It was two weeks before Rachel and Santana heard anything else from Alison. Sure they had been allowed to visit the girls in the home, but leaving them was just as hard each time. The twins always thought that they would get to go home, only to be super disappointed when that didn't happen. It was truly taking its toll on Rachel and Santana. They had both threw themselves into their work trying to get as much done as they could before Rachel's holiday break. Santana had had Artie post a final notice on her website that all orders after a certain date would not be completed until next year. She deserved a break just like anyone else, especially when Artie had already gathered a significant list of orders. If someone truly couldn't wait until next year for an original, there was an option to order a print of something that Santana had previously done. It was a courtesy that most people truly appreciated.
As the number of days left until the holiday's dwindled down, Rachel and Santana were beginning to lose hope of getting the girls before Thanksgiving. It wasn't until that Monday, the start of the holiday week that they finally received the phone call that they had been waiting on.
Santana stumbled around in the kitchen searching for her phone that she had left down stairs the night before. You would think she would learn to remember to bring it upstairs with her by now, but nope. The kitchen would always be her phones resting place.
"Hello?" Santana's voice was still groggy from sleep.
Santana...I have some news.
"Who is this?" Santana pulled her phone away from her ear, squinting at the screen.
It's Alison. Listen...you and Rachel...can come pick the girls up this morning.
"What...For the holiday or for good?" Santana wasn't sure she was hearing Alison correctly.
For good. As long as you don't miss the final hearing in the morning.
"RACHEL!" Santana screamed as she nearly dropped her phone and sprinted up the stairs. Rachel sat straight up in bed, looking around frantically. "Get up! We can go get our girls this morning!" Santana continued to yell as she thrust her phone into Rachel's face.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel grabbed the phone out of Santana's hand. "Alison what's going on?"
Alison laughed a little before responding. You and Santana are free to pick up the girls this morning. Their final adoption hearing is in the morning, it's time.
"OH MY GOSH" Rachel screamed and tossed the phone down on the bed before jumping into Santana's arms. "It's happening, it's finally happening. They're going to be ours, officially!"
"I know!" Santana began to laugh and cry at the same time, completely forgetting about Alison still on the phone.
Alison sat in her office smiling, listening to the two women celebrate. She decided that she would just call them back later with some more details about what was happening in the morning. For now, they could have their moment with each other. Next, she had to call the home and make sure that the twins would be ready to go for whenever the women made it out there. Alison knew for a fact that they would be there sooner rather than later.
Santana and Rachel wasted no time is getting themselves ready to head to the home. Alison had called back and explained that the home knew they were coming and that she and Mercedes would meet them there. They had to sign off on the girls files that they were being released into the custody of Santana and Rachel. She had also explained on the phone that they had to be at the court house in St. Lawrence at eight sharp in the morning. The hearing would be so that the judge could sign off on the papers and everyone could sign the girls new amended birth certificates. They were able to avoid some of the hearings that some adoptive parents go through because the girls birth mother had signed her rights away officially not long after the incident at the home had occurred. Santana and Rachel were just happy that this wasn't going to take much longer and they could officially be a little family.
As the women once again found themselves standing in the lobby of the home, they basked in the feeling that this would be the last time they would ever be here for this reason. As they had stated before they had plans to always be involved in some way with the home, maybe they could help out with something for Christmas in particular this year. Christmas..the wedding! The girls would be home for all of this now, they were going to have to call Kurt and let him know that the girls would be needing flower girl dresses. Beth was going to be a flower girl but changed her mind when Santana asked if she would be one of her and Rachel's brides maids. Quinn and Tina were the Maid of Honors, while Kurt was going to stand up with Rachel as her unofficial brides maid and lastly Sierra and Samara would stand on the alter one step down from Rachel and Santana.
As Rachel and Santana sat waiting for, they assumed Stephanie, to bring the girls out; Agetha and Chloe approached them. The two women had tears in their eyes, they knew the moment had arrived and they were here to send two of their most precious tots off into a new world. When they had came up with the idea to ask for Santana's help with the home, they never imagined that any of this would happen. It was inevitable though, you don't come into the St. Lawrence Children's Home and not fall in love with the children.
"You two are going to be amazing mothers." Agetha stood in front of Rachel and Santana with her hands clasped under her chin. "Every child in this home deserves the world and you two are exactly that for those little girls."
"We actually came out here to get you. The girls are in the dining hall with everyone else." Chloe wiped her eyes with a tissue that she had been carrying in her fist.
Santana and Rachel shared a look with one another before they stood and was lead out of a side door and across the way and into the dining hall. All of the children were in there having breakfast, Sierra and Samara standing out as everyone seemed to be hovering around them.
"Whenever one or more of the children leave the home, we kind of like to through them a little celebration. Since the girls are leaving on such short notice, we couldn't do much. But they have had cupcakes already, courtesy of one of the chefs." Chloe giggled behind her hand. She wasn't going to give away who had made the cupcakes for the girls, Santana and Rachel didn't need to know.
Santana and Rachel were busy looking around the room at the paper streamers and many colorful drawings. This was for their girls, they were definitely going to have to do something bigger for their welcome home party or maybe plan something like a giant day out for the entire home. It would be amazing and the girls would get to see their friends.
