Quinn woke up to the feeling of something hard slamming into her body, and the paralyzing fear of the air being forced from her lungs. She started coughing, flailing wildly until she felt her fist connect with something soft, and the weight pressing down on her shifted.
"Ow!"
Quinn recognized the voice. "Santana!" she hissed.
Santana rolled off of her. "Damn, what the hell, Quinn, you got me right in the cheek!"
Quinn opened her eyes, blinking against the sudden morning. She pulled herself to a sitting position. What the hell were you doing?"
"Trying to wake you up!" Santana said, grumpily rubbing her cheek.
"By sitting on my chest?"
"You weren't waking up, and we're going to be late if you don't put some juice in your ass. It's time to pick up Puck! Get up!"
Quinn rubbed a hand over her face.God, I married a freaking 12 year old."Why do I even need to be around?"
"Eye candy," Santana said immediately.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just marryhim; that way you two can play together all the time." Quinn was grumpy in the mornings. It was a undiagnosed genetic condition.
"Well, I would have if he didn't have man smell. That and that nasty, unattractivethingin between his legs. And if he could kiss worth a damn." Santana seemed to be struggling to remember something. "Oh, and if he were you."
"Whatever. I know you love him more. Whenever you and Puck get around each other, everyone else disappears."
Santana tugged on Quinn's collar pulling her closer. "I could never forget about you, babe." Before that could be taken as a romantic uttering Santana added, "You put out for me."
"Not recently," Quinn said under her breath.
Santana caught it. "Aww…babe." She did a boob grab. "Are you feeling neglected?"
Quinn pushed her away. "Don't tease."
"Honestly, Q, I didn't think that you would have such a hard time with this. You spent most of high school highly pressed."
"Which is every reason why I don't want to go without it now. You don't get married to someone as sexy as Santana Lopez. Fabray," she added before Santana had the chance to correct her, "And not have sex with her."
Santana postured, and an extremely cocky look took over her face. "You think I'm sexy baby?" Santana started humming a few bars of "Sexy, and I know it", doing what should have been an unflattering wiggle, but Quinn couldn't help but think about Santana's skilled hip movements when she was wearing Gianna.
Quinn reluctantly pushed the thought away. "You're infuriating, you know that?"
"WellIfindyoudeliciously irresistible," Santana said. She pulled Quinn into her lap, burying her face in the crook of her neck. "I mean this ass alone," Santana said, meditatively squeezing her ass. "I think we both know whatassets I love the most."
Santana's caress was almost absentminded, her hands moving in almost worshipful appreciation. Quinn wanted to pull away because each time Santana's fingers dug in a little deeper in her gentle massage, it pulled her forward a little more into Santana's pelvis, which felt so good. She wanted to end it before she got too worked up, but it just felt good. She was missing her wife's intimate touch.
Santana didn't appear to be aware of what she was doing. "I swear," she whispered softly. "I think your ass was perfectly designed for my hands. Look at how well your cheeks fit." She gave an added squeeze.
"San-,"
Santana pressed light kisses on Quinn's neck, dragging her lips along her pulse points. "Forget food and water, I'll take your ass and neck any day." Her kneading got a little rougher, more intent. Quinn could feel herself falling into the touch. She wanted this. She wanted Santana so badly right now. On her knees, her back, straddled; she didn't care. She just wanted her wife, preferably completely naked, but if not she wouldn't be too fussed about it either. She just wanted to feel her wife.
Quinn felt Santana's tongue touch her neck and she almost came undone from just that, as if she were a 16-year-old boy just having his first handful of boob. But fuck that. All thoughts of being good left her mind as she pulled Santana's chin up, and leaned in to cement her lips against Santana's. Santana didn't hesitate to kiss her back, either, their lips moving in tandem against the other's. Santana's tongue begged entrance, but Quinn didn't want to give her the chance to stop this. She took over the kiss, her tongue fighting and winning dominance. She moved the both of them backwards towards the bed.
Since they were 'abstaining' (and Santana had a semi-rational fear of their mother waking in on them even though they were currently staying at Quinn's apartment) her pajamas had been more conservative than Quinn was used to seeing Santana wear. Instead of sleep shorts and a tank (or more common panties and nothing at all), Santana had been sleeping in a semi modest gown, and Quinn in longer shorts and a sleep shirt. Quinn had started to have a growing disdain for that gown as it covered all of her favorite parts, but today she saw the benefits of it.
Santana's gown rode up nicely as Quinn joined their bodies together, giving Quinn a nice view of Santana's abs. They looked so good, and just begging to be shown some love, so that's what Quinn decided to do. She kissed her way down to Santana's stomach, her fingers gently caressing Santana's torso as she moved. Lovingly, she kissed the taught skin, marveling at her wife's movements when Santana sucked in her breath, and breathed out Quinn's name.
Quinn took a moment to study the way Santana's boy shorts underwear rested against her hips, before she pushed fabric out of the way. Quinn placed a kiss right above the belly button, her tongue softly caressing the skin just to remind herself of the taste of her wife. She placed a harder kiss, sucking eagerly on the flesh. She could smell Santana's arousal, could feel her heating up beneath her ministrations.
She treated Santana's abs the way she wanted to treat her lady parts. She flatted her tongue and ran it along the surface of that sultry, tender skin, pressing an intermittent kiss here and there. Even though Quinn worried with each passing second that Santana would pull away, she still took her time simply because she wanted to. Because a quickie would do nothing for her when they had so much exploring of each other to do.
But she appeared to run out of time because when Santana started to actively squirm beneath her, she did stop her. She pulled Quinn upwards, but only so Santana could place a needy kiss on Quinn's lips, pulling her down on top of her. Without breaking this contact between them Quinn very gently urged Santana's legs open with her knee, and settled herself in between them.
"Quinn," Santana pleaded, but whether it was to stop her or to ask for more Quinn wasn't sure. Honestly she didn't care. At the moment all she really cared about was getting to feel the wetness that Santana's body had prepared for her, and she didn't really care how.
"Oh, God Quinn," Santana mumbled. Quinn took the opportunity to bring her lips to that spot at the back of Santana's ear, a spot she knew turned her wife into mush. At the same time she started to move, letting her knee grace her core. "Quinn."
Quinn couldn't ignore the insistence in Santana's voice this time. "Do you want me to stop?" Quinn hated herself for asking; the words had really just slipped out without her meaning to let them go. She feared her response, but Santana simply pulled Quinn closer to her. "I never want you to stop."
It was all Quinn needed to hear before her hand was on the hem of Santana's gown to pull it over her head.
The phone rang.
Quinn felt Santana's body stiffen at the sound. "Leave it," Quinn practically begged.
The lyrics to Will Smith's "Parent's just don't understand," filled their bedroom. "That's mami," Santana said regretfully.
"Call her back."
"She might be calling because they're outside or something."
Quinn petulantly rolled off of Santana, and Santana went digging for her cell phone. She hit speaker.
"Que pasa, mami?"
"You sound out of breath, mija," Maribel stated. It was accusing and amused all at the same time.
"Well,mom, you did kind of catch me in the middle of something."
"I know what I caught you in the middle of," her mother replied. "That's why I called." Well that answered Santana's lifelong question on whether or not parents actually knew when their kids were having sex. "Noah's plane is landing in 20 minutes and you guys should already be at the airport, so stop baby dancing and go pick up my adopted son."
Quinn sighed when Santana hung up the phone. "See, told you we were going to be late," Santana said. She kissed Quinn on the forehead, bouncing to the edge of the bed to pull Quinn to her feet. "Shoes on. It's Puck time!"
Oh, joy!Quinn felt something like Bryan Griffin did when he was standing at the bar: whoseleg do I have to hump to get an orgasm around here?Quinn took the world's fastest shower, and pulled her hair into a pony, but paused while she was dressing. She was still hugely aroused and she wondered why she didn't just get herself off in the shower.
Quinn jumped a step when Santana hit her on her ass. "Shoes, babe. That is, unless you hid them. Rápido!" Quinn obeyed because…well because Santana rolling her 'R's' was one of the hottest things on the planet.
