Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pitch Perfect related. This is an AU where Beca is a famous DJ and Chloe is a dance instructor with a one year old daughter. It's hopefully going to be a 3-5 chapter fic. My apologies for any mistakes I missed. Hope you enjoy. Please note I'm a college student and will update when I can, but it will more than likely be fairly slow. Feedback is always welcome.
Tumblr Prompt: Chloe is a single mother of a one year old little girl, with a very abusive exboyfriend who still haunts her. One night the door bell rings and beca(famous like anna kendrick) lays drunken in front of the door. And chloe helps her and lets her stay the night.
"Hey Chlo, I'm so sorry, I know you really needed me to look after Emily today, but I've been so sick all morning I can't, and I would feel terrible if I got her sick."
A raspy voice followed by a series of very wet sounding coughs came through the small speaker of Chloe's cellphone. Chloe let out a small sigh as she wedged the phone between her shoulder and her ear trying to balance her one year old daughter, Emily, on her hip and finish getting ready to go to work. She was already running way behind her regular schedule and had panicked when Aubrey wasn't here bright and early like she normally was to help balance some of the chaos that came with her daily morning routine. Emily had been extra fussy this particular morning, having spilled her cereal all over herself and the floor, screaming every time Chloe had tried to put her down, and thoroughly shredding some of the papers that Chloe needed for work, forcing her to reprint most of them. Aubrey being unable to babysit had just thrown another wrench into the already challenging day.
"Alright, thanks Aubrey, it's not a problem. I'll just take Emily to the day-care around the corner and -Emily, no honey, you can't have Mommy's phone - Sorry, Aubrey. Anyway, I hope you feel better. I've gotta run, talk later." Chloe quickly shut the phone, using her free hand to place the phone in her pocket and rushing to quickly pack a diaper bag that she could take to the day care. Needing access to both of her hands, Chloe set Emily on the floor. The small child looked up at her with a grumpy expression, raising her arms again for her mother to pick her up. Chloe gave a bright warm smile to her daughter and knelt down to her level. "We're going to bye-bye, okay? Can you go get, Mr. Bear? I'm sure he would be very lonely if we left him here." Emily's eyes grew wide with worry and nodded as she ran off to collect her favorite panda stuffed animal.
Throwing in most of the basic necessities, Chloe managed to pack rather quickly and grab most of her work things in the time it took for Emily to come running back, slightly tattered bear now in hand. Chloe slung the bag over her shoulder before scooping Emily up in her arms and making a beeline for her car.
Chloe maintained a small studio where she taught dance classes of varying styles. Being a dance instructor didn't exactly pay well, but for a single mother living in a small two bedroom rented town house, it paid the bills while giving her flexible enough hours to work around her usually chaotic life.
Chloe sped down that road at what would be considered only slightly reckless driving, and pulled up at the day-care. Chloe hopped out of the car, grabbing Emily and the diaper bag and ran inside, giving a wave to one of the girl's that worked there.
"Hey Stacie, I know this is really short notice but Aubrey couldn't watch her today. Can you help me out here? I'll totally love you forever!" The tall brunette just grinned and held her arms out to take Emily.
"Chloe! Hey! Yeah of course! You know I'm always excited to see Emily." Chloe transferred Emily to Stacie's arms, giving her a quick kiss on her head.
"Bye Pumpkin, Mommy will be back later okay. Be good for Stacie!" Chloe handed off the bag and gave Emily her panda. The small auburn haired child looked like she was about to start crying but she cuddled her panda close to her and grasped tightly onto Stacie. As Chloe was leaving, Stacie called out to her.
"Hey, try to be here before five, okay? I've got really important plans later!" Chloe just nodded, rushing back to the car. Weaving her way through traffic in the most strategic way possible, she managed to just barely make it to class as her first session was supposed to begin. It appeared she had some new students with them today as well as most of her usual regulars. Chloe let out a very relieved sigh and put on a bright smile as her students turned their attention on her.
"Alright class let's do some warm up stretches!" Chloe hoped the day would go more smoothly than the morning had gone.
