Epilogue
Epilogue
xoxoxoxoxo
July 2017
Four Months Later
“Hey Britt?” Santana called from the kitchen to the living room.
“Yeah, baby?”
“There's nothing in the fridge. You wanna go out?”
Brittany came into the kitchen and smiled at her girlfriend. “Yeah, let's go now and get something quick then go to the grocery store.”
Santana leaned up and kissed her lightly. “Sounds like a plan.”
They grabbed their wallets and phones and headed out the door.
Xoxoxoxoxo
They were seated at a little pizza place around the corner from Brittany's apartment. Brittany smiled at the Latina. She was in love. Completely, hopelessly, madly, deeply, crazy in love. She was pretty sure Santana felt the same.
“Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?” Santana asked.
“You. Almost always you.” Brittany grinned as Santana blushed.
“Britt …” Santana smiled shyly.
They held hands and chatted as they ate then headed to the grocery store.
Santana, without really thinking about it, tossed two boxes of Dots into the cart as they walked down the candy aisle and Brittany couldn't hold it in anymore.
She stopped the cart and turned Santana toward her, her hands on Santana's biceps.
“Britt? Is something wrong?”
“I love you.”
Santana stood there, stunned, until her brain caught up with her ears and she surged up on her tip-toes to capture Brittany's lips in a deep kiss, her arms snaking their way around Brittany's neck.
Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and held her close as their lips slid together perfectly – as they had since their first kiss.
They broke apart and Brittany leaned her forehead against Santana's.
“I love you, too, Britt.” Santana smiled softly. “So much.”
Brittany grinned. It doesn't get much better than this.
Xoxoxoxoxo
October 2017
Three Months Later
Santana's brain short-circuited when she saw Brittany coming toward the church. She was an absolute vision in a pale blue dress that stopped just above her knees. Her hair was in an intricate up-do; the crystals that were threaded through it sparkled in the late afternoon sun.
Brittany smiled as she saw Santana gaping at her.
“Hi,” she murmured softly, kissing Santana lightly, breaking her from her stupor.
“Hi,” Santana smiled. “You look … unbelievable. Pretty sure it's bad etiquette to outshine the brides on their wedding day,” she grinned.
“Well, then, I think you need to change.”
Santana was in a black halter dress that fell to mid-thigh and hugged her in all the right places. Her hair was swept up on one side, held in place by a crystal comb, and cascading gently to her shoulder on the other.
They stood there grinning at each other.
“Well, Quinn picked this out, so it's her fault if I look better than she or Rachel do.”
“Is she okay?”
“A little nervous. Her mom is with her right now … which means I have about five minutes to escort you to your seat before I have to go rescue her from Judy.” She winked at Brittany.
She led Brittany to her seat and kissed her on the cheek. “I'll see you after the ceremony, sweetheart.”
Brittany smiled and watched Santana walk away, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.
“I know you're looking at my ass,” Santana chuckled, looking back at Brittany and blowing her a kiss.
Brittany laughed and shook her head. She was too much.
Xoxoxoxoxo
“You're spending the night at my place, right?” Santana asked as they swayed on the dance floor.
“Mm-hm. After a day like today … with all the love and romance? Where else would I spend the night?”
Santana giggled and Brittany kissed her gently. “I love you, Santana.”
Santana sighed softly. “You're perfect.”
“Just perfect for you, honey.” Brittany smiled.
Xoxoxoxoxo
The reception was winding down and Quinn and Rachel were saying their goodbyes.
Quinn hugged Santana tightly. “Thank you for everything, S. You've been amazing.”
“You're welcome, Q.” Santana dropped her voice to a whisper. “Just be prepared to do the same for me.”
Quinn pulled out of the hug, surprise showing on her face. “You … when?”
Santana shrugged. “Probably soon. When you get back from your honeymoon, we need to go ring shopping.”
Quinn squealed and pulled her back into her embrace. “I love you, S. Brittany is perfect for you. I am so happy for you.”
Santana smiled and let her gaze drift over to where Brittany was talking to Rachel.
“Me too, Q. Me too.”
xoxoxoxoxo
Santana groaned as she slipped off her shoes. “Ugh …”
“Feet hurt, baby?”
“Mm-hm,” Santana pouted.
Brittany laughed and unzipped Santana's dress. “Get changed and we can go stretch out on the couch and rub each other's feet.”
