A/N: I'm still trying to decide how much I want to write about this camping trip, here's a little taste. The sexy times at the beginning of the chapter are for you May!

Enjoy ; )


Santana now had another reason to hate camping; the packing. The day before they were set to leave for the camp site, she and Brittany sat in their living room, which was scattered with different camping supplies, trying to go through the check list Pierce was reading out to them. The list seemed to be endless and it was making Santana regret agreeing to this more and more with every new item.

"I brought my tool-kit, I have to remember to put that in the van."

Brittany and Santana looked at each other.

"Dad," Brittany said, "what could you possible need your tool-kit for?"

"Oh you never know what you'll need out there Britt-Bee." He said sagely. "A hammer for the tent stakes, duct tape, extra cord, an axe-"

"An Axe?" Santana exclaimed.

"For firewood." Pierce chuckled.

"Okay." Santana held up a hand. "We are not cutting our own firewood."

He smiled, looking back down at his list.

"You have a cooler yes?"

"Yeah." Brittany said. "And Noah is bringing one as well."

"Good." Pierce nodded. "And cups, plates, cutlery?"

"Packed into a basket…." Santana looked around the cluttered living room. "Somewhere."

"Okay well, we'll be going through the list again as we put everything into the van so we'll find it. As long as you're sure it was packed."

"Yeah." Santana nodded. "Susan and my mum did it."

"Excellent, then I know that's handled. Did you decide on a grill?"

"Yeah Noah insisted it was a necessity." Santana laughed. "So that's going in his car."

Pierce lowered his list. "Noah is coming here right? Because if we start trying to pass by his house unloading into his car we'll not only be late but we might lose track of things."

"He's coming here." Brittany confirmed.

"In time?"

"In time?" Santana asked.

"We're leaving here at five, so he better be here in good time."

"We'll tell him to come at four."

"Okay." Pierce lifted the list back up. "I have all the fishing gear…" He mumbled to himself.

"Dad." Brittany said, standing up. "We've been at this all day. We went through that list when you were telling us what to buy, and we're going to go through it again tomorrow morning as we put everything in the car, do we really need to do this now?"

Pierce looked longingly at his list but eventually shook his head.

"I guess….not."

"Thank god." Santana sighed, getting up as well. "I need to soak in the bath or something."

"You're last chance for the next five days." Pierce teased.

"Don't remind me." Santana groaned. She was not looking forward to this trip, and she thought she would be by now. She'd had almost a month to get over her hatred of the outdoors and find something positive to be excited about, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't think of anything but the bugs and the cold, and the hard forest floor and the lack of Wi-Fi. For a few hours, she was sure it would be cute to watch her kids running around in the woods, but then what? She didn't want to go on hikes or fishing or swimming in a dirty lake with god-knows what in there. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because we love our son." Brittany said, placing her hand on the small of her back.

Mateo was so excited about the camping trip that he could barely get to sleep most days. He talked endlessly about what he wanted to do on each day, and spent hours outside with Pierce and Stephen learning to put up a tent and cast a fishing line. They'd bought him hiking boots on his birthday and he'd worn them everyday in the two weeks since. It was almost worth the bugs and the cold and the hard forest floor.

"Mmh" Was all Santana could say. "Anyway let me go enjoy my last few moments of luxury."

"You do that dear." Pierce chuckled.

She began to carefully manoeuvre her way through the living room, trying not to slip on the sleeping bags and poles and torches strewn about. When she finally got to the stairs, she was surprised to see Brittany right behind her.

"I need to get something." Brittany said by way of an explanation, but there was a look in her eyes that Santana was all too familiar with. She glanced at Pierce, who was once again bent over his check-list, flipping open one of the bags on the couch to check its contents.

"Okay." Santana said, looking back at Brittany. Pierce didn't seem to notice them leaving.

As soon as they got into their room, Brittany was shoving Santana against it. Santana let out a quiet gasp, a smirk playing at her lips.

"Did you just realise we won't have the privacy to do this for the next week?" She asked, her hands finding Brittany's hips.

"No." Brittany said, slipping her hand up Santana's shirt. Santana hissed as she roughly cupped her breasts. "I have a promise to keep." Brittany pushed harder into her, a leg pushing in between Santana's and creating delicious pressure.

"And what's that?" Santana struggled to ask, heat streaking through her.

Her bra was roughly pushed up, Brittany's fingers pinching teasingly at her nipples. Santana couldn't fight the moan even if she tried. She threw her head back against the door, her hands gripping Brittany's hips tighter.

Brittany kissed Santana hard, capturing her bottom lip and sucking hard. All Santana could do was hold on, feeling her hips grind down onto Brittany's thigh. She felt herself getting more and more turned on as Brittany pushed her tongue into her mouth, exploring, pressing closer, driving her crazy. Her fingers were still tugging at her nipples, rolling them, pinching them, reducing Santana to a whimpering mess. Brittany was breathing heavily, her breath washing over Santana's face, but she didn't slow down the kiss. One of her hands made its way into Santana's hair, tangling in it and using it to guide Santana through the kiss. Her teeth nipped just slightly painfully at Santana's lip, making Santana's hips jump, before she was sucking on Santana's tongue. Santana moaned, arching her back off the door, pushing her breasts further into Brittany's hands. Brittany kissed her until Santana's brain was blissfully empty, filled with nothing but how good she felt. It took Santana several seconds to even realise when Brittany had stopped kissing her, hovering inches away from her face.

She opened her eyes slowly, chest heaving, heart pounding, to find Brittany staring intensely at her, with sharp blue eyes.

"To erase the memory of his lips on yours."

Santana frowned, for a moment having no idea what Brittany was talking about, and then it came back to her. Malek. The night Quinn had almost died….returning home in the early morning and Brittany's promise to wipe the memory of his stolen kiss from both their minds.

The smirk returned to Santana's lips as she pulled Brittany's hips against her.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, voice deep and sultry. Brittany swallowed, her eyes flicking to Santana's lips as she nodded. She removed one hand from Santana's shirt, gently tracing her thumb over Santana's bottom lip.

"Maybe then you'll remember whose lips these are."

Arousal so powerful if felt like a shock of electricity shot straight from Santana's stomach to her clit, making her shiver. She snaked her tongue out, licking Brittany's thumb, then she opened her mouth and took the finger into it. Brittany bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes darkening with lust as she watched her finger disappear into Santana's mouth. The hand that was still on Santana's breast squeezed. Santana moaned around the finger.

"Fuck." Brittany breathed. She pulled her finger out and replaced it with her lips, kissing Santana hungrily.

Santana had no doubt that by the time Brittany was done with her she wouldn't even remember who Malek was.


Brittany was quickly losing herself to the feel and taste and smell of Santana. She'd had a plan, to take this slow and draw it out until Santana was begging, but now she was thinking that wasn't the right way to do this. They hadn't had sex for about a month, since Santana had spent the day in the office with her, so they were both tightly wound and hyper sensitive. She wouldn't be able to concentrate on her task if she was also being clouded by lust. So she decided to change tactics.

