I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

"Red really is my thing, Britt."

"That's your argument?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Come on, San. You get to be Santa all year long. It's in your name. I just want it for one night. I want to see Sugar's face when she opens the door."

Santana fakes a pout. "Maybe I wanted to see Sugar's face when she opens the door," she says softly.

Brittany can't help the adorable look on her wife's face. She reaches over and gives her a small peck on the cheek. And as always, it works like magic. "Okay, fine. You can be Santa," she concedes heavily. Brittany lets off a little squeal and wraps her arms around Santana tightly who refuses to hug back, pretending to be upset over losing the argument, but the smile on her face says otherwise. "Okay. Okay. Go." She waves off. "This has to be perfect. She's three years old. This is the first Christmas she's going to remember."

"Don't worry. I'll be perfect,"Brittany says reassuringly. It feels like she's always telling Santana to stop worrying when it comes to their daughter, but she can't deny how cute it is to see Santana's brows furrow over things like whether or not Sugar needs two pillows to sleep with or one. "As long as you set out those cookies with the sprinkles on it for Santa," she adds with a wink and really, Santana's not worried. It'll be perfect because Brittany is perfect.

Brittany hides all her Santa gear in the car where she plans on getting dressed between Sugar's booster seat and the empty candy wrappers Santana doesn't want their daughter exposed to yet. She makes up an excuse to Sugar about having to run to the store because "Mama didn't buy the potatoes for tomorrow night's dinner and you know how Aunt Cedes likes her tots." It makes complete sense because Mommy is the one that does the cooking, not Mama, and Sugar has yet to have a holiday dinner without tots or bread sticks. And when Aunt Quinnie is in town, they always have bacon even if it's not morning anymore. Unless Rachel Berry stops by. Then they have Fakin', the fake bacon. But nobody eats that.

Brittany kisses Sugar five times and makes her promise to be good for Mama and Sugar swears she's good all the time which all three of them know is a lie.

They have some time because they live five floors up and the elevator's been broken for almost a week, so Santana takes Sugar into the kitchen where they ready a plate of cookies for Santa. There's only one with sprinkles left and sprinkles just so happen to be Sugar's favorite cookie too. So the two of them split it as they sit on the kitchen floor trying to name all of Santa's reindeer. Santana feels a little bit guilty thinking she should save her half for Brittany but living with these two has given her a taste for sprinkles also. What's the worst that could happen anyway? She'll just blame Brittany for passing on her love of bright colors. The two of them are horrible at the game by the way. Santana can only remember Dancer and Vixen and Sugar lists off Rudolph twice. But the doorbell finally rings and Santana can stop thinking she's a bad mother for not doing her research.

Santana lifts Sugar up to her hip when she opens the door. "Ho ho ho!" greets Brittany as she attempts to jiggle the two pillows stuffed under her coat.

"Santa!" Sugar wiggles on her mother's hip with the biggest smile a three year old girl could produce.

"I heard there's a good little girl in this apartment that needs some gifts to open tomorrow morning," Brittany struggles to say in her deepest voice. "Do you know of any good little girls?"

"It's me! It's me!" Sugar announces pointing at herself forcefully, little crumbs still dotting her puffy cheeks.

"Let me check my list here," Brittany pulls out her cell phone and scrolls through it. "Well, you are a good little girl aren't you? In fact, you are so good, why don't you just take all of these presents?" Brittany asks as she sets down her red bag full of the boxes she and Santana spent all last night wrapping. Sugar finally manages to wriggle her way from her mother's grasp. Brittany kneels down prepared for a hug but Sugar grabs the large red bag instead and starts dragging it towards the tree. Santana tries but can't stifle the laugh that follows. "Well, it looks like it's time for me to leave you and your beautiful mother now. You should go to bed soon so you can wake up early and open all those presents." But by now Sugar is buried halfway into the bag and thoroughly disinterested in the man that brought them.

"Thank you, Santa," Santana says as she closes the door on Brittany with an amused smile. It's a long trek down those stairs and back up again with that costume, but that smile will keep Brittany going. "I think you're beautiful too," she whispers just before the door closes. Santana walks over to the middle of the living room, which is as far as little Sugar was able to drag that bag that was practically twice as big as her. They are going to spoil that kid rotten. Santana sticks her head into it where she meets her excited daughter. "Off to bed kiddo. You heard what the fat man said."

