Xoxoxoxoxo
A/N: Part 4 of the Lima break.
Pretty sure this is winding down. Last chapter for Lima, one or two chapters for Hawaii, one for New York.
Unless, of course, Brittany & Santana have other plans.
You just never know.
xoxoxoxoxo
Chapter 34 – Lima
The remainder of the holidays were a blur of activity; Courtney had choir and band concerts, there was baking and shopping, wrapping and caroling.
Every year on the fourteenth, the Pierces went to the mall and took four families (one for each of them) off the "Giving Tree" and went shopping. This year, they added a fifth (for Santana).
The Pierces, while not as well off as the Lopezes, were affluent. David and Susan had both come from rather well-to-do families and had impressed upon their five children (Whitney was the youngest) that not everyone was as fortunate as they were. The Janssens started the tradition when their children were still young and all five of their children continued the tradition when they started their own families.
It was one of the things Brittany most looked forward to every year. She always took her time choosing her family, wanting to make sure no one was forgotten; everyone liked buying for the little ones, they were easy. Brittany looked for the teenagers and the tweenagers; the "forgotten" kids.
After choosing their families and shopping for them, Whitney added a two hundred dollar gift card for a local supermarket to each box for those families to be able to buy what they needed.
Xoxoxoxoxo
Christmas Eve was always a quiet affair with just the Pierce family and Santana.
Christmas Day made up for it.
Once again, the Pierce household was a revolving door of people coming and going. Food, drink, laughter were the order of the day. Pierce and Sondra spent the day but David and Susan had four other children (and eleven other grandchildren) to visit.
Everyone who stopped by got a keychain or bookmark from Brittany's stash. The bigger items were saved for close family and friends.
By the end of the day, Santana was exhausted. She was fast coming to realize that her 'not being a people person' went beyond thinking people suck and that, maybe, she was an introvert. Brittany thrived on social interaction but it just seemed to drain Santana and she needed a couple of days after the holiday to recoup.
Thankfully there were six days between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Xoxoxoxoxo
When New Year's Eve finally arrived, Santana was SO ready to get the hell out of Lima.
They had gotten together with the OG members at BreadStiX for dinner one night (which was one night too many for Santana – although she did enjoy seeing Mercedes, Mike, Puck, and Quinn) and Brittany had invited them all to the Pierce's New Year's Eve party.
Santana was less than thrilled but sucked it up. Two more days and she'd be on a beach in Hawaii with a scantily clad Brittany. That thought alone kept her going through most of the party.
It was five to midnight and Santana was looking for Brittany. She wanted her New Year's Midnight Kiss, dammit!
Three minutes later, strong arms wrapped around her waist.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find you before midnight?" A soft voice whispered in her ear.
Santana turned in Brittany's arms, smiling brightly.
"I was hoping you would," she slid her arms around Brittany's neck and Brittany's hands fell to Santana's hips.
As the countdown began, they were lost in each other's eyes.
"5"
Brittany leaned down and met Santana's lips in a soft, slow, sensual kiss.
"4"
Their lips slid together, locked perfectly.
"3"
"2"
Santana slid her tongue along Brittany's bottom lip and was granted access.
"1"
Amid the noise and the "Happy New Year"s, they only knew each other. A perfect ending and a perfect beginning.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
It was just before one and the party was still in full swing. Santana's head was pounding and she was exhausted. She just … people.
She walked down the hall to the bathroom and took two ibuprofen, took her contacts out, put her glasses on, and brushed her teeth. She poked her head out of the bathroom to make sure no one was looking then slipped quietly into her and Brittany's bedroom.
Changing into a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants, she climbed into bed intent on reading for a little while. She just needed some peace and quiet and to not be surrounded by people.
Xoxoxoxoxo
At two, Brittany realized she hadn't seen Santana in awhile. She wandered down the hall; the bathroom door was open and the light was off so she poked her head into their bedroom and smiled at the sight before her.
Santana was sound asleep; sitting up, glasses on, tablet in her hand – the screen dark.
She quietly removed the tablet and Santana's glasses and gently moved Santana into a better sleeping position.
"Britt?" Her voice heavy with sleep, eyes still closed.
"Shhh … go back to sleep, honey, I'll be in soon."
" 'kay."
She was asleep again before Brittany reached the door and turned out the light.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
On January second, Maribel picked the girls up at three-thirty in the morning and drove them to the Columbus airport.
She hugged them goodbye and wished them a safe trip and made Brittany promise to make Santana call her.
Brittany laughed at Santana's pout and promised Maribel that Santana would call.
Then they were on their way to sun and surf for the next almost four months.