Reasons that I Laugh and Breathe

by klikeszombies

AU. Brittany goes to college and meets Santana and the rest of New Directions. Even though life has been hard so far, and even though bad things still happen, she regrets nothing that has brought her here. Please read first authors note for more information!

14. Chapter 14

AN: Welcome to the next installment. It's longer than anticipated but full of kind of important things. So, I hope you enjoy it.

BUT! I want to introduce my shiny brand new beta. IloveUbers. She's pretty wonderful. We've got some pretty excellent stuff worked out and in store for you guys. So, say hi to her.

Read. Enjoy.

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Movement wakes Brittany in the morning. After a second of thinking Santana must be awake she realizes that she is still very much asleep. The movement she had felt was Santana tightening her arms around her waist. She buried her nose into her girlfriend's neck and inhaled. She felt warm, loved, and safe in Santana's arms. She pressed herself in as tight as she could, breasts pressed together, tan skin contrasting beautifully with her own pale skin. She felt amazing after last night. They had given themselves to each other. She had opened herself up for Santana in a way that she had thought she never wanted to do again. But now she couldn't wait. The feeling of complete trust that she had in Santana felt as good as the physical feelings that she had gotten. Santana would never hurt her. She would never hurt Santana. They loved each other.

After laying for a while listening to Santana breathe and enjoying the feel of her warm skin she remembered that they had to be checked out by 11:00am. She carefully propped herself up enough to look at the clock that was on the table on the other side of Santana. Just after 10:00. They both definitely needed to shower and Santana took forever to get ready sometimes. She brushed her dark hair out of her face and traced pouty lips gently with the tip of her finger before leaning down and kissing her gently. She kept kissing until she felt Santana start to respond and deepen the kiss. After a few seconds they pulled apart. "Good morning love." Santana's voice still raspy with sleep.

"Good morning." She leaned down and ran the tip of her nose up the bridge of Santana's before kissing her forehead. "Sorry I woke you but we have to get up."

"Don't ever apologize for a wakeup call like that." Santana grinned before pulling her back down into a kiss. Brittany felt her body begin to respond to Santana's lips and tongue so she pulled away gently.

"We definitely don't have time for that. You shower first so you have time to do your hair. I'm going to go get you some coffee." Brittany kissed her once more before reluctantly pulling herself out of Santana's embrace.

"You are too good to me." She playfully smacked Brittany's butt as she climbed out of bed. Brittany squealed and Santana fell into a fit of laughter that quickly faded away as her eyes roamed her naked body. "Babe I can't believe I'm saying this but please put clothes on or we aren't leaving this room." Brittany shook her head but put on a mixture of Santana's clothing and her own. She loved wearing Santana's clothes almost as much as Santana loved seeing her in them.

"Get in the shower. I'll be back in a few minutes." She walked over to Santana before shyly looking into her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too." Santana returned, before kissing her sweetly, Brittany bit her bottom lip before turning and walking out of the room with a last backward glance at Santana.

After exploring the lobby for a few minutes then running to Starbucks to get Santana some coffee and a couple of muffins she gets back to the room . She hears the hair dryer and Santana singing something she can't make out the words to. She sets the muffins down and goes into the bathroom. Santana sees her in the mirror and Brittany kisses her back above the towel before pulling her own clothes off. She notices Santana is staring and the blow dryer has stopped moving and is just pointing at one spot. "You're going to burn yourself. You can look at this any time" she gestures up and down her body "but right now you need to get ready. I set your coffee and breakfast on the desk." She winks at Santana before stepping into the shower and closing the curtain.

Hotel check out had always been extremely stressful when she traveled with her family. Four brothers who often act like overgrown children will do that. But with Brittany things were surprisingly easy. They worked together seamlessly to shower, get breakfast, pack, and get the car loaded and only ended up leaving a few minutes late because of a brief but satisfying make out session up against the door. Brittany instigated it. Sort of. After leaving a generous tip with the valet, Santana confirms that they can just leave their car there while they explore the city before driving to her house, which is less than an hour away on Staten Island depending on the traffic.

"Ok babe. Remember we can't get back too late tonight, but we can come to the city another day if you want, or we can come back and spend a weekend here whenever you want. So we don't need to cram absolutely everything in. Ok?"

"Uh-huh" Brittany was listening. Really she was. But she was also distracted by all of the sounds and colors and just sheer quantity of people in Times Square. Santana tightened her hold on Brittany's hand and watched where they were going enough for both of them. She'd grown up here, and like most native New Yorkers, weren't huge fans of Times Square. But she knew Brittany would love it, and it had only been a few blocks from their hotel. They wove their way through the people, Santana throwing in random information here and there, and Brittany bouncing up and down every time she saw an advertisement for another show she wanted to see but had never had the opportunity. Santana mentally noted every one so she could ask her brother Gabe who had a few connections. "Oh we need to eat bagels for breakfast! They are the best here. Rachel told me it's the water!"

"You already ate breakfast babe. And it's almost noon." Brittany started to pout but before it could even fully come out Santana headed it off. "But there is an excellent bagel place over here so I guess we could split one." Brittany's answering smile would make it worth the line they were about to stand in to get breakfast part two.

Santana thinks it'll never make sense to her the quantity of food Brittany manages to put into her body and still look the way she does. Dancing helps, she knows. But Brittany also just literally exudes energy. She vibrates with excitement over seemingly little things. She dances when she walks. She is the purest kind of energy, Santana thinks. And knows that her life is brighter for having Brittany in it. But she eats. A lot. After bagels (which Brittany finished part of Santana's) there was a pretzel that they "shared". And then a hot dog that she had to have because it was part of the experience. But now she was sipping lemonade as they made their way to the subway having explored Times Square enough for today. Brittany made Santana promise to bring her back, and even though she didn't like it, she would a million times if Brittany wanted, and after a few texts to Gabe those plans were already set in motion.

The subway was…an experience. Having ridden it her entire life, Santana thought they were disgusting and for the most part wrought with inconvenience. Brittany loved it. She wanted to get her own subway card instead of just swiping Santana's. It took her a minute to figure out and Santana spent the time glaring at anyone that even looked like they were about to say something to her very happy girlfriend. She kept her hand pressed protectively to the small of her back and helped only when Brittany asked. They finally got on the subway headed towards their next destination hands clasped together, Brittany already asking about dinner.

After a few stops in other places, complete with more food, a few souvenir purchases that made Santana laugh, they ended up at a place Brittany hadn't even known she desperately wanted to go to, FAO Schwarz. Santana couldn't help but laugh when Brittany grabbed her hand and pulled her along more excited than any of the children around her. They spent a lot of time there looking at all of the displays and playing with anything Brittany wanted. And she'd never admit it to anyone but Brittany, but Santana had fun too. Who wouldn't? While Brittany was completely distracted by something else Santana managed to sneak off by saying she had to make a phone call. She quickly ran outside to nearby store and got her and Brittany some sandwiches, drinks, fruit to share and a few other things that she could fit in her purse and ran back to the toy store. She stopped at a display of the FAO Schwarz bears, knowing Brittany would love one, and bought one for her as well before returning to the floor that she'd left her on to find Brittany wandering up and down the isles. "Ready to go?" She asked from behind her making Brittany jump.

After she recovered she hugged Santana. "This has been the best day."

"It's not over yet. Come on." She took her hand and led her out of the store and down the street to Central Park. She hadn't originally planned to stop here because it's late November but the weather had been surprisingly pleasant, however the light wasn't going to stay with them for much longer. An accidental sunset viewing in Central Park with a picnic, pretty romantic for a spontaneous decision she thought as she pulled Brittany into the park.

"Where are we going? What's left on the list?"

"Chinatown, but first I wanted to add something." She slowed down as they came to a bench and turned to look at Brittany. "Central Park. I thought in the toy store that since it wasn't too cold we could have a picnic. But if you want something fancier I understand."

"No this is perfect! So perfect. Do we need to get food?"

"Already done babe." Santana started pulling bags out of her purse. "First off, I got you this." She handed Brittany the bear she had bought.

"Santana!" She reached out and gently took the bear. "Thank you!" She looked at him and stroked his soft fur before reaching out for Santana and bringing her in for a kiss. "How are you so perfect?"

"I blame you." She answered sweetly.

"Now when I have to spend nights without you I have a bear from you. It has brown eyes like you."

"Not too many nights though hopefully. Here's a sandwich and some chocolate milk and a massive cookie for you. And some for me. And I got a fruit cup for us to share." They laughed and ate and Brittany fed Santana fruit. She kept looking over at the pond and Santana finally saw what she was looking at. "We can go over there if you want." She gestured towards the large pond with a few ducks still swimming on the unfrozen surface.

"I didn't know they stayed here for the winter."

"I guess cause it has been so mild they just haven't left yet. They usually don't until the pond freezes over." She told her as they walked towards it. The closer they got the more excited Brittany became until they got to the pond and saw that they weren't supposed to feed the ducks according to the signs. "I'm sorry Britt. I didn't know we weren't allowed to feed them."

