So I started writing the other day and this happened. Just a quick thing. Might copy some other authors and make this into a one-shot collection for anything I do on the side. Let me know if that interests you!
Disclaimer for the non owning thing.
I dedicate this to all my wonderful readers of Killing Me Softly, for all their support and wonderful words of encouragement. You all truly blow me away.
"Beca, you ready?"
She isn't happy. Beca doesn't want to be going to the airport and flying across the country. Well, she does, but the plane she's scheduled to board is going in the wrong direction. Beca wonders if she can secretly exchange the ticket in her hand when she gets to the airport.
Her bedroom is empty now, apart from that stupid pair of fluffy pink handcuffs that sit on her bed, a joke present from someone insignificant. Everything else is going with her because her mum is moving again, living with some guy Beca has no intention of learning the name of. She gives their relationship four months. And she's jealous of that, because Beca has four years. It hardly seems fair.
"Yes mum," she says in a bored tone, sighing as she hauls her last bag – her most precious one - out of her bedroom. She doesn't pause before closing the door on it. Beca isn't one for looking back.
"You got everything?" Her mum is counting suitcases in the back of the car, playing with her keys and avoiding eye contact with her daughter. Beca doesn't bother to answer her question and instead just pulls the front door closed and climbs into the passenger seat, her laptop bag securely on her lap. Her music is all she cares about really. It will be her only solace through the next four years of torturous hell, more commonly known as Barden University.
Her mum is climbing in beside her and starting the engine. During the car journey, there is no acknowledgement of her leaving, and Beca presses her lips together as she nods along to her music that blasts through her headphones. She does not expect a tearful goodbye from her mother, and is glad. Beca will not waste her tears on leaving either; as much as she hates what her father is forcing upon her, it isn't nearly as bad as what she is leaving behind. If she had managed to survive eighteen years there, how hard could it be to survive four years at Barden? All she had to do was keep her head down and let the music inspire her.
"Beca, you ready?"
Stacie turns to her friend and they smile at each other nervously. Nodding, Beca watches the Bella's get themselves in zone for what she is sure is their best performance yet. She turns and sees her boyfriend smirking at her, his arms crossed as he stands at the helm of the huddle of Treble's. She raises an eyebrow, her expression full of attitude and competitiveness. His smirk grows and he jogs towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She grins back and pulls him close with her hands clutching his biceps, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
It is their last acapella competition together and there is a touch of sadness in the air. In ten minutes, they will have both performed their last set. Beca is beyond finding it surprising how depressing this thought is. She has long ago accepted her undeniable love for all things Bella, and the thought of it ending threatens to bring her to tears. But as she looks up into the eyes on her boyfriend, she knows that not everything will be ending in the next few months. Beca knows that Jesse isn't going anywhere, and neither is she.
"I love you."
They look at each other in stunned silence at their joint proclamation. The words they had both never said to each other had been announced in perfect unison, and it catches them off-guard.
"You love me?" There it is again, the unison thing. It makes them laugh and they're both feeling high as a cloud. The way they are so perfectly in sync is both scary and exhilarating. They kiss as they smile, knowing that no matter who wins tonight, no matter who takes that final trophy, that it doesn't matter. Both of them are winners because Jesse loves Beca and Beca loves Jesse and nothing can ever possibly spoil that.
"Beca, you ready?"
She lets out a shaky breath and nods at her father, linking her arm through his. He pats her hand and smiles at her. "You look beautiful," he whispers and she tries to smile back but she is so nervous that she thinks she might pass out. She takes her last moment to smooth down the material of her ivory dress, hearing it ruffle as she tries to shake out some of her anxiety. She curses Jesse for talking her into this ridiculous wedding.
Beca hadn't even been aware she was walking but suddenly there is, walking down the aisle, a hundred smiling faces staring at her. Some are tearful, most are grinning. She can't bring herself to smile, despite the pleasant harmonising of the old Bella's and Treble's as they re-create the Wedding March for her. She's uncomfortable and unsure and focussing far too much energy on subduing her old instinct to, well, basically, not do exactly what she's doing; promising to spend her life with Jesse no matter what.
