Quinn eyed Santana as she bent down the fridge to retrieve her smoothie. "You know, San, I have a feeling that I will never be able to date Rachel."
"You're such a pussy, Fabgay,"Santana snorted. She eyed her wife sitting along with Rachel Berry on the couch, sipping tea while listening to something Puck was saying. Puck had been staying with them for the afternoon, just unwinding and devouring Santana's freshly-baked cookies
"San, it's not that easy trying to impress Rae," Quinn drawled, her eyes traveling to the brunette who was whispering something in Brittany's ear. "I mean, I don't know if Rachel's really into me, you know?"
"She's into you, really."
Quinn sighed longingly. "I don't know, San."
There was a silent pause between the two women as Quinn silently sipped her smoothie. "By the way, how is Brittany doing?"
"She's fine. We're expecting Bella in like, the end of November or start of December, probably in like, the twenty-eighth," Santana mumbled worriedly. "I'm kinda worried and stuff."
"You shouldn't. I mean, you've done a great good job of being there for Brittany and Suzie Burns is a great OB so, why have those things worry you?" Quinn quirked a brow.
"I can't help it, Quinn," Santana mumbled as she sat on a stool.
"Stop being paranoid, Santana."
"I don't know, I can't really help it, you know?" Santana smiled, although the Latina also let out a nervous chuckle after it.
"You're worried about what your Abuela said that one night?" Quinn's eyebrows perked up, while Santana's eyes snapped open once Quinn had mentioned her wedding reception when Alma Lopez burst into the reception area, saying that Santana's children will bear the guilt and punishment of Santana's immature and immoral acts.
"Quinn," Santana drew a deep breath through her pursed lips.
"Look, Santana, I'm sorry I mentioned it," Quinn apologized immediately as she saw the uneasiness on Santana's eyes. "I'm not saying your Abuela's a liar, but isn't it unecessary for you to believe in her that way?"
"I know, Quinn. I just can't help it that my Abuela can't accept me, or Britt...and now, Bella. Maybe me and Britt deserved my Abuela's hate, but my daughter? No, she only deserves all the love in this world."
Quinn scooted beside the Latina and enveloped her friend in a loving hug. "Come on, San. Your grandmother still loves you."
"Quinn, it's been years since she has ever showed me any remote manifestation of her feelings," Santana mumbled. "And the last feeling she showed me was disgust."
"Look, Bella will be fine. Who knows, San? Maybe Alma would come back to you because of Bella."
Santana threw a look at Brittany, and inhaled a deep amount of breath. "Hopefully, Quinn. Brittany was so worried about my Abuela hating our daughter."
"Surely, your grandmother would be loving, you know. Besides, she wouldn't hate an angel," Puck said from the kitchen doorway. He was holding an empty tray on his left hand. "I want a refill of my cookie tray."
"Puck," Quinn groaned in annoyance as Santana stood up to retrieve a full cookie jar on top of the cupboard. The teenage boy trapped in a man's body just smirked. "I can't believe I slept with you a few years back, Noah Puckerman."
"What can I say? I'm a hot guy! The chicks dig me," Puck smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. "I bet you still dig me."
"Fuck you, Puck. Don't be gross," Quinn snapped. It had been years since their issue with Beth and now, Puck was the closest she can ever have as a brother. "And all that burger belly."
"No way! I still work out and still have my abs," Puck growled as he raised his shirt to show off his well-worked abs.
"Whatever Puckerman," Santana intervened, bringing a stack of cookies for her friend. "Stripping for cookies? Man, you must be depressed."
"Whatever Tana," Puck parroted the Latina's expression. He snatched the tray quickly and ran back to the den, and plopped down himself on the large ottoman across the large TV set. The two women, Brittany and Rachel, were watching a late episode of H2O: Just Add Water.
"Britt, please let's just watch Ironman!" Puck wailed.
"No," Rachel screeched. "We want to watch mermaids. If you wanna pop in the movie, wait for the episode to be over."
