"Is it cause I'm black?" Mercedes eyed Quinn and Santana, crossing her arms she leaned back against Quinn's volvo.
"No, it's cause Asian has a thing for Wheels." Santana muttered.
Quinn shook her head, "We just don't want Matt to feel like the odd man out, and it'll give you a chance to get to know him better."
"Better than what?" Mercedes asked concerned.
"Just better," Santana rolled her eyes "look Wheezy, Matt needs a nice girl to hang out with when we go out as a group and you and Asian are the only two nice girls we know."
"I'm nice?" Mercedes scoffed, Santana never called her nice.
"You and Asian are the nicest girl we know." Santana muttered. "Aside from B."
"So this has nothing to do with me being black?" Mercedes asked.
"Look if Tina wasn't so hung up on Rolling Perv I'd throw her to Matt, but she is, so it's you by default." Santana said bluntly.
"Thanks, I think." Mercedes gave a quick chuckle shaking her head "It's just the zoo?"
"I mean there will be food, but yea, it's on Britt's to do list." Santana shrugged, a list Santana had just recently found out about.
Mercedes unsuccessfully fought back a grin "Oh I've seen her to do list."
"Shut up." Santana glared at Mercedes confusing Quinn.
"Okay ladies, somebody gets to tell me."
"Ask Brittany." Mercedes laughed before saying "If it's alright with Matt, then yea I'll check with my parents." Mercedes gestured to the Bentley.
"It'll be fine with Matt, just check with your parents."
"Thank you." kissing the girl on the check Quinn pulled Santana towards the mall asking "Britt's to do list?" Santana scowled. "I will find out." Quinn promised. "Now help me find an outfit."
"Why are you holding my underwear? Did I not put them in the drawer?" Brittany asked confused.
"Where's your note book?" bras and panties in clutched in both hands Santana looked up from Brittany's dresser drawer, the notebook was always in the drawer. "B?"
"My note book? Oh Mike has it, he wanted the Cheerio 'No List' so I just gave him my notebook. Why?"
"Damn it." Santana muttered throwing the underwear back in the drawer, Brittany never folded them so it didn't matter.
"What's wrong Sanny-bear?" Brittany asked wrapping around Santana.
"Where's your 'To Do' list?" Santana asked folding her arms over Brittany's.
"In my note book." Brittany answered. "Why?"
"What's number one on your 'To Do' list?"
"You." Brittany laughed kissing Santana's cheek, she didn't see a problem, Mike was the one who helped her write the list in the first place, literally he wrote the list because his hand writing was so much better than hers.
Santana sighed, Quinn was never going to let her hear the end of it.
'To Do' List
1. Santana X
2. Touching Quinn's boobs
3. See gay penguins
4. Keep Lord Tubbington off of drugs
5. Go to the zoo
6. Go skydiving
7. Sweet lady kisses in Paris
8. Zip lining
9. Sweet lady kisses at the Grand Canyon
10. Snorkeling
"Santana!" Quinn laughed closing the notebook "I should have known, God I love Brittany." Mike gave Quinn a second to register what else was on the page "Wait!" tearing the book back open Quinn started laughing harder, Mike smiled in relief, he wasn't sure how she'd take it, he felt awkward writing it but Brittany was nice and didn't tease him. "Well I hate to disappoint Miss Pierce but I am one thing she'll not be crossing off her list." closing the notebook she held it on her lap "Should I tell her I'm flattered? I mean I am number two on the list, well my boobs are." she chuckled leaning back against Mike.
Mike chuckled trying not to blush, he'd blushed when he wrote the list too, he hadn't wanted the whole notebook just the printed list taped to the inside of the cover, it was a list of all the restaurants the Cheerios were banned from. Brittany surprised him by giving him the whole notebook. Reaching around her Mike took the notebook, opening the cover he handed it back to her. "Pick a place."
"Is this my own personal 'to do' list?" Quinn chuckled seeing the list.
"Something like that." Mike smiled running his fingers up and down her bare arm.
