a single day."
"A single day that's like the most important day of your life." Brittany countered and Santana smiled.
"I just don't think that it's that huge of a deal. But I get that everyone does so…" she shrugged. "I can play along." Brittany sighed.
"I'm going to get you to love weddings. By the time Rachel's wedding is over you're going to love weddings." Santana huffed.
"If anyone's wedding converts me I doubt it will be Berry and her giant oaf."
"Santana!"
"Sorry." She mumbled and kissed her nose. "Come on, let's look at her flowers so I can pick out all the ugly ones and tell her that's what she should get." Santana said, eyes lighting up with mischief.
"You are so evil."
"And you love it."
"You know it." Santana smiled, kissing her sweetly before grabbing the magazine and letting Brittany settle onto her chest so they could flip through it.
Before they knew it their junior year in college has passed and summer was upon them. Brittany had spent much of the year building a relationship with the professor she had toured with last summer and despite his pleas she stuck to her guns and turned down the opportunity to go on the road for another summer. Luckily for her, she still remained a favorite of his and he still wanted to serve a kind of mentor to her. She'd explained how she felt on the road and he was committed to helping her find steady work once she finished her final year.
For her part, Santana was able to pick up full days at the agency the 4 days she normally worked, which not only earned more cash but also helped her to build some solid connections in the field she hoped to enter. She knew she still had some time left and was planning on going for her masters immediately after graduation, but her determination and no nonsense attitude quickly earned her success as an intern. The on the job training she was getting was valuable and she was certain to soak up everything she could.
Though it wasn't nearly as carefree as their first summer in the city, they were finally able to get the summer they hoped for in their apartment. Even with work, the stress of school was lifted and besides Rachel's wedding and a few band gigs, they had no real commitments for the summer months. Most of all they were just happy to be spending it together this time.
For Rachel and Finn the summer mostly entailed wedding plans. Rachel had voluntarily dropped to a more supporting role in the fall production for her group, determined to spend all of her time on every last detail so that the wedding was nothing short of perfection. Her dads flew in several times to help and between Finn coming over for 'breaks' and Rachel dragging them into planning, Brittany and Santana almost felt like it was their own wedding.
By the Thursday prior to the ceremony everyone was already in town and both Finn and Rachel's respective bachelor and bachelorette parties had been planned for that evening. Planning Rachel's was the one part of the wedding that Santana seemed to have a true interest in and she and Brittany excitedly planned out the details of the evening. Before a 7:30 dinner they'd reserved uptown, they picked Rachel up at the old apartment just before 6 and brought her for a short walk around the corner.
"First stop of the evening." Santana said proudly, as they entered the storefront.
"Wha…wait…why are we here?"
"Well, we have plans for dinner and…other things with your friends. But before we got to that, Santana and I thought since we've been through so much with you, we should see out this one last thing with you before we meet up with everyone else." Brittany explained.
"But…this…why are we at the tattoo parlor?" Rachel asked, horrified. Santana smirked and produced a card from behind her back.
"Because, if you remember, when I got you in our little Secret Santana game a couple years back I spent a chunk of change on this certificate to get you inked, which until now you've neglected to use."
"For good reason." Rachel said. "I do not-"
"Berry, every time you've gotten drunk for the past two years all you've talked about is how you're going to get a heart in the shape of a bass clef and a treble clef just below your neck…" Santana said tiredly.
"With the words 'My heart's a drummer' below it…" Rachel continued.
"So that you can blend your love for music, Barbara, and Finn into one." Brittany finished.
"Exactly." Santana nodded. "So today, you're finally going to get it. This way the next time Finn deflowers you on your wedding night, you'll have a surprise for him."
"But-"
"There are no buts." Brittany said, shaking her head. "You're doing this."
"I still think you just want to see me writhe in pain." She said, eyes flashing to Santana.
"I'll admit that carries some appeal and it is an added benefit of this experience." Santana said, nodding. "But if I have to hear about this one more time. I will definitely lose my mind. This is one of those stupid things that you want so bad, but you won't let yourself have because you're way too uptight. So I'm going to do what I always do for you and give you the little nudge you need to actually grow some courage and do what you want."
"And I'm totally going to hold your hand if it hurts too much." Brittany said seriously. Rachel bit her lip.
"I did want to surprise him with this." Santana smiled.
"Exactly." She nodded towards the counter. "Come on Berry. Let's get this over with."
"Also, I'm getting one too." Brittany announced and Santana snapped her head back towards her.
"What?"
"I've always wanted one!" Brittany said excitedly. "Totally on my bucket list."
"So is owning a pet lion, bungee jumping off the Eifel tower, and riding on a magic carpet but I'm pretty sure you won't be doing either of those anytime soon."
"Why is this a big deal?" Brittany asked confused.
"It's not I guess." Santana considered. "I'm just…surprised. I guess I didn't think you'd be getting one today."
"Oh…well, I am!" she smiled. "You should get one too."
"Well…maybe…yeah…but not yet." She frowned. "I want to be sure of what I want."
"Totally." She smiled, kissing Santana sweetly.
Brittany, assuming she could handle the pain better volunteered to go first in order to steel up Rachel's nerves, which were not helped much by the buzzing sounds of the tattoo needles around the shop. She watched as Brittany hopped up into the chair fearlessly and sat down to get her tattoo, a small bird on her hipbone that she proudly informed Santana was a "Songbird". She added the date that she had first met Santana when they were kids in small print along the underside.
"Why the date we met?"
