Chapter 25 (Epilogue)

Part Two

July 27, 2022

"Come on, Mama! Come on!" Nico urged impatiently as he approached the front door of the house.

Santana chuckled as she bent down to tie his shoes. In his impatience, he rolled out of bed and just threw on some clothes. Santana made him brush his teeth and tame his bed head, but when it came to his shoes, he didn't bother to tie them. He was in too big of a hurry.

"Calm down bud." Santana said in an amused tone. She loved that he was excited to see his new baby sister. "She's still going to be there. She isn't going anywhere."

"But I want to see her! You wouldn't let me go yesterday." He said crossing his arms in annoyance.

He had been taken to a friend's house for a sleep over when Brittany went into labor the day before. They dropped him off on the way to the hospital. Maribel was going to meet them at the hospital and be with them during the labor, so they worked it out with a friend for Nico to stay the night.

"I know, but I came to get you as soon as I could. I haven't even been home yet to change clothes or check on Lord Tubbington." Santana explained standing up and slinging his overnight backpack over her shoulder. "Before we leave, thank Ms. Beck and Justin for letting you stay the night."

Nico trotted over to where they were standing in the foyer and gave Ms. Beck a hug and Justin a high five, thanking them. Santana thanked them as well, and then when she opened the door, Nico bolted towards the car.

The ten-minute drive to the hospital was filled with Nico firing question after question at Santana.

"What's she look like?"

"She is so beautiful and she reminds me a little of you when you were a baby. You're going to love her."

"What color are her eyes? Blue like mine and Mom's?"

"Nope, they're brown like mine."

"What about her hair?"

"Brown."

"Like me and you!"

"Yep." Santana said with a little smile. "It's lighter than mine, and a little darker than yours, but I think that's probably because you've been playing in the sun all summer and it's lightened up. I bet when your hair goes back to normal, her hair will be about the same shade as yours."

"That's cool…does she have all her fingers and toes?"

Santana chuckled. "Yes. Mom and I counted them twice, just to be sure."

"And is she okay?"

"Mm-hmm, she is one healthy seven-pound-one-ounce baby girl."

"Is Mom okay too?"

"She is."

He sighed in relief. "That's good."

"She's really tired, and she's sore, but she's doing well."

Nico's face morphed into one of concern when she said Brittany was in pain. Santana saw it in the rearview mirror, so she reached her hand back and rubbed his left leg hoping to comfort him.

"It's okay, don't worry, that's normal after having a baby. Mom's body has been through a lot, so when you give her a hug, be gentle with her. Don't jump on her like you usually do, okay? Even though she's had the baby, you're going to have to wait a few more weeks before you two can wrestle and roughhouse again."

Nico nodded and he looked relieved to find out that Brittany was okay, even if she was in pain. "I'll be careful." He promised.

"That's my boy." Santana said, pulling her hand back and putting it on the steering wheel.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Can I hold the baby? Abuela and I have been practicing on her work baby so I don't hurt her."

Santana glanced back at him in the mirror and she felt a swell of pride. She didn't think many kids at ten years old would even think about things like that, but Nico had an old soul mixed in with his rambunctious, playful personality. He was very perceptive for a child. He was so like Brittany in that respect.

"Of course you can hold her. She's going to need her big brother to give her all the snuggles." Santana said and winked at him through the mirror.

Nico nodded. "Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm going to be a good brother?"

"I think you are going to be the best brother. She's going to love you."

"I hope so. I want to be a good brother."

"Then you will be." Santana said and she felt tears prick her eyes. She loved Nico's heart.

"I can't wait to see her."

"I can't either." Santana said. She couldn't get enough of her daughter. She had fallen completely in love with her as soon as she laid eyes upon her, just as she had done with Nico when he was born.

When they pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked the car, Santana sent Brittany a quick text to let her know that they were there and would be up to the room in a few minutes. She held Nico's hand in the semi-busy parking lot and lobby until they were safely in the elevator on their way up to Brittany's room. Nico bounced on his toes in excitement and when they reached their floor, he took Santana's hand and practically dragged her out of the elevator.

They waved to the nurses at the desk as they walked down the hallway to Brittany's room.

"Hey bud, let's wash our hands first." Santana said using the hand sanitizer that was on the wall outside the room.

"Okay." Nico said doing the same and then shook his hands to dry them.

The door to Brittany's room was cracked open, so Santana lightly knocked and popped her head in the door first to make sure that Brittany was covered.

"Hey." Santana cooed.

"Hey." Brittany said opening her eyes with a tired smile. "Come in."

Santana opened the door and Nico rushed in the room in excitement. "Mom! I missed you!" He cheered, but as he approached the bed, he slowed down, remembering what Santana had said to him about being gentle with Brittany.

"Hey, honey!" Brittany said and reached her arms out, embracing him in a tight hug. "I missed you too."