"It's ok they probably shouldn't eat cookie anyway." She looked slightly dejected. Santana was about to say fuck it, lets feed them cookie anyway when an older woman walked up to them.

"Here honey. Feed away. Just don't let the guards see you. I'm here everyday. I think they suspect something." She winked at Brittany before walking away.

"Go on B. Feed them. I'll keep watch." Santana laughed. What would they do anyway? Brittany happily fed the ducks that wandered over to her the ripped up pieces of bread. And as Santana suspected, fed them the cookie as well. It was almost dark by time they left and Santana could tell Brittany was starting to get tired, but Brittany insisted that she wanted to go to Chinatown before they left.

When they get there she thinks she'll have to bring Brittany back during the day when she's less tired because she looks a little overwhelmed by the experience. And it is crowded. They don't stay long, Brittany managed to eat more street food and then they headed back down to the warm subway. Santana decided that they should get off in Times Square and walk back to their hotel because she thinks Brittany will like it. And she's correct. She loves the flashing lights and manages to not get overwhelmed like she had in Chinatown. Santana thinks it's because all Brittany was doing was looking up in Times Square, she didn't even see all the people. Yeah, they'd be back. This place just fit Brittany somehow. Energized and happy.

They walked back to the hotel garage and picked up the keys and paid an insane amount of money before going to the car and getting in. "I think I ate too much."

"Yeah I think that's maybe true." She laughed as she pulled out of the garage. Driving in New York City is a skill. And Santana is pretty decent at it. It's not like this where she lives but she's come into the city enough to be good at it. But she can tell its scaring Brittany. "Lay back baby. Close your eyes. It's fine, we aren't going to wreck. I've done this a million times." Brittany nods and lays back. Santana holds her hand comfortingly and is thankful, not for the first time, that she's left-handed.

Brittany is uncharacteristically quiet during the drive. Not the kind of contented smiling quiet that she gets sometimes, but a kind of quiet that lets Santana know that she's thinking hard about something. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"I'm nervous to meet your parents." She says into the dark quiet after a few seconds.

"You don't need to be Britt-Britt. They'll love you. It's impossible not to."

"I just want them to think I'm good enough for you. What if they don't?"

"That's not even a thought worth having. You're more perfect for me than anyone in the world. They'll see that." She answers easily. And because she sounds so sure, Brittany trusts her. They pull into a driveway of a house that is larger than any around it. "Let's do this." Santana says as she gets out of the car. She grabs their bags and walks with Brittany to the door. The quiet, even more than the lack of cars in the driveway lets Santana know that her brothers aren't here yet. She sets their stuff down and takes Brittany's hand and leads her towards the kitchen where her mother most assuredly is. "Mami?" She asks as she walks into the kitchen.

"Mija!" Before Santana even sees her she's being hugged. "Let me look at you." Her mother steps back and Santana can feel Brittany shifting behind her. Santana tightens her hold on her hand. "You've lost weight. I can tell." She's twisting Santana's face back and forth by her chin. "You need to eat more. Are you going to introduce us?" She gestures to Brittany. Santana loves her mother, but she moves and talks so fast that it can sometimes be intimidating if you don't know her.

"Mami. Slow down." Santana pulls Brittany from behind her to her side. "This is my girlfriend Brittany. Brittany this is my mother." She says gently. Hoping her mother will pick up on the fact that Brittany is already overwhelmed. She doesn't. Her mother pulls Brittany into a hug, which only surprises Santana a little bit.

"Call me Maribel. Oh Santana she's so pretty." She hugs her again. "But too skinny. Are you feeding her?" She asks Santana before she looks over at Brittany. "Is she taking care of you?" Santana shakes her head back and forth laughing lightly. Brittany seems to be less nervous if the loosened hold on her hand is any indication. "What do you girls want to eat? I can heat something up or I can cook something. Anything."

"We can't eat mami. I swear we ate our way through New York City today." Brittany nodded in agreement.

"Tea then. Sit. Sit. I'll get it." Santana looked over at Brittany and mouthed 'she's always like this'. To her. Brittany smiled and mouthed 'I like her'. Santana was glad. If she had to pick a word for her family in general she'd pick overwhelming. They're loud, and all have big personalities and can make new people nervous. Or feel left out. But so far Brittany has liked both her mother and all of her brothers.

After tea is made Maribel launches into questions about their drive, and how the semester is going for them. "What are you majoring in Brittany?"

"Dance ma'am."

"Stop with this ma'am thing. It's Maribel, I told you. So you dance. I don't know a lot about dance. Do you have a preference of which kind of dance?"

"I love all kinds. I think my two favorites are hip-hop and modern. I love to swing dance but just for fun. Ballet is beautiful. I love all dance." Brittany answered still quiet. Still looking down slightly. Santana wished there was something she could say or do to make Brittany realize she doesn't need to be afraid of her mother. She was worried that the shyer Brittany got, the more her mother would push. That's the kind of thing she did.

Maribel however, was picking up on Brittany's demeanor. The poor girl, for whatever reason, didn't seem very comfortable right now. Which had been why she brought up a topic Brittany might be comfortable with. She desperately wanted to ask her any of the millions of questions floating around in her head but she thought maybe tonight, for Brittany's sake, she'd take it slow. It might also be for Santana's sake, who looked like she was about to pounce on anyone at the first sight of Brittany's comfort level dropping any lower. "Do you know how to waltz? And, what is it, ball room dance?"

"Mhmm." Brittany nodded picking at her fingernails.

"Maybe you could show me some time." Brittany looked up and made eye contact for the first time and smiled.

"I could do that. I think I'm a good teacher." Santana squeezed her other hand under the table, encouraged by Brittany's sudden enthusiasm. She wanted to hug her mom for playing this right.

"Have you ever taught before?"

"A little bit. I taught a class called dance movement, but it was for really little kids. Like three to five years old. I loved it." So she loves children? Maribel thought. Promising.

"That sounds pretty cute." Before they got any further into their conversation Santana heard footsteps and before she could turn around she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Papi" She looked up and smiled at him. He smiled down at her, glad she was home, before looking at their table guest.
"And who is this Santana?" Brittany cowered slightly. She'd only heard one or two stories about Santana's dad that were not nice, but she had no idea how he was going to react to her.

"This is my girlfriend. Brittany. Brittany this is my dad."

"Hello Mr. Lopez." Brittany said quietly.

"Antonio, please. And it's very nice to meet you Brittany." He stuck out his hand and she took it, and he shook her hand very gently. She looked up at him and saw that his size, as well as his features made him look like an older version of Santana's brothers. Her hand dwarfed in his.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Brittany said, trying to force herself to remain looking in the vague direction of his eyes. Antonio met Maribel's gaze with questioning eyes. Was this girl really that shy? She shook her head slightly, they'd talk about it later. "Thank you both for having me here for Thanksgiving." Brittany said, looking at both of them in turn. She was nervous and anxious to have met them, but she was grateful. If they had said no, she'd be at home right now, far away from Santana, which is the exact opposite of where she wanted to be.

"It's our pleasure Brittany." Antonio replied, Maribel nodding enthusiastically. Santana wanted to yell Mami! You're trying to hard! At her but she didn't think anyone would appreciate that. "Well I need to get upstairs and send some emails. I want to hear about school sometime this week Mija." He said thumping Santana on the shoulder again before heading off.

"My husband is a man of few words. But it's true Brittany, we're glad you're here. I'm sure your parents must miss you though." Brittany's eyes fell and Santana glared harshly at her mother, about to open her mouth to say anything to help Brittany. But Brittany beat her to it.

"Somehow I think they're ok." She smiled sweetly at Maribel. Conversation switched after that to a discussion about something that had happened earlier this week at work that had Brittany and Santana both laughing into their tea. "Could I please use your restroom?"

"Absolutely sweetie. It's down the hall and on the right." Maribel pointed in the general direction. Brittany excused herself and headed in that direction. "She really is beautiful Mija."

"I know Mami." Santana responds. Looking in the direction Brittany had just walked off in.

"I can tell you love each other. The way she looks at you. And the way you look at her. I'm so happy for you Santana. I feel like she's settled you. You seem less on edge."

"Brittany brings out the good in anyone that lets her in." Santana says smiling at just the sound of her name coming out of her mouth. Maribel felt her heart swell at the happiness in her daughter's voice.

"I spent a lot of time worrying, and agonizing over whether or not we had made the right decisions for you as a child Santana. I spent so much time being afraid that you'd never feel ok in your skin, or that you'd never find real happiness. And not that I think you need another person in your life to be happy, because I've tried to raise my children to be independent. But watching you look at her, I know you're happy. I can feel it. And I am so very thankful Santana. For her and everything else that has made you into this person you are." Maribel hadn't meant to get very emotional. She had just meant to tell Santana that she was glad Santana had been happy. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to get so emotional." She said wiping tears from under her eyes.

"You don't have to take back those kinds of things." Santana smiled, knowing Brittany says the same thing to her. "I am happy. And you and papi have always done everything you could for me, I know that. I'm lucky to have Brittany but I'm lucky to have you guys too. Just so you know." And she meant it. She'd never felt particularly lucky. She was grateful that her parents had never made a bigger deal out of her anatomy. But after having met Brittany, and knowing how her parents treat her, she's never been surer that she was lucky to have them. She watched as her mother quickly wiped another tear away before taking her hand.