"Duh, love at first sight." She smirked confidently. "You've been the most important person in my life since then so it makes sense." Santana swallowed and nodded, unable to contain her grin.
"How sweet." Rachel said, placing a hand on her chest as her eyes teared up. "That's truly beautiful, Brittany." She shook her head dramatically. Santana sighed.
"And leave it to you to ruin the moment with your constant babbling." She said. "God this wedding has made you even more hormonal than usual."
As the tattoo artist finished up, Brittany continued to sit still like a pro and finally hopped up, allowing him to tape it when he was finished. She continued to stare at it proudly through the plastic in the mirror as she smirked at herself with pride.
"Awesome." She said and Santana couldn't help but laugh at her, knowing she'd be in front of a mirror checking it out for days.
"Are we sure this is safe?" Rachel asked, snapping Santana's attention back to her as she sat tentatively in the chair after approving the design he temporarily placed on her back. "I don't want to contract some disease. I know this shop appears clean but-"
"Every needle is completely new and sterile." The artist assured her. "It was all in that contract you signed. Which is legal. I swear, we don't want to infect you."
"How badly does this location hurt? Because I'm open to moving this." She said and he chuckled.
"No worries, it's an easy one. Your friend's was ten times harder."
"Okay…" she said, still seeming uncertain.
"Holy shit, why is the needle for her so much bigger?" Santana asked with wide eyes causing Rachel to hop up in fear and Brittany to turn back around in curiosity.
"What?" Rachel screamed and Santana doubled over in laughter upon receiving the exact reaction she'd hoped for.
"Santana!" Brittany said, swatting at her, but having a hard time controlling her own laughter. "Be nice." She said, locking eyes with her girlfriend and still chuckling as Santana shrugged.
"Sorry, couldn't resist that one."
After a few minutes Rachel sat back down and they say and watched her as she pushed through the process of getting her tattoo. Pausing for breaks and screeching through the entire thing.
"I think I'm going to be deaf after this." Brittany sad with a frown.
"This is torture. Why would anyone subject themselves to this?" She asked, squeezing on Brittany's hand.
"You are so dramatic." Brittany said, shaking her head. "It was nothing."
"Everyone has different pain thresholds." Rachel defended.
"Oh yeah, what's yours, negative 20?" Santana barked.
A few more minutes later, despite her screams and cries for pain, Rachel was actually quite pleased with the end result. She admired it through the mirrors as the artist taped it up, instructing her not to touch it for at least two hours and handing her a care sheet.
"I think she just likes the attention." Brittany whispered and Santana laughed.
"Totally."
"This could be addicting." She said, admiring the work on her back once more through the wrap as she tilted her head and looked at the mirror.
"Mmm, well, next time you want one, feel free to drag Hudson with you." Santana said, tipping the tattoo artist and thanking him before heading towards the door. "Come Froto, your party awaits."
After meeting up with Quinn, Sugar, Mercedes, Tina and a group of Rachel's friends from the city for dinner up town the girls headed to a trendy club close by where they'd booked her a private room with a DJ and even karaoke.
As the night grew on Brittany and Santana made it business to slip Rachel as many shots as possible, ensuring that she was happily intoxicated. Brittany even went so far as making sure the club would produce a few trays of jello shots for them.
"Babe the stripper is here." Brittany called over to Santana as she ended a call on her phone.
"What?" Rachel asked, drunkenly. "I specifically told you no strippers!"
"Actually." Brittany said narrowing her eyes. "You were very specific. You said no male strippers." Rachel's eyes widened even further.
"You didn't." Brittany shrugged.
"Girl strippers are much more fun anyway."
"Brittany!"
"Don't worry, I made her use a classy service." Santana winked as the door open and two girls dressed as female firefighters walked in.
"Oh my god!" Rachel said, horrified.
"What? I know you like firefighters." Brittany said and Santana giggled, high fiving her.
"Nice touch."
Much to Rachel's horror she was put through the full "bachelorette" show as both strippers surrounded her and gave her dance to the cheers of her rowdy drunk friends. Santana continued to sip her drink, unable to contain the bursts of laughter that shot through her as she watched Rachel's reactions.
"This was worth every penny." She slurred into Brittany's ear, who giggled sloppily. "I only wished I brought a camera."
Forty five minutes later as the party rolled on everyone was noticeably drunker from the extra shots they'd brought out to do with the strippers. Rachel was still in some form of shock, although it had now manifested itself in extreme laugher. She sat with Mercedes, doubled over as Tina sat beside them, getting a lap dance of her own.
"You want a dance sweetie?" The girl with long auburn hair asked as she approached Santana, leaning down to grind slightly onto her leg. She swallowed hard, unsure of what to say and eyes clouded over from the seemingly endless tequila she'd been drinking all evening.
"I-just…" she shook her head. "I have a dancer." She choked out nervously. The girl just giggled and trailed a finger over her face.
"You're adorable." She said. "I'm going to dance for you."
"Actually…" both their heads snapped up to see Brittany standing over them. "I'm going to take care of that." She said with a wink and the girl laughed, standing back up.
"Go for it." She smirked, patting Brittany's butt as she passed and walking across the room to grab another drink before heading towards Rachel's theater friends. Brittany looked back down to Santana whose eyes were watering.
"I didn't mean to." She said, swallowing a sob and Brittany started to chuckle as she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
"Relax."
