a/n: The titular song is by Arrows in Action. This is a bit short, but an update is an update. I'm trying to speed up the passage of time some. 50 chapters in and I'm ready to slowly bring this fic to an end. Don't fret if you love these characters though! I fully intend to follow them into adulthood. I'm stretching my wings and trying out some different fics. I really enjoyed writing Keep On Dreaming and their eight anniversary, so I think I'm ready for our girls to be moms. It'll be a nice change in pace. For now, enjoy.

Chapter 50: Head In The Clouds

Before they knew it, April was coming to an end and Nationals and the end of the school year were on the horizon. Santana had cheered up considerably in the past week or two, Emmy's letter had brought her closure she hadn't known she'd needed. All of the trouble that had plagued late winter and early spring as the weather warmed as summer approaches. Santana enjoyed school most days, but she was looking forward to summer. Lounging around with Brittany, going on day trips to Six Flags, staying in her pajamas 24/7, that was what she dreamed of. First, however, they had to win a trophy and finish their classes.

Apparently Mr.Schue was looking forward to summer too, because the assignment was "Song of The Summer." It was pretty simple, really. What song did they think would be the soundtrack of summer, or at the very least theirs. Santana had a feeling this was going to be her best summer to date. She was feeling way more confident with exposed skin, both her and Brittnay could drive, her past wasn't haunting her the way it used to, and she felt like she had a really good family. She felt light. It was nice.

On the other hand, what better to bring Santana's good mood down than Rachel and Quinn bickering again. They loved each other, that much was clear, because they argued like an old married couple. Admittedly, Quinn usually avoids confronting Rachel, but she made a really good point this time. Rachel couldn't sing some dusty old Broadway classic for the song of the summer, it needed to be fresh and new. Rachel's repertoire of Barbra Streissand had no place on this assignment.

"Berry, would you shut up and realize you're wrong for once?" Santana turned around, having had enough.

"This doesn't concern you Santana. I'm sure you and Brittany already have the perfect song chosen, but some of us put more effort into picking." Rachel huffed.

"Just because they know current music doesn't mean they don't think about it!" Quinn groaned "Rach, hun, we can't do a Broadway classic, that's not the assignment."

"Broadway is always the answer." Rachel insisted "Mr.Schue, would you agree that a Broadway classic could very well fit this assignment?"

"No." He pinched the bridge of his nose "Rachel, I get that you're obsessed with Broadway, and I know I said to choose your song of the summer, but a song of the summer is new. It's upbeat and fun and urges you to get up and dance. If you choose a newer musical, then yes. But not a classic. I've already turned down Finn's request to do 80s rock. This is about finding something new." Mr Schue said to the whole class. "I got inside intel that the judges are looking for songs they've never heard before. After our original songs, they realized they were tired of the same old songs. So I'm trying to feel out what's in right now, okay?"

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Rachel overdramatcially lamented "Now I have to listen to the radio."

"She's a lost cause." Brittany chuckled.

"Damn right, Britt. Now, we've got a song don't we?" Santana said and the blonde nodded.

"I hate you." Quinn seethed as Rachel cringed at whatever radio trash she was listening to.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Q." Santana snickered.

As everyone else started to settle on songs, Santana and Brittany decided on if Brittany would dance, if they'd play instruments, and downloaded sheet music. They knew their song was exactly what Mr.Schue was looking for, and Santana couldn't get it out of her head. They decided they wanted a dance element, but Brittany also really wanted to play guitar. Recruitment time. Mike was showing a move off to Tina when they approached.

"Hey Britt, Santana, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"We were thinking of incorporating dance into our number and we were hoping for some help." Santana said.

"Can't Britt handle it? We haven't even picked something yet." Tina worried aloud.

"Well, if you help with ours, that shouldn't be an issue, right?" Brittany asked.

"Good point. But can Tina join?" Mike asked.

"That's fine with me. You two are pretty great dance partners." Santana smiled.

"Britt isn't dancing at all?" Tina was surprised.

"Nah, I wanna play guitar." Brittany shrugged, "I like to be well-rounded."

"We're in." Mike said "What's the song?"

"Can you believe they wouldn't let us join, but asked Mike and Tina?" Rachel scoffed as she turned down yet another suggestion "All this music SUCKS."