Santana was already grinding against her leg, so this wasn't going to take long. She slid her hand around Santana's torso, easily unclipping her bra, then with both hands she tugged at the hem of Santana's shirt. Santana lifted her hands over her head and Brittany pulled her shirt off. The bra followed quickly. Pushing her tongue against Santana's, Brittany let her hands roam the free expanse of skin before her, marveling at how soft and warm it was. She moved her hands forward, feeling the dips of Santana's ribs, then down over her toned stomach until she reached the button on Santana's jeans.

Santana's hips stilled, squirming slightly in anticipation but otherwise holding steady as the back of Brittany's hands pressed into her stomach. Her hands moved to wrap around Brittany's neck, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Brittany didn't hesitate to undo the button and draw down the zip. With the extra space she slid her hands into Santana's jeans, following the line of her underwear round to her ass, which she then cupped fully. Santana groaned into her mouth, lifting up slightly on her toes.

For a second Brittany debated whether or not to move to the bed, but ultimately she decided she, and by the way Santana was sucking her tongue, Santana, couldn't wait. She hastily pushed Santana's jeans and underwear down, Santana helpfully lifting her legs to get them off, never once letting her lips leave Santana's. When the last of Santana's clothes were off, Brittany hooked her hand under Santana's knee, pulling the leg up until it wrapped around her waist. She fit herself between Santana's legs, pressing her front firmly against Santana's and feeling her heat even though she herself was still fully dressed.

Her one hand went back to knead Santana's breast, while the other gripped firmly to her ass. Santana's hand snaked up into Brittany's hair, tangling with the baby hairs, tickling her scalp. When she dragged her nail over Santana's nipple, Santana let out a surprised moan, biting down on Brittany lip, and Brittany couldn't hold back anymore. She rolled her hips into Santana's, using her ass to pull her into the movement.

"Urgh fuckk." Santana breathed against Brittany's lips. "You have too many clothes on."

Her voice, raspy and dripping pure sex, sent shivers down Brittany's spine. Her fingers gripped the flesh of Santana's ass and breast just a little tighter as she rolled her hips again. She was wearing too many clothes, and they were preventing her from feeling Santana and more importantly how wet she was, but Brittany couldn't bring herself to pull back long enough to remove her clothes. To appease them both, she moved her hand round from Santana's ass, over the inside of her thigh and up to the warm, welcoming heat of Santana's core. She felt Santana's thighs and stomach muscles tense in anticipation, her kiss turning sloppy as she lost focus.

When Brittany first touched Santana, she wasn't surprised by how wet she was, but she was surprised by how turned on it made her, just to feel the evidence of what she did to Santana. She hadn't expected the punch of arousal that hit her, making her cant her hips up into Santana as she slid her fingers through her outer lips.

Santana didn't seem able to keep up the kiss anymore. She pulled back with a low, deep moan, her fingers tightening in Brittany's hair.

"Fuck B." She panted against Brittany's lips.

Brittany traced her kisses from Santana's mouth down to her neck and settled on her favourite spot just under her ear, sucking it hard.

"Uh! Fuck!" Santana's hips jumped, trying to force Brittany to touch harder, deeper. But Brittany held her hand steady, lightly tracing her fingers through the wetness, letting it collect on two fingers. "Britt." Santana groaned. The lust in Santana's voice had Brittany feeling weak. She pressed her forehead to Santana's shoulder, looking down between their bodies where her fingers touched Santana. She could see how much her fingers were coated, but it wasn't yet enough, so slowly, teasingly, she pushed into Santana.

Santana's head lolled to the right, then to the left, then she was tugging Brittany's hair, forcing her head up and into another kiss.

The slick warmth surrounding her fingers had Brittany's own wetness pooling in her underwear. She opened her mouth wider, needing more of Santana as she let out a long moan.

It was Santana who broke the kiss again, her head falling back against the door as she struggled to breathe. Brittany returned to looking where her fingers were now moving in and out of Santana.

"You're so wet." She said, her voice sounding breathless even to her own hears. "Fuck Santana I love how wet you are."

She drew her fingers out, slowly, loving the way she could feel Santana's walls gripping, trying to keep her in.

When her fingers were free, she carefully lifted them to where both she and Santana could see. There was excitement in Santana's eyes, like she didn't know what Britany was going to do but couldn't wait for it, whatever it was.

"See how wet you are?" Brittany asked, her clit throbbing.

"God B…" Santana moaned, but before she could say anything more, Brittany pressed her wet fingers to Santana's lips, dragging them along both the top and bottom. Santana's eyes fluttered closed, her hips grinding wantonly into Brittany. When She was done, Brittany pushed her fingers into Santana's mouth, finding no resistance as Santana opened her mouth and sucked on the fingers. Santana's eyes popped open as she moaned, tasting herself.

Brittany's arousal was quickly skyrocketing. Watching Santana suck on her fingers, knowing she was tasting herself, feeling her velvet tongue swirl around each finger, like Santana wanted to make sure they were clean, it had tension coiling tight in Brittany's stomach, made her heart beat wildly, echoed by the pulsing of her clit. She needed to cum now, but first she needed Santana to fall apart.

"These lips belong to me." She said, staring into Santana's eyes. When Santana nodded, Brittany pulled her fingers free and surged forward, wrapping her lips around Santana's, sucking, licking, biting, feeling herself lose more and more control as she tasted Santana.

Her hand returned between Santana's legs, now with only one mission; to get Santana to cum.

She quickly found Santana's clit, hard and throbbing, and rubbed tight circles against it.

"Oh fuck!" Santana gasped, once again pulling back from Brittany's lips. This time Brittany put her mouth to better use, seeking out Santana's nipple and sucking it into her mouth. Her own hips were moving wildly, trying to find some kind of friction, any kind of release, spurred on by the sounds Santana was making.

"Shit Brittany" Santana moaned. "You feel so fucking good."

Knowing this was only the beginning, Brittany pressed once more against Santana's clit, and then pushed two fingers back into her at the same time her teeth lightly pulled at Santana's nipple. Santana cried out, her back arching.

"Fuuuuck!"

Brittany closed her eyes, trying to concentrate past her growing arousal. She focused on the wetness surrounding her fingers, the soft, sensitive skin of Santana's walls as she dragged her fingers against them, the guttural moan Santana would let out every time she curled her fingers, pressing against one particular spot. Her own stomach tensed and fluttered, her clit begging for attention, her thighs clenching as pleasure rippled through Santana's body. She directed her frustration to fucking her and sucking her nipple.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck yeah." Santana pushed Brittany's head against her breast, hips humping desperately against her fingers. "Jesus Britt, fuck right there!"

Santana was close, Brittany could feel it, but she wasn't close enough and Brittany's control was slipping. She couldn't ignore the sounds Santana was making, the way she felt inside, the feel of her body writhing against her, she couldn't force her body not to respond. Her underwear was ruined, she knew that without having to check, but she was beginning to realise that she might actually end up cumming without Santana even touching her.

