A little update on this story that's been floating around in my head. Hope you like it!

Eighteen months later...

Santana presented herself to Quinn in the 15th outfit so far. Quinn shrugged.

"Santana, the ones that I like, you hate and vice versa, I'm clearly not the person who's opinion you care about, and you know Brittany is going to love anything you wear, so why don't you just pick something?"

Santana sighed, flopping onto the bed. "It's not the same, Q. I want to look awesome, because this is an awesome night. We've finally made it. The Sherlock Tones, you know, and I want her to be proud of me. I want her to really look at me, and think, 'that's my girl.'"

Quinn turned to Santana with a raise of her eyebrow. "So, you think Brittany isn't proud of you?"

"No, it's not that-"

"So, you think that she doesn't think you're the hottest woman on the planet."

"Well, yeah, I know but-"

"So, you think she's ashamed of you?"

"No, of course not-"

"Santana, you could wear a potato sack, and Brittany would still show you off as if you were wearing an original Alexander McQueen. She loves you. And trust me, I hear all about it. Between the walls here being way too thin, and how she gushes over you to Rachel, I hear no end of it."

"Speaking of which, is your baby mamma coming tonight? I know she was going to try to rearrange one of her shows."

"Yeah, she's trying, but she's not sure yet. She's already having to take the tail end of the run off when she gets really big. I know she really wants to go though."

Rachel and Quinn had been off and on for months, and then one day, about six months prior, they had come back from Atlantic City wearing wedding rings. Brittany and Santana had teased them about it for weeks, but they insisted it wasn't a drunken mistake, but actually something they discussed and were sure they wanted.

Not long after that, they'd decided they wanted to get pregnant, and had found a fertility specialist. Santana discovered that pregnant Rachel was not quite as annoying, and spent most of her time bugging Quinn, rather than focusing on anybody else.

Santana had abandoned the apartment that had caused her so much trouble, and accepted Brittany's invitation to move in with her. The place wasn't as convenient as her old one, but she saved a lot of money on rent, and over the summer Brittany had converted the old storage shed out back into a place for the band to play.

They hosted their friends as often as possible, and had plenty of room to do it in.

The bane of her existence chose that moment to hop onto the bed.

"Get of here, Tubbs. I don't want cat hair all over my shit."

The fat cat only purred in response, rubbing his head against Santana's arm. She sighed, and began to stroke behind his ears.

Santana was the happiest she had been in a long time. She had Brittany, even though she had been worried that she'd lose her, and gradually they'd become a bigger and bigger part of each other's lives. Santana had become well known in the NYU math department, and Brittany had stood beside her girlfriend, and held her hand, when she'd met Santana's parents for the first time.

She was happier than ever with Brittany, but things were looking up in her professional life too. After months of working harder than ever, playing shows, working on their routines and writing original music, the Sherlock Tones had scored their first record deal.

Santana hadn't believed it at first, but when an assistant had led her, Mercedes, Sam, Lauren, Matt and Jane through a beautiful elevator, and into a huge office at RCA headquarters, she knew that it was real.

There was only one thing: She hadn't told Brittany yet.

She told herself it was because she wasn't sure if she'd take the deal or not. But, a part of her knew that going on the road, being in the studio all day and doing press would take a lot of her time. Time that she would rather have been spending with Brittany.

Even now it wasn't set in stone. There were papers to sign, and negotiations to be made. So, she wanted this to be the night. Everything would be set. She would go up on that stage and perform, but she'd also tell the love of her life that they were starting a new chapter, and she was scared.

Quinn, for her part, had been trying for weeks to get her to tell Brittany. Santana had sworn her to secrecy, barring her from even telling her wife, though, Santana was sure that Quinn couldn't hide anything from Rachel, even if she'd wanted to.

"You know, if you'd told Brittany about all this already, you wouldn't be so nervous."

"It's not that, Quinn." Santana snapped. "I just want this to go perfectly."

"Mmmhmm."

"It's just, you know, with all the work I've been doing, and Brittany getting ready for that conference in Berlin, we haven't had a lot of time together. Honestly, we barely even are at home at the same time. Even tonight, she's busy and won't be able to see me before the show. She's working all these long hours. It's just a lot."

"I'm sure if she could be here she would." Quinn said.

"I know. I know she would, but it still kind of sucks."

"Yeah."

They sat for another moment in silence.

"Anyway, she's going to be there tonight, and I'm going to tell her, and I just… I just want everything to be okay."

Quinn sighed, and standing up, pulled Santana so she would be sitting up on the bed. She held Santana's hands.

"Do you know what Rachel and I talk about when we're not talking about baby names, and arguing over what color to paint the nursery?"

"You two argue?"

"You. Well, you and Britt. I've known you a long time, Santana, and Rachel has known Brittany for a long time, and we don't know if we've seen a better match for two people. Besides the two of us, of course."

"Of course."

"I just mean, you should learn to trust each other. She loves you, I know it. And I'm constantly being reminded about how you feel about her."

"Paper thin walls?"

"Paper thin walls."

Santana laughed, then dropped her head again. "It's not Brittany, Quinn, it's me. I'm just worried that this will break us. You work long hours at the firm, you know how it is. You feel like you're drifting away from someone, even though they're right in front of you. It's so hard."

