Title: One Day At A Time
Pairing: Donald/Stacie
Disclaimer: I don't own anything... Including Pitch Perfect.
Author's Note: Okay, I know I said it wouldn't take long to post this story, but it actually took a while because someone (my little brat of a brother) "accidentally" deleted a whole bunch of files from my computer, and one of those files happened to contain the original chapter one of this story, as well as chapter two. So thanks to that dimwitted-four-eyed brother of mine, I had to re-write this. It's not exactly word for word, but its close enough. Anyway, this chapter is going to be about Donald finally getting in good terms with his mother, because like the title of chapter one: (New Beginnings), I want this whole story to start out fresh, and with no hateful, regretful, terrible, achy problems and stuff like that. Anyway, enjoy!
-Sux2budude
Chapter One: New Beginnings
-SD-
...
There are a lot of things that Donald hates. One of those things, is being woken up at the ass-crack of dawn by his cell phone, ringing from the other side of his bedroom.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Donald carefully slips out of bed, careful not to wake up his sleeping, pregnant girlfriend. He silently prays that she won't wake up because if she does, he won't be going back to sleep anytime soon. He'd be driving down to the closest Burger King for whatever burger she would crave. Donald sighs in relief, smiling triumphantly when he manages to get out of bed without waking Stacie up. He tip-toes towards his desk, where his phone is currently blaring loudly, and he's not at all surprised to see his sisters name flashing across the screen (She never considers what he may be doing at the times she calls, let alone check what time it may be, wherever he is.) Sighing in a bit of annoyance, he answers with a loud, snappish whisper of, "What?"
"Good to hear your voice too, little bro." Daphne replies.
Donald rolls his eyes as he plops down on his desk chair and glances over at Stacie's still slumbering form. He cracks a small smile, sighing as he leans back on his desk chair. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just called to let you know that we are having dinner with mom tonight."
Donald resists the urge to groan out loud, choosing to do it mentally, "Sorry, but uhhh... I can't."
"Why not?" Daphne demands.
"Because Stacie and I already made plans for tonight." Donald lies. He and Stacie aren't doing anything at all tonight, and the last thing he wants to do on a Sunday night, is have dinner with his mother. His sister, he can tolerate. But his mother? He's not so sure. Dinner's with his mom, are always a disaster. Everyone is quiet, acting as if nothing is completely wrong with the way their family behaves around each other, and there is almost always, a half hour long awkward silence. On top of that, Dinner means eating and talking. It's never about just eating dinner. It's more than that, and quite frankly, Donald doesn't think he can bear to speak about the way things have been ever since his mother left his father for some douchebag he never cared to know.
"What kind of plans?" Daphne questions.
"Uhhh, plans that don't concern you."
"And what time do these plans of yours end?"
Donald silently curses his sisters ability to find the loopholes in his lies. "Uhhh, you know... midnight."
"Great! We'll have breakfast at two in the morning then."
"You know, there's this thing that normal human beings do at two in the morning, Daph... It's called sleeping. You should try it." he says sarcastically.
"Well then come to dinner at eight, and you can sleep at two." Daphne retorts.
Donald sighs heavily. "I hate you, you know that?"
"No you don't... and don't even think of trying the guilt-trip route this time, Donald. I know all your tricks. We're still having dinner..." Daphne finalizes. "Whatever time you're available."
"Yeah, well that is gonna take a long while." Donald grins. "My schedule is fully booked."
Daphne snorts loudly, "Oh, Donnie... Haven't you learned anything? You can never lie to me. Not even on the phone. So I'm calling bullshit on your plans with Stacie, and you and Stacie will be joining me and mom tonight for dinner at my place, at 8P.M."
"Wait, what?" Donald asks, sitting up in his chair, "Did you just say me and Stacie?"
"Yep. Mom said she already met Stacie back at the hospital after the accident, but she wants to let you officially introduce Stacie as your girlfriend, to us."