"Seriously, Rachel?" Quinn shook her head "There's great stuff here."

"Please, their voices or mediocre." Rachel huffed.

"So if you sing it, it'll be a million times better." Quinn knew exactly what to say.

"Good point. I can make anything sound good. There was one I could be okay with." Rachel admitted.

"Perfect." Quinn kissed her cheek as Rachel found the song.

Tina and Mike came back to the Lopez-Pierce house to practice out in the backyard. After indulging their interest in seeing Lord Tubbington, Domino, Uno and the ducks, they finally got to work. They'd seen Asher at school, though he still got some love too.

I'm just gonna stay high, I

Think I'm gonna be alright

Every day a little more alive

With all that I leave behind

Santana was still getting down the vocals and Brittany had a way to go on guitar. They wanted to get the beat down so Mike could get the dance figured out. They played the song through the speakers and with some help from Brittany they figured out a pretty good dance. With that under lock, Mike and Tina left to go work on it elsewhere while Brittany and Santana worked on their parts. It wasn't hard for Santana to find her way through the vocals, but Brittany was struggling.

"God, I just can't get it!" Brittany sighed, resisting the urge to smash her guitar to bits. Her electric wasn't particularly special in any way, but it wasn't something that was super affordable to replace.

"B" Santana said softly, setting the guitar aside "Relax. I believe in you. But if you stress out, you're right, you won't get it. Take a breath. Let's take it one chord at a time, okay?"

"Okay…" Brittany looked down and Santana sighed and tapped her chin, and the blonde looked up. She gave her soft kiss. "Okay,okay, I know you're right."

"Now show me." Santana watched as Brittany made her way through the chord progression. She caught the slip up before Brittany did. "Ah! There it is." Santana said "Here, play the chord alternately and it'll be easier." Santana modeled what she meant, and the next playthrough went much smoother. By Thursday they'd have it down. Brittany always picked songs up quickly, even if she had a few stumbles. They headed inside for a much needed break and found Alex and Parker playing video games together.

"They're so cute." Brittany said softly, "Almost as cute as us."

"Impossible." Santana grinned as they made their way up the stairs. They put Brittany guitar away and pulled out their homework. A break from music meant homework time, it was part of their rhythm. It worked really well. But Santana could sense that Brittany had a lot of pent up frustration. First there was the song and now she was grumbling about a math problem.

"Stupid word problems don't make any sense." she mumbled as she erased again.

"Babe?" Santana asked and Brittany looked up at her, a storm brewing in her eyes "What's wrong? You just said the S word. You hate that word."

"I just don't understand this math problem." Brittany showed her a word problem "Why are there words in math anyway?" Santana thought back to the music they'd printed for Brittany. She couldn't read sheet music perfectly yet so they usually printed the chord progression with the lyrics. Sometimes she had trouble because of her dyslexia. Usually she'd openly say something about it though. It also hadn't acted up in a long time. It only occasionally came up with some badly printed readings in English.

"Can you read the problem aloud? Sometimes that helps me process it." Santana advised.

"I…" Brittany stared at the page "No, I can't. And the chords were blurring earlier too. I couldn't read the lyrics to know where I was at."

"Your dyslexia hasn't acted up in a long time. What do you think happened?" Santana asked.

"I think I've been reading too much. I've been doing extra credit to make up for those assignments I never did. And for a couple tests I bombed." Brittany sighs "My eyes are tired."

"Well, I'll read the problem for you and you can do it from there okay?" Santana asks and Brittany nods. The blonde takes a short nap before dinner, after which she says she's going to take it easy on the reading. She knows too much can tire her out. Santana hopes that's all that's going on, but she has an inkling there's more to the story.

After dinner, Brittany goes back to their bedroom. Santana isn't sure whether to follow her or stay with everyone else and watch TV.

"Mija, what's wrong?" Ali asks as she helps Santana load the dishwasher, usually Brittany's job "Is Brittany not feeling well?"

"Her dyslexia was acting up pretty badly earlier. I think she's just tired." Santana shrugs.

"Did you ask her if she had any idea why it was acting up?" Ali questioned.

"Si Tia" Santana sighs "Es como sea. Estupida."

