"I have been on the phone with mother all day," Quinn complained after greetings and kisses were out of the way. "I swear, I don't even know how things aren't taken care of by this point. Why did we say we were going to do this?"
Santana gave Quinn an indulgent smile, brushing a strand of hair back into place. "Because my wife indicated that she wanted a big ceremony, so we're having a big ceremony," she said in answer.
"Oh yeah," Quinn responded. She contemplated her turkey and Swiss-cheese sandwich in front of her. "This is going to have to suffice for the rest of our lives," Quinn decided. "Because after this, I'm done. This is it!"
Santana stood and did a classic Michael Jackson crotch-grab and spin, before striking his famous silhouette. "Thisis it?" she questioned, managing to plaster a confused look on her face.
Quinn couldn't help but laugh. "No, you goof, I mean this is all the wedding we're ever going to have. There will be no renewing of the vows fifteen or twenty years down the road. I'm done after this!"
Santana smiled, thinking to her and Quinn 20 years down the road, a few months from 50. If they didn't have kids, they'd be that couple who went on vacations once a month and were out of town every weekend. If they did, she could just see Quinn looking absolutely perplexed when faced with a dirty diaper and a 7 year old who needed to make a diorama of the universe, or panicking as she tried to show their 16 year old how to drive. "I'd be cool with that," Santana assured her. "I thought you and I could go out tonight. Romantic Sunday night dinner? Just you and me. How's that sound?"
"Like pretty close to heaven," Quinn admitted.
Santana gave a somewhat nervous smile. "Great. I'll pick you up at 7:00. Oh." Santana paused. "Don't forget to get your sexy on, Q. None of that married slacking off garbage."
Santana felt absolutely ridiculous. She should have known better than to trust Kurt. Sure her make-up had been done perfectly, and her hair fell flawless around her shoulders in perfect, full body curls, (all of which Kurt had nothing to do with) but the dress…the dress was light green, with gold undertones, and gossamer. Gossamer! That crap they made fairy wings out of! When Kurt said that he was designing a dress for the red carpet, Santana had thought stylish, sexy, glittery…well this one did have jewels on it. She had to give him that: there was bling. But it looked like a prom dress, but more flowering…it looked like a slightly more understated dress that one of the employees at Disney world might don. She was even wearing a thin circlet of gold (fake) on top of her head.
"This is the last time I ever trust you, Lady Hummel," Santana growled.
Kurt looked highly affronted. "You look perfect!"
"I look like a freaking Disney Princess!" Santana screeched. She looked at herself in the mirror again. She started to turn, but caught herself, which caused her skirt to just sort of sway around her. Hmm…she gave her hips a little twitch.
"Exactly," Kurt agreed. "You're herprincesscharming."
Santana found herself playing with the basket of the dress, watching it sweep back and forth. "You could have at least given me a sword!" Santana protested. "If I have to go out in public in this get-up, I should have a manner of cutting down the idiots who work up the balls to say some shit about it."
"I thought that that fabulously witty tongue of yours was perfect for that." Santana smiled because her tongue was good for a lot of things…geez, she really needed to get laid. "Just keep telling yourself that you're doing this for the woman that you love. The woman that you'd do anything for."
"I wouldn't sayanything," Santana mumbled. She had her limits.
Kurt continued to fuss with her dress and hair. Kurt's contribution had been the dress. The hair and make-up had been done by Brittany's stylist for the show. Brittany, however, had been nowhere to be found all day.
"I don't know who's more excited about tonight," Kurt declared. "You or me?"
"If you're excited about this, you and Blainereallyneed to be having more sex."
"Ah, there's that charming Santana that I know and love!" Just for good measure Kurt yanked a little too hard on a strand of Santana's hair. "Oops, hand slipped."
It said something about how far the two of them had come that Santana scowled at him, but left it at that.
Quinn almost squealed when she heard Santana's familiar knock on her door. She took a deep breath before opening it, and watched the comical half smile that crept up her wife's face, as her eyes took her in. Santana looked absolutely beautiful, as always, but Quinn wasn't feeling too shabby herself. She was wearing a high-low hem dress, with Santana's favorite shade of red on the top, bodice part, and a very particular shade of brown on the bottom. The waist was cinched off with a white belt with brown and red in it, tying the two parts together. Her hair was swept up into an up do, with just the smallest strand of hair curled around her face, showing off the perfect lines of her collarbone and neckline, just asking to be kissed. Two simple earrings with just a little dangle to them adorned her ears, and a matching single string gold necklace very lightly adorned her neck. Though it had taken nearly an hour to do, Quinn's make up came out looking light, and barely there. It was just enough to bring out the color in her lips, the rose in her cheeks, the green in her eyes. When Quinn had last looked at herself, she was pleased with what she had seen, and judging from the look her wife was now giving her, Santana was equally as pleased.