"But…but…she came over and she was going to dance and I was trying to tell her I had a dancer…"
"You do have a dancer." Brittany smiled broadly, placing a leg on either side of her. "And I'll give you a lap dance any time you want." She slurred, leaning in just close enough and pulling back away teasingly when Santana tried to capture her lips. "I'm not mad baby." She said, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "But you need to stop being weepy and let me dance for you." She felt Santana's sharp intake of breath and smiled.
"Best bachelorette party ever!" Rachel yelled, thrusting her drink into the air. "One more dance before you leave!" She giggled, calling over the girl who had previously tried to dance with Santana and proceeding to fall over in laughter as she danced for her once more. "This is hysterical."
Close to an hour later their time with the room was winding down and thankfully as things were getting a bit sloppy. The strippers were long gone but the volume of the music and everyone's voices had increased and showed no signs of slowing.
"Oh God." Quinn said, blinking hard from her spot next to Sugar and squinting.
"What?" Sugar asked, looking back at her with concern.
"I think it's time to get this party on the road." She said.
"Aww, do we have to?" Sugar asked and she nodded in the direction of Brittany who was still dancing over Santana but with substantially less clothes on. "Oh." Sugar said in shock.
"No!" Quinn screamed as she saw Santana's hands reaching behind Brittany's back to grab at her bra. In a surprisingly quick move for someone who'd been drinking all night, she sprinted over, grabbing Brittany and pulling her back. "Okay, I think it's time for you two to continue the lap dance at home." She said, before her eyes widened once more. "In your room. With the door shut. And music on."
"Aww, don't be such a spoil sport Quinn!" Brittany laughed, stumbling over own feet and tumbling to the ground.
"Oh shit." Santana said, standing but falling back down a minute later before dissolving into her own laughter.
"Crap." Quinn sighed. "This is gonna be a blast."
"Who is in charge of taking Rachel home?" Sugar asked seriously, swaying back and forth on her own feet as she pointed over to Rachel who was dancing sloppily around the room with Mercedes and Tina, all three holding on to each other for support as they belted out the lyrics to the song that played through the speakers
"Them." She slurred, nodding towards Brittany and Santana.
"Well, good luck!" Sugar chirped. "I totally just remembered somewhere I have to be. See you tomorrow!" Quinn frowned as she watched her scurry away and sighed.
Twenty minutes and a rough encounter with a very drunk Tina later, Quinn was thankful she was still somewhat coherent at she dragged the other three girls out to the street to shove them into the backseat of the cab that she'd had the club call for them.
"I'm gun be sick." Rachel said.
"If she's going to yak this cab is stopping." The driver said sternly to Quinn.
"She'll be fine." She responded, turning back to Rachel in worry. "You'll be fine till we get to your apartment. Right?"
"Maybeeee." She giggled at herself and let her eyes trail over to Santana and Brittany who had continued their drunken makeout session in the backseat, although luckily they'd gotten Brittany's clothes back on. Rachel frowned. "This is unacceptable!" She slurred, putting her finger in the air as if to make a point. "Very uncomfortable….if this continues, I will be sick." The driver looked over at Quinn warningly.
"Guys, knock it off." Quinn yelled back at them and Brittany's head snapped towards Quinn.
"Don't be jealous Quinn." Santana slurred. "You just wish you had someone as hot as Britts to mack on." Quinn sighed.
"I like your face." Brittany said dazedly, as her head fell back onto the seat.
"I like your face."
"But I like yours more." Brittany pouted.
"But yours is so adorable." Santana said.
"Oh my god, stop it before I kill you both!"
"You need anger management." Santana scowled. "And they say I'm the bitchy one. You've always needed anger management. Brittany started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Totally."
"This whole experience has been stunningly sobering." She sighed.
"Perhaps the best solution is for me to entert..entertma…entertain you." Rachel spoke, stumbling over her words as she sat up.
"Oh no." Santana spoke.
"Rachel, I don't think-" Brittany spoke.
"Mr. Driver, you might not be completely aware…" Rachel slurred, "but I'm going to be a Broadway sensation one day..I go to Julliard…" she hiccupped and laughed. "Wait, what was I saying?"
"Nothing!" Brittany and Santana said immediately in unison and Quinn looked back at them confusedly.
"Oh yes, in honor of my upcoming wedding, I'd like to grace you with a performance of Memories from Cats which I've perfected over the past week with my vocal instructor."
"If you sing even one line of that song, I will literally kill you." Santana growled.
"Rachel, maybe we should wait-" Quinn said, before Rachel cut her off, beginning to belt out the song at an alarming volume.
"This is not worth the fare." The driver warned.
"Oh shut up, we're 7 blocks away. Hit the gas and I'll double your tip." She said and he complied. A few minutes later after Rachel stumbled and hiccupped her way through more of the song, Quinn dragged them all out of the car, Brittany and Santana stumbling over each other's feet. As they stood in front of Rachel's apartment building she frowned.
"Maybe you guys should wait down here."
"Maybe us guys should walk home." Brittany said, her hands coming to grip Santana's waist tightly as she swayed behind her and pressed a kiss to her neck. Quinn considered this.
"Yeah…that." Santana nodded, with heavy eyes.
"I think you should just wait for me." She bit her lip. "Just, wait in the lobby and please don't do anything indecent." Brittany looked confused.
"We're just going to make out." Brittany said plainly. Quinn sighed as she helped Rachel open the door and she put Brittany and Santana on opposite chairs.
"Just….try to behave. I'll be down in 5 minutes. Please try and retain as much clothing as possible."
"Aye aye captain!" Brittany saluted her with a wink and they both dissolved into laughter once more.