"Picking up my Puck. Getting him right now. His plane was in the air, but now it's coming down. I…"Santana seemed to run out of words. "Hmm…"
"Itispossible for us to drive to see Puckwithoutsinging," Quinn suggested as Santana tried to think up song lyrics.
"Yea, but what fun is that? I need a word that rhymes with stripper."
Santana didn't take her eyes from the road but she knew Quinn was giving her a look. "Why?" "Just a song babe."
"Puck knows better than to hire a stripper, right?" Quinn's voice had taken thattone. The one that used to send the weaklings of McKinley scampering in every direction.
"I'm a grown woman," Santana said, foolishly. "If I want a stripper, I'll get a stripper." She was aware that her wife was still staring at her. "Luckily for me, I don't happen to want a stripper."
"You better not," Quinn said in a low voice.
"Would you punish me if I did?" Quinn merely glowered in response.
By the time they got to the airport and were parked, Puck's plane had already touched down, but just so. He was coming out of the gate at the same time they were reaching it. "How's that for timing?" Santana questioned, proud of her self.
The two of them, Santana and Puck, rushed into each other's arms, then quickly drew back to play fight. Quinn watched, noting how so much different Noah looked since high school. Puck caught Quinn's eye and pulled away from Santana to wrap Quinn up in a big hug. "Looking good, baby mama, only…" he took a step back, and gave Quinn an appraising look. He shot Santana an angry glare. "What'd you do, Flopez?" he demanded.
Santana looked flabbergasted. "What're you talking about, Puck?"
"Quinn looks pressed, which means you must have done something to piss her off." Quinn blushed bright pink, but still smirked.
"I didn't do anything. Even though it's none of your damn business, Quinn and I have decided to be like nuns for a while."
Puck merely nodded, surprisingly not making a joke about it. "Me and Shelly didn't get any good loving on leading up to the wedding, either," he informed them. That wasn't why they weren't having sex, but Santana didn't feel the need to correct him. Then he might really laugh and Santana had the whole weekend to get through with him.
They had no trouble spotting Puck's stuff because he dragged his big military duffel everywhere he went.
"Why don't you buy a suitcase," Quinn questioned.
Puck shrugged, tugging on it once and slinging it over his shoulder. "Just got used to having the thing," he said in answer.
They drove immediately from Logan to Framingham. Puck wanted to see Phil, and this was the only day before the wedding that they could take the whole day off to do so.
The look on Phillip's face when he saw Puck was priceless. It Santana was Christmas, Puck was a snow day when you had a test coming up though you forgot to study for. "Daddy Puck!" he shrieked, jumping all over the man. Santana would have almost been jealous by the reaction, except for the fact that Phil saw Puck an average of four times a year, tops, so of course he was excited to see him. And then there was that whole male bonding thing. Most of Phil's life revolved around Hazel, with Santana's occasional visits. Unless there was a male day care worker, on average Phil didn't spend much time with other males, and especially not older ones.
Puck changed out of the clothes that he had traveled in and into a suit and tie. Phil watched him in fascination as Puck tied his tie to airport standards. Puck sat Phil on the counter and patiently showed Phil how to tie his own. Quinn silently watched him for a moment contemplating about what she gave up with him when she gave up Beth. But maybe Puck was just good at it now because age and time had given him patience that he wouldn't have had as a teen father. Either way, they had given their daughter up, and a relationship with Puck would never have worked out. Quinn was with the one true love of her life; her love for Puck revolved solely around what the two of them had gone through together, not actual love for each other.
Santana wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist. She kissed her on the cheek before barely whispering in her ear, "It's not too late; you can still have him." Quinn looked at Santana and saw that there was nothing but jest in her look.
"Yes, because we both know how wellthatworked."
"When're you going to admit that you're just a big gay queer lady, Fablo?"
"Fablo? Are we there now?"
"I can be Flopez, you can be Fablo."
"Quinn and Santanaarestill viable options."
"Whatevs, babe. If we ever have a boy, you can teach him how to shave, and I'll teach him how to pee standing up."
Quinn snorted, and eyes turned to look at them. "How'd Phil learn?" she questioned curiously.
"Well, after several painful attempts on both my and Hazel's part, Puck visited, and the next thing we know, he's peeing standing up. Mencanbe useful for something, sometimes."
Hazel appeared wearing a nice, but unpretentious dress, her hair done nicely, and she was wearing make-up. She looked fresh faced, and actually chipper, happy to be going on an outing that allowed her to dress up, even if it was casual. She, Puck, and Phil looked like they were going to church, and Santana almost stopped herself from making the suggestion that Hazel start going to church just to have that something to do.
"You look nice, Hazel," Santana complimented.
Hazel beamed. She squeezed Phil's cheek who was still sitting on the counter. "Well of course I have to look good for my little man!" she said.
The five of them piled into Quinn's Cube, (a vehicle that had hardly seen any road time since Santana and Quinn had gotten married, since Santana drove about 90% of the time), Santana and Quinn in the front, Hazel, Phillip, and Puck in the back. Most of the conversation belonged to Phil and Puck, as Phil went on and on about starting kindergarten, and how he'd already met his teacher, and how he was sure he was going to like him a lot.
Quinn quietly listened to him talk, thinking about Beth. Quinn and Frannie both had been quiet children; and while Santana didn't hold back when she talked, she also didn't volunteer a lot of conversation most of the time, either. So, no matter whose egg they were looking at, they would hopefully end up with a quiet child.
She snorted.Yeah, right. Santana turned from her driving. "What're you thinking about over there?"
"Whether or notourkid would be as vocal as Mr. P.J. back there," Quinn said low enough that their voices didn't carry. "I was just thinking that since both of us aren'tchatty, we'd have a quiet kid, and then I laughed because there's no way our child would be anything other than difficult."
Santana laughed, too, reaching for Quinn's hand and kissing it softly. "True that."
They parked the car and unloaded the two day-bags that they packed. Phil wanted to immediately rush into the awaiting ocean, but they had something to take care of first. The reason for the dressing up. It wasn't really a ceremony. Just a small little thing so Phil didn't feel left out of the whole thing since he couldn't come to the wedding. It didn't matter how many notices about no outside photography, people never listened. Besides Jenna could be there, or some other associate of the Healy family, and although Phil looked like he could be a love child between Santana and Puck, and Santana had spent the last months of her 'pregnancy' with Hazel, she still didn't want to risk it. So, it was just the five of them. Hazel was officiating, Puck walked Santana down the aisle, and Phil was the ring bearer.
Afterwards they changed into beach wear, and Phil didn't know what to do with himself, having four big people to play with. He finally settled on Quinn, much to Quinn's surprise. Quinn didn't reallydokids. Babysitting Mr. Schue's nephews had scared her off to children, especially boys, and even though she could manage with Frannie's kids from time to time, she still was reserved. The past few weekends when Phil was with them, he was really with Santana, and Quinn refereed. But now Phil was demanding to be played with, and he could be just as persistent as Santana, so she found herself caving.
After lunch, Quinn mostly hung back with a book while Santana, Puck, and Phil ran after each other, and Hazel was close enough to the three of them to be deemed participating. After a half hour she seemed to tire herself out, though, and she came over and sat down beside Quinn. A few minutes, maybe five or ten passed in silence before Hazel said, "Thank you."
Quinn placed a finger on the last word she'd read. Hazel explained before Quinn had a chance to ask, "for including him in this." Quinn smiled, because she didn't know what to say. She hadn't been able to get a full read on Hazel yet. "You seem to be taking them well," Hazel noted. "Are you honestly okay with him being a part of your lives?"
Quinn, who was watching Phil and Santana gang up on Puck, turned slightly to look at Hazel. "He is a part of my wife's life, so I have to be okay with it."
"No, you don't. If you told Santana that you didn't want her around him anymore, she would stop coming around, stop calling, stop everything."
"Maybe, but why would I do that?"
