A short chapter that sets up the next big chapter, a game changer. Suggested listening: From Glee:The Music Christmas Album, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, because the kids discuss their plans for the Holidays! Naya has a great solo verse in it. Happy reading!

Chapter 4

At 1000, all of the girls and Sam were over. Mercedes would be joining us after her hosting duties were over at GMA. Britt-Britt and Mike would be over after their morning dance classes. Sam was the first to arrive, with Joey, Macey, and Zoey. Tina was next with Katy, who ran into Rachel and Tristan in the lobby. Marley came in with Arty on her hip.

We set all of the kids on the floor and gathered around the kitchen table to catch up.

"Did you ever think this we be our lives after McKinley?" Tina asks the group.

"Hold on, Cohen-Chang. I need to have at least 2 cups of coffee before deep, philosophical conversations commence, " I tell her, which results in laughter.

Internally, I was wondering the same thing more and more. Self-deprecating humor as a defense mechanism. Awesome. Ms. Pillsbury would be proud to hear me recognizing it; I guess years of therapy have helped. She and Mr. Schue never got married. I think it was because, as she recovered from her OCD, she saw that he was holding back. I was the one that actually encouraged her to move out here, were they were plenty of kids who could use a great guidance counselor. Thru Tina, she was able to secure a job as GC at Julliard. She even helped out with a glee club for inner city youth. Her and Mr. Schue remained close friends, but he was left in Lima, along with Coach Sylvester.

Lately, I was having more and more of those thoughts and musings, specifically this one: What if Brittany and I were still together? Would we be where we are now just with Britt-Britt as my wife and Quinn would be Rachel's wife? Would we still be best friends in the alternate life? Or would their be too much awkwardness to overcome? The fact that Britts was my first love and that Rachel was Quinn's first love. In our current scenario, we were all able to move past it all and I think it made us even closer best friends. There was never a question of trust; we all trusted each other. We had all moved on and all those feelings we had for out first loves were in the past. But is that really true? Do you really ever get over your first love?

I kept trying to push these thoughts aside. However, whenever I looked at my left forearm I saw the matching tattoos we both have (key on mine and a heart with a key opening on Brittany), I am reminded of us. In high school, I always imagined my life with Britt as my wife and mother of my children. Even though I was the one that broke-up with her, I held onto her and held out hope that we would get back together. All thru my undergraduate years at Columbia, I casually dated, nothing serious. It wasn't until I got accepted at Yale for medical school that Quinn and I got together. Rachel and Brittany didn't get together until Brittany had came back from her tour with Gaga. By then, years had passed since I was with Brittany and Quinn was with Rachel.

"Hey Santana!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Marley."

"Look at Holden!"

Sure enough, my son was pulling himself him onto the edge of our coffee table. He stood there, to steady himself, before taking a couple of wobbly steps, then falling back on his bottom. Quinn and I rushed over to our baby boy and gushed over him. Harper must have felt left out because she crawled over to me. I picked her up and swung her around until she was laughing. I sat her in her high-chair while Quinn put Holden in his. We had 2 extra high chairs for the Arty and Tristan. I poured a couple of Cheerios on the table of the chairs and got their sippy cups filled with organic apple juice. They were happy, babbling to each other. It almost seemed like they were having a conversation. Katy, Arty, Joey, Macey, and Zoey were sitting patiently at the small toddler table we had set up and Sam was handing out quarters of PB&J and baby carrots. Quinn had started warming up the waffler and I went about making the 2nd pot of coffee.

There was a knock on the door and Mercedes entered the room. She was still in full TV make-up and dress. Her babies all got up and ran to their mommy. She gave a quick peck to Sam and wave to us, as she went to one of the bedrooms to change into more comfortable clothes.

"Can you believe that Christmas is in three weeks? Who is going home to Lima?" Sam asks everyone.

"Q and I are leaving on December 23rd. I am so happy to be off service for a month. I am exhausted."

"Mike and I are also leaving then. We are on the same flight, right Quinn?"

Quinn nods at Tina.

"Britts and I are grounded, Dr.'s orders," Rachel says as she looks at me.

"That's right Berry. No airplanes for you, especially so close to delivering."

"So, my dads are coming here for Christmas. Britts's mom and sister will be coming here for New Year's."

"Arty and I are also grounded. I think we will be going to Jersey, to meet up with his brother, cousins, and their families."

"Mercedes has to work until Christmas Eve, so we are flying out after she finishes GMA. We should make it back with plenty of time to spare before Midnight Mass."

Quinn says, "I know that Shelby, Puck, and Beth will be flying in on the 22nd."

Shelby Cocoran, Rachel's biological mother, adopted Beth. After a rocky start, and mostly because of Puck, Quinn was able to prove to Shelby that she deserved to be involved in Beth's life. While Beth still lived with her mom, as she got older, she spent more time with her parents. Puck and Shelby were together for a long time and were even engaged. They were on and off so many times that everyone had lost track. Beth was really hoping that they would get married; so did Quinn. She knew that Puck was a great guy and that he always wanted to give his daughter a mother and father, since his dad was largely absent from his and Jake's life. It was Shelby, who kept putting of the wedding. Rachel kept encouraging her mom to just "Take the plunge" but for some unknown reason, she kept postponing. They all knew that Puck was getting impatient, especially since he wanted to have more kids. Although Shelby couldn't get pregnant, they could have a surrogate carry the baby.

"Blaine and Kurt have to stay in NYC because of Blaine's play, so they will be celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas with us," I said.

"I think Kitty will be back from tour by Christmas. Jake told me that she will be meeting them in Lima, since her tour's last stop is in Chicago."

Marley said, "Wow, that's a lot of us. We should meet up with Mr. Schue."

"He's still hung up on Miss Pillsbury. He can't believe that she is now married and has three kids. I think he has this irrational hope that he can win her back," Sam says.

"Well, that's his own dumb ass fault. He treated her like she was broken glass and smothered her. I'm glad I convinced her to leave him and Lima." I reply.

Tina added, "She is really doing well at Julliard. I think she will be named the new head of Student Services. We should invite her to one of these brunches."

They all nod in agreement. Q starts adding the batter to the waffle iron and I start poring the freshly brewed coffee when everything comes to a halt-