"You look-,"
"Wow," Santana whispered.
Quinn beamed. "Is this sexy enough for you?"
Santana tried to find words to say, failed, and merely nodded her head up and down several times in a row. When she remembered herself, Santana extended an arm, which Quinn eagerly took. Downstairs, instead of a limo waiting for them this time, there was a Ferrari F30 Spider. "Our last date before the wedding needed to be something really special," Santana explained as she held the passenger door open for Quinn. "I wanted to get a horse drawn carriage, but Rachel just spent so much time in New York ranting about how it's animal cruelty, so instead of a white horse-drawn buggy, I went with a white 490 horsepower drawn carriage."
Honestly, Santana could have picked her up in an Amish donkey cart, and Quinn would have been okay with that. Well…after seeing Santana get behind the wheel of the vehicle she was second guessing that statement because her wife just looked so fucking hot driving. She didn't even know Santana evenknewhow to drive a stick shift, but she probably should have guessed that she could, because anyone ever involved in a high speed chase on TV all knew how to drive a manual, and Santana was Bond.
When they got to the Common, Quinn's eyes flickered in acknowledgment at the red carpet that had been rolled out for them, and of the person waiting to open the door for her when they stopped in front. A young man Quinn had never met, slid in behind the passenger seat to the car after Santana got out. Quinn gave her wife a sideways glance. "What're you cooking up?" she questioned.
Santana only smiled brightly. "Nothing," she lied, leading her down the foot path to the spot near the bridge.
"Hey look," Santana said. She motioned to a checkered blanket with a picnic basket on it. A single lily rested on top of the basket. "I wonder how this got here!"
Quinn laughed a little nervously at her wife's antics as Santana helped her sit down. Her hand shook inside of Santana's, and Quinn was thankful that Santana was far too nervous at the moment to notice her own nerves, and question them.
No sooner had their butts hit the blanket before Kurt, dressed up like the world's gayest Disney prince, i.e. all of them, stepped into the view. "Good evening, ladies," he drawled. "I am Mr. Hummel, your concierge for the evening. Thank you for choosing to dine with us on the Common. We have prepared for you a world class meal, which we know you'll enjoy. Please, allow me."
He kneeled down on the blanket. He gently handed the flower to Quinn before opening the basket to fix the both of them a plate. Marley quickly ducked in, sat down a bucket stand, and then rushed off. Kurt showed them the label on the bottle. "For this evening, we have an aged Merlot from my ownprivatecollection," he informed them with a wave of his wrist. He poured each of them a glass, before placing the bottle on the stand.
Santana smiled at Quinn, and rolled her eyes in a 'can you believe this' kind of way. Quinn smiled back.
After they had their food, and wine, in front of them Kurt left them alone. They ate leisurely, sometimes feeding the other. Their eyes never left the other's the whole time they were eating. They didn't look away from each other, until Kurt returned to clear their plate and he drew their eyes to them. "Tonight, for desert, we have our world famous apple tart with sparkling pear sorbet. Along with your dessert, we have prepared for your viewing pleasure a little musical number calledQuintanna: a tale of avoidance."
Santana quirked an eyebrow. Kurt quickly rushed off giving her no chance to throw something at him.
As soon as he was gone, a gray platform kind of thing, no…it was a fountain, a fountain without water-was assembled in front of them. After it was constructed, from around the back side of the waterless fountain Mercedes appeared. She was wearing a yellow cotton sundress, a matching cardigan, and a blonde wig with a wide pink streak in it. She had a white lily in her hand, and pretended to pluck petals from the flower, but instead of saying, 'she loves me, she loves me not' she said, 'I love her, I love her not'.
"Oh, San," Mercedes sighed. She smiled into the flower, before she tossed it aside in a huff. "What's the matter with me?" Mercedes whipped her hair around. "You think a girl would learn." She picked the flower back up, and started to sing, "If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that. San's just not worth the aggravation, that's ancient history, been there, done that!"
Brittany, Marley, and a miraculously changed Kurt appeared. They danced circles around 'Quinn'. "Who'd' ya think you're kiddin', she's the Earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden, honey, we can see right through you."'Quinn' hid her face. "Oh, oh!"
""Girl, ya can't conceal it, we know how ya feel, and who you're think…ing of."