Santana leaned over Nico and pecked Brittany on her lips. "Hey, babe. How are you feeling?" She asked. She hadn't been gone long; it had taken less than an hour to get Nico and come back, but she wanted to make sure that she was still doing as well as she was before she left.

"I'm tired, but okay." Brittany said with a little smile. She knew that Santana would be worried about her, so she hoped the smile quelled some of her worry. "I don't remember being this tired after giving birth the first time."

Santana nodded. She expected Brittany to be exhausted. She was tired too, but since she wasn't the one that gave birth, she wouldn't dare say it, because she knew her fatigue was nowhere near the same level as Brittany's.

This pregnancy and birth was different from the first one. With Nico, Brittany had a relatively easy pregnancy, but a quick, natural birth. This time, the pregnancy was a little harder on her. She had more morning sickness during the first trimester, and she was tired all the time, more so than in her first pregnancy, but that wasn't a surprise since she was ten years older and had more responsibilities with work and raising a child. The birth this time, thankfully, was not as traumatic. She was at home when she started laboring, and she was aware that it was happening, so they had enough time for Brittany to have an epidural. However, it was much longer and drawn out. They were in the hospital for almost twelve hours before she had the baby around five o'clock in the morning.

When Nico finally pulled out of the hug, he looked around the room for the baby, but he didn't see her. The little bassinette at the foot of the bed was empty. "Where is she?"

"She's in the nursery with Abuela getting a few routine tests taken. They should be back soon." Brittany answered.

Nico pouted. He was disappointed that he had to wait.

"But you know what?" Brittany said.

"What?"

"I could use a few snuggles while we wait."

Nico smiled and carefully climbed into the bed with her.

Santana smiled, proud of his effort to be gentle and she sat on the other side of Brittany so they were all cuddled together.

"So tell me, what did you do last night?" Brittany asked.

Nico was happy to tell her of his sleepover, including the synopses of two movies and the in depth details of how he and Justin had built a "ginormous rocket ship" from scratch out of Legos.

He was just finishing his story when there was another knock on the door and then Maribel walked in holding the baby.

Nico's head snapped towards the door, and when he saw the little bundle in her hands, his face lit up.

"There's our two Maribel's." Santana chirped.

Maribel beamed. She was touched that Santana and Brittany had given the baby her name. They were going to call the baby Bel for short, so there would be no confusion as to whom they were talking to when they were being addressed in the same room.

"How'd it go?" Brittany asked.

"Good, though she was not happy to be poked and prodded. She has her mama's fiery attitude already."

"That's my girl!" Santana said proudly. "I wouldn't want a stranger messing with me either."

Maribel playfully rolled her eyes and then she looked at Nico who was staring, transfixed by the baby swaddled in her arms. She smiled and adjusted her hold on the baby so he could see her face.

He didn't say anything at first, but then he whispered. "She's so pretty."

"She is. She looks just like her mama." Brittany said and playfully bumped her shoulders with Santana. "Do you want to hold her?"

Nico nodded emphatically.

"Just like we practiced, right?" Maribel said.

Nico nodded again. "I remember."

Maribel carefully transferred the baby to Nico, securing her neck in the crook of his arm.

"Hi Bel…I'm Nico. Your brother." He said and the baby just looked up at him and cooed.

The adults all looked on at Nico and Bel's first interactions. Their hearts were all overflowing as they watched him talk to her.

"I'm glad you finally came. Mom and Mama, and Abuela and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Santana and Brittany just glanced at each other before Santana leaned in, kissing Brittany softly on her temple. Brittany took Santana's hand and laced their fingers together, lightly squeezing her hand. Nico was right. They had been waiting on her for a long time, longer than even he knew. They had been trying to have a baby for a few years, but things didn't go as they had hoped.

For the first year and a half that they were married, they were content to be a family of three, mainly because they were still young, having married at age twenty-three, and so Santana could further her career. While Brittany was set with her photography studio, and had more than enough business to keep her busy, Santana was less settled. Three months after they were married, she had changed jobs from the newspaper to a publishing house, as an editor that worked from home. It was the first step in her plan to becoming a full-time author, so she wanted give it all the focus she could.

Thankfully, her focus and energy paid off. It didn't take long for her work as an editor to gain notice. She used that attention to network and make contacts to where she could promote herself and her own writing to the right people. Amazingly, within six months, she had secured a contract on her own, as well as a financial advance to publish her first novel. It wasn't a large advance, but that was because she was on a trial run. Before the publishing house execs would commit to more, they wanted to see how her first book would perform, which (unsurprisingly) centered on a teenage girl coming to terms with her sexuality. Since Santana needed a steady income, she still had to perform her duties as an editor while she worked on her own book, but she was happy to do it, because she was finally going to be published by one of the biggest publishing houses in the country.

