The End of the Beginning
One-shot
I don't own Pitch Perfect nor any of its characters.
The small brunette looked agitated.
She came into the clinic with the cutest redhead Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Chloe had ever seen, demanding that Chloe did everything she could to make sure that the dog survived. Any other day, Chloe Beale would have felt her heart soar at the sight of an owner so attached and so caring towards their pets.
But this was different.
"I don't care how much you charge me. I'll pay double; just please ….." the brunette rambled, distress extremely evident in her demeanor. "Please, don't let her die."
"Ma'am – "
"Beca." The brunette cut the veterinarian off. "Please don't call me Ma'am."
"Alright Beca….." Chloe took a deep breath to calm herself. As soon as she did, she let out a bright Chloe Beale-patented smile. "What's this cutie's name?"
"L-Lily." The brunette gulped, as pain made its way across her face.
" What seems to be the problem?" Chloe asked as she cradled the dog in her arms, petting it for comfort. Lily backed away and yelped like she was in pain. Chloe's heart sank at the dog's reaction "Oh…".
"Yeah…." Beca ran her hand across her face in frustration. "She's a playful puppy but over the past 12 hours se just changed. She won't eat and she wouldn't play with my kids."
Kids.
Chloe's interest was piqued by the word. The brunette didn't look aa day over 20 and she didn't seem like the type to be a mother. Her eyes raked over the ripped jeans, Chucks, and blue and black plaid shirt. Beca had ear piercings and the redhead could have sworn that she saw tattoos in her arm and she could very well guess that the brunette had more.
But what did she know?
"They've been distressed enough and I really need Lily to be okay."
Chloe nodded in understanding. She took another look at Lily and knew that there was a serious problem. Lily was in pain all around her head, and she would not let Chloe open her mouth at all.
"I need to check if something got stuck inside her mouth. I'm going to give her a general anesthetic and get some X-rays too."
"You do what you gotta do, doc. Please." The brunette begged.
"I will." Chloe nodded; her resolve was stronger than ever. "You can stay in the waiting room. My secretary shall be there should you need anything. This could take a while."
Beca merely nodded as she exited the exam room, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. Chloe had noticed the dark circles beneath the woman's eyes and the redhead was drawn. Beca looked so sad – almost as if grieving even – and she instantly knew that there was more to the whole thing than Lily being sick.
No, it totally looked deeper than that.
/
The redhead's assistant was equally surprised when Lily was unable to open her mouth more than one inch wide despite the anesthesia. The doctor also took x-ray pictures of Lily's skull to see if there was some type of abnormality or injury.
Moments later, the vet saw the bones and joints of the puppy's skull and neck looking completely normal.
/
"So she'll be fine?"
"The tests didn't show anything but we need to observe her for a few days. I gave her some pain reliever. Take her home and give her tasty, moist food that she would find easy to eat without chewing. I sent her blood samples to the lab and we'll know more once I get the results."
"When should I take her back?"
"I shall get the results in two days. You can come back by then. Right now, just take her home and be as gentle as you can. I will be doing side research and see if there are similar cases around town. It could be a virus; but I'll know more once I get the blood test results."
The brunette looked even more distressed than the moment she entered the clinic. Against better judgment, Chloe moved to grab the smaller woman's hand. "It's going to be okay. She –"
"No." Beca cut the doctor off. "Don't say she's going to be okay if she won't! Please just tell it to me straight. My kids can't go through another heartbreak –"
"Beca, please calm down –"
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
Chloe glared at the client in front of her. She had always been a warm and bubbly doctor and all her clients found her to be very patient but this one was not only difficult; no, she was downright rude and mean.
"I'm sorry, Beca, but I can't tell you for certain until every test I ordered comes back."
"My children..." The brunette gulped. "Fuck…..what do I tell them?"
Chloe sighed internally. "Tell them that Lily's not feeling well but you're going to do everything you can for her to get better. Kids are a lot smarter than we normally give them credit for."
"Yeah….well…." Beca's voice suddenly turned cold and low. "That was pretty much what I said to them when their mommy got sick. Then three months later my wife was dead."
/
/
Lily came back in to see Chloe two days later. She had developed the first of many complications. Her mouth was better and she was eating, but she had a severe gastrointestinal upset.
Chloe had to stop all medication to allow Lily's digestive system to heal. Sadly, as the vet stopped giving her the pain reliever, Lily went back to being in pain again.
