Beca's eyes flew open, ridiculously early, to the sound of the security alarm blaring. It was not the ideal way to start her day.

"What the fuck?" she mumbled, fumbling for her phone.

Naturally, because she was seventeen, her first instinct was to text the members of her family that were currently in the house. Her oldest sister, her almost brother in law, and her parents.

Beca: are we being broken into? What's with the alarm?

Chloe: I can't believe you won't even get out of bed to see if we're being broken into. Are you really that lazy?

Beca: ARE we being broken into?

Dad: no, Beca, we are not being broken into. But I'm glad that if we were, you'd stay upstairs. It's comforting to hear.

Mum: thank you for contributing Beca.

Chloe: it stopped.

Beca: I hear. I don't hear actually.

Chloe: why are you still here? did Barden change their start time or something? Go to school.

Beca: Dad called me out to help with the wedding

Dad: I called her out

Chloe: well very helpful thank you Beca

Tom: morning Bec!

Beca: well at least someone is happy I'm around. What's for breakfast?

Chloe: get out of bed.

Tom: I'm at the bakery now.

Dad: don't forget my bear claw

Beca: and my strawberry with sprinkles

Tom: I know what you eat, I didn't just get here

Beca smirked at Chloe's obvious sarcasm before tossing her blanket aside. There was nothing she hated more than being woken up early, but she had been counting down to this weekend for months.

And then the date was moved forward, and she was even happier.

She was the youngest of five children, and she couldn't remember the last time they were all in the same room together.

All because their parents had decided to sell the house. The place they'd called home for Beca's entire life- her parents had moved to Barden, Georgia from Portland, Maine when Michael was a toddler and Chloe was a newborn. It was where they'd grown up- they knew all the good hiding spots and which stairs squeaked when they were sneaking out and the muddiest spots in the yard for when they were playing their infamous, continuous games of spotlight. Every mark on the wall, she could tell you how they got there (most were remnants of the indoor paint ball war that went on between the oldest three Mitchell children, Beca and Benji being excluded due to their age). But two months ago, the house had gone on the market, much to the surprise of Beca and her siblings.

So Chloe and Tom had moved their wedding date forward, because it had been Chloe's dream since she was a little girl to get married there.

Beca threw on a worn MIT hoodie that fitted her everywhere and touched her nowhere- a hand me down from her middle sibling, Amy- and marched down the stairs, waiting for donuts.

"Good morning", her mother said pleasantly.

"What set of the alarm?" Beca said curiously, pouring herself a cup of coffee and adding too much milk, the way she liked it and her siblings hated it.

"Chloe thinks it was one of the sensors".

"Michael said he'd have a look when he gets here", her father Will reported. "Chloe, what are the plans for today?"

"Everyone's arriving today", the redhead reminded them. "Anna C and Anna K fly in at lunchtime".

"I can't believe the Annas are staying here", Beca mumbled, taking a sip of her coffee.

"They aren't staying in your room, calm your tits", Chloe said, a touch sharper than she intended. "Sorry. You've been really helpful Bec, it means a lot to us".

"Remind me again who's sleeping where?" Will checked.

The house was big, but Beca truly wasn't sure where everyone was going to stay. The third floor- known as the kids' floor- would be full of the people that used to occupy them. The second floor, which held two guest rooms and an office, would be full of relatives. And the first floor would have everyone else sleeping on the couches.

"So the Annas will be staying in Amy's room, and Amy is going to share with Michael and Benji".

"Benji isn't coming", Beca mumbled, and Janice shot her a look.

"He'll be here", Chloe said firmly.

Benji- the second youngest, only three years older than Beca- hadn't been home in eighteen months, after a spectacular falling out with their parents. And while he had always been closest to Chloe, Beca had her doubts about him returning.

"Beca, you've got your room. Tom and I have my room, and Aunt Cathy has the blue room. When is Michael getting in again?"

"Michael's in at two!" Beca beamed. She'd never say it to their faces, but Michael was her favourite sibling. He tortured her more than the rest of them, but he was also the first to defend her. Twelve years her senior, he had been her best friend since the day she was born.

"So Michael's schedule you know!"

The four of them turned around to find Amy, the middle child, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Well well well", she droned. And then, because Amy was always a little extra, she added another. "Well".

"Hi honey, it's so good to see you!" Janice said warmly.

"Don't give me that! Do you know how long I waited at the airport? Seeing car after car, none of them for me? I was abandoned, I was hurt-"

"Did you know there's a cab out the front?" Tom cut her off, coming through with the box of donuts. "Hi Amy".

"Did you tell anyone you were coming?" Will said pointedly.

"Of course I did!" she bristled, before pausing. "Actually, give me a second". She pulled her phone out, scrolling for a second. "Nope, looks like that email never made it out of drafts, that's on me. Anyway, what's happening family!" she advanced into the kitchen, dropping things as she walked. "Beca, nice to see you little sister, I see I taught you well by cutting school. Tom, Chloe, how are we? Excited? Nervous? Cold feet?" she winked at her sister and Chloe smacked her arm. "Kidding, kidding! Is Michael here yet or can I have both chocolate donuts?"