"Yeah, well, I make my family a priority, and Rachel knows that. Sometimes she uses it to her advantage, but it's only because she wants to see me too."

Quinn raised Santana's chin. "She loves you, Santana. I know this, and you know this. So, what are you beating yourself up about it for?"

Santana shrugged, pulling herself up from the bed. "I'm going to try on one more. Okay, two. Maybe three... Four tops. Don't move."

Quinn groaned as Santana rushed back into the closet.

\

"This is the one!"

Rachel pointed out the window, and jerked forward a little as Brittany slammed on the brakes. She put a protective hand over her stomach and glared at Brittany.

"Sorry. It was so sudden."

They had left early this morning on a plane to Columbus and then rented a car to drive to Lima, while Rachel sang show tunes, and ate junk food.

Brittany kicked herself. She knew why she had brought Rachel along, she was her best friend. But, she couldn't have picked a worse traveling companion. Rachel had thrown up on the plane twice, and then ate two whole Cinnabons before they even left the airport.

She also knew that besides Santana, she wouldn't want anyone else by her side at this moment.

She leaned forward and looked up at the house. It was so much bigger and more imposing than she remembered.

The first time she'd come with Santana, she wasn't nervous at all. Of course, Santana had been nervous. She'd been talking a mile a minute, and it was only when Brittany parked the car, and started kissing Santana's neck, did her girlfriend feel ready to relax. It had only worked a few minutes before she was wound up again, but Brittany never let go of her hand, and rubbed her thumb over Santana's knuckles anytime she felt her tense up.

It wasn't that Santana was afraid that her parents wouldn't accept Brittany. She just had the tendency to get herself worked up, but Brittany had the uncanny ability to bring her back down to Earth.

Santana did the same for her. When Brittany found herself getting frustrated with college politics, or getting stuck out on a limb of some particularly outlandish flight of fancy, she'd wrap herself around Santana who always knew just what to say to make her feel better.

And now they were going to have been together officially for one whole year, and she knew there wasn't anyone that she'd rather spend her time with.

Brittany helped Rachel out the car (whose belly was huge even only being a few months along), and approached the large house. It was one of the biggest houses Brittany had ever been inside of, but it made sense. Santana's dad was a big time doctor, and her mom was a big time lawyer, and they'd always wanted the best for their daughter. Granted, they'd asked a lot of her too, and weren't exactly thrilled that Santana had chosen the life she chose. But, they were a part of her, and no matter what had happened, they had raised the Santana that Brittany loved, so she'd always feel close to them.

She had called ahead, but Maribel had mentioned that they might not be home, but Brittany had a key, and she should make herself comfortable until they got back. However, she saw a light in the downstairs hall, so she didn't open the door, but rang the bell instead and stepped back.

She fidgeted with her hands, folding them behind her back, then holding them in front of her only a few seconds later.

"You should relax." Rachel hissed, grabbing Brittany's hand in her own.

"I can't. I'm nervous. This is a big deal, and what if they say no, or that I'm not good enough or-"

Brittany was cut off as the front door opened, and Jorge Lopez, seeing Brittany, broke into a wide grin. He gathered her up in his arms.

"Brittany! Maribel, come out here, it's Brittany, and Rachel."

Brittany smiled into the hug, squeezing back tightly. She was happy that they were so happy to see her, it probably was a good sign. She looked back at Rachel, who Maribel had grabbed as soon as she saw her, being careful not to disturb her belly.

"Oh, Rachel, you're so big now. Quinn told me that you were, but I can't believe it." Maribel was sniffing now.

She had known Quinn since she was a child, and considered her to be a second daughter. Now Rachel was like her daughter in law.

"My baby is having a baby. I think I'm going to cry."

Jorge patted his wife's back, and gestured for the two of them to come in. "Please, don't stand in the doorway a second longer. I know you have to get back soon. I'll put on some coffee, and we'll chat for a bit."

Brittany only nodded, and followed him inside.

Maribel stacked some pillows on a kitchen chair, and pointed for Rachel to sit down. They happily chatted away about baby names, and made plans for the Fabray-Berry's first trip back to Lima with their newborn.

Brittany and Jorge worked seamlessly in the kitchen, preparing cups of coffee (tea for Rachel, Maribel had insisted), and some snacks to tide them over.

"You didn't mention why you were coming." Jorge said, conspiratorially.

Brittany froze. "Oh?"

"No, but I think I know."

She kept her back to Jorge, organizing a stack of carrots. "Oh, okay."

"Brittany."

Jorge had a firm, but gentle edge to his voice. Brittany knew the jig was up. She turned around slowly.

"I love her, Dr. Lopez."

"Brittany-"

"I love her more than anything. And I don't know if I'll ever be enough for your little girl, but I swear on my life that I will spend the rest of my life trying."

Brittany had tears rolling down her cheeks now. But she didn't feel sad. She felt elated, she felt nervous, but never sad. Never about Santana.