"But...you've been watching that for so long!" Puck reasoned out.
"Come on, Puck..." Brittany pouted. Santana's head immediately popped from the kitchen.
"Puck, cross my wife's patience, you're going home carrying your balls," Santana said threateningly. She threw her friend a look of daggers, but Puck just grinned at her and held up his hands as if he was caught by the cops. He's been used to Santana's threats for so long.
The five of them were the only ones that had settled near each other in Lima after going to college. Most of the other glee clubbers went to separate ways, and it was almost heartaching for all of them. And to say that Santana wanted to get out of Lima as fast as she can was an irony.
"Chips and dips for the house," Quinn smiled as she held a bowl towards the three who were seated on the seats around the den. "Santana's gonna follow for the drinks."
"Wow, can I live here forever? Like, forever, forever?" Puck smiled at Brittany.
"Puck, Santana hates you," Rachel quipped.
"No, she doesn't," Puck denied as he shook his head. One resounding thwack pervaded the room as Santana slapped the back of his head.
"Fuck that was uncalled for!" Puck cowered.
"Eh, I hate you, Puck," Santana shrugged.
"You women," Puck said with much pseudo-chagrin. "You destroy my masculine beauty."
"In what aspect?" two blondes chorused as everyone looked at Noah Puckerman. Quinn made a gagging face as Puck tried to display a lopsided, charming smile.
"Uh-oh, doc..." Santana smiled impishly as she tried to squeeze herself beside Brittany. "Told ya no one agrees to that, Puckerman. Suck it."
"Alright, I'll suck on it, but can we watch Ironman?" Puck smiled.
"What is it with you and Tony Stark?" Rachel almost bellowed as Quinn settled behind her.
"He's probably having a crush on him," Quinn whispered behind Rachel's ear, but loud enough to be heard by everyone, making Santana snicker loudly as the Latina hid her face on Brittany's side.
"What'd you say?" Puck sounded shocked at Quinn. "I don't have a crush on him!"
"Uh-huh?" came a reply from the hazel-eyed blonde.
"Yeah, I just like his suit," Puck shrugged as she looked imploringly at Santana. "Please, let's watch Ironman?"
"Alright, Puckerman, let's watch Ironman..." Santana sighed. The Latina couldn't help but roll her eyes as Puck let out a small 'yay'. Sometimes, they just couldn't get Puck. Everyone thinks he's so badass, but for real, he isn't.
As the movie went on, with Quinn clearly bored to death with its storyline, Santana could see the unique closeness Rachel and Quinn had shared throughout the night. But, instead of saying snarky things, she just quietly observed her friends, all the while burrowing her face on Brittany's side.
As soon as the credits rolled by, Quinn stood up and smiled at Santana. "I'll help you with the dishes and the stuff," she declared.
"Thanks a lot, Quinn. Puckerman's not really being helpful right now," Santana almost growled as she watched Noah Puckerman sprawled on the large ottoman like a starfish. "I mean, when will he ever grow up? I'm not complaining, though."
"The thought of settling down hasn't really got into him, still," Rachel said from her seat. "I'll help with Quinn, San. Just try to bring Brittany to bed."
Santana seemed that it was a good idea so she agreed. "Come on, Britts...let's take you to bed."
After a quick goodbye for the gang, and a promise from everyone that they would be having Thanksgiving dinner together, the five of them and along with a few more gleeks, who annually come to Lima to spend the holidays with them, Quinn and Rachel went away while Puck was left to sleep on the couch.
The week dragged on for them, with Santana answering almost every other damn call from work, to calls from her friends in high school, NYADA and Louisville – all checking out on how her wife is doing and how her baby is doing.
Come Tuesday evening, the twenty-sixth of November, and there was yet another blaring ring from across the phone in the hallway. Santana ran to it and picked it up.
"Hey, Satan," it was Mercedes on the other line.
"Hey, Wheezy, watcha doing?" Santana greeted. "Hurry up, I'm frying my empañadas," Santana said.