“Okay,” Santana helped Brittany out of her dress and couldn't help but place a kiss on a creamy white shoulder. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
xoxoxoxoxo
“Britt? Can I talk to you about something?” Santana nibbled her lower lip nervously.
They were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, rubbing each other's sore feet from the night of dancing at Quinn and Rachel's reception.
“Of course, honey.” Brittany took her eyes off of Santana's feet and met Santana's gaze.
“We've been together for seven months, right?”
Brittany nodded. “Yeah.”
“And … it's going well, yeah?”
Brittany giggled. “I think so.”
“Yeah. Me too. So, um, I was thinking …”
Brittany waited patiently.
“How would you feel about moving. Here. With me?” Santana's question was barely coherent but Brittany understood.
She lunged at Santana, pinning her to the couch, and peppering her face with kisses.
Santana giggled. “Britt! Britt! Is that a yes?”
Brittany sat up and beamed her beautiful smile at the beauty lying beneath her.
“Yes,” she said shyly.
Xoxoxoxoxo
March 2018
Five Months Later
Santana was sweating bullets. Maybe not literally but she did feel like her deodorant was about to let her down.
It was the anniversary of the day they met and Santana had planned a romantic day for them. Brunch, a movie, lunch, a walk in the park, feed the ducks, a couple of hours making love, dinner at the very exclusive WaterStone (she'd made reservations back in November). Then a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park.
The day had been magical; everything she could have hoped for. Just one thing left.
She took a deep breath and turned toward Brittany, who was thoroughly enjoying the carriage ride despite the cold.
“Um, Britt?” Santana's voice was quiet but steady; steadier than she'd thought it would be.
Brittany turned to face Santana, a bright smile etched across her face.
Her whole being softened as she looked at the Latina. “This day has been amazing, Santana. Thank you. You are so sweet.” She leaned forward and kissed Santana softly.
Santana smiled and took a deep breath. “Brittany, I love you. I never in my wildest dreams could have thought of someone like you; someone so perfect, so kind and loving, gentle and caring. I … when we met, I knew you were different. I could feel it. A year later and I know now just how right I was.
“You've become my partner, my lover, my confidante, my best friend … my everything. And I'd like to add another title, if you'll accept it.”
From the pocket of her coat she pulled the small box she'd been carrying around for almost three months. She lifted the lid and turned it toward Brittany, who gasped and began nodding.
“Brittany Susan Pierce, will you do me the honor of marrying me? Of letting me love you for the rest of our lives and into the next one? Will you make me the happiest woman ever and accept the new title … of wife?”
“Yes,” Brittany was barely able to breathe the word out as the tears gathered in her eyes and she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, oh my god, YES! Santana, yes, I will marry you!”
They both had tears sliding down their faces as Santana slipped the princess cut solitaire in a platinum setting onto Brittany's finger. Brittany stared at it for a moment, then pulled Santana into a passionate kiss.
Someone cleared their throat and they remembered they were on a carriage ride.
“Congratulations, young ladies. May you have years of happiness ahead of you. Once more around the park … on me.” The carriage driver tipped his hat with a smile.
“Thank you,” they both said.
Brittany curled into Santana and Santana held her close.
She said yes, Santana thought, hardly believing her luck.
Like there was ever any other answer, Brittany thought, feeling incredibly blessed that this amazing woman found her, loved her, and wanted to marry her.
They sighed in contentment, the only sound the clip-clop of the horse's hooves and the beating of their hearts.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
September 2018
Six Months Later
“How ya doing, S?” Quinn asked as she helped adjust Santana's veil.
“Never better, Q.” Santana's smile was almost blinding. “In less than an hour I am going to marry the love of my life. My soulmate – a person I never thought existed.”
“I'm so happy for you, Santana.” Quinn gave her a slight hug and smiled at her best friend.
Santana couldn't wait.
Xoxoxoxoxo
“You okay, Brittany?” Tina asked.
Brittany smiled and nodded at her best friend's wife. “I'm good, Tina. I'm better than good. Less than an hour and the most amazing person I've ever known is going to put a ring on my finger and I'm going to put one on hers … and she'll be mine forever.”
“I'm happy for you Brittany. Santana is a lucky woman.”