"Ms. Santana! Ms. Rachel! You here to finally take your babies home?" Benton screamed as he tore through the crowd of kids.
"We are!" Santana laughed as she scooped the little blonde into her arms so that he wouldn't crash into their legs. There was no denying that Benton had had his share of cupcake this morning, blue icing evident around his lips.
"Me get to go home soon too!" Benton proclaimed proudly pointing at his chest.
"Really?" Rachel asked with true and genuine excitement.
"Yeah! Steph's gonna be my Mama!" Benton was smiling from ear to ear, truly happy about what was happening.
"His lawyer was finally able to track down his biological father and get him to sign over his rights." Stephanie spoke as she walked up behind Santana, Rachel and Benton. It had been a long battle during the process of trying to adopt Benton and hers too was finally almost over.
"Congratulations!" Rachel squealed as she pulled Stephanie into a tight hug. Today just kept getting better and better for everyone.
"Thank you. You two should go see your girls, while I take this one to get cleaned up. We have a meeting with his social worker soon." Stephanie waited with open arms as Santana passed Benton over who immediately wrapped his arms around Stephanie's neck. You could see the contentment written all over his face as he snuggled his head into her neck and gave a shy wave over her shoulder as they left the room.
"Let's go see our girls." Santana turned to Rachel with a smile only to be met with emptiness. Turns out Rachel was already ahead of Santana.
After greeting the girls and then making the rounds seeing everyone, the twins were on their way back to the nursery. Santana carried a hyped up on sugar Sierra, while Rachel walked along side Samara. The girls had squealed with delight when they had seen their mother's through the crowd of people in the dining hall. All of the homes volunteers were there, along with the regular workers, to say goodbye to the girls. It was truly a special moment. Even though Agetha and Chloe claimed that this was all last minute, everyone had went out of their way to see the girls one more time before they left. The older kids stopped to give hugs in the hallways and some of the volunteers who had been out of the dining hall did as well.
Once inside the nursery, Rachel and Santana couldn't help but to look around the room. This was going to be the last time they would ever be in this room with the girls in this way. Every time from here on out, they would just be visiting. It was very easy to feel overwhelmed, the girls however, were busy trying to see what was going on with Benton. Speaking of...
"What's going on?" Rachel asked in concern as she looked at the the forms of Stephanie cradling a sobbing Benton to her chest.
"Someone." Stephanie glanced down at Benton. "Is being hit with the reality of what is going on today. So he's a little upset."
"Dey my best fwiends." Benton hiccuped, continuing to cry.
"I know they are buddy, but they can't stay here forever, just like you can't stay here forever either. They get to go home with their Mama's and soon you will get to go home with me." Stephanie was trying her best to get Benton to understand that even if the girls were leaving, they wouldn't just stop being his best friends.
"Yeah, we know they're your best friends too and we would never take them away from you like that." Santana squatted down on the balls of her feet in front of Stephanie and wrapped her arms around the girl's waists. "We promise that we will bring them to visit and then when you go home with Steph, we can do even more fun stuff together. Would that be okay?"
"You pwomise?" Benton asked hesitantly.
"We promise. I will even show you my tree house when you come visit us." Santana's eyes went big with excitement as did Benton's. He had always wanted to see a tree house!
"Ms. Santana has a tree house?! Woah! I guess it's okay for dem to go wit you den. Dey should see the tree house too." Benton nodded his head as if the tree house was the deciding factor in all of this. Stephanie smiled in gratefulness that Santana had helped Benton to not be so upset. At least that was one crisis adverted for the day.
"I guess, you two are here to pick up the girls stuff?" Stephanie asked looking back and forth between the women.
"We are, we would love to spend the entire day here, but we know that you all have stuff you need to do today too." Rachel explained.
"Really. It's going to be a long day." Stephanie sighed. First she had the meeting with Benton and his social worker and then so many of the kids were behind in their schooling because of the move and they were desperately trying to plat catch up whenever they could. "The girls things are already packed." Stephanie stood and walked over to what used to be Sierra's bed. On it sat a little suitcase and the girls backpack. Rachel walked over and picked up the items as Santana instructed the girls to give Benton and Stephanie hugs with promises again to Benton that they would visit soon and that they would make sure that the girls didn't forget him.
With that they left the nursery and headed towards the office lobby. It was finally over. Their little family was complete and a new chapter in their lives was about to begin. When the women made it to the lobby they were greeted with cheers and applause as Mercedes and Alison signed off on the papers that officially released the girls from the home into the custody of Santana and Rachel. The little family smiled as cameras began to flash all around. Santana acquainted it to being swarmed by the paparazzi and really, it was very similar, but she would do this a thousand times over for her girls.
"Let's go home, love." Rachel smiled before puckering her lips at Santana, asking for a kiss. Santana immediately obliged and grabbed the suitcase off the floor before adjusting the girls backpack onto Samara's back. The little girl done a little happy dance that she was the one carrying the back pack, while Sierra just wanted to be in her Mami's arms. All of these people at once where scaring her.
"Home it is." Santana nodded her head before giving an over the shoulder wave to everyone standing in the lobby. It was definitely time to go home.