"I just want to ask how Brittany was doing?" Mercedes haughtily said from the other line.
"Wheezy, you asked me that for like five damn times today," Santana wailed. "I'll call you when we're driving to the hospital."
"You better would!" Mercedes said. "We're flying in anytime soon."
"San?" Quinn, who was still wearing the usual business three-fourths suit she had, came and stepped in the front door. "I bought the cabbages you asked me to buy on the way."
"Thanks, Quinny!" Santana covered the receiver to muffle the sound of her voice. She spoke to the phone again. "Hey, Wheezy, I gotta go. I'll call you back."
As Santana replaced the phone back into its holder, Quinn looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Asking for the baby again?"
"Yeah. Thanks for the hand, really. Wheezy, she wa-"
"San!" Brittany called from the bedroom.
"Yeah? What is it, babe? Do you need anything?" Santana looked at Quinn, worry etched across her face, then she turned her heel to check out on her wife.
"Santanaaaaa!" a sharp yell tore through Santana's usually quiet household. Brittany was screaming for her wife in the bedroom.
The color seemed to have drained on Santana's face as she looked at Quinn and then, with adrenaline effort, she ran towards the bedroom where her wife was sitting. Santana's heart started to pick up its speed, her heartbeat almost a blur of vibrations. Santana knew Quinn was following her, judging from the hurried clicking footsteps trailing behind the Latina.
Brittany was calmly sitting on a soft cushioned comfy chair just beside the large window that overlooks the lake. A ball of yarn seemed to have fallen from her lap and an unfinished knitting laid just below the blonde's feet.
"Britt, are you okay?" Santana knelt beside her blonde wife worriedly.
Brittany looked at Santana's eyes worriedly. "Can we...can we go to the hospital?"
Santana's face seemd more constricted than ever, but she still turned to Quinn. "Quinn, can you help me carry that black bag to the car? We need to go to the hospital," Santana asked her friend. Quinn just simply took the bag and carried it downstairs.
Santana had been preparing the bag for their maternity use. Inside the bag were several maternity dresses, some baby clothes and anything that she thought they might need in the hospital.
Santana started to carry her wife down the stairs. Halfway through the steps, Noah Puckerman showed in the foot of the stairway and started to help Santana up.
"Quinn called me. Luckily I was just down the road so I kinda hurried here," Puck explained as he supported Brittany. Being stronger than Santana, he had carried the pregnant and laboring blonde to Santana's car faster than Santana can.
"Get inside," Puck ordered Santana and the Latina immediately fell to the backseat to be with her wife. Quinn was sitting on the passenger's side on the front and Puck was behind the wheel.
"I'm calling the hospital to be ready with an emergency team," Quinn said as the car whizzed past the trees. In less than four minutes, Brittany was already wheeled through the halls of the hospital stretcher, with a worried Santana Lopez trailing beside her.
Inside the birthing room, the blinding lights shone down on Brittany. Dr. Burns was already there to help, along with a midwife and two nurses. Dr. Burns had let the worried Santana stay by Brittany's side, convincing everyone that it would be easier for Brittany to give birth if Santana was there. Quinn was also there to offer her help.
"Come on, Brittany, I need you to push a little more," the midwife said with a determined voice. Dr. Burns was at the midwife's side.
"Brittany, I want you to push, okay? Take a breath," Dr. Burns said, her voicefull of strength.
"I...can't..." Brittany cried.
"Do it, baby..." Santana cooed at her side. "Just push. You need to push."
"You can do it, Britt," Quinn chippered at her side.
Brittany's tight grip on Santana's wrist seemed tighter as Brittany gave one final push and Santana winced in pain. She thought that Brittany could have broken a bone there or two. Quinn started to wipe Brittany's sweaty forehead with her hands and pushed back the stray locks of blonde hair that escaped from her hospital cap.
"I'm so proud of you, babe," Santana kissed Brittany's sweaty forehead and Quinn smiled at the both of them. Santana smiled back, but her smiled instantly faded once she saw that Quinn was frowning on her.