Quinn, dragged a still crooning and heavily stumbling Rachel up to the apartment, knocking on the door at the loud cheers she heard. When no one answered and Rachel was unable to produce her keys she pounded harder.
"Listen, I've told you before this is a bachelor party-" Puck stopped short when he saw Quinn and Rachel. "Oh no, you can't bring her in here."
"Puckerman, move out of the way. I have no time for this."
"What? No! We're still partying in here!" He protested.
"And she's ready for bed! I already have two incredibly drunk friends who are probably fornicating in the lobby as we speak." His eyebrows raised with interest.
"You're disgusting." She spat. "Finn!" She called over his shoulder.
"No! You're not getting to him!"
"Finn!" Rachel said snapping up sloppily. "Where is Finn?" she yelled loudly and Puck groaned.
"Whoa." Finn said, stumbling over and seeing the sight of his extremely intoxicated fiancée over Puck's shoulder. "What happened?"
"Her bachelorette party happened you moron." She sighed. "Now please get your idiot friend to move so I can help her get inside and go take Brittany and Santana home before they get arrested for indecent exposure or something."
"Why aren't you drunk?" Puck asked stumbling out of the way as Finn grabbed Rachel shakily.
"I was…but…yeah, let's just say it's been sobering."
"Bummer." He frowned.
"Your girlfriend will be looking for you soon."
"Well she can deal. This is a man's night. We still have a whole bracket of this Madden tournament to get through. And a half a keg."
"Quinn!" Mike said, coming over and pecking her on the lips with a smile. "Are you going back?" she nodded.
"Yes, like right now. Britt and Santana are waiting in the lobby."
"Oh, cool. I'll come!" he said cheerfully grabbing her hand.
"What! No!" Puck screamed. "Chicks ruin everything!" He felt his phone buzz and looked down finding a text from Sugar and sighed. "Fuck."
"Sorry Puck." She sang as they said goodbye and headed downstairs.
"Dude, maybe you guys should like pack up." Finn said, as he dragged Rachel towards the bedroom.
"Oh come on." Rachel blinked her eyes and lifted her head, frowning.
"Told you I was gonna be sick."
"Wait wha-" Finn was cut off by her doubling over and vomiting at their feet. "Oh god."
"Okay, time to leave." Puck nodded.
As some helped to clean up the mess, the rest of the boys made their way out of the apartment and Finn helped his heavily intoxicated fiancé into the bedroom. He brought her into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth and ran back out to lock up as she changed into pajamas and collapsed across their bed.
"Hey babe, was your night fun?" He asked gently when he returned, falling onto the bed to lay next to her. She nodded into the mattress.
"Sooo much fun."
"What'd you do?" he asked.
"Dinner…drinks…sing…dance…stripper." Rachel concluded and Finn furrowed his brow.
"What?"
"Dinner….drinks…"
"No, I heard you." He laughed. "But you guys had strippers?" he asked in shock and she giggled.
"Girl strippers. Firefighters." His eyes widened. "It was funny." She said turning over and placing a sweet kiss to his lips. "Happy I'm home."
"Me too."
"Your party?"
"It was good. We went golfing today and for dinner and then out for some drinks at that place with all the arcade games. And then we came back here."
"Cool." She muttered sleepily as she cuddled into him. He smiled, kissing the top of her head and hugging her tightly. "Love you. Almost there." She whispered and he grinned. In a few short seconds he felt her breathing even out as she nodded off.
"Love you too. Can't wait."
After Quinn and Mike managed to pry Santana and Brittany apart in the lobby, they dragged them home and had them down some water before heading to bed. They awoke late the next day with raging headaches and a few noticeable hickeys, causing both their houseguests to laugh and Brittany to panic about Rachel murdering her.
After spending the day looking up ways to clear them up and trying to recover they headed over to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. As most of the guests were hungover, the dinner was uneventful but generally pleasant and Rachel and Finn were happy to see everyone putting their differences aside and getting along. That night they parted ways, Rachel opting to stay in the hotel for the night with Kurt, leaving the apartment to Finn.
The next morning the girls made their way over to get their hair and makeup done, which took most of the morning and by the time they were done they all headed over to the hotel to get dressed. Though not part of the bridal party Rachel had included Santana by asking her to help out and she was more than happy to accept if only to hang out with Brittany for most of the day. By the time they were almost ready to head out to where the ceremony would be taking place Rachel had fallen into an unexpected full blown panic.
"What if-what if this is the wrong decision?" Rachel paced the floors. "What if we're too young? What if we're setting ourselves up for disaster?" she asked in a panic and Brittany's mouth hung open as she tried to gather something to say. She looked to Mercedes and Rachel's friend Keri who looked panicked.
"Well that's just a risk you're going to have to take." Santana said, stepping forward. "You two are in love. And although it sickens me to admit, you have been as long as I've known you. I watched you fight hard for this relationship when it looked a hell of a lot worse than it does now. So I'm sure as hell going to kick your ass if you try and back out of this now." Rachel looked up at her and swallowed.
"But what if you were always right? Everything you always said? All the things you said about how pathetic we were and how much drama we have." Santana narrowed her eyes, turning back to the other girls.
"Can you give us 5?" They looked skeptical and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to kill her. Swear." She lifted up her right hand to emphasize. Brittany nodded and stepped forward, giving her a quick kiss.
"We'll be outside." Santana waited till the door closed before motioning to a seat and sitting across from Rachel.