It took three months for her to polish and finish writing her book, two more months before it was published and available for public consumption, and another few months of marketing and a short book tour in carefully selected cities before she landed within the top ten of the New York Times Best Seller List. With the incredible success of her first book, Santana procured a literary agent, and she was able to negotiate a contract with the publishing house to write at least three more books. Between her royalties from her first book, and a respectable financial advance that she would receive for each subsequent book, Santana was able to achieve her dream job of becoming a full time writer.

To celebrate, Santana and Brittany decided that it was finally time buy their own house. After they got married, they had considered moving out of Maribel's house, for no other reason than they thought that it was something they should do, but Maribel quickly talked them out of that idea. They weren't ready to buy a house at the time, so they would have to rent, which essentially would be a waste of money. Their living situation had been working well for them, and with their little apartment in the basement, Santana and Brittany had all the privacy that they needed as a couple, so it didn't make sense for them to take on all the monthly expenses of a home until they were ready to buy their own.

It was when they were looking at houses, that they both started to get the itch to have another child. Most of the houses that they were looking at were three or four bedroom houses that were previously owned, so the decorated children's rooms were unmistakable. The turning point came in late June of 2019 when they walked into a house that had a room for a baby boy that reminded them of Nico's nursery. Santana couldn't hold back anymore and blurted out that she wanted a baby. Thankfully, their real estate agent wasn't in the room, because Brittany just said, "So do I!" and kissed her. They ended up buying that house, which was conveniently just two streets over from Maribel's house, in the same neighborhood.

After they moved into their new home in August, they weighed their options for kids, either adoption or having one of their own by selecting a sperm donor for intrauterine insemination (IUI). Ohio had changed the law concerning second parent adoption, so they were familiar with the adoption process when Santana legally adopted Nico eight months prior. That was one of the happiest days of their lives, even if Nico, who was almost seven years old at the time, didn't understand why Santana had to adopt him, though he was happy that he was allowed to have a big slice of the cake that Maribel had baked to celebrate the occasion. Santana and Brittany were both ecstatic that all of that was behind them, and they would not have their parental status in legal limbo ever again. They were not going to have the legal issues that they had when Nico was born. They could now adopt a child together, or if they decided to have one of them carry, then the non-carrying parent could sign the birth certificate as a second parent as well.

They had had a discussion years ago about eventually having more children, and at the time, they had decided that two was a good number. They revisited that discussion while considering their options, just to confirm that that was what they still wanted, and it was; two kids was enough for them. After reaffirming that they were only going to be having one more child, it actually made their decision about adoption vs IUI easier. Santana had not had a child yet, and while her love for Nico proved to her that biology didn't matter, getting pregnant with a child that would be hers and Brittany's was something that Santana wanted, so it was decided that she would carry.

They tried to make an appointment with Dr. Kay right away, but since IUI was outside of her scope as an ob/gyn, she referred them to a fertility specialist. Unfortunately, Lima was a small town, so the nearest specialist's office was an hour and half away in Columbus. Since they were not telling anyone except their parents that they were even planning to have another child, they had to plan to go while Nico was in school.

During their first consultation, Dr. Wexford explained the entire process to them. They had done some research on their own, so they weren't going in unprepared, but with a big decision like this, they were understandably nervous. Thankfully, Dr. Wexford had a great bedside manner and patiently answered any question they had. When they left his office, they were more than excited, because, not only did they have an appointment for Santana to have the first of the standard Pre-IUI workup tests done, they were also given access to search the available donor list.

They carefully combed through the donor options, narrowing the list, and by the time that Santana had her appointment, they had selected a donor that had a great medical history, was college educated, and thankfully had physical traits that they thought resembled Brittany.

They were on such an emotional high that everything was coming together for them and their family; they almost didn't believe it when they were given the first piece of bad news when one of Santana's tests came back with an anomaly. After an ultrasound of the ovaries, and tests to determine if there was a surge in the Luteinizing Hormone, it was determined that she had Oligoovulation, which didn't even sound real to them. Santana even asked, "Is that a real thing? It sounds ridiculous," but it was real, and meant that even though she had a menstrual cycle every month, she didn't ovulate regularly. Some months she ovulated, and some months she didn't.

Brittany immediately asked about the underlying cause, worried that Santana may have a serious condition that had been hiding under the surface. Santana had her yearly checks with Dr. Kay, and all her exams had come back normal, so they had been completely taken by surprise by this new diagnosis. Thankfully, Dr. Wexford didn't think that that was the case by pointing out that the ultrasound didn't show polycystic ovarian syndrome, and that all of Santana's other test results were fine and within acceptable limits. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, ovulatory disorders could result from a wide range of things, from stress to unexplained reasons.

Santana was happy to hear that she wasn't sick, but she was worried, and scared, that she may not be able to have a child.