"What?" Santana asked.
"San..." Quinn eyed the tan hand that held Brittany's hand protectively. "I think you broke a wrist."
Santana looked at her wrist, which was now covered with a bluish-purple bruise. "Yeah, Quinn. I did break a wrist."
Brittany looked worriedly at Santana. "Did I hurt you, San? I'm really sorry!"
Santana looked at Brittany. "Shhhh, baby. It's nothing the doctor can't fix. Can you go to sleep?"
Brittany nodded as Dr. Burns came in the room. Santana quickly made way for the doctor to look at Brittany's charts and Dr. Burns quickly noticed the ugly bruise on Santana's wrist. "Santana you should see the doctor down the hall."
"Yeah," Santana agreed at the doctor, who was now crouched at Brittany's side. "Will you take care of Brittany while I get myself fixed up?"
"Of course, that's how I get paid," Dr. Burns smiled at Santana and a nurse ushered them outside to another clinic.
Santana winced as the doctor bandaged her broken wrist. Quinn was at her side and smiled.
"I'm never getting any. San..."
"Shut up, Fabray. Few years back I fucking said the same words," Santana growled.
"Oh yeah? That time you were smitten," Quinn smiled as they started to get out to the hallways just near Brittany's room. Puck was sitting on the waiting chair, his facial features a little more relaxed and calmed more than the two women. Rachel, was on his side, fidgeting the hem of her skirt.
"Hey. Quinn," Puck acknowledged the blonde's presence and turned his glinting eyes to Santana. "What happened to your hand?"
"Gotz 'em broken," Santana shrugged, and smiled happily. Her eyes then traveled to Rachel's shy gaze across Quinn. "Aye, Berry."
"Hey, Santana," Rachel said exuberantly. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, Berry, that's so thoughtful of you to come here and tell me that," Santana smiled as she sat beside Puck. "I really wanna spend time with Britts, now."
"Actually, Santana, there's something more important I want to do," Rachel smiled, and then turned to Quinn shyly. "May I have a moment in private with you, Quinn?"
"Sure," Quinn said, and the both of them went to the end of the hallway and disappeared from Puck's and Santana's view.
"So, happy now, San?" Puck smiled.
"Yeah, so much," Santana can't wipe away the doofus smile across her face.
"I'm happy you are happy," Puck leaned back on his chair.
"You should settle down, Puck. You know, get a wife, raise kids..." Santana drawled. "You'll see it's nice."
An hour passed and Quinn and Rachel came back to sit with them when a nurse in scrub clothes went out of the door and looked around. He seemed to be so young, so frail to be working in a cruel workplace as hospitals. He looked at Santana. "Are you Mrs. Lopez?"
Santana's head whipped up and smiled proudly. "That's me."
The nurse nodded his head softly and smiled. "They're ready to see you. Congratulations, Mrs. Lopez."
"Thank you," Santana smiled and beckoned Quinn, Puck and Rachel to follow her to the room where the nurse led them. Brittany was sitting upright, with Bella in her arms, sleeping contentedly.
"Hey," Santana sat on the edge of the bed and softly touched her wife's left cheek. "I'm so proud of you, baby."
A whirring click came from a phone and Santana looked at Quinn, who was holding the device. Quinn turned to explain at her friend. "I wanted to get a photo. Rachel would fairly love it on her phone."
"Since when you had the right to take Berry's phone?" Santana half-hissed, half-whispered across the room and Brittany sent a playful giggle through the air.
"You know, there's something about you two today," Brittany silently noted to Quinn and Santana just looked at her wife with a 'yeah damn right, Brittany' look.
"Can I hold her for a while?" Rachel asked tentatively. "Please?"
"Of course, Rach," Brittany's mega-watt smile was on full display as she extended her hand and Rachel carefully cradled the small girl in her arms.
Santana seemed to be holding her breath as Rachel Berry took hold of the sleeping child. It was as if the Latina was waiting for a nuclear bomb to blow anytime soon. She just started to relax when Puck out a hand on her shoulder.