"Selfishness," Hazel said simply. "We're human. It's in our nature to be selfish. It's called self-preservation."
"Is that why you gave her an ultimatum?"
Hazel looked guilty. She uncomfortably played with her clothes. "No." Her eyes didn't leave the trio playing in front of her. "Have you ever felt like an outsider in your own family?"
Quinn gave the question some serious consideration. "I used to," she said. "But then I made my own family."
Hazel nodded "I never wanted a family. A partner, sure, but not kids.Shewanted kids."
Quinn gave Hazel a little more of her attention. "She? Santana?"
Hazel shook her head. "Pe. Santana never told you, did she?"
There was a laundry list of things Santana never told her. "Tell me what?"
"How I ended up here?" Quinn was the one to shake her head this time. "My wife tried to kill me." Quinn kept the surprise from her face at the open confession. She knew Jenna was a piece of work, but-, "She doesn't know about him." Phil adopted a he-man pose. He growled. "I wasn't going to have him, but Santana convinced me that I should. She even told me she'd raise him for me if I didn't want to. I thought her reasoning was because of that whole Catholic thing, but to her, her focus on me keeping him had nothing to do with being Catholic. She knew-" Hazel didn't seem to want to elaborate on that so Quinn didn't ask her to, but in her head she filled in what Hazel hadn't said. "So if you were ever wondering what hold he has on her, that's it. He wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her...and I don't know, maybe he senses that. Sometimes I think he loves her more than me."
"A child loves its mother first. Always."
Beth, Quinn realized, might have some affection towards her, may someday even love her, but Shelby was Beth's mom. Quinn was just the one that had given birth to her. "To him, Santanaishis mother. Just as much as I am."
"Then why share? If you feel like you're an outsider, why not tell her to stop coming around?"
Hazel barked out a laugh. "Because that means she'd stop coming around." She held up a hand before Quinn could say whatever she was going to respond to that. "I don't mean that in any romantic way; I don't have those kinds of feelings for your wife. She's like a sister to me, only not. She…believed me. Living with her was a nightmare. My family abandoned me, I lost all of my friends. Pe made herself my whole world, and I didn't have anything to say about it. I lived this life day in and day out, indescribably lonely. No one saw her for who she was, but Santana did. She believed me. She believed me even though it was my word against her friend's. That means a lot to me."
Santana looked over at them, realized they were talking, but didn't rush over to stop them. She purposely turned back to Puck. "She knows who I am. My own son thinks that I'm Hazel Phillips Lopez, and everyone I meet gets introduced to Hazel, but she and Puck know I'm not her."
"Is that why you let Santana and Phil get so close to each other?"
"No. That," Hazel tried to find the right words. "That honestly just happened. Phil practically imprinted on Santana from birth. Heknowsher. In his heart. He recognized her from the first day he was born. She used to talk to him when I was pregnant, and when she spoke around him right after he was born, he turned to her voice in recognition. He was comfortable being in her arms. He asks for her whenever he's scared or upset. When he's throwing a fit. He acts like that bear she gave him two years ago is pure gold, and he makes her hug it every time she's over so that he'll have her smell when she's not there.
"Santana loves things, people, without realizing that she does it, and what she loves, she protects. A lot of the time, unless it gets pointed out to her, she doesn't even realize that she's doing it. I love my son. I love him because he's here, and I'm mom…but if I was back in that moment before I knew him, I wouldn't have had him. I am eternally grateful for all that Santana has done for me, and continues to do for me, but sometimes I just wish that Jenna had gone through on her promise. I gave Santana an ultimatum so she could realize what Phil means to her, and to reaffirm to me, that that's indeed what she feels. I gave her an ultimatum because sometimes I feel that way about the whole situation, and I need to know that someone who loves him is around to take care of him if I can't."
Puck drove them back from Providence. Quinn sat up front with him. Santana, Hazel, and Phil sat in the back. Phil took up as much real estate as possible, and while he still had his seat belt on, based on his prone position, it would do little for him if they actually got in a car accident. From the mirrors, Quinn could see Santana softly stroking the little boy's head absentmindedly. Quinn was unaware when Puck reached over and grabbed her hand, but she looked down at some point, surprised to see her hand in his. Noah really was a good guy. He may have started out rough back in high school, but the more he aged, the more he grew up and matured. Quinn was liking the man that he was becoming.
Puck decided to spend the night at Hazel's to have a little more time with Phillip, and Santana and Quinn drove back to Boston in relative silence. It wasn't until they were back home, that Quinn voiced something that had been on her mind since her and Hazel's talk.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything, babe," Santana returned without hesitation, "What's up?"
"Are you sure that this is where you want to be?"
Santana looked around the bedroom. "As opposed to…?"
"I mean with me. Here with me. Am I intruding on your life?"
Santana's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what Quinn meant. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden? Did Hazel say something to you?"
"Hazel and I talked, and you're right, she's…"
"Sad."
"And lonely. Very lonely."
Santana sighed. "I know, and I don't know how to fix that. I honestly don't. I hate that she's so close to where any one of Jenna's friends or coworkers could run into her, but the thought of her being somewhere else…. I don't think she would still, but if she hadn't been pregnant during those months after Jenna put her in the hospital, I know she would have killed herself."
Quinn suspected that same thing; Hazel had all but alluded to it earlier.
"Do you think that she would ever do something to hurt Phil?"
Santana shook her head almost immediately. "No. If I did…" she didn't finish the statement. Her eyes narrowed in thought. Quinn was waiting for something, and once Santana realized what it was, she gave it to her wife. "No, you're not intruding, mi corazón, youaremy life. I told you, I don't always think things out as well as I should, and there was a time in my life where, yes, I was seriously considering having a life with Hazel, but it would have been something close to what you had with Martin. Just with even less sex. It would have been settling in the worst way possible. You're what's real to me. You have always been what's real to me, and in the hierarchy of life, you are the most important person currently in my life."
Santana started to undress. She climbed into bed, and waited for Quinn to do the same. Santana opened her arms, and Quinn obediently climbed into them, facing her wife. "Do you know what I thought about the entire time I was out today? About family, and about our eventual family, and our little Lucy Q and little Santana. About us growing up and growing old together. And no matter if I'm the fun loving aunt, or if I'm the other mother, that image of us, Quinn, that's what I want. Us above all else, okay?"
Quinn nodded. Santana gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Now, can we cut with all this sappy because I'm going to have to go to the dentist's office by the time Sunday rolls around because of all this sweet that's been in my mouth."
The problem with waiting until you were nearly 30 to get married is that by that time most of your friends are either already married, or have gotten their first divorce. The problem with your friends already being married? The stupid things that you would normally do when you're at a Bachelor's party, are forbidden by their significant others. The problem with being in a show choir in high school? Studies have shown that people involved in show choirs are 10 times more likely to be whipped by their domestic partner. What all that meant: no stripper for Santana. Not that whoever they would get could even compare to what she had waiting for her at home…still. It was an unwritten rule. Bachelor Party = sexy stripper.
Puck fell down beside Santana, handing her a mixed drink. She gave him a suspicious look. "It's not laced is it?"
"Drink it and find out, Flopez," he leered. "You know I was going to get you a stripper,justbecause, but you're so fucking whipped you probably would have ran across the room like you did at my bachelor party."
"I didn't run! Besides, you know the difference between you and me back then? I was already married, and you weren't. And I'm not whipped. I'm in love; there's a diff."
Puck drew back at Santana's words for a second. "That's legit, San."
"Yea," Santana nodded, a smiling playing across her lips. She punched Noah suddenly. "Don't think I forgot that you still owe me my money, Puck."
"Ow…stop hitting me so fucking hard!" Puck hissed.
"What, can't take a hit?"
He rubbed his arm. "No, I can, but it's not fair because you know I can't hit you back!"
"You can,"
"Yeah, and get my ass kicked for 'picking on a girl', hey no thanks. And I didn't forget. I'm going to run home to see Mama and Sarah while I'm on leave, and I'll get your money. What was the wager?"
