Chapter 4 – A Friend in Me

"And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me"

~ Randy Newman

Bella woke the next morning with a migraine. They didn't always follow panic attacks – but sometimes they were the nice, gut-wrenching surprise at the end of a shitty experience. She whimpered as she moved – it hurt – a lot. Even with her eyes closed, the light from the windows was too much. She pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball. Her stomach swam with the movement. She needed her pill – and she needed it immediately. Otherwise, she was as good as useless for the day. She sat up and waited for the vertigo to pass. After that, she scooted to the end of the bed and again waited for the feeling to pass. The next part was the hardest – somehow, she made it to her book bag. She fished the prescription bottle out of the front pocket and dragged herself back to bed.

She had almost made it when her stomach turned. She saw the garbage can in front of Poppy's bed and reached it just in time. Carefully, she crawled back into bed and took one of her pills. Her hands shook as she did it – but she was eventually successful. It took her another hour to fall back asleep, her head spinning and stomach turning.

Poppy was still sleeping at noon when the pounding started on the door. It didn't wake Bella – it did wake the redhead. "What in the hell?" She asked, yanking it open. It was Alexis. "What do you want?" She asked, feeling incredibly non-gracious after the copious amounts of alcohol she'd consumed the night before.

"To see your sister. She was supposed to call me this morning." Poppy did not care. She crawled back into bed, leaving the door open. Alexis sighed and shut it behind her. She realized that Bella was still in bed. Her phone – and the note – had never been touched. The water had been.

She knew this was none of her business – and if she were doing the smart thing, she would walk away. But she was tired of doing the smart thing. She knew something was bringing her back to Bella time and again. Gently, she nudged the sleeping girl. "Bella? Bella – are you okay?" The brunette rolled over and her eyes opened.

"You didn't have to stay," she said softly.

"I didn't. I came back – have you been sleeping all this time? It's been like twelve hours."

"Migraine," Bella said weakly, realizing thankfully that Alexis hadn't been there to witness her vomiting. "This morning."

"I'm sorry. Is it still hurting?"

Bella shook her head. "No – it's gone. I took my medicine for it at like six this morning. And I puked. Poppy's going to be really pleased with that."

"Trust me, she kind of deserves it after what I saw last night," Alexis said.

"Highly possible," Bella responded. "I love my sister – but she can be very dedicated to – "

"Herself?"

"I was going to say Poppy, but they're the same thing, so yeah." Alexis laughed.

"Well, I'm glad you survived with your sense of humor. Can I talk you into lunch?"

"Will you leave me alone if I say no?"

"Probably not."

"Then I'll go. But nothing greasy." She paused. "Actually – no food would be better. And I need to get a shower first."

"You have to eat something. We'll go somewhere with toast," Alexis promised. "And I'll wait outside. One hour and I'm coming back in – "

"I believe you," Bella responded softly. She got up after Alexis left and tested the waters – her vertigo was completely gone, thankfully. She took her robe and shower things down the hall and quickly showered. She froze for a moment when she looked down and realized there were bruises shaped like fingerprints on her breast where that animal had groped her. She turned the water hotter until it hurt and stood there for several minutes, letting it sting and chase away the panic. Rallying her strength and remembering that someone was waiting for her, she finished in the shower. She towel dried her hair and wrapped it around her head in intricate braids. She dressed quickly, throwing on a long-sleeved t-shirt and her favorite scarf. It was actually hers – a gift from her mom. She threw on a burgundy jacket and picked up her purse and cellphone before vacating the room.

Alexis looked over at her when she appeared. "I'm impressed. I don't know many people who can be ready to go in less than thirty minutes."

"No makeup," Bella responded, taking a moment to text Poppy.

Alexis caught herself before she informed Bella that she didn't need it. "There's a café about two blocks from here – does that work for you?"

"I'm not in the market for food other than toast, so whatever works for you is fine with me."

"Alright," Alexis agreed, standing. They began walking together and the older girl realized that Bella hadn't really looked at her. "Camille already turned in the creep who had his hands on you last night," she informed her. Bella looked up, concerned. "You don't have to say anything – Camille did everything. He was still drunk when the campus police picked him up – he's out of school for the drunk and apparently disorderly, so you don't have to decide about pressing charges or anything – unless you want to."

"No," Bella said quickly. "I really don't want to talk about it, actually."

"That's fine," Alexis responded. "Panic attacks. How often do you have them?"

"Seriously? You think I want to talk about that?"

"I think you probably need to." Bella was silent as they finished their walk – and the older girl allowed it. When they sat down, Alexis ordered coffee and Bella ordered herbal tea. The smaller girl was searching the room with her eyes, trying to find something to focus on. "Bella – "

"I'm fine, really," Bella told her. "Seriously – it's not a thing. It's just – I'm fine."