"Look at 'em," Puck smiled silently as he stared at Rachel, who was holding Bella and Quinn, who was taking a picture and then smiling sweetly at the petite Jew.
"Yeah, they're pretty much the closest girls to us," Santana drawled. "So yeah."
Suddenly, Quinn involuntarily snaked an arm and protectively wrapped it around Rachel's shoulders and Santana's eyes widened. However, Quinn had removed her hand as quickly as she put it there but that doesn't mean Santana did not notice, because hell yeah, she did notice it BIG.
"You're so beautiful, Aria," Rachel whispered to the child. "So beautiful."
The child wriggled contentedly and rubbed at her eyes with her baby-mitten covered hands. Electric blue topaz gems looked up at Rachel and a tiny mouth sleepily yawned. "Oh my gosh, Brittany, she has your eyes – just a few shades darker," the brunette half-screeched at the young parents.
Quinn and Puck instantly scrambled to share with the child's attention with Rachel. Quinn made cooing sounds as Rachel held the baby and Puck was just looking at the child with happy eyes.
"Hey, little Snix," Quinn said in a singsong voice. "Little Snix, Auntie Quinny is here..."
"Awwe, she's so adorable," Rachel gushed.
"Hey, Little Lopez..." Puck smirked. "Papa Puck's gonna teach you how to be badass..." Puck smirked contentedly to himself when a loud thwack came from behind him. Quinn had slapped his upper arm.
"Don't ever mess my little niece," Quinn threateningly said.
"Ow, possessive much?" Puck teased.
"Whatever, Puckerman," Quinn hissed, then both of their attentions turned to Aria again. Santana and Brittany just watched the three of them gushing at the child, who had fallen back to sleep.
Such proud parents they were.
Puck was holding Aria in his arms lovingly when Kurt and Blaine came into the room the next morning. Quinn and Rachel had left the hospital earlier that dawn and Puck decided to take care of Brittany and Aria while Santana went out to buy breakfast for her and Puck.
Brittany was eating the diet prepared by the hospital for her when Kurt came up. "Hey, Brittany! Congratulations!" he exclaimed with pure excitement. "You're a Mommy now."
Brittany smiled from her hospital bed. "Yeah, Kurt. I'm a Mommy now. Santana's still out buying food."
"Honey, I'm here!" Santana walked in the room, carrying bags of food and two cups of espresso coffee for her and Puck. She then noticed Blaine sitting beside Puck, watching the baby and Kurt on the bedside.
"Hey Lumps," Santana acknowledged. "Yo, Lady Hummel."
Apparently, Santana still called her friends names, but not in a bullying way like before, she just does it out of the closeness she had shared with them. Even if Kurt and Blaine lived far away from Lima, they kept the communication lines open and in fact, Blaine and Kurt were the closest friends Santana had gotten next to Puck, Quinn and Rachel.
"I thought Rachel's going to be here," Kurt said thoughtfully.
"She went home," Puck said as he took half of his croissants. "She was here last night, with Quinn."
"Interesting," Blaine mumbled as he held Aria. "I knew they've hated each other in high school."
"Blaine," Santana intervened as she took a sip of her coffee. "High school was the past. I mean, we were all stupid and immature at that time. Look at me," she gestured to herself. "Biggest slut in McKinley High...and I'm the one who got married first in the Glee Club. And the first to have a family. Everybody thought it was Finn and Rachel...but us..." she averted her gaze to Brittany, who was silently listening to their conversation.
Blaine and Kurt both smiled at the Latina knowingly. Most of the Glee Club members did believe that Finn and Rachel would end up together and get hitched first among all of them.
"I guess you guys were just...you know. It's what they call love," Puck said silently.
"It's true love Puck," Santana smiled. "True love," the Latina said as she stared into Brittany's blue eyes.
"She's got your hair, Santana," Kurt noted as he looked at the sleeping child in Blaine's arms. "Only a couple of shades lighter."