Fortunately, Dr. Wexford told them that hope was not lost. He gently reminded them that as part of the IUI procedure, Santana would be taking medication to help boost and stimulate ovulation, which could possibly cause her to ovulate on the months that she did not ovulate on her own. Santana still had a chance of having a child.

That piece of information eased Brittany and Santana's minds. Santana happily took the fertility medication as prescribed, but she quickly found that she hated it, because it fluctuated her hormones, giving her hot flashes and mood swings. It was worse than any PMS she had ever had, and she felt like she was a crazy person while she was on them, but she endured, because the end result of a baby would be worth the effort.

When they went in for Santana's first insemination, they were nervous, but also excited. The two weeks that they had to wait to find out if it worked dragged, but that was nothing compared to the disappointment they both felt when Santana started her period.

So, they tried again.

For a year, they tried, but no baby. They were both so disappointed that it wasn't working that Maribel suggested they take a break for a few months, to de-stress, and take their mind off it; so they did. They went about their lives as they normally would and they even took two vacations, one with Nico and one by themselves as a couple, and they found that even though they still thought about having a child, a few months away from it all helped their psyche.

When they started up again, they did three rounds of IUI, but unfortunately, it was to the same negative result. After that, Brittany suggested that they stop completely, but Santana wanted try a few more times. Brittany knew that it meant a great deal to Santana, especially after how much of herself she had put into trying to get pregnant, so she agreed to keep going and they decided to try the more expensive procedure of in vitro fertilization. They were hoping that they had better luck…but unfortunately, it didn't work both times.

It was then that Santana was ready to throw in the towel. On top of the financial burden that had put a substantial dent in the advance money that she had been given from her contract at the publishing company for her second book, she couldn't take the emotional heartache anymore, and she didn't want Brittany to go through it anymore either. It was just too much getting their hopes up every month only to have them dashed.

Brittany was all set to agree with her, but then Dr. Wexford made a surprising suggestion… When they initially harvested Santana's eggs, they had taken out enough for three rounds of in vitro; they still had an embryo left, so he suggested putting it into Brittany.

To be honest, neither one of them had even thought of that as one of their options. Mainly because they had gone through so much in the past two years with the fertility treatments and had no child to show for it, that their next move was going to be adoption, because at least at the end of it, they would have a child.

Brittany had said after she had Nico that she never wanted to go through childbirth again, but to her great surprise, her first impulse was to say yes to that suggestion. She just wasn't sure if this was something that Santana would want to do, because even though she was sad that they had not been able to have a child, she knew that Santana was taking it especially hard. No matter how many times Santana heard Brittany reject her apologies, and tell her that it wasn't her fault, and that she didn't blame her, Santana blamed herself.

However, before Brittany could even make the slightest acknowledgement to Dr. Wexford's suggestion, Santana surprised her by humming, because she knew that hum was the one that Santana used when she was genuinely intrigued by something.

They went home after that appointment and the car ride was mostly quiet, as they were both in their own heads, thinking about this new possibility. They picked Nico up from school, made dinner, and went about their normal evening routine. Then that night, after they had put Nico to bed, they went to their room and they cuddled as they discussed their new prospect.

Brittany spoke first, because she had a major concern that she wanted to get out in the open right away. She was willing to try Dr. Wexford idea, but she was afraid that if it worked, Santana would be upset with her, and if so, she'd rather adopt because she didn't want that kind of resentment to place itself into their relationship. Despite their infertility issues, they had a strong and happy marriage and she wanted to keep it that way.

Santana understood Brittany's feelings, and why she would think that, but she was quick to quell those fears. She admitted that if they had switched to Brittany after their first couple of attempts, she probably would have been upset if she got pregnant, but after seventeen failed attempts to get pregnant, she was sure that even if she tried it one more time, it wouldn't work. She had finally resigned herself to the fact that the likelihood that she would get pregnant was low, and that she would probably never be able to get pregnant, so if Brittany was willing to try, then she was too.

So, with Santana's blessing, Brittany agreed. They already had the embryo, and it would truly be a waste not to use it, so they decided that they would do one final round of in vitro, and if it didn't work, they would adopt.

Brittany went through all the pre-procedure testing and prep, and in October of 2021, she and Santana went to Columbus for their appointment where Santana's remaining embryo was carefully put into her. The time they had to wait between insemination/fertilization every time they went through a treatment seemed to grow longer and longer, even though it was the same amount of days, but this time, the wait was excruciating. This was their last chance of having a child that shared Santana's biology, and they really hoped that it worked.

The day that Brittany was supposed to start her period was nerve wracking for both of them. So much so, that they both took the day off work to be with each other, and they asked Maribel to pick up Nico after school and keep him for the rest of the night. If Brittany started her period, there was going to be tears that neither of them would be able to hide, and since Nico didn't even know that they had been trying to have a baby, they didn't want to have to worry about him wondering why they were so upset.

