Chapter Text
February 19
Santana was pacing the suite she was sharing with her mother. She hated the “tradition” of the bride and bride not seeing each other before the wedding. Who even heard of that? She knew why brides and grooms were kept apart and that tradition started LONG before gay marriage was even considered. Hell, it was long before gay people were even acknowledged as existing. Brittany's superstitions, sometimes silly, sometimes adorable, sometimes gave her a headache. Although, to be fair, she'd been (sort of) right about Friday the thirteenth – The Attack On Lesbos had happened on Friday the thirteenth, after all. Santana rolled her eyes at herself. Honestly.
She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep; not because she was nervous or scared or getting cold feet. Simply because she never slept as well without Brittany anymore.
“Santana, stop pacing, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet.”
Santana sighed and flopped onto the couch. Brittany was in her parents' suite with Whitney, Pierce, and Courtney. Two floors separated them. Two lousy floors. She huffed out an exasperated breath and checked her phone; it was almost ten.
“I'm going to bed.” She announced.
She kissed her mother on the cheek and told her she'd see her in the morning before closing herself in her room. She tried reading; that didn't work. She took a warm bath; nothing. At eleven-thirty she gave in.
To: My Soon-to-be-WIFE
2 – 19 – 15 11:28pm
Are you awake? I miss you.
From: My Soon-to-be-WIFE
2 – 19 – 15 11:31pm
Of course I am. I can't sleep without you. :(
Santana hit the speed dial.
“Hi, honey,” the sweet sound of Brittany's sleepy voice warmed her.
“Hi, baby, I just needed to hear your voice. I can't sleep without you. I tried reading and a bath but … I just miss you.” Santana sighed.
“I miss you, too. But … just think … this time tomorrow … you'll be my WIFE!” Brittany practically squealed.
Santana giggled. “I can't wait. I can't wait to see you and kiss you and hold you and dance with you … and I really can't wait to marry you. I love you so much Britt.”
“I love you, too, Santana. So, so much.”
They stayed on the phone for a little while, not really even talking, just listening to the other breathe until they were both calm and drowsy enough to fall asleep after promising each other they'd see each other tomorrow.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
February 20
“Britt, are you really sure about this?” Santana asked after Sue had left. Sue had come to them with a really hare-brained idea … telling them they didn't have to do it … but Santana didn't really trust that the woman wouldn't do something to disrupt their day if they didn't go along with it. She was grateful to Sue for getting her abuela to come to the wedding but suspected that Sue did that, not out of the kindness of her heart, but because she wanted to get them to agree to this ridiculous plan.
Brittany nodded. “Yeah. I know my superstitions might be silly but … this way Blaine and Kurt get all our bad luck.” She grinned. “Half of all marriages end in divorce; so we give them all our bad luck and they're the half of today that fails, right?”
Santana snorted a laugh. “If you say so, Britt.” Santana had absolutely no fear of their own marriage failing. “I just hate the idea of them crashing our wedding and it being about them. Especially since, neither of us really cares for Blaine and neither of us thinks he's good enough for Kurt.”
Brittany shrugged. “That's the thing, though, really. It's still our wedding. Our choices of colors and cake and decorations. Our guests, our gifts. It's our day. I mean, the only people here for Blaine and Kurt are Pam, Carole, and Burt. Sure, the Glee gang is here but Blaine's brother isn't, his father isn't. None of Kurt's family is here. All they get to do is exchange vows.”
Brittany paused and Santana waited for Brittany's real reason.
Brittany sighed. “Besides, Kurt is young enough to recover if this fails. Just like they don't know our relationship, we don't know theirs. But, instead of spending the next five or ten years on this back and forth stuff they've been doing since they met, they get married and one of two things happens; they live happily ever after or they get divorced in two years and Kurt can finally move on.”
Santana nodded. That, at least, made a little bit of sense. She had told Kurt that no one knows what goes on in someone else's relationship. Who was she to judge if Blaine was good enough for Kurt or not?
“Britt … you realize they can't really get married, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“They don't have a license. Even with everything Sue thought about; tuxes, rings, crashing our wedding by bringing my abuela … she can't get them a marriage license. The county clerk's office closes at four; they don't have time to go and get one before the ceremony. So, for them, this is more of a commitment ceremony.”
“Do you think Sue thought of that?”
“I don't know but I'm not bringing it up today. We'll eventually have to, maybe nonchalantly, ask them if they ever got their license and let them figure it out from there.”
Brittany grins. “See? Our bad luck is already running over to them.”
Santana giggled.
They heard Sue, Kurt, and Blaine coming so Santana moved to wait behind the privacy screen while Brittany tried to convince “Klaine” that they should get married today.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
After they were pronounced wife and wife, Santana felt an immense sense of peace settle over her. She looked at her wife … her wife! … and smiled broadly.
They were greeting their guests, thanking people for coming, when they were enveloped in a tight hug.
“I am so happy for you guys!”
They pulled back and both squealed in delight. “QUINN!” They hugged her close again.
“I thought you were in France?” Santana asked.
“I flew in this morning and I fly out again in about,” she checked her watch, “seven hours.” She smiled at her two best friends. “I couldn't miss this. I was actually sick to my stomach at the thought of not being here. Missing some sleep was worth it. I told my professor I was sick yesterday so I could get on a flight … hopefully she'll never know the difference.”
“Oh, my god, Quinn … I am so happy you made it.” Brittany hugged the other blonde again. “Does Puck know you're here?”
She shook her head. “I didn't tell anyone just in case it didn't work out.”
She was suddenly seized from behind. “Babe! I didn't know you were coming!” Puck kissed her on the neck as he hugged her tightly from behind.