"Listen, I know we've had our moments and I know I've never liked you very much, but that's exactly why you should listen to what I'm saying. I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear. I keep it real and I'm going to tell you the truth." She said evenly. "Why are you freaking out all of a sudden? Marrying Finn is like your every dream come true."
"I just…I don't know. What if we're rushing things? This was never my plan."
"So you're a couple years ahead of schedule." Santana shrugged. "You need to let that shit go."
"What if we're too young? What if we're making a mistake? Things came between us before."
"Things will always try and come between you. But by marrying Finn, you're committing to the fact that no matter what comes between you, you guys will try and find a way to work it out together. That's what a relationship is." Rachel nodded, encouraging her to continue.
"Brittany and I have had our share of tough times. It was hell for us before we got together and it was a struggle for me to accept myself after we did. We've had a few bad fights when we got here. I mean, we even spent a whole summer apart and you know what a nightmare it was." She paused. "But we never broke up or even considered it. We've always done everything together and faced our problems together and because of that? I wouldn't trade any of those experiences for anything because they taught us who we are as a couple. They made us even stronger."
"So you're saying I should hope for a deliciously angsty marriage?" Rachel asked and Santana sighed.
"No, don't get catty with me." Santana warned. "I'm saying that you shouldn't expect your life with Finn to be all flowers and sunshine. It's never going to be. Shit is going to happen but you need to trust in your relationship and realize that once you fight those battles together, you'll come out even better than you were before. So stop worrying about mistakes."
"Do you think we're strong enough?"
"Don't you?" Santana challenged with confidence. "You're a fighter Rachel. You always have been. And despite my own opinions of you two and your relationship, you're clearly in love. Finn is crazy about you and you're clearly on the border of insane all the time when it comes to him." Rachel shot her a look she ignored. "So, yes, I think it is. But you need to put your own confidence into this." Rachel smiled slowly.
"You're right." She thought for a moment and sighed. "I don't know why I was being so silly…how I could even doubt…" she looked trouble.
"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there before you go into another tailspin. You're Rachel Berry. If you went through today without any drama then I'd be surprised. Let's leave it at that and the fact that everyone gets pre-wedding jitters." Rachel chuckled.
"You have a point." She let out a breath. "Thank you. That's probably the kindest you've ever been to me."
"Yeah well, Britts and I have put a lot of time and money into this event and I'm not going to let you make it all for nothing." Rachel rolled her eyes and Santana stood to go get the others.
"Santana I-" Rachel started, causing her to turn around. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you to be in the bridal party. We never spoke about it and I hope you're not offended. I know things are often strained between us and that I drive you insane."
"Truth." She agreed but Rachel continued.
"But I just didn't want you to feel weird or anything. And I'm never quite sure what you think about our…friendship or lack thereof." Santana sighed.
"It's okay Rachel. I'm not offended." She shrugged. "I did kind of expect that you would...but ultimately I'm just glad you included Brittany." She laughed. "And I probably wouldn't have had me in if I were you either. You'd have had to deal with my constant insults." They laughed.
"You make a valid point. One that I considered."
"I'm sure." They paused a moment.
"For what it's worth, I do consider you one of my friends. And a good one at that." Rachel said and Santana bit back a smile.
"Yeah well…maybe a little." She smirked, narrowing her eyes. "But this doesn't change anything. You still make me want to stick needles in my eyes and if you try telling anyone I said that I'll deny it.."
"If it was any different I'd be concerned." Rachel agreed and Santana chuckled, turning and grabbing the other girls back in from the hallway.
Shortly after the girls got together and did final checks on their hair, dresses and makeup, they were called down as the ceremony was starting. Santana smiled and gave Brittany as gentle kiss before saying goodbye.
"Don't forget Burt and Carol are saving you a seat." She smiled and Santana nodded, heading off to take her seat amongst the crowd as she politely greeted Burt and Carol. Finn caught her eye and smiled nervously.
"Relax." She mouthed and he took a breath, nodding thankfully as Kurt continued to rattle on next to him about god knows what.
After a few moments the music started up and everyone turned, watching as Keri and then Mercedes made their entrances. Santana's breath hitched for a moment and she bit her lip watching Brittany walk down the aisle in the pretty green dress, her smile absolutely contagious. She felt her heart speed up at just the idea of watching Brittany walk down the aisle towards her one day and suddenly, all that talk about big weddings didn't seem so stupid, but she still cursed herself internally at the warm tears she felt welling up behind her eyes.
As Brittany neared, she felt her gaze fix on her and she winked playfully as she passed her, taking her place at the opposite side. They music shifted and the crowd stood, turning to watch as the doors at the back of the room prepared to open. Santana felt her own eyes flicker back towards Brittany who was staring with excitement and then to Finn who looked on in anticipation and then pure joy as he finally caught sight of his bride to be.
She spun back, smiling at the sight of Rachel walking down the aisle proudly, both arms occupied by her dads. In the back of her head she couldn't help but wonder out of the three who would shed the most tears that day. She was still banking on Rachel.
When Rachel finally reached the front she kissed each of her dad's and stepped forward to grasp Finn's hand.
"You look amazing." He whispered and she beamed back at him.
"Thank you."
As the officiant called attention to the front they watched as he gave an introduction speaking a bit on love and the commitment of marriage and what it meant. Santana felt eyes boring into her and shifted her gaze towards her girlfriend who smirked as soon as she made eye contact.
"Hi." Brittany mouthed and Santana couldn't contain the grin on her face.
"Hey." She mouthed back.