They did little projects around the house that they had been putting on the back burner to keep busy and to try to keep their mind off it; it helped a bit, but every time Brittany went to the bathroom, Santana was expecting her to come out and tell her that she had started. However, by the time they went to bed that night, Brittany had not started. That was a spark of hope that it worked, but they didn't want to get their hopes up too much, in case it was a few days late. They were told to wait a week after Brittany was late to take a pregnancy test to minimize a false positive.

Every day that passed with no period; the more excited, and anxious they became. When the day came for them to take a pregnancy test, they took Nico to school, and then they rushed home. After Brittany took the test, they both sat on the shower mat on the bathroom floor, propped up against the bathtub as they cuddled together while a three-minute timer on Santana's phone counted down. When the alarm sounded, Santana reached for the stick. It had been face down so they wouldn't be tempted to peek too early.

Before she flipped it over, Brittany squeezed Santana's other hand and brought it up to her lips, giving it a kiss. She held Santana's hand against her lips, and when Santana turned the test around, it showed two pink lines, a positive test. They both audibly sighed in relief. Brittany immediately wrapped her arms around Santana, and they both sobbed the happiest tears. They cried until they couldn't cry anymore and they could only smile from ear to ear. It had worked! Brittany was pregnant with Santana's baby.

They waited until after they had an appointment with Dr. Kay so she could officially confirm the pregnancy before they told Maribel and Pierce that they were pregnant, but for everyone else, including Nico, they waited until Brittany was in her second trimester.

When they told Nico he was going to be a big brother, he was immediately excited. He was hoping for a brother, but when they found out the baby was a girl, he was just as excited, if not more attentive to Brittany. He was very observant, and would see how Santana would touch, or kiss, or talk to Brittany's belly, and he too started to do those things. Brittany and Santana loved it when he would talk to her belly, promising the baby that he would be the best big brother in the whole world, and that he loved her very much.

He told the baby that every day, sometimes twice a day… and now that the baby was there and in his arms, he was finally able to make that promise in person.

"I love you, baby girl." He said calling Bel what Brittany and Santana had started referring to her as once they knew she was a girl. "I promise that I will be the best brother. I'll share my toys and dessert with you, and take you to the park and push you on the swings, and I'll even play with your dolls and have dress up tea parties with you, because Uncle Marcus says that real men aren't afraid to play with dolls, whatever that means."

Brittany, Santana, and Maribel all giggled, but they all had a little mist in their eyes.

"I know girls are strong and can take care of themselves, but I promise to always protect you, because moms say that we have to stick together and look out for each other."

The baby cooed and Nico kissed her on her chubby cheek.

"I think she likes me." Nico said looking up at Santana and Brittany with the brightest smile.

"I think she does too, bud." Brittany said trying to hold back her tears as Santana said, "Yeah, she does," and she too had tears welling in her eyes that she had to hold back.

"I think it's time for us to take your first family pictures." Maribel said taking in the happy scene.

"Yes, please." Brittany said with a little chuckle. As they had done with Nico when he was born, they were so caught up in the moment that they had forgotten to take pictures.

"Hold on a minute." Santana said and quickly redid her ponytail, and then she did the same for Brittany. She had put their hair up in ponytails while Brittany was in labor, and redone them after the birth, but since they were about to take their first pictures with Bel, she wanted to make sure that their hair wasn't a mess.

Maribel took her phone out of her purse, and once they were ready, she took a few pictures of the new family of four, a few of Nico holding Bel, a few of Santana and Brittany as a couple with the baby, and then Santana took a few pictures of Maribel with the baby and then a few with Nico as well so she had both of her grandchildren together. When they were finished taking pictures, Maribel said that she would send them to Santana and Brittany, and she would also text a few to Pierce. He and his new wife, Helena, were already on their way to Lima, but it was a long drive, so it would be a few more hours before they arrived.

"Can you send a few pictures to Abuela too?" Santana asked.

"Sure, Mija." Maribel said with a little smile. She wasn't going to suggest it, because she wanted Santana to decide to do that on her own.

Their relationship with Alma was still strained, but it was getting better. A few months ago, Alma sent a letter to them unexpectedly, hoping that it would be the first step towards a reconciliation. The reunion was moving slowly, mainly because Santana was afraid of Alma changing her mind and getting hurt yet again. Maribel completely understood Santana's feelings, because every time Alma had hurt Santana by rejecting her, or she failed to acknowledge that Brittany existed, or when she refused to accept that Nico was a part of their family, it tore Maribel apart as well.

In her letter, Alma admitted that her inability to comprehend Santana's sexuality had pushed her to react the way that she did, and her stubbornness and pride cause her to let it last so long. She confessed to still struggling with understanding why Santana was gay, but she had been working on accepting it, and didn't want it to keep them apart any longer. She apologized for disowning Santana and ostracizing Maribel, and she expressed interest in meeting Brittany and Nico.