"She's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. I physically ache when I'm not near her, and the sweetest thing I've ever heard is the sound of her telling me that she loves me. When she's with me I feel like I can do anything, and the feelings that I have for her have only been getting stronger and stronger. I know it's soon. We've only known each other for a year, but I want to marry her. I love her, and I want to marry her, and I hope that you'll say it's okay."

Jorge leaned up against the counter, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"And what does my daughter say?"

Brittany looked down again. "Well, we talked about it, a few times. And, I know she wants to. But, I also know that she's a traditional woman, you know? And I know how much it would mean to her if I, you know, asked your permission. So, that's why I came."

Jorge stood for a moment longer, his arms crossed, before he melted, holding his arms out to Brittany.

"Come, mija."

Brittany rushed across the room, burying her face in his chest, knowing he wouldn't mind the mess she was making of his shirt.

"Is it okay?" She sniffed.

"Do you remember when you two came earlier this year?"

Brittany nodded, still gripping his shirt tightly.

"Maribel took you shopping, so that I could have some time alone with my Santanita. We drank beer and talked for a long time. I learned a lot about her that day. I learned how much she had grown and changed since she left for New York, and how sometimes, I hadn't given her enough credit."

Brittany nodded again.

"We talked about you, too. I don't think she could help it. She is totally in love with you, you come up at every opportunity."

Brittany blushed at that.

"She told me that day that she loved you, and I believed her. Do you know what else she told me?"

"What?"

"I asked her if she loved you and do you know what she said? She said, 'Papi, I have never loved anyone until I met her. I know I'm going to marry her. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her, if she'll have me.' And I believed her."

Brittany pulled out of the embrace, wiping a sleeve over her face. "She did?"

"She did. She was just talking, of course. She hadn't made a definite plan. But I think she knew that you were the person for her. And seeing you two together, her mother and I were sure that you felt the same way."

Brittany nodded her head enthusiastically. "I do! I really do."

Jorge laughed. "So, that's why when you called, Maribel and I knew exactly what you wanted. And that's why we went and got this."

He pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket, and opening it, held it out to Brittany. She took it with trembling and reverent hands, eyeing it closely.

It was a beautiful, and old fashioned looking gold band, with two huge diamonds set to either side of a emerald stone in the middle. The middle emerald was surrounded in smaller diamonds, and they all shined fiercely in the kitchen light.

"It was her abuela's, before she passed away. She didn't get a chance to meet you, Brittany, but I know she would have loved you. And she would have wanted you to have this, to give to her granddaughter, when you ask her to marry her."

Brittany could feel the tears on her face again. Tears of happiness.

"So, that's a yes?"

"That's a yes. I know you will make my daughter very happy."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Lopez. I don't know what to say."

"You can start by calling me Dad. We're familia now, Brittany, you are a Lopez, too."

Brittany smiled, ducking her head.

"Can you all hurry up in there? My baby is hungry!" Rachel shouted from the dining room.

Brittany smiled, and grabbed the tray. She would gladly take a hundred trips with pregnant Rachel, and nothing that happened from then on out could even begin to dull her shine.

\

"Where is she?"

Santana was pacing backstage, and would stop every so often push back the curtain to take a furtive look out into the audience. The seats beside Quinn were still frustratingly empty. Santana hadn't stopped calling Brittany's phone, but it seemed to have been turned off hours ago.

Mercedes was standing with her, trying to calm Santana down, and knowing it wasn't' working.

"Santana, we go on in about 20 minutes-"

"Exactly! Which is why she should be here. I can't believe this. She's going to miss the show, she's going to miss the announcement, and I can't even call her. Oh my god, what if something happened at the school? What if she got in an accident!?"

Mercedes grabbed her shoulders to stop her spiraling. "She's fine, Santana, she's probably just running late, but I'm positive she's going to be here."

"But how do you know, Mercedes?"

"Because she's Brittany. And when has Brittany ever let you down?"

Santana furrowed her brow. "Never."

"Exactly, never. And even if she's late, that woman will move hell and high water to be here, so, don't worry. She won't miss our little announcement."

Santana nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Has Brittany seemed off to you at all lately? Like, a little weird?"

Mercedes laughed. "This is Brittany we're talking about here, Santana. I love the girl, but she is weird. That's just her."

"She is not! She's unique, but her mind is amazing, Mercedes. You've got to know that." Santana huffed.

"Yeah, she's a genius, but she also once accused of Lord Tubbington of stirring up political unrest in Syria. "

"It's all a part of her process. Trust me, it's very effective for her."

"Well, then why are you asking me? If you think she's being weird, then something must be really off."

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out. She's just been kind of evasive lately. Like, I feel like she's hiding something."

"Maybe you went and finally got her pregnant."

Santana laughed, shaking her head. "If anybody could do it, it would be us. It's not like we don't have enough practice."

Mercedes put her hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, enough. I already hear more than I'd ever need to know about your sex lives from Faberry. I think I'm good."

"It's just that…" Santana sighed, and snuck another look out at the curtain. "Maybe something's happened and she doesn't want to tell me."

"Something about what?"

"I dunno, work, family, not sure. She can be insane when she's trying to protect me from something."

"I learned that lesson the hard way last year at the dodgeball tournament."

"Well, Mercedes, you weren't supposed to be aiming for my face."

