A/N: Creating a new universe in which Triple-Treble are moms of four teenage kids who are all dealing with something pivotal in their teenage lives. All these stories will be told in the POV of their children: Justin, Bella, Anna, and Nicole. The story will also be told in second person because I feel like there's a hell of a lot of power in that. We will be going back and forth in order of the siblings. The story is also going to be told as if it were their adult selves thinking back on a pivotal time in their life, so also time traveling a bit. I promise it's not as confusing as it sounds.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Pitch Perfect or the songs I use to express the character's emotion in these chapters. The OC characters and plot are mine only.
General Trigger warning: In this story we will be talking about mental health issues, underage drinking, sex, and other heavy topics.
Trigger Warning For This Chapter: Mental health issues, almost attempted suicide, underage drinking.
Chapter One: Lights Will Guide You Home
Justin Lincoln Mitchell-Posen
Year 2047, age 27
You didn't need to be told that you and your siblings were living a different life from your friends. You knew. They knew. You knew it wasn't usual for three people to be so madly in love with each other. It wasn't usual to have three moms, but you didn't know any different, so why the hell did it matter? You also didn't mind being the only guy in the house either—it made you feel good in a strange way. Your mom—Aubrey—the lawyer who is always the one who makes sure you and your sisters were okay, even if she just spent all day dealing with frustrating clients, opponents, and judges, you know she's always there when you need her. With soft hugs and cuddles. Reassuring advice. She may be tough professionally, but personally, she was the softest person you know.
And then there's your ma—Beca—the music producer and the reason why your "friends" with some of your friends. She's the one that gets you free concert tickets to whatever concert you want. The one that no matter the situation will be there, drop whatever she's doing, and is there. She's the one that when you have serious anxiety attacks is always there to reassure you that you're fine and that it's okay. She puts up this badass, take-no-prisoners front to the world, but with her family, she's all about the cuddling and loving. Sometimes maybe even too much.
And finally, there's your mama—Chloe—the doctor and the reason why you and your sisters were even alive at that point. She carried all four of you while your guys' mom and ma's careers took off and she wanted to take a break after medical school to start interning and her residency. You know that you and your sisters have a closer bond with her because of that, but all for of you loved your mom and ma more than any of you can seem to describe. Your mama was the one who checked for injuries when you were hurt, really took care of you when you were sick, and when someone dared to break your heart, was the one to put your broken pieces back together.
All three of them worked as a team though, always showing up to your baseball games, your sister Bella's cross country meets, your sister Anna's soccer games, and your sister Nicole's STEM tournaments. Most importantly because they loved each of you as the special human being you are to the family.
So as you look down at your own wife, Danielle and your two's brand new baby boy, Caleb, you remember a time in your senior year of high school when you didn't think you'd make it this far.
Year 2037, age 17
It confused you, why you were so anxious and depressed all the damn time. It confused you why you always somehow ended up in a bigger panic attack than the time before. It confused you why you were sitting with your back against the tub in the bathroom you shared with your siblings at three o'clock in the fucking morning because of another anxiety attack. You had a good life—everything you needed, most of what you wanted. How were you going to survive going away to college next fall if you cannot manage your day-to-day life here? How were you going to survive if you got accepted into one of the ivy leagues like you and your family were hoping you would? Would you survive? Or would you fail on the East Coast crawling back to the West Coast like a dog with its tail between its legs? You don't know how long you've been sitting here crying alone, but suddenly you feel hands on your shoulders and you look up to see your mom looking down in concern at you.
"Are you okay, love?" She asked you. You furiously shook your head, tears still coming down fast. "What's wrong?" You shrugged and buried your face in your knee again. Hoping—praying that this would all just go away.
You then feel like there's more than just the two of you in this bathroom and you see your ma and mama standing at the door with concerned looks on their faces, "What's going on, champ?" Your ma asked you. "You okay?" Your furiously shook your head again, rocking back and forth—feeling nauseous. "Okay, can you look up at me please?" You look up at your ma, who was now crouched in front of you, "You anxious?" She asked softly as your mom moved to give your ma more space to care for you. You nod. "Is about those college apps?" You nodded.
"Justin honey," your mama said, "you don't have to worry about those until around Christmas anyway."
"You know our boy, Chlo." Your mom said. "Always thinking ten steps ahead of the game. He'll make a great businessman one day."
You begin to hyperventilate, "I can't- I can't bre- breathe." You get out making your mothers jump into action. You were grateful that you were next to the toilet because you sat up and thew up in it. You felt three hands rubbing your back as your stomach emptied. You flush the toilet and sit back to see three concerned sets of eyes on you. "I'm okay," you mumbled.
"No you're not," your ma said, "and that's okay. We're here to take care of you love."