Mercedes, "No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no."
Three hands went up to three foreheads, the other to their hips as they swayed. "You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, uh-oh."
Mercedes: "It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love."
The three's hips swayed back and forth.
Rachel, now wearing a brunette wig obviously meant to resemble Santana's hair, and a skin tight, short red dress, appeared. Quinn and Santana looked at each other and Santana snorted, just as surprised by this as Quinn was.
Overly dramatic, as always, Rachel was looking forlorn with a hand pressed to her chest."I thought my heart had learned its lesson, it feels so good when you start out. My head is screaming 'get a grip, girl', unless you're dying to cry your heart out oh!"
Brittany, Marley, Kurt danced between the two girls."You keep on denying, who you are and how you're feeling, baby, we're not buying, hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling, face it like a grown-up, when ya gonna own up that ya-
Brittany:"Got,"
Kurt:"Got"
Marley:"Got, it bad?"
Mercedes:"Whoa oh. No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no."
Brittany, Kurt, Marley: "Give up, give in, check the grin you're in love!"
Santana looked over at Quinn who was blushing profusely, and took her hand. Quinn looked back, and they smiled at each other.
Rachel:"This scene won't play, I won't say I'm in love."
Brittany cartwheeled into a back handspring tuck. Kurt, Marley: "You're doin' flips, read our lips, you're in love!"
Mercedes & Rachel:"You're way off base, I won't say it"-
Brittany, Kurt, Marley look at each other,"She won't say it no."
Mercedes & Rachel: "Get off my case, I won't say it."
Brittany, Kurt, Marley: "Girl, don't be proud, it's O.K. you're in love"
Mercedes and Rachel both sank onto the bench. Mercedes and Rachel:oh, at least out loud, I won't say I'm in love.
Brittany, Kurt, and Marley shimmied back behind the fountain:Sha la la la la la ahhh."
As quickly as the crowd had formed, they dispersed, leaving just Quinn and Santana alone. Quinn was looking expectantly at Santana. Santana rubbed her hands on her thighs, fighting nerves. She breathed out.This is it, she thought.Go time."You might be wondering what all this about," Santana began, starting her well-rehearsed speech. She didn't' get a dance to finish it, however. A loud boom halted Santana's words.
"What is that?" Quinn questioned.
Santana shrugged. There was nobody screaming, or running for their life, so she figured it was just an idiot doing what it did best. "It's the Common," she offered as explanation.
Quinn stood up. "No, it sounds different. I want to see what it is!"
"We're kind of in the middle of something," Santana protested. "Quinn, there was something that I really, really wanted to tell you."
Quinn started to head off in the direction of the sound, which was sounding more and more like drums. "Babe!" Santana protested. She had spent all day gearing up for this. She wasn't sure that she'd even be able to say what she had to say it she didn't say it now. But Quinn was moving, so sighing she got to her feet, and chased after Quinn.
Santana caught up with her after about 30 yards, and gently grabbed her by the crook of her arm. "Quinn, let's finish our dessert. Hummel went through a lot of trouble, and whatever that is, forget it."
Quinn strolled along on as if she didn't hear Santana, and Santana was helpless to do anything other than follow after her wife. Quinn stopped just shy of the walking trail, where a group of guys were sat in the middle of the grass with heavy stand drums.
"Oh, what's this," Quinn questioned, seemingly innocent.
The lead drummer stopped drumming as he fixed his eyes on Santana. "Oh hey dere beau-tiful! You want to come'n beat on me drum?"
Santana scowled, giving him a disdainful look. "No thanks."
Quinn pulled Santana to her. "Yeah, she's kind of taken."
The drummer leered. "She doesn't look very taken, miss. I tink you would be very happy wit' me."
"Do I have to say it again," Quinn hissed. "She's mine."
The drummer turned to Santana, but continued to talk to Quinn. "Does she know that?" he questioned? "Does she know how you feel 'bout her?"
Quinn cut Santana off before she could say anything. "Of course she does."
"How?" the man questioned. "How does sheknowyou love her?" He beat out a distinctive rhythm on his drum, and Santana stiffened because…no, no it couldn't… This time the words were sung."How does she know she's yours?"
Quinn frowned, contemplating. She avoided Santana's eye as she sang back,"How does she know that I love her?"
The drummer and Quinn got in each other's faces.
Drummer:"How does she know that you love her?"
Quinn: "How do I show her I love her?"
Drummer & Quinn: "How does she know that you really, really, truly love her?"
"Quinn…?" Santana whimpered.
