Armed and Ready
"I love you so much."
"I love you more. I'll be waiting for you to come home." Beca nodded through her tears. She put her hands on either side of Chloe's face and brushed her tears away with her thumbs. Beca leaned up and kissed Chloe with as much love as she could. When they pulled back, Beca was crying freely and rested her forehead on Chloe's.
"I love you so much Chloe. So fucking much." Chloe was crying just as hard.
"I love you more. Please be safe. Please, please don't be a hero. Please just come home safely to me."
"I promise baby." The voice calling Beca's flight rang out overhead and caused another sob to escape from Chloe's body. Beca looked over Chloe's shoulder to Aubrey, who had become just as much Beca's best friend as she was Chloe's after college. She was also crying because Beca had to leave. Beca gestured Aubrey over and hugged her tightly.
"Take care of each other Bree,"
"Don't worry about us. Please just… make sure you come back home. I'm going to miss you Beca."
"I'm gonna miss you too Aubrey. I'm glad we were able to become friends." Beca pulled back and smiled the best she could through her tears at her wife and their best friend as she turned to leave. Aubrey hugged Chloe tightly as they watched Beca leave.
"You didn't tell her did you?" Chloe sobbed harder into Aubrey's shoulder, giving the taller woman her answer. The unanswered question was the last thing Beca heard as she walked away.
*Trumpet sounds*
Beca jumped awake to the trumpet yet again. She made her bed quickly and effectively, and stood at the end of her bed at attention, as she had for the previous year and a half. Beca had become good friends with the sergeant, who was the last person she thought it would be, but remained behind her walls around all of her fellow soldiers. She provided a person to talk to, but refrained from sharing. So she knew about them, they just didn't know about her. After the sergeant made his rounds, the soldiers were at ease, and were allowed to do whatever they pleased with their day. Around camp, you could find several different games being played, and lots of people having conversations, but Beca did what she always did, went to hang out with the sergeant.
"Sergeant Posen." Beca saluted.
"Officer Mitchell." He saluted back. "At ease." Beca relaxed and came into his tent to have a drink with him.
"You know, you're one of the best soldiers I've ever had." He told her as he poured her drank, and she sat down.
"Really? I never thought I'd be cut out for this." At the beginning of her deployment, she and sergeant Posen did not get along. But Beca straightened out easily, and became a surprisingly good soldier, and ended up becoming great friends with Aubrey's dad, much similar to her relationship with Aubrey.
"From what I had heard about you before you were enlisted, I didn't either. You've become quite a soldier Beca. And you're very talented with weapons."
"I've always been a good shot, as far as laser tag and video games were concerned." Roger laughed and clinked glasses with her. Beca took a swig before speaking again.
"How are they?"
"The last time I talked to Aubrey was a little over a week ago. She said that she and Chloe both missed you and were doing well, but I unfortunately didn't have long to talk." Beca shook her head.
"No, I understand sir. I appreciate you keeping me updated. I honestly still find it funny that out of all the sergeants I could have gotten, I got my closest friend's father."
"I personally am grateful that we were stationed together. You and I get on like a house on fire, and I think it's a great coincidence that Aubrey and you happen to be friends."
"I agree completely. You know, at first, Aubrey and I were always at each other's throats. It was crazy."
"I heard a little about that, what was it all about?" Beca regaled tales of college, and heard stories of Chloe's and Aubrey's childhood together for the entire afternoon. She left Roger's tent with a salute to get dinner. She ate by herself, humming and tapping out a tune as she always does. She headed to her bunk and laid down, picking her picture of her, Chloe, and Aubrey off the wall and holding it above her head with one hand under her head. Beca was in a tent with about 10 other women, the men were in another tent. The ladies liked to talk at bed time, the sergeant's letting them since it seemed to keep them from throwing things and having breakdowns. About half of them decided to start singing. They weren't the best, but they were just having fun. They were singing that Bruno Mars song from years ago. Just The Way You Are. Beca laughed quietly as they started singing it. Before Beca realized she had sat up and was looking at the group of 5 ladies who were to her left. They all looked at her as she grinned, remembering the mashup from college. Beca couldn't help it, she started to sing Just A Dream while they sang Just The Way You Are. They all looked shocked, but kept singing. When it cut out, everyone was applauding.
"Mithcell! We didn't know you could sing like that! And what was that mashup you did?" Beca smiled ruefully.
"Guess I never really told you guys about my self, huh?"