Donald is quiet for a moment, trying to make sense of what his sister is saying to him. He finally reacts, laughing humorlessly. "No can do, Daph." he says shaking his head.
"Donald! I am your older sister, and as the eldest child, I will tell you what to do, and you will do it. Get your butt to my place tonight at 8, and you better not be late." her voice venomous. "Oh, and tell Stacie I said, HI!" Daphne adds brightly.
Donald shakes his head, "I'm not getting out of this one, am I?"
"Not a chance, bro."
Donald nods, sighing in defeat. "Fine... but if something goes off, we're leaving, got it?"
"As long as you show up and actually put some effort into trying, I can deal with that."
Donald nods, sighing heavily. "Okay... Well, as much as I'd love to talk on the phone with you for another month longer, I have to get back in bed before Stacie figures out that my pillow is not me."
Daphne laughs loudly. "You are so whipped."
Donald doesn't bother denying it, because frankly, if he denies it, he'd be lying. "I know." he smiles. "Good night, Daph."
"Good night, Don. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." Daphne laughs. "And see you tonight. Don't be late!"
Donald hangs up, sighing heavily as he pads back towards his bed, and slipping in slowly next to his girlfriend.
-DS-
...
Donald nervously adjusts his tie as he stares at the mirror. For the umpteenth time that day, he wishes he had been solid on disagreeing with Daphne with having dinner tonight. He's pulled out of his thoughts by Stacie walking up to him, smacking his hands away from his tie, and straightening it out herself. "You're sweating." she points out.
Donald looks down at his shirt, seeing sweat stain at the neck. "Shit." he mutters under his breath.
Stacie smiles softly at him, putting a hand under his chin and pulling his eyes up to meet hers. "I'm sure it'll be fine... I mean what's the worst that could happen?"
Donald shakes his head, swallowing hard as his thoughts flit back to a memory from nearly a year ago. "The last time I had dinner with my mom, she brought her husband and I was barely there for five minutes before I bolted..." he trails off staring at Stacie with a worried expression. "I couldn't stand being in the same room with the both of them."
Stacie kisses him gently before pulling away slightly to look into his eyes. "Daphne said it would just be you, me, her, and your mom... It'll be fine."
"Oh, you can see the future now?" Donald asks with a raised brow.
Stacie rolls her eyes at him, "No. But I did meet your mom and your sister, and I honestly think they're great people... They just want to see you, and quite frankly, you're lucky to have them in your life. I don't have siblings, and I don't have a mother... You have no idea what I'd give to see my mother again. It's too late for me." She says softly kissing him again. "It's not too late for you... and I'm sure it will go okay tonight, so just relax."
Donald finally relaxes, breathing in deeply and managing a tiny smile. "This is why I love you so much." he says softly.
Stacie smiles widely at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as his snake around her waist. "Why is that?" she asks curiously, cocking her head to the side.
"Because you make everything okay for me... You make sense and you understand me." he shrugs. "I think God may have made you specifically for me."
Stacie bites her lip gently, squinting at him. "You've always had a way with words."
Donald then pulls out the smirk, his hands trailing down her back to rest above her ass. "Yeah well, girls have always loved my mouth because-"
"I will knee you in the crotch if you finish that sentence." Stacie cuts him off with narrowed eyes.
Donald lets out a nervous chuckle, not at all doubting that she would knee him in the balls. "Sorry." he mutters apologetically.
"Mhmm." Stacie nods pecking his lips lightly. "Your mouth usually utter things that can have my panties dropping, but it's also the only thing that can get you in trouble."
Donald smiles sheepishly as he kisses her gently, hoping she'll forgive his slip-up. "Forgive me." he smiles cheekily.
Stacie laughs, letting him kiss her as she finishes straightening his tie. "Yeah. Now remember. Behave yourself tonight."
Donald smirks at her, cocking an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"
Stacie laughs, "Then you can get acquainted with the couch." with a small kiss to the lips, she leaves him there to watch as she walks back out of the bathroom, swaying her hips purposely. "Let's go." she calls over her shoulder.