"But Mama," she whines, "I want to open one."

"Hey, those were Santa's orders, not mine. What if Santa finds out you didn't listen to him? Do you think he's going to like that?" Sugar crosses her arms in front of her chest, and it's almost cute enough to let her open one, a small one that is. But not quite cute enough for Santana to have to suffer through Brittany's disappointment at having missed her open her first present.

"Fine," Sugar concedes after their ten second standoff, like she always does.

"Fine," Santana copies as she scoops the girl into her arms. "Fine, fine, fine fine fine," she jokes as she buries her face into Sugar's stomach eliciting shrieking giggles from the girl.

It takes another 25 minutes for Brittany to finally return still all decked out in her holiday gear, beard and all.

"Why are you still wearing that?" Santana whispers.

"We bought a compact car, San. Some things just aren't worth it. I've been sitting in the hall waiting long enough for you to put Sugar to bed. Is she asleep?"

"Just about. She's worried morning won't come fast enough."

Brittany smiles as she puts an arm around Santana's shoulders and kisses her on the temple, taking a mental note of the way her hair smells like she always does. Santana closes her eyes and leans into her. "I think we did good."

"Did you see her face, Britt? What was it like?"

"It was kind of like every time you've ever been happy or excited all rolled into one."

Santana smiles contentedly. "Sounds good," she mumbles into Brittany's shoulder. "Hey!" she backs off of Brittany suddenly. "You said all those gifts were for Sugar. Where's my present? What did Santa bring me?" she accuses jokingly.

Brittany laughs and raises her arms presenting herself. "I'm right here Santana."

Santana grins and brings her arms around Brittany's waist. "That's all I've ever wanted." She reaches up and gives her the kind of long kiss she waits all day at work for. Brittany melts into her touch and when they pull back, they're both a little breathless from the beauty of it all. "All Santas should be girls," Santana says as she tugs at the white mane flowing from Brittany's face. "But lose the beard, yeah? It's not working for me."

Brittany smiles, her arms still clasped around Santana's back. "San?" She pauses. "Where's my cookie?"

Santana looks away as she answers, "We ate it?" Brittany pouts and Santana rushes to explain the magic of the moment she knows Brittany already understands. "It was really nice actually. We sat on the floor and each had half and -"

"Then where's my half?"

"I'll make it up to you," Santana says before she starts singing, her voice still hushed. "Santa baby, slip a sable -"

Brittany interrupts her again. "No. For a mess this big, singing just won't cut it. And definitely not a song you sang for Finn Hudson."

Santana reads the playful expression on her wife's face perfectly. "I think we can figure out a solution," Santana says as she takes Brittany's hand in hers and leads her to their shared bedroom.

"Are we going to play Mrs. and Mrs. Claus?" Brittany asks excitedly.

"No," Santana shakes her head in amusement. "How about instead you be Dancer and I'll be Vixen?"

The next morning the two of them wake up to the sunlight streaming in from their open blinds. Santana takes her pillow and begrudgingly drags it over her head. It is too early to be up after the night they just had, but Brittany shakes Santana out of whatever possible sleep she could've fallen back into.

"Santana, it's eight o'clock and Sugar didn't come in here to get us. Do you think she opened her presents without us?" she asks a little worried. "I didn't want to miss that."

It forces Santana up too because the thought that they missed their daughter's Christmas morning without so much as one picture to send the grandparents is even more worrisome than the two pillow dilemma.

They can see the living room from their bedroom door and everything is just as it was the night before, only Santana remembered at 3AM that she should actually put the presents under the tree. They get to their daughter's room and oddly, Sugar is laying in bed with her eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

"Sugar, honey," Brittany calls out, "it's Christmas. Is everything okay?"

Sugar gets up at the sound of her mother's voice. "Mommy!" she calls before running and pouncing into her mother's arms. Brittany lifts her up and Sugar holds her tighter than she ever has before.

"What's wrong baby?" Santana asks as she puts a hand on Sugar's shoulder. "Don't you want to open your presents?"

"No!" she yells forcefully as she shies away from Santana's touch and buries her face further into Brittany's neck. "I hate Santa and I hate Christmas. I don't want any of those stupid presents."