"Fuck Santana." She groaned, biting down on her nipple. Santana's nails scratched against her scalp as Santana moaned loudly, a rush of wetness coating Brittany's fingers.

"Britt-"

"You're making me so wet." Brittany complained, trying to ignore her body's begging for release. "You're so fucking hot." She punctuated her words with quick, hard thrusts into Santana, rewarded with Santana's breasts bouncing right in her face. "Fuck!" She pressed her face into Santana's neck, hoping if she didn't look at her breasts she may be able to control herself until she'd pushed Santana over the edge.

"Shit! Shit! Shit, fuck me baby…" Santana held her close, fingers still tightly wound in Brittany's hair. Brittany groaned, licking and sucking at Santana's neck. She put more pressure behind her thrusts, using her hips to drive them deep into Santana and relieve some of her own tension.

"Fuck Santana, you feel so good." She moaned, before biting down on the skin of her neck and sucking hard. She felt Santana's walls flutter at the action.

"Fuck I'm close." Santana said breathlessly, leaning more weight against the door, her hips humping wildly. "Britt…Fuck…fuck you're gonna make me cum."

Brittany moved back to Santana's nipple, sucking it as she pulled her fingers out of Santana to rub frantically at her clit.

Santana let out a desperate groan, her eyes slamming shut, her thigh tightening around Brittany, pulling her impossibly closer, and then she let out a long, loud, high pitched moan that had arousal shooting through Brittany. Brittany continued to rub at Santana's clit as she jerked against her, intensifying her orgasm, but with her free hand, she scrambled to undo her own jeans. She couldn't take it. Santana falling apart like that, the filthy moans spilling from her lips were too much for Brittany to take. She slipped her hand into her own jeans and underwear, quickly finding her clit and rubbing it eagerly.

Santana, who was slowly coming down from her orgasm, raked her nails against Brittany's scalp, kissing the side of her face, and urging her on.

"Yeah baby." Santana said, her voice so husky it made Brittany's clit jump. "Was it hot watching me cum?"

Brittany clenched her jaw, burying her face in the space between Santana's breasts, panting. She was close, so freaking close. Tighter and tighter the pressure coiled in her stomach, as flashes of Santana moaning, her eyes rolling in the back of her head, the wetness pulling in Brittany's hand as she fucked her all flashed through Brittany's mind.

"Fuck Santana." She groaned. Her fingers dipping down again to enter Santana.

"Ugh fuck Britt." Santana shivered, still sensitive from her orgasm.

"I love being inside you." Brittany said into her neck. She felt Santana's walls spasm, like a shock wave running though her, it brought Brittany that much closer to the edge. She rubbed furiously at her own clit, groaning as she felt Santana's hand cup the breast beside her face. She turned her head and opened her eyes, letting out a long moan as she saw Santana groping her own breast. "Fuck, fuck!"

It was too much. The tension finally snapped, pleasure rushing through Brittany's entire body. She pulled her hand out of Santana, grabbing her face and pulling her into a kiss. She wanted to taste Santana while she came, really get her point across. Santana moaned against her lips, pushing her tongue into her mouth. It was sloppy, since Brittany could barely think with her orgasm tearing through her, but it was exactly what she needed.

When her body was no longer jerking with after shocks, she pulled her hand out of her jeans and cupped Santana's cheeks, kissing her more slowly.

"Mmhhh" Santana hummed.

Brittany let out a long content sigh, feeling her body relax.

"Fuck." Santana said, as Brittany pulled back. Brittany smirked, opening her eyes. "That was hot."

Brittany nodded, kissing her again.

"But you're still wearing too many clothes," Santana pulled at the collar of Brittany's shirt, "and now it's my turn."

Santana pushed her back, her leg dropping to the floor as she stood straight.

"Take off your shirt." She said. Brittany happily complied. As she did so, Santana pulled down her already unbuttoned jeans, along with her underwear. Brittany stepped out of them.

"Now that you've shown me who my lips belong to, maybe now I can show you that I never forgot."

Brittany cocked her head.

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah." Santana said, before gripping Brittany's hips and walking her backwards to the bed. Brittany dropped easily onto it, climbing to the center. Santana crawled on top of her. It was so hot, like being stalked by an animal, the feeling intensified by the hungry look in Santana's eyes. Suddenly Brittany was turned on again.

Santana settled on top of her, fitting her body between Brittany's legs and supporting herself with arms on either side of Brittany's head.

"What would you like my lips to do?" Santana asked.

"Kiss me." Brittany said without hesitation. They'd kissed a lot already, but Brittany wanted more. Kissing Santana was intoxicating. It did things to her brain and to her body that she didn't think she would ever get over, especially when she could feel all of Santana's naked body pressed up against her. Nothing felt better.

Santana's lips slid against her, slowly, purposefully, their tongues met but didn't fight. There was no need for one to dominate the other, no rush. This was why Brittany had wanted to get the first orgasms out of the way, so they could get to this. Fast, passionate fucking was amazing, but this slow intentional dance, were she could hold Santana firmly against her, kissing her for hours and hours, it fogged her brain in an entirely different way. She let her hands roam Santana's body, feeling the dips and curves, noting when she'd do something that made Santana grind down into her or moan into her mouth. God, how was it possible to love one person so much? How was it possible to have felt Santana like this a million times before and still be awed by how good she felt?

When Santana shifted slightly off her, lifting her weight onto her knees, Brittany felt like she was being pulled out of a dream. Like her brain had drifted off somewhere and all that was left was Santana's body against her. As Santana pulled away, she caught Brittany's bottom lip between her teeth, pulling until just before it got painful and then letting it go.

"Shit." Brittany moaned.

Santana trailed wet kisses along Brittany's jaw, down her neck, her tongue swiping out every so often just to drive Brittany mad. She spent a few minutes on her neck, then moved down to her chest. As soon as Brittany felt the warmth and wetness of Santana's tongue on her nipple, her hand shot out to rest on her head, pushing her firmly, encouraging her to wrap her lips around the stiff bud.

Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, her breathing coming fast and heavy.

"Fuck Santana." She moaned, her skin buzzing from all the pleasure. "Your tongue feels so good on my tits."

"Mmhh" Santana moaned, the vibrations making Brittany's eyes roll in the back of her head.

"Fuck baby."

Santana took her time with each breast, much like she did kissing Brittany. Brittany wasn't sure if Santana did this on purpose, or if she had simply lost herself in it as well, but just as Brittany's body was beginning to beg for more, Santana placed one final tender kiss to Brittany's nipple and moved further down.

Brittany's stomach clenched as she realised where Santana's path was taking her. She shifted, feeling her clit pulse in anticipation. Santana didn't rush there though, placing firm open mouthed kisses to Brittany's stomach that had her squirming. Her hand, which was still on Santana's head, wove itself in Santana's hair, holding on but not applying any pressure. Brittany was content to lie patiently and relish the feeling of Santana's lips on her skin.