"You do realize that saying it more does not make it true, right? Listen, we have – what – two and a half months until regionals? If not because I really do actually care about you and I do want to help you- can you tell me how this is going to affect the Bellas?"

"It's not."

"No? What are the chances of a panic attack on stage? What about on the bus to or from? In the hotel? Because you are going to be answering a lot more than my questions if what I saw last night happens in front of the group."

"Then maybe I should quit."

"Bella – that is not what – "

"No. I have no intention of being a liability. So if it makes you uncomfortable – if you're afraid I'm going to freeze or freak out on stage or cause the group some kind of distress – then I will quit."

"You are extremely stubborn."

"I've heard that before," Bella answered simply, just as their drinks were delivered. As promised, she ordered toast.

"You're not quitting."

"Fine." They passed the rest of their breakfast in – mostly – amicable silence. Alexis wasn't going to get anywhere trying to pull information forcibly from Bella, so she backed off and tried to talk in the way back about neutral things – classes and music. Bella was agreeable and they conversed the whole way back to campus – even stopped for several minutes in front of Bella's building to finish talking.

"Thank you for breakfast," Bella said, turning to go.

"Bella?" She turned around to look at her.

"You can talk to me – whenever you want."

"Thank you," she said simply, walking away and back into her dorm.

Their youngest daughter in California was almost making new friends – including her teacher, apparently. "Why does Vera live in Georgia?" Dahlia posed this question to Beca over her afternoon snack later that week.

"That's where she goes to school," Beca told her.

"But she's not old enough for college. You have to be 18." She was sure of this – she had double checked the information with her teacher. Beca smiled at her assured voice.

She nodded. "Traditionally, you do. But Vera is very, very smart."

"Really?"

"Seriously," Beca responded, nodded emphatically. "Doesn't always seem like it – does it? She's still a kid – she still has fun. But when it comes down to it, she's so smart. She skipped a grade when she was small – younger than you – but she was still bored. So, last year – we started talking about letting her finish high school early and starting college classes. She wasn't really happy in high school – it was boring for her." Beca didn't mention the bullies – Dahlia didn't need to worry about that. "So, we let her do it – and she wanted to go to Barden – which is in Georgia."

"That's far away," Dahlia informed her. She had asked her teacher earlier that day to point it out on the map and she was stunned how far away the three older girls were.

"It is," Beca responded. "We didn't want her to go so far – but Barden was what she wanted. And she wanted to be near her sisters – so we let her go. But she was a little young to live in the dorms. So for this year, at least, she lives with our friends Benji and Emily and their kids."

"Jake and Emma?"

"Yes, ma'am," Beca answered.

"Are we going to visit them in Georgia?"

"Yes. In October," she told her. "It's homecoming weekend – and somehow I let Chloe talk me into going back every year to perform with our old singing group."

"You're going to sing?"

Beca laughed at her excitement. "Love, I sing to you every night – that's not news."

"But on stage, like in the videos?"

"What videos?" Beca asked suspiciously. Dahlia suddenly realized her slip-up and edged out of her chair, creeping away from the table, her smile growing larger as she realized how badly she was doing at stealthily escaping. Beca stood up quickly, chasing her. "Who showed you videos?" She asked, catching her in the living room and tickling her.

Dahlia was laughing happily but completely unable to speak between squeals as she was tickled. Finally, Beca let up and met her eyes. "Who?" Beca asked.

"Poppy."

"Oh my goodness" Beca exclaimed jokingly. "Which ones? Oh – she didn't show you one with Aunt Aubrey, did she?"

Dahlia shook her heard firmly. "Poppy said I have to draw my own conclusions about Aunt Audrey – and then she would show me the best video." Beca could hear her older daughter saying those exact words.

"Don't ever watch that video," Beca told her. "It is not worth the damage it will do to your soul." Beca's own gag reflex got about ten times worse for hours anytime she caught sight of that video – or thought of the time with Lily. Oh. Dinner was ruined.

Dahlia had been living with them for two weeks when Beca and Chloe invited their closest friends – those who lived in town – to join them for dinner on a Saturday evening. Dahlia knew they were having company, but Beca wasn't quite sure she knew what company meant. She ran around the house – Vera had taught her well in a short amount of time – while Beca and Chloe made dinner and set the table. Finally, they needed her to settle down.

"Dahlia, can you please come and help me?" Beca asked. She was in the dining room. Dahlia appeared before her, looking only a slight bit sick; it was still an improvement. "You're not in trouble," she said, meeting the child's eye. "Sweetie, did my voice sound angry?" Dahlia shook her head. "Then why would you think I might be angry?"