Knowing Alma as they did, Santana and Maribel were surprised by her unsolicited apology, and knew that it took a lot for her to set aside her pride and write that letter. So, while they were willing to forgive and attempt to rebuild their relationship with Alma, they were doing so cautiously. They spoke on the phone a few times, and sent letters with pictures, because that was more Alma's speed, but they hadn't seen each other in over ten years, and so far, they had not planned to meet in person. Santana didn't even want to entertain that idea until after Bel was born and settled, and Brittany had recovered. It was slow, but progress was being made in reconciling their family, and that was the important thing.

"Mama, can I have my allowance early?" Nico asked all of a sudden.

Santana raised a curious eyebrow. When he turned eight years old, they started to give Nico seven dollars a week, one dollar a day if he did all his chores. To instill good money habits, he had to save two dollars, and he could do whatever he wanted with the other five dollars. They usually paid him every Friday, but it was a Wednesday, so she wondered why he was asking for it early.

"Um, I guess. Why?"

"Because I saw a store with baby stuff when we came in and I want to buy Bel a gift."

Again, all the adults' hearts just exploded with happiness.

"That's sweet of you Nico." Maribel said first. "How about you and I go down to the store now and have a look?"

Nico smiled and nodded. "Cool!"

Santana went over to her purse and took a twenty-dollar bill out of her wallet. She doubted that Nico would find anything for Bel for five dollars in the overpriced hospital gift shop.

"Twenty?" Nico asked confused.

"Just in case you find something you like that is a little more than five dollars. You can pay me back from your piggy bank when we get home." Santana said. She would have just let him keep the money since he was using it for something special, but she knew it was important for Nico to pay for his gift by himself.

Nico nodded. "Awesome!" He said and then he had a thought. "Actually, can I borrow a little more?"

"More? How much do you plan on spending on Bel?" Santana asked amused. She knew how much money Nico had saved in the past two and a half years, it was just over two-hundred and sixty dollars, but she didn't want him to spend too much money on stuff from the gift shop.

"It's not just for Bel; I wanna buy something for Mom too."

"For me?" Brittany said a little surprised.

"Yes." Nico said as if it should be obvious. "I heard Mama tell Abuela that she bought you a gift for when you had Bel; isn't that what you do when someone has a baby?"

Santana had indeed bought Brittany a push gift, but it was supposed to be a surprise.

"Only for those that you really love." Santana said wanting to teach him a life lesson. "You don't have to do it for everyone you know that has a baby."

"Well I really love Mom." He said with an obvious tone.

Santana couldn't argue that, so she just took another twenty-dollar bill out of her wallet and handed it to him.

"Thanks!" He said pocketing the money and then he leaned over to the baby, who was in Brittany's arms, and kissed her on the cheek. "See you soon Bel. Love you," He said and then he hopped off the hospital bed. "Let's go before all the good stuff is gone."

Maribel just laughed. "Alright. Maybe while were gone, we'll get an ice cream and you can help me pick which pictures to text to Mr. Adrian."

Adrian was Maribel's boyfriend of almost two years. They met three years ago when Nico and his grandson, Callen, started playing on the same little league team. At first, they were just friendly, but slowly that friendliness turned into flirtation, and then eventually they started dating. Santana practically freaked out when her mother started dating again, because she thought that no one was good enough for her mother, and no one could ever replace her dad. It wasn't until Brittany talked to her and calmed her down, pointing out that her mother had not dated in the eleven and a half years since her father's death, and she still deserved happiness and love, that Santana realized how silly she was being.

It took some time, and observation, but Santana warmed up to him when she saw how well he treated Maribel and showed her that he truly cared for her mother. Now Santana and Adrian got along great. However, that didn't mean that if he stepped out of line and mistreated Maribel in anyway, Santana would not hesitate to show him "how they do it in Lima Heights Adjacent," because as far as she was concerned, her mother was a queen and deserved to be treated as such.

"Okay!" Nico chirped. He had liked Adrian from the beginning. "Can you ask him if we can go to the movies again with Callen? I really liked that the last time."

"Sure, we'll see if we can set something up soon." Maribel said.

With that settled, Nico gently tugged on Maribel's hand. "Let's go. I want to find something really good at the store."

"Okay, okay, okay, we're going." Maribel chuckled, grabbing her purse, and she waved at Santana and Brittany. "Be back soon."

"See ya." Santana said as Brittany said, "Have fun."

When Nico and Maribel left the room, Brittany just sighed contently. "That boy."

"I know; he's really something." Santana said with the same content sigh. She was proud of how they had raised him, and the person he had become.

"I wonder what this little one is going to be like." Brittany mused as she gazed down lovingly at Bel.

"I'm sure she's going to be just as spectacular, but in her own way." Santana said and rubbed the baby's cheek with her finger.

