''That was fast.'' Santana breaths out chuckling as she watches her wife walk out into the backyard to join them around the fire pit, Brittany nods her head as she sits down beside her and chuckles.
''They didn't even make it through one minute of singing.'' She thanks her as she holds a bottle of beer out for her noticing Nicolas holding the same one and turns to Ashlynn, she frowns slightly as she notices her nervously playing with the watch Nicolas wears and clears her throat to gently call her attention. ''You know that you don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to right?'' She asks as soon as Ashlynn looks up.
''I know.'' Ashlynn breaths out with a small nervous grin. ''But after dinner, I know I have to.''
''You don…''
''I have to because I was quite distant.'' Ashlynn continues cutting Santana's protest off. ''Can you please let me talk? I don't think I can continue the second one of you asks something.''
Brittany just nods her head intertwining her hand with Santana's feeling that they both will hate what is coming and takes a sip of her beer, she watches Nicolas wrap his arms around Ashlynn after adjusting their position and gently runs her thumb over the back of Santana's hand as they both lean back watching the teens.
''Okay.'' Ashlynn starts after a shaky exhale. ''I have no fucking idea where to start.''
''Whatever you want to tell babe.'' Nicolas murmurs calmly as he soothingly runs his hand over her arm.
Ashlynn nods her head and gulps thickly. ''Alright, let's start with..'' She glances at her boyfriends parents and licks her lips as they just smile comfortingly, she takes a deep calming breath and gazes at the fire again. ''Let's start with that my parents never even wanted children.''
''Or well, I am the result of two people cheating on their spouses.'' She corrects with a shake of her head. ''My dad is the pastor of the westwood hill christian church, my mom was or is the boss of the cleaning service that cleans the church and other properties belonging to it.''
She cracks a grin as she watches their eyebrows raise in surprise and nods her head. ''I grew up with bible stories no matter what time of the day it was, they also tried to force the homophobic slurs down my throat but I was and still am a firm believer of the love is love community.''
''Hell I watched the both of you together and see more love than I ever saw from any couple joining the church.'' She adds through a soft scoff. ''Anyways.'' She continues as Brittany just smiles slightly. ''My mother fell pregnant after the first time they slept together and her best friend was my dad's then wife, she found out quite quickly and threw him out of their shared property threatening to make a shit show of it if he didn't sign the divorce papers and handed over half his money.''
''My father went from a wife who had everything and in laws owning one of the biggest and most successful factories to a wife who earns money from him and in laws that come over twice a month to beg for money.''
''Their first thought was abortion but I think you all know that god is against that.'' She continues, she smiles sadly as they just hum and shrug. ''So they were forced to keep me because my grandfather, fathers side forced him to marry my mother and well..''
Brittany pulls Santana in her arms instead of just holding her hand and locks eyes with Nicolas, she kisses Santana's temple as he just smiles sadly knowing immediately what is about to come and takes a sip of her beer to keep herself from butting in knowing Santana is biting her tongue too.
''When I was little they had to do things with me, or send me to other people so I didn't annoy them.'' Ashlynn continues not noticing the two adults holding tightly onto each others hands to calm down. ''The second I turned old enough to take care of myself they immediately dropped that little bit of care they acted to have, now I am more like a maid hence the frowning and glaring at my phone I did today.''
''What did they text you?'' Santana asks carefully.
''My mother is bugging me telling me I need to come home because friends are coming over and she wants to play the perfect family.'' Ashlynn scoffs out. ''Bitch didn't even notice that I wasn't home the past four days.''
''But you told them right?'' Brittany asks with an eyebrow raised, Ashlynn nods her head and sighs sadly.
''Yeah and my father was more than happy to have the house to himself after seventeen years, if it wasn't for me still being underage, they would have kicked me out years ago.'' Ashlynn breaths out. ''They only use me from time to time to show off, but the second everyone left they treat me like garbage.''
''If I am already being honest.'' She continues her voice cracking. ''I think this is the first time I have two adults, aside from my coach that actually care about my well being.'' She glances at her boyfriend and smiles sadly. ''That is why Nic and I also hangout outside or at your house, I don't want them to treat him like shit.''
''I can handle them for a few more years and the punishment they come up with is a joke.''
Brittany locks eyes with her and smiles sadly. ''You know that you don't have to act strong now right?'' She asks gently as she slowly stands up, she walks around the fire as Ashlynn just shrugs and crouches down in front of her. ''I think you bottled your emotions up enough Ash, the defensive mechanic you trained yourself to do during sleep also tells me more is going on.''
''How do you know?'' Ashlynn asks harshly, her eyes widen as she feels her boyfriend tense and gulps thickly. ''Britt…''
''Because I trained myself to do the same damn thing during my younger years.'' Brittany just replies as they lock eyes, her eyes telling reassuring Ashlynn that she isn't mad that she reacted like that. ''I know why I trained myself to do it, but I would like to know why you train yourself to do it.''