The day seemed to drag on, but at least there appeared to be minimal incident. Chloe was exhausted by the time her final class of the day was over. The redhead packed up her things quickly, putting the last of her handouts giving an explicit practice regime that she wanted her students to work on before their next session. As she turned to leave, Chloe nearly ran into one of her students that had apparently not taken off yet, startling Chloe quite a bit. She took a breath, placing her hand on her chest to calm herself.
"Oh, Benji, hey, sorry I didn't see you there. Good work today, I can tell you've been practicing. Was there something I can help you with?" Chloe looked at the clock noting how late it was. Stacie had said she had plans at five and the clock read fifteen minutes til. Chloe bit her lip knowing it would take her at least ten minutes to drive back to the day-care. Still, she wasn't rude enough to turn one of her students away if they were needing more help and Chloe knew that Benji was always the shy one that needed more one on one discussion when it came to getting help.
"Hi Miss Beale, uh, C-Chloe, um I just wanted to know if maybe, I mean only if you want to, maybe kind of, if you're free, would you…." Chloe cringed a little, having some inclination as to where this was going. Chloe sighed, but let him finish. It would be more embarrassing to interrupt and turn him down. "But, maybe I could take you to dinner sometime?" Chloe opened her mouth to response, she needed to be careful of her word choice. Benji just grinned, probably proud of the fact that he hadn't passed out yet.
"Listen Benji," Chloe paused, not having realized that she had tensed up a little. She released a sigh reminding herself that this was just Benji, there was no need to be defensive just because she was rejecting someone. "That's really very sweet, but I'm just not looking for anything right now. I've got Emily to think about and I just want to focus on doing what's best for her." Benji looked down at the ground, sticking his hands in his pocket and nodding somberly.
"Oh, uh, sure. No, that's fine. I respect that. W-Well, thank you Miss Beale, uh, for your time. I think I've taken up enough of it. I'll, um, see you next week. Have a good evening." Benji turned and bolted from the small studio before Chloe could say more to him. She felt bad for him, but she would no longer subject herself to doing things she simply didn't want to do.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling the onset of a headache, Chloe looked up again and saw that the time read 5:10. Chloe gasped in shock before scrambling to gather all of her things half hazardously and making a run to her car. Stacie was going to kill her.
Speeding over to the day-care in late afternoon traffic certainly wasn't doing her any favors. It took her a whole 15 minutes longer to get over there than it should have. As she pulled up next to the day-care, Chloe saw Stacie standing outside holding Emily in her arms and the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Chloe gripped the steering wheel tightly and laid her forehead on the wheel before putting on a determined face and getting out of the car ready to make her excuses.
She made her way over to Stacie, whom looked very displeased but not altogether angry. Chloe put on her puppy dog face, ready to beg her way to forgiveness, but before she could get a word out Emily took notice of her. The small toddler reached her hands out with the largest grin on her face.
"Mommy!" Emily squirmed in Stacie's arms and despite knowing she was totally in trouble with Stacie, Chloe couldn't help but smile back and take Emily from Stacie and place a kiss on her cheek and nuzzle her nose against her daughter's, causing her to let out a series of giggles.
"Hi honey, were you good for Stacie?" Emily looked up at Chloe with a confused expression and shook her head 'No'. That caused Chloe to let out a laugh and place a kiss on Emily's forehead as she shifted her weight to her hip. "I'm sure that's not true." Chloe looked up at Stacie and smiled sheepishly. "I'm so so sorry Stacie. I got held up by one of my students. I'll make it up to you? How about I hook you up on a date with Aubrey? I know you've been interested in her for a while." Stacie, whom up until this point had only been slightly glaring at Chloe seemed to ease up and give her a light smile, rolling her eyes and nudging Chloe's shoulder lightly.
"Alright, but you better not be lying. If I don't get a call from Aubrey sometime soon I'm coming for you, Beale. I know where you live! Now I need to go before I'm really in hot water. Take care, squirt." Stacie gave Emily a little wave and then headed off towards a nearby taxi, disappearing into the distance.