"I wasn't! Your face just happened to get in the way of my well aimed shot at Kurt."

Santana looked out the curtain again and sighed.

"Look, Santana, I think you just have to remember to trust her. That's the heart of this whole thing. Would you ever hurt her?"

"Of course not."

"Well, trust her and yourself for once."

"I know, it's just that things are going so well-"

"Then let them go well. Just love her and let her love you."

Santana turned to Mercedes, a sly smile on her face.

"Is that how it works with you and Sam?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I told you, Satan. Sam and I are just friends."

"Sure, and that's why you invited him home for the 4th?"

"He told me he always wanted to go to the midwest! Boy is from Tennessee, he doesn't know how we do it out in the flyover states."

Santana was laughing loudly now, holding her sides. "That's what you're telling people? You'll have to come up with a better lie than that if someone else asks, Aretha. You don't even sound as if you buy it."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought it was a pretty good one."

"Ha!" Santana pointed an accusing finger at her. "I knew it! What were you really doing out there?"

"Well, if you must know we decided it was time he met my family."

"And what did they think?"

"They loved him, of course. I mean, he's Sam. He was practically designed to charm mothers all over the world."

Santana laughed, patting Mercedes' arm reassuringly. "He's a good guy, Mercedes, and he really, really likes you. I can see that."

Mercedes sighed. "I think he might be the one, San. I know we haven't made anything official yet. But I really think… I don't know… I think I might love him."

Santana squealed, grabbing Mercedes hands, and spinning her around.

"Oh my god!"

Mercedes put her hands up. "But you can't tell anybody, Santana. I haven't even told Sam yet."

"Told me what?"

Sam's voice behind Mercedes made her eyes go wide.

"Uh, that, well, um-"

"That we're thinking about changing the name of the band." Santana broke in smoothly.

"Are you kidding, 'Cedes? I thought you loved the name."

"She does, I don't. Anyway, it's on the table. And as the founding members, we have two votes each."

Mercedes raised her eyebrows at Santana significantly.

"What Santana means Sam-"

"It's tabled, we'll talk about it further down the line. If and when we sign with the label."

Sam shrugged. "I wasn't that attached to the name, so if you want to change it, Mercedes, I support you."

Santana gave Mercedes a waggle of her eyebrows, and Mercedes slapped her arm.

"Anyway, there's someone outside to see you, Santana."

At this news, Santana bounced away from Mercedes, and out the door. She knew it wasn't Brittany. If it were Brittany, Sam would have just said that Brittany was outside. But a part of her couldn't help the anticipation that built up in the pit of her stomach.

"Lopez!" A voice boomed out at her.

It was Frank. Her boss from the bike messenger service. He was as gruff as ever, but had cleaned up a bit for the evening, wearing a tie and what appeared to be his cleanest button up shirt.

"Frank! I'm so glad you could make it, thanks for coming."

She had told Frank that she might be leaving the dispatch and even though they hadn't always gotten along, Frank gave as good as he got, and respected Santana enough to be straight with her.

"I wouldn't have missed it. I always knew you were headed to great things, Lopez. That's why I always pushed you so hard."

Santana laughed, landing a soft punch on Frank's shoulder. "Sure, keep telling yourself that, Frank. So, you're just a concerned mentor instead of an asshole."

"Well, a bit of that too. But, I'm glad I could come out and support you tonight."

"Thanks for that." Santana said, good naturedly.

"And where's that blonde human calculator of yours? I didn't see her on the way in. She back here, pumping you up for the show?"

The wind was momentarily knocked out of Santana's lungs. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. She didn't see any missed calls or messages.

"Nah, she's not here yet, but she's on her way, I'm sure."

Frank could tell he'd hit a sore spot, and was quick to correct himself.

"Of course, I'm sure too. I've never seen a couple as disgustingly sweet as you two, Lopez. She'll be here. I'm sure she wouldn't miss it for the world."

Santana smiled. "Thanks Frank. You're right."

He patted her on the back. "Well, I'm going to go out there, and get my seat, you break a leg!"

Santana waved, heading back into their space behind the stage, and covered her eyes quickly as she stumbled onto Sam and Mercedes making out passionately.

"You know, this thing of yours isn't going to be a secret much longer if you spend your time sucking on each other's faces backstage."

They broke apart quickly, looking guiltily away.

"It wasn't that-"
"Santana-"

"Save it. Just know, blondie, that if you hurt my friend, I will hurt you."

Sam gulped. "I wouldn't do that, Santana. I love-" He stopped himself, pursing his humongous lips.

Mercedes covered a gasp with a hand to her mouth. Santana smirked knowingly.

"You love me?" Mercedes asked.

Sam looked down bashfully, the color rising to his face. "I-If that's okay. I've felt this way for a while, but I didn't want to say it, because I was worried that maybe it was too soon. You'd think I was a freak or something."

Mercedes reached for Sam's hand. "I love you too, Sam."

Sam reached for her, wrapping his arms around her, and Santana took that moment to make her exit, heading towards the door just in time to keep Puck from barging in.

"Puckerman, this is for band members only."

"Actually, Lopez, I'm on a mission from Artie. He says it's lights up in 15. Everything's ready."