“Spur of the moment decision.”
“How long are you here for?”
“Five hours. Then I have to leave to catch a flight back to Paris.”
“Let's make the most of it, then,” he said, whisking her away.
Santana laughed. Her day, already perfect, just got even better.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
Santana couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Brittany looked awesome dancing to Hey Ya!. She grinned as she looked at Pierce sporting a royal blue OTP hat. The hats had been a spur of the moment decision.
They'd been walking through the plaza where the tuxedo place was and saw a shop advertising custom baseball hats. Brittany had grinned her “I have an idea” grin and dragged Santana into the shop. Half an hour later, they walked out with a receipt for four hundred hats. They were only expecting between two and three hundred people but decided it was better to have too many than too few. She shook her head at the memory and, if the number of people wearing them was anything to go by, she was glad they'd done it.
After dinner, they walked around to ask people how the food was and to thank them again for coming. The soft music playing through the speakers stopped and Santana looked up to see Blaine and Kurt on the stage.
“Hi, for those of you who don't actually know who I am, I'm Kurt Hummel … well, Hummel-Anderson, I guess now,” he looked a bit bewildered, as if the events of the day hadn't quite sunk in. “Anyway, Santana, Britt? Will you please come to the dance floor?”
Santana took Brittany's hand and led her to the center of the floor and looked expectantly at Kurt.
Kurt smiled. “Before you so generously agreed to share your day with Blaine and me, Rachel and I had planned to surprise you with a first dance song. Rachel,” he nodded in the diminutive brunette's directions, “graciously agreed to let Blaine sing it with me instead. So, Britt, Santana, this is for you.”
Santana slipped her arms around Brittany's neck and felt Britt's arms encircle her waist. The music started and Santana grinned broadly as she looked into her love's ocean-blue eyes and she softly began to sing along.
Well, here we are again
I guess it must be fate
We've tried it on our own
But deep inside we've known
We'd be back to set things straight
I still remember when
Your kiss was so brand new
Every memory repeats
Every step I take retreats
Every journey always brings me back to you
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
And after all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be
Forever you and me, after all
When love is truly right
(This time it's truly right)
It lives from year to year
It changes as it goes
Oh, and on the way it grows
But it never disappears
After all the stops and starts
We keep comin' back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
After all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be, forever you and me, after all
Always just beyond my touch
Though I needed you so much
After all what else is living for
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
And after all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be
Forever you and me
After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
And after all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be
Forever you and me, after all
As the song came to an end, they traded a soft kiss and leaned their foreheads together, briefly lost in their own world. Santana was beyond happy. She honestly didn't think there was a word for how happy she was.
The burst of applause pulled them from their bubble and they smiled shyly at one another before turning to thank Kurt and Blaine, who simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The day had been perfect. Quinn came to say goodbye before she headed back to the airport. The three of them hugged each other tightly, promising to get together when Quinn got back from France.
Slowly, the older people who had come to the wedding started drifting out while the younger crowd kept dancing, singing, drinking, eating, and laughing.
Santana's abuela pulled her aside. She gently cupped Santana's cheek.
“I am headed to the Inn. Your mother said I can stay with her in her suite.” Alma paused a moment. “I can see how happy she makes you. How happy you make her. I am happy for you. I may not understand but I am trying to. That man said … what was it … 'under a God who … if he believes in love, then he fully endorses the marriages of these two wonderful couples.' It made me think … perhaps the church is too focused on the past. The Old Testament. They seem to have forgotten – and I did, too – that Jesus said to love one another as I have loved you. We are supposed to believe that God is love and yet, we allow hate to dictate our beliefs.” Alma shook her head. “I do not have all the answers but I know that I love you and I am so very glad that woman was able to convince me to come.” She kissed Santana's cheek softly. “Don't forget to visit me, eh?”
Santana hugged the older woman tightly. “I won't.” She watched as Abuela walked over to speak with Brittany and hug her goodbye.
“Girl, you look as happy as I've ever seen anyone look.” Mercedes slipped up beside her.
“'Cedes, I'm not sure happy even begins to come close to how I feel.” She looked at her friend. “Thank you, by the way, for everything. You've been amazing and I'm so very thankful to have a friend like you.” Santana knew it was time to stop drinking; weepy Santana was one or two drinks away from making an appearance.
“Aw, you know I got you. You and Britt are my girls. If someone had told me sophomore year that this is where we'd be five years later, I'd have thought they were drunk … or crazy … or maybe both. You're a good friend to have, Santana, and I'm thankful that I've been fortunate to be blessed with your friendship.”
Santana smiled and hugged the other girl. “Thanks, 'Cedes. Not sure I'd have gotten to this day without you.”
“You would have. Just woulda taken you five more years.” Mercedes grinned as she pulled out of the hug and winked at the Latina who laughed.
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
The party was finally winding down. Brittany had no idea what time it was but the caterer had left awhile ago leaving several cases of bottled water behind and quite a bit of that was gone. The barn was emptying out and, with fewer people, it was getting cold. The heaters they'd had brought in weren't really strong enough to heat the barn; they were meant to just kind of 'supplement' the body heat of their guests.
Brittany looked over where Santana was talking to one of her cousins and could tell by the way her arms were wrapped around her middle that Santana was getting chilled. She smiled softly and made her way out of the barn toward their car; she'd made sure to put a couple of hoodies in the trunk. She wasn't uncomfortable but she wanted Santana to stay warm; it always took her forever to warm back up when she got too cold.
As she walked back toward the barn, a shadow detached itself from the side of it.
Brittany froze, clutching the hoodie tightly. “Wha … what are you doing here?” She asked, her voice much more confident than she felt.