When her teeth grazed Brittany's lower stomach, her hips jumped up, fingers tightening in Santana's hair. She felt Santana let out an amused puff of air, her breath raising goosebumps over Brittany's slightly wet skin.

"Something funny?" Brittany asked.

Santana looked up at her, her eyes the sexy kind of dark that always turned Brittany on instantly. Nothing was funny. As she watched, Santana stuck out her tongue, licking lightly on the skin just under Brittany's belly button. It was almost ticklish, but such a seductive move, and with the way Santana kept eye contact the entire time she did it, Brittany felt nothing but heat spread through her body.

"God you're sexy." She breathed. Santana smirked and did it again. This time Brittany's hips responded, canting up into Santana.

"What do you want my lips to do now?" Santana asked, her voice like molten lava, setting Brittany's entire body ablaze. Suddenly Brittany didn't want this slow, sultry pace. She wanted Santana's face buried between her legs, her delicious tongue driving her higher and higher.

She reached down with the hand not in Santana's hair, and brushed her fingers over Santana's lips. The lips that belonged to her, now and forever.

"Fuck I want those lips to do dirty things to me." She admitted. She saw the flash of arousal shoot through Santana's eyes, darkening them further. Santana licked her lips.

"Like what?"

"Kiss me." Brittany said again.

Santana clenched her jaw, her eyes falling closed for a second, and Brittany knew from personal experience that she was trying to fight her own lust. When her eyes opened again, she placed a soft kiss on the base of Brittany's stomach, and moved down even further, till her face was level with Brittany's core.

She didn't hesitate to lean forward and place a soft, tender kiss.

Brittany struggled to keep her eyes open, wanting to watch, as electricity shot through her. She pressed her hips into the mattress, letting her thighs drop open wider.

"Again." She said, feeling breathless.

Santana kissed her again, then again, and the fourth time she did it she let her tongue snake out and part Brittany's folds.

"Fuck, yeah!" Brittany cried, back arching off the bed.

Santana moaned as her tongue collected some of Brittany's wetness and she tasted her. She wrapped her arms around Brittany's thighs and pulled herself closer.

"Fuck you taste good B."

The next time Brittany felt her tongue it dipped all the way inside her, pushing as far in as it could.

Brittany felt like her skin was tingling. She felt like she could still feel the kisses Santana had trailed down her neck, feel her tongue on her nipples, on her stomach, it was like she could feel Santana everywhere. Her hand on Santana's head seemed to involuntarily press Santana further into her pussy, but Santana didn't seem to mind. She moaned against Brittany, pushing her tongue in slowly then pulling out and licking up to her clit. Every time it came into contact with her clit Brittany hips would jump, no matter how hard she tried to keep them pressed to the bed.

Her body was heating up, sweat collecting on her chest, which was heaving. Her nerves were tingling, and all Brittany could think or say was,

"Yeah….yeah…." breathlessly, desperately.

She had to swallow against the dryness in her throat from the way her mouth was hanging open, constantly having to lick her lips as well.

"Fuck yeah….fuck."

She was useless right now, an incoherent mess, unable to focus on anything but the pleasure shooting through her and chasing her impending orgasm. She was now grinding her hips against Santana's lips and tongue, directing Santana where she needed her by the hand tangled in her hair. Santana complied easily, licking relentlessly, almost hungrily, like she too couldn't get enough. The thought that she was getting as much pleasure from eating Brittany as Brittany was getting from being eaten sent a thrill of arousal through her so powerful her eyes rolled back.

"Fuck Santana." She moaned loudly, feeling the muscles in her neck strain as her back arched.

Santana moved up, her tongue finding Brittany's clit again, this time closing her lips around it.

"Holy shit!" Brittany cried out, her free hand gripping the duvet as tight as she could. It was only when she saw Santana wince that she realised how hard she was pulling her hair. She loosened her grip.

"Sorr-"

She wasn't able to get the words out, because Santana grazed her teeth against her clit, causing her to shudder violently.

"Fuck suck it." She moaned. "Suck it-fuck yeah."

Brittany knew she was being loud, and that her father was still in the house, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She couldn't think past the building pleasure and how it threatened to overwhelm her. This already felt so good, her body already felt so charged, Brittany couldn't fathom how it could feel any better, but she knew it would. Every time Santana sucked on her clit she climbed higher and higher, even when she thought there was nowhere higher to go. Brittany wasn't entirely sure that the fall wouldn't kill her.

Then Santana raked her teeth against her clit again and something in Brittany's stomach tightened.

"Fuck I can't….I can't…" She tossed her head against the pillows, feeling like she might go mad. "I can't…I'm gonna…"

Santana licked her clit, rubbing her tongue into it, pressing against it, and gave a sharp, sudden suck.

Brittany felt the breath leave her body as she shot up, curling in on herself. She couldn't breathe in or out, wondering if maybe she actually had exploded. Santana was wincing again but Brittany couldn't loosen her fingers even if she wanted to, and then the tension released and she gasped for air, dropping back onto the bed with a loud moan, her hips bucking.

She pushed Santana away from her, not able to take even a single second more of her glorious tongue, then detangled her hands from Santana's hair altogether, as her body quivered with intense shocks of pleasure.

Santana kissed up her body, avoiding her nipples, for which Brittany was thankful, making her way to Brittany's lips. She had a proud smile on her face when she finally came level with Brittany.

"Sorry." Brittany breathed, gently brushing her hand over Santana's hair where she'd been pulling.

Santana shook her head. "It was hot."

"Okay." Brittany chuckled breathlessly.

"How do you feel?" Santana asked, still sporting the proud smile.

Brittany's eyebrows creased together.

"I-" She shook her head, licking her dry lips. "I don't even know how to answer that…I'm…" She waved her hand helplessly. "On cloud nine."

Santana's smile widened. She dropped on the bed next to Brittany, propped up on her side and one leg thrown over Brittany's.

"Would you say that's the best orgasm you ever had?"

Brittany couldn't help but smile now too. "Well..." She said honestly. "It's definitely up there."

Santana nodded, her hand moving to gently trace her fingers over Brittany's stomach.

"I think so too."

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked curiously.

"It was fucking hot." Santana said, eyes glazing over like she was reliving it. "The way you just lost control like that…fuck Britt, watching you cum so hard was so hot."

Brittany smirked. "Yeah?"

"Definitely." Santana nodded, leaning forward and kissing her. "Though," She said when she pulled back, "we're going to need to change the sheets."

Brittany's eyes widened. "Did I-?"

"So much." Santana said gleefully.

Brittany sat up, her tired and drained body protesting, and looked down between her legs. There was a giant wet stain where Santana had been lying.

She felt a tingle of embarrassment. "Oh my god."

"Oh my god is right." Santana agreed, sitting up as well and kissing Brittany's shoulder. "The hottest thing I've ever seen in my life. And the way you were pulling my hair…" She kissed higher up Brittany's shoulder, her hand gently cupping Brittany breast, "and the way you were moaning my name…fuck it made me cum too."