Chloe watched her go and then turned her attention back to Emily.
"Ready to go home? What do you say we watch Finding Nemo tonight?" As Chloe buckled Emily in her car seat, Emily clapped her hands together in joy.
"Nemo!" Chloe chuckled and climbed into the driver's seat before heading home.
She headed up the steps of her town house, unlocked the door and headed inside, placing Emily down on a blanket in the living room and throwing on the Finding Nemo DVD while she went into the kitchen to make Emily something to eat. Chloe was absolutely exhausted but she would be damned if she wasn't a good mother.
While she was in the kitchen, scouring her cabinets for anything she could make quickly for Emily, she pulled her phone out and dialed Aubrey. After about two rings, the still very sickly voice of one Aubrey Posen answered.
"Hey Chlo, getting in kind of late aren't you?"
"Yeah, about that. I promised Stacie you would take her out on a date. I know I should have asked but I was late picking Emily up and you know Stacie never makes me pay for emergency day-care services. And don't pretend you don't like her, you talk about her all the time." Chloe went about making simple macaroni and cheese and a hot dog cut up into tiny pieces. She didn't miss the exasperated sigh on the other end of the line as she plated the food and took it into Emily who was happily focused on the television.
"Fine, fine. But why were you late then?"
"Benji stayed after class today, he asked me out. It sort of set me back on time and then I got held up in afternoon traffic." Moving over to the kitchen area where Chloe could still see Emily in case something were to happen, Chloe took a seat in one of the chairs and let her head rest on one of her palms.
"Oh…did… you told him no right? I mean, I wouldn't think you'd be ready to date so soon after—"
"No, no I definitely told him no. And I'm not ready, at least I don't think I'm ready. I don't really want to talk about it. But, anyway I just wanted to check on you, see if you're feeling any better?" Chloe felt a wave of exhaustion overcome her and she immediately sunk down further to rest her head on the kitchen table.
"Good, you should take as much time as you need Chloe. I know the last two years have been…hard. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you, you know that right? Anyway, I'm still not feeling the best, I think I'm going to turn in early. I'll give Stacie a call tomorrow. Get some rest, Chloe. Love you."
Chloe nodded, knowing Aubrey couldn't exactly see it. "Yeah, you too. Thanks, Aubrey. Love you, Goodnight." Chloe hit the end call button on the phone, letting it drop onto the counter with a small clap at the back made contact with the marble surface. Looking over to check on Emily, Chloe noted that she had finished most of her food and fallen asleep on the small blanket on the floor. Chloe gave a small smile. She would always be thankful for Emily.
Gathering the small child up in her arms, Chloe put Emily into her crib as gently as she could, covering her up with a blanket and leaning down to give her a kiss on her head. She plugged in a small nightlight and left the door open a crack as she exited.
This was Chloe's decompression time. Time that she used for herself to shrug off all of the exhaustion and emotional stress of the day. She quickly changed into a pair of loose pajama pants that had puppies on them and an old gray sweatshirt. She went back into the living room, switching the TV over to the news and took Emily's plate to the sink to wash it. As she was finishing up the dishes, she glanced over at the time. It was nearing 9 and Chloe's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten when she made Emily her dinner. Somehow the idea of eating macaroni and hot dogs didn't seem all that appealing to her, despite Emily enjoying the kid's meal quite a bit.
Chloe rummaged through the cabinets and fridge looking for anything quick she could throw together before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. She called one of her favorite pizza places and ordered a pepperoni pizza to be delivered to her home. After being told the expected delivery time of about 15-20 minutes, she went over and sunk down on her couch, allowing for her muscles to sink in as she stretched out. She turned her attention to the news that apparently was wrapping up one of its major headlines and moving on to another.