For a few days, Chloe had to juggle hLily's medications to try to reach the right balance without the risk of digestive issues.
"Is she gonna die?" Beca asked in anguish.
"Not on my watch." Chloe stated with high resolve.
She didn't know why; but something about the brunette drew her in. Perhaps it was that kind of love that the woman obviously had for her kids and Lily. Perhaps it was that thumping in her heart that she felt the very first moment her eyes landed on the pained woman. Or maybe it was just the normal case of the doctor admiring an extremely attractive person.
She knew in her heart of hearts that she shouldn't go there; that she should not entertain nor nurse any of the feelings that she was sure weren't right. What she did next would have spoken volume as to her kind of professionalism. Beca was her client and she damn sure had to draw the lime.
Not to mention that she had a girlfriend waiting for her at home.
Or the most recent revelation that the other woman just lost her wife recently.
So really, the vet surmised that all she had to focus on was nursing Lily back to health and hopefully lessen the pain that the brunette's family was in.
/
Except when Chloe arrived home that night, all she could think of was Beca Mitchell and her broody self. The vet wondered about what the brunette must be doing.
How she was doing.
What did her kids look like? How many kids did she have?
Beca Mitchell never said much. She mostly sat in the waiting area until she got called whenever the need to hold Lily arose.
/
She got a call from her colleague the next day – a classmate of hers from vet school whom she contacted with regards to Lily's case after the blood samples came back clean. Her former classmate suggested a specialized EMG test that was recently made available in the school she was teaching at – a school that had been tagged as a center for excellence. According to her colleague, a specialized veterinary neuromuscular center in L.A. had just published a report about twenty Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies that had developed severe jaw pain, just like Lily did. Full investigations confirmed that the puppies were suffering from a condition known as Masticatory Muscle Myositis.
Chloe sent Lily's blood samples and got the confirmation a week later that Lily indeed had the same diagnosis.
/
"So what do we do now, Doc?"
"I'll give her high level of immunosuppressive drugs to stop her body from rejecting her own jaw muscles.." Chloe said with a smile.
"And she'll be fine?"
"She should be."
For the first time since they met, Chloe saw the brunette let out a smirk as she held the puppy in her arms.
"You bitch had me so fucking worried….." Beca whispered into the dog's ear as she looked at it with so much love and relief."
/
Lily responded well immediately, and Chloe was sure that the spaniel would be back to her normal happy and playful ways.
/
/
Chloe's girlfriend knew something was up. Not only had the redhead been distant, but she also showed clear signs that she wasn't willing to try anymore.
Not that it was something new.
They were having problems for the past year as they came to the sad realization that things had never been the same anymore.
Not for a while.
What started as a whirlwind romance fizzled as swiftly as it started.
Lauren was a writer who was travelling in Europe for an assignment while Chloe took a short break from her duties at the clinic. They met in a small bookshop in Notting Hill, flirted and found themselves booking the same flight home a week later. The fact that they both lived in LA made both feel like it was meant to be. They moved in together two months after coming back from Europe – mostly for practical reasons. The split in rent made things aa lot easier for the couple. Hardly three months into the whole cohabitation, Chloe felt like she made a huge mistake. The honeymoon phase was over and the spark was nowhere to be seen nor felt.
They tried to make it work,, both of them too stubborn to admit that they made the wrong move; yet nothing worked. It didn't even feel like they were close friends at the very least. They were just…..roommates who split all the bills and rent.
/
/
/
Beca's kids came with her for Lily's follow-up check up.
As soon as they entered the clinic, Chloe knew she was fucked.
They were fraternal three-year old twin girls.
Addison was a blonde version of Beca ; while Callie was a brunette with bright blue eyes much like those of the vet's.
They came in with a bouquet of assorted tulips which Callie handed Chloe with a blinding smile.
"Thank you for making Lily feel better, Doc Chlo!" The brunette tot muttered happily.
"Thank you!" Addison came forward with a box of cupcakes from Grini's.
"You didn't have to, but thank you sweetie." Chloe took the bouquet and cupcakes as she leaned down to give the little girls a quick kiss on their cheeks. Aa soon as she got up, she was met with stormy blue eyes.
"And these are from Lily and me." Beca said with a soft smile as she handed the doctor an envelope as she cradled the puppy in her arms.
"What….." Chloe was getting overwhelmed by the "tokens" she was being given.
"These are five VIP tickets to Lady Gaga's concert at the Garden next weekend. Bring your friends with you."