Santana grimaced. "And Brittany still isn't here."

"Don't worry, Lezpez, if I know my girl Brittany, she's racing through traffic like a madwoman, so she'll be here in time."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Let's go round up the others. We've got a show to do."

"Right on."

\

"Right, right!"

Brittany veered in the direction that Rachel was wildly pointing in, pushing desperately, and struggling to keep the luggage cart, that Rachel was now perched precariously on, from toppling over.

"There!" Rachel was pointing straight in front of them, and Brittany saw it. The exit.

"Oh, thank god."

She thought her legs were going to give out, but she pushed right to the door, and out into the street. Waving wildly, she managed to get a cab to stop and threw their handbags into the car. Then, with much more care, she helped Rachel out of the cart, and into the cab. She jumped in herself, and gave the driver the direction of The Garage, promising her an extra $50 bucks if she could get them there in half the time.

Then sitting back in her seat, she took out her phone, and turned it on. A look at her watch told her that they were already 10 minutes into Santana's show, and they were still at least 45 minutes away. Her phone began buzzing, and she saw the streak or messages and voicemail messages that were waiting on her. Obviously, Santana took up the bulk of those, but there were a few from Puck, Mercedes, and several from Quinn.

Quinn: You were supposed to be here an hour ago.

Quinn: I can't get Rachel either, are you two still in the air?

Quinn: Brittany, get your ass back here now, and bring my wife and our child with you.

Brittany could hear Rachel going through the same process with her phone in the front seat. And a few moments later Rachel was on the phone with Quinn, soothing her fears.

They had gotten back from from Lima to Columbus in record time. At the airport, Rachel had gripped her stomach, and played up with whole 'being pregnant' angle to get one of those little cars to drive them to their gate. They were up in the air, and Brittany was confident that they'd be there in plenty of time.

Of course, then the plane had started having issues,the air conditioning cut out, and the heat kicked in. The air in the cabin had gotten uncomfortably hot, and passengers started freaking out. They had to turn the plane around, and a guy got taken off on a stretcher. By the time they got back in the air, it had been an hour and a half, and Brittany was sweating more than she had been when she had been stuck in the heat.

She couldn't miss this show, though. She just couldn't.

So, she urged the driver along, and groaned when they got to the bridge, and hit a wall of traffic.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah." The driver drawled. "The Yankees are playing tonight, so everyone's on their way into the city." She shrugged apologetically.

"Shit."

"It's okay, Britt. Even if we don't make it for the whole set, it's an hour long. We'll probably only miss the first half."

"But I didn't want to miss any of it." Brittany whined.

Rachel was still on the phone with Quinn, and listened for a moment.

"We're on 47th and Morgan. Yeah. Probably about forty five minutes?" She pointed the question towards the driver who nodded.

"What's she saying, Rachel? Does she know a shortcut?"

"There ain't a shortcut. Not to that part of town from here."

Rachel covered the mouthpiece and turned to the driver. "Quinn said she's calling in a favor. Take the next left here, and wait for the signal."

"The signal?" Brittany raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she says we'll know it when we see it."

The driver shrugged, and pulled out of the major traffic, but as soon as they hit the next block, they were in another jam.

Suddenly, Brittany's phone chirped, and she saw she had a message from Quinn.

Quinn: You owe me one. Well, either you or your bride to be.

Brittany frowned, but looked up quickly when she heard a siren coming from down the road. Rachel pointed frantically.

"There! There! Follow that ambulance!"

Brittany's mouth dropped open as the taxi pulled quickly into traffic, right on the tail of the emergency vehicle.

They zoomed in a out of traffic and around cars, with Brittany holding on for dear life, and Rachel squealing like she was riding the biggest roller coaster at the fair.

They'd had a 45 minute drive, but thanks to the ambulance running interference, they made it in 15.

Brittany counted out the cash (plus the tip!), while Rachel waddled out of the car, and grabbing her friend's hand, ran into the building.

The room was packed. It seemed like everyone who was anyone was in the room, and it was full to capacity. Brittany couldn't help the twinge of pride that she felt as she saw the mob. Her girlfriend was really packing them in. Oh, Mercedes and the rest of the Sherlock Tones helped too. But once someone got a taste of Santana on stage, they couldn't get enough. herself included.

They seemed to have arrived right during the intermission. The stage was empty, and the crowd was milling about. Brittany got in front of Rachel, blocking her body from the distracted crowd. She looked desperately over their heads, and saw Quinn in their usual spot in the VIP section.

Quinn looked down at her phone, and looking up, caught sight of them immediately. She barrelled down the stairs, and reaching them, took Rachel by the hand. Then turning and elbowing people out of her way, she made her way back to their little section.

When one particularly strong shove sent a patron's drink flying, he turned around to face Quinn.

"What the fuck?" He growled, looking down at Quinn menacingly.

"Exactly." Quinn replied, calmly. "Get. The Fuck. Out of our way. Before I show you why the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

Brittany couldn't see Quinn's face, but something about her stare made the man suddenly pale, and skitter away.

"Whatever, I needed a refill anyway."

"Yeah, you better run. That's my wife you're talking to!" Rachel crowed.

