Mischances, Stances and Stolen Glances

by ellisbell85

Santana and Brittany are happily married and expecting their first kid. However, an unfortunate event puts Santana in a coma for almost 4 years. When she wakes up everything is certainly... different. Can both of them deal with this new reality?

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee nor its original characters (if I did it would probably be called The Brittany and Santana Show, and all the other characters would only be there to help advance their plot).

A/N: Alright, I have excellent news, good news and bad news for you lovely folks today… Let's start with the positive ones! The excellent news: whoa, over 500 reviews… You guys are AMAZING! Thanks for the love, support, kind words and reproaching words as well! It all means a lot to me. The good news: this chapter came really early, don't you think? And it's the longest thus far. A little treat for you guys to make up for the bad news… which I'll leave for after the new chapter. I know, I'm a tease :D

Ok, I knew parts of this chapter would ruffle some people's feathers (since I have pretty specific and set ways to view Brittany/Santana) but I couldn't imagine it would be this much.
Controversy *sing-song voice* :)

First things first, 'though… A couple of reviewers pointed out, or implied, that I have been sort of condescending in my author's note thingy in the past. And I have to say that although I don't recall it... I don't doubt it. I'm absolutely sorry for that. Mortified even. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Honestly. It's an occupational hazard and I do it unconsciously. Years of learning that you should pulverize your counterparts' points in an "argument" will do that to you. Being incredibly stubborn paired with believing in what I'm writing don't help either, I suppose. Regardless, I apologize profusely to whomever (probably more than one person) I directed my condescending remarks. I shall check myself from now on.

Now, onto bigger topics: your disapproving of the latest developments and the labels deal. You guys really take your labeling seriously, don't you? Joking aside, I sincerely meant no offense to any of you. I have nothing but respect for gays, lesbians, bis, etc., and for Santana's struggle to find out and accept herself for who she is. I still stand by my statement that I find Santana to be "Brittanysexual", 'though (or Brittsexual: sounds better). I loved and agreed with that line from GOOP girl that said that 'ultimately it isn't about whom you find sexually attractive, but who you fall in love with' (pardon my paraphrasing). And I honestly believe that Santana can only fall in love with Brittany. It's hard to explain to others how you personally see a character; everyone sees them through their own eyes, after all. But the way I see Santana, and I'm talking about the real character in the show (I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with the terms 'canon' or 'AU' and all that stuff, but I think I assumed the general idea correctly from your reviews); I personally see her as someone who has real trouble falling in love. It's not something that comes easily to her considering how guarded she is. However, Brittany is her exception. The only one able to penetrate those walls. I always thought that Joni Mitchell was right. Love is touching souls (at least it was supposed to be in an ideal world) and I doubt anyone else other than Brittany will ever touch Santana's. That's what got me interested in the pairing in the first place. That specific sacrosanct notion of meant-to-be love and all that jazz. Anyhow, since Brittany is a woman and so is Santana, I can agree and state that Santana is lesbian... for Brittany. I still can't shake GOOP girl's line and disassociate love from this labeling process thing. That was kinda confusing. I don't know if you're getting what I'm trying to say… Regardless, the writers haven't shown me that Santana doesn't find guys sexually attractive. She sleeps with them all the time, even if it is to climb the school's social status ladder. I haven't seen her being appalled/turned-off by the act or anything like that. If there was such a scene I apologize because I've missed it, and since I only watch Brittany/Santana and not the whole show, it is an actual possibility. Please, do let me know if I'm mistaken and there was a scene like that. Yes, she admitted she's a lesbian... because she loves Brittany. Until she falls in love with another girl, I would like to hang on to the idea that she is gay for Britt. It's more romantic and closer to the idea I hold of them as a couple in my head. So, considering all this, the sleeping with Scott deal seems realistic to me and in-character. Especially since it was meant to be something devoid of feelings. A fugue, a simple escapism if you will. Just sex, you know? Pure and physical. She isn't ready for another woman… yet. Don't worry, she'll get there (oops, spoiler there!). Now, if it had been with another woman things would be different. Feelings would have actually been a possibility (the caring type, I mean, not love), and in that spectrum I also agree that her sexuality scale tilts more towards lesbian. Anyways, if it had been with a woman it would have more meaning and that would be the time Brittany would really have to start worrying. That is why the sex with a man deal needed to happen. It was one of those things that will pan out in the future if you are patient enough to wait and see. I'm not winging it here. All these steps are part of the story and part of the women's journey to find each other again. Eventually. In due time.
I guess what it all comes down to is that I place more importance on the Brittany/Santana epic relationship/love-story (and I may have farfetched and idealized it in my mind) than on labels and sexuality. The latter pales in comparison to the former, in my humble opinion. Let the Glee writers do that, I say. God knows they desperately want to work that angle for award purposes.
Most people understood what I just explained, but I hope that testament clarified stuff a bit for the ones who didn't. And that if you don't agree with my views, you can at least understand where I'm coming from and know I mean no disrespect or offense whatsoever. It's important to me that everybody knows this, and that is why I took the time to explain evrything. I also hope you don't give up on the story. But if you can't stomach that move, I understand as well. The fic has a long way to go, and if there is any doubt still: YES, B/S will come together again.
Oh, another important thing: there will be no baby coming from Santana's hook-up. God, I haven't even considered that! All of you are absolutely right. It would be completely and utterly contrived and cheesy. No way will I go down that route. Well, I do use 'cheesy' every once in a while, but that's too much fromage even for me! Rest assured that they used protection like any responsible adults out there. Did you hear that, kids? Always use a rubber!
Jeez, I thought more about sexuality in the last few minutes than I have… in my entire life! *lol* This is good… this debate thing, this back-and-forth, this give-and-take, this dialogue… everything is amazing! We should keep this up. Keep hitting the review and voicing your concerns and your points. This feeding off of each other was fantastic. Even you guys' bickering in the reviews, and people wanting to ring my neck and maybe even shout a couple profanities my way… it was all awesome! I love myself some bickering… As long as we keep playing nice and classy like we have been thus far, that is. No blows below the belt, guys, please. And thanks to those defending my honour, by the way; well, my vision :D Wow! That was a lot of love. I'm super pumped now! I'm even starting to sound manic, aren't I? Ok, in retrospect (why can't life be lived like that, by the way?), maybeI shouldn't have downed those two Red Bulls at once to finish the last quarter of this chapter... I should probably wrap this up here: thank you, awesome people. This has been so much FUN!

Damn, almost forgot I promised extra dedications this chapter! Why do I put myself in these positions is beyond me. Ok, no procrastination, this chapter is dedicated to:
JDAnon, all4LeynA, Amelie, Zvedza Town, and asher601, who simply got what I was trying to say and convey. Although, I must say that I think you've been a bit too hard on Brittany, asher601 :)
ChildishDream and peebrain, who completely got what I was trying to say and convey. I mean, to the T. Like you two were actually in my head. Nice and scary! ;)
Brittana4Eva, don't worry you were not rude or bitchy. It's a legitimate question. Besides, I have really thick skin :D Anyhow, to answer your query: no; like I said many times before, I don't watch the whole show just Brittany/Santana. Even 'though we have different views on the characters, mine is more than explained above, I hope this won't deter you from keep reading and leaving your feedback. It's always appreciated :)
Dani2606, thanks for the kind, supportive words. And tell your girlfriend 'thanks' on my behalf. You know that they say that a couple who reads together stays together, right? By 'they' I mean 'I', of course :D
C, I'll see if I can arrange a slow and painful death per your request :D
quarian, sorry for making your eyes well up. And publicly on the way to work, no less! My sincere apologies.
ultimategleek, sorry for breaking your heart. I hope I can mend it nicely by the end of the story.
Kdren23, glad you digged the "Danielle"! Although, I guess Mr. Lopez's boy crush on Danielle Darrieux is the actual responsible for that one.
pacific firebrand, because I love a huge-ass reviews. And you totally caught the goodbye/goodnight thing! It will come into play again later in the story. Nice catch! Oh, it also looks like your song request shall be fulfilled in this chapter. Do you have a crystal ball or something? :D

Ok, I think I made up enough already! Onto the new chapter, and sorry for rambling too much... I just thought it was necessary after last chapter's reactions. Plus, I should end this also apologizing in advance for not only butchering one language but TWO in this chapter. My Spanish is really, really rusted and the language comes into play heavily in this chapter. Lo siento :)

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Mischances, Stances and Stolen Glances
||Chapter Ten||

Santana arrived in Dayton late that evening and Danes was already there to pick her up. They had set up before Santana left to New York that he would give her a ride on Sunday, but when the brunette decided to come earlier she called him to see if he still could do it, and he promptly agreed to. The Asian man, with straight black hair that ended just above chin length, dropped the doctor at her place and helped unload her massive luggage from his old-school Jeep Wrangler with a quip about how much she had to spend on excessive baggage. After they were done, Santana offered to buy him a drink for being such a "stand-up chauffeur". So, they made their way to the only bar Santana knew: Charlie's.

Danes and Santana entered the joint, which was more crowded than the first day she went there, and took a seat on a couple of stools by the bar. Puck was behind it and came to them.

