Well HI there! Thanks for all the follows/favs and reviews! Looks like this little guy is turning into a Multi-Chapter fic! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to unleash it upon me.
~Danika
Present Day
"Oh babe. Turn to the side." Beca states excitedly as she grabs her phone from the night stand.
"Why?"
"I'm getting pictures. We're going to document this every week!"
"You're such a softie."
"I know, right. Look what you did."
"As long as you don't make a montage and put it on Youtube, then I think I can deal with your sentimental evolution."
Chloe lifts the hem of her shirt up, exposing her still-flat abdomen. The shutter sound of Beca's phone snaps through the air and Beca excitedly stores it in the newly created folder entitled "Mini-Mitchell".
xxx
It had been two weeks since their initial doctor's appointment, at which Chloe had been overwhelmed by a multitude of pamphlets and a list of vitamins she should now be taking to keep her and their growing baby in ship-shape. To say that the pair were excited would be a marvelous understatement. Beca was practically bursting with pride and if given her own way, would've shouted their news from the Hollywood sign weeks ago. Chloe had to remind the brunette that they would be able to share their news with friends and family in due time, and to be appreciative of the time they had alone with their little secret.
"Here." Beca prompts, offering a steamy mug to the redhead who has currently turned fetal amongst the bed sheets.
"What is it?" Chloe groans.
"It's ginger tea. It's supposed to help with the nausea."
"Babe, I don't think I can sit up without passing out, let alone drink anything." Chloe admits groggily.
Sitting the mug on the night stand, Beca slides in behind her wife cradling her body into her own.
"I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better."
"I'll be okay. I just need a few minutes and I'll be fine."
"You've been saying that since three o'clock this morning. You should-"
"Bucket!" Chloe gasps, holding her hand over her mouth.
Making haste in retrieving the bucket beside the bed, she makes it just in time for the redhead to empty the contents of her stomach. Again.
"Right, that's it. I'm calling the school. You are not going in today. You need to listen to your body and take it easy."
"Beca. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. This might be a 'normal' side effect, but it doesn't mean you have to kill yourself by being stubborn. You need to rest. I'm calling. End of story."
Too exhausted to argue, Chloe fights another wave of nausea as Beca gets up off the bed, making it sway ever so slightly. From the muffled phone conversation taking place just outside the door, Chloe makes out the phrases "food poisoning" and "she's in good hands." By the time Beca comes back to the bedroom, Chloe is very near to the edge of sleep and it comes as a welcome relief from the desire to throw up. She feels the bed dip beside her once more and smiles lazily as Beca places a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "All done." She whispers. "Now, get some rest. I'll come back with more tea later."
"What about your work?" Chloe mumbles, her voice already thickening with sleep.
"I can work from here today. They'll email me samples if they're desperate."
"I love you." Chloe sighs sleepily.
"Love you too. Now sleep, please."
xxx
Coming back to the clinic for their eight week checkup, Chloe was beside herself with excitement and Beca was so nervous she kept forgetting where she'd put the car keys (three out of four times they were in her jacket pocket, the other time they were in her hand). The waiting room was relatively void of other patients and the semi-silence seemed to make Beca increasingly uncomfortable. Chloe placed her hand on Beca's jittering knee for the third time, following with an expression that translated roughly to "Calm the fuck down". When the reception nurse called out Chloe's name, Beca shot out of her seat so quickly, she nearly tripped over her own foot.
"Hello ladies, so good to see you back again." Their specialist, Dr. Gilchrist greets. Dr. Gilchrist, a small, outgoing blonde woman, had been the one whom the two women had started visiting in the earlier months of Chloe's fertility and health tests. She had guided them effortlessly through the myriad of donor options and put their minds at ease when it came to conceiving.
She leads the pair into the examination room, beginning the session with the necessary check-up questions and tests. Beca finds herself blushing slightly as the doctor explains the nature of the 'internal' scan and tries to hide her impertinent amusement at the shape of the instrument. As the doctor wheels the ultrasound machine over to the examination table, Chloe finds Beca's clammy hand and grips it nervously. The blurry black and white image on the screen flickers as it comes to life, a little blob on screen flashes in and out of focus as Dr. Gilchrist manipulates the device. Decidedly finding a particularly clear view she freezes the screen, identifying the tiny fetus to the two women. Dr. Gilchrist then flicks a few knobs and buttons on the keypad, causing a light rumbling sound to filter through the room.
"That's the heartbeat." Dr. Gilchrist announces.
Chloe's eyes are glued to the screen in awe, reality finally sinking in. By the time she looks over to her wife to gauge her reaction, all she can see is a steady stream of tears falling down to Beca's chin. Chloe turns the woman's hand in her own, kissing the top of it tenderly. Looking down at the redhead, then back at the screen, Beca smiles giddily before placing her tear soaked lips to Chloe's mouth.
