It was Sunday morning and Holly was sat pouting at the table. Her parents had decided a weeks grounding for her little stunt and have taken her phone and all electronics away so she was completely bored. "Mom please can I just have my phone back?" She whines.
"No Holly you are grounded and you know as well as anyone grounding in this house means no phone, anyway the five of us are going to spend the day together today" Quinn tells her.
Holly sighs, "great, doing what?"
"Think Ma said we were going to the zoo and going to have a picnic."
Holly slumps back in her chair, "I don't want to go to the zoo" she whines.
"Tough, why are you so whiney this morning?"
"Because I'm bored" she snaps.
Quinn raises her eyebrow, "watch you tone with me Holly Mai, if you are bored go and tidy your room, or go watch TV or the best one yet get started on the project you have for school."
"No I don't want to do any of that I want my phone."
Quinn takes a breath, "well you are not having it so deal with it young lady."
"Don't want to deal with it" she mutters looking down, her head shoots up and eyes go wide when she hears her Mom walking closer to her, "I'm sorry."
Quinn leans over the table, "go to your room, and you best lose any attitude you have before you come back down."
"Mom I don't want to go to my room" she pouts.
Quinn walks round and stands next to her, "you are skating on thin ice Holly, upstairs right now."
Holly stares back at her Mom and braves it, "no."
Quinn nods, "fine you want to act like a five year old I will treat you like one" she says not looking at her wife as she enters the kitchen. "I'm going to count to three if you are not upstairs you will be over my knee, I will spank your bare bottom and you will stand with your nose in the corner till I say so" she says explaining everything like they used to when Maya was that age. Holly blushes not believing her Mom just said that to her, "1…2…" Holly stood up pushed her chair out and stomped to her room, slamming her bedroom door.
"I see we are having a good morning" Santana says.
"She is acting like a brat so I went with then I will treat you like one."
Santana nods, "fair enough, what's her problem anyway?"
"She wants her phone back because she is bored and doesn't want to go to the zoo."
"Tough, she is grounded."
Quinn nods, "I know exactly what I said."
About ten minutes later, Maya comes into the kitchen, "what's up with Holly? She just shouted at me to get out her room and leave her the hell alone."
Quinn looks to Santana and sighs, "she is just grumpy because she is grounded but I'm going to go sort this out now" Santana says. She walks up to Holly's room and walks straight in, "sit up" she tells her daughter sternly. Holly can see how pissed off she looks so does it straight away. "I'm only going to say this once quit acting like a toddler, find a way to get out of this mood you are in, you are grounded due to your own mistakes no one else's, you owe your sister and Mom an apology. I suggest you make it a good one because if you don't, I won't count to three I will bring you back up here and tan your behind, you keep complaining that you are sixteen and want to be treated as such then jolly well act like it. You and I both know if your sister had spoken to your Mom the way you did, she would be nursing a sore behind and that is exactly what you will get, sixteen or not do you understand me?" she says sternly. Holly nods, "verbal answer Holly."
"Yes Ma I understand" she says trying not to cry, it is very rare her Ma gets this angry with her.
"Good, now be downstairs in thirty minutes" she says turning and walking away.
After half an hour Holly heads downstairs, she stops by the living room and apologises to Maya then heads to the kitchen, Santana is trying to feed Lilly who smiles as soon as Holly walks in. "Mom I'm sorry for the way I acted and behaved and I'm sorry for not listening to you and slamming my door again" she say chewing her lip.
Quinn smiles, "thank you, look babe I get you are bored but that is part of being grounded, it isn't supposed to be fun, we have planned a nice day for all of us and I would really appreciate it if you at least tried to enjoy it."
"I will Mom, can I go watch TV with Maya now then?"
Quinn nods, "that's fine but I want you both to go get ready soon", Holly nods before leaving.
The family of five arrive at the zoo, Holly was in a much better mood, she had been chasing Maya round pretending to be a tiger which had Lilly laughing. So Holly would run up to the buggy and roar Quinn and Santana just walked on laughing. " That kid is crazy you know that" Quinn says to her wife as she stood watching Holly swing from the monkey bars chasing Maya.
"Yea I know but she is great, I was quite harsh with her this morning though I started feeling really bad, I was going to go and apologise but think I will leave it till tonight" Santana tells her.
Quinn wraps her arms around her wife, "baby sometimes you have to be, she is sixteen, remember what we were like although she doesn't have tantrums like her sisters sometimes she can be the typical moody teenager we just have to remember which battles we want to fight with her."
"I know but ninety percent of the time she is so good but that last ten she really knows how to push my buttons."
Quinn laughs, "yea just like you could do with your Mami."
Santana laughs and nods, "yea I always knew when I went too far with her and oh my God I knew it if I pushed her too far."
"Yea and Holly knows with us as well lets just enjoy our day as a family, and I think little miss here wants to get out."
Santana bends down and laughs, Lilly had managed to get her arms out of the straps, "come on you, shall we go find your sisters in the park." "Lolly" "Yeah baby we will go find Holly." Santana takes her out and holds her hand to walk over to her sisters with some help and holding hands, Lilly can walk quite well.