"Couldn't keep away huh, Lopez?" Puck smugly asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel that had its tip stuffed in his jeans' hem.

"From the booze? No, I couldn't," Santana shot back with venom.

Seeing the guy sitting beside the Latina the bartender said with mock amusement, "Oh, I see you brought a gentleman friend… Are you on a date or something?"

"None of your damn business," the brunette replied quickly and curtly.

Taking in the interaction, Danes piped in with a small smile, "I take it you two know each other." Puck nodded and Santana simply shrugged. The Asian added, outstretching his hand across the bar to Puck, "I'm Bradley Danes, Santana's former physiotherapist and current chauffer."

Puck shook on it and replied playfully in the same fashion as Danes, "Noah Puckerman, Santana's former flame and current object of desire."

Santana laughed out loud sarcastically and said, "You're so hilarious, Puck… and severely delusional. I can refer you to one of my psychiatric friends if you wish." Then she looked sideways at Danes and added flatly, "I know him from another life, a.k.a. high school."

"Interesting…" Danes trailed on with a mischievous smile on his face. "Any embarrassing stories you care to share?" he added, looking at the barkeep and receiving a glare from the Latina.

Puck was about to reply with a smirk on his face but she didn't give him a chance as she replied rapidly, "Nooo, we're not that drunk… yet." The three smiled lightly, and Santana added, "On that note, I'd like a glass of chardonnay, please."

The bartender laughed and stated matter-of-factly, "It's either red or white, princess."

Santana scowled and announced in a huff, "White, then." The two turned their attention to the physiotherapist.

"I'll have a bottle of Bud," Danes said simply, as the brunette turned her stool slightly from side to side.

"Coming right up," Puck stated and went about to get their orders.

"You know, Puck, if I'm going to keep dropping by this joint you better start keeping a supply of chardonnay and merlot around. Knowing how to make a few drinks wouldn't hurt either," Santana said a bit louder so the bartender could hear across the bar whilst getting their orders.

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," the barkeep quipped.

"Where's the gratitude, dude? I am bringing you more customers," the Latina replied slyly, tilting her head towards Danes' side.

"More pain in my ass? Yeah, thank you very much," Puck countered and the brunette doctor smiled lightly, turning her entire attention back to the physiotherapist.

Santana and Danes engaged in an easy talk and when the barkeep returned he heard the brunette doctor say to the Asian man, "So, you're ready for tomorrow?"

Cutting in and placing the drinks in front of them, Puck said playfully, "Hmm, ready for tomorrow, huh? Arranging yourself some monkey business there, Santana?"

"You're disgusting; you know that, right?" Santana asked with a scrunched up face. "In fact, I think it's a Noah thing. Yeah, I just had a breakthrough… All Noahs are douchebags! And I'm happy to inform you that I know your soulmate, Puck. He lives in New York, he's a doctor, he isn't too hard on the eyes, and his name is Noah Tyler. You two are meant for each other. I've just arrived from the Big Apple and I can totally confirm he's currently single. I'll be more than happy to give you his number," she added with satisfaction and a grin.

"Should I laugh? You're the one who cuts both ways, sister," Puck shot back lightheartedly as Santana took a sip of her wine whilst scowling at the bartender, and Danes drank his beer.

"Actually, we could use an extra set of hands tomorrow at your place, Santana," Danes said, looking sideways at the brunette.

"Sorry, bro; I only do threesomes with two chicks and the Pucksaurus. I don't cross swords," Puck slyly put it with an apologetically look on his eyes as he quickly went on to grab some guy a beer.

Shaking her head Santana said sternly, without dropping the scowl, "Jeez, Puck! Does your mind come out of the gutter, like, ever?" She then took a big gulp of her wine. "Danes meant that we could use an extra set of hands to paint my kid's room."

"Right, you've got a little girl," the barkeep said wistfully, and he and Santana exchanged a knowing look that was lost on Danes. Shaking off the bittersweet thought, he added after a beat, "So, what is in it for me?"

"The same that is in it for me and Danny: a six-pack," the physiotherapist replied with a wide grin, working his best faux-excited tone before downing a big amount of his beer.

"Wow, with such a prize like that…" Puck trailed on sarcastically, looking from Danes to Santana.

"What can I say? I like my cheap labor," Santana said dismissively, running a hand through her soft hair. "If you three play your cards right I may even throw some pizza in the deal."

"So, what do you say, Puck? You're in or you're out?" Danes asked finishing his beer bottle.

"I guess I could do with Santana owing me one," Puck replied with a sly smile.

"I'll owe you nothing, Puck!" the Latina exclaimed as the barkeep served a couple of other customers without dropping the smile. "Don't go getting any gross ideas." After a beat she downed the rest of her wine and added, "I'll see you at nine in the morning tomorrow. Don't be late!" She turned to Danes and said, "Let's roll, I can't stay long."

Santana paid for the drinks and then she and Danes left the bar. The physiotherapist gave her a quick ride home and went to his place. Tomorrow they would have a busy day.

---

Saturday morning as Santana approached Brittany's house in her car she already could spot Zoey from a small distance. It brought a big smile to her face. The kid sat at the door's threshold and Santana's heart skipped a beat with the notion that she was waiting impatiently for her. She had called Brittany that morning to ask if she could have their daughter for the weekend, since she planned on putting together a bedroom for the kid. The blonde promptly agreed and there Santana was, arriving to pick her up. Her day had started early with having to go out to buy paint before the guys arrived to do the job. Not being a morning person the brunette had been slightly cranky, but just the sight of her daughter made everything happy and fuzzy again. Zoey spotted the Range Rover and came running as fast as a bullet, stopping abruptly at the small white gate. Brittany had specifically told her that she was allowed to wait at the door, as long as she didn't pass the yard's gate. So, she made sure to obey. Zoey didn't want to have her further rights to wait for Santana outside revoked.

The brunette doctor parked the car right in front of the dancer's house and got out with a huge digital camera slung across her neck. She could see Zoey jumping up and down behind the gate with a grin plastered on her adorable little face.

Making her way to the sidewalk Santana stopped and asked with a grin as wide as her daughter's, "What? Don't I get a big hug jump after being away for so long?"

"Mommy said I can't go through the gate," Zoey replied, dropping the grin as Santana smiled at Brittany's great parenting skills. It never got old to her.

"That was only for when you had no grown-ups watching you, sweetie. You can go to your mama now," Brittany said with a smile as she came through the front door of the house.

Zoey didn't have to be told twice. She threw herself into Santana's arms with the grin back in place.

"I've missed you so much, baby," Santana cooed in the sweetest of tones, bringing her face back from the hug to inspect her daughter's beautiful face.

"Me, too," Zoey replied, sloppily kissing the brunette's cheek.

Santana put her down as Brittany caught up with them at the sidewalk.

"Look at you," the doctor said ceremoniously without dropping the smile, looking her daughter up and down. "I think you have grown a little while I was away, haven't you?" she added seriously, squinting her eyes a bit. Santana knew she hasn't, but the kid nodded profusely anyway. Pleased to be told so.

"She definitely did," Brittany reinforced with a smile, making Zoey beam even more in her skirt and leggings.

"See, I told you I'd be back in a flash. Didn't I come back fast?" Santana asked, looking down into the girl's blue eyes, which looked especially blue with the sun hitting on them.

"Not really fast," Zoey replied bluntly, looking up at her mama.

Santana and Brittany laughed out loud at their daughter's honesty, and the kid seemed proud to be making them laugh.

"You came back earlier," Brittany stated tenderly, locking eyes with Santana, who held the blonde's stare for the first time since she got there. For no apparent reason thoughts of Scott and their bathroom activities came flushing to her head. Why was she getting rushes of guilt? She had nothing to be guilty for. She swatted the thoughts away and the blonde could see something weird flashing through the doctor's eyes. The dancer's mind went straight to Kate something and their phone talk.

Shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts Santana replied, plastering a smile on her face, "Yeah, I missed this one right here too much." And she leaned down whilst balancing the camera to bring Zoey closer to her body and lay a soft kiss on her daughter's head, making the little girl wrap her arms around the Latina's leg in a hug.

Brittany's own thoughts were scared away by that sight, and her heart was filled with utter joy and satisfaction. She could not help it. Those scenes really never did get old.

Zoey let go of the Latina's leg and the woman started moving to the passenger's front door of her car. "I've got you this, baby…" She opened up the door and retrieved a massive stuffed yellow duck, closing it again after. The thing was huge, about as tall as the little girl, who was already very tall for her age. Those Pierce genes…

Handing the ginormous duck to Zoey the little brunette girl felt something for the first time in her life: speechlessness. So, she simply squealed with sheer glee whilst smiling and hugging the stuff out of the duck.

Shooting a few photos of their daughter, Santana said with a pleased smile on her face, "I take it you like it, then."

Zoey found her voice again. It couldn't last long anyway. "I love him!" She exclaimed, rubbing cheek to cheek with the stuffed animal while hugging him. An adorable sight that only made the Latina snap even more photos of their oblivious daughter.

"Aww… he's the cutest," Brittany gushed with a sweet smile, watching her beautiful daughter strangle the duck. And then she added playfully, shifting her gaze to a camera-frantic Santana with a laugh, "You're gonna blind our child, San."