-SD-
…
The drive down to Daphne's house was quite uneventful, considering all the cornfields they had to drive through, and Stacie was beyond happy when they finally reached their destination after three long hours. Donald nervously fidgets with his tie as they walk to the door. "Babe, relax." Stacie says to him as she smacks his hand away from his tie. "You'll drop the wine bottle if you keep playing with your tie."
Donald finally pulls his hand away from his tie, taking deep breaths. He almost looks like he's about to have an asthma attack, so Stacie grabs his face, forcing him to look straight into her eyes. "Donald, breathe… Everything is going to be fine, okay?" she hopes he would at least calm down a bit, seeing that his hands are slightly shaking.
He nods, taking more deep breaths. "Yeah, we'll be fine. Totally." Stacie isn't sure whether he actually believes that, or if he's saying it to try to convince himself, but she kisses him softly, and reassuringly.
"Just be yourself, and calm down." She whispers.
He continues to nod, straightening out his black button down shirt. "How do I look?" he asks nervously.
Stacie takes a step back to give him the once over before smiling up at him. "You look very handsome… And you're shaking, so stop." She says half seriously.
Again, he nods.
"Great. Now smile."
He does, but it's an awkward, nervous kind of smile. Stacie smooth's down his hair, kissing him once more before turning back to the door, and finally ringing the doorbell.
A few moments later, the door swings open, revealing Daphne in a sweatshirt and yoga pants, complete with a huge, relieved smile. "Finally!" she exclaims, first pulling Stacie into a fierce hug, and kissing her on the cheek, before turning to Donald. "I was beginning to think you weren't gonna come."
Donald smiles, welcoming the hug from his sister. "You said 8 p.m., didn't you?"
"I did, but that usually means 7:30 sharp." Daphne shrugs, turning back to Stacie and grinning down at her belly. "How's my favorite nephew or niece?"
"He or she is your only nephew or niece, Daph." Donald points out.
"Whatever, squirt. It's still gonna be my favorite."
Stacie laughs at that as Daphne pulls her along the hallway leading into the den. "He or she is doing wonderfully… According to Dr. Welch, he or she is the size of a large grapefruit."
"I love grapefruits! I can see this kid loving me so much already." Daphne grins.
"I'm sure it will." Stacie smiles, rubbing her stomach gently.
Donald looks around the den, turning to look at Daphne questioningly. "Where's mom?"
"In the kitchen." Daphne grins as she takes the bottle of wine from Donald, examining it. "Aged Grenache, huh? Couldn't settle for the 'ole Moscatto? Or Sangria?"
"I'm not cheap like you, Daph." Donald teases.
Daphne scoffs at him, "Please, little bro… Spare yourself from losing to me in a verbal war."
Stacie watches in amusement as the siblings continue to playfully banter back and forth for a while, until they're interrupted by Julia clearing her throat loudly from the doorway. "Hello, dear." She says to Stacie first, crossing the room and pulling the four months pregnant girl into a warm embrace. "I hope you received that care package I sent you last month?"
"I did." Stacie grins widely. "Thank you so much for that." Last month, Stacie received a small box in the mail, addressed to her, from Donald's mom. When she opened it, she tear'd up a bit when she found a free pass at a Spa Center near Atlanta, a couple of lotions, sanitizers, a cute tiny teddy bear, and a $300 gift card for Babies 'R Us. Attached to the box, was a small note.
-I had a serious case of OCD when I was pregnant with Donald, and I hope these can help you at some point when you reach that phase in your pregnancy. The gift card is from a friend of mine who is a manager at Babies R' Us, and the Spa treatment is from me. For that time when it's terribly difficult to relax. I hope you two are doing well. Extend my love to Donald and the baby.
-Julia
"You're welcome." Julia smiles warmly, "And there's plenty more on the way." She says, stepping back to rub Stacie's stomach. "How's the pregnancy coming along?"
"Oh, it's actually progressing wonderfully. The doctor says it's about the size of a large grapefruit, and it's developing normally."