But then she sees him, rocking back and forth on his heels and grinning at her like a lunatic, his suit impeccable and incredible and then she realises all her nerves are for nothing. Because when her dad passes her hands into Jesse's, she knows that there is no other place she'd rather be. She'll go anywhere he persuades her to go, because he's Jesse and she's Beca and they don't know how to live without the other around. Making a show of their vow to stay together forever was simple because they had no intention of doing anything but.
If Jesse wanted to show off all that he'd achieved in making her love him and agree to lawfully commit, then she'd let him. Because she loved him. And also because she secretly wanted to show off her achievement at somehow getting a guy as out of her league as Jesse to love her unconditionally. Not that she'd ever admit it.
"You look even more beautiful than Molly Ringwald," he whispered to her as they took their positions in front of Fat Amy, who had somehow managed to convince them that letting her marry them was a really good idea.
Beca rolled her eyes at him. "Let's just get this over with yeah? We're going to miss Grey's Anatomy if this drags out too long."
His eyes sparkled at her and she grinned as he returned her eye roll. He ran his thumb up the side of her fingers and she felt the air between them change as he became very serious, his eyes shining at her. She squeezed his hands, Amy's beginning speech barely registering in their minds as Jesse and Beca wordlessly vowed to love each other forever - in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse – all through a simple meeting of eyes.
"Beca, you ready?"
"Do I bloody look like I'm ready?" she seethes through her teeth, sweat dripping down her face.
"Just keep breathing, he'll get here!" Chloe tries supportively, wincing as her friend squeezes her hand too hard. She is hunched up on the hospital bed, hair scraped back the best it can be, a slight smudge of ruined mascara still on her right cheek. She is trying to ignore the pain in her stomach, trying to forget that there is a baby forcing its way out of her right now.
And Jesse isn't here.
He's missing the birth of his baby, the one he just had to have, and she hates him.
She wants nothing more than to march over to that stupid studio and throw that giant piano at him. Twice. Because she knew that would hurt, it would probably kill, but there is no way it could ever hurt as much as she hurts now.
Damnit where is he?
"Alright honey, it's time to push!" The midwife calls from somewhere between her legs, but Beca is shaking her head.
"No, tell that baby to have some patience, I am that kids mother and" – She screams out in agony as there is another contraction, and as much as she tries she can't help it. Her body is pushing and she sobs with the effort to stop, because she hates Jesse for doing this to her. He had insisted a baby would make them a family. He had insisted she would be a great mum. And it was his stupid puppy dog eyes that had made her cave.
Nine months of torture carrying around his dream and he's going to miss this?
Chloe strokes her hair but it just makes Beca cry more. Chloe isn't the right person; she needs Jesse.
"What did I miss?" Jesse bursts into the room frantically, his jacket already half off as he rushes to her side, taking in her agonising expression and her very angry eyes that Jesse is pretty convinced will turn him to stone.
"This isn't some football match," she hisses at him, tugging her hand away from his. He can't help but smile at Chloe on the other side of his wife, who hands him a flannel so he can mop her brow. Beca reaches for his jaw and pulls him to her, kissing him desperately. He kisses her back and then climbs up onto the bed to sit behind her.
"I will never forgive you for this," she insists, her hands balling up at her sides.
"I love you too." Jesse kisses her sweaty temple, letting her lean back against his chest. He uncurls her fingers and presses his palms to the back of her hands, their fingers laced together. She is tired and drained of energy and just wants to be somewhere else.
But she can't be, because another contraction hits and she screams, her hands clutching Jesse's, barely hearing the whispered encouragement in her ear. It's excruciating and she hates that she thought she was tough enough to not need drugs. Yet with Jesse there, holding her and supporting her, she feels just the tiniest bit better. He's always had some weird mystical effect over her.
And then the wail silences the room and Beca feels it. The beginning of motherhood.
"Beca, you ready?"
"Just a second!" she shouts frantically, throwing clothes about the room. Damn it where is it?
