Sorry guys, I just realized that I posted the WRONG version. So here's the actual one, all beta-ed just for you :)


CHAPTER 2

The young boy had fit in well in his class within a week, and had become close friends with a girl named Meredith.

Every day Beca received her usual drawing, and the quantity of sand by square inch coming from the boy's shoes has yet to stop growing. Ethan and sandboxes - there was a true love story. His mom liked them far less. But you can't prevent a child from being a child, can you? The brunette had also gotten her daily set of stories of what had gone on at the school, from what her son had learned, to his fits of giggles with Meredith, Beca had a colorful description as if she had been there. He was there for barely a week, but Beca knew she didn't have to worry for him.

Ethan, however wasn't the only member of the Mitchell family for whom life was going well - things were great for the DJ too. She had met Meredith's big brother, Jesse. While Ethan and Meredith played together after school, she and Jesse had become friends. He was pretty cool and inoffensive, though he was a little clingy. Jesse also attended Barden University, so she came across him sometimes on campus.

She had missed one thing during the week, though. Or more like - someone. Chloe, the redhead that she had crashed into. The brunette had to admit that she kind of missed her. Her speech as much as her body: Chloe entertained her, and on top of that - was easy on the eye. Almost to the point where Beca could be jealous. She didn't really give her appearance any peculiar interest, but the weight she had earned during her pregnancy still wasn't all gone, letting her with a famous little "potbelly".

Beca was extracted from the mix she was making when her phone rang. She saw Jesse's name flashing on the screen and accepted the call.

"You realize it's Saturday, and it's 9 A.M., I could be sleeping."

"You realize it's Saturday, it's 9 A.M., and you're already baring your fangs?" Jesse replied.

"Is there a reason to this call?"

"You're an angel in the morning," he joked.

"I'm hanging up," she said, unperturbed.

"No, no, wait there is this activities fair this afternoon on campus, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about taking Ethan to the park this afternoon," she replied, uneasily.

"We can go there after and take Meredith with us."

"I don't know, Jesse." In fact, Beca knew she didn't want to go, but she didn't want to say no to Jesse.

"Come on, Beca! When was the last time you hang out without Ethan and actually had fun?"

"Yesterday. I went to my dad's and he told me this awesome joke," she smirked.

"What I'm gonna do with you," he muttered. "Don't make me go to your place and carry you over there."

"Jesse, you don't even know where I live."

A moment passed in silence. "Touché. Come on Beca, say yes."

"You and Meredith are too much alike. Always pushing me to the limit and making your doe eyes until I reach breaking point," she sighted.

"You think I have doe eyes?" he beamed.

Beca rolled her eyes. "Your sister does. You're look more like a gawking idiot."

"Wow, so my sister got doe eyes and I'm an idiot?"

"Jesse, she's 4. You're 19. Get over it," she said as she rolled her eyes again.

"You know what would help me to get over it? If you'd come to the activities fair with me. There's even going to be waffles."

"Oh my God. I give up, you win. I'll go to the stupid thing, you're so annoying," she muttered the last part.

"Yes!" Jesse shrieked trough the phone with an abnormally pitch high, momentarily destroying Beca's hearing on its way.

"Okay, I'm hanging up now before the woman in you decide to destroy my hearing further."

"See you soon, Beca."

The DJ could hear the smile in his voice and hung up before she lost her sanity. She rubbed her ear, making a face. Since when can a man with balls who actually went through puberty go so high with his voice?

That was the moment when a baby elephant with small brunette curls made his way down the stairs, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes and getting accustomed to the sun light. Ethan climbed on her lap, his little hands holding tightly his toy truck –also known as "Vroom-Vroom".

"Hey, mommy."

"Hey, buddy. Slept well?"

He merely nodded as a reply. She played with her son's hair for a while, letting him slowly emerge from his 10 long hours of sleep.

"What do you want to do today, kiddo?"

"Can we go to the park?" Ethan asked, his voice still tick.

"Of course."

Barely two minutes later, Ethan nudged away from his mom to see her.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Ethan?"

"My tummy and I is really hungry!" he said, clapping his hands on his stomach to accentuate his point.

A living stomach with legs, Beca thought with a smile. "Of course you're hungry. Come on, little monster, breakfast time."

"Yeah!" he shrieked while throwing his fist in the air with all he had before running into the kitchen.

Seeing her son so happy at the idea if eating, Beca couldn't help the grin that grew on her face as she saved her mix.

The little boy came running back to Beca a couple of seconds later, though.

"I forgotten Vroom-Vroom," he explained with a childish grin and took the toy then run back to where he came from.

The DJ shook her head. Ah, how many times had Ethan forgotten this damn toy somewhere? Beca couldn't even count any more. She had even bought a duplicate, in case Ethan would lose his and turn into a giant torrent of uncontrollable tears. Now, she merely asked him if he had his truck before going, and of course most of the time the reply was no.

Once she arrived in the kitchen, Ethan was eagerly waiting for her. The brunette boy hadn't eaten his cereal just yet, and he was already overexcited for the day ahead.

"Calm damn, baby. It's not even 10 A.M," she said, giggling.

She set the boxes of cereal on the table along with a bowl for Ethan and then took her place in front of him on the little wooden table with her warm coffee between her hands.

"Thanks you, mommy."

"You're welcome."

While looking at Ethan eat, you could easily deduce at least two fundamental things about him. One: he loved cereal, and two: unlike most four years old kids, Ethan ate properly. Not one spoonful missed its target.

Since he was born, Beca had insisted that Ethan would be polite and proper. People could accuse her of all sorts of crimes: having had a kid at too young an age, having difficulties making ends meet, raising him without a masculine presence... But they would never blame her for not teaching him good manners or not loving him. At the age of 4, Ethan could sleep without a diaper at night, he already knew how to shower by himself (Beca stayed closed though, you never know how fast an accident could happen), and he was more polite than most of the kids his age.

The brunette decided to tell her son of the plan for the day and that Meredith was coming to the park with them, that being the good news.

"This morning, mommy got a call from Jesse and he wanted to know if you would like it if Meredith -"

"YES!" Ethan yelled before he even knew what his mom was going to tell him.

"-would come to the park with us. I assume by your enthusiasm that your answer is a big yes."

The boy nodded his head vigorously, sending brunette locks waltzing through the air.

"But on one condition," Beca said as she arched an eyebrow in order to add suspense at the end of her sentence. She lowered her voice by one or two octaves. "For this, Ethan Mitchell, you must accomplish a mission of the utmost importance this afternoon. You shall go to Tyler Mitchell and his wife Sheila Mitchell, better known under their code names: grandpop and Sheila. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will involve finding Sheila's magic cookies. Thus far, there are being watched by the greedy grandpop. To defeat him and reach the cookies, you shall need to slip through his net. However, you shall be a good boy during your mission, otherwise the authorization to go to the park will self-destruct. Ethan Mitchell, do you accept this mission?"

"Why are the cookies mazicol mommy?" Ethan asked, keenness and anticipation lacing his childish voice.

She bent over and look to her right and left, like she was telling him the Earth's greatest secret.

"It seems that once you had eaten them, your pee turns blue and you fart glitters," she murmured, her voice low to add power to her words.

Ethan's mouth formed a perfect O-shape, letting escape a dramatic "OH!" with his eyes wide open, then he pinned his hands on his mouth.

Beca tried hard to not smile at the whole situation. Her son was wearing one of the most comical looks she had ever seen on him.

"Mommy, we need these cookies," he said seriously.

"Do you accept your mission then?"

"I do. I promiss to be a good boy and find the hiding place."

"Good. Now eat up little man, you need energy for this afternoon."

Not thirty seconds later, the bowl was empty and Ethan got out of table to establish an action plan with Vroom-Vroom gripped tightly in his hands.


Around one o'clock the DJ and her son went to Sheila and grandpop's. Beca's parents lived just down the street, which was about a three minute walk. Two when Ethan was eager, and one when it was raining outside. When they had moved out of Virginia, she, Sheila, and her dad had accorded on the two families living close one to one another. Thus, Ethan could see his grandparents often and if an emergency came up, they were near.

"KNOCK KNOCK," yelled Ethan through the door.

"You know baby, actually knocking works better than screaming it through the door," Beca smirked while knocking.

"But where is the fun?"

Not answering, Sheila opened the door.

"Sheila!" shrieked the boy when he saw her. He hugged her before running into the house to find his granpop.

"Hey," said Beca. "Thanks again for babysitting him. I know I called at the last minute and-"

"Hush. Like it would ever bother us to keep an eye on him, you know your father and I are completely in love with him," Sheila huffed. "Nevertheless, I understood on the phone that it was to go out with a man," she added, winking.

The brunette made a face at the mention of a possibly of her and Jesse together. "That's Jesse we're talking about!"

"What? Is he not your type?"

"No. I mean, he's cute, but like puppy-cute, not sexy-cute. He's kind of okay, I guess?" Before her step-mother could go any further, Beca carried on. "Anyway, here are his spare clothes. And I told him that he had to find some enchanted cookies," she hold out a bag that Sheila took.

"Enchanted?"

"The kind that makes your pee turns blue and fart glitters."

Sheila broke into giggles. "You make him ride roughshod over us occasionally, but this one defeats them all. Did he believe that?"

"Please, he's four and I'm his mother. I could tell him that pigs fly at night and he would believe me," Beca smirked.

"I suppose I'm on cookie duty then?"

"Please," Beca said, embarrassed. If she could, she would have baked them and directly brought the cookies over, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. "Ethan has to search for them in the house and dad has to stop him from getting too close."

"Wow, what a mission you have for your father," Sheila smirked.

Glancing at her watch, Beca saw it was time for her to leave.

"Ethan, I'm going!"

The little boy brunette came quietly to his mom.

"Don't forget to behave, or else no park, okay?"

He nodded.

"Luv' you, mommy."

"I love you too. See you soon baby," said the DJ and headed for the campus, not without kissing her son's forehead of course.


To say that the campus was crowded would have been an understatement. Beca had never seen so many students all at once in her life. She spotted Jesse easily, though. He was the only guy to wave his arms like at lunatic at her.

"I can't believe I continue to associate myself with you," the brunette muttered under her breath.

Jesse placed a hand on his chest, feigning hurt. "I deeply offended by your comment, Beca."

"Please, tell me you're not planning on becoming an actor?"

"I'll take it that my theater class didn't pay off?"

"You could say that," Beca joked.

"So, which side you want to start?"

"Dude, you forced me to come and you dare to ask me which side I want to begin with?"

Jesse held his two hands in surrender. "Why not hit the radio-station first? You mix music, right?"

Beca nodded while Jesse guided them between people.

"I heard the manager is looking for guys to stack CDs but maybe, if you show him your mixes, he'll air them. Plus, we could work together an- Hey, isn't it Benji over here?"

"Do I look like I know who this Benji is?" answered Beca, raising her eyebrows.

"It was rhetorical, Beca. Benji is in my English class. He's a little weird but he's friendly. Follow me, I'll introduce you."

Beca turned her head to see Benji, but that's when she saw her. A tall figure with red hair walking through the crowd. Chloe. She wanted to go and talk to her; she had no idea of what to say though. The only thing she knew was that the person under the messy bun had caught her interest and she had to do something about it.

"Beca, you coming?" asked Jesse.

"Ah, go ahead. I'll see you later," she said before heading to where Chloe now stood.

Finally, after some research and sneaking between people, she reached her target. She tapped lightly on Chloe's shoulder and the red-head span around.

"Beca! Hey!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Hey."

"What are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, but you don't look like the kind of girl who likes all this socializing."

"Indeed, I don't. I only came because I was promised waffles, but now that I lost Jesse, I guess I can kiss them goodbye."

"Follow me," Chloe took her hand, dragging her into the mass of people.

Beca arched an eyebrow seeing their hands clasped together. She didn't know the ginger for long, but she already knew she had a tendency to be rather touchy. Beca was used to Ethan holding her hand but her son was four not 21 like Chloe. Did people still held hands at this age? Or was it just Chloe? Wasn't it too "couple-y"? Eventually, she stopped thinking. The DJ decided she liked her hand held, be it by Ethan or Chloe.

"Where are we going?"

Chloe throw her a smile over her shoulder. "To eat a waffle, you goof," she giggled.

"I was kidding. You don't have to buy me one."

"Believe me, you want to taste these waffles, they're to die for."

"Die? I can't do that, I've to pick Ethan after," Beca smirked.

Chloe shook her head, a smile on her lips nonetheless. She realized how much she had missed the brunette's humor during the week. Aubrey was funny, but that was just not the same. Chloe wasn't expecting to see Beca again, and it was a really nice surprise. "So much sarcasm for one tiny body."

"Like you didn't like it," the brunette replied with a confident smile.

Once they brought their waffles, the two women went to a quieter place. Spotting a tree, dotting the grass underneath because of its shadow, Chloe pulled Beca by her arm to go there. She sat down on the fresh grass, face to face to the brunette.

The ginger bitted in her waffle. "So Beca, did you see anything interesting?"

"Not really. Jesse told me about some possible job offer at the radio-station."

"Oh yeah! Luke's the manager. He's looking for people to stack CDs, but I'm sure he'll be more than thrilled to put your mixes on air if they're any good."

"What about you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm recruiting for the Bellas with Aubrey," said Chloe, pointing over her blond friend who was holding flyers.

"Bellas?"

"A-capella music. You should come to the audition, you obviously like music."

"I prefer to stay behind my mix table, sorry."

"You sure?" Chloe asked, giving her a pout.

Beca nodded. "The only person who ever manages to make me sing is Ethan."

"Lucky kid."

"Most of the time, I just sing with my guitar and he falls asleep. I think I can say my voice is far from breath-taking," the brunette shrugged.

"You can play guitar?" asked Chloe surprised.

"That's the only thing that would calm him down when I was pregnant and he wouldn't stop moving. Kept it up afterwards." Beca wasn't used to talk about Ethan or her pregnancy. Mostly because back in Virginia, she didn't have any friends to share it with. But Chloe made it so easy that the DJ didn't hesitate. She wasn't ready to say it all though. Some memories had left wounds on Beca's heart and family. Maybe if Chloe stuck around for long enough, Beca would eventually tell her.

"I can tell - you're a wonderful mother," the ginger said and placed her hand on Beca's left knee. "Your eyes shine brighter when you talk about him, it's cute."

The DJ felt herself blushing. "I do my best," she shrugged. The brunette finally dug her teeth into her waffle for the first time. She couldn't help the little cry that escaped her throat. "You weren't lying about these waffles!"

"I know, right? Talking about Ethan, where is he?"

"At my dad's. Then, we're going to the park with Jesse."

"Is Jesse your boyfriend?"

Beca made the exact same face she did when Sheila had asked her this morning.

"Seeing your face, I assume the answer in no," Chloe giggled.

"Long story short - Ethan befriended this girl at school, Meredith. Turns out she has an older brother called Jesse who is also attending to Barden University. He's really sweet, but he's just afriend. He's too... cheerful for me."

"Like I'm not too cheerful for you," Chloe smirked.

"You're different," Beca shrugged.

"That's the red hair. It makes us, red-heads irresistible," Chloe joked.

Beca laughed. "Happy to learn that my brunette hair doesn't bestow any added-value to me and oblige me to stay among the common men, you know us, the brunettes."

"Like you needed any added value," Chloe muttered so low that the DJ didn't hear her. "I like your hair. It compliments your eyes."

"Says the woman with the more stunning and bluest eyes on Earth."

"It's to compensate the ginger hair."

"I thought it made you irresistible?" Beca smirked.

Chloe shrugged. "Apparently, I smell like carrots and I'm a witch."

"If it makes you feel any better, you don't smell like carrots that much."

The red head took an over-exaggerated offended look and playfully hit Beca on the shoulder. "That was mean and tots uncalled for," she said crossing her arms like a petulant child.

"Do you forgive me?"

"What do I get if I do so?"

"A reconciliation hug?" asked Beca.

Before her pregnancy, Beca wasn't much of a hugger. But Ethan had given her enough hugs in four years for her to know they both loved it. That was also a way for Ethan to apologize after he pulled a mean prank. Maybe this ruse would work with Chloe like it did with her.

The redhead pretended to think, holding her chin between her thumb and her forefinger. "Deal!" she eventually said, throwing her arms in the air and a grin from ear to ear suspended to her lips. "Come here, you big baby."

Beca would have wanted to protest against that atrocious nickname but the smile on Chloe's face dissuaded her. Instead, she hugged the red head like she had promised.


When Chloe glanced at her phone again, she saw that she had been talking with Beca for 45 minutes. Remembering that she had told Aubrey she was going to pee, she decided to rejoin the blond as fast as she could before invoking the wrath of Aubrey Posen.

"Sorry, Beca. I have to go back to the booth with Aubrey, otherwise she'll kill me."

"Oh, okay." The DJ said and stood up. She tried to not let disappointment show in her voice.

The brunette liked talking with Chloe. It was easy; she didn't have to think before talking. The redhead didn't judge her. She could be telling the thousand and one story about Ethan or making a sarcastic comment, Chloe let her talk. And best of all, the red head had her own jokes and her saucy stories. The DJ was almost sure Chloe was flirting with her sometimes, but she couldn't be sure.

Beca held out her left hand for Chloe and helped her up. She tried to take her hand back but Chloe's grip tightened so she stopped. It seemed that Beca wasn't the only one to find the handholding pleasant.