Brittany couldn't help but moan. "Really?"

"Fuck yeah."

Her embarrassment drained away as she turned to face Santana, cupping her cheeks.

"Well it's all your fault."

"I'll be sure to do it over and over and over again."

"Does that mean you've learned-"

"Who I belong to?" Santana asked, cutting her off. She pushed Brittany back onto the bed, straddling her waist. "You never have to worry about me forgetting Britt."

When Santana kissed her, Brittany could taste herself lingering on Santana's lips and tongue. She moaned, deepening the kiss, pulling Santana closer, feeling like that was exactly how it should be.


Santana was used to waking up early. On tour she often had to wake up at ungodly hours to catch planes or get on the bus, or get off the bus. She was used to operating without much sleep thanks to changing time zones and meet and greets immediately after a long flight and back to back interviews and motherhood. Yet, waking up at three in the morning the day they were set to leave for the camping trip felt like the most painful thing she had ever done. Worse than waking up for work after spending the whole night awake with a fussy baby, which told Santana one thing; she was not made for camping.

She dragged herself out of bed, down to the kitchen, needing a cup of very strong coffee to kickstart her brain.

Her and Brittany's parents were already there, Susan cooking a very large breakfast.

"Good morning Santana!" Pierce said jovially, pulling her into a hug.

"Mh." Santana grunted.

"Excited?" He asked.

"Totally." She droned, before her mouth stretched open in a wide yawn.

"Excellent!" He clapped her heartily on the back. "That's what I like to hear."

Susan smiled affectionately at her husband, though Santana could see the tiredness in her eyes.

"Would you like some breakfast?" He asked, finally letting Santana go. "It should be ready any minute but you can snatch some toast." He leaned into her, cupping his mouth. "I have."

"And that's why breakfast's not ready yet." Susan chastised.

"I'm okay for now." Santana said, stifling another yawn. "What I really need is coffee."

"Of course." Susan laughed. "I'll put some on for you."

"Thanks." Santana took a seat at the island.

"Where's Britt?" Pierce asked.

"I left her in bed."

Pierce frowned, looking at his watch.

"Will she be up soon?"

Santana shook her head. "She's gonna wake up at four thirty."

"What?" Pierce's eyebrows shot up. "But we're leaving at five."

"Yeah so she'll have enough time to shower."

"Is she unwell?"

"No."

"But-"

"Honey." Susan cut him off. "They know what they're doing. No reason for everyone to be up."

"Well….alright." Pierce said looking uneasy. "I guess…As long as everyone is in the vans by five, no harm done." He stole another piece of toast.

"Pierce!" Susan cried, slapping his hand.

He winked cheekily at Santana as he took a large bite.


Puck arrived at quarter past four, at which point Santana went to wake all the kids. Adrienne and Christian had been staying with them the two weeks since Mateo's birthday, and Mateo's best friend Jordan had slept over the night before, to eliminate the hassle of having to go pick her up. Jesús had begged relentlessly since the trip was confirmed to have Ryan and Kaycee come as well, so they too had stayed the night. Getting all the kids up wasn't hard, even Sophia seemed excited, but it was impossible to keep track of them all. Between needing to make sure they ate breakfast, showered and changed, Santana also needed to do one more check of their bags and the kids didn't seem interested in co-operating. They kept trying to go play outside. The house was chaos.

"Jesús, amor." She called up the stairs, avoiding tripping over a large duffle bag.

"Yeah?" Jesús called back.

"Take your meds baby."

"Okay." He yelled.

She'd just turned to head back to the kitchen when Mateo, Adrienne and Jordan came running down the corridor. She caught Adrienne as he tripped over the duffle bag she had successfully avoided.

"Careful." She said, kicking the bag closer to the door.

"Sorry Tia." He said, before scrambling up the stairs, Mateo and Jordan hot on his heels.

"Get dressed." She said, pointing after them.

"Hey you rugrats." Santana heard Brittany's voice carry from their room. "You don't look ready."

Trusting Brittany to take care of it, Santana made her way back to the living room.

Puck, Pierce and her father had been steadily taking all the luggage out to the two vans they'd rented for the week. Pierce had a strict system, nothing was moved without his approval. Kyler was with them, helpfully checking every bag for the items Pierce called out. He was dressed, Santana noted. Good. At that thought, she scanned the house for who was ready and who wasn't. Sophia and Christian were in the kitchen with Susan, helping her pack the coolers and picnic baskets, both dressed. She'd just seen Mateo, Adrienne and Jordan run up, and Jesús was upstairs.

She narrowed her eyes, two kids were missing.

"Soph?"

"Yeah?" Sophia looked up at her.

"Where's Kaycee?"

Sophia shrugged.

"Did she wake up?"

"Yeah. She wasn't in my room when I got done showering."

"Did she eat?"

Sophia shook her head.

"Mmh." Santana walked out to the backyard, but no one was there. She checked the spare room, the laundry room and the toy room. Neither Kaycee nor Ryan were anywhere to be seen.

She walked halfway up the stairs, but stopped when she saw Brittany standing at the top, helping Jordan close a button on the neck of her shirt.

"B."

"Yeah." Brittany glanced at her.

"Are Kaycee and Ryan up there?"

"Not that I've seen. They could be showering….there you go honey." She patted Jordan's back.

"Thanks Mrs Lopierce." Jordan grinned, before running into Sophia's room.

"Actually." Brittany said, fully facing Santana. "Niki's in the shower and Jordan just got out so…I don't think they're up here."

"Well damn." Santana sighed.

"Lost them?" Brittany asked with an amused smirk, walking down the stairs till she was standing just above Santana.

"You know what?" Santana said, pointing playfully. "Next time you can take the early morning shift, and I'll sleep in."

"If there's a next time." Brittany said, smirk growing. "You're still going to do the early morning shift because you absolutely do not want to be the one entertaining the kids out in the woods."

Santana had to admit that was true. They'd made this arrangement for a reason. Brittany was far better suited to coming up with games and leading hikes than Santana could ever be. Waking up early and getting everyone ready was an easy trade-off.

"If you can manage not to lose the kids that is."

"Hey! There are a lot of kids and this is a big house."

Brittany nodded, pursing her lips. "I'm sure Ryan's mother will understand when I tell her."

"Okay." Santana poked Brittany's stomach, giggling as Brittany recoiled, jumping back up a step. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"I'll help you." Brittany said. "If you promise to get in the lake at least twice." She held up two fingers.

"Really?" Santana rolled her eyes, Brittany wagged her eyebrows. "I'll find them on my own." She turned to head back downstairs.

"Santana." Brittany reached forward, grabbing her arm. When Santana turned back around Brittany was pouting heavily. "Please."

"Urgh." Santana groaned. "Did Mateo teach you those puppy dog eyes?"