"Uh, no. You didn't. Well, we're all ears." The girl, Beca thinks her name is Scott, gestured to all 10 of the girls who were now looking at Beca.
"Well, I'm a music producer. When I was in college, I was in this acapella group and I made mashups, like that one, for our group to perform."
"Wait! You're the Beca Mitchell?!" Scott exclaimed. She was about Beca's age, but taller with short blonde hair.
"Uh, yeah, I am."
"Oh my god! You produced the last Taylor Swift album!" There was a chorus of exclamations from the other girls.
"Uh, yeah, I did. It was actually a lot of fun, Taylor is super nice and sweet. She hung out with Chloe and everything."
"Chloe?" Beca blushed, she really hadn't shared anything about her life in the past year.
"Oh, she's my… uh wife." The girls all moved to sit in a circle on the ground. Beca passed around her picture of her and Chloe and Aubrey.
"Chloe, my wife, she's the red head. The blonde is our best friend from college, Aubrey. Her dad is sergeant Posen actually."
"Is that why you get along with him so well?"
"I guess, yeah."
"So, how did you meet your wife?"
"Well, she and Aubrey were the captains of that acapella group, and they wanted me to join. Chloe actually pulled some ridiculous stunts to get me to join, but it worked. And because of it, I have a group of friends and a wife so, I guess I got lucky."
"What did she do?"
"Well, I was in the shower singing, and she uh, well she barged into my shower and made me harmonize with her." Beca blushed as the other girls laughed at her story.
"Wait, wait. So you were singing in the shower, and this chick you don't know just came on in and made you sing?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Both naked, just came in there and made me sing. Then left!" The other girls were laughing their heads off.
"Ok, so , I have to ask, can you sing for us? You're wicked good, Mitchell."
"It's Beale-Mitchell." Beca corrected automatically. Then blushed as she realized.
"Sorry, force of habit."
"Nah, it's cool. I'm the same as you so."
"Oh yeah, you told me that. You have a wife and son at home, right? Uhm, Sarah and Tommy, right?" Scott startled.
"Yeah. Didn't think you'd remember." Beca smirked.
"I think… the least we could all use out here is a friend, right?"
"Yeah. Now, sing something for us!" Beca sighed dramatically and started singing her favorite song.
"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium"
"Wow Mitchell. That… was amazing. Was your acapella group any good?"
"Well… we won the World's once, and were 3 time national champions…"
"Woah, wait a minute. You were part of the group my cousin was in! The group that flashed the president! The Bellas, right?" Beca groaned.
"Yeah. That was us. Who's your cousin?"
"Stacie."
"Oh my god! I feel like it's been forever since I've seen Stacie!" The girls spent about an hour talking and learning about each other or telling funny stories before they all hit the hay.
"Rachel, run!" Rachel's eyes met Beca's when she yelled. Beca and Rachel had grown really close since that night a little over a year ago. They had a lot in common, aside from Stacie. Rachel Scott is also gay and has a wife at home, as well as a son, and loves music. Rachel paused mid step when Beca screamed at her, she looked both horrified and confused. Beca had heard it. She heard the ticking from over where Rachel was. Beca dropped her gear as she sprinted to where Rachel was. Beca dove to push and block Rachel from the blast, her left arm covering Rachel's head and chest from a majority of the impact. Beca yelled as the fire and shrapnel hit her arm. The last thing she saw before blacking out was her hand. Flying off of her arm.
*Beep* *Beep* Beca groaned as she fought to get her eyes open. When she opened them, she saw sergeant Posen sitting in a chair next to her bed. She also realized that she was in the hospital. Or, well, the medical center on base. Beca met Roger's eyes and he smiled at her.
"Beca, thank god."
"Sergeant Posen?"
"Please, Roger is fine. You gave us quite a scare, you know."
"What- what happened?"
"What is the last thing you remember?" Beca ran through her thoughts for a moment.
"We were advancing. I heard the ticking coming from Officer Scott's general area. I… I dove in front of her."
"That's right. You saved her life Beca. Her head and chest would have taken the impact, but you covered her chest with your arm."
"So… I wasn't seeing things then?" Beca moved her right hand over to her left slowly, a single tear having already fallen out of her eye. When her right hand met air where her forearm should have been, she inched upward until she hit where her elbow was. She had lost the bottom half of her arm. Silent tears started streaming down her face, but she managed to ask anyway.
"Is she okay?" Roger was shocked, to say the least.
"What?"