"Well, I love you. Never doubt it. Anyway. I think you might want to take your lovely girlfriend upstairs and get her to bed. She looked a little dead on her feet. Is she always so shy?"

"No. She is definitely tired. I think she's just really worried about you liking her." Santana wasn't sure it was ok to give away any information about Brittany and her relationship with her parents. She heard Brittany close the bathroom door on her way back to them before she had to make any real decision.

"I really like your soap. It smells awesome." Brittany smiled and Maribel laughed, thankful for anything that cut the tension.
"I think I'm ready for bed babe. Are you?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded.

"I should be heading in that direction myself. Girls, have a good night. Sleep in as long as you want tomorrow. Then maybe we could watch some movies until your brothers get home." She pulled Santana into a hug kissing her cheek. "Goodnight Mija." She let Santana go and pulled Brittany into a hug kissing her cheek as well. "Goodnight sweetie. I'll see you both in the morning." With that she walked towards the staircase. Santana stepped forward and took Brittany gently into her arms.

"I love you. I love you for meeting my parents and liking my mother and my brothers. I just need you to know I love you." Brittany buried her face in Santana's neck holding tight, feeling comfortable again.

"I love you too. Thank you for bringing me, and wanting me here."

"Always B." Santana kissed her temple and then lead her to the front door to grab their stuff, and then up the stairs to her bedroom. It hadn't registered to Brittany yet that she was excited to see Santana's bedroom. She wondered if it looked a lot like her room at school. Santana pushed the door open and Brittany registered that it smelled different. But that was probably because this room didn't have Santana in it all of the time. So it didn't have her smell. Which Brittany loved. There was more pictures, more little things pinned to her walls. Some posters. Lots of pictures of her and her brothers, or her and Quinn. Her bed was bigger here, not that it mattered. Big beds were wasted on them because neither Brittany nor Santana could handle being in the same bed and not being wrapped around each other.

"I like your room."

"I like you being in my room."

"Goof. We should shower. Separately."

"If you insist. Why don't you go first babe. You look exhausted."

"Ok where do I go?" Santana laughed and pointed at a door behind her.

"You have your own bathroom? That's so cool."

"Technically I share with Gabe but he never uses it. Plus he's not here." Brittany nods before turning around to pull out pajamas.

"Towel?"

"There will be some in there in the linen closet." Brittany goes to walk away but Santana grabs her hand and swings Brittany back towards her and into her body. "Kiss first." She leans in kissing Brittany tenderly. And thinking, like every other time she kissed her, that time spent not kissing Brittany was really just a waste of time. She pulled away, pressed one more small kiss against her lips before smacking her butt. "Now you can go."

Brittany isn't sure how she managed to not fall asleep in the shower. But she left the bathroom to see Santana putting the last of her stuff in a drawer. "I unpacked us. I hope you don't mind, I just figured why live out of suitcases? We're going to be here for a week."
"Thank you baby." Brittany said as she wrapped her arms around Santana from the back, resting her head on her shoulder.

"You smell good."

"I used your soaps. Go shower so we can cuddle." Santana turned around and kissed Brittany before grabbing her stuff she'd laid out and going into the bathroom. She was in the shower washing her hair as fast as she could so she could get back to Brittany when it occurred to her that she'd never had a chance to tell Brittany how wonderful she had done at the dance show. She felt like complete shit. She was the worst girlfriend in the history of girlfriends. She sped up her showering even more. She wiped furiously at her eyes as she rinsed the conditioner from her hair. She had been distracted. But that's not an excuse. Brittany had worked so fucking hard and the person who is supposed to love her most in this world hadn't even said good job. She washed her body as quick as she could. She towel dried her hair, brushed her teeth, and put clothes on, she knew she'd regret not blow drying her hair in the morning but she didn't care. She pulled her boxers on as she pushed the door back open into her bedroom.

"Brittany I-" Brittany was fast asleep curled up on top of her bed. She looked adorable but also like she might be freezing. She grabbed her phone and snapped a picture real quick deciding it's not creepy because they were together. She set her phone down on the bedside table and leaned over her bed kissing Brittany's forehead, down her nose, then to her lips, before Brittany stirred awake. "I'm sorry to wake you baby but it's cold and I want you to get under the covers."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." Brittany mumbled as she clumsily got off of the bed with Santana's help. Santana pulled the covers back and ushered Brittany underneath them. She shut off the lights before climbing in herself. "That's why I didn't get under the covers. Warm and cozy would have put me to sleep."

"You could have gone to sleep baby. I mean you did anyway."

"I didn't want to. I wanted to talk to you."

"Before you say anything B I need to tell you that I am so unbelievably sorry that I didn't tell you how amazing you were at the dance concert last night. I feel like the worst girlfriend on earth. I thought what you did was breath taking and I am so mad that he had to ruin it. But for those minutes I was in it Britt. I couldn't see or think of anything but you."

"I know San. I could see you the whole time. I could tell you liked it. There was a lot going on. It's ok. I honestly hadn't even thought about it."

"I promise to make it up to you next time. Next dance concert in the spring, I will take you out afterwards and wax poetic for hours about every detail of your show. But next time, no surprises. I want to see it more than once. Ok?"

"Definitely." Santana could hear the smile in her voice even if she couldn't see her face. "So your mom is nice. Your dad seemed so too, he wasn't there very long. I'm sorry I was awkward. I'm really trying."

"Meeting your girlfriends parents is always awkward baby you're doing wonderful. And my mom really likes you."

"You think?" Her voice dripping with hope.

"Definitely. She's really obvious when she doesn't like someone."

"I hope she keeps liking me."

"Britt you are impossible not to like. When you went to the bathroom she told me that she had had a lot of guilt when I was growing up. About whether or not she'd made the right choices for me. And whether or not I'd ever find somebody to love and be happy with. She said seeing us together helped ease that. I'm glad. I hate that she's felt that way my whole life. She's been different since I went to college. Luis says it's empty nest stuff. Like she's coming to the realization that we're all out of the house now. I like it though. It feels like we're getting closer. I just don't think she knew how to deal with it. I mean we weren't going to have sex talks or talks about boys. But maybe it's just easier now that I've got most of that stuff all figured out. " Santana suddenly felt bad for talking about her relationship with her mother when Brittany's was such a mess.

"That's amazing Santana. That she's opening up and that she's been trying to get closer. That makes me happy, but it doesn't surprise me. You are pretty amazing." Brittany replied honestly. It encouraged Santana to go on.

"My dad is nice too. He's quiet. Kind of like Gabe and me sometimes. I just wish my anatomy were easier for him to deal with. When he said stuff about me getting surgery to make me completely female it confused me. I felt completely female. Surgery felt risky and unnecessary. Even though he hasn't brought it up in a really long time, I still can't help but feel that he's always wondering why I didn't just do it so I could be normal. We don't talk about it. Other than when he asks me if everything is ok medically. I usually just tell him that nothing has fallen off or anything if that's what he means." Brittany laughed.

"God I hope not." Santana laughed and kissed her clothed shoulder. Getting more agitated with the amount of clothing they were both wearing. She missed skin. "I'm excited to spend more time with them. I hope I can be less nervous." Brittany yawned.

"Go to sleep baby." Santana whispered into her ear. Brittany nodded before adjusting herself closer to Santana's body in her arms. Santana slipped a hand under Brittany's shirt trailing her fingers over her warm soft skin. Brittany hummed and nodded as if to say that yes, she wanted this. Santana smiled and started to sing lightly in Brittany's ear. Just a vague tune of a song she remembered in the moment, not realizing that she, herself was actually tired and fell asleep just after Brittany but before the song ended.

Brittany woke up first the next morning, as usual. And as usual she watched Santana sleep for as long as she could before she couldn't stop moving and got out of bed for fear of waking Santana. She quietly opened drawers trying to find where Santana had put her clothes. She smiled when she realized that Santana had unpacked them and put them in drawers together. All their underwear and socks up top, then shirts, then sweat pants and jeans, etc. She liked all their clothes mixed up. Not that it really mattered because they just shared anyway. Santana's mom had said movie day yesterday, so she assumed that meant casual. She pulled on a pair of knee high socks, and some sweat pants that she then pulled up to her knees. Noting that that didn't make a ton of sense but that she also didn't care. Then she pulled on a long sleeved shirt and one of Santana's hoodies that was basically hers now. She kissed Santana's forehead before heading downstairs.

Her confidence in her decision to go spend some time with Santana's family without her lessened the further down the stairs she got. A few steps from the bottom she had decided that maybe she should just go play a game on her phone or something when she heard Maribel from the kitchen.

"Brittany honey I know that's you. It's before noon so it's certainly not Santana. Come in the kitchen and help me will you?" Well there was no getting out of it now. She gulped, and reminded herself that this woman seemed to like her very much. And also, most importantly maybe, that Santana's parents were not her parents. She walked into the kitchen as casually as she could. "Tea? I already put some on so don't say no. I'm making breakfast. I hope you're hungry."