"Bought it in New York. I still have to read the manual, 'though. I don't know how to work the flash thing yet," the brunette doctor replied matter-of-factly, turning the neck-bound camera in her hands in different angles, trying to inspect the huge gadget.

"So, what are you going to call him, Z?" The dancer asked with interest, looking down at her daughter, who couldn't stop hugging and cuddling the duck.

"Sparkles!" The kid replied with enthusiasm, patting the soft plush of the yellow duck's head.

"Another one? That is getting too confusing, Z," Santana piped in, smiling while exchanging looks with Brittany.

"Rainbow, then," Zoey said absentmindedly, more preoccupied with laying a kiss on his cheek.

"Think outside the box, mi hija," the Latina replied with a chuckle, still looking at the blonde instead of her daughter.

"Candy!" The little girl nearly shouted, looking up at her mommies to see if they were happy already with her chosen name.

"Candy? Yeah, that's a nice name. Isn't it, San?" Brittany asked charmingly, smiling for effect.

"Very nice. Candy it is. I think that makes 'it' a 'she', huh?" Santana replied playfully.

"What do you say to your mama, Zoey?" the blonde asked with familiarity as she looked down at their daughter.

"Thank you!" Zoey replied with similar familiarity. It was a well known ritual. And then the little girl started to run around the front yard with her prized new possession. It was a difficult task considering the size of the animal, but she was making it due. Santana took more candid photos whilst grinning widely.

"So, how did the practicals turn out? I never got the chance to ask," Brittany asked, bringing her gaze from Zoey to Santana.

"Great. Passed with flying colours," the Latina answered flatly, turning her gaze also to the blonde. "I start at the hospital on Monday."

"That's great news!" The dancer replied with a bright smile. After a silent beat she added softly, "I tried calling you and reply to your text last night, but I couldn't get through to you."

"Yeah, I had to turn it off for the flight and forgot to turn it back on later."

"I wanted to offer to pick you up at the airport. Who drove you home?"

"Danes did. I had it all arranged with him already," Santana said, averting her stare to the running Zoey. "There was no need to trouble you late at night," she added with a tinge of bitterness, still unable to hold the blonde's stare.

"It is no trouble," Brittany replied softly, a little hurt by the fact that the Latina continued to try to push her away. After a beat she added weakly and with a tad of frustration, "When will you see that?"

At that line Santana's brown eyes fell slowly into blue ones. She had always feared she would drown in them one day. She decided to ignore the dancer's last question, 'though. She had no answer to that, after all. So, she said instead, "I should probably head back home. Speaking of Danes, he and the other two are there painting Zoey's room. Thanks for letting her come with me, by the way."

"Always," the blue-eyed woman replied with such honesty and tenderness that Santana felt like kissing the sense out of her right there and then. Not that she would follow through on that enticing idea, of course. "Danes knows painting?" The blonde added with surprise.

"Not really, I guess. Danny is the one heading the whole operation. Apparently his dad was a house painter –" the doctor began but was interrupted by the blonde.

"His dad died?" Brittany asked sadly, almost pouting.

"No, just retired," Santana shot back quickly, unable to contain a small smile at the dancer's sweetness. Brittany smiled back with relief. "Anyway, his dad was a house painter and Danny used to work with him on summers way back when. So, he knows what he's doing and already has all the painting stuff. Leftovers from his hardware store I've been told. Danes and Puck…" Brittany's ears shot up at the sound of that second name, "…are just muscle power. You know… cheap labor. It's amazing what guys will do for a six-pack," Santana added smugly with a smile, even 'though she knew they were doing it for her, not for the free beer.

"Puck's helping?" The blue-eyed woman asked with shock, unconsciously placing one hand on her waist. "I didn't know you two were talking." Great, now she was starting to feel jealous again. It seemed like everybody entering Santana's life was a possible threat and trigger. Especially Puck, well, she knew Santana had always had zero interest in him, but the blonde still harbored irrational feelings of rejection and angst that dated way back to high school when the formerly mohawked boy was concerned. Words like 'lizard', 'digest' and 'food' came rushing through her mind.

"Well, I had a few drinks at his bar, nothing much. But cheap labor is cheap labor, I don't care where it comes from," the Latina said aloofly, turning to take another photo of Zoey who was then sort of riding Candy a few feet away.

"Good," Brittany said a bit too pleased with the answer, and it made the doctor wonder if the dancer was feeling another tinge of jealousy. "Because he's a pig. You know that, right?" she added with annoyance at the thought of Puck, placing the other hand on her waist.

"Oh, I never doubted it," Santana quipped with a smile and the blonde matched it, feeling more at easy. "Have you talked to him lately?" She added nonchalantly. Santana knew Brittany hadn't. Puck had told her so, but she had to keep her pretense and not let any room for the blonde to wonder if she and the bartender had talked about her. Yes, the brunette was neurotic and completely aware of it.

"Nothing but friendly 'hellos' when bumping into each other," Brittany said, finally taking the hands from her waist as the Latina nodded her understanding.

"I should really get going now. Rosa is supervising them but only I know how to properly crack the whip," the brunette doctor said playfully with a smile. After a quick beat she added, "Oh, I was almost forgetting the best thing…" She looked at Zoey and called out, "Hey, baby, get here for a second."

Zoey came running back, doing her best to balance Candy on her arms, and looked up at her mommies expectantly.

"I've got you something else, Zo," Santana said with a pleased smile while going to the back of the Range Rover, followed closely by Brittany and their daughter.

"What is it?" Zoey asked with sparkling eyes and an ear to ear grin.

"I guess you'll just have to see for yourself," the brunette said with a grin, opening up the trunk while the other two ladies watched curiously.

As the trunk's door went up, and the Latina flapped the bottom part down, all three got to see the small puppy Beagle sitting there. Zoey started to jump up and down because she didn't know how to express her complete excitement otherwise. Brittany simply gushed as Santana took photos of the kid's adorable reaction. What? She had to catch up on documenting her daughter's life.

"So, what do you think, Z?" Santana asked enthused, looking sideways at the kid.

"Is it mine?" Zoey asked with caution and wide blue eyes, wondering for the first time if she was getting overexcited over something that wasn't really hers.

"Of course," the brunette doctor chuckled, taking Candy from her and helping the little girl climb up the trunk to play with the energetic puppy. The Latina placed the large stuffed duck on the corner of the spacious trunk.

"I love you, mama!" The kid stated without taking her eyes from the puppy Beagle.

"Aww, gift induced love declarations... Aren't those nice?" Santana joked with a grin, locking eyes with the dancer, who just shook her head dismissively. Both knew the kid's declaration was genuine.

"And Jesus!" Zoey amended, patting the puppy.

Brittany furrowed her brows. Santana simply laughed and stated, "Long story."

Santana and Brittany took a seat at the trunk's bottom flap to watch their daughter shower the small puppy with affection and adoration.

"You are spoiling her, you know?" Brittany reproached the doctor softly, but her smile gave her up.

"Well, cut me some slack, I've got three birthdays to make up for," Santana replied offhandedly, looking into blue eyes as she matched the blonde's smile. And then she shifted her gaze to their little girl who giggled as she played with the puppy, and asked, "What will you name her, bug?"

"Aww, it's a 'she'?" The dancer cooed in question, to which the brunette woman nodded.

Zoey replied loudly, "Sparkles!"

Brittany and Santana laughed. "Haven't we had this talk before, mi hija? Think of something else, will you?" The Latina said playfully.

The kid was about to say 'Rainbow', but stopped before uttering the word. Then she looked up in thought, pondered for a while and exclaimed, "Popsicle, then!"

"Isn't that a bit too long?" Santana mused out loud as she took a few more photos of Zoey with the puppy.

"Poppy, then! I think it's cute," Brittany piped in with a wide toothy grin.

"Poppy…" the Latina trailed on, feeling the name on her lips. And then she smiled and added, "Yeah, Poppy, I like it. What about you, Zoey?"

Zoey nodded profusely, cuddling the puppy as she said, "Poppy, doggie!"

"So, it's settled," the brown-eyed woman stated with a grin. Her face was starting to hurt from smiling and grinning too much.

Suddenly a thought came to Brittany. The blue-eyed woman frowned and said, "Oh, San… We can't accept her. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but Jenna, uh… she's allergic to dogs and cats."

Zoey looked between her mommies with an alarmed face.

Santana dismissed it quickly with a wave of hand, and replied sarcastically, "Just chill, Britt. I've been informed of that 'unfortunate situation' already. It's Zoey's puppy, but Poppy will be staying at my house."

"Poppy is still my puppy, right?" Zoey asked with blue puppy-dog eyes of her own, wanting to make sure of what just happened.