Brittany grinned. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah fine." Santana gave in. "I'll get in the gross bacteria infested lake, probably catch some tropical disease." She shook her head. "I'm gonna go look for your prodigies in the vans."

"Have you checked my studio?"

Santana's shoulders slumped, her eyes falling closed. Brittany giggled.

"Your studio…"

"My studio." Santana could hear the amusement in Brittany's voice.

She opened her eyes but kept them narrowed. "You knew where they were all along didn't you?"

"No." Brittany said earnestly. "But like you said, they're my prodigies. I understand how they think."

"I'm choosing to believe that." Santana said skeptically. "Cause otherwise I just got scammed."

Fighting to control her smile, Brittany pulled Santana into a kiss.

"I'd never scam you." She kissed her again. "Not even for the chance to see you in that black bikini…"


True enough, Ryan and Kaycee were in Brittany's dance studio, rehearsing, they told her, since they wouldn't get much of a chance out in the woods. Santana gave them ten minutes, watching them and finding herself genuinely shocked by how good they were. She'd never seen them dance before, but she'd assumed they were good, since Brittany brought them all the way from L.A. Seeing them in person however, Santana realised she had under-estimated how good they were. Kaycee, shy and quiet, came alive when she danced, able to convey a range of emotions with just her face that added a lot to the routine. Santana understood why Brittany felt inspired by them. She could imagine where they'd be in five years, taking over the dance industry no doubt.

Regretfully, she forced them to put off the music and go get ready.

By five fifteen all the luggage was packed into the vans and everyone stood out in the driveway, excitement undeniable.

"Alright Niki," Brittany said, "you pick which van you want to be in."

Mateo pointed to the one closest to him.

"Okay." Brittany nodded. "Then you, Jordan, Adrienne & Christian hop in."

The four kids climbed excitedly into the van.

"So Soph, Jesús, Ky, Ryan and Kaycee, you guys are in the other van."

"Yes." Sophia and Kyler said, grinning at each other.

Santana raised a curious eyebrow.

"We thought you were going to put us all in the same van." Kyler explained.

"You don't want to be with your brother?" Susan asked.

"No…well…" Kyler hesitated. "It's just…"

"With all four of them they can be really annoying." Sophia said.

"And he keeps saying cause it's his birthday we have to do whatever he wants." Jesús added.

"But it's not his birthday anymore." Stephen pointed out.

"Try telling him that." Sophia mumbled.

"Okay." Santana laughed. "Well we figured it would be easier to control you all if we split you up. So you guys get in the other van please."

The five older kids complied. Santana grabbed the back of Jesús' shirt, pulling him back. He looked up at her.

"Did you take your meds?" She asked him. From the sheepish look he gave her she knew he hadn't. "Take them now please."

"Okay." He nodded quickly, before joining his siblings in the van.

"Great. Now that just leaves us." Brittany said.

"Should we do…you in one, me in the other?" Santana asked, "so we can keep an eye on them?"

Brittany bit her bottom lip, looking at the vans. "That makes sense…"

"But?"

"I kind of want to be in the same van as you." Brittany said, lowering her voice. "It'll be a fun road trip."

Santana smiled, taking Brittany's hand. "Okay."

"We're an uneven number." Pierce said. "So one car will have more people."

"The van with the younger ones should have more adults si?" Maribel said.

"Okay then Santana and I are in this one." Brittany quickly pulled Santana towards the van with the twins, Kaycee, Sophia and Ryan.

"Okay." Susan laughed. She picked a basket from by her feet and handed it to Brittany. "This has the stuff made special for Sophia."

"Oh thanks mum."

"Alright let's get this show on the road!" Puck cheered, walking towards them from his car, Jade trailing behind him. "You guys ready?"

"Yup." Santana said. "Are you?" She asked Jade. "Two hours in a car with him?" She jerked her finger at Puck.

Jade chuckled as Puck's eyes narrowed.

"I think I'll manage."

"Alright…" Santana said skeptically. "But if he becomes unbearable, we have extra space in our van."

"Hey why the hate Lopierce?" Puck asked with raised hands.

"No hate, it's just the truth." Santana shrugged, "I saw you eat those baked beans."

"Oh," Jade scowled, "maybe I'll take you up on that free seat."

Santana and Brittany laughed as Puck turned to Jade with a deep frown.

"I'm kidding babe." Jade said, rocking up on her toes and kissing him. Santana felt her nose scrunch up. It had been over a month since finding out about Puck and Jade and she still couldn't believe it. It was so weird to see them being affectionate, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't help but react when she saw them kiss.

"Whatever." Puck said, trying to look sour as he slipped his arm around Jade's waist. "Are we leaving or not?"

"Yes let's." Pierce said. "The wilderness awaits."

"Then let's follow that trail!" Santana said, pointing to the gate. Pierce and Brittany beamed at her with identical looks of adoration, Susan merely shook her head, starting towards the van.

"What trail?" Jade asked.

Grinning at each other, Pierce, Brittany and Santana all yelled, "the trail that we blaze!"


Jesús was sat between Ryan and Kaycee at the very back of the van, the three of them enjoying being thrown up off their seats whenever the car went over a bump. He'd been standing for a while, pretending to be surfing, but his mama had threatened to fasten him to her lap if he didn't sit down so he'd stopped that quickly. Even though the ride took way longer than it was supposed to, because Mateo kept asking to stop – though he hadn't done it again after their mami had warned him she would make them all drive home if he kept taking advantage of their grandparents, who seemed unable to tell him no, Jesús was having a great time.

His mothers were sitting near the front of the van and his mami was controlling the music blasting through the speakers, but they largely left him and his siblings alone. Every once in a while he would hear them laughing about something, once his mama had scrambled out of her seat, only to be pulled back by his mami and falling into her lap. He'd wondered what they were doing and almost asked, but as Sophia had reminded him, asking would only draw their attention to him, and he didn't really want that. They were eating more snacks than they were strictly allowed, and he was already on his third soda, not to mention the fact that none of them were wearing their seatbelts, and kept switching seats.

"Punch buggy!" Ryan said, punching Kyler, who was sitting in the seat in front of him. Kyler got up onto his knees, turning to look at Ryan with an expression torn between amusement and anger.

"That wasn't a beetle."

"Yes it was." Ryan said.

"Was not."

"What colour was it?" Sophia asked.

"Pink." Ryan said.

Sophia smirked. "You didn't say."

Ryan groaned. Jesús smirked, catching Sophia's eyes. When she nodded, he turned, balling up his fist, and simultaneously, he, Kyler and Sophia punched Ryan as hard as they could.

"OW!" He yelled, rubbing his arms.

"Hey what's going on back there?"

His mothers who had sunk so low in their seats that their heads could barely be seen over the top, lifted up just enough to peek at them.

"What's going on up there?" Sophia asked.

His mami narrowed her eyes at Sophia, then tilted her head up so they could see her mouth and poked her tongue out.