"I don't know," Dahlia admitted softly.

"Okay," Beca responded, leaning down to kiss her temple. "Try to remember, love – we are not here to get mad at you and yell at you. If you do something wrong – we'll talk about it. No yelling." Dahlia nodded. "Okay," the brunette said again, hands on her hips, surveying the scene. "Do you think you can help me set the table? We have to eat in here because we have a few extra people tonight. Do you remember who is coming?"

"Your friends," Dahlia said simply.

"Yep," Beca responded. "Eight people. Aunt Aubrey and Uncle Jesse. And Aunt Stacie. Aunt Cynthia Rose and her wife Mable. Aunt Jessica and Uncle Donald - and their daughter Katie."

"That's all?"

"That's not enough?"

"It is," Dahlia responded, eyes wide. Beca laughed and handed her the napkins, showing her where to put them at each plate. Once the table was set, she called out to Chloe.

"Chlo – we're going upstairs to change. I'll try to make it quick so you can get ready too."

"Thank you!" She called back. Beca took Dahlia's hand and led her up the stairs to her bedroom. She opened the closet.

"What do you want to wear?" This was a difficult question. Dahlia had no idea what it was to have so many clothes – and she had begun shutting down when faced with that question. Chloe's solution was to choose for her. That was not Beca's style. Dahlia looked at her uneasily. "I would go with nice pants or a dress. Which do you like better?"

"A dress."

Okay," Beca said, moving about half of the clothes to the side, leaving the dresses front and center. "You do have a lot of dresses. Can you tell mom likes them?" Dahlia smiled but she still looked worried – there were at least thirty dresses to choose from. "What is your favorite color, again?" Beca asked, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling like she had forgotten and was thinking about it deeply.

"Blue!" Dahlia cried, buying into her teasing.

"Alright, alright. Forgive me. I have four kids now. That's a lot of favorite colors to keep track of." She gave Dahlia another grin before picking through the dresses and laying the blue ones on the bed. That left them with four possibilities. Beca cringed at the last one and snatched it back up. "This one is too dressy," she said. "If you don't mind, love, I'm going to put that one back. And later I'm going to ask your mom what she was thinking." The blue satin and lace dress went back into the closet with Dahlia still giggling.

"Okay," Beca said, motioning to the three dresses. "Which one do you want for today?" Dahlia studied them for a long time and said nothing. She looked back at Beca, who shook her head. "There is no wrong answer, Dahlia. Any of them will be beautiful."

Dahlia looked worried but she eventually pointed at the dress in the middle. It was cobalt color made out of a soft fabric that gathered with a ribbon tie on the side of the waist and then twirled into a fairly full – but casual enough – skirt. Beca smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Beautiful," she promised. She took the other two dresses and shut them in the closet before the choice could be questioned.

She helped the little girl wash her face and brush her teeth. "Why are we brushing our teeth before we eat?"

"It's just kind of something you do when people come over to visit," Beca answered. Then she helped her into the dress and let her twirl around the room a few times. The older woman laughed and smiled. "Okay, kiddo – accessories." This time, she really didn't have time for Dahlia's decisions. She pulled a black sweater from the closet along with black shoes and white socks with the ridiculously cute little white lace that Chloe loved. Dahlia shrugged into the sweater and followed Beca into her own room.

"You sit here and put those on," Beca said, pointing to the socks and shoes. "I'm going to change and then we'll go downstairs to help mom with dinner."

Beca washed her face, touched up her light makeup, and swept her hair loosely away from her face and up into a clip. She stepped into a casual black dress with a flared skirt. She exchanged her every day diamond studs for a pair of antique looking flowered earrings and a long matching necklace. She left on her normal bracelets and rings and returned to Dahlia, who looked up at her in awe.

"You look pretty."

"Thank you. So do you," Beca told her. She lifted Dahlia into the air and held her close, twirling her around once so their skirts flew and the little girl giggled. Then she caught herself against the bed. "Holy crap. Don't let me do that again. I'm too old for that."

"You're not old."

"You say the best things," Beca told her as they headed down the back staircase to Chloe.

Chloe beamed when she saw them. "Well, if it isn't the two most beautiful girls," she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. Dahlia giggle and Beca gave an exaggerated curtsey. "I don't know how I can compete," she said, leaning down to kiss Dahlia – then standing up again to kiss Beca.

"Please don't let that stop you from trying," Beca said.

"Never," Chloe answered. "Do not let anything burn – there are timers for everything. It's foolproof, Rebecca." She called the last bit as she was hurrying up the stairs.