"Sure," the Latina promptly replied, earning a wide grin from her daughter. "With one condition, 'though," she added, faking seriousness, which the kid completely fell for as she nodded. Brittany simply smiled at their interaction. "Every late afternoon I'll walk Poppy from my place to here and you'll have to walk her with me for a couple of blocks. It'll give us time to talk to each other every day, and it can be our thing, you know, our bonding thing. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Deal!" Zoey shouted, too excited to finish a sentence or contain her voice's volume. And then she offered Santana her pinky. The brunette doctor felt a rush of emotions as she looked from her daughter to Brittany, who smiled at her tenderly and with a tacit confirmation in her eyes that in itself said 'yeah, I taught her that'. Santana wrapped Zoey's tiny pinky finger with her own larger one, and they grinned at each other. Brittany's heart might as well have exploded, because the scene in front of her was too endearing to handle.

"So…" Santana trailed on, reluctantly breaking the moment between the three of them. Well, four, counting Poppy. "We should roll, Z. We've still got lots of furniture and stuff to buy for your room. Grab Poppy, she can ride on your lap on your car seat." Zoey smiled widely at that, totally keen on the idea of not parting ways with the puppy.

"I'll go grab her duffle bag inside," Brittany said getting up as Zoey climbed out of the trunk aided by Santana and with Poppy in her loving arms.

"Oh, don't bother; thank God we won't need 'the' huge duffle anymore, I've got Zoey some clothes in New York as well," Santana replied nonchalantly, slamming the trunk shut as Brittany came to a halt a few steps away from the car. Receiving a pointed look from the dancer the brunette woman added slyly, "Making up, making up… Besides, aren't you glad we won't have to keep exchanging bags every time she stays with me?"

Brittany softened her look and couldn't contain a smile. "Go inside and grab Rainbow, baby," the blue-eyed woman told their daughter. The kid still only slept with the stuffed unicorn, after all.

Zoey reluctantly handed Poppy to her mommy and went to the inside of the house. Santana leaned on the side of the car and watched as Brittany looked down at Poppy in her arms and cuddled the puppy with as much affection as Zoey did moments before. The Latina couldn't help but snap a photo.

"Hey!" Brittany chastised lightheartedly, looking up with a coy smile gracing her features. "I wasn't ready for that," she added tenderly, and Santana couldn't stop herself from feeling a deep pang of… loss within the corners of her soul. At those times she couldn't push back the thoughts of how much she loved that woman.

Taking in the brunette's silence, Brittany asked playfully while inching closer to the doctor, "Did I at least come off decent?"

Coming down from her reverie Santana replied softly, looking down at the photo on the camera's screen, "Perfect." She looked up and brown eyes met crystal blue ones for an instant before averting them. The Latina couldn't hold the loaded stare. Brittany swallowed hard while caressing Poppy, and tried to fight the butterflies that decided to take hold of her stomach.

Santana deliberately shifted her position to open up the car's back door for Zoey, who had just passed through the front door's threshold – and also to escape from the dancer's gaze. As the brunette woman turned around to do so her long hair grazed Brittany's face and the blonde leaned forward a bit to smell that dark soft hair.

Turning back Santana asked with furrowed brows, "Did you just… smell my hair?"

"No?" Brittany chanced tentatively, but was disarmed by doubtful brown orbs. "Yes, but the smell is just so familiar," she added in resignation as Zoey switched Rainbow for Poppy with the inattentive blonde. And it was. The scent took her way back and it filled her with warmth for some reason.

"I bought a couple of shampoo bottles at that little shop around –" Santana began saying while helping Zoey get in the car, but she was interrupted by the blonde.

"Around the corner from the practice," Brittany finished her sentence in a wistful tone. Of course, that was it; she thought. "I remember it now," she added with a sweet smile, which the Latina matched before turning around to buckle up the kid who was attached to the puppy.

"So… we should go," the brown-eyed woman stated, turning off the camera around her neck and taking it off to place it on the passenger's seat through the open front window.

"Do you need any help with Zoey's room?" The dancer asked hopefully, running a hand through her long hair. Truth be told, she didn't want to part with them. She never ever did.

"No, we're good," the brunette replied calmly, circling the car towards the driver's door. Her resolve clearly still in place... After her latest stumble with the picture, it was more needed than ever.

"Drive safe then," the blue-eyed woman said in low spirits. She stuck her head through the open back window and said to their daughter with a constructed smile whilst placing Rainbow on the back seat, "Have fun, baby! I love you."

"Love you," Zoey replied with a smile, still too excited with Poppy to pay much attention to anything taking place around her.

"See you tomorrow, B," Santana said with a half-smile, looking back at the dancer.

"See ya, S," Brittany replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before watching the car disappear around the corner.

---

Santana entered her house with Zoey clinging to her back and Poppy in her arms. The little girl had her arms tightly wrapped around the Latina's neck and her little legs fiercely snaked around the doctor's small waist. Piggyback rides were definitely a thing for the blue-eyed kid, and Santana's back was painfully aware of that fact.

"Rosa?" Santana called out from the foyer as she looked from side to side trying to spot the woman.

"Cocina, Tanita," she heard a small voice traveling throughout the house. Only Rosa could call her that and still live to do it again. The woman had been calling her that her entire life.

She strode to that direction and in no time mother and daughter were arriving at their destination. Rosa stood behind the kitchen island wearing a maid uniform. Santana had told her when she came back to work that she didn't have to wear it anymore, that it was something her mother insisted upon, not her. However, Rosa protested and insisted she was already used to it, and the last thing she needed was to disturb Mrs. Lopez's ghost. The maid was very superstitious.

"Hey! Are the guys still at it?" Santana asked, balancing Zoey on her back and the puppy in her arms.

"Sí, yo los dí limonada hace unos minutos," the short maid in her late-fifties replied matter-of-factly whilst drying a dish, but her attention was quickly caught by the kid on the doctor's back. "And who is that criatura hermosa right there, corazón?" The woman with short boy haircut added in question with a wide smile.

"Ah, ésta es mi hija, Zoey," Santana said enthusiastically with a ceremonious tone, matching the older woman's smile while sitting the kid on the kitchen island and placing Poppy on her little lap. "Zoey this is Rosa. She knows me for a long time. Actually, since I was your age," she added, shifting her gaze from Rosa to a charmingly smiling Zoey.

"Aww… cómo és preciosa, Tanita! You and Brittany did a fine job," Rosa gushed, placing the dried dish on the island and inching closer to Zoey to inspect the kid. And then she looked into Zoey's eyes and asked sweetly, "How are you, mi corazón?"

"Good," Zoey replied with a congenial smile as she swung her legs back and forth whilst sitting on top of the kitchen island, patting Poppy's head while Santana went to the fridge and grabbed a small yellow bowl filled with grapes.

"And what's your little friend's name?" the brunette maid asked softly with exacerbated interest as she dropped her gaze to the puppy on the girl's lap. "Such a beautiful little perro…"

"Poppy," the blue-eyed girl quickly offered as Santana came back to her side eating a grape and offering her daughter one, who took it and put it in her mouth with pleasure.

"What a nice name! Muy hermoso," Rosa replied in something akin to a baby voice. "But you're a very skinny kid, Zoey. Your mama is also too delgada," the brown-eyed maid added as she eyed the Latina up and down, receiving an exasperated look from Santana. "And so is Brittany. You three are all in need of Tía Rosa's homemade food," she added, going towards the stove. "I think you two should have some arroz con leche. I just made it, it's still warm," the older woman finished, putting the delicacy into two glass dessert bowls.

"I swear you're trying to get me fat, Rosa," Santana said lightheartedly, discarding the yellow bowl of grapes on the kitchen island. The Latina complained, but she couldn't wait to taste the dessert. Rosa was a fantastic cook. No wonder her mother kept her for that long. "When did you see Brittany?" she added, running a hand through Zoey's long brown hair absentmindedly.

"Oh, she came to say 'hi' when you were in Nueva York, corazón. Martes por la tarde, yo pienso…" Rosa replied absentmindedly while thinking how awful this whole situation was for the once inseparable lovebirds, before handing one glass bowl to each with a bittersweet look on her face.

Santana took Poppy from Zoey so her daughter could eat.

"That's la canela, niña. Cinnamon powder," the older woman added with a smile, informing the little girl who seemed suspicious of the brown powder on top.

Santana was already shoving a spoonful of the treat in her mouth, and then she hummed in utter delight. "It's fantastic, Rosa. Realmente delicioso! Better than I remembered," The Latina gushed, leaning her side on the kitchen island.

Zoey tried some and after swallowing she let out, "Me gusta!" And then she proceeded to eat it faster.

Rosa beamed and so did Santana. "You've been teaching her Spanish, corazón?" The maid asked the younger woman with unabashed glee.

"She picks up really fast," Santana informed with a wide grin, balancing Poppy enough under her arm to eat the dessert. "But that seems to be her favourite sentence. Although it usually has a 'no' in front of it," she added with pride.

"De tal madre, tal hija," Rosa joked through a loud laugh, and the Latina couldn't help but join her.

After mother and daughter finished their delicacy, Santana proclaimed after handing Zoey Poppy back, "Alright, Z and I better go shopping for some furniture. The guys don't know this yet, but they are also putting the bed and the other stuff together for me. So, I must return before they finish up with the painting."

"Can we bring Poppy with us?" Zoey asked hopeful from the top of the kitchen island.

"I don't see why not," the Latina replied and received a wide grin from her daughter. "I've got to grab her leash in my luggage first, 'though. I still haven't unpacked," she added, looking sideways at the girl.