"Don't pretend like you forgot. A dollar and a dime, and you know which dollar…"
"Yeah, yeah."
Santana and Puck watched Mike and Tina give a somewhat awkward exchange. Mike had gotten married the year before to a dancer he'd known for a couple of years, and Tina was still single. So was Artie, but there was no way that train was about to get a revival. "Phil looked good," Puck said suddenly. "Doesn't he look good?"
Santana smiled. "He does," she agreed.
"Hazel," Santana sighed, nodding in acknowledgment of Puck's thoughts. "What should we do about her?"
"What can we do?" Santana questioned, rhetorically.
"Well, I know this is going to sound shitty or whatever, but he'sourkid, right? Why don't we justtakehim?"
Santana punched him. "That'sseriouslyshitty, Puck; I can't be believe you'd even suggest that. And anyway, Hazel and I are already working out a joint custody thing. So she'll get some alone time, though alone time is the last thing I think she needs."
Puck hummed. He seemed to have a thought. "You ever wonder what a Puck-Santana specialwouldlook like?"
Santana looked at her best male friend since practically infancy. "Not even once."
Puck pushed Santana off of the couch. "You're such a punk!"
The party had all the markings of turning into a Glee club reunion until Santana's cousins, Carlos and Benny, 31 and 27, showed up equipped with 300 water balloons, 5 Mega Super Soaker's (where they got them from was anyone's guess), and two 1/5ths of Tequila as well as Kahlua Ice Cream Sundae's. If marriage, kids, the military, careers, and/or actual age was supposed to age people, it completely missed the mark with this group; it actually just made their aim better. And if having an all-out water war was something that only teenagers did, well that's what the alcohol was for.
By the time they hit the last water balloon everyone was soaked thoroughly with the lone exception being Brittany, who seemed to have a knack for hitting without getting hit. Tina, on the other hand, seemed to be soaked through, which was unfortunate for her because she had mistakenly wore something that was sheer when wet. Gallantly, Benny took off his shirt, and let her wear it, and somehow that ended up with several of the guy's shirt's coming off because…Santana was still waiting for the logical answer for that. And then Brittany took her shirt off because she was drinking and that's what she did when she was drunk.
The whole thing was so reminiscent of high school that Santana was almost expecting them to fall into a game of Truth or Dare, which didn't happen, but Sugar did decide to poorly serenade Santana and do half of a strip tease…which was just as painful as listening to her sing. Mike, Brittany, and Carlos ended up dancing. Tina joined in because apparently she couldn't help herself around Santana's cousins. They threw back shots, and talked about life. They talked about their wives. (Tina was the only one in the room besides Sugar whocouldhave had a husband, but was currently single, and Sugar's husband, a Greek playboy was rarely talked about).
"Shit," Puck whispered underneath his breath. "Give it 10 more years, the next time we're all together, we're going to be talking about carpooling schedules." Puck punched her.
"Ow…what's that for?"
"For getting everyone all domesticated."
"What the hell, Puck, you're the one who started this by getting engaged and Brittany was the first to get married anyway, not me!"
Brittany smiled over at them, hearing her name. "What?"
"Puck's saying that you're responsible for making everyone domesticated because you got married."
She gave a Brittany smile. "That's been my plan all along; and see you guys thought that Rachel was the glue of the group."
"Hey, I thought I was," Artie said. Artie wasn't married either, but he'd been dating this wannabe model for the past 3 years. It was highly suspected that she was with him because she thought that Artie was going to catch a big break someday, but Santana just couldn't see him as a big name director. Just to screw with him Santana said, "You going to be putting a ring on a finger sometime soon, Lieutenant Dan?"
She laughed at the sight of him turning pale.
"I'm talking to a girl," she heard Young say. Young appeared to be having a private conversation. "Maybe it will turn into something." Young sounded eager, and hopeful, and there was no reason for his conversation to even enter into the space where she and Puck were, until they both seemed to realize who he was talking to. "It's all pretty new, but I could really see something happening with us. She's smart, and gorgeous, and talented. So talented. She's got this voice…What she finds interesting in me, I don't know."
"You seem like a decent guy," Sam was saying kindly. "What's her name?"
Santana shoved Puck, who hastily got to his feet. "Hey!" Puck said loudly, making sure everyone was looking at him. He held up his glass. "To my best bro who's kind of getting married this weekend, there's only one thing I can say." If they were waiting for some great words of wisdom, they were looking at the wrong guy. "The key to a happy marriage is two things: liquor and poker. Lick her in the front, poke her in the rear."
Several faces scrunched up in disgust, or amusement, and Santana groaned. "Really, Puck? Young, I thought you were supposed to be taming him."
Young gave a blush, and a smile.
"There's no taming the Puck-ster," Puck declared.
"Unless your name is Shelly!"
It was a big enough distraction to pull Sam and Young away from their conversation. Santana convinced Tina to dance with Sam, and after taking a minute to catch on, she did.
Across town, at Santana's apartment 'the girls' were having a much different party. Wine bottles lined the counter, white and silver Mylar balloons were tied to chairs, there were little bags of goodies sitting out on the counter, and Rachel Berry had come prepared with a sack full of board games, three of which were of the singing variety. They spent the evening doing nails, watching bridal movies, and drinking. The highlight of the evening came when they played the 'Who brought which Thong' game, and after the women sat around in their home brought lingerie playingNever Have I Ever.
When Mercedes was one of the only ones who didn't drink to 'Never have I ever kissed a girl', Quinn watched Rachel drink with a smug look on her face, and she was prompted to question, "How did you and Kelsi even happen?"
Rachel looked surprisingly at Kelsi. "As I'm sure you're aware, those that are attracted to the arts seem to harbor a natural proclivity to sexual ambiguity, and-,"
Quinn interrupted her before she could get worked up. "Rachel, think about what you're going to say, and shorten it by half."
"How's this then: she was hot!" she leaned over and gave Kelsi what was supposed to be a chaste kiss, but nearly ended with Rachel in Kelsi's lap. Quinn looked away because…just no. "She was in my Dramatic Arts II class, and she invited me out for drinks. The rest, as they say, is history."
Mercedes seemed to catch up with the conversation. "Wait, so you two are together?" Mercedes questioned, pointing a finger back and forth. Kelsi and Rachel giggled, but didn't answer. "And you used to date?"
"Indeed we did," Rachel answered promptly.
Mercedes looked at Blaine and Kurt. "Did you know about this?"
"We were roommates," Kurt answered. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Hey!" Rachel shrieked. "We were quiet. Most of the time."
Rachel was next to take her turn, and thankfully the conversation shifted.
Midway through the evening Rachel and Mercedes got into an argument about who was the better singer, and Quinn watched with an amused smile on her face. Quinn thought that it was perfect that Rachel and Mercedes still argued and bickered from time to time, even after all these years had passed. They no longer had solos to compete for, but Mercedes, who seemed more than happy with her life every day except for the days that Rachel Berry was involved in it, felt the need to still compete. Quinn understood that that need was partly Rachel's fault. Rachel couldn't help but brag excessively about it whenever she got around, and Rachel was currently enjoying a lucrative career on Broadway.
But Quinn could understand where Rachel was coming from, too. Supposedly Quinn had had it all in high school, but she still felt the need to prove herself. Rachel was the geeky loser who was always following behind more popular people. She had endured slushie after slushie, year after year, had been called every horrible name in the book (many by Quinn or Santana), had had her dreams stepped on, so of course she had a lot to prove. Quinn got it. But they weren't in high school anymore, and while Rachel was living out her dream it wasn't like the rest of them were doing too shabby. Even Puck had received several promotions since high school.
"What are you thinking about," Mercedes questioned, squabble with Rachel apparently finished.
Quinn gave a bland smile, and shook her head. "Just thinking about us, and how things never change. I like that."