"In other news, tonight, famous DJ, Beca Mitchell, was seen leaving the notorious nightclub 'Purge' after performing a series of her most popular sets. Crowds were seen flocking the celebrity as she was chased several blocks away from the nightclub before ultimately giving them the slip." Chloe tuned out after that. She had perked up when she heard the name. Chloe was no stranger to Beca Mitchell. She was a huge fan of some of her earlier work before she eventually blew up in popularity. Still, it was disappointing to know she had been in town and Chloe didn't even know it. Still, she realized the chances she would have gotten to go and see her were slim given the catastrophe for the day. Chloe sighed as her stomach growled again.
It seemed her luck was changing for the better though when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring. Chloe jumped up quickly, grabbing the money from the table next to her and opened the door with a huge smile on her face.
She was startled to see not the guy that should have been bringing her a delicious pizza, but the Beca Mitchell standing on her doorstep looking quite intoxicated.
"Um…" It was difficult to give a proper response when a celebrity quite literally shows up on your doorstep. Chloe pinched her arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Before she could form much more of a questioning statement, Beca interrupted her.
"Oh, this isn't Amy's place. Hey, I'm kind of being tailed by some paparazzi, is it cool if I just chill here for a little bit? Great!" Without waiting for a response, Beca stumbled in past Chloe. That's when Chloe noticed that Beca absolutely reeked of alcohol. How much had she had to drink? As if the situation wasn't bizarre enough, Beca threw her leather jacket down on one of the chairs in Chloe's kitchen.
Chloe was about to shut the door when the pizza guy arrived. Beca came back around the corner looking out the door. She grinned.
"Oh look, pizza! Awesome, thanks!" Beca took the box right out of the guys hands, going over and flopping down on Chloe's couch, already devouring the pizza. "Oh my god, dude, this is so good. You're like the best." Chloe frowned, handing over the money and the tip to the delivery boy before closing the door.
Out of all the things she pictured actually happening today, having Beca Mitchell sitting in her living room, eating her pizza, completely intoxicated wasn't exactly at the top. She contemplated calling Aubrey to make sure she hadn't lost her mind, but she didn't dare bother the sick blonde. Instead, Chloe decided it would probably be best to talk to the tiny DJ. Chloe came around and sat in a chair close to the couch that Beca was taking up, the television having been switched over to some action film.
"Uh, Beca, what are you doing here?" Beca looked up at Chloe, her eyes looked incredibly glassy. Cheese hung off in strings from the pizza slice Beca had just bitten in to as the tiny brunette woman scrunched her face in confusion.
"You invited me in." Nodding as if that was enough of a response she went back to watching her movie.
"I don't think…I mean why are you in my house. You don't even know me." At that, Beca perked up, giving what Chloe thinks was supposed to be some kind of flirtatious smile but instead came out as a sort of grimace.
"Well, I can fix that, if you'd like to take this to somewhere more private." Chloe rolled her eyes.
"You're drunk." Beca puffed her chest out, setting her pizza down and placing her hands on her hips. Chloe almost wanted to laugh, it was kind of adorable but she somehow didn't think the brunette would appreciate the laughter.
"Am not! Could a drunk person do this?" Beca stood up quickly, stumbling in the process before catching her balance. Chloe reached out to stop her from doing more but Beca leaned forward as she was about to do a handstand but instead only managed to flip herself forward and crumble onto the floor in a rather undignified manner.
Upon seeing that, Chloe burst into laughter before helping the drunk DJ back onto the couch. Beca grinned.
"See, I'm totally impressive. You're pretty." Chloe laughed again.
"And you're still very drunk. Is there someone I can call for you?" Beca shook her head but grimaced as she realized that just made the room spin more.
"Nah, Amy's off doing something, I think." Beca pulled out her phone but just ended up dropping it. Chloe set it on a nearby coffee table. Suddenly a small voice nearby interrupted the two adults.
"Mommy?" Chloe looked over and saw Emily had climbed out of her crib. Beca squinted at the small…thing, while Chloe held out both her hands.