"Are you sure I'm dressed okay? Are you sure I should have brought Beth?" the baby lay sleeping in her pack and play on the side of the coffee table, Quinn liked to keep her in her sight.
"You've met my parents before." Mike reminded, but he was nervous too.
"As Brittany and Santana's friend, as a Cheerio, not as the unwed mother that is dating their son." Quinn sighed.
"Hello Quinn."
Mike was surprised at the speed that Quinn jumped from his arms to her feet at the sound of his mother's voice, Mike stood up putting the notebook on the table, taking Quinn's hand he smiled at his mom. "Quinn you remember my mother Julia Chang." Julia smiled at Quinn. "Mom this is my girlfriend Quinn and her daughter Beth." Mike gestured to the pack and play.
"Nice to see you again Quinn," glancing in the pack and play she added "and your daughter is beautiful."
"Thank you Mrs. Chang." Quinn smiled nervously.
"Well it appears Michael's father will not be able to join us this evening, emergency at the hospital." Julia explained. Mike tried not to roll his eyes, his dad was always working and was very much like Quinn's father when it came to family values, but unlike Quinn's father he wasn't cheating. "Someone ran a red light." Julia explained seeing Mike's expression.
"Oh, okay." Quinn murmured not knowing Mike was making a face.
"We can wait for her to wake up if you wish or we can go to dinner now."
"Now is fine." Quinn nodded.
"Dim Sum?" Julia asked her son.
"Okay?" he glanced down at Quinn.
"I've never been." Quinn admitted, her dad preferred the Country Club.
"I know why I'm here, but why are you here?" Matt ducked down to Santana's height whispering "Are you in here hiding from a zombie apocalypse?" before looking around the bookstore in faux panic.
"Hey I like books." Santana scoffed poking Matt in the ribs. "Jerk."
Matt chuckled straightening up. "Okay so you brought Brittany for reading hour and decided to scope out mommy books." Matt had caught sight of not just the books in Santana's hand but the towering blonde sitting with his baby sister in the reading cubby, the little kids were all used to Brittany sitting with them.
"Shut up." Santana shook her head giving him a shove.
"Oh you want something from me." Matt chuckled again, he knew how Santana asked him for things, she was sweet to him and Mike but also sometimes embarrassed.
"The zoo, I want to take Brittany to the zoo on a date, but I don't want to go alone." Santana explained knowing he knew exactly why she didn't want to go alone, it was the same reason they two couples 'dated' for as long as they did.
Protection.
Protection from outside judgement if anyone saw the two girls were holding hands, because 'if you're dating a hot guy, you can't be gay' and people would ignore the hand holding, protection in Mike's case because 'the perfect son must have a girlfriend' to go along with the other pressure his dad heaped upon him. Brittany and Matt were the perfect pretend girlfriend and boyfriend for the duo, although Brittany did occasionally forget it was pretend.
"I got you."
"Quinn and Mike are coming and we asked Mercedes to come along so you wouldn't be odd man out." Santana explained.
"Jones?" Matt perked up.
"Down boy." Santana chuckled patting his chest. "She said if it was okay with you, she'd ask her parents, I told her just ask them and since Quinn's going I don't think her parents have a problem."
"That's cool." Matt nodded shoving his hands in his pockets, he liked Mercedes, he had a mad crush on the girl. "You know if Mike's going my parents will say yes."
"Let me know, I'm going to ask for the van tonight, they'll say yes." Santana shrugged.
"Anything for Brittany." Matt agreed knowing how Brittany's parents were.
"I'm going to ride with Quinn if that's okay?" Mike stood next to his mom watching Quinn buckle a still sleeping Beth into her car seat.
"That's fine." his mother nodded. "You can relax Michael, I already like her."
Eyes narrowed in disbelief Mike waited for his mom to say more but she didn't, she simply smiled at Quinn as the blonde came closer. "Ready." Quinn smiled back. Taking the car seat and the diaper bag Mike offered his elbow to Quinn, he'd already loaded the pack and play in the trunk, the stroller was there too.
"I'm going to ride with you."
"Oh, okay." Quinn nodded then asked surprising both Mike and his mother "Would you like to ride with us Mrs. Change?"