''They often throw parties where they get drunk and aggressive.'' Ashlynn whispers as she looks down at her lap. ''And their friends love to ogle as soon as they downed the first shot.''
''Did they…''
She shakes her head cutting Santana's question off and turns to her not noticing Brittany's eyes darken, she smiles sadly as she notices the concern on her features and sighs. ''I always lock my door and when I have a bad feeling I climb out of my window and spend the night in a tree house I found in the woods a few years back.''
''Please do me a favor and just come to us next time.'' Brittany tells her softly. ''Don't crash in the woods or walk through the night, LA isn't exactly the safest city around.''
''How often does that happen?'' Santana asks as she joins her wife in front of Ashlynn.
''Every weekend, I mostly stay in my room if I don't have a match but if I do have one I leave so I can get some rest.'' Ashlynn breaths out. ''I also keep everything I own in my room and carry most of it around because I know they would steal that bit of money I earn.''
''You don't have a bank account?'' Brittany asks, she sighs as Ashlynn shakes her head and glances at her wife.
''Britt and I have a separate account that we used before we married, we don't use it anymore.'' Santana breaths out immediately knowing what that one look from her wife means. ''You can have that one so your money is safe.''
''Oh no, I can't ask..''
''You don't ask, we just offer.'' Brittany breaths out as they lock eyes. ''You work hard for your money and we won't allow your parents to steal that from you Ash, did they ever touch you in any way?''
''Babe.'' Nicolas whispers as his girlfriend shakes her head, he looks up at his moms as he feels her tense and gulps thickly. ''They hit her whenever she argues with them.''
Santana plants her hand on Brittany's shoulder as she hears her low growl and gulps thickly. ''Ash.'' She murmurs as she watches the girl looking down at her hands in shame. ''Talk to us honey.''
''There is a reason behind me wearing a bathing suit and not a bikini.'' Ashlynn croaks out, she looks up, gulping thickly as a pair of brown orbs filled with concern and a pair of blue orbs filled with the same rage she saw in her boyfriends eyes the day he found out gaze back at her and turns around.
She locks eyes with Nicolas, slightly nodding her head and just drops her head against her shoulder as she feels his fingers grasp the hem of the shirt she wears. Brittany breaths deeply through her nose as she sees the red prints of a belt, she stands up as she sees how red they are and locks eyes with Nicolas. ''I will grab the ointment.''
Santana just watches her wife walk into the house knowing she will need a minute to gather herself and scoots closer, she gently runs her fingers over Ashlynn's back, sighing sadly as she flinches and shakes her head. ''When did this happen?''
''The day before I came over to spend the night with you.'' Ashlynn whispers keeping her head leaned against Nic's shoulder. ''They needed money and I didn't give them any, so they blamed me for them needing so much.''
''I hope you know that is bullshit?'' Brittany asks as she walks back out. ''They are your parents, they need to be there to make sure you are covered on all bases.'' She continues as she joins her wife again, she shakes her head as she notices the redness on Ashlynn's back and gulps thickly. ''This will hurt a bit Ash, but it will make sure the wounds on your back won't infect.''
''I know it is, but not all parents are like you and Santana are.'' Ashlynn hisses out as she feels cool fingers rub her back in with stinging ointment.
''Believe me, I know.'' Brittany breaths out. ''But as a child or teen you think you have no leg to stand on, which is not true.''
''The only chance I see is going to the police and allow child protective service to take me away from here.'' Ashlynn grunts through the pain. ''Not happening, I don't want to love everything I love so please..''
She turns her head and sniffles. ''Please don't tell anyone.''
Brittany pinches the bridge of her nose after closing the ointment and sighs. ''We won't, I promise.''
''Will you promise us something too?'' Santana asks, she grabs Ashlynn's hand gently tugging her closer and pulls her in a hug. ''Please don't walk around LA in the middle of the night, just come over to us no matter what time it is?''
''You will never be a burden Ashlynn.'' Brittany adds as Ashlynn nervously bites her lip. ''I can only imagine what kind of shit they throw at your head, but I can assure you that ninety-nine percent of it is bullshit.''
''How do you know?'' Ashlynn asks her voice cracking.
''They tell you every chance they get that you ruined their lives.'' Brittany breaths out. ''That you are the reason behind whatever goes wrong and that their lives before you came was better.''
She smiles sadly as Ashlynn looks at her in surprise and shrugs. ''My little sister and I had to hear the same things day in and out whenever our birth demons were around.'' She explains feeling Santana's hand on the small of her back.
''Honestly if they hadn't fucked around and cheated on their significant others nothing would have happened, so they are to blame and they can't let it out on their flesh and blood.'' She continues. ''If anything they can be blessed with such a talented daughter, with a daughter that focuses on school and her future instead of parties and screwing her life up.''
