MONTH 8
Santana put the melon boat on the wicker table and sat beside Brittany on the wicker chair. It was a sunny day in Lima, and Brittany had been putting on weight way faster than ever. Santana had stayed at the house and never worked for weeks already, although sometimes, Janice or Kurt drops by for a visit at the house and Santana would lead them to the study where they talk.
Brittany smiled at her wife as she watched Santana look at the waters of the lake that had just reflected the golden rays of the rising sun. Somehow, the veranda was their favorite place in the house. They water seemed to have a relaxing effect to the both of them.
Brittany subconsciously rubbed her protruding belly and the Latina's hands instantly snaked at the cream-colored arms and smiled a small smile. "I'll never believe this. I wouldn't be surprised when get to open my eyes the next moment, my Mami's voice would tell me to wake up," Santana murmured.
"Why so, San?" Brittany whispered.
"It's just too good to be true," Santana looked into the blue eyes and she felt like she was falling into those sapphire orbs again. "I can't even. If this is a dream and I'll wake up with my ass still stuck in Lima, I promise, I will not slushy Berry for the whole week and I will never make any snide remarks about her hands, or height, or headbands today."
"Santana..." Brittany chuckled. "This isn't a dream and you know that. And I've been telling you all the time that you deserved all of these things, quit freaking out."
"I know..." Santana smiled and she gestured something with her hands. "But this is so happy and I can't even put all of this happiness inside my heart. It's like overflowing all over the damn house."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and it opened, then slammed to a close. Santana knew who the visitor was – or in the case, intruder.
"Fabgay, if my fucking door jamb falls over, you're gonna fucking repair it!" Santana yelled as she stood up and peered her head into the inside of the house, where a certain and huffing Quinn Fabray was making her way towards them. She wasn't wearing a button-down business suit, or high heels. Instead, Quinn was wearing a mess that seemed to be her pajamas, her hair a total mess and the hazel-eyed blonde seemed like she hadn't had her shower yet.
"Fabray, you look like you're stoned,"Santana remarked.
"Hey Quinn, morning," Brittany smiled cheerfully from her seat, not even flustered at Quinn's unusual morning look. Quinn hastily grabbed Santana's hand and sat on the chair, pulling Santana down and forcing her to sit next to Brittany.
"San, Britt, I have a problem. Like, a major problem," Quinn hoarsely said.
"Did you just smell like alcohol?" Santana's eyes lingered at Quinn's. "Jesus Christ, Quinn where the fuck have you been last night?"
"I think I'm in love with Berry!" Quinn half-mumbled and half-yelled at the same time. There was a slight gasp from Brittany, but Santana was just too worried about where Quinn had been the last night. Quickly, Quinn's ears tinged red and her cheeks flushed at her admission.
"What?" Santana said, clearly not catching on the sentence. "Where hav-" Santana seemed to catch up on Quinn's sentence and her face was a mixture of shock and pure surprise. "What the actual fuck Fabgay?"
"Santana, language!" Brittany hissed.
"Look, I need your help. If there's someone who can help me, it has to be you guys. I mean, you all knew how these things go," Quinn sighed. "I know Rachel is fucking straight as an arrow, but I can't take it anymore."
"Is this why you're drinking your night away?" Santana's eyebrow raised in the same fashion that Quinn knew the bitchy Santana Lopez.
"Well, I couldn't sleep and-"
"Britt, Operation Faberry is on," Santana said in a concluding tone, all the while receiving a supportive look from her wife.
"What? What do you mean?" Quinn looked as if she wanted to cry but she was like covering it up. "What do you mean Operation Faberry?"
"Sometimes, San is so much like Sam," Brittany side-whispered at Quinn, but it doesn't even count anyway because Santana has heard it.
"Brittany, please don't compare me to that mentally demented, trout-mouthed Justin Beiber wannabe," Santana groaned as she started typing keys on her phone, and then brought the contraption into her ear.
"Hey, Berry," Santana grinned impishly at Brittany, then winked at Quinn.
"Wanky," Brittany muttered underneath her breath, and Quinn shot her a glare.
"Are you free tonight? I was hoping you could come with us and Quinn's coming with us..." there was a listening part on Santana's side, presumably because Rachel was ranting into the phone.