"I don't wish to be any trouble."
"No trouble." Quinn promised.
"Okay then," Julia bobbed her head smiling "I will."
"I don't understand why there are so many books about comic book characters." Rachel shook her head eyeing the back of the store where the music was. "I mean are there really that many?"
"Yes honey, there really are." Hiram nodded.
"Let's start with the two main publishers." LeRoy held up two large hardback books, they were indeed the size of an encyclopedia. "I'll write down the ones you described and you can look them up when we get home."
"Thank you Daddy. Could we get one on football? He talks about it with Puck and the others all the time and I really have no idea what it's all about, I just know he's the quarterback."
"I'll find someone to help with that." Hiram volunteered walking away.
LeRoy smiled at their daughter "I'm proud of you, you're really trying." LeRoy rested his hand on Rachel's shoulder.
"I love him Daddy, I need to do this for him, he's done it for me." Rachel nodded.
"He has."
"There's so much to learn." Rachel was in awe of the rows of books designated for the comic book heroes, encyclopedias clutched to her chest she followed her dad down the aisle "Isn't a graphic novel the same as a comic book?"
Hiram chuckled rejoining them "No, a comic book tells a story over many issues, the graphic novel goes into more detail and tells the entire story in one or two books."
"Oh."
"And here's the book about football rules and positions." Hiram held out the thick book.
"Thank you Daddy." taking the book she tucked it with the others. "I'm sure between Finn and Santana these babies will know all about football, I just want to keep up." The chuckle behind her made Rachel turn around, Santana shook her head admitting.
"I know the bare minimum about football, comic books on the other hand I know those." Santana nodded to the books in Rachel's arms.
"So if I were to get the babies a present some form of comic book person item would be acceptable?" Rachel asked.
"Yes." Santana nodded. "We like Wonder Woman." and by we she meant herself, Brittany and Finn.
Brittany bounced next to Santana beaming she held up a collection of small books "Found you, can we get this for the babies? I could read them to them." Rachel couldn't help but smile at Santana and Brittany as the Latina softened even more when she spoke to blonde.
"Of course Sweetie." Santana smiled taking the books from Brittany. "Are you ready to go?"
Brittany nodded. "I already said bye."
"Okay." Santana offered her hand to Brittany, "Let's get these and go, see you later Rachel." Santana nodded to her, it had taken everything not to call her Berry.
"Hi, bye." Brittany beamed giving Rachel a wave over her shoulder.
Waiting for Santana and Brittany to leave Hiram patted Rachel's shoulder "Now that was the proper way to ask about what you can get the babies as a present."
Julia smiled down at the baby next to her, tucking the blanket back over Beth's leg she said, "This is a beautiful anklet." Quinn had offered her the front seat since Mike was driving to the restaurant but Julia declined choosing to sit with the baby instead.
"It is." Quinn agreed "Mike gave it to her."
"Very lovely choice Michael." Julia nodded approvingly.
"Thank you." Mike nodded as he continued to drive to the restaurant checking on his mom in the rear view mirror as she now softly talked to the baby. He knew she would make the perfect, if not overprotective, grandmother. "Quinn and I were talking about taking Beth to the zoo, Santana and Brittany would be going too."
"What about Matthew?" Julia asked without looking up from Beth.
"Yes, and my friend Mercedes." Quinn piped up, it had been the five of them since freshman year and Matt was Mike's best friend.
"Are the other parents okay with this?" Julia finally looked away from Beth.
"Brittany and Santana's parents, my mom and Mercedes parents." Quinn said honestly, Mrs. Lopez was okay with it, it was just Mr. Lopez that was nervous.
"Matt said his parents would say yes if you said yes." Mike wasn't going to lie to his mom.
Julia nodded "Call when you leave, call at stops and when you get there" she said leaving no doubt he was getting to go "And you will call when you are on your way home and those stops as well."
"Thank you Mom."
"You are welcome, let me call Matthew's parents, and I want photographs." Julia said pulling her phone out of her purse.
"Of course." Quinn nodded.