"Somehow I don't think the school will accept that as a reason for lateness on the first day!"
She mimicks his voice childishly under her breath but rejoices when she finds the camera, rushing down the stairs in a flash and skidding to a stop because there, standing in the living room, is her four year old daughter, Mollie, her royal blue uniform too big and too clean, her shoes too shiny and new. Her brown hair is plaited to fall over either ear.
"Oh no, Mummy's getting emotional!" Jesse laughs and takes the camera out of her hands, the flash quickly staining her eyes as he takes photo after photo of their shy little daughter. Molly smiles as instructed, and Beca makes a mental note to send the photos to their parents and friends the moment they get back from taking her to her first day of kindergarten. She knows the old Bella's especially will freak out at their niece looking all grown up.
The walk to the school a few blocks away is full of emotional glances and supportive touches as they swing their happily shrieking daughter between them. It feels like four years has gone by so quickly, and suddenly the tiny newborn baby with the big brown eyes like her father is no longer small enough to fit in the crook of her arm. She talks now, she walks, she's going to school. She's so grown up and Beca can't believe how her life has turned out.
They watch Molly run excitedly into the brightly painted building, Jesse's arm around her as they let their daughter go off into the big wide world for the first time.
"I can't believe we actually raised that. I can't believe she's ours."
"Yeah." She sighs dramatically but keeps her tone casual. "It's a shame we have to share her. Good thing we have another one on the way I suppose."
Jesse turns towards her with wide eyes, the beginning of that beautiful grin she so loves developing as he registers what she's saying. "Aca-scuse me?"
She punches him lightly in the arm and he laughs. "Don't be mean to me, I'm carrying your baby." His eyes sparkle at her words and she leans in closer. "And I'm not above using said baby as blackmail."
"Beca, you ready?"
She shakes her head as more tears fall helplessly, and she wishes she could stop, but she can't. It's all just too tragic to handle and she grips Jesse's shirt tightly in her hand. She can't see much anymore because there are too many people around, but she doesn't care; she stares at the spot she last saw her daughter and clings to the memory.
How did parents manage to send their kids off to college each year?
Jesse's arm is around her and she knows he's trying not to cry too, can hear the effort in his chest. She takes a deep shaky breath and wipes the tears from her face, wondering when she got so damn weepy. Jesse had seriously ruined her during their twenty six years together.
"Mom, can we go now?" Their 14 year old son, Billy, appears at her side, his bored expression the perfect replica of Beca's old one from her freshman year. He even has her eyes to match. Just seeing her son makes her begin to cry all over again, and Jesse rubs her arm supportively. She feels old and nostalgic and pathetic all at once.
The Swanson's climb back into their car, the parents reluctant to leave, the children ready to go home. One half of Beca's favourite and yet most stressful surprise in the whole world winds up the other half and the six year old twins begin to scream in the back.
"Tilly! Sam! What have I told you about trying to be The Karate Kid?"
Two adorable faces turn towards them and recite perfectly together. "Not in the house or the car."
Beca grabs Jesse's hand as they take their last look at the college, completely different yet somehow exactly the same. Barden University had been their perfect beginning, and they owe everything to the beautiful campus. She wonders if her daughter will end up feeling the exact same way; will she meet her happy ending within its walls?
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Jesse squeezes her hand and smiles at her, the beginnings of his laughter lines creasing his face. She smiles back because she knows he's thinking the exact same thing. He's thinking of how they first saw each other on this day twenty six years ago. He's thinking about when they met, when they fought, when they kissed, when they got married, when they had their beautiful children. She decides it's strange that she owes it all to the band Kansas and the movie The Breakfast Club. She knows it doesn't matter, because all that matters is her family with Jesse, the man she never asked for but got anyway. Oh, how she loves him.
"Beca, you ready?"
"Only if you are."
Reviews? Please? :) Just reread it and realised how fluffy it is. Makes me laugh.
Pink fluffy handcuffs have appeared again! Yeah it seems to be a thing to have them around...