"Rachel- Officer Scott. She's okay, right? What happened to her?" Roger smiled softly at Beca.
"You never cease to amaze me Beca Mitchell. You just figured out that you lost half of your arm and are asking about someone else?"
"I'll be fine. Is she okay? What injuries did she sustain from the blast?"
"She… lost her right leg. If you hadn't jumped in front of her she would have died Beca. You saved her life." Beca exhaled a shaky breath.
"Oh no." Beca closed her eyes for a minute as she moved to sit up. Roger came to help her but she brushed him off.
"I need to do this!" When she had managed to sit up, her eyes went wide.
"They didn't call Chloe did they?" Roger shook his head.
"No. You had it in your paperwork that unless it was life threatening we were not to call her. Are you sure?"
"No. She doesn't need any more stress than she already has. Do… Do I…"
"You are going home on honorable discharge Beca. You get to go home to your wife." Beca's face lit up.
"Thank god. Oh thank god!"
"Unless…"
"Unless what?" Beca's mood changed instantly.
"We are sending you and Officer Scott to New York for medical treatment, but there is a doctor there who has been manufacturing these new prosthetics. They hook it up to your nerve endings so you can feel with it, like a real arm." Beca swallowed.
"What are the risks?"
"Well, it hurts like a mother fucker to get on, but after that, it's really just making sure you take care of it. If your body accepts it, you'll be good to go."
"What is it, exactly?"
"It's titanium framework covered with a silicone mixture to mimic human flesh with fiber optics hooked up to the nerve endings in your arm so you can actually feel." Beca laughed. Of course it would be titanium. Maybe it's a sign?
"Is Rachel getting one? For her leg?"
"Yes. When you get to New York, you will have to option to go with Rachel to see Dr. Marcus for your prosthetic, or go home without it. The choice is yours."
"How long would it take to get it?"
"About a year. The process of getting it hooked up to your nerve endings so that you can feel is very precise and time consuming. But I have seen the results, and the people who have them are very happy with them. They are lightweight, but strong and sturdy. Your strength will be increased with it. It takes about 6 months to get it all set up and on you, then anywhere from 2-6 months for you to learn how to use it, control your strength, and learn how to keep it clean and look for anything that may need to be fixed. It will look similar to a real hand, but you can tell. For example, the finger nails on it do not grow, but you can paint them I'm told."
"So… I would be able to… feel with it?"
"Yes. I can personally attest to that." Beca looked puzzled before he rolled up his pant leg to reveal a prosthetic left leg.
"I never knew. And you can feel it?"
"As well as I could with my own. I promise you, if you go through with it, you won't regret it. You have until you reach New York to decide. You and Officer Scott will be getting on the first plane out of here now that you are both awake."
"She's awake? Can I go see her?" Beca didn't wait for a response before she stood up on shaky legs and pulled her IV pole with her. Roger laughed good naturedly and showed her the way to Rachel's room. Beca knocked on the door and came in when she heard Rachel say to.
"Rachel?"
"Beca… I… I don't have words for how grateful I am. I'm so sorry Beca. I'm so sorry you lost your arm for me." Beca came over and hugged Rachel with her one arm. Rachel started crying, spouting out thank you after thank you to Beca.
"Rachel, Rachel! Calm down. I need you to answer a couple questions, yeah?" Rachel swallowed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Yeah, sure, anything."
"Do you love you wife? Your son?"
"More than anything."
"Do you want to see them again?"
"God yes."
"What about the rest of your family? Your mom? Your dad? Stacie? Do you love them and want to see them again?"
"God yes."
"Then… it was worth it, wasn't it?"
"What?"
"Losing your leg, and my arm. It was worth it. Because there are people in the States. A mom, a dad, 2 brothers, a cousin with a sex addiction, a wife, and a son. Waiting for you to come home to them. Who would I be, to say that my arm, no, half my arm, is worth more than that. It was worth it, and if I had to do it again, I would do the same thing. Well, maybe I would react faster, but, you get the idea. Half of my arm, was worth your life, Rachel." Rachel started crying harder, thanking Beca again, and they broke apart when the medical tent broke into applause. Roger came over to Beca and spoke.
"Beca, you didn't just save Officer Scott. That was the precipice of a mine field. You saved the whole unit, Mitchell. You're a hero."
"I just did what everyone else would have done, sir."
"Mitchell, you're being awarded a silver star when you get back to the states."