"Look, Berry, I would love it if you'd come with us," Santana sighed. "And please wear something sexy. One that shows off your nice legs. If you wear headbands and sweaters, you're not gonna see the light of day tomorrow."
Rachel seemed to be talking into the phone and Santana's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Fuck, Berry. I have never done that. And excuse me, I don't really like your legs, no thank you, my wife is already perfect. No, Manhands, I won't like your legs or any of your body parts."
Brittany sniggered as she looked at her Latina wife and smiled. "She's kinda cranky," she leaned further to Quinn. "You walked in when she's about to have her breakfast."
"Why is it that Santana's making it a priority that I get Rachel?" Quinn's eyebrows furrowed as Santana ran back to the kitchen to fix something for Quinn.
"She's got an interest in it," Brittany answered shortly. "Like, a business interest."
That left Quinn to herself, thinking. However, Santana came back with a bowl of cereal and an apple juice for Quinn so it didn't really bother the hazel-eyed blonde since her attention has been caught by the food.
"San, you really do a real good job being a mom," Quinn mumbled through a full mouth.
"Fabray, where the hell are the things you've learned from your family?" Santana kidded around.
"Huh? Who?" Quinn grinned back. "But, really, San..."
"Don't worry about it, Quinn," Santana smiled. "I know you can get Rachel. She's cool."
Quinn laid her spoon for a while on the side of the bowl. "San," she whispered. "Do you think Rachel would date me?"
"I think she would date you when you kick your ass on gear and ask her out," Santana growled.
Quinn sighed. "I just don't think Rachel is gay."
Santana chuckled. "Believe me, Quinn. I've expected that Rachel's going to come out sooner than you would, but I got it wrong. However, my premise is clear. Rachel is totally gay."
Suddenly, Quinn stood up and ran to the bathroom, leaving the other women on the veranda. Brittany looked worriedly at Santana and the latter ran to the bathroom to check on Quinn. The blonde was bending over the toilet bowl, clearly having the effects of a dreaded hangover.
"Quinn," Santana rubbed the blonde's back, and Brittany stood on the door, trying to help herself with the cumbersome position she was in. Santana turned to her with pleading, worried eyes. "Britt, please, just sit back and let me handle this, baby."
"But, San..."
"Just go sit back in the couch," Santana said worriedly. "Please. I don't want you to see this."
Reluctantly, Brittany left the bathroom, and sat herself on the couch. Santana fixed up the wasted Quinn and advised her friend to give herself a hot shower. After seeing Quinn is all set, Santana sent Quinn to sleep in the guest room.
"Hey," Santana whispered as she nuzzled at her wife's neck. "I'm sorry, about earlier, Britt. It's just that...I don't want you to see Quinn's messed-up face."
"It's okay, San. Is Quinn okay now?" Brittany asked.
"I think she is fine," Santana smiled tiredly. "Few hours of sleep and she'll be fine. We're you mad?"
"Nope. I'm sure you got your reasons why you said that," Brittany smiled and nuzzled her wife's arm. "Can we cuddle?"
"Of course," Santana smiled. "I'd love too," Santana nuzzled at the tuff of blonde hair.
Santana glared at Quinn who was pleading at her with her hazel-brown eyes across the two-man booth at the Italian restaurant they were supposed to meet up Rachel. "Fucking man up, Fabray!" Santana hissed.
"Look, I can't fucking do this!" Quinn exclaimed.
"Bitch, you slapped the hell outta me over a Steinway, you pushed me through the lockers and you fucking pulled my hair and scraped my scalp over high school and you can't fucking do this? Where the fuck is your sass?"
"Fuck, I can't do this," Quinn groaned as she tried to look up to the ceiling.
Santana crossed her arms across her chest, pulling the bitch card out of her. "Look Fabray, you can do this. You fucking pushed another human being out of your vagina when you were seventeen. You can't ask out Rachel Berry."
"It's different with Beth!" Quinn countered.
"Don't be a fucking scared pussy, Fabray," Santana growled, only a little too louder and effectively getting attention from a couple of people sitting near the booth they were arguing. Brittany, however was oblivious to the scene since she was sitting on another reserved table on the other side of the restaurant.