Brittany's smile softened. “I'm the lucky one, Tina. She chose me.”
xoxoxoxoxo
“By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you wife and wife. Ladies, you may now kiss your bride.”
They didn't need to be told a second time.
Xoxoxoxoxo
January 2019
Four Months Later
“San?”
Santana looked up from the book she was reading and Brittany faltered; her wife was so beautiful. She was in baggy sweats, a hoodie, her hair up in a messy bun, no make-up, and wearing her glasses … and she was still the most beautiful woman Brittany had ever seen.
She moved from the doorway to the bed and sat down next to her wife. She took a deep breath in preparation for what she wanted to say.
“Is something wrong, Britt?” Santana got nervous; they'd only been married four months … Brittany wasn't tired of her, was she?
“No, baby, nothing's wrong. I just wanna talk to you about something.”
“Okay.” Santana took a deep breath and relaxed; her insecurities had been raging the past month or so. She didn't know why … just that Brittany had seemed distracted.
“I want us to start a family.” Brittany said in a rush. She closed her eyes, waiting for Santana's reaction.
Santana frowned. A family. Kids? A dog? A cat? “Britt … what kind of family?”
Brittany opened her eyes and met Santana's gaze. “A baby, San. I'd really like to have a baby with you.”
Santana nodded. “When? How? We need to start researching stuff …” Santana went into her normal 'organize, research, understand, and make Brittany happy' mode.
“I, um, sort of already started.” Brittany moved to the dresser and grabbed a folder from one of the drawers.
She opened it and started showing Santana what she'd found out; about adoption, in-vitro, surrogacy. The costs, the pros and cons, the risks.
Santana was impressed. Brittany usually just asked Santana for whatever it was and Santana would do all the research on it to figure out how they could do whatever it was.
“Okay. You've done all the work … what do you think?” Santana watched as Brittany slowly relaxed once she realized Santana wasn't upset or angry.
“I wanna have your baby.”
That stumped Santana. “Um, Britt … you know I don't have the right equipment for that, right?”
Brittany giggled and pulled some information out of the folder and handed it to her.
“It's called gestational surrogacy. They'd harvest and fertilize your eggs – with donor sperm – and implant them in me. Then I'd carry the baby or babies and give birth to them.”
Santana read through the information carefully.
“Britt, you're a dancer. A you sure you …”
Brittany nodded. “I can dance until about the seventh month. Nothing extreme but I can do choreo and teach.”
Santana considered it. “Can I have some time to do my own research and figure it out?”
“Of course you can, baby. It wasn't a demand; it was a request, a desire. Of course I want you to be informed and comfortable.” Brittany smiled at her wife and Santana melted.
“Britt?”
“Yeah?”
“Is this why you've been so distracted lately?”
“Um, yeah, I was trying to make sure I had all the information before I approached you about it.” Brittany bit her lower lip.
Santana let out a deep breath. “Oh, thank god.”
“San?”
“I thought …” she paused, collecting herself; the relief had caused an emotional back up and tears were forming.
“Baby?” Brittany gently cupped her cheek. “What's the matter?”
“I thought … you were bored with me or something,” Santana manage to choke out.
“Oh, honey,” Brittany pulled Santana into a tight embrace. “No. Never. I love you and I'm sorry that my distraction made you feel that way.”
“I'm okay, Britt. I love you and … the thought of losing you …”
“Never, my love. Not a chance.” She kissed her wife gently. “You're totally stuck with me.”
xoxoxoxoxoxo
December 2019
Eleven Months Later
Brittany was sound asleep and Santana was just watching her. She was beautiful. Even with her hair matted to her forehead and the exhaustion showing on her face, she was the most beautiful woman Santana had ever seen.
She glanced to her right and smiled at the three bundles sleeping soundly in their bassinets.
Xavier Stephen Pierce – 8 pounds, 5 ounces, 21 inches long. Born December 24, 2019 at 11:47pm.
David Santiago Pierce – 6 pounds, 4 ounces, 18 inches long. Born December 24, 2019 at 11:58pm
Shayna Maria Pierce – 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 17 inches long. Born December 25, 2019 at 12:07am
Santana wiped away a tear as she gazed upon her family. Her perfect little family. A family she never thought she'd have.
A family that only existed because, one night, Santana decided to stop the insanity …
and try something different.
-end-