"Tea is great. You guys drink a lot of it here. Santana does at school too. I hadn't ever drank it before knowing her."

"Tea cures all kinds of things Brittany. Plus it warms you up. Your mother didn't make you tea when you were younger and sick?" Maribel knew she was treading over rocky territory bringing up Brittany's parents. She could tell from the reaction when they were brought up last night from both Santana and Brittany that there were issues there and she was curious. But Brittany just dropped her eyes and shook her head. She decided to drop it for now. "Would you like to help? You don't have to."

"I'd like to but I'm a really bad cook. I can only make like one thing."

"Well come here. We'll work on that. Grab a spoon and start stirring."

Santana woke up and tightened her arm around a pillow that was decidedly not Brittany. She cracked her eye open noting the lack of blonde hair and bright blue eyes that normally greeted her in he morning. Or woke her up in the morning. Brittany was not a late sleeper. They'd have to work on that. She looked towards the bathroom, she wasn't in there. Then she saw her sleep shorts and tank top folded on a chair and figured Brittany had gone downstairs. Where she inevitably would have encountered her mother. Oh shit.
She got out of bed quickly and ran to her dressers to grab clothes. She happened to glance up in the mirror and literally scared herself her hair was that bad. "Oh hell no." She murmured remembering that she hadn't blow dried her hair and went to be with it wet. She jumped into the shower quickly rewetting her hair and then got out, brushed it and blow-dried it as fast as she could. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't scary anymore either. She put on the first thing she grabbed and ran downstairs.

She skidded into the kitchen doorway just in time to see Brittany successfully flipping a pancake under the watchful eye of her mother. Who had her hand on Brittany's back, and cheered when she got it back in the pan. Santana also noted what looked to be several pancake flipping fails in a pile in the trashcan. She couldn't help but watch the scene for a second. Loving that Brittany seemed as carefree as Brittany usually does, not tense or stressed. And also impressed that her mom had let Brittany help after she realized that Brittany didn't know what she was doing. She was normally really controlling in the kitchen.

"Good morning Mami. Morning Britt Britt" Both women turned around at the same time to look at her. Brittany giggled and her mother cocked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"I Heart Unicorns. Really Santana?" Santana looked down at her shirt, noting it was one of Brittany's obviously.

"It's Brittany's!" She replied defensively. "Plus it's soft." She watched Maribel cock an eyebrow again. "Whatever. Making pancakes?"

"Yep your mom is teaching me." Brittany was bouncing on her feet. It relieved Santana. The anxiety from yesterday gone, her eyes bright and smiling again.

"I'll finish this you two set the table. It's just us."

"Where's papi?" Usually he was really good about not working on Sundays. He worked a lot but Santana did know that he really tried to make enough time for his family.

"He and some guys from work drove down to see the football game. They left early this morning. Something about a guy's day. So it's girl's day here. I was thinking breakfast, and then I need to run to the store. Your brothers are coming today so we need more food. You girls could come with me and we could get some movies and whatever snacks you like. Then we could watch movies in the game room until your brothers get home. Then maybe we could play a game or something? Unless you girls have other plans." She looked at Santana hopefully. Santana smiled. She was putting in way more effort than she usually did. And part of that was Santana's fault. Whenever she came home she'd just end up going to Quinn's house anyway. Even when her mom did suggest things they could do together.

"Nope. Plan was to hang out with you today. Can we get scary movies?"

"Is there any other kind Santana? I mean really." Her mother replied casually but neither Santana nor Brittany missed her widened smile.

"Maybe like one not scary movie? Or something. Please." Brittany squeaked. She'd never watched so many scary movies in her life as she did with Santana. She figured watching movies with her mom would mean chick flicks.

"Whatever you want babe. What's that one you said I had to watch. Something about dragons?"

"How To Train Your Dragon?!" Brittany replied excitedly. "Yeah! We should get that one too. You'll both love it."

"Definitely B." She said as she pulled out Brittany's chair for her. Kissing the top of her head before sitting next to her.

Maribel loved her children. And like most parents, saw mostly good in them. But she knew that Santana was about as spoiled as any child ever. She had had her older brothers wrapped around her little finger since birth pretty much. Even before everything had happened. And she and Antonio weren't much better. Giving her nearly anything she wanted because part of them would always feel guilty for the adversity that she had had to face. But here she was, accepting and even suggesting a movie that ordinarily she never would have watched or even wanted to just because she knew it would make Brittany happy. Her baby was both in love, and growing up.

When they got back from the store Santana and Maribel gathered blankets and pillows into the living room. "I'll take this couch, you two take the other." Maribel said throwing blankets onto the smaller couch. Santana sat down on one end expecting Brittany to cuddle up to her. Brittany, however, sat conservatively far away from her. They only part of them that was really touching was the hand that Brittany had grabbed as she sat down. At first Santana was going to say something to her but she knew what Brittany was doing. She was trying to play it safe in front of her mother, but Santana knew that would last about as long as it took the first movie they got to get scary.

She had been absolutely correct. By about fifteen minutes into the movie Brittany had jumped into her lap as something scared the characters on the screen. Santana laughed lightly as she rearranged herself so that Brittany could comfortably lie against her on her lap. Brittany took a quick glance at Maribel, satisfied that she was not only not watching, but didn't care, she settled back into Santana and sighed when she felt arms circle her waist under the blanket. "Love you." Santana whispered into her ear.

"Love you too." Brittany whispered back. Santana buried her nose into Brittany's hair, and her neck breathing her in and tightening her hold. She tried to focus on the movie but she had a beautiful girl in her lap who needed protecting. Brittany screamed every time something happened, and every time she thought something might happen. By the end of the movie Santana could feel Brittany's heart pounding in her chest.

"Your little heart. Pounding so hard." Santana murmured into her ear.

"Yeah that one was scary. Maybe How to Train Your Dragon now?"

"Yeah. Definitely. That's what I was going to suggest too. Mami I'm going to put in the dragon movie now." She said louder so her mother would know not to move onto another scary movie. After a trip to the kitchen and popping the other movie in she waited for Brittany to come back in. She was worried that Brittany was going to try and keep modest distance again. But when Brittany came back she set her drink down and pulled the blankets up and climbed on top of Santana, laying on her stomach with her head on Santana's chest in a position that was very familiar to them. This was how they normally watched movies. "I'm glad you realized my mom doesn't care."

"I just don't want to make her feel weird."

"Are you kidding? She looks like Christmas has come every time we hug. I think so long as we keep it PG she is more than ok with it."

As if to prove her point Maribel walked back in. "Don't make me do a hand check girls." Santana groaned embarrassed and Brittany just held both of her hands up where Maribel could see them and laughed at the embarrassment she could feel rolling off of Santana.
Sometime in the middle of the second movie (of which Santana was totally engrossed in even though she'll never admit it) Maribel received a text that the boys would be coming in in a few hours. So as soon as it was over (after Santana had discretely whispered in Brittany's ear that she'd like to buy this movie) Maribel got up to make dinner. "Santana go into the garage and get some pasta sauce off the shelf."

Santana untangled herself from her very warm and cuddly girlfriend to do has her mother had asked. Brittany got up as well and was looking around the living room when she saw a table with baby pictures on it. She picked up a small silver frame that was etched with "Santino Lopez" on it. The name didn't match who she could tell was in this picture. Santana had been the tiniest little baby with giant brown eyes and beautiful little features and crazy almost black hair.

"I should have known from the moment she was born that she was a girl. Look at the boys when they were all born. I was not capable of having little boys. She was so tiny growing up. Just nowhere near what her brothers were. Antonio always had these strange suspicions. I just thought she had a hormone problem. But he was right." As she told the story she pointed out pictures of a little Santana but with short hair and wearing overalls or blue pajamas. One of her holding a doll but looking very unhappy about something. "You can see the difference in pictures after we started to let her live life as she is. Look how her smile reaches a little further."

And Brittany could tell. The little girl in the pictures with dresses and progressively longer hair did seem happier. "You have beautiful children."

"You're biased. You're in love with one of them." Maribel laughed. Clearly as uncomfortable with unplanned sincerity the same as Santana was. "But you're right. They are beautiful. And happy. Which is most important." She said stroking the side of a picture of all of them at a zoo. "Well I should get back…" And she trailed off as she headed to the kitchen to continue cooking.

Santana wasn't surprised when her brothers got home that they managed to increase the noise volume in the house by at least 100%. They were noisy. Always. Sometimes she'd try to pretend it was annoying but most days it was just comforting. They'd greeted her and Brittany in the same way before heading straight the kitchen to hug Maribel and get fed. Dinner was easy and light and everyone laughed. It was the best dinner Brittany thought she'd ever had. Dinner at her house was never like this. But it seemed like it was a regular thing here. She hoped she'd be around to experience a lot more of them.