''But.'' She continues. ''That if they hadn't done that, you wouldn't have been born and I think I speak for the three of us and for the twins that we are insanely happy to have you in our lives Ash.''
''I know your little sister passed away and that you protected her for your parents, but how did you protect yourself from their harsh words?'' Ashlynn asks in a small voice, Brittany leans back into Santana's hold as she feels her immediately slide behind her and blows out a breath.
''With things I hope you will never touch.'' She replies honestly. ''I didn't have the dream of playing soccer back then but the second I started playing, I focused on that and worked my ass off to go to a college back in the States and take my life back in my own hands.''
''Did they ever change?'' Ashlynn asks softly.
''For the worse yes.'' Brittany breaths out.
''They tried to kill mommy a few years back.'' Nicolas growls out as Ashlynn frowns in confusion.
''They what?!''
''I am sure you read about the fire in her old restaurant that caused someone's life?'' Santana asks, she tightens her hold around her wife's waist as Ashlynn slowly nods her head and gulps thickly. ''They set the fire making sure it was in the office, thinking Brittany was in there but they didn't know that she was at home and only works from home since the twins were born.''
''Where are they now?'' Ashlynn asks with wide eyes.
''In jail for life.'' Brittany reassures. ''They tried to contact me once but quickly learned from it the second it added one more year on top of their sentence, I lived my whole life without loving parents and I never needed them..''
She glances at her wife and smiles. ''Everything I have now, my wife, my sons and career is everything I worked hard for without their help.'' She glances at Nicolas and smiles. ''I grounded my own loving family with my wife and after meeting Puck, Santana and Q, I have a big loving family, a family that will walk through fire for me like I will walk through it for them.''
''How can you talk so easily about all of this?'' Ashlynn asks softly. ''I feel nothing but hate for them and could never talk without getting angry.''
Brittany nods her head to Santana and smiles slightly. ''Because Santana holds me, I feel nothing but hate for my parents either.'' She breaths out. ''Hell if it wasn't for her and for my sons, I would have gone to their trial and would have probably landed behind bars too.''
''But hurting them won't stop the pain we feel.'' She adds, sighing softly. ''We hurt them more by showing them that we don't need them, that we can live our lives successfully without them being a part of it.''
''And you do.'' Santana breaths out locking eyes with Ashlynn. ''You are a straight A student, a soccer player with a bright future and an amazing young woman Ash.''
''You are everything they are not and that is what pissing them off.'' Nicolas murmurs after he kissed his girlfriends shoulder. ''And I am so incredibly proud to see you kick ass in everything you do babe, you don't need those assholes, you only need the will to kick ass in life and you have that.''
Brittany smiles lovingly as she watches Ashlynn turn in Nicolas's hold after his soft shooting words and turns around to look at her wife, she drops her head against her shoulder after Santana tugged her closer and wraps her arms around her waist with a yawn.
''Talk in bed?'' Santana asks softly as she feels her wife relax, she kisses the top of her head after she felt her nod and turns to the two teens. ''She will be fine right?''
''She will be more than fine and she knows she can come to us whenever she needs help.'' Brittany murmurs. ''It won't be easy, but she will kick ass love.''
Santana nods her head, locking eyes with her son as Ashlynn cuddles in his arms and just winks as his eyes slight down to Brittany in concern. She glances at her watch and sighs. ''I don't know how you all feel, but I would love some sugar.''
Nicolas giggles as Ashlynn perks up and kisses her temple. ''Smores baby?''
Brittany slowly sits up as she hears Ashlynn hum and chuckles. ''I will grab another round of drinks for us.''
''I will help you mommy.'' Nicolas breaths out as he stands up, Santana watches them walk into the house and turns to Ashlynn.
She stands up as she notices her fidgeting with her hands and crouches down in front of her, she tugs her in a hug right after she nervously looked up and kisses the side of her head. ''I know how much courage it took to open up Ash, thank you for thrusting us.''
''No thank you for thrusting me with Nic's heart.'' Ashlynn whispers. ''I promise that I will never hurt him Santana.''
''We know.'' Santana reassures her softly. ''Your parents don't define you honey, the person you are now is all thanks to the things you decide to do and you are an amazing young woman keep on doing what you do now Ash because you will make so many people proud.''
''You don't even know how much hearing this from you, means to me.'' Ashlynn whispers as she wraps her arms tightly around Santana's waist.''Thank you.''
''You don't have to thank us at all Ash.'' Santana murmurs as she rubs her back, she slides to sit beside her as she hears her wife walk back out with Nicolas and rubs her arm after wrapping her arm around Ashlynn's waist.
She smiles as she watches her wife prepare a couple of smores with Nicolas's help and glances at Ashlynn, she rubs her arm as she notices the big grin form on her lips and sighs inwardly in relief knowing the girl will fight hard to continue the path she created for herself.