This is dedicated to BittyAB18 for her divine inspiration. Or rather just go to her profile page read Jesse and Beca's Infinite Playlist, chapters 'I hope you find it' and 'Until you'.
I own nothing if I did I would be on a beach sipping an umbrella drink.
"Good afternoon Mr. Swanson."
Jesse, being Jesse, just stared. Barbara Walters was on his front step! Wow, just wow!
"Umm hello, please call me Jesse. Mr. Swanson sounds just wrong," he said ushering them into the front hall. "Please come in."
Barbara Walters was followed by two men with cameras, one guy with a microphone boom and a young woman who Jesse guessed was a producer.
"I didn't know where you wanted to set up. I'm sorry but Beca is late coming from work so you have just me for a little while, " Jesse said, almost embarrassed. He glanced at the assembled crew in the living room who were all looking at him expectantly.
"Umm.. Did you want a tour?" Jesse said, a little unsure. "The upstairs is just bedrooms. Down here we have living room, family room, office kitchen, etc. Out back we have Beca's studio and my studio."
Jess pointed out directions from inside the living room.
"Oh do you mind if we see your studio?" asked Barbara.
Jesse scratched his head while shaking it. "No, I don't mind but I'm not overly tidy in there…"
What a weird, bizzaro day it is today Jesse thought. I'm leading Barbara Walters and a TV crew into my studio. Wow, just wow.
Jesse led them out the patio door through the garden to the converted pool house. The pool had been filled in before he and Beca had bought the house. But the pool house was perfectly converted to two studios. Close to home but removed enough not take over their whole lives.
Jesse opened the door on the right into a well-lit room with all the electronic gadgets needed to layer music; a huge screen for video scenes but taking up the place of importance was his baby grand. On one side there was a bar stool pulled to the right of the bench. Surrounding the bench on the floor was sheet music; some placed carefully, some balled up and tossed away. Pencils and pencils stubs also littered the top of the piano.
"Umm.. I'm sorry" he said nervously, trying to tidy up a little.
"It's not an issue," Barbara said, smiling. Jesse was clearly uncomfortable and like the pro that she was, Barbara asked, "Would you feel more at ease sitting at the piano?"
Jesse just shrugged. He didn't see how he was going to be comfortable EVER with Barbara Walters in his studio and Beca MIA. But, he was a 'go with the flow' type of guy so he'd go with the flow.
Jesse sat at the piano and Barbara settled on the adjacent bar stool. Without conscious thought Jesse started plinking the piano keys until a slow melody started drifting through the room. With each measure played Barbara saw the tension and nerves leaked out of Jesse to be replaced by that certain 'something' that comes over talented individuals when they're doing their THING. When they are in that space in their head. When they became THEM that takes no prisoners, takes names ….
They shine.
With a subtle hand movement Barbara signalled her crew to set up and begin rolling tape.
Pronto. She gave both the crew and Jesse about two minutes to settle just letting the music flow.
"So, Jesse," she began. "What was the inspiration behind your collaboration with your wife on the movie score? Your other movie scores were done solo…"
Jesse looked up and flashed a grin and one shoulder shrug while continuing to play.
"It was an accident rather than by design, really. But as I continually tell my wife we are better together than separate. The nomination just cemented that I was right," Jesse said smiling. He laughed a little, remembering Beca's reaction. " Let me tell you, she was not happy about that. Husbands are not supposed to be right, you know."
He added the last part leaning forward conspiratorially.
There it is, Barbara thought. There is the man who is nominated for an Oscar. I need to capture that twinkle in his eye and keep the man grounded and bring out the Martin Hamlishness that is breaking through.
"Speaking of your wife, how did you two meet?"
Innocuous question she thought with just enough lead she could direct the flow if necessary. Little did she foresee…
A very wicked grin lit Jesse's face as the music changed to Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas.
"It was drop off day at Barden University and my parents stopped the car for some reason. I looked out the window and there, getting out a taxi, was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, " Jesse said. His face went dreamy at the memory, his smile softened. " Giant headphones around her neck, a wickedly scary ear spike, and just peeking through her tank top was a tattoo. I thought to myself "College is going to be awesome!'"
Just then he played the last bars "Don't you cry no more…."
And boom Barbara thought. There it is.
"I didn't see her again until my first day of work at the campus radio station. Where, I might add, she told me I could not have made myself more unattractive to her when I told her I was trying out for the male a capella group."
The tune on the piano had morphed into a quieter, more reggae beat.
"We began working together. At first she was resistant to my charms but..I persevered," Jesse raised his finger to point at the air. "The first time I teased a real smile and a "You are such a dork" from her I thought ' A Ha!'"
"Then I caught her audition for the female a capella group. Something she had assured me was lame. Again I thought 'There's no escape for you this time.' Between dueling a capella groups and shared shifts at the radio station we became friendly."
At this point the music changed to something she didn't recognize but was quite catchy. Then it became a bit sad and slow.
"Unfortunately, she left university halfway through the year."
The music changed again not sad, but not the bouncy beat of his earlier selections.
"I finished my degree, won a couple of a capella championships with the Treblemakers, went after the position at Pixar."