"Come on," your mom said, "let's get you to bed."
Your mama helped you off the ground and wrapped an arm around you, "Love you honey." She whispered to you. "So does mom and ma," she added making the other two nod their heads.
"Love you three." You mumbled back before curling between your mom and mama with your ma's hand soothingly running through your hair until you fell asleep.
It was two months later on Christmas Eve when you felt it again, you didn't know what it meant as you were tying your tie for the umpteenth time because you mom and mama insisted that you go to church as a family making you, your siblings, and even your ma slightly roll eyes because since when were you and your family a church family?
Suddenly a sharp pain in your chest arose and you grabbed the vanity in the bathroom and started hyperventilating. "I can't- I can't bre- breathe." You got out and your sister Bella happened to be walking by as she saw it.
"Bubba?" She said as you almost collapsed. "Bubba!" She called more firmly making you snap out of it and look at her, "Are you okay?" She asked.
"F-f-f-fine." You got out.
"Do you need me to get one of the moms?" She asked softly.
You shook your head fervently, "Don't even think about it," you got out.
She stands up holding her hands up and backing away, "Okay, okay. Well, we have to get to that church now, sooo…" You stood up, your tie still not tied straight, Bella fixed it for you, "You know you're going to have to tell them, right?"
"I don't want to ruin Christmas," you say. "I'll be fine. Do not tell them about this, do you hear me?"
She nods as she helps you into your suit jacket, "Whatever you say, bubba." Bella says as you both walked out of the bathroom and were met downstairs by your family.
"About damn time," your ma says looking at her watch.
"Since when are you so eager to get to a church service, ma?" Anna asked looking skeptical at the music producer.
"I just wanna get this thing over with," she says as she looks over at you. "You okay love?" She asked you softly.
You immediately brush it off, "Oh yeah, definitely." You say. "Okay fam, let's get this over with."
What you don't see behind you was your moms giving each other concerned looks and the nervous lip between Bella's teeth, and your moms looking pointedly at her.
"Why do we suffer through that every single year?" You hear your youngest sister Nicole complain. You had earphones in and were sitting in the back of your ma's SUV.
"We don't suffer," you hear your mom say from the passenger's seat, holding your ma's hand as she drove you all to the Christmas party that you all go to for her label every year on Christmas Eve. "Just because we get weird looks every time we walk in there doesn't mean we suffer."
When you try your best but you don't succeed
Get what you want but not what you need
Stuck in reverse
You turned your music up so you didn't have to listen to your family's conversation. You listen closely to the lyrics as you closed your eyes and leaned against the window.
You kept thinking about how everyone around you just seemed so happy, but you just couldn't figure it out. Why couldn't you, Justin Lincoln Mitchell-Posen: oldest child and only son of Aubrey, Beca, and Chloe Mitchell-Posen, older brother of Isabella Grace, Anna Faye, and Nicole Claire Mitchell-Posen, boyfriend of Danielle Rae Sawyer, captain of the Heritage Preparatory Academy's varsity baseball team, honor roll student, why you had anxiety?
When tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something that you can't replace
When you someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
You close your eyes tightly, you can hear that your family is talking, but you don't know what about and nor at this point, do you even care.
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
You feel your phone vibrate and you look down to see a text from your girlfriend, Danielle, you two had been dating since the summer between middle school and high school and have been best friends since kindergarten and she seems to always know when you're hurting. What she didn't know this time is that you wanted to die.
Danielle: Hey, you seemed a little off at that church this evening, everything okay? Love you.
You feel tears dwelling in your eyes and you quickly wipe them away.
Tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears streaming down your face
And I
You decide to text her back, giving her more of the honest truth than your own family.
You: No, I'm… hurting.
You see that she's texting you back and you try to hope this isn't her breaking up with you, but your anxiety is telling you otherwise.
Tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears streaming down your face
And I
She isn't breaking up with you—which surprises you, but you accept it.
Danielle: I love you, Just.
You smile thinking of how tears must be dwelling in her eyes. You see that she's typing again so you wait.
Lights will guide you home.
And ignite your bones.
Another text came less than thirty seconds later.
Danielle: Tell me what I can do. Tell me how I can help.
You smile because you begin to realize that you want to spend forever with this one, but you don't know if she would.
And I will try to fix you
Your ma pulls up the where the party is at and you still hadn't texted back Danielle yet, but you were silently crying hiding your face as your family got out of the car. You didn't even notice until you felt a hand on your upper back, you look up to see your mom who had come to see why you hadn't gotten out of the car, your face still wet with tears, she gets out for a moment, "You all go inside, we'll meet you in there in a minute." You hear her say to your family.
"Is everything okay?" You hear ma say.