Quinn didn't belabor the point, but pointed Rachel in the right direction, and pulled her along. Though, Brittany couldn't miss the small smile on her face.

Arriving in the VIP area, they saw the rest of the group. Mike, Tina, Puck, Kurt and Sugar were all sitting, sipping drinks and generally enjoying themselves. When they all caught sight of Brittany, pandemonium broke out.

"Where have you been?"
"O-M-G, Santana is going to kill you!"
"Why didn't you call?"

Brittany put her hands up for silence. "There's only one person that I have to explain myself to, and you all are not her. Where is Santana?"

"She came out for a few minutes early in the intermission. She was, uh, looking for you. But, when she didn't see you, she went backstage." Mike said, sheepishly.

"Well, I'm going to go back there."

"Britt, the show is going to start again any second. It'll have to wait." Kurt put a restraining hand of her arm.

"But, I need to talk to her, before-"

"Honey, she's not going anywhere. And anyway, I know that you two make heart eyes at each other during every show. She'll see you over here with us, know you came, and won't be able to take her eyes off of you. Not for the first or last time."

Brittany sighed, crossing her arms, and sitting down on the nearby couch with a huff.

"I swear, it's like hanging out with a toddler. Now I see what we're in for, Q." Rachel said.

"Speaking of which, how did you two come in together? I thought you were at the school tonight. And Rachel, didn't you have a show?" Tina asked.

Brittany couldn't help the sly smile that spread across her face. "We were on a secret mission."

"A secret mission of love!" Rachel said, dramatically.

"What kind of mission?"

"We had to go back to Lima, and see Santana's parents-"

Brittany clamped her hand over Rachel's mouth, silencing her. "Ah, Rachel! Don't tell them everything. I want something to be a surprise."

The crowd exploded with questions again, but Quinn stepped in at this point and silenced them once more.

"She said it's a surprise people. Relax, before I sicc Rachel on you."

"Hey!" Shouted Rachel.

The lights dimmed momentarily, and everyone knew it was the cue to turn their attention back towards the stage. The members of the band filed back in to thunderous applause, and Brittany stood on her tip toes so she could catch a glimpse of Santana the moment she came from behind the curtain.

When Santana walked onto the stage, Brittany could feel her heart beating in her chest. She was actually going to do it. She was actually going to marry this woman.

Her mind raced back to their first meeting, and the times that had happened after that. Both good and bad. Everything, every moment, every touch, every kiss had led up to this. She was excited. She was so, so happy. She was scared beyond belief.

Suddenly, Brittany felt panic surge over her body. She wanted to run. Not from Santana, but to her. She had the insane idea that Santana could see what she wanted, just by looking at her. She could read her so well, sometimes Brittany felt like she could almost read her mind. She couldn't have Santana finding out what was in the pocket of the slim fitting pink sports jacket that she now wore. She couldn't let her know until she was ready.

She fought the urge the duck back down, but looked on as Santana stood up in front of the stage, her eyes downcast. As she reached for the microphone, she looked up, her eyes shining in the spotlight. Brittany could feel her eyes searching the crowd, and suddenly, in a flash, they were on her.

Brittany saw a smile spread across Santana's face that mirrored her own. She watched the small wave that Santana couldn't help pointed her way. She felt an elbow poke her ribs.

Kurt chuckled. "See? Heart eyes. Told ya she couldn't help it."

Brittany didn't bother looking at Kurt, but continued staring at Santana, who could barely contain her happiness.

The set began again, and the crowd dissolved away and it was just the two of them. Alone once again.

Brittany loved being like this with Santana, she loved finding her across the room and saying all the things with her eyes that they couldn't say out loud. There were no misunderstandings, no late nights, no long distances, only them.

She smiled, more sure now than ever that she was making the right decision.

Before she knew it, the show was almost over, and Mercedes moved to the middle of the stage. For the first time of the night, Brittany tore her attention away from Santana, looking at her band mate.

"So, first off, we want to thank you all so much for an incredible show. This has been an amazing summer series, and we want to thank all of you who followed us around the city and saw us at the many festivals, and revues that we got to be a part of."

"You folks rock!" Sam shouted, hefting his guitar over his head. The crowd cheered in response.

Mercedes laughed, and as the crowd quieted down, gestured towards the rest of the band.

"Sam's right. We're really lucky to have to you all surrounding us, and that's why we wanted you with us for this big announcement."

All of the blood rushed to Brittany's toes. What big announcement? What was happening, and why hadn't she heard about it before? Granted, she had been a little distracted lately, thinking about Santana and how and where she was going to propose, but had she missed something big? She kicked herself mentally. Had Santana had something on her mind, and didn't want to bother Brittany with it? How could she not have noticed?

She looked up to find Santana staring at her.

"I know, some of you might be wondering what this news is, and why you're just hearing it. Well, that's because we only just found out ourselves, and we were waiting for the right time because we weren't, you know, sure. Sure of what we wanted." Santana said.

"What's wrong? You're not breaking up the Sherlock Tones, are you?" Someone shouted from the back.

"Oh hell no. The Sherlock Tones are forever, baby." Lauren shouted.

The crowd roared again, and they waited for them to get quiet.