After dinner they went to the game room and started playing video games. Santana and Brittany mostly just watched but a few times one of her brothers would try and make Brittany learn how to play. Watching all of the most important people in her life fit seamlessly together had served to make her heart feel full and happy. She also wanted to kiss Brittany a thousand times over for being as amazing as she is. She waited until she couldn't anymore before whispering to Brittany that she was ready to go to bed whenever she was. Brittany was tired, or at the very least, ready for some alone time with Santana, so she agreed and after saying their goodnights they headed to bed.

When they got into Santana's room she closed the door and leaned back against it. "I hope you didn't feel like you had to go to bed because I said I was ready. I mostly just meant that I wanted some alone time. I haven't been able to properly kiss you since last night."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Brittany stepped back towards Santana who pulled her the rest of the way in and trapped her lips in a searing kiss. "Mmm. Let's put pj's on and get into bed."

Santana nods and pulls her pants off and takes off her other shirts and pulls on a tank top before climbing into the bed. Brittany climbs in and presses herself as close to Santana as she can. Santana brushed a hair out of Brittany's face before leaning in to kiss her. It was slow, deliberately so. Full of love. When they needed air they would just lie there with their foreheads pressed together. "I wish I could feel all your skin." Brittany pouted.

"Me too. I miss it."

"Do you think if I get up and lock both doors, and we don't do anything that would make them think we're having sex we could maybe just sleep like we normally do?" Brittany wasn't so confident Santana would be ok with that plan. But she couldn't help but hope. She was used to sleeping with almost all, or all, of Santana's skin pressed against hers. Warming her. Making her feel closer to her than anybody ever. She was spoiled by it and now it was hard to go back to all these barriers. She pulls at her flimsy tank top.
"I think that would be ok." Santana responds hesitantly. Brittany jumps up and locks the doors, flinging her tank top to the ground in the process leaving her in just underwear. Santana slid hers off as well but couldn't stop staring at Brittany. Her pale skin nearly glowing in the moonlight, her perfect body. "I miss touching you. We can't. Not with everyone in the house. But I miss it."

Brittany settles back into Santana's arms, breasts pressing together, stomachs touching, hands on naked backs. "Feels good though. This." Santana nods adjusting herself to be able to run her fingers up and down Brittany's back. "I miss touching you too. And other things. It's like my vagina met your penis and now it is very reluctant to spend so much time apart." Santana giggled and pressed her face into Brittany's neck.

"My penis misses your vagina too B."

The next day they were awoken way too early (by Santana's definition). Brittany had already been awake and tracing shapes into Santana's back when she heard someone knocking, no, pounding on Santana's door. "GET UP! WE'RE GOING TO THE PARK COME ON!" Brittany recognized the voice of Diego.

"Get the fuck out of here it's the crack of fucking dawn!" Santana slurred.

"It's almost ten." Brittany whispered sweetly in her ear. "You could stay in bed. Can I go to the park with them though?" Brittany knew that Santana would in fact not stay in bed and would go to the park with them. But she liked to let Santana think she came to that decision on her own, and wasn't coerced by Brittany's sweet voice and little kisses.

"SATAN GET OUT OF BED AND COME ON!" Miguel had joined in on the yelling. "Why's your door locked huh? Layin down that Lopez charm?!" He rattled the door knob.

"Good think I locked it last night. Brittany said as she climbed out of bed to start getting dressed. She glanced at Santana who had a scowl firmly planted on her face and was blushing.

"Miguel shut up or I swear I will-"

"You must not be very good. We didn't hear a peep last night." Brittany was pretty positive that wasn't going to go over very- yep. Here comes the Spanish. Brittany couldn't understand what she was saying but she was pretty sure there were swear words and insults involved. She heard Diego and Miguel crack up before they yelled to be down in ten and she heard them thundering down the stairs.

"Calm down baby. They're just trying to get you worked up." She put her arms around a still deeply scowling Santana. She leaned in and whispered into her ear "Plus we both know that is absolutely not true. You're amazing." And she licked the shell of Santana's ear, effectively re-focusing her attention, and causing the scowl to disappear. Santana turned in her arms and kissed her deeply. They pulled apart and got dressed, Brittany talking about a dream she had, and headed down stairs.

The park had been great fun. They played football, which Brittany knew nothing of other than what she'd learned because she had been a cheerleader. There had been a big debate about the legality of a play when Diego just picked up a ball holding Brittany and ran her to their touch down zone. But mostly it was just a lot of mud and a lot of laughing. As they were walking home Luis brought up something that neither girl had thought about in a few days.

"So Britt, I don't want to bring up bad stuff but has that asshole called or bothered you since Friday night?"

"No." Brittany answered quietly. She felt Santana wrap an arm around her waist protectively pulling her closer to her own body.

"You don't need to tell me everything. Or anything really. But we just need to know enough to know how to protect you and Santana. I don't want him anywhere near either of you." Brittany nodded. She knew she owed them some kind of explanation after they had protected her without question.

"Do you want me to tell them babe?" Santana asked gently.

"No I can do it. He's just my ex boyfriend. I guess he still wants to be with me so he came up and was mad that I was with Santana." The explanation didn't exactly fit what they had seen that night.

"Has he hit you before?" Diego asked. Brittany looked down. Ashamed that she had let that happen in her life. Unsure of how to explain it to other people who surely just think she's stupid for putting herself in that situation in the first place.

"It's ok Britt. They're just trying to help." Brittany nodded. Santana answered for her. "Yeah he has. Among other things." Santana watched her brothers get visibly angry. But surprisingly enough it was Miguel that answered logically.

"Well we all witnessed him hitting you. Of course only Luis, Santana, and that other kid could confess to it because Gabe Diego and I kind of kicked the shit out of him which is less than credible as far as witnesses go I think. I don't know the laws in New Jersey like I know them here but I'm pretty sure you're allegeable, between your past and what we saw for a restraining order. He wouldn't be allowed to come anywhere near you guys."

"He wouldn't be allowed anywhere near Brittany. Santana has no grounds for one. But I highly doubt he's going to be coming after either of them. Just in case though, I think it's a good idea. I have a friend on the force there so I can give him a call and see if we could get the ball rolling on that. If you were interested." Diego finished up.

Brittany looked at them both confused. "They're cops baby." The information surprised her. She didn't know what she thought they did. Professional big brothers? She guessed that maybe that could be a cop. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"What would I have to do?" Brittany liked the idea that Tommy wouldn't be allowed near her. "And what does a restraining order mean?"

"You'd have to file it. And then go to court, he would have to as well, and then you'd tell your story. There are witnesses if needed, he could counter the story. Your past would be brought up. And then the judge would issue the restraining order. Then if he comes within the ordered distance from you, you call the cops, he goes to jail." Santana could tell that Brittany didn't like the idea by the way her body tensed against her and the hold on her hand tightened.

"I don't want to do that. I don't want to have to explain to strangers what happened. I don't like talking in front of people and I'll mess it up and I don't want to have to see him again and my parents will be mad at-" Santana pulled her into a hug.

"Shhhh baby it's fine. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. He's not going to come back anyway. He's afraid of my brothers." She held Brittany tight and signaled to her brothers that the topic was over. Miguel's blood boiled. What had this asshole done to her?

"Yeah Britt. Nothing you don't want to." He said. Trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"You do have to call us though. I want you to put all of our numbers in your phone." Luis spoke, anger even less contained than Miguel's. Brittany turned around to face him. "You get any idea that he's about to show up, is on his way, or hell if he even just contacts you, you call us right away. I mean it Brittany. He will not hurt you, or Santana again. I won't let it happen. But you have to promise to call. Ok? Promise me."

"I promise." She said meekly. Thankful, but still worked up and embarrassed. Luis pulled her in for a hug, noting that Santana hadn't let go of Brittany's hand yet so he pulled her in for a hug too.

The mood lightened considerably after that as they talked about the boy's favorite topics, food and video games. They got home and put all of their muddy clothes in the wash and changed back into pajamas essentially. They met in the game room and put in another one of the scary movies that they had rented yesterday. Santana could tell that Brittany was feeling a little needy because she barely watched the movie. She spent most of it wrapped around Santana with her face buried in her neck. While unhappy for the cause of the need for closeness, Santana had no complaints about the closeness itself. She held tightly and kissed gently every time her brothers were distracted.

The mood transformed as Brittany, true to form, bounced back quickly. It became more playful when Brittany started tickling Santana during a particularly scary part of the movie to distract herself. That earned them a smack to the heads with a pillow and a gruff shut up from her giant brother who was snuggled under a blanket with sheep on it. She laughed at him which earned her another smack.
After the movie they played a few rounds of a card game called spoons which mostly just involved Santana yelling at the boys for being too rough when what she really meant was you're being too rough with Brittany. But after Brittany assured them it was fine and all part of the game Santana backed off. A little. But she still glared. A lot.

After the game was over and her brothers were distracted by Mass Call of Duty in Skyrim or whatever they were playing Santana backed Brittany against a wall. She hadn't intended for that to go any further, but once she had her there she couldn't help but kiss her.

"Gross! Stop!" She heard yelled behind her. She reluctantly pulled away but not before placing one more small sweet kiss the corner of Brittany's smiling mouth.

They sat on the couch to watch them defeat dragons or zombies or Nazis whatever they were but were infinitely distracted by each other. Small kisses were stolen and silly sweet things whispered into ears until they were hit with another pillow.