Santana sniggered, knowing that she had hit a hot button on Quinn's part. Quinn only countered the Latina with an intimidating glare, but Santana wouldn't let herself to be outdone. Santana gave Quinn a stony stare.
After a few full minutes of staring down on each other, Quinn finally gave up. "Alright, fucking fine, Lopez. Just get out of my sight," she mumbled.
"Go get your girl, Fabgay," Santana snickered and hurried to Brittany and sidled at her blonde wife's side. A waiter immediately took their order. When the waiter left, there was the clinking of the chimes on the door – indicating that someone had arrived in the restaurant.
Santana's breath caught in her throat when she saw Rachel Berry – Rachel Manhands Hobbit Dwarf Schwimmer Berry was wearing an ethereal-looking dress that seemed to be tight and loose at the same time. In all her life, Santana had never seen Rachel dressed up like that.
Brittany saw her wife's reaction and Santana's clear ogling at Rachel's body and elbowed Santana hard and real right into her gut. Santana feigned a cough as she tried to hide her embarrassment and pain.
"Served you right, Lopez," Brittany mumbled.
Santana looked apologetically at her wife. " Sorry, Britt. It's just that, I haven't seen Rachel dressed up like that. She's never done that to Pyramid Nipples or to Mister Pimp." Brittany looked unconvinced and very skeptical at Santana's explanation.
"And besides, why would I look for someone else?" Santana inched closer to Brittany. "If I already had the best? Now that won't be a really great business step."
"Am I just an investment?" Brittany sighed sadly as she looked into Santana's deep-brown eyes. The Latina met the blue eyes with a serious, piercing gaze.
"My most important investment that I'd give my life for it," Santana smiled and kissed Brittany fully in the lips, in the middle of the restaurant, and everyone turned to look at them, some are sighing a couple of 'ohs' and some are just looking at them, smiling.
"So, when you think I'm looking at someone else," Santana cradled her wife into her arms. "It's not because I like them, or I want them, because those things...wanting you and liking you and most especially loving you, Brittany Pierce-Lopez, is only for you and you only."
Again, Santana leaned to kiss her wife, chastely, only to be cut off by the waiter who just brought them appetizers and drinks. From their vantage point, they could see Quinn and Rachel talking at the table, but Quinn seemed to be as aloof and away from Rachel, as usual.
"So, you think pimping Quinn out to Rachel would make you get your twenty?" Brittany asked out of nowhere as they ate a specially made vegetable carbonara for the both of them.
"Hellz yeah," Santana smirked. "But you know, Quinn really needs a lay."
Brittany looked at her with large, blue eyes and she smugly gave Santana a smile, silently knowing that Quinn would definitely date Rachel in the coming weeks. Santana eyed Quinn and Rachel cautiously as the two women conversed on the table across their own.
"You think?" Brittany quirked her eyebrows.
"Yeah, what about you? What do you think?" Santana's eyebrows furrowed.
"Well, I think Quinn needs to settle down. And Rachel needs someone to make her feel like she's needed and that someone can settle down with her," Brittany replied.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Like, look at it this way San, Quinn is well-off, Rachel's got a job. And you know what they didn't have? Love," Brittany smiled. "They're not experiencing the same happiness we are in right now, San."
Santana smiled at Brittany. If there was one person who is people-smart, it has to be Brittany. "Yeah, you're right, Britt. What I don't understand is, why they can't see the love and the feeling overflowing when a blind man can spot it a mile off."
"Duh, ever remembered high school?" Brittany smiled.
Santana turned to open her mouth in protest, but she stopped halfway, knowing that Brittany was right. Her wife does have a good reason to go with it. When she was in high school, it took her a long time to admit her feelings for Brittany. If that happened to her, there's no doubt it is happening again to Rachel and Quinn.
"San, can we call it a night? I don't want to miss Marley's opening at the Grammy's."
"Of course, who wants to miss it? Duh, remember Grease that one year?"
"Of course, I remember," Brittany smiled.
They sat in the restaurant for a while. After sometime, Santana decided that they would go home and watch Marley Rose kill the song she'll be singing in the Grammy's. She had won two trophies last year for her single and Santana never doubted it one bit that this year, her long-time friend would bring home a couple of more.