A few minutes later as the ceremony moved on they turned their attention back to Rachel and Finn as they exchanged their vows. They spoke seriously but happily, focus never breaking from each other as they repeated the words the officiant laid out for them and then exchanging their rings. Moments later it was all over and they were being announced as man and wife, sealing the deal with an enthusiastic kiss.
Shortly after they made their way back down the aisle, trailed by the rest of the bridal party and the packed and crowded room all made their way towards the back to greet them. After what seemed like forever, the bridal party headed off in a limo to take pictures in the park, Rachel and Finn hopping into their own care.
"Hey." He smiled, sliding into the seat next to her.
""We did it!" she squealed excitedly.
"I know!' he said, leaning over to kiss her softly. "I know." He nodded.
"I love you so much." She said, eyes tearing.
"Rach, please don't cry again." He said sweetly. "Seriously, you need your makeup for all those pictures we have to take." She chuckled and kissed him once more. "I love you too."
"I just can't believe we're here already. I mean it's like…I've been planning this for so long and now we're already married and…it's happening so fast." She took a breath and he smiled.
"It's only the beginning babe."
"You think so?"
"Of course." He said emphatically. "Sure, now we're married. But we've got our whole lives ahead of us. You haven't even gotten to Broadway yet." She furrowed her brow.
"I keep forgetting how far we've deviated from my ten year plan." He laughed.
"I'm so glad I never have to hear about that damn plan again."
"It's still partially in play." She said. "I will not be bending the rules on children." He sighed.
"Whatever you say. As long as I get to have you as my wife now, you can do whatever you want with your silly plan."
"It's pretty amazing to hear you say that."
"It's pretty amazing to get to say it."
"I'm so excited and happy…and overwhelmed. I just…feel so many things."
"So do I." He paused and narrowed his eyes to consider. "Well, I don't think I feel them as big and as obviously as you. But I totally feel them." He nodded proudly and she giggled, shaking her head, as the car halted to a stop and the driver opened the door.
"Come on." He winked, holding his hand out to her. "Let's go do this photo shoot thing."
She grinned, taking his hand as he pulled her up and out of the car, placing his hands at her waist as he kissed her tenderly. Within seconds they heard a snap and looked over to see the photographer already snapping shots of them. He smiled, looking down at her adoringly.
"See, I knew we'd be naturals at this part."
A couple of hours later the guests were all gathered in the main room enjoying cocktail hour as they waited for the bridal party to return from taking pictures. The room was decorated in green and cream, with every detail just as Rachel had planned it. Everything from the tablecloths to the napkins to the centerpieces to the lighting was set just as she requested and even Santana had to admit it was impressive to see her plan come together as a reality.
Santana killed time at cocktail hour between Quinn and the other kids from the glee club and the guys from the band, but felt antsy waiting for her date to return. After what seemed like an endless amount of time she finally saw the appetizer being cleared. Finally, the DJ started to make introductions and she was
Santana smiled from across the room as the bridal party entered, first Puck and Mercedes, then Jeff and Keri and finally Brittany danced her way across the room playfully with Kurt right before Finn and Rachel made their official entrance. She looked on in awe of how beautiful her girlfriend was and felt taken aback for a moment at how much she wanted a moment like this for them. She couldn't help the shy smile that overtook her face as she saw Brittany search the room with her eyes while DJ pumped up the entrance of the bride and groom, instantly aware that she was trying to find her. A moment later her eyes settled on Santana and she broke into a huge smile that made the one Santana had on grow even larger.
Their attention was drawn to the doors as Finn and Rachel were finally announced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Hudson and the room erupted in cheers. Brittany clapped and cheered, looking blissfully happy and Santana again couldn't contain her own smile at the sight of it. As the DJ began the song for the first dance, her eyes flickered between Finn and Rachel who appeared happily lost in her own world and Brittany who looked emotional just watching them.
Shortly after they began the DJ invited others to dance and she felt her heart skip a beat as Brittany kissed Kurt's cheek and immediately headed straight for her. It was amazing that she could still evoke that response from her body after all this time, but it never failed, especially not when Brittany looked as gorgeous as she did right now. Before she knew what she was doing, she was walking across the floor to meet her halfway. Brittany wrapped her arms around her waist, Santana's instantly clasping around her neck and they began to sway gently to the music.
"You look so beautiful today." Santana said softly, into Brittany's ear and Brittany squeezed her for a moment. "I mean you're gorgeous every day, but you really look amazing today."
"Thank you." Brittany said, unable to contain the blush that snuck up on her face. "You look amazing too." Santana laid her head gently on Brittany's shoulder and sighed contentedly.
"How was pictures?"
"Fun!" Brittany said. "It's all been fun. The ceremony was so perfect, didn't you think?" she asked and Santana nodded.
"It really was."
"Ha! Miss 'I don't really get mushy about weddings' even admits it, huh?" Santana lifted her head and pulled back to look at Brittany fondly, adoration shining in her eyes.
"Watching this wedding, seeing you up there at the alter looking the way you do..." she shrugged and shook her head slightly, "it made me realize how much I want all of this for us." Brittany's smile turned serious.
"Well, you know I want that too." Brittany said.
"No, but Brittany, it made me realize how much I want all of it. The wedding, the party, the life long commitment. The everything. I want to see you walk down an aisle and be the center of attention and have everyone realize you're the most beautiful girl in the world. And I want to be so proud because they'll all know you're mine and I'm yours." she smiled, through unshed tears. "Brittany, I want to marry you so badly." she said honestly and Brittany smiled through her own tears, feeling her heart beating out of her chest.