"Good." Julia then looks towards Donald, who's really just standing there, looking at Stacie. "How are you, Donnie?" Julia asks her son, as she approaches him.
Donald smiles awkwardly as he lets his mom pull him into a tight embrace. "I've been great."
"Good. That's good to hear."
As awkward as that was, their dinner actually went by pretty well. Everyone turned their attention to Stacie and the baby, and she tried her best to answer every question Julia and Daphne had for her. Julia gave some pretty useful advice, and tips about different phases in pregnancy and what to expect, and Stacie tried her best to remember it all. Donald on the other hand, only spoke when he was spoken to. And when he did speak, it was to answer a question that was directed to him. Stacie was sure he wasn't feeling very great this evening, and she tries her best to give him a reassuring, and comforting look from across the table where she was seated next to Daphne. After dinner, they move back into the den, where they had a glass of wine each, save for Stacie who indulged in a glass of sparkling cider and a plate of cookies, scones, and coffee cakes set on the coffee table.
And for the first time since they arrived, the problem was addressed, by Stacie. "So, I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but… What exactly happened all those years ago?"
Everyone practically freezes. Daphne recovers first, letting out a long sigh. "I think it's time we talk about this."
Julia nods in agreement, and Donald just sits still, staring at the wine glass in his hands.
"I left when Donald and Daphne were… younger." Julia begins slowly. Her eyes are already beginning to mist up a bit, and Stacie could see the pain she's going through as she begins to retell what happened all those years ago that broke their family apart. "I made the biggest mistake in my life the night I left. The night I made the decision to leave my children, and I swear to God that I felt like my heart break in half after I left…" She trails off, looking pointedly at her children. Daphne gives her an encouraging nod, and Stacie gets the feeling that Daphne had already known this, given the fact that she's already in good terms with her mom. Donald on the other hand, barely looked away from his wine glass, acting as if he's never seen anything so interesting in his life. Julia continues, her voice strained, the weariness in her voice breaking through her calm, and relaxed façade. "I was going through so much pain and heartache from all the problems that your father and I were having, and I just—I couldn't take it, and I left… I was so selfish and stupid back then, that I didn't even think of what I was putting the two of you through by leaving you two. I haven't been a mother to the both of you, and I really don't blame you for hating me, Don." Julia scoots forward from where she was seated, taking the wineglass from Donald's hands and setting it aside on the coffee table. She takes his hands in hers, waiting silently and patiently for him to look at her before continuing. "But I never stopped loving you and your sister… I never stopped thinking about the two of you, and trying to figure out a way to earn your trust again. To earn your forgiveness for all the mistakes I've made."
When Donald finally meets his mother's eyes, Stacie feels her heart ache for her boyfriend because she sees so much pain in his eyes. His forehead is creased together, his usually bright eyes, has this dark, pained look in them that she's never seen before, and they held the slightest hint of tears.
Finally, Donald blinks back his tears, and quietly mutters something that they almost didn't catch. "I've been trying so hard to hate you." He shakes his head, squeezing his mother's hands gently. "But I never could… I don't know if… if it's some sort of curse or something, but—I've always loved you, mom." He pauses, looking away and sniffling a bit, trying to regain his composure. "Even when you left, I tried so hard to delude myself into believing that you were just going away for work and that you didn't really leave us… but when you didn't come back for so long, I gave up lying to myself, and started trying to hate you… but I never did, and I never could. I hated the fact that you chose to leave me even when I needed you. I hated the fact that I had to go through school, hearing about my friends gloating about the lunches their mom's made them, and I didn't even have a mom to make me anything. I just went with whatever Daphne made for me. I hated the fact that dad stopped caring about us since you left, and that Daphne who was barely old enough to take care of herself, was taking care of me." He had tears in his eyes by then. Julia was staring at him with so much pain and regret over the past, her tears were freefalling down her cheeks, while Daphne tried to subtly wipe away the tears she hoped no one saw. Stacie sat silently, her own tears cascading down her face at the delicate, yet sad moment between mother and son. "But you know what I hated the most, mom?" Donald asks, his eyes slowly roaming the room to find the pair of eyes that never fails to make his heart beat faster. Finally, his eyes rested on Stacie's, his heart swelling inside his chest, and his lips quirking the slightest bit into a half smile. "I hated the fact that I couldn't personally introduce the woman I love, to the woman who gave me life, because we all let this problem get too far."