"But the tickets have been sold out months ago…..how did -"
"I'm a music producer." The brunette answered sheepishly.
/
Chloe and Lauren broke up two days after Gaga's concert. There were not a lot of words exchanged but both heaved a sigh of relief at how their relationship ended. There were no hard feelings, just gentle goodbye hugs and well wishes.
/
Beca and Chloe didn't talk after that last visit at the clinic, save for a generic thank you text message from the redhead for the concert tickets.
/
It was Lily who served as the link for the two to continue meeting. While the puppy had recovered well, the Mitchell's had been overly protective of Lily. The brunette (sometimes along with the twins) never missed the puppy's monthly monitoring check ups. It was during those times when Chloe managed to learn more about the closed off brunette.
Six months to the day they first met, Chloe learned:
One, that Beca was 26.
Two, she was married to her daughters' mother for five years but they were together for eight years.
Three, she wasn't ready to find love again. At least not until the twins were old enough to understand the notion of her being with someone else.
/
/
Beca and Chloe let time take its course.
They became fast friends; going out for quick friendly coffee dates during breaks and in two instances, Chloe agreed to babysit the twins when Beca had emergency late-night meetings.
/
They both felt it.
But neither was willing to take the first step.
By then, they were just contented with being on each other's life.
/
/
Chloe got invited to the twins' fourth birthday party at Beca's sprawling L.A. home.
Every guest didn't miss the way Addison and Callie's face lit up upon seeing the vet.
/
Two years to the day they first met, Beca asked Chloe out on a date.
Like a date date.
/
/
Chloe woke to the sound of giggles she knew too well. She felt the bed dip and the giggles grew louder. As she opened her eyes, she was met with the cutest sight in the world.
The twins were on her side looking up at her with eyes so adoring that her heart burst with happiness.
The bed dipped once more and Chloe could not stop the huge smile from gracing her face.
"Happy birthday, Mama!" Eight-year old Callie and Addison yelled in unison as they held up a cake with a lighted candle on it.
The 20-month old twins - Allie and Cassie started jumping on the bed as they both screamed their own version of birthday greeting.
"Oh my babies…cone here!" Chloe sat up and leaned against the headboard before she gathered the girls in her arms. All four girls tag-teamed in peppering the vet with kisses. "Where's Mommy?"
"I'm here!" Beca entered the bedroom with a huge tray of breakfast in hand. She placed the tray in front of Chloe who was still surrounded by the kids.
"Happy birthday, sweetie…" Beca smiled before she cupped the redhead's face to kiss her. The kids cheered before they reached out to kiss Beca too. The family of six went on to eat the sumptuous breakfast, laughing and goofing around on the humongous bed.
It was about an hour later when Addison moved to hand something to Beca while Chloe got sidetracked into a conversation with Callie.
"Mama, what's your complete name?" Callie randomly asked.
"Uh…" Chloe looked at the girl questioningly. "Chloe Anne Beale baby. Why?"
"Mine is Calliope Alexis Mitchell!"
Chloe chuckled. "I know sweetheart."
"I'm Addison Ingrid Mitchell." Addie interjected.
"Well yes, I –"
"Name is Alice Mitch!" Allie offered.
"I'm Cassie Mit-el!"
Chloe laughed, at the toddlers' adorable quips.
"And I'm Beca Mitchell." Beca said with that signature smirk that drove Chloe craz every single time.
"Okay..." Chloe trailed on with a raised brow.
"The five of us are Mitchell's. What do you think about officially becoming Chloe Anne Mitchell?" Beca asked as she produced a gorgeous princess cut diamond ring.
"Oh my…." Chloe placed a hand on her chest at the sight of the beautiful ring.
"Will you be a Mitchell, darling?" Beca asked in a hopeful tone.
"Say yes Mama!" Addison hollered in excitement.
"Yes! Yes Mama!" Allie and Cassie went back to jumping on the bed as they yelled "yes!" over and over again.
"It's about time,. Becs." Chloe said as she bit her bottom lip, feeling overwhelmed. "I have always felt that I'm a Mitchell but it was nice to be officially asked."
"Is that a yes?"
"Well you knocked me up with twins so you better put that ring on it now, Mitchell."
Chloe huffed when she noticed Beca's confusion. Idiot, she thought.
"Oh my god, yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"
Beside them, their children cheered.
The End.
Just a short one to get in the mood for ATH.