"Really? Wow… I… I don't know what to say." Roger placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to say anything. You've already done enough, Mitchell. Now, we need to get you and Officer Scott ready to go. Your flight leaves in an hour."
Beca was waiting for her and Rachel's bags to come out. Rachel was next to her in a wheelchair.
"So, have you decided yet Beca?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna do it."
"That's great Beca! I'm just glad I'm not doing it alone, to be honest." Beca saw their bags come out and grabbed them both one at a time. She put Rachel's over her left shoulder and her own over her right.
"I told you that you can put mine in my lap Beca."
"Nah, I got it. Who did they say was picking us up?" Rachel smirked.
"They didn't." Rachel simply kept moving forward. Beca was looking around, then she saw a very tall almost red-headed lady holding up a sign with Rachel and her name on it.
"Is that…" Rachel moved faster than Beca, who had frozen in her place. She hadn't expected to see anyone she knew so soon.
"Rachel!"
"Stacie!" Stacie ran to meet Rachel. She knelt in front of the wheelchair and hugged her tight.
"God I missed you Rachel! I'm so sorry Rach."
"Oh, no! I'm lucky I got out with just this. I… wouldn't have made it without her." Rachel flicked a thumb over her shoulder to where Beca was standing, her bag having fallen off of her shoulder. Stacie looked over Rachel's shoulder and met Beca's eyes. Stacie's hand covered her mouth as tears started falling.
"B?" Stacie's voice was just a whisper, but Beca heard her. Beca broke out into a run and jumped into Stacie's arms.
"Stacie! Oh my god, I've missed you!"
"Beca! It's so good to see you!" Beca unlatched herself from Stacie, who breached the elephant.
"What did Rachel mean?"
"About what?"
"She said she wouldn't have survived without you B."
"Oh. That. Uh, well, there was a minefield. I dove in front of her. My arm took the impact instead of her chest and head. So… I lost half my arm and she lost her leg, but everyone lived, so it's okay I guess." Beca shrugged.
"No way. Beca saved the entire unit from walking into a mine field. Every one would have been injured instead of just us. Not to mention I would have died. She saved everyone. She's a hero Stace." Stacie looked reverently at Beca for a moment. She just shrugged.
"Whatever. It was no big deal. They already gave me a dumb medal, can we just go? I would like to get this done as soon as possible so I can go back home to my wife please." Stacie narrowed her eyes for a minute.
"Don't you mean- Oh my god. You don't know." Stacie covered her mouth again.
"I don't know what? Stace? Is Chloe okay? What are you talking about?"
"Oh fuck! I messed up. I assumed you knew. I… fuck."
"Stacie, what are you talking about?!" Beca shook Stacie with her one arm.
"You… Chloe uh… she um. Well, she… had a baby." Beca's face fell.
"What?"
"Yeah… she's 2, I think." Beca counted on her hand for a minute.
"That… that means she was pregnant when I left… Oh my god. Oh my god, it makes sense now. She was so sick the weeks before I left. Oh my fucking god!"
"Beca, Beca! Is… is she yours?" Beca's head shot up, and she broke out into a smile.
"I… yeah, I think so. We tried about a month before I left, but I completely forgot. She probably didn't want to upset me before I left, but I think so. Wait, you said she? I… I have a baby girl?" Beca's eyes filled with tears.
"Yeah. Chloe had a shower for her."
"What's her name?" Beca was bouncing up and down she was so happy. She had tears streaming down her face and a smile bright enough to make her bad-ass image seem nonexistent.
"Emily. Her name is Emily Rebecca Beale-Mitchell."
"Rebecca? Why?" Stacie sighed and smiled sadly.
"Chloe wanted to make sure your child had a part of you since you were gone. And she wasn't sure that you…"
"Would even come home. Got it. So… I have a baby girl? Stacie, I'm a mom!" Beca hugged Stacie again with her arm. When she pulled back, Beca laughed quietly and wiped the tears off of her face.
"Okay. I guess you're driving us to this doctor then?"
Beca got off the plane and waited for her stuff at the baggage claim. When she got her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and started walking. She shoved her hands in her pockets. Yes, hands. The prosthetic was amazing. It functioned almost as well as Beca's actual arm had. It's perfect, and now she's in an airport again. At 2 am, waiting to be picked up. Beca was walking through the small crowd, looking for her, when she heard her name.
"Beca!" Beca spun around and was met by her favorite blonde. Beca dropped her bag and sprinted to her.
"Aubrey!" Beca jumped into Aubrey's hug.