Quinn took an embarrassed and blushing Santana by the arm, and led her down the walking path."It's not enough to take the one you love for granted. You must remind her or she'll be inclined to say: how do I know she loves me? How do I know she's mine?"
"Well, does she leave little notes to tell you, you are on her mind?"One of the prop actors handed Quinn a piece of paper that she scribbled on, 'You're beautiful'."Send you yellow flowers, when the sky is gray? Hey."Blaine, Kurt, Marley, and Jake each handed Santana a sunflower"She'll find a new way to show you, a little bit every day. That's how you know, that's how you know, she's your love."
Blaine wrapped a red ribbon around the flowers.
Drummer: "You got to show her you need her, don't treat her like a mind reader. Each day do something to lead her, to believe you love her."
Another theatre prop, this one a chapel, with arch's made from fun noodles, decorated with flowers, was being held up by a group of people, as two couples in wedding dress danced with each other. Quinn led Santana past them as they crossed the bridge."Everybody wants to live happily ever after. Everybody wants to know their true love is true. How do you know I love you? How do you know I'm yours?"Blaine snuck in to do a little two-step with Santana.
Blaine:"Well, does she take you out dancing, just so he can hold you close? Dedicate a song with words meant just for you? Ooh,"
Blaine spins her around."She'll find her own way to tell you, with the little things she'll do, that's how you know, that's how you know-,"
Quinn,"You're my love. You're my love."
Group: "That's how you know that she loves you, that's how you know it's true."
They made it back to where their picnic dinner was set up.
Kurt:"Because she'll wear your favorite color, just so she can match your eyes. Rent a private picnic, by the fire's glow, ooh. Her heart will be yours forever, something every day will show. That's how you know."
Crowd:"That's how you know."
Quinn:"That's how you know"
Crowd: "That's how you know."
Quinn: "That's how you know."
The Crowd releases a flurry of balloons into the night sky. Crowd:"That's how you know she's your love".
In the background: "That's how she knows that you love her. That's how you show her you love her"
Crowd:"(That's how you know)"
Drummer:"You've got to show her you need her, don't treat her like a mind reader."
Crowd:"(That's how you know)"
Drummer:"That's how she knows that you love her."
Quinn:"That's how you know that I love you."
Glee kids:"(She's your love)!"
Everyone:"It's not enough to take the one you love for granted!"
After that performance the sudden quiet was a little disarming. The crowd dispersed, quickly, not waiting to see what happened, as was part of Kurt's plan (because thiswasQuinn and Santana and there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be a fight before they got to the loving part), leaving only the actual park goers behind, some of who were looking to see what the 'answer' would be.
"You did this?" Santana questioned.
Quinn nodded, smiling, but looking anxious. "I know that you have something to say, but I just really, really need to say something to you first."
Quinn swallowed hard, trying her best not to fidget. She took Santana's hand in her own, meeting her eyes. "I wanted to let you know that I noticed. I noticed that you were always the first to congratulate me when there was something good happening in my life, and I noticed that you were always the first to tell me that I was full of it. You were the first to bring us back together, and the first to realize that if you want something you should ask for it. You are my best friend, and my lover, the woman I want as the future mother of my children, and the person that I want to grow old beside."
Quinn fought valiantly to keep her voice from shaking, but she lost the battle. "You demand better from me. You demand the best of me, and don't let me settle. You've always extended a helping hand," her head tilted a little to the side, "or a nice kick in the ass, whenever I need it, and you are courageous. You are the only person that I could ever imagine saying these words to, and the only one I everwantto say these words to."
Quinn was slightly startled to see that her wife was crying. Santana looked incredibly naked, and exposed in the moment, and oh so very breakable. She looked vulnerable in a way that Quinn was not used to seeing, maybe had never seen before. Quinn looked at her and felt this tightening in her stomach, a sinking feeling in her gut. Slowly she realized that the reason for it was because she was falling. She had just jumped off of a 50 foot cliff, and she was tumbling full on into whatever this was between her and Santana, and it was scary; it was terrifying. It was surprisingly liberating. At this point, all that could happen would be that she either crashed and burned, or Santana would be there to catch her when she fell.
Even though the answer was already yes, even though there was already a ring on her finger, and they already shared a bed together, and they were beginning to learn how to share a life together, even though the reception was just around the corner, Quinn felt as nervous as she had that weekend when she had come to New York with the intention to make her and Santana official.