Santana swallowed. "Basically, the news is that, we were at Columbia records a few days ago, and… Well, they offered us a contract."

"And we're going to take it!" Yelled Mercedes, pumping her fist in the sky.

The crowd exploded more loudly than they had all night, with people throwing stuff into the air, and someone getting the idea of getting a bottle of champagne.

Brittany was floored. She knew they had been working hard, and they wanted something to come of it, but a record deal? This was amazing! She leaned back against the couch, hands covering her mouth. It was all Santana had been working for, and dreaming of since she got to the city. This was her dream come true. Sure, it would mean some days apart, but Brittany would happily spend her evenings in a music studio if it meant that she wouldn't have to be apart from Santana too long, and her girlfriend would be following her dreams.

She pumped her fist, and did her happy dance. This was quickly turning out to be the happiest day of her life.

A sharp twang from an electric guitar brought everyone's attention back to the stage. Santana was holding the mic again.

"So, to celebrate our next step, and to thank you all for supporting us, we'd like to sing a special song. One that some of you might remember from our very first show as the Sherlock Tones. I want to dedicate this song to the person I dedicated it to all that time ago. I love you, Brittany."

I love you too. Brittany mouthed, making sure Santana caught every syllable.

Santana nodded, and the music broke in.

We're a thousand miles from comfort

We have traveled land and sea

But as long as you are with me

There's no place I'd rather be

The song continued, but Brittany barely heard it. She could only see the love in Santana's eyes, and the hear the beating of her own heart.

She felt a tugging on her jacket sleeve, and looking down, saw Rachel looking up at her wide eyed.

"This is as good a time as any, Britt. If you get back there now, you can do it at the end of the song."

Brittany smiled widely, and nodded, taking one last long look at Santana, before rushing down the steps, and backstage.

\

Santana watched Brittany disappear with a frown. One moment she was in the VIP section, looking on with love in her eyes, and the next she was gone. She continued the song, and hoped that Brittany could hear it wherever she was.

It wasn't like Brittany to disappear in the middle of a song. Maybe she was upset about the announcement. But that couldn't be it. When she'd told everyone about the record deal Brittany had looked a bit confused at first, but then ecstatic. She'd even done her little happy dance. Santana would have recognized that dance anywhere.

But maybe after all that, she had decided that being apart from Santana was too much. Maybe she couldn't cope with the thought of having to share her with the road.

Santana's voice almost caught in her throat, and Mercedes looked over at her with alarm. She only shook her head and kept singing.

As the last notes of the song rang out, and the crowd erupted once again, Santana could feel the tears stinging in the corners of her eyes.

Of course she should have told Brittany before. What had she been thinking? Brittany would have wanted to know before hand. She would have wanted time to prepare. She would have wanted time to think about everything and all the angles. She knew her girlfriend, how could she have been so blind?

Santana's downward spiral was put to an abrupt halt when feedback from the speakers caused everyone to cover their ears.

Santana looked around for the source of the interference when she noticed Brittany, leaning lazily against a wall near the speaker, pointing the microphone directly in the center. She pulled it away when she had almost complete silence.

"Hi, hey, hi. I'm Brittany. That song was for me."

Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Britt-" She began.

"Wait a moment, honey. I want to say something first."

Santana clapped her mouth shut.

"So, firstly, great show, I think we can all agree on that. Am I right folks?"

The crowd roared.

"And, give it up for Artie Abrams, running all the sound and lights like a boss, and also letting me borrow this nifty microphone."

The applause were no less raucous, though a little confused.

"Anyway, I wanted to take this moment to make a little announcement of my own, and I'm sure I have the full support of you all here, and our friends out in the audience. Hi Quinn, Rachel!"

She waved at them, and Santana looked over to the VIP section. Quinn had a martini in one hand, and was covering her eyes with the other, while Rachel was waving with all the strength she could muster.

"Get on with it, already, Pierce!" Quinn shouted.

Brittany cleared her throat. "Okay, okay, I will."

She cleared her throat again.

"Um, Santana. I've never been good with words. That's kind of your thing. My thing is numbers. I've always loved them. They made me feel safe and happy. They made me feel like the world made sense. And then I met you, and I finally met someone who made me feel the way that numbers made me feel, so I want to tell you about the numbers that remind me of you."

Santana smiled softly.

"Five hundred twenty seven. That's the number of times that we've fallen asleep together. It's the number of times we've whispered 'I love you, goodnight' in each other's ears, even when we were fighting sleep because we didn't want to say goodbye."

Brittany shifted, feeling more comfortable. "Eight thousand nine hundred and forty two. That's the number of times that I've kissed you, or you've kissed me. It's a rough estimate, but it's accurate within about ten or fifteen. Counting kisses with you is my second favorite thing. My favorite thing is kissing you, of course."

Santana could feel the tears welling in her eyes again, and she let them fall freely now.

"Fifty nine thousand six hundred and fourteen. That's the number of minutes that we've spent apart. That is a very accurate number because I watch the clock until I can see you again."

Brittany moved towards her now, taking her hand.

"I love you, Santana, and I think I have from the moment I saw you. I don't want to have to count another minute where you're not my wife and I'm yours."