"Seriously. You guys are gross. Get a fricking room."

"We would but all you assholes would still be here."

"Santana I would much rather go through life pretending you are an asexual being. While I know that's not true. Please stop referencing your sex life with your very innocent seeming girlfriend who is like another sister to me already. It makes me want to puke. Nasty." Brittany laughed and was simultaneously touched by Gabe's sentiment. He was a man of few words but when he said them, they were usually pretty awesome. They tried to keep their touches and looks to a minimum after that but apparently failed judging by the amount of pillows they'd been hit with.

By time Maribel had gotten home Santana was so close to just pulling Brittany into her room and locking them in there to avoid pillows and do, you know, other stuff. Maybe. She wanted to. So bad. But she knew her brothers would make a huge deal out of it if they honestly suspected anything at all. And she didn't want to deal with that. She didn't want to make Brittany deal with that. But her mom coming home kind of put all sexy time thoughts on the back burner because well, it's weird to think about sexing your girlfriend while your mom is telling you about her secretary. Brittany was being taught some random card game by her brother and Santana was helping in the kitchen with dinner. And by helping, her mom kept giving her tasks and then doing them anyway so mostly she just sat at the table and watched. Typical.

They all sat down to dinner a few minutes after Maribel had received a call from Antonio about being late. "So. Brittany. Do you have any siblings?" Well that was random Santana thought. Brittany swallowed and nodded.

"A sister. Jennifer. She's four years older than me."

"It's probably a bit louder here." Brittany nodded. That it was. But she liked it.

"Have you always danced?"

"Yep. Started when I was four. I was a cheerleader in high school too. But mostly just because my sister kind of made me. She was a senior when I was a freshman. But it wasn't always bad. There was some dancing. And, you know, people mostly left me alone."
"That's cute you were both cheerleaders." Brittany laughed at Santana's noise of complaint.

"So what do you and your family do for Thanksgiving?" Santana was about to jump in when Brittany started to answer.

"Nothing really. My dad orders this like, whole pre made Thanksgiving thing through the store. You pick it up, and heat it up and it's ready to go." Maribel looked completely taken aback at the idea that someone wouldn't cook Thanksgiving dinner. Santana just knew it was one more thing about Brittany's childhood that made her want to make sure she never wanted for anything, but especially love and closeness. Family stuff. "So we ate dinner. Sometimes together even. But that's pretty much it."

"Well. I'm sure that's fun. I cook Thanksgiving dinner." Maribel tried to keep the superiority out of her voice. She failed a little. But it mostly just made Brittany laugh. "And there's football watching. And several rounds of eating. All together. Nobody leaves the house except for grocery runs and only when necessary."

"Sounds awesome." Brittany smiled. Santana was glad that she seemed to be doing fine in the conversation. Hoping her mother would stop with the grand inquisition though.

"Are your parents going to miss you this Thanksgiving?"

"No. I guess they're going to visit friends."

"Oh. What's your sister doing?"

"Going with them."

"Not that I'm not glad you're here with us but why aren't you going with them?" Santana threw Maribel a look that clearly said get the fuck away from this topic before answering because Brittany just looked like she didn't have any idea how to answer that.

"Because she wanted to be here Mami." Maribel got it. She'd move away from the family topic. For now.

"Well we're thankful." Conversation lulled for a few minutes while everyone ate silently. "So do you want children?" The water that Santana had been drinking was now currently traveling into her lungs as she coughed. Brittany patted her back.

"MOM!" Santana whined loudly once she could breathe again.

"What?! It's just a question." There was a pause and Santana thought it had been dropped. Before "Well..do you?" Santana started choking on her food while her brothers could no longer contain their laughter. Brittany patted Santana's back again and as soon as it was quiet enough she answered.

"Yes. Very much. But not right now." If for no other reason than to save her girlfriend from choking yet again. Maribel's eyebrow raised, impressed with her answer, and shot a very obvious look at Santana. The look on Santana's face caused the boys to fall into fits of laughter again. Antonio walked in only a few seconds after that and sat at his place at the table, piling enough food on his plate to rival the other four boys.

"What did I miss."

"Mami is pushing Brittany for grandbabies already." Another choking fit from Santana.

"Well. Good. We aren't getting any younger and you four don't seem to be in any hurry. Brittany please pass the salt." Santana's glare fell from her face at her father's response. That was the most obvious approval he had ever given of any of their significant others that had been brought home. That was also a blatant reference to the fact that she was capable of getting someone (specifically Brittany) pregnant, and that that was a positive thing. She couldn't help but smile a little at Brittany who was smiling at her after casually passing the salt.

"What do your parents do Brittany?" What the fuck? Santana thought. Are her parents in on this conspiracy to not only bring up topics that were going to kill her from choking but also make Brittany as uncomfortable as possible? But Brittany handled it with grace. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that these were things she'd never bothered to ask. Not because she wasn't curious, but because she didn't want to bring up anything that might make Brittany uncomfortable. But maybe Brittany was stronger than that.

"My mom doesn't do anything. She's the head of the women's group at her church. So I guess that's something. But not really. My dad is a plastic surgeon."

"Oh? What's his specialty?"

"Faces mostly. All kinds of things to do with faces." Santana noted the shift in Brittany's eyes. Imperceptible to anyone but her, but she knew it was something she'd bring up. Maybe later. "I know you're a surgeon. What is your specialty?" Antonio looked very pleased at being asked. Santana smiled, Brittany already knew that answer.

"Hearts. I'm a heart surgeon." Antonio smiled gently. Santana knew then (and probably already but she'd just been reminded) never to underestimate Brittany's power to charm anyone. Because she had clearly worked her magic over the brief conversations with her father, and whatever her mother had told him about her. Brittany just smiled back. And Santana knew, because they'd already discussed it, that she was thinking about just how awesome it was that he fixed hearts. But Brittany was thinking about how fixing hearts must be genetic because Santana fixed hers. "How do you feel about football Brittany? Answer carefully, this is very important." He joked with her.

"Oh well I haven't watched much football since high school but I am enthusiastic about the opportunity." That smile could bring world peace Santana thought as she accidentally put her hand in her own food trying to stop herself from reaching out to grab Brittany just to be closer to her. Antonio and Maribel chuckled at both Brittany's response and Santana's response to Brittany.

Dinner was followed by much of the same that they'd been doing before dinner. Video games, card games, movies. But Santana was finding it painful to not be touching Brittany. Dinner, and everything this vacation so far had gone so perfectly. Brittany fit in seamlessly with her family and it made Santana happier than she thought it would. She thought she wouldn't care either way. And while, in some alternate universe, if her family had not liked Brittany it wouldn't have changed her feelings at all, she was slightly surprised by how much it meant to her that they liked her very much. They were on the couch wrapped up in each other, mostly unaware of everything going on around them.

"I can't deal with them anymore. They are gazing into each other's eyes. Literally gazing. It's disgusting." Diego said, with no attempt to keep his voice down.

"It's kind of cute."

"I'm telling every guy at the station that you just said it was cute. Man card revoked."

"Whatever dick bag. I'm just happy for her. Look how happy she is."

"Yeah yeah. I'm happy for her too."

"We should maybe go see a movie tomorrow night. I heard Mami saying something about how they have a work party to go to." Gabe cut in.

"There's not anything good out right now."

"Not the point. Maybe if we leave them alone for a few hours they'll get…whatever out of their systems and then they'll be less obvious."

"Plus I can't be around them anymore. I'm going to dump a bucket of ice water on them." Diego responded. Luis walked in the room and kicked the couch Brittany and Santana were laying on. Effectively distracting them for a moment.

"Let's go to bed B." Brittany nodded.

"Keep it in your pants Santana the walls are thin." Luis replied as they walked out of the room.

"Yeah. We need to leave them alone for a few hours tomorrow. For sure."

Up in Santana's room they decided that clothes were necessary tonight because Santana was pretty positive she wouldn't be able to stop herself if she had a topless and wanting Brittany in her bed. Brittany totally agreed. After lying down and getting comfortable Santana realized she wasn't tired.

"Are you tired B?"

"Not really. Just a little. Why what's up?"

"I just was wondering why you looked sad when you said your dad was a face surgeon."

"It's nothing. He just brings up sometimes that he could fix my nose."

"I love your nose." Santana responded without even thinking about it. She leaned up so Brittany was lying on her back and Santana was propped up above her. She leaned down and kissed the tip of Brittany's nose.

"I don't mind it. I guess my mom used to have one just like it. But I just never thought it was a bad nose until he said something. I don't like that he looks at people's faces and thinks about what he could fix. I wish he helped people like your dad."

"Who loves you by the way. I've never seen him act like that with someone he doesn't know very well. Told you it's impossible not to love you." Brittany smiled and Santana couldn't stop herself from kissing her lips. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Anything." Brittany could hear the serious tone in her voice and wondered what brought that on.

"You said you wanted to have kids today. Did you mean…like, I know it's a long way off and there are a lot of circumstances involved but do you mean maybe me?"