"Come here, sweetie. Did you have a bad dream?" Emily shyly toddled over to her mother. Chloe picked her up and allowing for her child to snuggle into her shoulder. Emily peeked over to Beca, pointing at the strange new person in their house. "Baby, this is Beca. She's a…friend." Emily gave a small wave to Beca. Beca just continued to stare at her. "Beca, just wait here okay? I'll be right back." Beca picked her phone off the table and started playing around with it. Chloe shrugged and prioritized Emily.
Chloe took Emily instead into her room, allowing for Emily to be tucked under the blankets on half of her queen sized bed.
"Can you be a big girl and wait here for me? Mommy will be right back okay?" Chloe left and returned quickly with Emily's panda. The one year old quickly snatched it and held it close to her. Chloe stroked her hair for a little while, coaxing her daughter back to sleep before heading back out into the living room to deal with the other situation.
Beca was still where Chloe had left her, however instead of playing on her phone, the brunette appeared to have passed out and was sprawled in what looked like a rather uncomfortable position on her couch. Chloe knew two things. One, that if Beca slept like that she would not wake up with her back feeling very pleasant and two, she would be dealing with a massive hangover if she didn't combat it now.
Chloe went to the fridge, retrieving a bottle of water and two aspirins. She stopped a nearby closet to grab a spare pillow and blanket, and then made one final stop to get some pajamas. She was taller than Beca, but it would have to do. It was certainly more comfortable and smelled more pleasant than the nightclub smell and alcohol that just came off in waves. Chloe shook Beca's shoulder lightly, enough to startle the DJ.
"What's it…you want a piece of this…fight me!" Beca lightly swung at the air, catching nothing. Chloe gently grabbed her fist and lowered it back down.
"Hey, I have some pajamas here. You're also really going to want to drink this and take this." Beca tried to stand again but just stumbled forward. Chloe caught her with both of her hands, realizing she was supporting most of Beca's weight.
"You smell really nice." Chloe blushed but gently pushed Beca back, still holding onto the other woman's shoulders. Beca looked at the pajamas. With little regard that Chloe was in the room, Beca started to pull off her shirt only to have it get stuck on her arms as she tried to pull it over her head. Chloe, a bit startled, couldn't contain another blush. She sighed roughly through her nose before gently placing her arms on Beca's again to stop her flailing.
"Here, let me help you." Chloe helped Beca free herself from the shirt, and helped her place on the new top, quickly following the same with the pajamas. Chloe couldn't help but stare at Beca in her pajamas. It was both incredibly adorable but also stirred some other feelings in her. Again, this night was turning into such an unexpected situation, Chloe found it hard to believe herself. Beca just smirked.
"You know normally when someone undresses me, the clothes tend to stay off." Instead of a reply, Chloe handed the water bottle and aspirins to Beca. Beca sat on the couch, looking at the meds before taking them and downing half the water in one go. "Happy?"
"Yes, actually. You can crash here tonight, just try not to make a mess or be too loud okay? We can call Amy in the morning, I'll even make you breakfast and coffee." Seemingly satisfied with that offer, Beca nodded and rolled over on the couch, pulling the blanket over her and placing the pillow under her head. She was asleep in no time.
Chloe could hardly believe Beca Mitchell was here, in her home, sleeping on her couch. She pinched herself on more time for good measure. Yep, definitely real. Looking back at the pizza that had been thoroughly demolished, Chloe took the remaining piece, eating it rather quickly before throwing the box in the trash. So much for dinner. Still, she couldn't say she would rather have had the pizza and ate it alone. This was a much more interesting situation.
Contemplating more on the situation, Chloe made her way back to her bedroom. Emily was still asleep on one half of the bed. Chloe smiled once more before closing the door behind her. She made her way over to her side, careful not to wake up Emily. As she carefully pulled her daughter more towards the center of the bed and built up a bit of a wall with the excess blankets to prevent her from falling off should she roll, Chloe relaxed and grinned a typical fangirl smile.
"Holy shit, Beca Mitchell is in my house."
Those were the last words before she allowed for sleep to consume her. So perhaps today wasn't so awful after all. Maybe tomorrow would be even more interesting.