"Yeah, I can see that," Santana smiled proudly. "I really wish she wouldn't sleep too much, though. I really wanna look into her eyes, 'cause you know, she's got Brittany's eyes."
"And Brittan'y nose," Blaine said tentatively. "Although it looked like your nose, too...maybe a mix?"
"She has Tana's lips," Puck added.
"You're right, Puck," Kurt agreed as Blaine nodded his agreement. "But definitely Latin skin."
"I can see a lot of heartbreaks comin' underway," Puck smirked as Santana prepared the food she had bought on the side table.
"Hey guys, bite, do you want?" Santana asked and Puck's head whipped up instantly.
"Sure, I'm hungry," Puck scrambled to get the food from the table as Blaine and Kurt were playing catch up with Brittany.
Hours passed and a lot more gleeks came around – Sam and Mercedes, Artie along with Joe, Brittany's little sister who skipped her afternoon class from OSU to stay with her and a couple of Cheerios. Sue Sylvester walked in with William Schuester's ten-year old son.
"Damn Will for leaving this hyperactive kid of his with me," Sue mumbled at Santana as the ten-year old kid curiously looked at Aria's crib.
"Am I that little when I was born?" Greg Schuester asked Sue.
"Yeah, you are. Probably smaller," Sue snapped.
"Really, I wonder how I had gotten this big," he rumpled his red hair across his brows.
"You didn't get big and you know that," Sue growled and Santana haughtily smiled. "What, Lopez?"
"Nothing," Santana smiled. She knew that ever since Robyn left Sue, the old woman had the sorrow inside her, but the Schuesters had seemed to diminish that sorrow to a minimum.
"Can I go play with Uncle Puckie?" Greg grinned.
"Alright, young man. Just don't believe in what he will say," Sue warned and Santana burst out into laughter. But, instead of snapping at Santana, Sue laughed along. When they settled, Sue asked Santana if she would love to have a sister for Aria.
"I don't know, Coach," Santana smiled. "I'm not ready for another broken wrist."
"Fucking baby delivery sucks," Sue smiled as she seemed to recall it, like it had happened yesterday. "When I had Robyn, I sucked a lot. It sucked tons."
"Yeah," Santana smiled sadly. There was an eerie silence between the women and Santana felt the need to say something. "I'm pretty sure Robyn's watching us now, Coach. Don't worry, I'll never forget to tell Bella about you and Robyn."
"Your wife would definitely tell her about Robyn's celebrity daddy," Sue smiled. "By the way, tell me about that greeting card business of yours going on?"
"It alright," Santana shrugged. Pretty soon, their conversation turned to casual talk, and Santana mentioned Quinn and Rachel. Sue Sylvester snickered.
"Fabray's better be not losing that girl of hers," she laughed. "I didn't teach her for nothing."
"Fabgay is losing it Coach," Santana smiled. "She's gone apeshit when they had dinner together at BreadStiX."
There were more people that came in Brittany's room throughout the day. Most of them were from the dance school – co-teachers, students and Santana's friends at work. Janice also came and brought a box full of pink baby dresses.
The day dwindled on and visiting hours were over and Santana started to head home. Leaving Puck to stay and watch over Brittany. She quickly took a shower, and tired of the day's grind, she exhaustively threw herself to bed.
Santana woke up with a start as a loud knock on her front door lifted her from her slumber. She grumbled down the hallway about the car engine sputtering in front of her house.
"Do you mind cutting the engine off?" Santana almost yelled as she was met by the man who was knocking on the door, around in his mid-thirties, in a black and white business suit.
"What do you want?" Santana said, instantly conscious that she had her bad morning hair.
"Mrs. Lopez?" the man asked, as if inquiring about Santana's name.
"Yeah, that's me, Santana Lopez. The other Mrs. Lopez was my wife," Santana discreetly combed back her hair. "Who are you?"
"My name is Spencer Knight and I am one of Ellen's researchers. Ellen had seen the video you've posted on your wife's website a few months ago. She wants you on her show."