With the pad of her thumb, Quinn very gently brushed the tears from her wife's eyes, paying no attention to her own. She fell to one knee, very carefully slipping her hand into her clutch to remove the engagement ring. "So, Santana Fabray-Lopez. Will you marry me?"
Tears fell more freely as Santana nodded. Her eyes moved to Santana's lips, as they slowly moved towards each other, Quinn's arms going around Santana, pulling her into an embrace.
"Was that a yes?" Quinn questioned, after some time had passed, "because I have this ring here?"
Santana drew back, and she must not have actually seen the ring earlier because she questioned, "You really got me a ring?"
Quinn nodded. "Every woman deserves to have an engagement ring."
Santana flexed her fingers in front of her in anticipation of putting on the one that Quinn had gotten her. "You better have gotten me some mad bling, Fabray," she warned.
"I don't know about crazy bling," Quinn replied, showing her the ring. Santana frowned, and it was so unexpected that Quinn was frowning too. "What's wrong, San?" she questioned, worried. Maybe sheshouldhave gotten a new ring. One that was more expensive; flashier.
Santana's eyes stayed trained on the piece of jewelry. "Isn't that the ring Martin gave you?"
Quinn looked at the ring in confusion. "What? No. Why would I do that?"
"I recognize the ring, Quinn," Santana said. "It was in your bag that weekend. I saw it when we were putting your stuff in the cab."
Understanding suddenly came to Quinn. "No, sweetie. The ring Martin gave me was a white gold vintage ring. I wouldn't give you the ring that he proposed to me with! Have a little faith in me!"
"But I sawthisring," Santana insisted, stubbornly.
"Because I was going to propose to you. When Martin popped the question, he told me that he didn't want anyone mistaking what we were to each other, and I realized that I didn't want anyone mistaking what you and I were to each other, even ifweweren't entirely sure what we were to each other. It made me realize that if you want something, you should go for it, so I was going to go for it." Quinn gave a half-hearted laugh. "I was going to propose, but it just didn't come out. And then we got in a fight, and things just changed between us, but I kept the ring. I don't know why. Maybe because I knew I was going to try again someday, or maybe because I was still paying it off, and I would have only gotten a 1/3rdof the price back if I pawned it. I don't know. I could have gotten you another ring, I guess, but this one has a history, but if you want-,"
Santana cut her off with a kiss. "Babe, it's perfect." She looked down on her engagement ring in amazement, playing with it with her thumb. "You were going to propose?"
Quinn nodded. "I put it in the peanut butter jar, and you were supposed to see it when you went to make you a sandwich, only you didn't. And…," they both knew what happened after 'and'.
Santana looked into the eyes of this beautiful woman that was kneeling in front of her. She helped her to her feet. "We wasted a lot of time, didn't we?"
"We did," Quinn agreed. "But we're here now. Isn't that all that matters?"
A fresh wave of tears fell from Santana's face as she nodded enthusiastically. Quinn watched the tears fall, not knowing why she was startled by the idea that her wife was a hopeless romantic. It lasted all of ten seconds, though, before Santana's voice hardened. "I can't believe that you hijacked my proposal!"
"I can't believe that you didn't realize that you wereplanningyour own proposal."
"It's been really stressful lately," Santana said with a pout. "And I had this all worked out."
Quinn kissed her. "I know, babe. But you don't get to be awesome all the time without me getting to shower you with a little bit of it, too. You already proposed to me,"
"That wasn't a real proposal."
"Itwasa real proposal, and it was perfect. It was…us.Because if you would have done the dinner thing, and popped the question, I wouldn't have said yes, I know this, you know this, that's why you didn't do it. If I thought, then, that it was serious, I wouldn't have gone with it, because we have a habit of messing each other up. Luckily enough, though, we have family, and friends, and apparently the whole universe, who are all more than willing to give us a helping hand." Quinn squeezed Santana's. "I know that we joke around about it, and we don't say it to each other, and tomorrow, we can go back to finding other ways to say it, but just this once I want you to know today, tomorrow, and forever, I love you, Santana Lopez."
"Fabray," Santana couldn't help herself from adding.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Santana Fabray-Lopez. Happy?"
Santana nodded. "Very much so. Te amo, tambien, Quinn."
The two of them were just getting into a really hot kiss when Kurt said, "So everything's all right, 'yes' has been said, last minute fighting got out of the way? Are we the happy couple, now?"
They broke apart with a laugh. "Yes, Kurt," they both hissed in perfect synchronization.
"Oh, thank God!" Kurt exclaimed comically, clapping his hands together. "It's a yes!" he shouted. There was a loud chorus of cheers, and then the celebrating began.