Brittany takes Sugar to the couch where Sugar sits on her lap and Santana right beside her, Brittany's knee pushing softly against Santana's thigh. The little girl refuses to look in Santana's direction.

"Did something happen last night? Did you have a bad dream?" The little girl shakes her head furiously and her mothers share another worried look with each other. "Then what is it? You can tell us."

Finally Sugar stands up to reach her mother's ear which she cups with her two little hands. "Last night," Sugar starts in that loud whisper toddlers and little kids always have, "Mama kissed Santa," she says thoroughly upset.

And Brittany can't help herself. She laughs harder and louder than she has in a long time. She hugs Sugar tightly and gives the confused little girl a big kiss on the cheek while Santana looks on horrified. Santana reaches over and places her hands over Sugar's ears protectively the way she does every time they take her over to visit Puck. Sugar plops down on Brittany's shaking lap again and waits patiently for adult conversation time to be over. "Britt! Why are you laughing?" Santana whispers harshly. "This is horrible. Our three year old daughter hates Santa Claus. Our three year old daughter hates me! I mean, I knew it was going to happen eventually," she shrugs as she looks away, "I just thought she would be 16 and it would be over a nose ring she tried to hide from us." She turns her attention back to Brittany, "She's going to be that kid that tells all the other kids in school that there's no Santa. And then what about the Tooth Fairy? The Easter Bunny? Superman?"

Brittany starts laughing all over again seeing the worried expression on Santana's face. She reassuringly slides her hands over Santana's. "San, don't worry about it. She's three years old. She's not going to remember any of this anyways."

"But that was the whole point!" Santana counters.

Brittany gently takes Santana's hands from Sugar's ears and turns the girl to face her. "Here's the thing about Santa, sweetie. You know how Santa comes down chimneys?" Sugar nods her head. "Well this apartment doesn't have any chimneys. And there's a lot of apartments everywhere that don't have chimneys. That's why Santa sends his helpers to knock on all the doors that don't have chimneys and make sure all the little children get there presents. But all his helpers have to look like him so they don't confuse the reindeer. And this year, I was really lucky, because I ate a candy bar with a special ticket in it that let me meet Santa." Sugar's mouth forms a small 'o' that keeps on growing at the thought that her mommy could be that lucky. "And when I met him I told him all about this little girl named Sugar and he asked me if I would be his helper for this building. So, Mama wasn't kissing Santa last night,"Brittany explains. "She was kissing me."

"That was really you Mommy?"

"Of course. But this has to be a complete secret okay?" Sugar nods her head vigorously without making a sound, because of course this has to be kept a secret. "No one can know that I'm one of Santa's helpers."

"Okay, Mommy."

"Pinky promise?" Brittany asks with her pinky sticking out.

Sugar takes the pinky with her own as she is so used to doing by now. "Pinky promise."

"And everything's okay now?" Sugar nods. "Because we can give all these presents away to another little girl named Sugar."

"No!" Sugar jumps down and runs to the Christmas tree so fast she startles Santana out of her reverie.

"Hold it right there missy," Santana fakes anger. Sugar stops in her tracks and turns around. Santana smiles at her, "Get back here and give your Mama a Christmas hug first."

Sugar giggles and runs back to hug Santana and lets go as quickly as she can, but Santana holds onto her a little longer just for fun. Sugar whines and Santana concedes. "Okay. Okay. Have at it."

Sugar rips open the first package, a My First Motocross Helmet. She tears it from the box and slides it awkwardly onto her head. She runs back to her parents excitedly yelling though her words are muffled by the helmet. "Mommy, Mommy, look! It's just like yours!" She runs back to the pile and hops onto the scraps of wrapping paper as if it were a pile of leaves.

Santana pivots her body a little and leans back into that spot on Brittany's chest that seems like it was made for her. "I still think she's too young for that helmet."

Brittany wraps an arm around Santana's shoulder. "It'll be fine, San. I'll make sure of it."

Santana tilts her head up and kisses that little soft spot where Brittany's jawline meets her neck and Brittany smiles. "I know you will." She settles back into Brittany's body. "Do you really think she won't remember this Christmas? Because I kind of want her to."

"I don't know, San. But I know I'll always remember it."

"Britt?"

"Yeah?"

"I call dibs on Santa next year."

Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas!