Thank you for your outstanding response to the first chapter! I'm going to wrong some rights, and right some wrongs. I hope you enjoy!


It was late on Sunday afternoon when Beca pulled herself together long enough to go and collet her child. She didn't want to face Jesse and she certainly didn't want to face Aubrey, but she had a five year old that she missed.

"Hey Mama!" Memphis called excitedly, wrenching open the front door.

"Memphis Swanson", Jesse called in amusement. "Did you check who was at the door?"

"It does always gonna be Mummy or Aunt Amy, Daddy!" she pulled her mother inside. "Guess what we did this weekend, Mama! We went to the park and went swimming and Uncle Benji and Uncle Donald played Twister with me, and Daddy and I watched Frozen two times".

"Really? Wow, sounds like you had a good weekend!"

"I did! Did you have a good weekend, Mama? What did you do?"

Beca took a seat on the couch and Memphis climbed up onto her lap, grinning eagerly.

"I stayed at home and did some work, and then I did the grocery shopping. And then your aunts and I got dinner delivered last night and watched TV".

(She didn't feel it necessary to share with her five year old that she had eaten a whole tub of ice cream while surrounded by used tissues, listening to Taylor Swift in her bed as well.)

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think you had a better weekend". Beca kissed the top of her head.

"Wait here! I found something I've got to show you!"

"She never sits still", Jesse laughed. "She's our little pocket rocket. How was your weekend, Becs?"

"Good- very quiet. It's always quiet without her around".

"Oh, tell me about it", he agreed (steering clear of the engagement issue. If they didn't have to talk about it yet, he wouldn't).

"Hey Mama, look at this photo!" Memphis shoved a photo frame at Beca and she took it, grinning when she saw the photo inside it. Twenty year old Beca and Jesse were smiling back at her, frozen in time, with three month old Memphis in her arms. It was their first- and only- date since she was born, Fat Amy and Stacie volunteering to babysit the infant (with the stepmonster- who Beca had to reason, wasn't as bad as she originally thought- on standby). They'd lasted forty minutes at the restaurant, Beca worrying the entire time about Memphis and Jesse imagining everything that their dear friends were teaching their baby. They'd broken up only weeks later, despite trying everything they knew to hold their relationship together.

"I remember this", she said, smiling fondly. "Daddy and I didn't last more than an hour, you know kid?"

"Because someone was too busy worrying about their baby". Jesse shot her an amused look, which she returned.

"Because someone kept making scenarios up to make me worry about my baby".

Jesse laughed. "It's a nice photo, hey kiddo?"

"I like it".

"What do you think, should it go in your room?"

Memphis nodded. "I think so". She looked up at her parents, smiling. "Mummy, I like your hair. You look like a princess. Don't you think so Daddy?"

"I do". Jesse nodded in agreement. "Mummy always looks beautiful". And he'd always thought so. Whether she was going out of her way to dress up or lounging around in an old hoodie and pyjamas pants, Beca had a way of looking stunning.

Beca couldn't help but notice the way that Jesse's gaze lingered on her small frame a little longer than usual. She shrugged it off, as Memphis ran off to take the photograph to her bedroom.

"Memphis, get your backpack, okay?" Beca called after her. "We need to get going home; Aunt Stacie's waiting for us!"

"'Kay!"

"So how was all that quality time with your bed?" Jesse said with a grin, and Beca chuckled slightly.

"Very relaxing, thank you". She didn't mention that was almost all she had done that weekend- quality time with her bed and sweatpants and favourite ice cream flavour. Jesse didn't need to know that.

"That's good, you need some time off. You work too hard, Becs".

"It's nice to be needed. Memphis is going through that little independent stage and I hardly get to do anything anymore".

"Memphis will always need you", he argued. "Hell, I need you". And then it was blatantly obvious that the last bit shouldn't have slipped out. Coughing a little, he looked away. "Do you remember the night that Memphis's photo was taken?"

"Of course I do". Beca nodded. "I think everyone remembers that night".

"Aubrey's here!" Benji hollered down the hallway, spying the third car pull into the driveway.

"Hello sweetheart", Aubrey greeted, coming inside and kissing Jesse in greeting. "Hi Beca, it was so nice to spend some time with Memphis this weekend".

Jesse managed a small grin before looking sadly at his ex.

"Well, we've got to go", Beca said, calling out for her kid before her ex and his fiancé could see her break down. "Come on Memphis, Aunt Stacie is waiting!"

"Well, it was good to see you, Beca", Aubrey said pleasantly. "Bye Memphis honey".

Memphis crept down the hallway, having bid her beloved Uncle goodbye, before wrapping her arms around Jesse's legs. "Bye Daddy. I had a real good weekend".

"I did too baby girl", he whispered, kneeling down to hug her properly. "I love you".

"I love you more", she giggled, their usual argument.

"I love you the most", he said, and she laughed.

"Becs-"

"Relax", Beca cut him off, looking into his eyes and wondering if he could see the pain and longing in hers. "We're fine".

Emotions flooded through Jesse, emotions that he couldn't even name, as he watched the two of them, hand in hand, walk towards Beca's car. There were so many things that she wanted to say, her chest felt like it was going to explode as she held everything back. She wanted to shake his shoulders and scream at him that she loved him, not caring what the woman that he was going to marry thought.

"See ya Jess", she called, forcing herself to get in the car and drive away.

"Bye Bec", he said quietly, waving form the doorway with Aubrey's arm around his waist.