Brittany gently forced Santana's eyes to meet her own. "Of course I meant you Santana. Who else would I possibly want that with? I want a family with you. And little babies that look like you. If you want babies that is. Do you?"

"More than anything. I've always wanted kids and I've always been so afraid nobody would ever want to have them with me." Brittany raised herself up to gently kiss Santana's lips. "I'm worried, and nobody can ever say one way or the other for sure, but I'm worried that what's wrong with me could be genetic."

"Nothing is wrong with you Santana. Nothing at all. You're perfect. Or as close as someone can get to it. If we had babies and we had a little girl who had a penis or a little boy that had a vagina even, would you love them any less? Do your parents love you any less?"

"I wouldn't love them any less. And no, my parents love me."

"I wouldn't love them any less either. It wouldn't matter to me at all. We'd just pay attention to who they say they are, just like your parents did. And we'd help them and love them and do everything we can for them. Ok? You don't need to think negatively about passing on any of your perfect genes ok?"

"You're biased. You just think that because you love me." Santana responded bashfully.

"And I'll love them. So they'll be perfect too."

"I want them to look like you too though. So not just babies that look like me."

"We'll see what we can do." Santana settled back down onto Brittany's chest and Brittany wrapped her arms around her before asking "How many?"

"I guess because I have a big family I always just assumed four or five. But I think we won't know till the time is right. You know?" She couldn't contain the amount of emotions she was experiencing right now. Lying in Brittany's arms while they talked so confidently about the future. Like it wasn't just her that wanted to love Brittany forever. Brittany wanted forever too.

"I want at least three I think." They spent the rest of the night talking about private vs. public school, names, and haircuts that are adorable on babies.

The next day was a series of make out sessions, and trying (and failing) not to get caught. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other. They hadn't even come out of Santana's room until noon because of a particularly intense make out session that resulted in a painfully cold shower for Santana. When Maribel got home that evening Brittany and Santana found out they had a work party that night and that they'd leave money to order something ("please not pizza you eat enough of that crap as it is!") and left. Santana, who was sick of being teased all day by her brothers about Brittany, suggested a movie in her room. Brittany agreed if only to save Santana any more embarrassment and they went upstairs. Santana unpacked her laptop for the first time so they could watch a movie. "Oh I left my drink downstairs. Be right back."

Brittany ran downstairs to get her drink and encountered Santana's brothers putting their coats on. "We're going out to dinner and to see a movie so that should give you guys a few hours alone for…you know. Whatever. Just try and be less all over each other by time we get back. Get it out of your systems." Brittany looked Miguel with a confused expression on her face.
"You have the house to yourselves for hours." Brittany still wasn't picking up when he was trying to say. "Why is Santana so mad at us? What have we been teasing her about?"

"Se-..oh. Yeah. Ok. Well….see you guys later then." And with that she ran upstairs, no drink in hand. When she walked quickly towards Santana's room just before she went in she heard the door downstairs open and shut. She walked into the room and she shut it and locked it behind her.

"Babe you didn't bring up your drink."

"Don't need it." She was looking at Santana with a look that can only be described as hungry. Brittany takes a few short steps toward Santana and throws her arms around her neck before attacking her lips with her own. Santana moans into the kiss forgetting for a few minutes that her brothers were still in the house. Before she even has a chance to voice those concerns, Brittany is pulling her shirt over her head and throwing her bra off. Santana can't focus when Brittany is standing in front of her, half naked, giving her that look. Brittany gets it, so she helps her. She pulls Santana's shirt over her head brushing her hand over the slight bulge in her sweat pants. She undoes the clasps on Santana's bra too before throwing in to the side and leaning down to take an already stiff nipple between her lips, sucking and tugging lightly with her teeth.

It's all Santana can do to keep standing with Brittany lavishing her body with her tongue, teeth, and nails. Brittany drops to her knees in front of Santana and grabs the waistband of her sweatpants and pulls them down, bringing her boxers with it. Before even allowing Santana to step out of the pants she's taking the head of her dick into her mouth. "Fuck" Santana mumbles through gritted teeth as Brittany takes more of her into her mouth.

Brittany wants to suck Santana off. She wants her to cum in her mouth. But she has other plans. Because more than that she desperately wants Santana inside of her. Her body burns with the need, has been since she realized why Santana's brothers were leaving. Santana is completely hard and dripping precum when she lets out a moan that reminds her why they can't do this. "Britt.." she hisses "Britt my brothers."

"Gone. Went to dinner and a movie." She says before she flicks her tongue across another bead of precum.

"We're alone?"

"Mhmm." Brittany stands up and pushes her own shorts and underwear down. She's never felt like she's needed something so bad as she needs Santana inside of her. She can feel how ready she is as she pushes Santana back onto a chair and straddles her. Santana doesn't even have enough time to process what's happening before Brittany reaches down and gently grabs Santana's dick, positions it at her opening, and impales herself on it. "Oh. So full" She moans as she takes only a half second to adjust to being filled. Santana grips her hips tightly, needing her hands to go somewhere, do something.

Brittany starts to move up and down at a fast pace and Santana thinks she may have died and gone to heaven. Brittany is riding her like she needs her dick to survive, her head thrown back, breasts bouncing with the force of their combined thrusting. Santana leans forward, kissing any available skin before grabbing both breasts and brushing over her nipples with her thumbs.

It's never felt like this before. Santana keeps hitting this spot inside of her when she thrusts at that angle that makes Brittany see white spots. She uses her strong thighs to keep riding Santana, and there's so much pressure building that she almost stops because it feels so different than usual.

Brittany starts making louder noises. Moans and grunts and her name falls from her parted panting lips. Santana doesn't think she's going to be able to hold on much longer. She starts running her hand up Brittany's thigh towards her center to rub her clit when Brittany screams and Santana feels a gush of liquid come out of Brittany as her muscles clench around Santana and she lets out a scream that sounds a little surprised. She can't hold on any longer as she thrusts herself as deep as she can, holding Brittany's now limp body to her chest as she cums deep inside of her.

Brittany doesn't move right away as Santana's arched back eases back onto the chair. But then she starts to stir and looks at Santana with a look of confusion. She's a little bit embarrassed and has no idea what just happened. She had thought she was still a few minutes away from orgasm but then she felt like her body just exploded. "I don't know- that's never happened? Did I ju-"
"You squirted. It's totally normal. I've seen it in a porn." Brittany raises a tired eyebrow at Santana. "Like female ejaculation. I think it happens when you have a G spot orgasm."

"I thought those were a myth." Santana feels a little proud because, yeah, she had thought they were a myth too. Or a trick that porn stars could do. But she'd just given a G-spot orgasm to Brittany, she was pretty positive anyway. "Obviously they aren't a myth though." Brittany continued. "I can't feel my legs. Can I just lay here for a minute?" Brittany collapses back into Santana's chest.
"Here let me make you more comfortable." She was about to slide out of Brittany so she could rearrange them a little.

"No. Not yet. I feel like I need you in me for a little bit longer. Is that ok?" Brittany mumbled into her neck. Santana could still feel the tremors going through Brittany's body.

"Yeah baby, it's fine." She just ran her fingers up and down Brittany's spine, allowing her to recover. Eventually though, both of their legs started to go numb so Brittany decided it might be time to get up.

"Can we shower?" Santana nodded as she helped Brittany stand up. A shiver ran through her as she slid out of Brittany's hot center into the cool air. They were both covered in sweat and cum and a shower was definitely a good idea.

Santana stood up herself and lead Brittany to the bathroom. Never releasing her hand as she started the shower and made sure it was the perfect temperature. Brittany could feel she was already a little sore as she climbed into the shower, using Santana's hand to steady her.

After hair and bodies are washed they were holding each other kissing sweetly and Brittany could feel Santana was hard again. She'd never actually gone completely soft since Brittany had kept her inside of her for so long after. "I want to go again, but I think I'm too sore to take you inside. Would it be ok if we just touched each other?" Santana nodded as Brittany's hand circled her and gently pumped up and down a few times. "Be gentle with me please." Brittany whispered into Santana's ear as she rested her head on her shoulder.

Santana, as gently as she'd ever done anything, parted Brittany's folds and gathered some of the wetness that had pooled at her center and began to make slow gentle circles around her clit. Brittany wasn't sure if it as the force of her orgasm earlier but her clit felt overly sensitive, but coupled with Santana's gentle touches, felt amazing right now.

The build up was slow and gentle and took so long they nearly ran out of hot water but just as gentle as Santana had touched her, Santana had pushed her over the edge, and gently guided her back down again, never missing a beat as her own orgasm hit and Brittany felt hot cum spill over her hand. Brittany felt like she could barely move as Santana guided them through rinsing off and shutting off the water. She helped her out of the tub and even helped her into a pair of underwear before she collapsed onto bed. Santana crawled in behind her, pulling Brittany's body until they were pressed as tight together as they could be.

"I love you." Brittany spoke quietly into her ear.

"I love you too."

"What are you thinking about?" Brittany could practically hear Santana's brain working.

"Making love and the difference between having sex and making love. If there is a difference. Do you think there is?"