"Santana." Ali crosses her arms "It is not whatever, and it's certainly not stupid. You're obviously worried."

"No I'm not." Santana closes the dishwasher.

"Eschume!" Ali demands "You're not the only one worried. And I've told you to not lie about that."

"I don't want to talk about it, Tia. Brittany says she's tired. I'm trying to trust her." Santana insists.

"Have you spoken to Daniel?" Ali asks.

"Of course not. He's her father, not mine. I'm not going behind her back and tell him. That's her choice." Santana turns to go up the stairs "If you do, fine. Right now, I'm going to go take care of her." Santana storms up the stairs. She breeze into her room with a huff.

"Babe?" Brittany says "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Santana lies.

"Right…" Brittany says "You're always angry, right? Always storming around?"

"What? No." Santana sighs and sits down on the bed "Tia pissed me off."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to." Brittany assures "What happened?"

"She wanted to know if you were feeling alright. She doesn't believe your dyslexia is just overtiredness. I think she might talk to your dad." Santana admitted.

"You don't believe it's just tiredness either, I know. But I honestly don't know what it is. I wish I did." Brittany shakes her head "My head hurts."

"Lay down." Santana says "I'm not mad at you. You're trying your best to find an explanation. I appreciate that. Do you think maybe it's a different issue, maybe you need reading glasses too?"

"God I'd be such a nerd…" Brittany sighs "I'm not sure…I think talking to my dad is probably a good idea though."

"I'll make sure it happens then. Just rest." Santana kisses her forehead and goes downstairs to apologize to Ali. "Tia?" she knocks on the doorframe of her room and peaks her head in "Can I come in?"

"Si, Santanita." Ali closes the folder "What is it?"

"I wanted to apologize for getting angry. And I wanted to say I think it's important we talk to Daniel." Santana admitted.

"I'm sure Brittany was part of that decision, but Santana, I think you can figure it out. It's not the reading necessarily, it's the stress. When was the last time you saw Brittany relax for more than a few hours?" Ali asked.

"I want to say Valentine's day but that's off. Honestly, I don't actually remember." Santana sighed.

"Exactly. It's been a stressful start to the year, and that can make dyslexia much worse." Ali explained "She needs to relax. She's taking on too much."

"It's not exactly a good time for that, Tia. With Nationals on the horizon and finals too, there's not going to be a moment for that." Santana shook her head.

"Make it." Ali insisted "This weekend. I'm going to treat you two to a spa retreat. And you're going to relax."

"I appreciate that but Tia-" Santana started

"No buts. You're going. End of discussion." Ali says and Santana retreats back to her room. Brittany is laying there talking to Lady Domino.

"Hey" Santana says softly, announcing her presence so she doesn't accidentally eavesdrop.

"Hey, so is Ali still mad? Did you talk to my dad?" Brittany asked.

"Are you stressed?" Santana asked.

"Are you not?" Brittany countered.

"I mean sure, a bit, not alarmingly though." Santana shrugged, "Just pretty manageable."

"I wish mine was manageable. Between catch up work, Emmy, Alex, us, Rachel and Quinn, and Glee I feel like I haven't had a break all year." Brittany sighed.

"Ali noticed that too. Why haven't you been taking time for yourself? You know you're meant to." Santana asked.

"Trying to do that made me more stressed. What does this have to do with my dyslexia though?" Brittany asked.

"It can get worse in stressful conditions. Ali is sending us to the spa this weekend under strict orders to relax. And we can't argue so don't bother. It'll be good. We need to get away." Santana smiled.

"We do. I guess a little relaxation might help. In the meantime, I should probably get back to my after school meditations." Brittany agreed.

"Good plan." Santana kissed Brittany's cheek.

As the week went on, they made enough time for Glee, homework, and meditation. Brittany was already feeling quite a bit better and when they got up to perform Thursday, her change in attitude was evident.

I'm just gonna stay high, I

Think I'm gonna be alright

Every day a little more alive

With all that I leave behind

Know I'm gonna get there somehow

Take it all in and breathe out

I got everything I need now

Think I'm done looking down

Got my head In the clouds

It was impressively upbeat in comparison to a lot of their song choices. Mr.Schue put it on the shortlist for setlist options, which was all they really wanted. Friday after school, they packed up and headed to a hotel in Dayton for a weekend of pampering. It was just what they needed before getting down to the grit of Nationals and finals.