The doctor snaps a screenshot of the examination, printing two copies for the women to take home.
"So, when do we get to find out if we have a he or a she?" Beca asks Dr. Gilchrist as the woman begins packing everything away.
"Well, we won't really be able to tell sex until around about your 19 week scan, but possibly a bit earlier depending on how the little one grows."
"You don't want to be surprised?" Chloe asks, the conversation surprisingly not yet having come up in private.
"No? Did you?"
"No way! I thought you'd want to."
"Excuse you, how long have you known me, I hate surprises."
"Yes, but you also hate planning ahead and organisation in general."
"But I'm excited!" Beca whines, taking Chloe's hand back into her own and squeezing it enthusiastically.
"I know you are, baby."
xxx
"So when can we actually start telling people?" Beca asks eagerly as they walk down the parking lot from the clinic.
"I still say we wait until 12 weeks for family."
"What about Jesse, and I know you are dying to tell Aubrey."
"This is true. Okay how about, in our own time, you can tell Jesse and I can tell Aubrey. But we wait another four weeks to tell family and work. Deal?"
"Deal! Although, maybe we can just write my mom a letter when the baby is born. I am not looking forward to that conversation."
Beca's mother had made no effort to hide her disapproval of her daughter's lifestyle. For years she refused to believe or even acknowledge that her only daughter was interested in being with girls. The same woman would try to set Beca up on dates with "eligible young men" when Beca and Chloe had started living together, and the pair did their best to avoid the woman for the benefit of their own sanity.
"Don't worry, we can leave that one last."
"Thank god."
xxx
Beca drums her fingers nervously as she dials the number of her best friend, hoping that his answer would be speedy. Their phone conversations were always brief, which meant that their face-to-face catch-ups usually lasted for hours. But still, Beca had never had to tell anyone that she was going to have a baby, (even if she wasn't actually having the baby) and she honestly didn't know where to start. As the dial tone continued to mock her, Beca made the snap decision that she wanted to tell Jesse in person.
"Swanson." He states, distracting her from her train of thought.
"Hey Jess."
"Oh, hey Bec-star. How's it hangin'"
"Good, man. Really good. Lunch date this weekend?"
"Yes please. How's Sunday?"
"I'm good either day of the weekend. I'm not gigging this week, so I'm all yours."
"Home? On the weekend? You not well?"
"No, I'm fine. Actually, Chloe's been a bit sick though. I'm taking some time out here to look after her."
"You're so domestic, it sickens me."
"Go to hell."
"I'll see you there."
"Sinners for life, my friend."
"And afterlife."
"You're so weird."
"Also, can we maybe have a jam-sesh soon? As amazing as using my musical genius to repeatedly score the occasional minor chord over hammy actors is, I'd really like to let loose a bit, you know. It's been way too long."
"Sure, come over sometime soon and we can chill out in the studio. Maybe get a bit drunk, put some weirdness on a track and see if I can use it as a demo for some rich celebrity "singer" and make millions of dollars?"
"Sure. Do I get a cut from this hypothetical musical masterpiece?"
"Absolutely. You get a hug."
"A hug? From the Beca Mitchell? What the shit?"
"Calm your ass, Swanson."
"So are we locking in Sunday lunch, or what?"
"Is that good for you?"
"Indeed it is."
"Let's do it. See you, let's say 1.30? Crackerjack's?" she suggests their usual (and favourite) catch-up place.
"You read my mind."
"Too cool."
"Alright m'lady, I will see your face then!"
"Sweet! Later!"
xxx
Sunday rolls around soon enough, and to no surprise, Chloe is again spending the day in bed. Leaving the redhead to sleep, Beca leaves a quick note on the night stand for when the other woman wakes up and heads off to meet Jesse at Crackerjack's.
Beca finds Jesse sitting outside at one of the tables and makes a beeline across the busy patio toward him.
They order a round of beers and their usual meals, Beca excitedly fidgeting with her napkin as the waiter leaves the two alone.
"So I have news." She starts.
"I too have news."
"Oh…" She declares, not expecting the counter comment. "Um… Can I go first?" she says awkwardly.
"Yes sir, you may." The waiter chooses that moment to return with their drink orders and Jesse eagerly takes his own beverage to take a sip.
Beca smirks, "Chloe's pregnant."
Jesse chokes his beer back into the glass. "What?" he splutters.
"With a baby." Beca adds.
Jesse is still recovering from coughing up beer as he wheezes his next question. "Like , on purpose pregnant?"
"No, she hooked up with this big, bulky guy and we're now going to raise his love child." She deadpans. "Of course on purpose, you dope."
"So she didn't… like do another guy?"