It seemed that the two of them had a penchant for getting married outdoors. Their wedding/reception took place at the pavilion on Market Street. The gazebo was just big enough for the official, Puck and Brittany, Mercedes and Frannie and, of course, the brides. Santana was led through the aisle on Pedro Lopez's arm, followed shortly behind by Quinn with Russell. As the two groups marched down the aisle, it was impossible to look at anything but them. They were both stunning.
Quinn had changed her mind a few weeks ago about wearing a cocktail dress, going with an actual bridal gown instead. It wasn't over the top extravagant, though. It was tastefully understated, with no train, and no vail, but had plenty of embellishments to it. Quinn's hair had been fashioned into Grace Kelly's signature style, and Santana had even surprised her with a tiara that now rested, half hidden, among her golden locks. Santana was wearing something that was more in-between a cocktail and bridal dress. Her gown was more beige than white, and a very simple sleeveless gown, with a V-neck that looked like it swooped down far more than it actually did. It hugged her frame nicely, and complimented her extraordinary shape in just about every way. It made her look sexy and sophisticated at the same time. To everyone's surprise, she didn't go with serious bling for the jewelry; the three piece set she wore, was very simplistic.
Quinn got her answer to the question that she had wondered about several months ago about whether or not Santana would be as excited as Puck was, if it was her coming down the aisle, because Santana's eyes didn't leave Quinn, and her smile didn't stray from her face as she watched a semi-stunned Russell walk Quinn up the gazebo steps. Predictably, she did nudge Noah, and Quinn could read what the look she shot him said as clearly as if she had actually said the words, "Can you believe I landed her?"
Quinn gave Santana a look that let Santana know that Quinn felt like the lucky one. As they stood to face each other, Santana thought about the last time she had been here, waiting to say 'I do' to Quinn. They certainly had traveled a long way since then.
Santana felt like this was all old hat as they got through the introduction, and "Sonnet 17" by Pablo Neruda was read instead of a prayer, "I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that never blooms, but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way, because I don't know any other way of loving, but this, in which there is no I, nor you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep
it is your eyes that close."
Both women felt a kind of nervous energy when they moved on to their vows, each written out separately. Quinn, for once didn't look entirely composed. Her masks were completely abandoned, and she stood in front of Santana bare, naked. "I'll keep this short since you said that we're hitting our sappiness quota for the year." Quinn brought her eyes to rest on her favorite pair of chocolate brown eyes. "I don't know how we do it, Santana, but somehow we work. Somehow, all of our misshapen pieces fit together in a way that justworks.I fell in love with you before I even knew what it meant to love someone, and I'll never stop loving you because after spending so much time doing it, I don't know how not to love you. Believe me, I tried." Santana chuckled. "So, I'm glad you finally came and claimed my heart because it was getting lonely, and it was always yours to have anyway."
It took Santana a moment to find her voice after Quinn finished. She cleared her throat. "I'm not good with words; I'm better with action. I was worried when you said you wanted to do our own vows because I thought that this would be hard, coming up with the words to say, to express to you how much you mean to me, but I realized that there's nothing hard about this. Loving you is easy. It's so easy. It's like closing my eyes and breathing, easy. I don't even have to think about it. I know I'm lucky to have you, and there will never be anyone else that I'll ever want to say this to. I am yours for however long you want me, and I'm hoping it's forever because even that much time won't be enough time to love you as completely as I want to."
Santana fixed her with a look after she finished speaking, and despite the layers of fabric that was separating the two of them, Quinn felt herself blushing profusely and simply wanting the woman that was in front of her.
Santana, Quinn, and their wedding party stayed behind to take pictures as the guests headed to the pavilion. Santana's eyes, which had searched the crowd for one particular silhouette before they said their vows, gave the area another glancing look when they made their way over to the pavilion. She hadn't really allowed herself to hope that her abuela would come, but when her eyes fell on the empty seat that had been left for her, Santana felt her shoulders hunch a little. Quinn, noticed and gave her wife's hand a tiny squeeze before the two of them sat down at the head table. They had barely graced their seats when the music was cued and they were once again standing to take their first dance.
Santana had wanted their first dance to be to Trace Adkins"Hot Mama"and Quinn wanted Ron Pope's "You're the Reason I Come Home" but the song that ended up playing was neither of those two songs. Santana couldn't for the life of her figure out if they had agreed to this song, or if Quinn had just chosen it, and Quinn couldn't either, but when they heard the first notes of Pedro Lopez's voice singing over Puck's guitar, it didn't matter who had picked it; it was just perfect."Forever can never be long enough for me, to feel like I've had long enough with you. Forget the world now, we won't let them see, but there's one thing left to do."
It was perfect because they may not have been those corny, sappy people the last couple of weeks had made them out to be, but today they were, and that was okay. "Now that the weight has lifted, love has surely shifted my way. Marry me."
Santana had never been as happy as she was right now, and for the moment she didn't care who saw her as weak; she was in love. If the people around them didn't know what this moment felt like, then she just flat out felt bad for them. She and Quinn's eyes stayed locked on each other, as they mouthed the words to each other."Together can never be close enough for me, to feel like I am close enough to you. You wear white, and I'll wear out the words "I love you", and you're beautiful. Now that the wait is over, and love has finally shown her my way."
Santana dipped Quinn and it startled her into giggles. She laughed as Santana brought her back up into her arms."Marry me. Today and every day. Marry me. If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this café. Say you will. Mm-hmm. Say you will. Marry me."
Santana held on to Quinn for a few seconds after the song was over, before leading her off of the dance floor to reclaim their seats.
Father Hidalgo, the priest from Saint Rose, her childhood church, got to his feet. At the sight of him, this time Santana successfully fought the urge not to look around for missing people. His blessing was brief, and traditional, and Santana was so very surprised that he had made the trip up here considering that he was usually a hardliner in his sermons, but still grateful that a man that she had come to respect a long time ago, was here for to show support for them in this moment.
When Father Hidalgo sat down, Mercedes got to her feet with flair, and Santana caught Rachel give her a glancing look. Santana rolled her eyes because she could tell that Berry was peeved that she was not the one making a speech. "Look at Rach," Santana whispered softly in her wife's ear. Quinn did so, and they shared a quick snicker before giving Mercedes their full on attention.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Mercedes Jones, the best friend." Santana gave another eye roll. "So for all of us that have sat back and watched this soap opera drama develop, congratulations! Y'all we did it!" Both Quinn and Santana blushed at the sound of the excited cheers and applause. "I know it seemed like this day was never, ever, ever going to come around, but finally we're here, and if you were a part of the bet, the official date is June 27th, 2022."
Mercedes shot a wink at the bride's table. "On the real, though, I have been friends, in some capacity or the other, with these two since high school, and one thing that has always been obvious to any of us watching, even if it was usually not clear to them, and boy was it not clear to them," there was appreciative laughter, "it's that these two love each other so fiercely that it makes the rest of us wonder what love is. Congratulations!"
Mercedes met Quinn's eyes. "I am so very happy for you, Quinn; my heart is bursting open. You deserve this," her eyes flickered off to her right for a quick second, before returning to Quinn's, "and I hope you hold on to this over the years. I hope you remember this moment, and it brings you through every bad moment, and every fight, 'cause I know you're going to fight a lot, and you remember this love that you're feeling right now. Santana?"
Santana cocked her head to the side, waiting. "We're cool, but if you hurt my girl, I'mma be forced to go-,"
"All Lima Heights Adjacent on you," was said by more than four different people, and there was shared laughter among the brides and the Gleeks. Puck's speech was next. Santana had very few expectations from her best bro, so as long as he didn't make a lewd comment about how hot the two of them together were, he couldn't disappoint. Who was she kidding? As long as he didn't make a rude gesture, he wouldn't disappoint.
But Puck was always surprising.
"I'm not too good with public speaking, so I had to write this down so I wouldn't forget it all." Puck unfolded a sheet of paper. "I've known both of you for more than a decade; San, I've known you for two. Santana: you know my secrets, and like me in spite of everything I am, and Quinn, you and I have shared something that has left us with a bond that can never be severed. Without getting too sappy, we've seen each other through some of the highest, and lowest points in our lives. Winning Nationals, graduation, Finn's death, marriages, the birth of Beth." He seemed to disappear for a second. He cleared his throat. "To say it as simply as possible: I love you guys. And I love that you found love with each other. To eternal love."