They checked in and found themselves in a very nice couples suite. There were roses on the nightstands one either side of the king bed, a big television with pay-per-view options, privacy curtains and the walls seemed to be reinforced with sound absorbers. They almost decided to christen the room and skip their evening dinner, but their stomachs were growling.

The restaurant was in the hotel and was just as fancy as Ali had forewarned. Good thing they heeded her warning and put on formal wear, otherwise they were afraid the matradee may have turned them away. They were treated to a superb surf and turf- the classic lobster and filet mignon- and the meal was ended with a decadent death-by-chocolate cake. They would definitely be working those calories off that night. Santana was sure every piece of that meal had secret aphrodisiacs in it, and was about to rip Brittany's clothes off at the table. They didn't have anything else scheduled for the night though, so it was no worry for them to head back to their room and christen the bed. Once Brittany got Santana calmed down from her initial need for release they slowed down from quick fucking to making love.

"I love you" Santana said dreamily, kissing along Brittany jaw and drawing lazy patterns on her abs "I'm so happy I found someone as amazing as you are."

"The feelings are" Brittany yelped as Santana nibbled on her earlobe "Exceptionally mutual. You're everything I ever wanted and needed in this world." Brittany snuck a hand down between them and slowly worked Santana up again.

"Mmm, Britt, it's my turn" Santna tried to move the blonds hand away, but was persistently denied. She eventually settled to just attempt to win the battle by sending Brittany off the edge first. When she ducked her head to suck on Brittany's nipples, she knew she had won. After a few glorious rounds, they put on the complimentary robes and went out on their balcony to look at the stars. They had an exceptional view. They traded astrology facts until sleep began to take hold and they climbed into bed, the relaxation already begun.

The next morning they had breakfast at the regular hotel buffet, which was much better quality than your usual complimentary breakfast. They were able to get omelets, something that Brittany absolutely adored. Paired with toast, they kept their breakfast a bit light after last night's dinner, especially knowing they had massages later that afternoon. In the meantime, they went to get mani-pedis. Neither of them ever did much to their nails, their fingers having uses that usually made the work a waste. Still, they both enjoyed their nails being given some color periodically. Brittany opted for rainbow, much to the chagrin of the workers who desperately wanted to do some fancy bejeweled design to compliment her long fingers. Brittany almost opted for the inherently obvious look of keeping only a couple fingers short, but that seemed to terrify the nail salon more. Santana went for a striking red, also keeping them short, but after Brittany's display no one was going to dare say a word to Santana. They let them do their toenails up fun though, both sporting little flowers on their big toes. After a quick lunch, it was time for their massages. Neither of them had ever had a professional massage before, and after getting over the initial fear of being nude save for their panties, they really enjoyed them. Apparently they both had a lot of tension in their shoulders. Santana swore they needed to take classes so they could have the same treatment from each other. Brittany knew it would just end with them pulling their muscles into painful configurations during sexy times.

The rest of the weekend they spent soaking in the jacuzzi, chatting with an older lesbian couple who was also on the retreat, and letting said incredibly cool couple sneak them a bottle of wine. It wasn't for them to drink though. It was a thank you gift for Ali. Both of them were on medications that restricted drinking, and they really weren't interested in finding out why. They got home shortly before dinner Sunday, and after scolding them, Ali was very thankful for the thoughtful gift. She had originally intended to go alone on the spa retreat herself, but she was glad the girls enjoyed it.

They weren't they only ones who got scolded that night though. Parker was over again, a common occurrence, and being the overly trusting parents they were, Ali and Daniel let them keep the door closed. Brittany went to say hello to Alex and yelped at what she saw when she opened the door.

"Holy shit, Britt! Ever heard of knocking?" Alex said. Parker immediately scurried into the closet, scared of what Brittany might do to them, but also because they could put some clothes on in peace.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Brittany asked, closing the door behind her. Maybe she saw something wrong. Maybe the adults didn't need to know.

"It's not what it looks like, honest…" Alex said "Parker, come on, stop hiding."