"I'll figure it out," your mom says. "You all go inside. Especially you Bec, this is your company, go hang out with your employees and the family, I got Justin."
Your mom then climbs in the back as best as she can in the dress she was wearing and when she got comfortable she pulled you into her. She didn't talk quite yet. She's gotten used to your anxiety and depression and knows how you work. She kissed the top of your head every so often as she rubbed your arm, "Whenever you're ready baby. Don't feel the need to talk until you're ready."
It was a long moment before you said, "I'm hurting." Hoping she heard the deeper context behind your statement, "Mommy, I wanna die!"
She doesn't, "What do you mean hun?" She asked before placing a kiss on your head.
"Every part of me... aches." You say crying again.
"Okay," your mom kissed your forehead and left her lips lingering there for a moment. "Is it your anxiety, hun?" She asked softly.
"I- I- I think so," you stumbled out. "I had a mini anxiety attack before we left the house this evening."
"Okay," she said softly, "that explains why Bella was acting so weird when we first left."
"I told her not to tell you, ma, or mama." You tell the truth. "I didn't want to ruin Christmas."
"Okay hun," your mom said, "you could never ruin Christmas."
"Why do I have to be the one to be like this?" You asked. "So- so... broken."
"You aren't broken, honey." The lawyer insisted. "Y'know me and your moms have all had severe anxiety at one point in our lives." She said in attempt to make you feel better.
"Really?" You asked.
She nodded, "For me, it was when your mama was pregnant with you." Your mom said rubbing your arm. "I didn't have the closest relationship with Nana and Papa growing up. I didn't know how to... parent. I spent nine months processing becoming one that I was so anxious that your ma thought that I was going to have a heart attack or something." She pulled you closer, "We tried to hide my anxiety from your mama, but you know your mama is perceptive as hell."
"What'd she do about it?" You asked softly.
"She and your ma put me in the middle of the bed and calmed me down. Reminded me of how much I was going to be an awesome parent to you." She chuckled, "I was the first one to hold you, your mama and ma made sure of it, and when I looked into your dark blue eyes for the first time, I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but I could parent you. And that's what took the anxiety away. I still have a small case of it. Every time I go to court, I feel like, even though I have a track record of winning ever since starting my own practice. Or every time your mama, ma, and I are arguing, sometimes I still don't feel good enough for them."
"What about ma and mama?" You ask after a moment.
"What about them hun?" She asked now running fingers through your hair.
"What do they get anxious about?" You asked.
"That's their story to tell." She says simply. "You should ask them."
You know your family was going to be the last people to leave this party as BM Records was your ma's company. You and your mom had come in after about a half an hour and when you came in your mama pulled you into her side and didn't let you go. You took it as a hint that you weren't to leave her side with the exception to use the restroom. You only left her side once to do that and then you came back immediately and tucked back into her side. She was sitting on the couch talking to one of the artists signed to Beca's label. You looked around to find your ma, who had her arm around your mom, as they were talking to another one of the signed artists.
The artist that was talking to your mama got up to get another drink, but was distracted on the way there. Your mama took that time to focus solely on you, "How are you doing baby?" She asked kissing your forehead.
"I'm okay right now," you said softly. "My mental health is just really bad right now."
"What can I do to help?" She asked before repeatedly kissing your forehead.
"I was kinda wondering if you could tell me your story with anxiety. Mom was telling me hers in the car and told me to ask you and ma your two's story." You said it so hesitantly because you don't know whether or not you are bringing up demons for the redhead.
"I was in medical school, I had a big exam coming up and I wasn't sleeping. Your moms had to literally pull a textbook out of my hands and close my laptop and pull me today bed. They always put me in the middle because they would know if I got up after they fell asleep because they were light sleepers." She was telling you this story as she rubbed your arm and messed with the wine glass in her hands. "They made the mistake of that the first time and I got up and a few days later-" She cleared her throat, "I- I- I went into a mental breakdown on campus ended up in the hospital and I didn't tell them until I didn't have the choice. They got super worried that I was that anxious. I still kind of struggle with it, especially working with kids with cancer in my own practice, it's hard. When a child dies, I think of you and your sisters thinking it could be you." You see that she's staring at her wives who were talking and laughing with two artists. "And then your mom and ma calm me down, reminding me that we have four healthy kids, and that I wear my heart on my sleeve because I care so much."
"I had no idea, mama." You said curling into her more. "With your sunny disposition and all."
"Even the person with the sunniest of dispositions have hard emotions," she said. "Your moms and I are going to help you through this baby. I promise. You just gotta come to us."
"I can't make any promises, but I'll try." You said kissing her cheek.