"I already took care of that, Tanita. I put the leash in the foyer's coat closet," Rosa piped in from the kitchen's sink, where she had resumed her work on the dishes.

"What would I do without you, Rosa dearest?" Santana rhetorically asked with a smile on her face and the older woman turned around from the sink to playfully roll her eyes at her antics. "We should be back before lunch, but if not you can order the guys some pizzas, ok?"

"No, no, no…" Rosa hissed, shaking her head. "Ay, Dios Mio! Pizza gives no sustenance. They are men, they need their strength. And you and Zoey need more meat in your bones. I'll make my famous paella," the short-haired woman added in her motherly tone.

"You won't see me complain," Santana quipped with a chuckle while picking up Zoey, with a hug bound Poppy, to put the little girl on the floor. "I'll see you in a few, Rosa," she added warmly and Rosa turned around again from the sink to nod her acknowledgement.

"Vaya con Dios, corazón," Rosa replied automatically. More out of habit than anything.

"Adiós, Rosa," Zoey said out of her own volition, and Santana couldn't help but lean down to place a kiss on the girl's pink cheek.

"Adiós, corazón," Rosa cooed looking back at the blue-eyed girl with a tender smile on her face.

Santana and Zoey left the kitchen, picked up what they needed and gladly went out shopping.

---

Sunday evening Santana stood in front of Brittany's front door with a sleeping Zoey safely in her arms. The little girl's head lying soundly on the doctor's shoulder as the woman rang the doorbell. In little time Brittany was swinging the door open.

"Hey, San," the blonde greeted with a smile on her face. Quickly taking in her daughter's sleeping state Brittany stepped aside to let Santana enter the house.

"Hi," the Latina replied with a tight-lipped smile, entering her ex's house and instantly seeing Jenna on the opposite side of the room behind the kitchen island. The smaller blonde wore a pair of prescription glasses that Santana haven't seen on her before.

Brittany closed the door behind them and the two women strode further into the house, reaching the living room. The blonde kept walking 'though, meeting Jenna by the kitchen island as Santana stood behind the sofa.

"We were just fixing ourselves a drink. Do you want one?" Brittany asked without dropping the smile, fumbling with a wine bottle that sat on top of the island.

Eyeing the chardonnay bottle Santana did feel tempt to accept the offer and, despite frowning upon Jenna's company, the brunette doctor did have stuff she needed to talk to Brittany about. It seemed like she would have to finally bite the bullet this time.

"Sure, I'll have a glass of wine," Santana said with as much confidence as she could muster, and the dancer felt overjoyed to hear her acceptance. Brittany was sure her best friend would decline the offer as all the times before.

"Great!" Brittany said with so much enthusiasm that neither of the other two women could overlook. Santana felt like smirking, but didn't; and Jenna felt like frowning, but didn't.

"Santana…" Jenna trailed on with a head nod whilst holding a club soda bottle, trying to politely acknowledge the other woman's presence as Brittany filled a second wine glass with the yellow-y liquid. Santana simply nodded back with a half-smile, but said nothing.

Jenna started to walk towards the living room, carrying her club soda bottle.

"I'm sorry to come so late, but Zoey wanted to see her room all ready and yesterday we kinda lost track of time with all the swimming after the guys left and it didn't got finished… Long story short, we only finished the small things late today. But she's all bathed and ready to go to bed," Santana rambled on to Brittany, looking down at the kid sleeping in her arms cozily dressed in a colourful footie pajamas.

"It's ok, San," Brittany said dismissively through a chuckle as she pressed the cork back in the bottle. "Thanks for what you're doing for Ally, by the way," the blonde said, changing the subject. "The college thing... She told me this morning that you called her yesterday. You even met with an old patient for coffee in New York. And I know how you hate small talk," Brittany finished in a soft tone, looking at Santana with adoration.

"Don't mention it. It's no big deal. She's a sister to me, you know that," Santana played it down.

"Still… It means a lot, you know?" Brittany said, broadening her sweet smile, and the brunette matched it.

"Can I put her in bed? I swear the kid weights twenty pounds more when she's dead asleep," the Latina quipped through an easy smile, shifting their daughter in her arms.

"Sure, I'll go with you," the blue-eyed woman replied flatly while walking towards Santana.

"I'll just sit here and wait for you two," Jenna stated standing in front of the television, which had been on all this time, as she headed towards one of the living room's chair.

Santana didn't know what got into her when she sarcastically replied, "By all means, make yourself comfortable on my Barcelona chair." She had been so well-behaved lately. She deserved at least one light jab, right? Especially when the claws of jealousy threatened to take hold of her again after seeing Brittany and her other blonde being all domestic together. Right?

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" The green-eyed blonde asked with surprise through narrowed eyes, already sitting on said chair.

Brittany just looked from one woman to another, confused by how this quickly started.

"You heard me," the brunette shot back instantly with defiance in her tone, raising both of her eyebrows.

"Santana!" Brittany reproached in a stern tone of voice, looking directly into brown eyes. Where did this come from? The blonde wondered.

"Well, if you want –" Jenna began saying but was cut off by her wife.

"Jenna!" The dancer reproached in the same fashion as she had done with Santana a few seconds ago.

The three fell in an awkward silence. The only thing that could be heard was some random program on the tv.

Brittany broke it as she said softly to the Latina, "Let's put her in bed." The two women started walking towards the hallway that led to the kid's bedroom.

They reached their destination in silence and Santana carefully placed the heavy-sleeping Zoey in her bed while Brittany held the covers up. After the blue-eyed girl was on top of her polka dotted sheets, the blonde woman covered her up gently. She watched with adoring eyes as Santana tenderly removed light-brown hair from their daughter's face and leaned down to place a feather kiss on Zoey's forehead. Santana looked up and found a pair of piercing blue eyes trained on her, and the adoring look that they held suddenly morphed into a different one, an extremely pointed one.

"What?" The Latina asked pointedly while locking brown eyes with blue ones, trying to keep her voice as down as possible.

"Don't start picking fights, please," the dancer pleaded in a low tone that matched the brunette's.

"I wasn't," Santana countered matter-of-factly with a tinge of annoyance whilst rolling her eyes. "Four-Eyes is very sensitive," she added in mocking tone.

"And, please, don't call her 'Four-Eyes' to her face."

"Oh, so it's ok if I say it behind her back?"

Brittany just rolled her eyes at Santana's exaggerated enthusiastic tone.

"Fine, I promise to behave myself," Santana said with a heavy sigh.

"She looks adorable in these new pajamas you got her," the dancer stated, looking down at Zoey.

"She looks adorable in anything," Santana countered with a smirk.

"True," Brittany conceded with a grin.

The blonde leaned down to kiss her daughter's cheek and asked with a small smile after pulling back up, "You washed her hair with the shampoo?" The brunette just nodded, and Brittany broadened her smile. She could die happy inhaling that scent. It totally brought her way back.

They started walking out of the bedroom when Brittany asked, "You brought Rainbow?"

"Yeah, it's in the car. I'll bring it to you before I leave."

Santana and Brittany reached the living room and Jenna was still sitting there, drinking her club soda and watching tv. Brittany smiled at her in passing and went to the kitchen island to bring hers and Santana's chardonnays. She handed one wine glass to Santana, who took a seat on the sofa, and took a seat herself on one of the comfortable armchairs across the coffee table from where Jenna sat.

"So…" Santana trailed on, breaking the uncomfortable silence that took place. She hated those.

Brittany wrecked her brain, trying to find something that the other two women had in common so she could get a conversation going. "So, you know Santana, you and Jenna both like…" the blonde started but stopped abruptly, they really had little to nothing in common, "…french fries," the dancer finished lamely, instantly regretting starting that sentence.

Jenna and Santana looked at Brittany with puzzled expressions as the blue-eyed woman took a sip of wine to wash away the awkwardness.

"Yeah, like, I don't know, 99.9% of the world's population," Santana quipped, not really enjoying the blonde's attempt to turn her and the new wife into buddies.

Brittany opened her mouth to try another lame analogy, but Santana spoke first to stop her, "So, where did you two crazy kids meet?" She tried to keep the bite out of her intonation, but she wasn't quite sure whether she achieved the desired goal one hundred percent as she looked from Brittany's face to her left, to Jenna's face to her right and back.

"In group therapy at the hospital," Jenna said promptly, holding the Latina's gaze as she placed her club soda bottle on the coffee table. "I was there to deal with a friend's cancer and Brittany…"

"I was there because of you," Brittany softly finished her wife's sentence as she felt brown eyes turning to her.

Santana did not expect that.

"They helped everyone deal with their heightened emotions and feelings, considering the difficult situations we were all in," the green-eyed woman added, trying to explain it fully.

The wheels in the Latina's head started spinning and she felt some heat starting to build in her cheeks.

"So, in a way you could say that, uh…" Santana started, raising her eyebrows a bit as she took a sip of her wine to gather up her thoughts, "…that I was the one responsible for you two meeting." She shook her head vehemently in disbelief. Before she could finish her thoughts she saw Brittany opening up her mouth, about to say something.

"And Cynthia," Brittany deadpanned flatly, and then she added to clarify, "Jenna's friend."