"God, I missed you Aubrey!"
"I'm so glad you're safe! What… what happened? Why are you home early? All daddy said was that you were coming home and that you got a Silver Star?"
"Long story short, I allegedly saved my unit from a minefield." Aubrey's face darkened.
"At… at what cost?"
"I wouldn't call it a cost. I mean, Rachel was about to step on one for god's sake."
"Beca." She sighed and rolled her sleeve up to show Aubrey where the prosthetic started at her elbow.
"Half my left arm and Rachel's' right leg." Aubrey's eyes went wide.
"What is that?"
"It's a prosthetic. It's really cool though. They hooked it up to my nerves or whatever so I can feel with it and move it and stuff. See?" Beca promptly flicked Aubrey off with her prosthetic and smirked.
"How… how long have you been back?"
"Well, it took 6 months to get the prosthetic on and set up and stuff. Then it took me 3 months to learn my strength and learn all the shit about it. I was in New York for 9 months to get it all sorted out."
"And… you didn't even call me? You didn't call Chloe?!" Beca immediately brightened.
"Okay, Aubrey, I love you and all that shit, but I would really love to get home now please. I wanna meet her." Beca was bouncing and smiling.
"Meet who?" Beca gave Aubrey a disapproving look.
"Chloe's mistress. Who the fuck do you think I'm talking about? Emily!" Aubrey visibly paled.
"You… how did you…"
"Stacie slipped up. The first time I see her in years and I'm missing an arm? She said she thought I knew. Whatever, please can we go?! Aubrey, I'm a mom." The last sentence was spoken so reverently. Aubrey's features softened and she hugged Beca one more time.
"I'm so glad you're home Becs."
"Me too Bree. Me too." Beca followed Aubrey to her car. Beca decided to call Aubrey to pick her up because she wanted to surprise Chloe. You know, the whole soldier coming home bullshit? Yeah, that. Beca jumped in the front of Aubrey's really expensive car and immediately started fiddling with the radio.
"Don't touch my stereo Mitchell." Beca smirked before pushing the button and putting on the pop hits from their college days. Beca and Aubrey spent the car ride to Chloe and Beca's house singing to songs from college and just enjoying being back in each other's company. Aubrey and Beca got out of the car, she left it running. Aubrey hugged Beca one last time before unlocking the door with her spare key and leaving. Beca closed and locked the door behind her as she stepped back into her house. It looked very similar to how it was before she left, just subtle differences. Drawings on the fridge, kids shoes strewn in the living room.
Beca walked into the living room and carefully set her bag down on the ground. She was smiling as she walked through their house again. Technically, her deployment would have ended in 1 year and 3 months, what with her being in NY for 9 months. Beca stopped when she saw a picture of Chloe and a little girl. She looked like the perfect mix of both Beca and Chloe. She got Chloe's eyes and Beca's straight brown hair. Beca smiled brightly at the picture of her wife and their daughter. Then she heard it. She heard a child crying. Beca hurried in the direction of the bedrooms, opening the one with the foam letters spelling out 'Emily' on the door. She walked in and was greeted by the child from the picture. The child stopped crying when Beca walked in and they just looked at each other.
"Hi. You're Emily, right?" Beca closed the door behind her quietly, hoping to let Chloe sleep.
"Yeah." The girl squinted at Beca.
"What were you crying for sweetie?" Beca came over and picked the child up slowly, then settled her on her hip.
"I had a nightmare. Are you my mama? Mommy says that sometimes people have two mommies but that would be confusing. She showed me pictures of you. You're my mama right?" Beca let a single tear fall as she kissed Emily's head.
"Yeah sweetie, I am. I'm home now, but we gotta be quiet, mommy is trying to sleep." Emily hugged Beca tight and giggled.
"Yay! Mommy said you were going to be gone for a long time."
"I was supposed to be, but I had to come home to see you! I mean, how could I stay away when their was such a pretty girl waiting for me here?" Beca tickled Emily with her right hand, using her left hand to hold her up.
"Mama stop it!" Beca stopped tickling her and just held her close.
"Are… are you glad that I'm here?"
"I was sad that you weren't here before, but mommy said you had to be away for work. I don't really understand it, but she said that you love me and that you would be home eventually. So I've been waiting. Mommy said that you would braid my hair." Beca smiled softly at her daughter.
"Oh did she now? What makes you so sure I would?" Emily pouted at her, and that's just great. She inherited Chloe's puppy dog eyes.