Julia nods, taking a moment to wipe away her tears. "You're right… I'm the mother and I should have been the one to make the mature decision. Instead, I let it get so far, and I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry for everything… I never meant for it to get this big."
Daphne finally speaks, muttering a soft, "I know, mom."
Donald is silent once again, staring at Stacie who gives him an encouraging smile and nod. He takes a deep breath, giving her a tiny smile and turning back to look at his mother. "I already forgave you a while ago, mom… I just never forgave myself for letting my anger and sadness get in the way of our family."
"Don, none of this is your fault. It's all mine." Julia tells him, taking his hand in hers again. "You and Daphne have been nothing, but wonderful, amazing people… I'm the one who chose to walk away, and for that, I will never forgive myself… So don't beat yourself up over this."
Donald smiles softly at his mom, nodding. "I'll forgive myself if you do the same… We're wasting energy resenting ourselves instead of using it to make sure our family will always be together."
Stacie smiles widely at her boyfriend, feeling extremely proud of him for finally admitting his true feelings.
Julia nods, smiling happily. "You're right… And from now on, I will do everything I can to make sure we never lose each other again."
The rest of the night was spent in hugs between the family, Stacie feeling grateful that they would feel the need to include her in their family. About an hour later, they finally dispersed, going their separate ways.
Stacie stayed silent as Donald drove them back to his apartment. Half way there, she finally decided to break the silence. "You okay?" she questions.
He glances at her, smiling a bit. "I think so."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Not really."
She nods, understanding his need for time and space. "Okay."
They continue that way for a while until Donald sighs heavily. "Thank You." He mutters quietly.
Stacie looks at him curiously, "For what?"
"For being there for me. For making me see what I was missing."
Stacie smiles softly at him, reaching over the center console to take his hand. "I'll always be there for you."
"I know. And I'll spend the rest of my life thanking you for that." He pulls up their intertwined hands, kissing the back of hers. "I love you."
Stacie smiles happily, feeling all the love she could possibly feel in her heart, shining in her own eyes. "I love you too, Donald."
-SD-
…
As they settle into bed for the night, Donald scoots down, laying his head gently over Stacie's stomach, and pressing his ear to it.
Stacie giggles, running her fingers through his perfectly curled hair. "What are you doing?"
"Shhh." Donald shushes, holding up a finger.
"Ugh," Stacie playfully smacks his forehead, "Don't shush me, Donald."
"Shhhhh!" Donald shushes again, this time raising his head and looking at her all too seriously. "I'm trying to listen for the baby."
"Well, don't worry about the baby. It's there. I'm sure of it."
"How do you know that?"
Stacie pauses, blinking incredulously at her boyfriend. "Well I doubt it just up and left, Donald!"
"Okay, fine. Jeesh! Can I just say something to my baby before I go to bed?"
Stacie huffs, nodding her head for him to continue.
"Hey." Donald whispers softly. "Can you hear me buddy? Or baby girl?" he pauses, waiting for some kind of sign that the baby heard him. Nothing happens, so he continues. "Well, I just want you to know that mommy and I are going to bed now, and that we love you so much… Aaaand your auntie Daphne is kind of nuts, so don't be like her, okay?"
Stacie laughs at that, smacking Donald's arm. "That is so mean."
"No it's not. You know my sister is kind of mental."
"No, she's sweet, and amazing… didn't you say she took care of you when you were little?"
Donald pulls away then, kissing her little baby bump and whispering a soft 'goodnight, baby' before scooting up beside his girlfriend. "Yes. The more reason why our baby shouldn't be like Daphne. Do you know what I ate for lunch every day when I was in grade school?"