You couldn't handle this anymore. It's New Year's Eve now and your depression and anxiety keep getting worse by the day. You just want it all to end. You kept thinking how everyone was better off without you. You had driven your car next to a bridge that over looks a freeway. You could hear fireworks going off in the background, you looked at your watch, and saw that it was 8:00pm. "Tonight, I'm gonna die," you thought to yourself.
You had left a note apologizing to your family and girlfriend, you think of the contents of that letter as you sit, drinking the last of what you think will be your first and only six pack of beer, if you're gonna go out, you gotta see what the hype is about. Your letter read:
Dear family and Danielle (please make sure she reads this),
I'm sorry that I couldn't be enough for you.
I'm sorry that my mental health got in the way.
I can't live like this anymore, so before starting a new year of misery, I thought I'd end it all.
Moms, I love all three of you. Thank you for loving me.
Bella, I really hope you consider enlisting in the Army, if West Point doesn't accept you. I think you'd make a pretty damn good soldier. I love you sis.
Anna, keep your head up and stay out of trouble for me, will you? You are capable of great things. I love you sport.
Nicole, I know you always felt left out of everything because of your interest in STEM stuff that no one in the family could understand, but you're gonna do amazing things. I love you, nerd.
Danielle, my love, I'm sorry that I couldn't be better for you. I'm sorry it has to end like this, but please move on. Love again because you have so much love to give.
Love,
-Justin
You were about to stand up when you heard someone call your name, "Justin!" You turned to see all three of your moms getting out of your ma's SUV, it was ma who called your name. "Justin love, this isn't the way." She said. "We can help you."
"I can't do this anymore, moms. Don't make me do this, please." You said as your ma approached you.
"I know what you're feeling is scary," ma said. "I know, I struggled with it all throughout high school and college. I almost jump off a similar bridge in Atlanta myself right before your moms and I got together my senior year because I was tired of feeling depressed, anxious, and helpless. I'm gonna need you to come towards me." You began to shake because you really want to die in this moment and you didn't like the fact that your ma was trying to talk you out of it. "Life gets better, I promise," ma said. "It may not seem like it right now, but it does. Life gets so much better." You hear the shakiness in her speech that you've never heard of before and you looked at her, she was really concerned, "I can't lose you, love. You and your siblings are the four extensions of my heart that are filled by your moms' love to keep me from doing this same thing every single day." She said looking at you intensely. "When I almost did this, I had all of your aca-aunts trying to talk me off. The only thing that got me off was when your moms showed up and promised me a better life. So, it looks like it's time for me to pay that forward, Justin Lincoln Mitchell-Posen, I promise you that if you come down off this ledge that mom, mama, and I will get you the help that you need. I promise you that I'll always be there when you need me to just sit with you or hold you," you heard her voice getting shaky, so you look away, back down at the 405. "I promise you that if you come down off this ledge that I will guide you in the direction of your dreams. I promise you that if you come off this ledge that I will laugh with you every single day. I promise that as long as you need it, I will be the first thing you see every morning with a cup of coffee for both of us and the last thing you see every night. I promise you a better life. Just please, for the love of everything that is good, come down off that ledge." You looked back at her and saw your mom and mama standing behind her worried. You looked at your ma again, her arms were wide open, and she was openly crying, "Please just come into my arms, love. We'll go and get you help."
You looked back to the busy freeway and then back at your ma and then went into her arms and she held you so tight against her despite you being three times bigger than her. You then felt two other pairs of arms around you indicating that you were being embraced by all three of your moms.
Year 2047, age 27
You looked down at your wide awake son and sleeping wife. You grabbed your son out of her arms and began gently bouncing him. You were humming a lullaby as he settled into your arms, he looked curiously up at you, and you whispered, "Caleb Thomas Mitchell-Posen, I promise that as your dad, I'll do everything to protect you. I'll love you unconditionally and I'll never leave you. I promise to be there when you're hurting and to comfort you. I promise to guide you into the direction of your craziest and wildest dreams. I promise to make you laugh and laugh with you every single day. I promise to be the best dad that I know how. I won't be perfect, but I'll do my damn best to give you the life that you deserve." You lean down and kiss his head.
You don't see it because you're so focused on your son, but all three of your moms are standing in the doorway with tears in their eyes. You've come a long way since that New Year's Eve. You had graduated from high school that spring, top of your class, and had gone off to Harvard Business School, graduated with Summa Cum Laude and became an executive director on Wall Street. You married the love of your life who was a CEO of a technology company that helped people with mental health get better, she and your younger sister Nicole founded together after your almost suicide attempt. And exactly ten years since then, on this particular New Year's Eve, you were holding one of the greatest things you could ever ask for in the world and you wanted to live.
A/N: So that was more intense writing that than I expected. Dunno how long this story is gonna be or if anyone even likes it, but okay. I'll get started on the next chapter.