"Michael gets here at two", Beca said, snatching up the second chocolate donut and putting it on a plate. "So no, you can't have both chocolates".

"Where's your plus one?" Chloe stared at their sister, and Amy fidgeted nervously.

"So here's the thing", she started. "When I RSVPed- which was months ago- I was pretty sure I was going to have a date".

Tom smirked, nudging Beca. "Pay up".

Beca groaned loudly. "I had faith in you!"

"I can't believe you two were taking bets on my love life!" Amy all but bellowed. "I can get a date! And I still can get one! You know what, I'll get one. Fifty bucks says I can get a date".

"To a wedding?" Will laughed.

"That's tomorrow!" Chloe added.

"Alright, fine! Fifty bucks says you can get a date. To my wedding. Which is tomorrow".

"Witness!" Beca called, raising her hand.

"Thank you Beca". Tom nodded at her.

"The cab?" Janice tried again, trying to steer them back on topic.

"Oh right. That's actually what I came in here for! I only have nine dollars and it's all in coins and at least six dollars of it is Canadian".

"Why?"

"Why not?" Amy picked up Beca's coffee cup before screwing up her nose. "Fuck Beca, how can you drink this shit? It's literally warm milk".

"How are you a functioning adult?" Chloe mumbled. "Beca, the cab?"

"Why me?" she protested.

"Pecking order little sister". Amy smacked a noisy kiss to her cheek and Beca rolled her eyes, glaring.

"Fine". She grabbed three twenties from the jar on the counter- the unofficial bail jar (although their parents referred to it as the pizza jar), hoping that it would cover it. She shuffled towards the front door, leaving behind her cup of coffee, opening it to find the cutest guy on the face of the world at their doorstep.

She visibly jumped. "Um, hi?" she tried.

"Hi!" he said brightly. "My Uncle Bill sent me-"

"That's nice". She pushed past him, fully aware that her jumper made it look like she was wearing no pants. She tapped on the window of the cab, before handing over two of the twenties. "Sorry about that, we didn't know she was coming".

The cab driver smirked, and Beca could only imagine the stories that her sister had told him. "Have a good day".

"My uncle owns a wedding planning service-"

"That's nice, but we have a wedding planner".

"I know. Gail Abernathy-McKadden".

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've been sent over here to fix things. I was really hoping my uncle would have beaten me here-"

"What?" Beca said helplessly.

(It was too early and she was wearing too little pants to be having a conversation. In her front yard.)

"Anyway, Gail's been arrested-"

"What?" she yelped. "The wedding is tomorrow!"

"Which is why I'm here!" he said brightly. "Jesse Swanson".

"Beca".

"I know. Bridesmaid".

"Come in, you need to talk to someone who isn't me". She yawned, pushing open the front door, yelping as the alarm started to wail. "What is going on with that thing?"

"Michael's gonna fix it!" her father yelled back.

"What's the alarm code?" Chloe bellowed.

"Twelve thirty four!" Janice called.

"Seriously?" Amy shrieked, as the alarm settled. "That's the code? Really?"

"What?" Beca said, picking up her cup of coffee again.

"Think about it".

Beca thought, before rolling her eyes. "One two three four? Are you serious?"

"It's a wonder we haven't been broken into before". Chloe rolled her eyes heavenwards, matching her youngest sister's facial expression.

"Your father and I didn't know how to change it", their mother said defensively. "Who is this?"

"Yeah, who are you?" Amy turned her attention to the only person in the room she hadn't harassed. "Beca?"

"This is Jesse", she said, ignoring the looks Chloe was shooting her. "And he's here because your wedding planner got arrested".

"For embezzlement", he added.

"He what?" Chloe wailed.

"It's okay, it's okay", Jesse said quickly, as Tom patted her arm comfortingly. "Because my Uncle Bill-"

"What is Bill short for exactly?" Amy cut him off. "Billiam?"

Beca could practically hear Tom's double take and snorted unattractively.

"Billiam?" Tom yelped. "Out of all the things Bill could be short for, you picked Billiam? Your father's name is literally William, Billiam is not a name".

"It is a name!" she argued. "I went to college with a guy called Billiam".

"You did not!" he laughed.

"Wanna bet?"

"Why, why are you like this?" Janice rolled her eyes heavenwards. "Why are you consistently betting on things your sister says? Amy you have lost so much money to them-"

"I already have money riding on your date, so why not". Tom shrugged. "Twenty five bucks says you did not go to college with a guy name Billiam".

"Its short for William", Jesse said, and they stared at him, like they'd just forgotten he was still there.

"Have a donut, Jesse". Will held out the box, and he accepted one carefully. "Now, tell us more".

"I was kind of hoping my uncle would be here already", he said apologetically. "Because he knows more about this than I do. Either way Chloe, we're going to make sure your wedding goes smoothly!" and he gave her an award winning grin, making Beca's stomach flip.

Chloe gave her sister a Look, which Beca ignored, before turning back to Jesse. "You realise the wedding is tomorrow, right?"

"Oh I know that". He nodded in what he hoped was an assuring way. "And we're going to make sure it all goes smoothly".

"Well, what else can go wrong?" Tom said after a moment, and the alarm started again, making them all wince and cover their ears.