Brittany leaned down and kissed the baby's cheek. "I think she needs some Mama-time."

Santana happily took the baby from Brittany, and when Brittany scooted over a little more to give her more room, Santana resettled herself in the bed beside Brittany so they were now cuddled together.

"I love you." Brittany said as she rested her head on Santana's shoulder.

"I love you too, Britt." Santana said resting her head on Brittany's head. "How are you feeling? Do you want to take a nap? I know you're tired. I can be with Bel until you need to feed her."

"I'm okay right now. I'm exhausted, but I want to sit with you and Bel for a bit. I'll wait until after Nico and your mom come back to take a nap. He seemed excited when he left, so I don't want him to be disappointed and have to wait until later to give me his gift."

"Okay." Santana said and nuzzled her cheek into Brittany's hair.

As they sat there, Brittany smiled when she remembered that they had sat together just like that right after Nico was born, and she could hardly believe that that was ten and a half years ago. Suddenly, Dr. Kay's words from years ago echoed in her mind, "They aren't babies for long," which could not have been truer. It was as if she blinked and her baby boy was closer to being a teenager than a baby. He was almost as tall as Maribel was, and if he continued to have growth spirts the way he had been, he'd be taller than Santana before they knew it.

Brittany sighed again as she looked at Bel and she gently rested one of her hands on the sleeping baby so she could feel her. "We have two kids now. Can you believe it?"

Santana chuckled. "No, but also yes."

Brittany giggled. She felt the same way. "Leave it to you to have the perfect answer."

"What can I say; I have a way with words." Santana teased.

"You do." Brittany said and tilted her head, kissing Santana's jaw before she rested her head back on Santana's shoulder.

A few moments of calm and peaceful silence rested between them before Brittany said, "Do you remember when we first met?"

Santana playfully rolled her eyes. "How could I ever forget? You had just been in a car accident and you were unconscious and bleeding. I would hardly call it the adorable but awkward meet-cute that you see in the movies. It was probably the exact opposite."

Brittany chuckled. "True, but what I meant was do you remember when I saw you for the first time and I thought you were an angel?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I still think you're an angel. My angel. There's been so many reasons over the years to prove it, but I mean, look at Bel…she's gorgeous and she's ours. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be her mommy."

"Britt…"

"I know," Brittany said interrupting, "you're probably going to say something along the lines that if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have Bel either because you can't get pregnant, but honey it is so much more than that. I might have carried her, but no matter what anyone says, you made her. You made this little miracle possible. I know how badly you wanted to get pregnant; I wanted that for you too, but when we realized that it was probably never going to happen, you put aside that longing and gave her to me to care for until she was born so we could have this beautiful baby girl together. When we found out that I was pregnant, I was so happy that I could have your baby. I mean, how many couples like us can say that? It's the closest that we're ever going to be to having a baby that came from both of us, and I'm so glad that this is a part of our story."

Tears pricked Santana's eyes. She lifted her head from where it was still resting on Brittany's head, and used her free hand that wasn't holding the baby so she could tilt Brittany's chin up so she could kiss her. It was soft and sweet, but still held enough emotion behind it that Brittany could feel Santana's happiness from Brittany's words.

When they parted, Santana kissed the tip of Brittany's nose and then her forehead before she wiped away the few tears that had welled in her eyes.

"We've had a few bumps in the road, but I wouldn't trade a single thing about our journey. I would have loved to give birth to Bel, and there's probably always going to be a part of me that wishes that, but I'm happy that things turned out the way that they did. I think we're closer now than we were before trying to have another baby, if that's even possible."

They had been together almost eleven years, and even with their ups and downs, they were more in love now than they were when they first started dating. The years had not found a way for them to grow apart, only more together; and even though they were each other's first and only loves, they were both happy with that. Neither of them had ever felt as if they had missed anything by not dating other people. They had found their soulmates early in life, and they were both smart enough to hold on and never let go.

Brittany hummed and nodded. She thought that was true too. "Pregnancies and babies have a way of bringing people closer." She whispered before kissing Bel on her cheek.

"And, I'm not going to lie, I loved that I was able to see you pregnant again." Santana said with a soft smile.

Even when Brittany was in labor with Nico, Santana knew then that Brittany was a part of her future and that they would eventually have more children together. She had assumed that she would be the one to carry their next child, so it had made her sad to think that she would never see Brittany pregnant again, because she loved the way Brittany looked when she pregnant.

Brittany chuckled as she playfully rolled her eyes at Santana. "Who knew you would have a pregnancy kink." She teased.

"It's not a kink. Britt, you don't understand; you are so beautiful when you're pregnant. You're beautiful all the time, but when you're pregnant," she sighed and shrugged, "you just glow. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. You may not be able to see it yourself, but I see it, and it just affects me on so many levels. I can't tell you how many times during both of your pregnancies that I would see you with your cute little baby bump and I would almost break down crying because I couldn't handle how beautiful you were. You being pregnant again was one of the best things that could have ever happened from me not being able to get pregnant."