Brittany reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring. Santana gasped. She recognized it immediately. It was her abuela's ring.

"How did you-?"

Brittany dropped to one knee.

"Santana Maria Lopez. I love you, and whatever future I imagine, you're my constant. Will you marry me?"

The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. All Santana could hear was the sound of the blood rushing in her ears. She looked down at Brittany, face hopeful and open, and smiled widely, sinking to her knees in front of her.

"Brittany, yes! Yes!"

Brittany gasped, slipping the ring onto Santana's outstretched finger, and enveloping her in a bear hug, sending them both to the stage floor as Brittany peppered her face with kisses. Before Santana even knew what was happening, Brittany was up on her feet, and pulling Santana up beside her.

The both swapped kisses while waving and smiling at the crowd, like the Queens of some far away kingdom.

Santana couldn't be happier. She realized why Brittany had been so distracted. She couldn't wait to tell her parents, though, if the ring was any indication, they already knew. This was the happiest day of her life. She had a feeling there were so many more happy days to come.

They filed offstage, away from the nearly deafening roars to the green room, to find their friends already waiting for them. Artie sat in the center of the room, holding a bottle of champagne. He was passing out glasses of the bubbly, and gestured to Sugar, who gave one each to Santana and Brittany.

"To Mrs. and Mrs. Lopez-Pierce!"

"Or Pierce-Lopez." Added Jane.

They all raised their glasses and cheered.

Santana saw Rachel downing some grape juice and marched over.

"You knew about this, Berry?"

Rachel sputtered. "Well, not just me. Quinn knew too!"

Quinn glared at her wife, but gave Santana a bored look.

"You knew, Q? And you didn't tell me?"

"Whatever, Santana, you know just as well as I do that you would have rather been surprised."

Santana broke into a grin. "Fine! Maybe you're right."

She turned and hugged Rachel. "Thanks for going with her."

"How did you know I went?"

"Well, A) What are the odds that you'd both show up at the same time and you hadn't traveled together? And B) Britt is wearing the wearied look of someone who's spent too much alone time with Rachel Berry. Look. Quinn is wearing it now."

Santana dodged Rachel's playful slap, and Quinn's more serious one.

"Lay off the missus, Lopez." She growled.

Santana smiled, and tucked herself back under Brittany's arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Britt. About the record deal. I just wasn't sure if it was exactly what I wanted it. And I knew you'd support me no matter what, because it was my dream. I just wanted to think about it on my own for a while."

Brittany lifted Santana's chin, smiling down at her.

"Of course, darling. You are allowed to think about things as long as you want. But, you've got to promise to include me. You've got to trust that I'll always think about what's best for both of us, not just for you. I can be selfish too, you know."

"I know, Brittany. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

They kissed deeply again, and Puck began to whoop until Lauren smacked him on the arm. Brittany held up one finger as she finished kissing Santana thoroughly, and then brought her up with a flourish.

"One more toast!"

They all laughed. This wouldn't be the last toast of the night, not by a long shot.

Sam groaned. "Britt, is this going to be like Rachel and Quinn's one month anniversary, when Rachel locked the doors, and subjected us to a thirty minute long rendition of a melody from the Best of Broadway's Love Songs? Because I don't think I can stomach that again."

Quinn growled again in the corner, over her champagne.

"B-because it was so amazing! That much emotion in one night was almost too much to bear!"

"Nice save, Sam." Santana laughed.

Brittany spoke up again. "No, no, it's not that. I just want to thank all of you. A year ago, we didn't have our heads screwed on right. We didn't know which way was up. But we had all these feelings… And it was only by trusting you all, trusting our friends, and trusting each other that we got to where we are. And even though we didn't rush into it, like Faberry-"

"A lot of thought went into that proposal, Brittany!" Rachel squeaked.

"We still couldn't have made it without you. You all are our closest friends, and we're so lucky to have you in our lives."

"Hear, hear!" Santana seconded, raising her glass.

The others followed suit, and Rachel rushed towards them, enveloping them in a tight hug.

"Group hug!" She shouted. Everyone else joined in, and it was a moving moment until Santana had had enough.

"All right, move it or lose it, nerds. This is a party, not a…. um... gay party."

"Good one, fiancee of mine." Brittany joked.

Santana dipped her head, she couldn't believe it. Brittany was her fiancee. She was going to marry her. The grin on her face spread wider.

"Oh! I need call my folks. I can't wait to fuss at my Papi for hiding this from me."

"Well, I promised him not to tell. But, I know he wanted to. We should call my parents too, while we're at it."

Brittany grabbed Santana's hand, and headed towards the back office where they could have more privacy to make their calls.

"We all know what that means, nobody go in that room for another half an hour unless you want to get a full view of Santana's backside." Mercedes chuckled.

Santana flipped them off from behind the quickly closing door, and the room erupted in laughter again.

"Are we seriously not going to take advantage of this prime opportunity for private celebratory sex, darling?" Brittany asked, semi-seriously.

"Of course not, my betrothed. I just didn't want Mercedes thinking she could get in my head. You know me better than that."

"I do." Brittany said, gasping gently, as she tilted her head, allowing for Santana's lips to trail softly from behind her ear. "I really do.