"Did mommy teach you how to do that? No fair, that's cheating!" Beca pouted right back at her child. Earning even more puppy eyes and a jutted out bottom lip. Beca sighed dramatically.
"Fine. You win. I'll braid your damn hair." Beca sat down in the chair that was in the nursery and braided her daughter's hair.
"There you go. All done." Beca pushed the braid to the side so she could see it.
"Wow, mommy was right!"
"She usually is, but what about?"
"She told me that you were better than Auntie Aubrey at braiding hair."
"Well, who do you think taught Auntie Aubrey to braid hair?" Emily spun around in Beca's lap to face her. She looked excited.
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did." Emily yawned and Beca picked her back up.
"Alright sweetie, you need to go back to sleep." Emily tightened her grip around Beca's neck.
"Nooooo. I wanna spend time with you mama! I don't want you to go!" Beca pulled her head back so she could look at Emily.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. Never again. I didn't want to be away sweetie. I wanted to be here with you and mommy. I'm not leaving again."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Beca bounced Emily in her arms for a minute before the idea struck her.
"Hey Em?"
"Yeah?" Emily asked tiredly.
"You wanna sleep with me tonight?" Emily perked up.
"Really? But… mommy says that big girls sleep by themselves."
"Oh, it's not for you. It's because mama is big baby and needs a big girl like you to help protect me from the bad dreams. Will you sleep with me Em? Please?" Beca pouted at her daughter.
"Yay!"
"Shh, mommy is sleeping. Now it's our turn, let's go short stuff." Beca walked out of the nursery and into the guest room. Even though Chloe agreed to marry her doesn't mean she can sneak in there. That would be creepy, and probably scare the shit out of Chloe.
"Hey Em? Do you know what time mama usually gets up for work and stuff?"
"Mama gets me up at 7:30 to go to the babysitters."
"And who is your babysitter?" Beca sat down on the edge of the bed with Emily in her lap.
"Auntie Jessica and Auntie Ashley run a babysitting company." Beca smiled. Who was she to doubt Chloe in picking a babysitter.
"Do you like Auntie Jessica and Auntie Ashley?"
"Yeah. They are nice."
"Alright. We can talk more tomorrow, okay? Sleep time."
"I'm not tired!"
"How about if I sang you something?" Emily's face lit up and she nodded.
"What song do you want me to sing?"
"There's this song mommy always sings. She says it reminds her of you."
"Let's see if I can figure out which song it is huh?"
"I'm bulletproof
Nothing to loose
Fire away, fire away."
"Is that the song?"
"Yeah." Emily buried her face in Beca's neck while Beca wrapped her arms around her daughter while she sang.
"Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium."
Beca stopped when Emily fell asleep. She gently laid her down and got in next to her, pulling her daughter close to her. Emily wrapped her tiny body around Beca's tiny body, and Beca fell asleep within minutes of setting an alarm for 7 am.
Beca woke up to her alarm and shut it off quickly, trying to let Emily sleep. She got out of the bed quietly, making sure Emily was still asleep when she slipped out of the guest room. She listened for the tell-tale signs of Chloe being up. Running shower. Beca smirked in victory as she heard the shower running and made her way to the kitchen. She flicked the coffee pot on and went to get Emily so she could eat breakfast with her daughter for the first time. When she opened the door, beautiful blue eyes stared back at her.
"Morning Em."
"Mama!" Emily jumped from the bed into Beca's arms.
"I told you I wasn't leaving short stuff. Come on, what do you say you and me go eat some breakfast while I make mommy some coffee?"
"Yay! I want Cheerios!" Beca smiled.
"At least you got my amazing taste in cereal. Not like that yucky sugary stuff mommy likes." Beca and Emily both scrunched up their noses. Beca carried Emily into the kitchen and set her on the counter. She poured 2 bowls of Cheerios and made 2 cups of coffee. 1 black, and 1 the way Chloe always drank it. Full of French vanilla creamer and sugar. Beca was eating her cereal with a giggling Emily when she heard someone shout Emily's name.
"Emily? Where are you sweetie?" Emily giggled again, and Beca hard someone gasp and drop something. She turned around slowly and saw her favorite woman on the planet.
"Hey Chloe." Beca had about 2 seconds to open her arms before Chloe barreled into her.
"Beca! Beca oh my god!"
"Mommy! Mama came home!" Chloe pulled back to look Beca in the eye. Beca smiled and kissed Chloe.
"I'm home Chloe. I'm home."