"Come with me?" asked Chloe, her voice light and as her two blue irises planted onto Beca's.

"Sure."

Chloe dragged her to the booth where a blond student was standing, most likely Aubrey.

"You know your "pee break"," Aubrey said using air quotes. "took 45 whole minutes. Even with colic, it would have taken you less time."

"'Bree!" Chloe chastised, clearly uncomfortable.

"What? Embarrassed that I talk about pee-pee and potty in front of your new friend?"

Beca was grinning stupidly. Seeing Chloe blushing made her weirdly happy. "Don't worry. Ethan's a lot worse."

"Can't we just stop talking about it? Normal people don't talk about it." The redhead turned towards Aubrey. "I'm sorry, okay? But look, I brought a hobbit back as an apology."

"Hey, I'm still there," Beca said as she knocked Chloe's arm with her elbow. She tried to be serious but the smile on her face told the exact opposite.

"Come on, you love my jokes about your shortcomings."

"No, I really don't," replied the brunette.

"Yes you do."

"I don't."

"You so do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No.

"Yes."

"No."

"Tell me you love them, and I stop calling you a hobbit."

"Argh. I love it when you call me a hobbit. Happy?"

"Very," Chloe replied with an enormous grin.

"Now, will you please stop calling me that?"

"I thought you liked it?" Chloe smirked.

"Chloe, work!" Aubrey yelled, breaking whatever bubble the two had created.

"Before you go, you think you could give me your phone number? I really liked talking with you, you're funny," Chloe asked.

"I'm not that interesting, but sure," Beca said embarrassed.

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Chloe squeezed the brunette's hand to emphasize her point.

Beca handed her phone to the redhead and Chloe gave her back a few seconds later.

"I texted myself so I've your number. Now, you'll never get rid of me."

"Talk to you soon then," Beca said and started to go, waving.

Much too soon, flyers were placed in Chloe's hand and she was distributing them along with Aubrey.

"Just hearing you two flirting made my ears bleed," said Aubrey.

"I wasn't flirting."

Aubrey's eyebrows shot up. "You weren't?"

"I was just being extra nice with someone who is extra attractive."

"Extra-attractive? Are you sure you didn't forget to put your contacts in this morning?"

"You're kidding, right? Have you seen her ass? It's like her rear is pleading for my hands to touch it. I would lo-"

"Stop! Stop right there! I don't want to hear the end of this sentence." Aubrey crinkled on nose in disgust. "Just... Keep handing out flyers."


Barely a foot into her dad's house that a little figure with crumbs and chocolate stains all around his mouth throw himself in Beca's arms.

"Mooommmmmmy!"

"Hey, little man," she replied as she span them in circles, making Ethan giggle.

"I managed to find the mazicol cookies, mommy! I'm goin' to pee blue and fart glitters!"

"Indeed, I can see that," Beca said, admiring the crumbs that littered her son's mouth.

"And I've been a really truly very good boy."

"Oh, is this big fat lie the truth?"

Her son nodded vigorously and Beca's father, Tyler, appeared in the room.

"Hey, Dad."

"Pop-pop I've been good, didn't I?"

"Of course you were, sweetie," replied Tyler.

"See mommy. I've been good, now we can go to the park with Meredith."

Ethan wouldn't stop wiggling around in her arms, so she put him down and he ran to the garden as soon as his feet touched the grown.

"You guys seriously need to stop givin' him so much sugar when he comes. He's like a dynamo afterwards."

"What can I say, he makes his puppy-dog eyes and we can't resist." He shrugged. "Sheila told me you were at the activities fair, how was it?"

"I lost Jesse, I meet Chloe again, and may have found a job at the radio station."

"A job? That's great news, Beca!" Her dad said with a smile. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks dad. Now, we're going to head to the park."

At the mention of the park, Ethan came rushing in. "PARK!"

"Yes buddy. Tell grand-pop and Sheila goodbye."

The young boy hugged both adults then returned to his mom and took her by the hand. Barely out of the house, Ethan dragged her towards the nearest park, visibly excited to see his friend. He had seen her yesterday Beca thought with a smile

Her son was beaming and carefree here. This warmed Beca's heart. Seeing him like this, she knew she had made the right decision in moving to Barden. This town had great surprised to both of them. Never in her life had the DJ imagined making a friend in only a week, never mind two. And who knows? Maybe Jesse and Chloe carried more surprises of their own for the Mitchells.