"Really?
"Really."
"So let's get married." Brittany said simply and Santana smiled. "I want to marry you too." she whispered, pressing her lips gently to Santana's in a chaste kiss.
"We will, one day." Santana smiled. "I just..I don't know. All of a sudden I can't wait."
"Me either." Brittany admitted and sighed. "But they're just in a different place than us right now." Santana looked at her for a moment. "Not in their relationship, of course. We have the best relationship ever." she said and Santana laughed proudly. "But in their lives." she said with a reassuring smile. "Finn's had a real job for more than two years now and they're doing good. We're still getting through college." Santana smirked at hearing her own speech suddenly being fed back to her.
"That sounds pretty familiar." Brittany rolled her eyes and smiled infectiously.
"Yeah, well...as much as I hate it, I guess it actually makes sense."
"I know." Santana said softly and nodded. "But right now?" she asked, shaking her head. "Doesn't make me want to marry you any less." Brittany blushed again, looking at her feet for a moment before looking back up to Santana.
"Well, we're almost done with college. So you know, it won't be too long." they smiled and shook her head. "But I can wait Santana, because it really doesn't matter. I'm with you now and I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to marry you more than anything, but even if I didn't, I'd still be the happiest person in the world. As long as I have you." she said and Santana, wiped a stray tear and laughed.
"Okay, that only made me want to marry you way more." she said and Brittany laughed. She pulled her close and smiled into a soft kiss as the song ended.
The wedding flew by quicker than anyone could believe, but everyone seemed to have a great time. Rachel had found the perfect DJ and everyone was up dancing and laughing for the better part of the evening. Rachel and Finn found themselves making the rounds talking to the numerous guests, but still squeezed in time to spend both with each other and on the dance floor with their friends, stealing glances and kisses as often as possible.
Towards the back end of the night as they had been off speaking to relatives on opposite sides of the room he caught sight of his new wife across the room and smirked, excusing himself politely. He made his way over to the DJ, speaking a request into his ear and he happily nodded and promised to play it next.
Making his way across the dancefloor he walked up behind Rachel, placing a strong arm around her shoulder and causing her to snap her attention back to him.
"Hey!" she said happily. "What's up?"
"Excuse me guys, I need to steal my wife for a minute." He winked, grabbing her towards the dance floor as the familiar chords of Faithfully began playing from the speakers. She looked up at him and a broad grin spread slowly across her face. "May I have this dance Mrs. Hudson?"
"Of course." She said, biting her lip as she smiled. "I can't believe you made them play this."
"Well…you know." He said, pulling her close. "It's kind of important to us." She nodded into his chest as they attempted to ignore the flashing cameras of their friends and family around them. "Besides, it's been so crazy, I thought we could use a minute."
"Yeah, I think we definitely could. It's been so crazy today." She commented.
"I know…but it's been crazy in a really perfect way."
"It really has, hasn't it?" she asked, looking back up at him.
"Totally. All that work you did – the planning, the stressing, everything – it all came together in the end and I'll never forget it. Thank you." She grinned up at him, eyes brimming with tears.
"You really mean that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I mean. I never thought I'd really care about the difference between pink and white or green and cream but…now that I saw it all, I understand why you put so much work into it. This is the most important day of my life so far. And I'm going to remember every detail of it for the rest of my life. All because of you." She leaned up on her tippy toes to kiss him firmly and he bent down to meet her halfway.
"I'm so glad your happy."
"Let's be honest. I could have married you in a shack and been happy. But this…it just made it so much more perfect."
"I can't wait to start the rest of my life with you." She said with certainty. "To graduate and really start to move on with our lives – have a home and children." He gave a lopsided smile at the thought.
"Neither can I." he said seriously. "I can't wait for all of it. Sometimes I look back and I think about how we really did things the hard way sometimes. I mean, I made some bad choices…"
"So did I." she said. "We were both guilty of poor decision making."
"We did some silly things and we took the long way around, but ultimately, we're here and if going through all that crap brought me right here to this moment." He said, emphasizing his words. "I wouldn't change a single thing."
"Neither would I. Sometimes I think back to the positions we were in when we first met. I couldn't have imagined that you'd actually want to be here with me."
"It took me a little longer to get here than it should have. But now that I'm here. I'm never leaving."
"Well…after today. You better not." She smirked."
"Not a chance." He promised, leaning down to kiss her once more, and they finished out their dance.
"Thank you…for that." She said as they parted.
"Anytime." He winked. "Let's go talk to some more people." He said, rolling his eyes as he entwined his fingers with hers and walked towards the sea of tables.
A little while later as the night drew to an end Rachel smiled as she prepared to toss her bouquet into the crowd. The girls gathered close together on the dance floor and Santana rolled her eyes, protesting the entire time as Brittany dragged her out there.
"It's all yours." Rachel said as she passed Brittany and winked and Santana couldn't help but smile as the giggle that left her girlfriend's mouth.
"No fixes!" Mercedes hissed and Santana shook her head, failing to see the urgency to catch a bundle of flowers.
Rachel turned her back and went with the DJ's dramatic countdown, tossing the flowers over her shoulder with a perfect arc to land right on her desired target in Brittany's hands. Out of nowhere, in what seemed like a flash, Sugar pushed through the girls shoving them aside and sending them stumbling and she lunged for the bouquet, making a dramatic grab before it hit the ground.