Quinn gave Puck her 'Noah smile' and Santana punched his arm as he sat down. "Softie," she hissed appreciatively, and Noah smiled.
Santana felt more than saw the glare that Quinn sent Brittany's way when Brittany stood up to make the last toast. Santana placed her hand on top of Quinn's and gave it a light squeeze. Similarly, Tamara was offering the same comfort to Brittany, as she began her toast.
"I've known both Santana and Quinn for a very long time. In high school we were known as the Unholy Trinity. Santana and Quinn are the kind of friends that make you feel safe. I'm not the most courageous person, I'm not the prettiest, I'm not the smartest, but with them, I didn't have to be. I always knew that I was protected, I always felt pretty, and I knew I was loved. That's what you hope for in friendship, and that's what you hope for in a marriage. I know that a lot of the Glee kids placed bets on whether or not the two of them would ever make it here, but I never did because I had an unfair advantage. An inside view," Brittany wiped a few tears from her eyes. "It wouldn't have been fair, because I know a sure thing when I see it, and it would have been stupid," she gave an ironic laugh, "to bet against them. Which is why I never did.
"To Quinn and Santana, I wish you two only the best!"
At the applause, Brittany disappeared. Santana gave a look at Quinn who nodded softly. She gave Quinn a quick kiss before she rushed off in the direction that Brittany had disappeared in. She caught up to Brittany, catching her by the hand, and spinning her around.
Brittany gave her a tearstained smile. "Hi."
"Aw, come here," Santana said, gently pulling her into her arms. "That was beautiful, Britt-Britt. Thank you."
Brittany sniffled. "I'm sorry."
"I know, Britt; it's okay. I know when it comes down to it, you'll always come through for me. You never disappoint." Santana wiped her tears away, and extended her pinkie. Brittany quickly wrapped her own around it. "You'll always be my bff," Santana assured her.
Dinner was being served as they made their way back to the table. Santana saw Quinn sitting a little stiffly in her chair, and she frowned slightly. "How's your back?" Santana questioned with concern. She placed a hand on her lower back, trying to massage it a little through the dress.
Quinn nodded. "Not too bad," she answered. "Brittany okay?"
They both looked her way. She had rejoined her table and was telling a joke or a story that had Tamara displaying a rare fit of laughter. Rachel looked slightly disturbed and Kelsi looked highly amused. "She's great," Santana responded. "She only ever had the best intentions."
"I know, but it still doesn't make me want to rush off and be all buddy-buddy."
"And you don't have to be," Santana assured her. "You are allowed to feel whatever you want to feel." Santana nodded at Rachel and Kelsi. "How long do you thinkthat'sgoing to last?"
"Not very. Rachelneedsa leading man like most people need water."
"True that."
Santana played with Quinn's hand, intertwining their fingers. "I love you, Quinn."
Quinn gave a tentative smile back. "Te amo, tambien."
They were content to sit back for a little while and watch their wedding guests. Almost as soon as the music was turned back up, Tamara and Brittany were on the dance floor, followed closely by Mercedes and Young. Mr. and Mrs. Lopez weren't far behind, either, her father giving her a wink as he twirled and dipped Maribel.
"Go head, daddy!" Santana called out to him. "Show mama that Lopez charm!"
Quinn's thumb traced circles on the back of Santana's hand. "You think that will be us someday?"
Santana gave a semi-sad smile that didn't match her words. "Oh hells, yes," she said. "You know we're going to embarrass the hell out of our kids every chance we get!" Santana nudged Quinn. "I almost forgot, I got you a gift."
"What is it?"
"Look under the table," Santana directed. For a fleeting second Quinn wondered if Santana had staged something dirty underneath the table, but when she looked what she saw was a pair of ballet flats. "Cushioned insoles," Santana whispered. "So we can dance all night."
Santana surveyed the crowd while Quinn slipped into her shoes, her eyes narrowing when she saw Rachel and Mercedes holding a whispered conversation. "Quinn!" Santana snapped, a sense of urgency in her voice.
"What happened?" Quinn questioned, already switching to panic mode at the look on her wife's face. Santana nodded in the direction of her friends. "Why are Berry and 'Cedes over there talking to each other?"
Quinn sighed more at herself than at anything else because when was she going to learn to not take Santana's antics seriously? "I don't know, S, maybe because they're friends and want to catch up."
Santana shook her head. "Unt unh. No. I know Berry, they're plotting something. I need you to go over there and figure it out."
Quinn gave the woman a thin smile. "San, you're being ridiculous. They're just talking."
Tina strode with a purpose over to the two divas. Santana jutted a finger out. "See! You still think they'rejusttalking? They are planning something! You did tell Rachel that under no circumstances is she allowed to sing, right?"
Quinn rolled her eyes in exaggeration. "Yes, honey. I know you think that Rach is an overly dramatic attention seeker, but she does know how to control herself at events."
Santana huffed because she might be overly dramatic, but Quinn could be so naïve sometimes. No, they were plotting something, she could taste it in the air. "Fine, I'll go."
Quinn clutched at the air, Santana already have moved out of her grasp. "San, leave it," Quinn called after her. "There's no crazy allowed today, Santana!" she hissed.
Quinn dithered on whether to go after her, or pretend that nothing was going on. She chose the latter, marveling at how well everything had come together.
Santana wasn't able to make it over to find out what Rachel, Mercedes and now Tina were talking about because the Father-Daughter dance was announced, and suddenly everyone was looking at Santana and Quinn. Russell and Pedro met Santana and Quinn in the middle of the floor. The song, Sade's "Baby father",picked out by Pedro, was one Santana was extremely familiar with. Junior and senior year of high school, whenever Santana and Mr. Lopez were at odds with each other, he would play the song for her, or come up behind her and say, "Your daddy knows…you're a flame." It had even been his ring tone when she was in New York.
Pedro had picked out the song, but it seemed to fit better for Quinn and Russell. They seemed to be having an intense, but unspoken conversation, as they danced together. Half-way through the song, they switched partners, and Santana found herself in Russell Fabray's arms while Quinn tried to match the sway of Pedro's hips, the cadence of his steps.
"Thank you, Santana," Russell said over the music. "For giving me this opportunity."
Santana frowned at Quinn's father. "Russ, you have one chance. One chance not to fuck things up with Quinn. Don't make me regret fighting for you."
"You don't have to worry about me, Santana," he promised. "I won't."
Senior and Mercedes joined them on the floor, as well as Junior and Justine, and a few other people. Puck was on the floor, dancing with a blonde. Santana was unable to see who it was before she was turned away from them.
The next time Santana spotted Quinn, she was a bit startled to see Quinn dancing with Hiram Berry. "Where's Papi?" Santana questioned.
"Someone cut in on me," Quinn answered. Santana turned, looking for him in the crowd, expecting to see him and her mami once again acting like two teenagers on the dance floor, but when she saw who he was dancing with she just froze. Santana was so startled she didn't even realize that Quinn had placed a comforting hand on her back. Distantly she heard Quinn excuse herself from Hiram, and felt arms go around her trembling frame. She let out a whimper.
Mr. Lopez and his dance partner turned as the song was ending, and Pedro whispered something in her ear before he kissed her on her cheek. Mrs. Lopez turned to see eyes on her. She narrowed her own, her lips falling into a tight line. She indicated for Mr. Lopez to help her off of the floor. Santana watched her sit back down at her table, at the spot that Santana had left open for her. Melinda shot a look at her nieta. Santana recognized her abuela's 'Come here, Santana' look, and she quickly scampered over to obey.
"Well," she demanded. Santana waited. Her abuela sat up stiffly in the seat. "Aren't you going to introduce me to that girl of yours?"
