Color

Upstate New York, Memories II

Brittany was not next to her when Santana woke up. For a second, she feared that last night had been just a dream. She sat up, clutching the covers to her bare body and looked around. Unease made her chest tighten and she looked around.

"B?" She yelled. She heard some scuffling and the top of Brittany's head poked through the hole in the floor where the stairs were.

"Morning!" Brittany skipped over to the bedside and kissed Santana on the lips. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." Santana whispered. Brittany cocked her head to one side. "I thought last night had taken place inside my head." Brittany shook her head furiously.

"No way!" She said. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck.

"I love you." She said. "Just in case it was in my head." The effect it had on Brittany made Santana wonder if it was possible to die from cute overload. Brittany blushed and broke into a big smile. She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked bashfully at the ground. Why Santana hadn't said it earlier, she would never understand.

"I love you." She repeated. She felt like she wanted to make up for all the lost time and all the times she wanted to say those words but never had the guts to. This time, Brittany squealed with joy and hugged her, covering her with kisses. Santana pulled her in close, letting the sheet drop to her hips. Just as she was about to wrestle Brittany to the bed and have a little repeat session of the previous night, the blond broke free of her grasp.

"San guess what?" Brittany asked.

"What?" Santana replied, a little upset and a little too turned on to care much about anything else.

"DeScala had puppies!" Brittany exclaimed. Santana's eyes went wide and she grinned.

"Really?" Brittany nodded.

"They look like rats though. Do you think DeScala cheated on Mounty?" Santana laughed, thinking about the logistics of that relationship.

"They grow bigger." She reassured.

"Do you wanna see them?" Brittany suggested. Santana got out of bed and started gathering her clothes to put on. Brittany seized her shirt and helped her slip it over her head while Santana tugged on her shorts. After she got dressed, the two went downstairs, carefully tiptoeing to avoid waking anyone else up. It was later in the morning so Santana assumed that everyone was tired out from last night's events. Max had woken up sometime in the middle of the night and had stayed up watching his new little sister go back to sleep. Brittany beckoned her to the basement and the instant Santana set foot on the ground, she heard small cries coming from the corner. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and a pair of bright eyes looked at her. DeScala lay in the corner with three little puppies sprawled out near her stomach. Santana broke into an awed grin and she looked at Brittany who shared the same expression.

"They're adorable, B." Santana whispered. Brittany slipped her hand into Santana's and squeezed it in response. They watched the puppies squirm and wriggle in the basket while DeScala cleaned them individually.

"Let's leave them alone." Santana suggested. The two went back upstairs. At this point, Bruce was up and attempting to make breakfast. Judging by the smoke and the sad black stack of pancakes, he was failing.

"Do you need help?" Brittany asked. Bruce looked at her helplessly. It was clear that Janice did most of the cooking around the house. Brittany reached for the spatula in his hands and he gladly gave it to her. He nodded his thanks and rushed upstairs to rejoin his wife and daughter. Brittany turned towards the pan for a second before Santana snatched the spatula from her hands.