"Are you hurt Ryan?" His mama asked, though to Jesús it seemed she didn't really care too much about the answer, her attention was already being pulled by something in her lap, he assumed, since he couldn't see.

Ryan quickly shook his head.

Without saying anything more, his mums both faced forward.

"I didn't hit you that hard." Ryan hissed at Kyler.

"That's your fault." Kyler said with a shrug. Jesús giggled.

"I'm a girl." Sophia said smugly. "You can't hit me."

"We'll see." Ryan grumbled, rubbing the spot Sophia had hit him.

Jesús turned to his left, where Kaycee was sitting, scribbling in a notebook. Jesús knew she wrote in it every day, keeping track of everything that she would want to tell her parents about.

"What have you written?" He asked, leaning into her. She didn't cover up the notebook, instead turning it more towards him so he could read. Something about that made him feel really happy.

"Just about how the day started." She said quietly, like she didn't want anyone else to hear. "Waking up at four and everything."

"They're gonna care about that?" He asked with a frown.

She shrugged, lazily doodling on the bottom of the page. "My mum gets sad when I don't have anything to say."

Jesús knew that Kaycee missed her family a lot sometimes. She had two younger brothers, which was why her parents couldn't move to San Jose with her, and she spoke to them every single day. It reminded Jesús of when he'd gone to L.A with his mama and left Kyler behind. Even though he'd been having a great time, there was still a kind of emptiness knowing he'd go home and his brother wouldn't be there. It was the closest he could come to understanding what Kaycee was feeling.

He took her hand, gently squeezing it.

"I'll make sure you have a lot to tell them when we actually get there." He said.

Kaycee smiled.

"Thanks Jesús."

"Wanna play tic-tac-toe?" he asked, gesturing to her notebook.

"Sure." She flipped to a fresh page and began to draw the lines. Even as he talked with Ryan and played a few rounds of I spy with Kyler and Sophia, he and Kaycee kept at tic-tac-toe, giggling to themselves when they blocked each other just before one of them was about to win.

Finally, they got to the camp site. It felt like they'd been in the car for half the day, so when he checked his watch to see that it was only a quarter to ten, he couldn't believe it. Not even time for lunch.

He dragged Kaycee out of the van, following closely behind Ryan. Two men met them there, dressed in cargo shorts and t-shirts.

"Good morning." The shorter man said. "My name is Martin." He smiled. "This is my colleague Ben, and we'll be on site all week to help you with anything you may need."

"Nice to meet you both," his mami said, "I'm Santana, this is my wife Brittany."

"Hi." His mama smiled.

"And these are out kids."

Jesús waved, feeling Sophia's hand brush against his arm as she raised it to do the same.

They all turned as the second van pulled up behind them.

"The rest of our family." His mama explained.

After a few minutes, Mateo hoped out of the van, followed by his friend Jordan and then everyone else piled out.

"Wow." Ben said, eyes slightly wide. "You have a lot of kids." He chuckled nervously.

Jesús caught Kyler's eye, and the two of them snorted.

"They're not all ours." His mama said, laughing good naturedly.

"Took us a minute, but we got here in the end." Poppy said in his usual cheerful voice as he stretched his back. "Where are we setting up?"

"Right, so we'll lead you to the actual grounds, show you where to set up your camp." Martin said. "If you need any supplies we have-"

"Oh no." Poppy shook his head. "No offense son, but we have everything we need."

Jesús knew this was absolutely true. He had never packed so much in his life, and the huge pile of luggage they were about to offload was proof of that.

"Okay." Martin nodded. "Then we can proceed to the camping site."

"Actually we're waiting for two more people." His mama said.

They waited nearly fifteen minutes, and Jesús was beginning to get restless before his uncle Noah and Jade finally pulled into the parking lot. They immediately headed to the camping site.

It wasn't far, but it was a nice chance to stretch his legs. Jesús felt like he was bouncing with every step.

"Let's go for a hike later." Kyler said, catching up to him. "Explore the forest."

"Yeah." Jesús easily agreed.

"Without Niki."

Jesús turned to his brother, frowning. "How are we gonna go without him?"

"He doesn't care about us, he has Jordan and Christian and-"

"Yeah but you know mums will make us go with him."

Kyler quickly shook his head. "We'll go without them seeing us."

Jesús' frown only deepened.

"You think they won't notice all of us leaving?" He asked skeptically.

"All of us?" Kyler leaned into him, lowering his voice. "Or two of us."

Jesús' eyebrows rose as he understood. He glanced behind him, where Sophia was walking with uncle Noah, and Mateo was on Poppy's shoulders.

"Okay." He said, facing Kyler again.


When they got to the camping site, Jesús felt his excitement build. Large, tall trees surrounded them in every direction, though where they stood was a large clearing with enough space for several large tents. He could hear the sound of water running, like a stream or a river, and that made him even more anxious to go exploring with Kyler.

"Here we are." Martin said. "You're at clearing 3, there are four other clearings, two of which are also booked, so be aware of that in case you hear noises."

"Thank goodness you told us." Abuela said, looking around the forest. "I imagine we'd have thought it was bears or something."

"You'd hear music and laughter and think it's bears ma?" Mami teased. Jesús and Kyler giggled, watching their abuela roll her eyes.

"You know what I meant Santana."

"Here are a few maps of the grounds." Ben handed a cluster of maps to his mama. "There are emergency numbers on the back if you get lost or need help. The hiking trails are marked in different colours-"

"Oh there's a waterfall." Mama said excitedly. "On the blue trail."

"Yes." Ben nodded, smiling. "With a small pool around it if you feel like swimming."

"Is that the lake?" Gammy asked, frowning.

"No, the lake is that way." Martin pointed, "Down a separate trail. There are some boats at the shore, and they're included in the package so whenever you want to you can use them, on a first come first served basis."

"What does that mean?" Sophia asked.

"Since there are other campers here, if we get to the lake and see that the boats are already being used, we can't complain." Uncle Noah explained.

"Now before we leave you to it, there's some information we need to give you. Always throw away your trash…"

At that point Jesús zoned out. He didn't care at all about rules or camping etiquette, especially since Poppy had already given them a speech about it the day before. Instead, he focused on the forest, trying to hear the sound of any animals. His abuela had mentioned bears, so he wondered vaguely if they might actually be in the forest somewhere. What if he and Kyler ran into one?

"And uh, if you have any questions, our cabins are back up that way." Martin pointed up the hill. "Closer to the parking lot."

"Or you can call the numbers." Ben reminded.

"Right." Mama waved the maps. "Thanks."

"Enjoy yourselves." Martin said with a friendly smile, then he and Ben left, trudging back up the hill.

"Well isn't this nice." Abuelo said, walking further into the clearing. "Lots of space."

"And there are toilets, thank god." Jade said.

"Of course there are toilets." Mami said, shaking her head. "Who do you think booked this place?"

"Shall we go get the tents?" Poppy asked. He had a huge smile on his face, making it quite obvious how happy he was.