Holly looks over, "oh no the monster is coming" she says walking up taking her sister and throwing her in the air both Santana and Quinn gasp, "chill out guys I'm not going to drop her."
"I have just never seen you do that, can you take her on the swings and slides?" Santana asks.
Holly nods, "yea of course,"
After playing in the park for a good hour, the family went and found themselves somewhere to sit for lunch Quinn had made a picnic for them all. "Lilly sit down" Quinn tells her but the little girl just keeps crawling off, "do you need to go in the buggy?" Lilly turns round and all of them look shocked when she says "no" and goes to crawl off. Quinn turns to Santana "and so it begins."
Santana laughs, "Lilly no come here" she says standing up and going after her daughter, she picks her up and puts her in the buggy. Lilly screams and straightens her legs so Santana can't strap her in. "Lilly" she says firmly and taps her hand. The little girl looks up at her Mama and cries bending her legs so Santana could strap her in. Once strapped in Santana rubs her head, "shhh baby" she says. Quinn hands her a bottle and she gives it to her, Lilly takes it straight away, rolling her eyes as she begins drinking the milk, "she won't take long to go to sleep."
"No I don't doubt it, right girls shall we tuck into some food."
"Um yea I'm starving."
Quinn laughs, "seriously Maya you are sounding more and more like Holly everyday."
"Hey that's not a bad thing look how awesome I am."
Everyone laughs this time, "anyway there is nothing wrong then being like my big sister, she is cool and clever and pretty who wouldn't want to be like that."
"Aww thanks sis but you are all those things as well."
"Duh I know" she laughs.
The family sit talking as Lilly drifts off to sleep, after lunch they continue to look round before heading to the gift shop. Santana turns to Quinn, "this is going to cost us a fortune you know that."
"Yea but it's one day plus I don't think Holly will want much."
Holly turns, "I want one of those big lions and I mean the big ones."
Santana shakes her head, "not a chance."
"What come on Ma, it will be awesome."
"Are you seriously telling me you want one?" Holly nods, "there is no way I'm buying you one of them" she says pointing to the lion which is bigger than Lilly.
"Ma please I'll pay half" she says.
Santana looks to her wife, "babe let her get it" Quinn says with a shrug.
"Fine I can't believe I'm getting this, you are so carrying it."
Maya laughs, "can I have the large monkey one then?"
Quinn tries to hold in her laugh as Santana sighs, "yes fine, but get Lilly a little one of each oh and the little elephant."
Santana pays for them nearly having a heart attack there and then. In the car on the way home Quinn turns to her wife "babe shall we just stop off for dinner?" she whispers hoping none of the kids heard but when food is involved, Holly and Maya sit up.
"Can we go macdonalds?" Maya asks.
"No lets go pizza express" Holly says.
The girls argue back and forth when Santana shouts, "enough both of you we are not going to either, we will go to the little Italian on the corner."
"Awesome" both girls says giving each other a high five.
They arrive at the restaurant and the waiter takes them to the table, Santana sits Lilly in the high chair which she does first time when Holly show her the soft little monkey they bought her. Santana turns and sighs "I thought I told you not to bring that in here."
"No technically you said and I quote 'don't bring her lion or elephant into the restaurant' and I didn't, I bought her monkey."
Santana raises her eyebrow, "don't get smart with me, Holly."
"Ma look she is sat happy."
Quinn can see Santana's frustration, "look we get that but when we have to feed her she is going to scream when monkey gets taken away."
"Ok sorry guess I didn't think it through."
Santana looks at her eldest, "no babe I'm sorry it was a good idea and I get why you did it so thank you, why don't you girls see what you want to order."
The waiter takes their orders, Santana and Quinn allowing Maya to have a cola which she is excited about, Lilly is drinking from her sippy cup. Quinn and Holly are talking about school, the waiter brings their food over and they sit and eat, surprisingly Lilly sits lovely holding her monkey and eating all her dinner. "Mom?" Holly asks.
"Yes Holly" Quinn says with a smile she knows what's coming.
"Can we get pudding?"
Quinn nods, "yes I might even get Lilly some ice cream."
Santana bends down to Lilly, "did you hear that Mommy is letting you have an ice cream baby." "Mommy yay" Lilly says clapping but not really understanding what her Mama had said.
After pudding, Quinn carries Lilly to the car, Santana and Maya are talking when they notice Holly has stopped to talk to a group of friends. "Holly found some friends Mama."
"I know, shall we embarrass your big sister?"
Maya nods, "yea do it."
"Santana" Quinn says warningly.
Santana just smiles, "Holly come on baby girl we need to get you home and get ready for bed" she says and laughs when Holly glares at her.
Holly turns to her friends, "oh my God my parents are so embarrassing." Some of them laugh. "I best go and kill my Ma" Holly walks past Santana then turns, "you suck you know that."
Santana goes to say something but Quinn stops her, "you deserved that Santana."
"I know" she catches up to Holly "babe I'm sorry but you have to admit it was funny."
"Lets just say it's a good job all my friends know what its like to have embarrassing parents."
Santana puts her arm round her, "you know I love you kid right?"
"Yea and I love you too."
They all arrive home and spend the rest of the evening together as family before bed.