Santana bit down on her lip for a second. She waved over at Quinn who was watching them. Quinn swiftly made it over to their table. "Abuela, este es miesposa,"she emphasized the word, "Quinn."
"We've met," Mrs. Lopez said dryly. Santana gave Quinn a questioning look. "She came to my house to demand my attendance," Melinda said before Quinn could let Santana know that she'd explain later. "Well, so now that I've been bullied into it, here I am." Santana started to say something but was cut off. "I don't know why you couldn't have found a man that you could settle down with-,"
Santana sighed. "Abuela-,"
"–but this girl-,"
Santana stopped her. "Abuela, ella es una mujer, no una niña," she corrected her abuela, feeling the need to defend Quinn, though she still managed to keep her voice respectful. "Y la amo!"
Quinn gave Santana's hand a squeeze at this. The gesture wasn't lost on Melinda. "Si. Amour. I loved tu abuelo. He was my everything: my lover, my protector, the father of our children. I don't agree with this choice that you made, Santana-," Santana opened her mouth to say what, she wasn't sure, but her abuela silenced her. "But I see love. Love is…good."
That seemed all she was going to say about it, and Santana wanted so much more from this woman, but she decided that that was enough. It wasn't acceptance, it wasn't an invitation to come back home for Sunday night dinners, but shewashere, and she had recognized that they at least loved each other. It was the first time in Santana's life that the older woman flinched first. So even if it wasn't everything, it was something, and for now that was enough. "Gracious, abuela."
Melinda waved the words away. Santana startled when the woman very briefly touched her face. "Although if I were you, I would warn her not to come up on a Lopez's property and start demanding things porque nos López están locos."
Quinn flushed, and Santana smiled slightly. It seemed that the matter was, for the moment, closed, and Santana was shifting, wondering if she and Quinn should leave when she heard Mercedes voice rise over the crowd and find their ears, "Sam! Stop it!" Quinn and Santana both looked at each other.
"That doesn't sound good, does it?" Santana questioned rhetorically.
Quinn sighed. She looked at Santana, at Melinda. Santana looked equally conflicted. "Stay and talk to your grandmother, I'll take care of it."
Quinn went rushing off in the direction of her friend's shout. The closer she got to them the more of them she could hear, and it was just as bad as she suspected. It was like déjà vu, a flashback to junior prom, but instead of Jessie and Finn fighting over Rachel, it was Mercedes, Sam, and Young who were in the middle of a yelling match. The only thing that was stopping it from turning into an all out shoving match (though Quinn was sure that she had just missed that part) was that her friend had pretty much wedged herself in-between Sam and Young. Young looked slightly disheveled, as if he didn't know what to make of the whole thing, while Mercedes was busy pushing Sam backwards to try to create space between them.
"Sam, you're being a jerk!" She yelled as she pushed him away from Young. "What the hell are you thinking?"
Sam attempted to reach over Mercedes to push the guy again. "He was being forward! He had his hands all over you!"
"Forward?" Mercedes repeated and silently Quinn was thinking,Who the hell still says 'forward'. "He's mydate, you ass!"
"Yeah, dude, so back off."
"No one was talking to you," Sam snapped at Young. "Mercy, you know you only brought him to make me jealous!"
"I don't live and breathe you, Samuel Newton Evans!" At this Mercedes turned to Young and said, "I'msosorry."
Young gave a disdainful look at Sam. "Not your fault, pretty."
Sam grimaced and tried again to land a punch. He wouldn't run over Mercedes, so he was seeking out a way around her. Puck, who had been making his way over, took in the situation, and when Sam lunged forward, he quickly stepped in and locked him in a submission hold. "Get off me, Puck!" Sam shouted, fighting to free himself.
Puck shook him. "Then calm the hell down! Dude, you're making an ass of yourself."
Santana came striding over a lot quicker than any mortal should be able to move in a pencil gown and three inch heels. She pointed a finger straight in Sam's chest. "What the hell, Evans. Calm the fuck down, or get the fuck out," she said in a voice low enough not to carry to the people who were just starting to look towards the commotion. "There will not be a brawl at this reception! If you wanted Mercedes to be your date, you should have called her and asked." Her voice dropped even lower so only she, Sam, and Puck could hear. "And dude's fierce; he'd rip you to shreds before you even landed a good punch, and just so you know, pathetic is not a look Mercedes goes for."
Still seething, Sam looked from Santana, to Young, to an approximation of where Puck was because he couldn't actually turn his neck around to see him. He jerked away from the hold. Santana was still in between Sam and Young, and Puck was at the ready to grab Sam if the need arose. Sam wasn't moving forward, but he didn't seem to be moving back either.
"Mercedes," Sam said, eyes pleading.
Santana caught herself giving him the serious stink-eye. "Seriously, Evans. She's with Young, you…where'syourdate?"
Sam seemed to have remembered that he actually came with someone. The second he looked properly chastised, Santana locked eyes with Mercedes. "Okay, Aretha, isn't it about time to gift us with whatever singing concoction I know you, and Berry, and whoever else cooked up?"
Santana was kind of regretting not letting Sam and Young work this out at the Bachelor's party. Oh well, hindsight's 20/20.
Mercedes was so surprised at getting caught that she forgot to be angry and embarrassed for a second. "We're didn't plan anything," Mercedes said unconvincingly.
"Oh come off it, I wasn't born yesterday. I know you and Rachel didn't get your singing all out of your system on Sunday, so let's get on with it, and then maybe everyone can freakingchill, right? This is a celebration!"
Mercedes went striding over to Rachel. When she was gone, Santana cut her eyes at Sam. "Okay, look Evans. I only like you three days out of the year, and today isn't one of those days. I don't know what the hell your problem is, but it won't be here, you get me?"
"I got you," he grumbled.
"Do you?" Santana demanded.
"I said I got you."
There was a very loud tapping. "Hello?" Santana grunted because Rachel Berry had gotten ahold of a microphone. For a few seconds she contemplated which was the greater of the two evils: Rachel in control, or letting Young and Sam get into an all-out brawl at her wedding. The result would most likely end up with Sam in the hospital, though Young didn't really strike her as the kind of guy who would find himself in a brawl at a wedding.
"As some of you undoubtedly know, I'm the Rachel Berry, and I, and some of my friends, have put together a little mash-up of songs as a gift from us," she touched her chest, "to the brides."
"You guys ready?"
Sam looked like a kicked puppy as he made his way over to Rachel. Young moved to sit back in his seat. Puck gave Santana an apologetic grin before he jogged to catch up with Sam. Reluctantly Santana led Quinn back to their table. "To anyone who hasn't been there for every step of the way, we've prepared for you a reenactment through song! One, two THREE!"
They then sat through a seven and a half minute medley of songs that told the story of their relationship, starting with Maroon 5 "One More Night". In what had to be the definition of irony, Sam and Puck staged a pretend fight, before they started singing, "You and I go hard, at each other, like we're going to war."
From Maroon 5 they moved to a quick blurb of Green Day's "Dirty Little Secret" to Michael Jackson'sKeep it in theCloset, which included a William Schuester rap number. Next came an acoustic snippet of Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment"sung briefly by Sam and Puck. The music moved from Lifehouse to Selena's "I could fall in love," sung by Marley. From slow and haunting the singing and dancing and acting moved to an upbeat and jaunty Bruno Mars' "I think I want to marry you". The last song on the dossier was a 80s dance beat, which included the gayest dance ever sung to CeCe's Peniston's "Finally" sung by Rachel and Mercedes."Finally, it's happened to me, right in front of my face, and I just can't deny it."
And then,finally,it was over.
There was applause, and Rachel, being Rachel, actually bowed.
"You should have just let her make a speech," Quinn said teasingly at the look on Santana's face.
Santana rolled her eyes. "We need new friends, babe," she said. She stalked off towards Rachel and Mercedes.
"I think it's too late," Quinn called after her. "We're stuck with them for life!"