One shoulder shrug but the music started to change to something slightly familiar.
"Then graduation night the a capella groups threw a party and in walks Beca."
And then Barbara recognized Dvorzak's Symphony of the New World.
"I saw her on the steps and I thought 'There. There she is.' My heart started beating too fast." Jesse said. " I couldn't catch my breath. But I was smooth." Another music changed to something whispering of jazz. "I was suave. I was Cary Grant."
Given the half smile he gave her and the jaunty tune on the piano Barbara thought I bet you could be."
"So, we talked and she was here in LA and had a neighbour needing to sublet. I was headed west needing a place to stay and most important was not letting Beca Mitchell out of sight again." The jazzy tune continued as he spoke. "I moved in and we began to know each other again. By the end of the six month sublet, oh gee, look at that all my things had moved next door. Hmmm, wonder how that happened?"
It would take one of the nameless, almost faceless production assistants at the office to finally recognize the jazzy tune Jesse was playing belongs to Harry Connick Jr.'s She.
"A while later I was on the sofa watching a movie and Beca walks into the living room, " Jesse said, grinning again. "She was wringing her hands and says 'Jesse I know you're planning something. Knowing you, something big with flowers, candles and the LA Philharmonic. But, just, no. it terrifies me the thought, so just no. That's all.' Then she walks out the room. I'm stunned. "
" Number 1…" Jesse counted off as he held up a finger, "…the LA Philharmonic? Where did she come up with that? And I will definitely be keeping that in reserve for later. Number 2 she knows me too well. But, I know her too. Marriage is a compromise, a beautiful mix, a blend. I may love grand romantic gestures but Beca does not."
The music changes to a lovely flowing melody and Jesse had a secretive smile flirting around his mouth.
"So, now I'm curious, what did you do?" Barbara asked, smiling back.
"As I was saying, marriage is a blend," Jesse said, hand coaxing more melodies from the keys. "It's the every day and the exceptional day. It's the dishes and dusting and Christmas and New Year's at the same time."
Barbara nodded in understanding and Jesse had that boyish smile on his face again.
"So, I waited until an ordinary Tuesday with no holiday in sight. I was composing. I had this melody that I just couldn't get out my head." He raised his left hand making a swirling motion toward his head. "By the time I finally had it on paper it was late. Very late. Beca was sound asleep. I thought, HA! No time like the present."
"So, while she was sleeping I took out the ring and slipped it on her finger. I have to admit I really like the way it looked on her finger as the last thing I saw before I shut my eyes. That was a truly awesome day.
The next morning she walks in the kitchen, straight to the coffee, sits across from me and clicked her ring against her coffee cup. She looked at me through her eyelashes and says 'You think you're so smart, don't you?' I said, oh yes I do! I got the girl, didn't I? And it was so Beca; straight forward, to the point, no questions asked."
And there he sat with an unbelievable look of triumph on his face.
"Hey nerd what are you guys doing in here?"
When doing her research for this particular segment Barbara had heard many things about Beca Mitchell. Ballbuster being the most oft used. Barbara had heard under the grumblings that Beca Mitchell was a force to be reckoned with. Then watching Jesse gushing and fidgeting like a teenager just didn't mesh the mental picture she had formed.
Now, as Beca walked into the studio Barbara was thrown again.
This, this sprite was Beca Mitchell?
Maybe 5 feet tall, 100 lbs soaking wet but present were a couple of tattoos, so possibly.
Then Jesse looked up at her voice and the grin that lit his face was absolutely radiant. Barbara was about to start feeling sorry for the guy for the open adoration that obviously fuelled their relationship when Beca smiled back and the studio suddenly felt like it was closer to the sun.
Beca walked over to the piano bench, leaned down a little to kiss the top of Jesse's head and then leaned her cheek where she kissed, putting her hand on his shoulder. And just like that Barbara thought one badass reputations shot to shit.
"Are you boring Barbara Walters when she's here to interview you?" Beca asked.
"No, I'm charming Barbara Walters. I'm Cary Grant, I'm Clark Gable, I'm Errol Flynn and Troy Donahue all rolled into one. She won't be able to resist me."
Beca rolled her eyes, sat on the piano bench next to Jesse and added her left hand to the doodling Jesse was playing. Adding another layer to the music in the room. As they played Barbara caught sight of the infamous 'No Questions Asked' ring. Jesse Swanson may come off a little geeky, a little sappy romantic but he obviously knew his wife well.
The ring was the perfect size for her finger but was extraordinary was its uniqueness. A round black diamond in a bezel setting; on the left was a bass clef, to the right was a treble clef. The band looked to be five lines of the music staff. It was a ring designed by a man for a woman he knew well.
She looked at Jesse's finger.
Unlike most couples, his wedding band did not match hers. His looked like foreign letters. It took a moment for her to remember, she had seen a design similar to this before. They were Hebrew letters and the excerpt was from the Abraham. She thought "Whither thou goest I will go".
It was a promise to stay together.
But as she watched them play at the piano she thought she understood what Jesse meant by accident. These two people just naturally made beautiful music together.
Finis