Kyler grabbed Jesús' arm, pulling him back till they were standing on the outskirts of the group. No one seemed to notice. The grown ups continued to discuss what the next steps were, deciding where the best place to pitch the tents was, where they'd build the fire and so on. It all would have been very interesting, if there wasn't an expanse of forest all around them, just waiting to be explored.

They waited a few minutes, to make sure no one would look for them, and then as silently as they could, they turned on the spot and sprinted into the trees.

They ran until they were far enough away not to be able to see the camp site, then they slowed down and looked around.

"It would be really easy to get lost." Jesús said, noting that all the trees looked exactly the same.

"That's the fun." Kyler said, grinning. "Let's go this way." He pointed in the direction where the ground began to slope slightly. "I think the river will be that way."

That way was as good as any, so Jesús followed Kyler down that path.

"Do you think there are bears?" Jesús asked, jumping onto a tree trunk and balancing on one foot.

"Are you scared?" Kyler asked, smirking up at him. "Want to go back?"

"No." Jesús frowned. "But if there are bears it wouldn't be so fun to be lost would it? Or do you know how to fight a bear?"

Kyler snorted, bending to pick a long stick, brandishing it like a sword. "We could use this."

"Yeah, right before we die." Jesús laughed, kicking the stick.

"Anyway..." Kyler said, "Mami wouldn't pick a place with bears, or they would have told us to be careful."

Jesús nodded. That was a good point. No one had mentioned anything about being careful of bears, or what to do if they ran into a bear, and since his poppy had given them long speeches about poison ivy and touching weird insects, he surely would have mentioned bears.

"Okay." He jumped off the tree stump. They continued down the path for a few minutes, talking idly until they finally heard the sound of flowing water, louder than it had been before.

"We're almost there!" Kyler cheered, breaking into a run. Jesús tripped thrice as they ran down the slope, but managed to keep from falling. They skidded to a stop beside a wide, shallow river, with large moss covered rocks scattered along it's length.

"Cool." Jesús said.

Beside the river was the weirdest tree Jesús had ever seen. It had thick long branches, all located close to the ground, almost like instead of growing upwards it had grown out. The branches weaved in and out, some tangling together, others extending out to other trees, some nearly halfway over the river.

"Yeah cool." Kyler said, flashing him a grin that Jesús mirrored. "Think you can cross the river."

"Faster than you." Jesús said, already making his way to the bank.

"If you fall in the water you have to come back to the start." Kyler said, jumping onto a rock. He'd barely landed before his feet slipped and he toppled into the clear water.

"Oh!" Jesús clapped his hand over his mouth, rushing forward. Kyler was getting gingerly to his feet, his entire back and legs drenched in water. Jesús couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Ow." Kyler said, grimacing. He lifted his arm, peering down at his elbow. Jesús stopped laughing as he saw the blood dripping down his arm.

"Ouch." He said sympathetically. "That's what you get for jumping in like that."

"I was trying to beat you." Kyler mumbled.

"Does it really hurt?"

Kyler shrugged.

"A little, but mostly it's the water." He shivered violently. "It's freezing."

"Just be careful." Jesús said, slowly extending his leg out to the rock closest to him. He had no desire to end up in the ice cold water. As soon as his foot touched the rock he could feel how slippery it was.

They were silent for a while, both concentrating on not plunging into the water, but when they got to the halfway mark with neither of them falling again, they relaxed.

"I think I know why mami's album made her upset." Kyler said.

"Why?" Jesús asked, going still so he could turn and look at Kyler.

"I heard her and mama talking about it last week."

Jesús frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've been thinking." Kyler defended.

"What were they talking about?"

"Mama asked if mami thought bisabuela heard the album."

"Everyone's heard the albu-" Jesús teetered dangerously, his foot slipping as he lost his balance. Rather than fall directly onto the rock beneath him, he jumped off into the water. It really was ice, making him hiss out as he was soaked till his knees.

"Ha, Ha!" Kyler mocked, pointing at him.

"At least I'm not bleeding." Jesús shot back.

"But you have to start again." He smirked.

"Finish what you're saying first."

"Oh right. She asked if mami was scared of bisabuela hearing the album and finding out how angry she really was."

"Angry?" Jesús cocked his head to the side. "At who?"

"Bisabuela." Kyler said. "Mami said she wasn't scared, cause she spent months dealing with what bisabuela did to her and being upset about it, but now she felt better, cause she got it all out in the studio."

"By crying…" Jesús said, putting the pieces together. Kyler nodded. "But what did bisabuela do to her?"

Kyler shrugged. "Something really bad. Cause mama said she doesn't forgive her."

Jesús meticulously climbed back onto the rock, feeling his toes going numb the longer he stood in the water. He didn't speak again until he was stable.

"Maybe that's why we've never met her before." He thought out loud. "Cause mums were mad at her."

"But now mami's not mad anymore."

"Just sad." Jesús said pointedly. "And that's not better."

"No." Kyler shook his head. "I'll never forget how she looked that day…when she'd been crying."

"Do you think…if she's back…that mami's going to start crying again? Or is her being back a good thing?"

"I don't know," Kyler admitted, "but mami looked really happy on Mateo's birthday. Mami said bisabuela was really important to her."

"So…Mami's glad she's back but mama isn't?"

Kyler nodded. He looked down, biting his lip. Jesús knew the look too well. Something was bothering his brother.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Kyler swallowed.

"Owen's parents are getting divorced."

"What?" Jesús' eyes widened in shock.

"His dad moved out. Owen only got to see him on some weekends, but now that it's summer he'll get to spend some weeks with him."

Jesús wasn't sure what to say. He remembered Owen's parents fighting when they'd been sleeping over at his house, but divorce?

"How is he?" He asked quietly.

"Really sad." Kyler said, shaking his head. "And angry. He hates being at home with just his mum, he says he hates her."

Jesús' mouth dropped open. He couldn't imagine saying he hated anyone in his family, let alone either of his parents.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

"Do you think…" Kyler hesitated, biting his lip again. Jesús already knew what hew as going to ask, knowing his brother as well as he did.

"No." He said resolutely. "Mums could never get divorced."

"But they were fighting too." Kyler said, looking up at Jesús with wide eyes.

"That was months ago."

"It could happen again."

"But you saw them this morning….in the van." Jesús reasoned. "They love each other."

Kyler nodded.

"They could never get divorced." He said again.

"Okay." Kyler said, releasing a breath and looking pacified, for the time being. Jesús knew with Kyler's anxiety it was only a matter of time before he worked himself up again. He was about to say something else, when they heard yells coming from the top of the slope.

"KYLER!"

They both turned to the voices, seconds later hearing Jesús' name being called out.

"They're looking for us." Kyler said.

"We should go back." Jesús said, already turning on the rock, trying not to fall.

"That'll be too slow." Kyler said, jumping off his rock into the water. "Last one up's a monkey's butt." He said, before trudging through the water.

"Hey." Jesús jumped off his rock as well. "That's not fair, you didn't say go!"