There was a shifting behind her, and a tentative voice said, "Your friends are fun." Quinn froze at the sound of that voice. She wondered whether it was possible to recognize a voice she had never heard before, but she knew right in that second who that voice belonged to.
"Beth." She gaped as the girl stepped into her line of sight. Beth didn't seem to know what to do with herself either, but she was certainly Quinn's daughter because her back stiffened as she gazed at Quinn in pride, with eyes that were foreign, yet all so familiar.
"HI," she said, almost defiantly. Quinn didn't know whether she should hug her or shake her hand, or wait for Beth to make the first move. After half a minute, and then another, she decided that she didn't care what sheshoulddo. Besides kids were supposed to be embarrassed by their parents.
Beth was able to make out one glimpse of a smile flash on Quinn's face before she was pulled into Quinn's arms. "Hi!" Quinn kind of pushed her back so she could get a better view. Beth seemed to be an almost even blend of her and Noah. The platinum blonde hair that she'd had as a baby was now a very light golden brown. She had Noah's eyes, and Quinn's ears, and Noah's mouth, and Quinn's pre-surgery nose, which caused Quinn to stare (but not in a bad way, more like an 'oh, so that's what it used to look like' kind of way).
She was a little bigger than Quinn's high school weight, and even though she seemed to have Puck's eyes, apparently she had inherited Quinn's vision, because she was confidentially wearing a pair of very stylish, nearly razor thin glasses. She was her baby, she was a teenager. She was perfect.
"You're big," Quinn stupidly remarked.
"Yep. I hear that happens when you feed and water kids." She shrugged half a shoulder, in a very Santana kind of way.
Quinn was startled to discover that her daughter was actually taller than she was. It was just an inch, but still. That shouldn't have been allowed.
Beth momentarily seemed to lose her confidence. "I hope it's okay that I'm here. You look really surprised to see me."
"Of course it's okay, Beth!" Quinn said quickly, before the girl could go rush off. "I wasn't expecting you, but thank you, thank you for being here! How are you? Are you happy? How are you doing in school? Do you have good friends?" Quinn just tossed out the questions, rapid fire, but she just had so many. Beth must think she's completely weird.
"Whoa," Beth laughed. "That's a lot of questions. I didn't think you'd be this…eager…to…well I thought maybe you might be mad."
"Mad?"
"Because I'm not supposed to just show up, not until I'm 18 anyway."
"Oh," Quinn said. "No, I'm not mad."
"School's good. I've got two best friends, Aaron and Wylie, and we're starting a band."
"Really? What're you going to name it?"
"Faded Blue Avocado." Beth delivered that statement as if she were challenging Quinn to question the awesomeness of it, and of course Quinn didn't.
"Sounds…unique."
"People say that when they think something's strange, but it's not likeBeatleswas normal, or "YellowSubmarine"."
Quinn stopped herself from mentioning that "yellow submarine" had been old fashioned slang for a dildo, because this was a child in front of her. Her child.Oh my God. This was the little, itty-bitty watermelon sized girl that she had given birth. She blinked, attempting to remind herself not to stare. She needed something to talk about. What did teenagers like? "So…are you dating anyone? Aaron? Or Wylie?"
"Umm…Wylie is dating her girlfriend, Mischa, and Aaron's kind of weird. Not like 'hide girls in the basement weird', but I don't see him that way." So Wylie was a girl, and a lesbian, apparently. Quinn wondered if her daughter was a lesbian; was that kind of thing genetic? "I'm not really into dating right now. I'm into our band. And orienteering. You know tracking across ground? Me and mom do it every other weekend."
Quinn was aware of a sudden presence seconds before she heard, "Holy Sh…Stanley Cup, you're Beth!"
Beth smiled, and Quinn was silently thankful for the reinforcements. "I am," Beth asserted. She held a hand out to Santana. Both women looked at the colored marker on the back of the teen's hand. "And you're Santana, right. Quinn's wife?"
Santana nodded, staring open mouthed at the girl until she realized that she was holding a hand out to her. They shook. "Yep, that's me." Santana suddenly turned to Quinn. "I didn't invite her, so if you're thinking about blowing up at me later-,"
"My…Puck did," Beth informed both of them. "I'm his date."
"Oh."
"Please don't be mad at him."
Santana was contemplating punching him because of the shock, but she wasn't mad. She looked at Quinn. Was Quinn mad? She didn't appear mad. She looked shocked, and happy, and sad, and everything in between. "Well, of course I'm going to be mad at him, but that's just because that's our default. I'm not mad he invited you, we're both very glad you came. Is Shelby…um your mom, is she here?"
"Mom's visiting some friends of hers in Roxbury. She'll be back to pick me up later."
"Oh."
Santana thought to intervene on behalf of the two of them. "Babe, why don't you introduce her to Judy and Russell, and I'm going to go tell the DJ that it's mariachi band time, and then she can be your salsa partner. Savvy?"
Quinn looked to her daughter. "Can you dance?"
At this Beth's face lit up. "I've been in classes since I was three!"
"Geez, she's Berry junior," Santana said, her voice low enough that it didn't carry to the girl's ears. "You should introduce her to Rachel." Santana turned to Beth. "Do you know Berry?"
"Berry?" Beth repeated in confusion. "Oh!Rachel! Yeah, we go to see her plays once a year. She's funny!"
Both Quinn and Santana bit down on their lip at this statement, but said nothing. Santana excused herself, and did like she said. The floor was cleared for the promised salsa dance. Santana paired up with Benny, and it quickly became a competition between the cousins, her parents, and her aunt and uncle. Even Maribel was coaxed back to her feet by Carlos, and she proved that despite her age, she still knew how to move.
After a few songs, the floor was cleared once again so that they could cut the cakes. Both Quinn and Santana only took the smallest bit of cake available. They fed each other, and surveyed the revelry around them. Santana flicked off the fondant that her piece of cake was covered in in disgust. Quinn watched her wife wage war on the cake. "I just don't get the whole fondant thing, I really don't. It's not even edible." Santana's eyes looked up and landed on Mercedes and Sam, who were busy arguing off to the side. "Poor Young."
"Why poor Young?" Quinn questioned. "Don't you mean poor Sam?"
Santana looked back to the sight of Mercedes yelling at Sam, and Sam just as furiously arguing back with her. "No, I mean poor Young. They're yelling at each other like we yell at each other," Santana said.
Quinn understood what Santana meant. "Oh. Poor Young," she echoed. "I was hoping that it'd work out between the two of them."
"Me too, but horses and water, babe, horses and water."
"But he was cute," Quinn said in a fake-pout. "And a gentleman. And Sam's-,"
"Hopeless."
"I wasn't going to say that! I was going to say he was a hopeless romantic. Mercedes admits their last break up was her fault, so it's understandable that he made a scene. Wouldn't you?"
Santana stuck her fork into the cake. "I bet the vagina would have tasted better."
The last half hour of the reception broke all party rules, as Shout,the Cha Cha Slide, the Electric Slide, the Cupid Shuffle, the Wobble,and just because the DJ was feeling nostalgic, the Hustle, the Macarena, and Las Ketchup Dance were played one right after the other. After so much dancing in a row, those who were mere mortals reclaimed their seats, and someone, presumably a Lopez, requested a Shakira song, and that was it. A silent coup had been waged, and won, and the floor was completely turned over to the older people and merengue, cumbia, salsa, and rumba beats dominated the rest of the night.
Santana pulled an exhausted Quinn to her feet. "I'm going to teach you how to do the Bachata!"
"San, right now I just want to teach you how to do the sleep."
Santana giggled at her wife. "Aw…is my baby ready for night-night?"
"Yes," Quinn pouted. She draped herself across Santana. "Carry me?"
Santana rolled her eyes. "Tha Fuck for, Fablo? I told you before, I don't have to try anymore: I already got you."
But Santana lowered Quinn back to her chair, and started to make her rounds to let people know that they were leaving soon. A few minutes later, Santana was half carrying a very tired Quinn to her car, and when they got back to the apartment, Santana carried her all the way up the stairs, and over the threshold, bridal style.