They quietly slipped out of the restaurant and drove home. Santana had texted Rachel to drop off Quinn in her apartment, with the sole intention that she would leave the two girls to themselves. When they got home, Brittany immediately sat on the couch and furiously punched the remote to turn the TV on. Once she had found the right channel, she relaxed.
"You sure you don't wanna change into something comfier?" Santana asked.
"San, it's almost starting," Brittany whined.
"They're still rolling the credits, come on, it's not gonna start in like fifteen minutes," Santana groaned. "You can remove your make-up once Marley finishes singing."
Brittany quickly stood up and hurried to the bedroom, all the while grabbing the nearest pajamas in the closet. She quickly got out of her dressed and immediately jumped on the sleeping clothes.
"Brittany, be careful," Santana hissed with a warning tone. She knew Brittany can't be too careful when she's totally excited.
"Oh, sorry," Brittany apologetically stared up at the Latina. She carefully walked back towards the den, finding the credits of the program still rolling.
"I told you they're not gonna start in like fifteen," Santana said knowingly as she sat beside Brittany after she had changed into her own pajamas. She was carrying a bowl of gorp. Gorp is what Santana called it, she reasoned out that gorp stands for "good old raisins and peanuts", but tonight's gorp contained dried apples and peas too.
"Yeah, you were right," Brittany smiled as she leaned to take some of the fruit combination. "I wonder if Marley would still feel nervous right now."
"She probably wouldn't," Santana noted as Ryan Seacrest introduced Marley Rose and the lights on the stage went out. A single spotlight flickered and there was Marley, singing her own rendition of Zedd's Clarity.
"Holy crap, how did she got so much better in singing?" Santana growled.
"No idea," Brittany said, as she was sorting out the raisins from the other components of her handful of gorp. "She looked so beautiful though," Brittany smiled as she stared at their large LED screen.
Somehow, the show dragged on and Marley won three Grammy's. On her acceptance speech, Santana looked at Marley with a proud smile on her face as Marley mentioned her Mom, who had truly been there for her from the very start. She also thanked Artie, who stood up to be her agent.
"I know you guys wonder how I came to be here and how I managed to sing in front of a lot of people and how I started off. This all traces back to my high school years in a backward town in Ohio. A dream was born inside the four corners of a room, and there I started."
"And there are just the people, who, for a short time in my life and taught me so much, so many things, I know she's watching me right now, because her wife would probably kill her if she doesn't," there was a chuckle in the background and Marley continued. "You're such an amazing person, San. I thank you for all the things you have taught me that one year in Glee club. Without you, I wouldn't have learned anything. I admire you, even your snarky comments about my clothing."
Santana bit her lip so she can't tear up. With a knowing look, Brittany smiled at her wife. Marley was continuing her speech in the TV.
"I had met a lot of people, some of them making a small impact in my life, and some of them and changed me, so much and caused too much happiness in my heart," Marley stared down at the front row, where a certain Kitty Wilde was sitting beside an empty seat. "Katherine Wilde, thank you so much, thank you so much. If it's okay with you, Kitty, will you be my official girlfriend?"
A great gasp came from the crowd, even Ryan Seacrest had a shell-shocked face. Kitty suddenly looked like she had dropped from heaven and she really didn't know what to do. The blonde girl stood up, tears streaming in her perfectly made-up face, washing away some of the mascara. She's kind of hyperventilating.
Santana spitted out, literally spitted out her mouthful of gorp as she heard the brunette in the TV say her words. "Fucking hell, Marley, are you going to choke me with gorp?" she growled.
Brittany was a little unfazed, like she had known it long before. "I knew it," she mumbled. "I knew there was something about their looks."
With that, Marley Rose stepped down the dais and down to the stairs to go back to Kitty and the blonde girl met Marley halfway on the stairs. Hurriedly, she leaned up to kiss Marley fully on the lips, in front of the millions of people watching. Somehow, a microphone seemed to have found its way towards Kitty and Marley, who were huddled in the middle of the stairs and there was a muffled string of words coming from Kitty.
"Yes, Marley, yes, a thousand times yes," Kitty sobbed in her girlfriend's arms and they both went down to the chairs.