"I don't know. I guess not. I love you every time we have sex so that never changes. It's always making love then. But maybe there are different kinds of making love. Because sometimes it's super sweet and gentle. Sometimes it's quick and rough. Sometimes it might be experimental. You know?"

"Yeah. What kind is your favorite?"

"Any kind of sex with you is amazing. And I like the variety, so don't let my answer influence that. We should always try new things. But sweet and gentle is my favorite I think. You?"

"Me too. It's hot when you push me down and climb on top, and I loved it. But I love holding you and looking into your eyes. It makes me feel more connected."

"It makes me feel loved and protected and important."

"You are all of those things Brittany. And I'm glad I can make you feel that way." Santana brings Brittany's hand to her lip and kisses her fingers. "I always wonder what orgasms feel like for you. Like if I had a vagina. You know? Like does it feel the same?"

"Well. I think I have three different kinds of orgasms. So far anyway. So they kind of feel different depending."

"Really? Why are they different?"

"Well sometimes they build up slowly, and then there's this surge at the end, and it feels kind of like the pressure popped. Then there is the kind like earlier tonight and that one feels like tons of pressure, and then an explosion. It almost hurts, but in a good way. And the third one is kind of like really gentle waves, and then a slightly bigger wave and I feel like my body is rolling over it. That's like in the shower."

"I think maybe that's how mine are too. Do you have a preference?"

"Nope. As long as you're there holding me after, all of them are amazing. We still have a few more hours till your brothers get home but I think my lady parts might be done for tonight. Is that ok?"

"Do you have to ask? Of course. Movie?"

"Yeah! Which one?"

"I was thinking maybe this movie I grabbed when we rented the others. I don't if you've heard of it…Ice Age?" Santana jokes. Brittany claps excitedly.

"I love that series!"

"I know that's why I got this. I've never seen them. You love them. I thought we could watch it. Plus you probably need another break from all of the scary movies."

"Yeah. Definitely." Santana grabbed her laptop and set it up on the other side of Brittany so that she could still hold her and watch the movie at the same time. She learned that one of her favorite feelings was feeling Brittany giggle against her naked chest. The vibrations coupled with the sound were amazing. And she also maybe learned that she might like Ice Age as well. Whatever.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was always a little bit scary in the Lopez house hold. Honestly the day before any big eating holiday was scary. It was important to remain out of the way but available to help at any time. This was how Santana and Brittany found themselves on the third, yes third, trip to the grocery store. But it was also expected that you not complain and just do what Mami asks. So they did. Plus leaving the house meant a little quiet away from the teasing of her brothers. No less than yesterday, but for whatever reason she was calmer today. Okay she knew the reason but either way, getting away from it wasn't so bad. On her way to and from each trip she'd drive past somewhere else that she'd liked growing up including the school, and a coffee shop her and Quinn used to hang out in all the time.

The day passed quickly though, and soon enough they were collapsed in bed exhausted from having been woken up early, and running all day. They fell asleep quickly knowing that it would be another early day tomorrow.

The next morning they woke up to Antonio knocking on the door telling them to get up because he wanted to start putting lights up for Christmas. Santana rolled her eyes as she explained that this wasn't a tradition they did every year. Just randomly when they were in the mood. She thought Brittany would be annoyed but Brittany was throwing clothes on so fast Santana could hardly keep up.

"We don't decorate for Christmas! Someone comes to the house and does it from our homeowners association. So all the houses look the same. San this is going to be awesome!" Well, how could you argue with that enthusiasm? By time Santana got downstairs Brittany, Luis, and Antonio were already outside. Brittany was precariously putting a ladder up while her father and brother untangled a string of lights. And by a string, it was really more like a giant ball of individual strings of lights. But her papi looked determined so she stepped outside to help. Brittany's excitement was contagious and Antonio stated several times that next year he and Brittany were going to team up and do the ultimate in Christmas decorations. He was going to start planning in advance. Santana loved that other people besides just she and Brittany knew that they would still be she and Brittany next year.

By time they came in they were all shivering and Brittany's lips were blue and her face was all red. This was Santana's primary motivator for coming inside, Brittany looking so cold. They ate their first round of food and Brittany was positive she'd never eaten so many good things in her life. She was so full by the time she stopped eating that she jokingly told Santana to carry her into the living room. Before she knew it, she was swept up way too quickly for it to be Santana, and deposited on the couch by a laughing Diego. Santana laughed and joined her on the couch, cautious to not put any pressure on either of their stomachs. Antonio turned on the football game while Luis and Gabe cleared the table. The rest of the day was a repeat cycle of this same thing, resulting in both Santana and Brittany passing out on the couch cuddled close together. She woke up in the middle of the night and thought about waking Brittany up to walk upstairs but she was so warm and comfortable under the blanket that someone had covered them with that she just fell right back to sleep.

She woke up the next morning on the couch alone and got up to find Brittany was already outside with Antonio bundled up in one of her coats and what looked like her mothers scarf (Santana can guess who was responsible for that) working on round two of Christmas decorations. Santana went upstairs and showered and what not before coming back downstairs and sitting on the couch next to Gabe who wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him as they watched some show about a pawn shop.
Brittany, Antonio, Luis, and Miguel came in not long after. Brittany kissed Santana's head and ran upstairs to shower so she could warm up. Santana loved how happy she looked. "Santana can I talk to you for a minute upstairs?" Antonio yelled down from the office. Santana pulled herself away from a now snoring Gabe and went into the office.

"What's up Papi?" She said as she sat down on the couch he had had in there since she could remember.

"Well your mother and I were talking the other night and there's-" he hesitated for a second. She just waited for him to continue. "Parents make mistakes, you know that. And we do things we regret. Ok?" Santana nodded slowly. Still not sure where this was going. "I just want you to know that I love you. I know you know that." She nodded again, she did know that. She hadn't, save for once or twice in early teenage angst, ever questioned that. "But I've said some things to you that I regret. And I've treated you in a way that I regret. I just didn't ever know how to bring it up. But I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to tell you how happy I am that you've found someone like Brittany, before first telling you how sorry I am that I may have ever made you feel that you weren't absolutely fine the way you were." Santana tried to hold back tears.

"I know now, and have for some time, that you aren't weird or not normal. You are just you Santana, and I am so proud of you, and that I had some part in making you. You are talented and smart and caring. Your anatomy doesn't matter. It never has. And I think my problems with accepting you had more to do with guilt that I had somehow made this happen, or it was somehow directly related to my genetics and that you would suffer all of your life for it. I wanted you to have surgery because I wanted you to live a normal life. But you do live a normal life. And I just want you to know that you are normal. And if you hold any reservations about feeling that way, let them go." Santana couldn't stop the tears any more than she could stop herself from getting up and hugging her father. He hugged her patted her back awkwardly the same as he'd done every time she'd cried to him in the past over anything. He had always been this man. And the small bit of resentment she held for him had gone with his apology.

"Thank you Papi. I love you too." She pulled away from him and wiped the tears from under her eyes. "And thank you for including Brittany in things, it means a lot to her."

"I can tell. But she's a hard one not to like isn't she?" He smiled at her and Santana nodded. She left the office after her father clapped her on the shoulder once more and made her way to her bedroom. It wasn't that she thought Brittany had brought about this great change in her family. But she brought about a change in her that had allowed her family to see that they had done everything as right as they could. And that everything was so much better than even just good. Things were kind of wonderful right now. She got back to her room and walked in on Brittany putting her Lopez hoodie on and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Lay with me for a bit." Santana said as she pulled Brittany down on the bed without answer. She told Brittany about the conversation with her father, and about how she thought that the things with her mother and father were happening because they saw how happy she was. And they were happy that she was happy, and it made them feel good about the choices they'd made. Brittany just listened and ran her fingers through Santana's soft hair. An hour later after Santana had talked herself out and Brittany had accidentally soothed her to sleep they both reappeared downstairs and joined the family who were enthusiastically playing along with family feud.

Sunday came too quickly and Brittany wasn't excited to leave the Lopez house. She wasn't excited for classes or exams that were looming over her head. Pretty much the only thing she was excited about was seeing her friends, and alone time with Santana. After Maribel made her promise to let them know the next time she had a performance so they could all come and watch, they both hugged and handed huge containers full of food (with an extra for Quinn) and they were sent on their way. They stopped to pick up Quinn who had apparently had a very dull Thanksgiving but was eager to hear all about theirs.

When they were about half way back Brittany verbalized her desire to not return to school yet. "It's cool though Britt because we'll be done in a month and going right back." Quinn tells her. Brittany's face fell. She wouldn't be going back though, would she? She would probably have to go home to her family. She would probably have to spend an entire month there, not only with her family, but also far away from Santana. The idea alone turned her silent. She wasn't sure how she managed eighteen years there but the idea of a month sounded like hell.

Santana notices the sudden drop in Brittany's mood and is willing to bet it's directly related to the comment that Quinn had made. How soon was it to ask her to spend Christmas with her family as well? Surely her mom would approve. Maybe. She definitely would if Santana explained her home situation to her. But that wasn't really her place. She'd talk to Brittany about it and they would figure it out. They had time.

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