"I'd rather your sister not see me in the nude. I'm almost dressed." they said.

"Britt, please, just let us explain…" Alex threw a shirt on and pulled on a pair of sweats and boxers. "We weren't having sex."

"Well that's good to know, because that was what it looked like." Brittany crossed her arms "But I can't comprehend why else both of you, who are so self conscious about your body's betrayal, would be stark naked alone."

"It's complicated." Parker finally came out of their hiding spot "But look, I would never break Ali or Daniel's trust like that. Or yours."

"I can handle complicated, but I need an explanation." Brittany sighed.

"Right, well, it's sort of exactly what you said Britt." Alex said "We're really uncomfortable in our bodies and we thought, maybe, if we could let the person we trust most, someone who gets it, see, it might help? It might validate those scary feelings."

"And did that insane idea work?" Brittany tapped her foot.

"Well…no." Alex shrugged "I mean I've got my huge scar which Parker has only really seen on accident before, and you know they started hormone blockers before me and they're intersex and older so…"

"Basically you just gave each other gener envy?" Brittany raised an eyebrow.

"Damn, your sister is better at Trans lingo than you are, Lex." Parker chuckled.

"Are you both okay?" Brittany pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah. What you walked in on was us talking about what we were jealous of. It actually made it better in a weird way." Alex shrugged.

"Yeah, I think we both felt a lot more confident like we'd planned, it just took a roundabout way." Parker explained.

"Well, just, don't do it again. Super inappropriate. I don't need to remind you that dating is off limits. I'm gonna go now. If I hear of any funny business, you're dead Parker." Brittany left and proceeded to tell Santana. She had to tell someone.

"That was close." Parker breathed as they sat beside Alex on the bed.

"What do you mean, we didn't do anything wrong?" Alex said.

"No dating, remember? I think kissing, like we had been moments earlier, would've been a problem." Parker crossed their arms.

"Shit…but I don't want to stop kissing…" Alex sighed.

"We don't have to. We just have to be a bit more careful." Parker smirked and gave Alex a kiss.

They eventually got caught two days later. A family discussion ensued. It was decided that since stopping them was a losing battle an open-door policy was enacted. They could kiss in private but no PDA until the next school year. Alex would be 11 in September, and that's when Brittany had started dating. Another discussion would be held then.

Brittany was pissed. Alex and Parker had lied to her. She tore into Parker when she saw them next. When she finally calmed down from the betrayal, she was actually really happy. Just over protective.

Nationals were fast approaching and as predicted the judges wanted modern music. Anything released before 2000 was off limits. Still, it was important to them to send a message. As strong a message as some of the songs that Santana and Brittnay sometimes had, he was going for more empowerment. The setlist was set with

The Man by Taylor Swift

Believer by Imagine Dragons

Confident by Demi Lovato

The Man would be Quinn, Rachel and Santana singing, with backup from Mercedes and Tina. Brittany and Mike would do choreography that essentially showed her overpowering him.

Believer would be sung by Finn, Artie and Blaine. Sam, Mike and Kurt would be executing the choreography. Kurt would be breaking free from the two of them, proving there was more to being a man than football and muscles.

Confident would be a full group number with Mercedes featured. There wouldn't be any intense choreography.

It was going to be a lot of work, and Mike was definitely working the hardest, but they would get it there. These were great numbers that all said something different. They had a message to send.

They'd say I'd hustled, put in the work

They wouldn't shake their head and question how much of this I deserve

I know that glory don't come without…PAIN!

What's wrong with being confident?

Empowerment had been their goal, and they felt in their bones. They could see it in the crowd. They were fighting the system that tried to oppress them. They knew they didn't fit the mold, but who wanted to? This was their moment to prove they were worth something. And they did. A second National championship in a row. It wasn't that they had the most talented show choir. It was that they moved the judges. When you sang with passion, you were bound to win.

After Nationals, the school year started to wind down. The Lopez-Pierce family planned a much needed vacation. Parker and Nick's family were invited to come along as well, and they agreed. They were going to Disney World. It was something Daniel had also wanted to do with Alex and Brittany, and now he could. It was a dream come true for Brittany. Life was looking up as they passed their classes with flying colors.