"Oh my god!" the TV flashed into Ryan's face. "Did you guys just see it? Marley Rose just asked Kitty Wilde out! And she said YES! The two girls are out and proud!"
Brittany smiled at Santana. "Wow," she grinned.
"Yeah, wow," Santana breathed out. "Oh god, they'll make it in the international celebrity news."
"Yeah, totally," Brittany grinned. "I'm so glad they made it to Hollywood, both of them."
"I wonder if Kitty would propose to Marley in the Oscars," Santana joked as she recovered from the big event that happened in the Grammy Awards Night.
"Judging from it, probably she would," Brittany grinned.
"That would be very creative," Santana snickered as she cuddled into Brittany. "Oscars would still be next year, though."
"What about you, San? Don't you miss singing? I miss dancing," Brittany stated longingly.
"I can sing," Santana smiled. "In the shower, in the kitchen when I fix your breakfast, in the office when I work. Singing doesn't really require the spotlights, Britt. And I am happy now. I mean, I might not own an Audi or a BMW, but I got a car with a car seat in the back. I might not have a sprawling mansion but I got a fine house beside a lake and it's filled with too much love. I might not have an empire of a business, but I got a job that I really love," Santana stared at Brittany, whose eyes are a little hazy from the sleepiness.
"And I can't be able to give you the whole world, but I can offer you my heart," Santana sighed.
"I know. It's just that, ever since you were young, you dreamed of being on a big stage and performing to the best that you can be," Brittany whispered.
"That was my dream," Santana rubbed Brittany's baby bump. "This," she motioned at everything around her. "This is my reality. You and Bella and all this...and I am so thankful."
"Me too, San. Me too," Brittany whispered dreamily and Santana knew Brittany was falling asleep.
"How about we go to the bedroom now?" Santana suggested lovingly and Brittany conceded. The Latina carried Brittany in bridal style towards their bedroom. After a few huffs, she had laid Brittany on their fluffy bed. Immediately, Brittany curled into Santana's favorite pillow and smiled contentedly once she had caught Santana's hair scent on the pillow.
Santana curled just beside Brittany and snuggled her wife close. For many months, she had been used to the role of being the bigger spoon each night. Pretty soon, the both of them fell into a slumber.
Santana woke up the next day with Brittany breathing heavily on her ear. She giggled at the tickling sensation. Propping herself on her elbow, she turned to watch her wife. Brittany had her eyes closed, breaths shallow and unguarded. Santana inhaled her wife's sweet breath and leaned to place a soft kiss on Brittany's lips.
Whistling happily, Santana swung her legs out of the bed and padded to the kitchen below so that she could fix her wife and herself breakfast. She planned to give Brittany some oats and fruits to go with it and some fresh juice for herself and she set herself on working. She was halfway done when Ross, the mailman yelled for her on the front door.
Santana hurried to finish up her frozen banana dessert and wiped her hands on a clean towel. She padded towards the front door and looked questioningly at the mailman. "Hey Ross, what's for me?"
"There's a package for you, Santana. I just want you to sign here," Ross held up his clipboard and handed Santana a pen. "Nice apron, by the way."
Santana flushed deep as she looked down in her cream-stained apron. "Yeah, Ross. Nice joke," she said with sarcasm. "Where else do I need to sign?"
Ross flipped the papers to another page. "This one here, Santana," he motioned for the bottom of the page.
"There," Santana said with a satisfied smile as she had done all the signing.
"Thanks," Ross smiled gratefully and started to walk away from her house. Santana quickly turned her attention to the neatly wrapped box she had just accepted from the mailman. She quickly brought it to her study and looked at it. She carefully tore the cover on one side and peeled off it's brown paper wrap. Santana opened the box and her heart sank a little when she saw what was inside the box.
It was her demo CD that she had sent to the recording company. They sent it back. She got rejected.
Santana quickly shoved the CD into one of the knee-hole drawers behind her desk once she heard footsteps padding across the hallway. Brittany doesn't need to see her failure.
"San? Where you at?" Brittany called. Santana hurried to the kitchen and put on a smile on her face.