Santana let out a dry laugh, a bit louder than she had expected to sound, before she stated with a hint of disdain and bitterness, "How ironic."

Brittany and Jenna exchanged a weird look.

"Those were tough times. The meetings were a great place to talk and feel connected to the outside world again," Jenna explained calmly, shifting her gaze from Brittany to Santana with ease. "Brittany and I found great support and comfort in each other," she added casually and without malice, but it fell extremely sour in the brunette's ears.

"I bet you did," Santana let out honestly and without being able to control herself. Again, it sounded laced with more bitterness than she intended, and when her eyes fell on Brittany's both could spot some hurt in each other's orbs.

"It wasn't like that," Jenna felt the need to clarify. "We became good friends; that's what I meant."

"Sí, sí, muy amigas," Santana muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"I don't under –" the petite blonde began but Brittany cut her off.

"You're not supposed to," the taller blonde interjected, her tone devoid of emotions. And then she looked at Santana, who held her stare with determination, and added firmly, "Santana always does that."

Silence fell upon them again. Unbearably awkward silence.

"And your friend?" Santana broke it when she asked, willing to ask anything to escape the awkwardness and change the subject, including swallow her anger.

"She passed away," Jenna somberly said, drinking another sip of club soda. "Three years ago. It took her a long time to go to the doctors and when they caught it… it had already spread everywhere."

"They were really close. Jenna and Cynthia," the blonde said softly, taking a sip of wine. "She was like a mother figure to you, right?" She added and the smaller blonde merely nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear it," the brunette woman genuinely offered and Jenna flashed her a half-smile in return. Oncology was one of the areas she was certain she wouldn't pursue when she was in Med School. You couldn't actually do anything besides monitoring your patients' death. Not exactly something she would like to do for the rest of her days.

Eyeing the petite blonde drinking her club soda Santana said playfully, trying to lighten up the mood, "You should switch to what we're having," she raised her wine glass, "it'll help to drown the sad memory a bit."

"Can't," Jenna quickly countered. "Twelve years sober," she added, directing her gaze and smile to Brittany for a while before returning her gaze to the Latina. "In fact I have a meeting in a few minutes. Cynthia was actually my sponsor. That's how we met."

"Oh, I had no idea," Santana said awkwardly, feeling like someone who had just put her foot in her mouth.

"It's ok," Brittany piped in from her left side with a smile on her face.

They were hit by another silent patch, and their attention shifted towards the flat screen tv to try to escape it. A commercial was on and an old man in an overcoat was in it. Santana caught Brittany's eyes shifting from the tv screen to a 12 inches Eiffel Tower bronze statue that sat beside the television on top of the tv stand. The brunette doctor immediately knew what the dancer was thinking about, and when blue eyes shifted to steal a glance at brown ones – not unbeknownst to Jenna, by the way – both women burst out laughing.

"What?" Jenna asked curiously, but also with a hint of annoyance at the other two who laughed out loud and couldn't stop. She suddenly clearly felt like on the outside of an inside joke. Something she had feared for a long time… and could painfully feel starting to happen.

Catching her breath Brittany began saying throughout tiny outbursts of laughter, "Santana and I were in our honeymoon and we took a seat at a bench in this gorgeous park because, you know, someone's feet," the blonde pointedly looked at Santana, "were hurting from walking for so long in high heels."

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to look like a hag in the fashion capital of the world," Santana interjected in a huff as Jenna looked less than impressed at them. "And for wanting to look as tall as you."

"Anyways…" Brittany said dismissively, "we were sitting there and we saw this sweet-looking old man walking our way on this stone passage thing. We even commented amongst each other how cute and adorable he looked in his overcoat, and that was when he swiftly opened it up and… and…" she couldn't complete her sentence. The blonde simply burst through a fit of laughter.

Jenna looked from her wife to the Latina shaking her head and sighing.

Santana was laughing out loud as well, but managed to complete the tale as she let out, "And then he flashed us. I looked from his… hanging thing to Britt," the brunette laughed harder, "…you know, to see if I wasn't imagining things, and she looked at me," Santana shifted her gaze to the dancer, "you looked at me with the funniest expression ever."

Brittany had converted her laughter into giggles, "We started laughing our asses off in the bench and the old dude just passed us by and closed his overcoat again," the blue-eyed woman said, shaking her head and wiping some happy tears from the corner of her eyes. "Most disgusting and funny thing that ever happened to us," the blonde finished, still too used to tell that story and always refer to herself and Santana as 'us' to correct her sentence.

"Very funny," Jenna stated with a laugh, trying to sound as genuine as possible without giving away her obvious concerns and hang-ups.

"I think they came up with the word 'cracktastic' to describe this very incident," Santana deadpanned jokingly with laughter still laced in her tone of voice.

"Well, it's been fun but I have to get going to my meeting," the green-eyed blonde said whilst getting up from the chair she was sitting on and walking towards Brittany.

Jenna leaned down in front of the dancer and placed a kiss on her lips. She was feeling a bit insecure and needed to do that in that moment. Santana couldn't help but feel the sting, and to think it was uncalled for, you know, that woman to kiss her ex-wife in front of her like that. The Latina felt like standing up to roughly introduce the petite blonde to her knuckles, but chose to down the rest of her wine instead. Brittany stiffened with her wife's action and instinctively stole a quick glance at Santana to assess her face, only to see that the brunette was downing her wine. Shit, the dancer thought.

Pulling back slightly Jenna said sweetly in her wife's ear, "Don't drink too much, ok?" To which the blonde forced a smile and nodded. "See ya," she added after standing completely straight.

"Goodbye, Santana," the smaller blonde said congenially after turning around.

"Bye," Santana mustered up enough politeness to un-genuinely reply as Jenna walked towards the front door.

Brittany and Santana sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a while. The blue-eyed woman's gaze fell on the Barcelona chair the Latina had mentioned before.

"You can take the chair if you want, you know?" Brittany offered softly, almost meekly while meeting the brunette's brown orbs with hesitation after the kiss.

"I don't want it," Santana replied with a blasé tone. After a beat she added more gently, "But there's one thing I do want." It was more than one thing actually, but she would start slowly.

"Anything," the dancer replied eagerly, fussing with the armchair arm's fabric. "Name it."

"I was wondering if you would lend me the DVD of Zoey's birth," the Latina said even more gently, holding those piercing blue eyes. "Q mentioned that she recorded it, and I would love to watch it," she added even more gently if possible, and noticed this wistful look taking over the blonde's eyes.

Brittany sighed heavily whilst nodding. She was touched Santana had asked, but at the same time she remembered that day and how bittersweet it had been. "Sure, I'll get it for you," the blue-eyed woman said in a low tone, and when Santana looked at her expectantly she added, "Oh, you mean now?"

"That would be great if possible. I'll watch it at home."

"Ok, I'll go get it," Brittany stated before she got up and disappeared through the hallway.

She came back minutes later with a transparent DVD case on top of some photo albums.

"I thought you'd like to see some photos as well," the blonde woman said with that megawatt smile of hers, placing all the stuff on the coffee table and taking a seat beside the Latina on the sofa.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Santana replied, matching her smile.

"I'll just grab the rest of the wine first," Brittany said enthusiastically, quickly making her way towards the kitchen and coming back with the bottle in hand.

She poured her and the brunette another full glass, placed the bottle on the coffee table, and proceeded to show Santana all kinds of photos of Zoey while they drank wine. There were baby photos, photos of the girl with her godparents, photos of diaper-changing duty, with family members, photos of important moments of Zoey's life like her walking, holding objects, swimming for the first time, going to her first day at preschool, having birthday parties… All those photos came with animated stories from Brittany and it played on a myriad of emotions on both ends: Santana's and Brittany's. But it also reinforced in the Latina's mind the fact that she had missed out on a lot.

"Wow," Santana let out, and it sounded more like a sigh. She leaned back on the sofa with all her weight and added gloomily, "I really did miss a lot." Small pause as Brittany locked eyes with her. "I wish I was there," she finished weakly. And at that moment she really doubted whether she had ever spoken other words with as much honest and conviction.

Brittany unconsciously placed a comforting handing on Santana's thigh, and barely found strength to utter, "So do I."

They stared at each other and it crossed the Latina's mind to just lean forward and… and re-claim those sweet pink lips that were rightfully hers. That had always belonged to her. And that she had been longing for too damn long. That warm hand on her jeans-clad thigh that appeared to be burning her skin wasn't doing any favours to chase those thoughts away.

Instead, the brunette inhaled deeply, broke the silence and the moment as she settled for saying, "I was thinking and there are actually another couple of things that I want."

Brittany was still a bit mesmerized by Santana's chocolate eyes. They always have had an… affect on her. "What?" The blonde asked absentmindedly, forgetting that her hand still rested on the Latina's thigh.

Santana said with conviction, "Those letters I wrote you while you were on tour and," she stopped, trying to find courage to finish the sentence, "…and our wedding album," she finished, regaining her confidence after swallowing hard. Despite Brittany's disarming charm, and dazzling ways, the doctor couldn't forget what had been her goal the moment she decided to stay in the blonde's house for a chat: those items.