"What?" Stacie asks curiously.
"Tuna sandwhich."
"That isn't so ba—,"
"She put raw onions in them."
"So?"
"The onion slices were bigger than the bread."
"That's still not so ba—,"
"Babe, I had tears in my eyes by the time I was done eating it."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
"But she's still a good person."
"I know… You're the best person, though."
Stacie smiles widely, wrapping her arms around his torso as he pulls her closer. "You're not so bad yourself."
"How about we—,"
"Oh my God!" Stacie jumps, her eyes going wide as saucers.
"What?" Donald pulls away, looking worriedly at her.
Instead of replying, she quickly takes his hand, pulling it to rest above her stomach. Donald blinks at her like she's crazy, but then his eyes widen too when he feels the slightest nudge at his fingertips. "Holy cow! Is that…?"
Stacie nods, a wide smile spreading across her face. She laughs heartily as Donald sits up suddenly, pulling her shirt up and running his hands over her stomach, waiting for another kick. "Calm down, I don't think it'll kick again. The doctor said it won't be too active for the first few months."
"The doctor can't predict the future, babe. Maybe there will be another one." He says, still scrutinizing her stomach. "That was the most amazing thing ever." He whispers softly, his eyes shining with joy as he starts talking to the baby again. "Baby? Can you hear me? If you can, kick once." They wait, silently for a few long moments but nothing happens.
Stacie goes to tell him that the baby was probably going back to sleep, but then she feels another kick, this one much harder than the first two, and almost painful. Donald laughs giddily, almost bouncing up and down on the bed from excitement. "It heard me!"
"Okay, calm down." Stacie laughs, loving her boyfriend's reaction to their baby's first, or rather, third kick.
"Why?" Donald whines, trying to get the baby to kick again, but Stacie smacks his hand away, pulling him up beside her.
"That's enough excitement for you for tonight." She says half seriously.
"The baby is trying to communicate with me, babe… we're supposed to encourage the excitement in the baby."
"I know that, Donald. I was actually talking to you." She laughs.
Donald pouts for a moment, giving her the puppy dog eyes, and the protruding lower lip.
"Aww, come here you big baby." She grabs him, hugging him tightly.
They're both silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts of their future and their baby before Stacie breaks the silence. "We'll be fine, right?" Donald pulls away slightly to look at her closely. "I mean, we're gonna have a baby in a couple of months, Donald. And it's not going to be easy, but… We're gonna make it, right?" She doesn't know why, but after feeling their baby kicking, she can't help but feel a bit worried because what if they're not ready for this? What if they mess up? What if somehow, they have these huge problems like Donald's parents had, and one of them decides that it's too much and walks out? She just feels sick from thinking of that ever happening to them.
Somehow, Donald knew exactly what was going through her mind, and he kisses her softly, reassuringly. "We'll be more than okay, Stacie… I mean, it's you and me. What chance does the world have against us?... None." He brushes back a stray strand of her hair, and places his hand over her stomach, on the spot where they felt their baby kick. "We'll be the best parents we can be to our baby, and we won't let a single problem break us apart. I won't let it, and you won't either. We can do this." He encourages. And like that, Stacie's worries disappear. This is why she loves him so much. She leans into him, inhaling his intoxicating scent.
"We can do it." She repeats his last words.
"One day at a time." Donald nods.
-SD-
…
Author's Note: Okay, well that was chapter one. This chapter was meant to clear out Donald and his moms problem, and I think I wrote it rather well. Not great, but just… okay. Anyway, Chapter two will be about Stacie's struggles in school, and Donald's struggle with work. It will almost always revolve around the baby, but we all know they'll get through everything. I'll make sure of it, because… well, it's my story and I'd hate myself for letting Stacie and Donald die… Hypothetically, that is. So yeah, REVIEWS are much appreciated. Stay tuned for more Stonald-Amazingness. ;)
-Sux2budude