"It's called a sperm donor, Jess."
"Ew, don't say sperm at lunch!"
"Sperm, sperm, sperm!" she teases.
"You are disgusting."
"It's not like it's my sperm."
"Gross. Well shit! Congratulations dude!" Jesse raises his glass in cheers and clinks it against Beca's.
"I want details!"
"Nah, man that can come in a minute- you said you had news!? Fess up!"
"I asked Tinka to marry me."
Jesse had met Tinka two years earlier at when visiting France on a studio-funded trip. Since neither she nor Jesse had any attachments to travel partners at the time, the pair had ended up spending most of their spare evenings and weekends together. Eventually upon moving back to the U.S, the two started dating properly, and from the outside, it seemed that Jessie's own movie-ending wouldn't be so far away.
"Oh my god! And?"
"She said no." he sighs out.
"…Oh. What?"
"Yeah. Then we broke up. She said we had fun, and it wasn't that she didn't love me. It was that she wanted to spend more time 'developing her career' and being unattached. Whatever the fuck that means."
"Aw man, I'm so sorry."
"Pfft. Models. What can you do?"
"Are you going to be okay? Do you want to go out and do something stupid? Because you know that's what I'm here for, right?"
"Yeah, maybe. I think I'll just wallow for a couple of weeks. I feel like a good wallow."
"Well you can wallow with me any time, dude."
"What've you got to wallow about, your life is going quite well, Mary Poppins."
"Mary Poppins? Why Mary Poppins?"
"'Practically Perfect in Every Way'? Honestly woman, after all these years, your inability to pick up on basic movie trivia makes me ashamed to know you."
"That hurts."
"I've gotta say for real though Becs, you're handling this remarkably well for someone who's life motto used to be something along the lines of 'get away from me and my personal space, unless you have bacon.'"
"Or pizza. Don't forget pizza."
"I'm honestly surprised you haven't run for the hills yet."
"You said it yourself, man. My life is going really well. What do I have to run from?"
"Um… Reality? Aren't you even just a little bit freaked out?"
"Probably…"
"How is "probably" even an answer?"
"I don't know! Maybe is hasn't really sunk in yet? I mean I guess I keep thinking, how is this possibly my life? My life, you know? I just keep expecting to wake up, a sad, single, struggling artist living on someone's couch and not knowing what all this is really about. Ask me again in 6 months, though. I'll probably be in the midst of an existential crisis."
"Something tells me you're going to be okay. Chloe's not going to let you flake."
"True story."
"I'm really happy for you guys. There's a lot of love circulating in this ticker for you both right now." Jesse says patting his chest.
"Thanks dude, it means a lot."
"Also, I shotgun being Uncle Jesse."
"No one's fighting you on that."
"Score!"
"Just drink your beer, you creep."
He clinks his glass to Beca's again in salutation "Bottom's up!"
xxx
Beca comes home later that afternoon to find Chloe slumped over in one of the stools at the island bench of the kitchen, shuffling pieces of fruit aimlessly around the bowl in front of her.
"So I told Jesse today." Beca grins excitedly.
"You told Jesse what? And Hi to you too." Chloe asks irritably.
"Oh yeah, Hi. The baby, I told him about the baby."
"Oh. And?"
"He's pretty pumped. He's already calling himself Uncle Jesse. It's so great! How are you feeling?
"Fine." Chloe mumbles, getting up and taking her bowl to the sink.
"Are you sure, baby?" Beca moves over behind the redhead, rubbing her hands soothingly over the tension in her wife's shoulders. To her surprise, Chloe shrugs her hands away in irritation, turning around to face the smaller woman.
"I said I'm fine. Not that you would even care. Where the hell did you go today?"
"Babe, I just told you I was with Jesse." Beca laughs uncertainly.
"And you decided I wasn't to be privy to that information?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I had no idea where you went. You said you were working from home this week."
"I was, it's Sunday. I don't understand why you're so upset with me, I left you a note." Chloe takes a moment to process the information.
"You did?" she cautions.
"Did you check the bedside table?" It seems that that was the entirely wrong thing to say. Chloe's eyes narrow and before Beca knows what's happening, she is met with the pitch of Chloe's voice that is only reserved for arguments and sex. And this is definitely not the latter.
"You should've called!"
"Whoa there grumpy pants. Take is easy! Who are you and what've you done with Chloe?"
"Jesus Bec, can you ease up on the sarcasm for five minutes!" Chloe says, her voice trembling. She storms down the hall to their bedroom, slamming the door in her haste.
Beca stands alone in the kitchen, her mouth still agape at the sudden outburst. Reality catches up to her as she recognizes the culprit of her wife's behavior. She rolls her eyes goodheartedly and heads to the bedroom to grovel and apologize.
Fucking hormones.