"What?" The blue-eyed woman asked with slight shock as she blinked several times in a roll, taking her hand from Santana's thigh after embarrassingly realizing it was still there. It always amazed the blonde how Santana could pull a 360, or was it 180… or 200? She never could remember or understand that saying.

"The letters and wedding album… I want them."

"I can't give you those."

"Why not?" Santana countered in a whiny tone, furrowing her brows. "You have another wedding album, ours is the only one I've got," she added with scorn.

"I don't," Brittany shot back dejectedly, feeling the zing that was directed at her. "It wasn't like that, there wasn't a party or all that stuff we had. We just went down to City Hall," the blonde finished, averting the Latina's gaze. She thought back to that day... To how nervous and torn she felt… To that split second before her 'I do' when she stole a glance towards the door wanting Santana to burst through it and proclaim she was awake, object to everything and take her away. Back to the life she knew and loved in New York. She never came.

Santana was completely taken aback. "But Quinn, uh… she said that she came to your wedding," the brunette said in confusion, barely above whisper volume.

"She did. She and Rach were there, they were our witnesses. Besides them there were only my parents, Ally and Zoey."

"Oh…"

They stayed in comfortable silence for a while, digesting everything.

Brittany broke it when she finally said lowly, "I… I can't give you that, San."

"Ok, can I at least have that one that used to go there?" The Latina asked meekly, pointing towards the bookshelf where once upon a time sat a picture frame displaying both women at their wedding day. It was in black and white, both were dressed in beautiful white dresses, and it was taken candidly during their first dance. Brittany and Santana were smiling widely, the blonde was slightly looking down (Santana found it adorable that it looked like she was hiding a blush), the brunette doctor wasn't exactly looking at the camera but she had this serene expression on her face, like everything was perfect in the world… They had loved that photo the very first moment they laid eyes on it.

Brittany held Santana's stare, and they half-smiled to each other, knowing the history behind that photo. "Of course. It's in my dresser," the dancer replied calmly. She used to look at it from time to time when she was feeling particularly down on herself.

"But the letters are non-negotiable, B…" Santana confessed with a firm and serious tone. "I have to have them back," she added, fidgeting with the fabric of the sofa.

"You can have the ones I wrote to you," Brittany tried to come to a compromise.

"But the ones I really want are the ones I wrote to you," the brunette stated, holding her resolute tone. "It hurts me to know they are out there, ok?" She confessed with utter honesty, her voice faltering a bit. She paused for a moment, and then added after a dry, nervous chuckle while shaking her head with embarrassment, "God, those things I wrote… So stupid and ridiculous…"

The Latina knew right then why letter-writing was such a dying costume. People came to know better that you shouldn't leave anything in handwriting, in proof… words that eventually would either make you embarrassed, or come back to bite you in the ass. Yes, she was too proud to let those carefree, love-infused things she had written out there for anybody's eyes to possibly see.

Brittany narrowed her eyes as she replied resolutely, and yet softly, "They are not stupid… Nor ridiculous!"

"They are now," Santana shot back heavily without missing a beat.

If only the Latina knew how many times she had re-read them right after she went into the coma… hungrily devouring every line on those pages, hanging on to every single word like they were some sort of lifeline, imagining Santana's voice while the words turned into sentences in her head… She had even memorized paragraphs. She, Brittany Susan Pierce, who had trouble remembering simple phone numbers! If she focused enough it came to her head: "Today I woke up in our bed and through sleep filled eyes it felt like I could see you lying beside me. It all seemed so real, B… your tangled up golden hair cascading on the pillow case, those adorable lines that form on your forehead first thing in the morning when you do that sleepy scrunch thing with your face, that crystal colour of your eyes that always seem bluer when you insist to hold my stare so we can have our own private silent conversation, your pink cheeks from the warmth of our pillows and covers, and those lips… those perfect lips with that vertical line right in the middle of the bottom one that always manages to make me weak in the knees… For a while I actually believed you were really there, Britt… But when I went to touch your neck… you weren't. And it's fine because it didn't take much for me to realize that you are a life force I much rather miss than to never have in my arms again. And you'll always be. Anyhow, I'm writing this because I'm not quite sure if I ever told you this – probably not, considering who I am – but… waking up to you is the best part of my day, and I just thought you should know that."

"So, we either burn them or you let me have them. Those are the two options I'm comfortable with," the brunette added in earnest. She wouldn't back down from that one.

"Fine, you can have them," Brittany offered wistfully. "There's no way we are burning them."

Santana offered the dancer a warm smile, which Brittany promptly returned, and that's when they heard Zoey.

"Mommy, mommy!" The little girl cried out from her bedroom.

Brittany instantly stood up to go to their daughter but Santana held her arm.

"I'll go. You go get the letters and the photo. It's getting late and I have to get back home anyways," the Latina said with a smile. "I left Poppy alone, God only knows the state of my house by now," she added playfully, lighten up the mood a little.

Brittany nodded through a smile and both women headed towards the hallway, Santana entered Zoey's room and the dancer kept walking towards hers to gather up the items.

"Hey, baby… What's wrong?" Santana cooed soothingly, kneeling by her daughter's bedside.

"Mama?" Zoey asked with a sleepy, confused tone. "What are you doing here?" The kid looked around, making sure she actually was in the bedroom she initially thought she was in.

"I came to bring you home, sweetie. I was in the living room talking to your mommy," the Latina said in a low tone of voice, stroking Zoey's forehead and hairline with affection. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Zoey nodded with a pout and replied in shaky voice, "There was a monster there. I think it's under my bed now."

"Monsters don't really exist, Z," Santana stated patiently, holding her daughter's gaze for reassurance.

"Gracie's big brother said they do," Zoey countered resolutely.

Santana briefly wondered whether she should introduce her knuckles to this knucklehead as well.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they don't," Santana began softly, still caressing the kid's hair. "But if it will make you feel better I can check under your bed for you to make sure," she added with a warm smile.

Zoey simply smiled back and nodded her approval. The kneeling brunette came down on all fours and inspected underneath the little girl's bed for a while, and then she came back to her knees.

"See, I told you, no monsters whatsoever," the Latina concluded with a wide smile, placing a kiss on Zoey's forehead. "You can go back to sleep now."

"Where's Rainbow?"

"It's in my car. Your mommy will bring it in a while. Now go back to sleep, mi hija."

Unbeknownst to Zoey and Santana, Brittany finally arrived at the kid's door with the requested items. She made sure to stand outside their line of vision.

Zoey looked at Santana with blue eyes and asked pleadingly, "Can you sing me a song first?"

Santana took a deep breath, sighed and replied softly, "I don't sing anymore." It was true. Since she woke up from the coma she had heard lots of music but she never sang anything, not even in the shower. Zoey didn't notice but she had some sadness laced in her tone, which Brittany's trained ears on anything Santana totally picked up, and she frowned by the door.

"Why not?"

What was she supposed to tell her kid? That she didn't sing because she was a sad person and sad people didn't feel like bursting into song? It was too bleak. However, she also didn't want to lie to Zoey; so, the brunette doctor simply shrugged in response.

"But mommy always says you sang to her all the time. Even at school. She says your voice is the prettiest she ever heard, and that it was the best one in your school's singing 'cub'," Zoey explained calmly, rolling a strand of Santana's hair in her index finger. "I think your voice is pretty too. You sang to me inside mommy's belly," she added with a smile and both women couldn't help but mimic their daughter's face.

"You remember me singing to you?" Santana asked with disbelief, furrowing her eyebrows. How could she? The Latina thought.

Zoey nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and then she said, "I watch on the tv all the time."

Of course, Santana thought. Mentally shaking her head at herself.

"Alright," the brunette said with resignation, giving in to her daughter. She couldn't say 'no' to the kid. "Only for you. So, what do you want to hear?"

From the hallway Brittany didn't know this, but she and Zoey wore matching grins on their faces.

"The song you sang to mommy at school," the kid stated with the grin still in place after giving it some thought.

"Well, I actually sang three songs for her. I know, right? What a sap!" Santana said playfully, earning a giggle from a very satisfied Zoey. And, without her knowledge, a wider grin from Brittany. "The first one we kinda sang together at the singing club," she stressed the right word, "it was meant to show her through song how I felt for her. The second we were alone, I wanted to cheer her up because some moron made her feel sad. And the last one was also in front of everyone at the club. I wanted to show her that I wasn't a coward anymore, that I was ready for us to be together for real if she'd have me. We started to date officially after that song," Santana added softly, feeling quit nostalgic and warm to relieve those memories. "So, which one the madam wants?" She finished jokingly, tickling Zoey a bit.

"The last one," Zoey said with conviction, still giggling a bit from the tickling.

"Ok, your wish is my command," Santana said, clearing her throat theatrically before starting to sing.

I had a thought that I never could capture,
Holding you and holding back,
But I held too tight and it broke and you shattered,
And I was watching while you cracked,
The day at the lake when I made funny faces,
And then we laughed so hard it hurt,
Now I'm a ghost floating and shapeless,
Trying to come back down to Earth,

As she softly sang the lines Santana remembered everything she and Brittany had battled through to finally be together, and it made her tone way more sentimental. She remembered her struggle back then to finally come to terms with whom she really was, and how liberating it felt to actually let it all out. To finally be able to be with the person she truly loved.