Brittany smiled shyly. Every time Santana described how she felt when she saw her, it just touched her heart. She leaned in and kissed Santana softly. When she pulled back, she cupped Santana cheeks.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Santana said and turned her head, kissing the palm of Brittany's right hand.

Brittany lowered her hands from Santana's face and gently rested them on the baby. She stared at Bel for a few seconds before she said, "I'm so happy."

"Me too." Santana said and rested her free hand that wasn't holding the baby on top of Brittany's.

"You know, every once in a while, I think back to how my life used to be before I moved to Lima. I had no friends and essentially no family. I had no one, and I was just so sad and lonely, but then I came here, and even though I was homeless and pregnant, all of that changed for the better, when it could have gotten so much worse. It actually shocks me how different things are, and sometimes I still have a hard time believing that this is my life. I have great friends, a successful career, a real family, beautiful kids, and the most loving wife that makes me believe that I am not only good enough for her, but deserving of everything good in this world, and that I am so much more than what I thought I was. I'm just in awe of this incredible life we have built together, and I know it's only going to get better now that we have Bel."

Santana couldn't agree more. They had built a great life together in Lima and she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. She wished that her younger self would have known how great her life was going to turn out, because it would have saved her some heartache. She had spent years of her life wishing to be as far away from Lima as she could get, but in reality, it gave her everything. She had come to appreciate Lima. Sure, it was a small town, and still had its small-minded people and prejudices, but she had come to see that everywhere had those issues. No place was perfect, but thankfully, Lima had become more progressive and accepting over the years, and she felt safe and happy knowing that she and her family called it home.

"We have had a great life." Santana said. "We've both come a long way from where we were as kids. I sometimes think about those days too. I was so obsessed with being a Cheerio and being popular, but I'm so glad that you came along to not only show me that those things weren't important, but to show me that it was okay to be me. I was so scared of my feelings for you that I pushed them and you away, but when I wised up let myself love you, I made us hide our relationship because I was too afraid to come out; too afraid of what others would say or think about us, and I just… I can't believe that I ever wanted to hide that. I never want to hide my feelings for you, because look at all the amazing things our love has made."

Brittany smiled and nodded before she looked down at Bel again. "This little cutie and her brother are the best of those things." She said and caressed the baby's cheek with her finger.

Santana hummed in agreement.

"I can't wait to official add her the wall." Brittany said with a chuckle.

Santana playfully rolled her eyes. "That damn wall. You'd think after you came into the picture, and Nico was born, my mom would have at least taken down some of those old pictures of me, but instead of taking them down, she just made more room on the wall. She's ridiculous."

Brittany rolled her eyes as well, because she knew Santana didn't meant that. "She isn't ridiculous, she just proud of us." She said and nuzzled her nose with Santana before quickly pecking her lips. "I love that it's no longer the 'Wall of Santana', though you know how much I liked that; but it's now the 'Lopez-Pierce Wall' and I think that is so much better."

"I do too." Santana cooed and leaned in, placing a soft kiss to Brittany lips.

Brittany returned the kiss, and after a few seconds, she cupped Santana's cheeks and gently pulled her closer to her, but not close enough that they squished the baby between them. They kissed sweetly for a few moments until a noise out in the hallway startled them.

They turned to look at the door, thinking that it was Nico and Maribel, but the door didn't move, so they thought that it must have been a nurse that bumped into something. They looked at each other and started giggling.

"Love you." They both said at the same time, but before Santana could even process it, Brittany chirped, "Jinx!" but she was careful not to say it too loudly because she didn't want to wake up Bel.

"Gah!" Santana huffed at her defeat. Eleven years, and she still couldn't beat Brittany. "What do you want?" She asked. She was used to Brittany taking her to the cleaners.

"Really? Santana, I've been pregnant for nine months; I have a long list of things that I couldn't have until today."

Santana chuckled and nodded her head in amusement. "You're right, my love." She said and pecked her lips before tapping the tip of her nose with her finger. "And I will make sure you get all of it."

~The End~

-()-()-()-()-

A/N: We have finally reached the end of this story. I'm sad to see it end, but I'm happy to have completed another story. Thank you all for reading and being supportive of my writing. I really appreciate it. I enjoyed writing Brittana in this universe. I'm very proud of this story and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope you all liked how this story turned out, and if you have a few moments, please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

I'd like to thank my friend and beta, naynay1963, for everything, and for always being there to help me to make my stories be the best that they can be. We definitely make a great team. I'd also like to thank my friends FloatYourBoat21 and alamoSAuRuS99 for being two of my biggest cheerleaders outside of my review box.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.