"Hey, good morning," Santana grinned and hugged Brittany from behind. Immediately, Brittany molded into Santana's frame and they stayed like that, just hugging. Santana thought that if she got her CD accepted, she would miss the mornings like this. She wondered if getting rejected by the recording company was a good thing or a bad thing.
Later that day, while Brittany was knitting on the airy side of the veranda. It was a warm autumn day, so Santana let her wife sit on the outside. Santana was sitting in the study, staring at her computer monitor. She didn't actually like the idea of having a job as a singer. All she ever wanted was to share the happiness she had to others. Then realization dawned on her as an idea formed in her head.
Brittany used to do a weekly video show in the internet, it's called Fondue For Two. It's a hobby that Brittany that dated back to their high school years, and she still had all those video clippings in a website. She breezily took her wife's video camera and hurried to her workroom. Slipping her 'baby mama' bonnet on, she grabbed her guitar. Turning the high-definition camera towards her way, she smiled.
"Hey, I suppose you've seen me from some of the episodes of Fondue For Two, but I am going to introduce myself, still. My name is Santana Lopez, and Brittany Pierce-Lopez is my wife. Today, I stole her camera, no, umm, more of like borrowed her camera without permission."
Her eyes darted at the camera. "We all know that me and Britt is expecting our first angel very soon, and...I want you guys to share my happiness. If you haven't noticed, I am wearing my 'baby mama' bonnet on," Santana pointed at the bonnet on her head. "My Brittany made it for me. So, as a return for my wife's effort, I made her and my baby a song."
Santana strummed her guitar, and then chuckled at the camera. "Yes, umm, I also love to sing. I've composed this song at around July, so it's kind of...well, never mind. So, yeah, here goes nothing."
Santana started to sing, softly at first, as if she was shy at the camera, but she went to the tune. Her guitar was in perfect accompaniment to her song.
You're just a small bump unborn, in three months you'll be brought to life,
You might be left with my hair, but you'll have your mother's eyes,
I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can,
But for now you're scan of my unmade plans,
A small bump in three months, you'll be brought to life
And I'll whisper quietly, I'll give you nothing but truth,
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
Oh, you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you'll be alright.
Oh, you're just a small bump unknown, you'll grow into your skin.
With a smile like hers and dimples beneath your chin.
Finger nails the size of a half grain of rice,
Your eyelids closed 'till they'll soon open wide,
A small bump, in three months you'll open your eyes.
And I'll hold you tightly, I'll tell you nothing but truth,
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers around my thumb and hold me tight.
Oh, you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you'll be alright.
And you can lie with me, with your tiny feet
When you're half asleep, I'll leave you be
Right in front of me, for a couple weeks
And I will keep you safe.
'Cause you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you will be alright...
With one last strum of her guitar, Santana finished the song and smiled at the camera widely. "So, there you go. I dedicate the song for my daughter, Aria Isabella, who is actually still inside her Mommy, and pretty soon, I'm gonna see her."
For a moment, Santana sat looking emptily into the camera lens, and then she averted her eyes, focusing into the fourth string of her guitar. "So, I know, pretty soon, a few years from now, Bella will have to see this video so I'll take my shot from here."
"Well, Bella, I'm so esxcited to see you when you get out of your Mommy's tummy. Right now, baby, I love you so much and I know I will love you more when you're already here. I can't wait to hold you in my arms. I can't wait to see you drool and walk and...and do all the great, big things you're bound to do," Santana felt herself tearing up and she didn't stop the tears from welling out. She sniffed.
"Mama will always be here for you, Bella. Mama will always be here. Please take your time growing up inside Mommy and we're all waiting for you in the outside. Your Mommy already got the half of my heart and I can't wait to give the other half to you. I love you so much, baby."
Sighing, Santana turned off the camera. She wiped the stray tears and went to her study. Opening her laptop, she went to her wife's website and punched in her name as Brittany's password. She chuckled at Brittany's idea of having her name as the password., it was totally so Brittany. She took the memory card, and started uploading the video. Santana also uploaded the video to YouTube. When she was done, Santana felt a sigh of relief invade her. She had told everyone about her happiness.
Smiling at herself, she made her way to the veranda to be with Brittany.
A/N: So, there you have it guys. So sorry for the very late update, there was school and all the stuff, you know. So, please, guys, R&R ! :)