And I'll come back down,
I'll come back down,
I'll come back down,
Eventually,
I've made mistakes and I've blown second chances,
And there some things I can't reverse,
I don't want more minute romances,
I wanna love you 'till you burst,

Brittany heard Santana's voice from the hallway and her heart just clenched in her chest. The time the Latina had sang that song to her was one of the happiest moments of her life. It brought tears to her eyes then, and it was bringing them now. Her legs found will of their own, and she began to enter Zoey's bedroom.

So, ready or not,
I'm gonna love you to pieces,
The only way that I know how,
I've got a hunch that you're just what I needed,
And I'm…

Santana stopped singing abruptly when she felt Brittany's eyes on her back, and the blonde's presence in the room. A part of her thought that the dancer didn't deserve to hear her singing loving songs to her anymore. Because since the day she sang that to Brittany she had followed through on all of those sung words, but she felt that the dancer had failed her.

"Don't stop on my account," Brittany said with a smile, holding a wooden box and a photo frame beneath it. The Latina immediately turned around to face her.

"I didn't," Santana replied defensively, rising instantly to her feet. She returned her gaze to Zoey and gladly noticed that she had fallen asleep. "She fell asleep," she added eagerly, neatly wrapping her cover story.

"I see," the blonde stated, shifting her adoring gaze from brown eyes to their sleeping child. And then she tilted her head towards the bedroom door, silently telling the brunette that they should head back to the living room. Which they quickly did.

"You still have the prettiest voice," Brittany said kinda flirtatiously as she took a seat back on the sofa whilst holding both items.

Santana remained standing near the coffee table. "Were you eavesdropping?" The brunette woman asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Brittany shrugged with a coy look on her face, and something about this whole situation was starting to annoy Santana. That song clearly raised dormant emotions. If she searched herself she would find out that it was rooted on the fact that she have had Brittany… and now she no longer did. Not that the doctor was willing to do any search whatsoever. Shocker. At her worst times Santana caught herself wishing that Brittany wasn't really a friend. Her best friend at that. Perhaps, if that was the case, she may actually be able to hurt her when push turned to shove. Because that was what the blonde did to her first: hurt her. Badly. Willingly or not, in the end it didn't really matter. The brunette felt it. However, that wasn't the case. Brittany was her best friend, more than that she was the only love of her life. And she could never bring herself to go through with that. However strong her wish was.

"Here are the letters and the photo," Brittany said after a beat, handing the stuff to Santana, who promptly grabbed them.

The brown-eyed woman opened up the hand-carved wooden box to grab the letters she had written. It wouldn't be hard to spot them. Brittany had only used pink envelopes whilst she always used regular white ones, which were yellow-y by then. Santana started to separate hers.

"What are you doing?" Brittany, who had been watching her like a movie, asked while looking up at the Latina.

"Getting my letters," Santana replied matter-of-factly.

"You can have all of them," the blonde stated softly. "They weren't meant to be apart," she added through a smile, shooting Santana a meaningful look that conveyed that she said that meaning more things than one.

Santana nodded with a half-smile, still plagued by the annoying feeling as she took the letters out of the beautiful wooden box.

"You can take the box, too," the dancer offered sweetly.

"But your grandma gave it to you," the brunette protested, shaking her head. She knew how much the box meant to the blue-eyed woman, especially after the old lady passed away.

"I know, but it's always been their home. It wouldn't be right to just remove them," Brittany deadpanned seriously in typical Brittany fashion, and the Latina decided it was best not to argue with her. So, she put the letters back inside and closed it.

"I should get going," Santana said, leaning down to grab the DVD of Zoey's birth on top of the coffee table.

Brittany hid her disappointment very badly. "Are you excited for the new job at the hospital tomorrow?" She asked with interest from the sofa, trying to stretch their time together. It was always so damn pleasant to spend time with the Latina. She never had enough. Ever. In their entire lives. No wonder they were best friends.

"Yes, I guess," the brunette doctor replied aloofly while standing up straight with her stuff in hand. It wasn't a big deal. A job was a job.

"I'm glad it went all well in New York, you know, with the Board," Brittany said and the mention of New York caught Santana's attention.

She guessed that was as good a time as any to say what she was planning to say from the minute she touched down on Ohio. The Latina always hated to keep things from the dancer, and despite her reluctance to admit it, lies per omission were still that: lies. Brittany deserved to hear everything from her own lips, and she also deserved to be the first one to know. God knows if the situation was reversed she would have liked the blonde to extend the same 'courtesy' towards her.

Seeing a weird look on the brown-eyed woman's face Brittany inquired suspiciously, "What?"

"What?" Santana mimicked her question, unconsciously holding the items closer to her body.

"You have a weird look on your face," Brittany stated, unashamedly studying the face of the woman she had loved for all her life.

"You know I hate when you do that," the Latina softly countered instead, but realizing the blonde wasn't saying anything else she was just staring at her expectantly, Santana added ceremoniously after a beat, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Ok…" the dancer trailed on, adjusting her body on the sofa to face the brunette more comfortably.

"I…" Santana trailed on while avoiding looking the dancer in the eye, trying to muster up some courage. But all that was going through her head were thoughts of a hurt Brittany. How this piece of information, this 'confession' would sting.

Even 'though she had no reason to hold back she found herself doing just so.

Taking in the silence Brittany trailed on mockingly through a grin, "You…"

Santana shook her head and said, plastering a forced smile on her face, "It's nothing." Chicken-shit, the Latina thought. But she could always tell her later. "I really should go," she added, heading towards the door with her stuff under one arm.

"I'll walk you out," Brittany replied obliviously, getting up from the sofa.

Santana handed Rainbow back to Brittany when she entered her car, and drove to her place after quick goodbyes.

---

First thing Santana did when she got home was plop down on the living room sofa – soon joined by an energetic Poppy – after sticking the DVD of Zoey's birth on the DVD player and eagerly pressing play. She watched the screen with hawk eyes on the edge of her seat as she instantly recognized the waiting room of the hospital her former practice had surgery and procedure privileges at. The shot was shaken, it kept going from eye-level to floor-level and back.

"Am I doing it right?" Came the unmistaken voice of Quinn. The camera was angled to the floor.

"Yeah, you just press here to zoom in and here to zoom out," came Jimmy's voice as the camera zoomed in and out the floor.

"Is it recording already?" Quinn asked as the waiting room came to view properly.

"Yeah, honey, see the 'REC' symbol here?" Came Rachel's voice that time around.

Santana could even picture the three stooges standing there hovering over the camera's preview screen. She shook her head with a small smile on her lips.

"I still don't understand why I can't film this myself," Jimmy said, coming into view. Quinn was practicing her zooming on the British man.

Rachel came brusquely into view as Quinn apparently moved the camera too fast towards her wife. "I don't think Brittany would appreciate you taking a good look at her private parts, James," the petite brunette stated with a disgusted look on her face.

Quinn moved the camera up and down, as if nodding her agreement.

Damn right, Santana thought. She should remember to slap Jimmy's head next time she saw him for even considering that ludicrous idea. She felt jealous enough that Quinn would get to see her wife's lady business. Well, ex-wife now. That took some getting used to it.

The camera continued to record shots of the waiting room; Rob Pierce and a pre-teen Ally were caught talking whilst sitting on a sofa as Quinn got used to the whole filming thing. Jimmy and Rachel could be seen around the petite blonde. All of the sudden the camera turned – more smoothly – towards a hallway where Annie Pierce came power-walking from.

"Quinn, dear, it's time," Annie stated onscreen with a warm smile on her face while wearing surgical gear.

"Already, Mrs. Pierce?" Came Quinn's voice as the camera filmed the floor again.

"That was fast, we barely arrived," Rachel's voice was heard as well as the sound of other sets of feet approaching.

"I didn't even have time for some pre-birth taping," the hazel-eyed woman's whiny voice could be heard, but you only could see the floor.

Great, Santana thought. It's like watching that horrible 'Blair Witch Project' movie again.

"What can I say? She takes after me, I barely arrived at the hospital and the girls were already popping out of me," the older woman said, coming to the screen again as Quinn readjusted the camera.

"How many centimeters is she?" Jimmy asked in his serious, professional tone as Quinn caught his image on camera, passing Rob and Ally on the way to him.

"Doctor Salinger said ten," Annie replied matter-of-factly.

"You should hurry, then," the tall man said, giving Quinn a little nudge.

"Where are my clothes?" Quinn's voice reverberated as she probably took in Annie's vestments.

"It's already waiting for you there. Let's go," was the last thing that could be heard from Annie before the screen turned to black.

TBC.

---

That's it for now, guys! Hope you liked it :)
Oh, yeah, the bad news: I had to leave you with a cliffhanger. The chapter was getting ridiculously long. And next chapter may take more than a week to come through. Next week will be all kinds of hectic at work, and I know I'll have zero time to write. Sorry...
Also, I'm not ignoring your PMs. I'll respond to all of them when I get more time. I wish the day had at least 5 more hours. So much to do, so little time to do them...
Let me know what you think: review! :D