"Oh no she did not!" Mercedes yelled and Santana watched in shock as they began bickering over the unfair tactics she used. Her eyes flashed over to Brittany who looked dazed and she walked over, wrapping and arm around her waist and burying her face into her neck.
"That shit was crazy." She mumbled and Brittany laughed.
"Yeah it was." She pouted. "That was supposed to be mine."
"Why do you need a bouquet?" Santana asked playfully, pulling her closer and looking up at her.
"To get married silly." Brittany rolled her eyes and brought her own arm around her girlfriend.
"I don't think you need a bunch of flowers for that." Santana smirked.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." She said, pecking her lips and causing Brittany's grin to widen. "Pretty sure you're in good shape…all in time." Brittany sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, yeah…" she said, poking at Santana's side. "Maybe I'll just break the rules and propose to you." Santana looked at her and considered.
"We'll see. But I'm not worried."
"You should be." Brittany teased and Santana chuckled.
"You're all talk Pierce." She winked. "All in time babe." She smiled and kissed Brittany softly once more.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Soon the reception was clearing up and as the visitors trickled out most of their friends from both the city and Ohio made their way down to the space that they'd reserved for an after party. Brittany and Santana, though thoroughly tired stood at the party, chatting leisurely and sipping drinks as others played beer pong and flip cup.
Brittany leaned against Santana, head resting tiredly on her shoulder as they watched the chaos. She pressed as sweet kiss to Santana's neck and her eyes shifted to Rachel and Finn who were approaching together. She perked up at their presence, smiling and hugging them both once more.
"Hey." Finn smiled. "You guys doing good? I feel like we hardly saw you guys apart from a few dances."
"It's cool. You've had a busy day." Santana nodded.
"No kidding. This has been exhausting." He said.
"It went so fast." Rachel said sadly. "I want to do it all again.
"It was perfect!" Brittany bounced, seeming to catch a slight wind. "Everything was beautiful Rach - the ceremony, the pictures the reception. And everyone had a blast." She nodded towards her girlfriend who still leaned back against the wall. "Even this one thought so."
"Really?" Rachel asked hopefully and Santana rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Yeah, yeah, so I may want one of these big things one day."
"Yeay!" Rachel, cheered, hugging a rigid Santana before hopping up and down. "I can't wait to plan it."
"Chillax Berry, we still have plenty of time left." She said, squeezing Brittany.
"Whatever." She waved her off. "Whenever you do."
"What time does your plane leave tomorrow?" Brittany asked.
"3:30. We're going to leave right after the brunch with our parents."
"Well, we'll be sure to pick up Hubbell first thing in the morning." Brittany smiled.
"I'm sure he'll be stoked to see Sebastian and Ariel again." Finn gave a lopsided smile.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure they'll be just thrilled." Santana sighed at the thought of the cats and dog chasing each other all across their new, neat apartment.
"It's going to be like a party." Brittany assured them. "He's going to love it."
"Well, we just wanted to come say goodnight and thank you for everything you guys have done to help us." Finn said seriously. "Honestly, you guys were a huge help and we really appreciate everything."
"It wouldn't have been the same without you."
"Aww, thanks guys." Brittany said smiling shyly. "I was honored to be a part of it." She smiled and nudged Santana.
"Yeah, totally. I mean…" she took a breath and looked at them seriously. "It was really beautiful guys. And I'm happy for you both. You guys totally deserve each other." She smirked teasingly and Rachel shook her head.
"Well thank you Santana." She looked between all of them. "You know, moving to New York together was the best thing we ever did. At least I think so."
"Me too." Brittany nodded.
"Yeah, so do I." Finn smirked, squeezing his arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah…I'm with you on this one too. It's been awesome. And we've still got a lot left."
"Exactly." Rachel said, beaming. "We'll see you guys when we get back?"
"Of course." Santana said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Have a great time in Europe."
They parted ways with Rachel and Finn, who made their way off to their complimentary honeymoon suite for the evening before getting ready for their actual honeymoon the next day. Brittany and Santana watched the room around them for a moment as all of their friends continued to ramp up the party around them.
"You wanna go play beer pong?" Brittany asked with a smile and Santana shook her head, chuckling as she wrapped her arms around her neck, playing with the hair at the back of her neck.
"I wanna go home." She said. "And be with you."
"You do?" Brittany asked, a little surprised and Santana nodded.
"Yeah. I'm tired and it's been a draining couple of days. As much fun as this all is…" she nodded around her, "all I really want is to go home and cuddle up in bed with you." Brittany beamed down at her. "I'm pretty sure that's all I ever really want."
"You know after all this time you still make me feel like there are butterflies in my chest when you say things like that." She said softly and Santana smiled back up at her.
"I know the feeling well." Brittany leaned down and met their lips for a sweet, slow kiss.
"Let's go." She whispered against her lips.
"Should we say goodbye?" Santana asked, motioning backwards and Brittany just shook her head.
"Quinn has the keys. We'll see them all tomorrow." She said, making Santana even happier. "I just want you too."
Santana swallowed hard and pulled back, grabbing her hand as she quietly led them out of the rowdy room and through the hotel until they hit the warm air of the city. Even at the late hour of the night, the streets were still bustling and they stood, leaning together as the doorman tried to flag down a cab. Brittany watched the city move around them quickly and a broad grin washed over her face as she sighed contentedly.
"We're definitely staying here forever, right?" she asked looking down to Santana who looked at her thoughtfully before smiling.
"If you want." She said simply, but honestly.
"I do." Santana nodded.
"Then forever it is."