Beca rolled her eyes and looked down at Dahlia. "It's like she forgets that I cook for her all week." Before any timers went off, Chloe came down, hair loose and wavy, eyes stunningly blue against the turquoise dress she wore. Beca's eyes went wide and Chloe winked. Dahlia was in the living room, coloring.

"I thought you kind of liked this color."

"You know how you look right now," Beca said, whispering in her ear. "And you are evil for doing this to me."

"I'm not the one afraid to have sex with a kid sleeping in the house," Chloe reminded her.

Beca blushed furiously. "Just young kids," she hissed quietly. "Impressionable kids."

"Our girls turned out just fine."

"Yeah – because I started putting them to bed with sound-proof headphones when they were toddlers. You're loud, Chloe."

"You've never complained before." Beca didn't have a chance to answer – the doorbell rang. She took a few deep breaths, checked the mirror to ensure her coloring had gone down, and hurried in to stand with Dahlia. The little girl stood up from her spot at the coffee table, looking nervous. Beca took her hand and gave her a wink before leading her over to the door.

Stacie had arrived, along with Cynthia Rose and Mabel.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest?" Stacie asked, immediately squatting down to Dahlia's level, despite her heels and black and white dress. Beca loved her for it. "Hi, Dahlia."

"This is Aunt Stacie," Beca told her. Dahlia waved nervously.

Stacie smiled gently at her. "That dress looks beautiful on you – is blue your favorite color?" Dahlia nodded. She looked over toward the coffee table. "What were you coloring?" Dahlia started walking toward it and Stacie went with her, carefully reaching for her hand. The little girl took it without question. She and Stacie sat at the coffee table and she began explaining what she was working on. Beca, Chloe, and CR watched in amazement.

"She's the horse whisperer – but for humans. And not just men," CR said.

"Well, we've known that for years," Chloe answered.

"We just didn't know it could be done without sexual favors," Beca added with a whisper. She was completely straight-faced but it made CR and Mable laugh, which caused Stacie to flip them the bird – behind Dahlia's back, all the while staying completely focused on what the child was saying.

"Thanks for coming," Beca said, stepping in to hug each of the women.

"No problem, cap. We're happy to meet the new kid. From the get go, she seems a lot quieter than your other kids. Good choice. You all could use some quieter people at your family gatherings." Beca shot her a glare and nodded toward the kitchen.

"You know where the drinks are – help yourselves." Chloe, ever the hostess, was – as usual – abhorred by Beca's suggestion and chased them down to help them. Before she returned, the doorbell rang again, so the brunette turned from watching her daughter and Stacie to answer it. Jessica was on the other side with Donald, their nine year old daughter Katie with them.

"Hey, guys," Beca said cheerfully. She welcomed them in and hugged Jessica, then Donald. She knelt down a bit to hug Katie. "How are you, sweetie?"

"Good," the little girl smiled, hugging Beca fiercely. They didn't visit as much as they would have all liked – but Katie adored Beca and Chloe.

"What grade are you in now?" Beca asked. "Like – tenth? Eleventh?"

"Fifth!" Katie said, laughing at Beca's estimation.

Beca looked up at Donald and Jessica, smiling – then back at their daughter. "Do you like it?"

The little girl nodded. "I'm learning how to play the piano and the violin now."

"That is awesome," Beca responded. "Can we hear later, after dinner?" Katie nodded, glowing with pride to be asked. "Excellent," the brunette answered. "Sweetie – why don't you go in the kitchen – Aunt Chloe is in there – and ask her for juice – and then when you come back in – I'll introduce you to Dahlia. Okay?" Katie nodded and scampered away. Beca stood again and led the two into the living room. Ten minutes later, Katie and Jessica were also sitting at the coffee table – and now Dahlia and Katie were both coloring. Beca smiled as she walked past Donald to get the door again. This time – she didn't have to invite anyone in. She was simply lucky they didn't use their key.

Jesse practically lifted her off the floor with a hug. "Hey, Becs. It's been too long."

"Dude – you are the one who keeps long hours. I'm lazy – I'm free pretty much whenever."

"Yeah – they definitely award Grammys for laziness now." Beca smiled and hugged him one more time before offering one to Aubrey.

"Hello, Beca. You're looking well. How is everything?"

"It's wonderful. Work is the usual – Chloe is excellent. The girls are making trouble at our alma mater – and we have a new one. It's pretty awesome. Let me introduce you." With the way in which the guests had arrived scattered – and how only Stacie, Jessica, and Katie stayed close for a majority of the evening, Dahlia seemed to do well with the company.

When Chloe announced dinner, the little girl looked up and suddenly realized how many people were in her living room. Beca saw the momentary panic in her eyes and quickly walked over, holding out her hand. Dahlia took it and Beca squeezed her hand gently. Dahlia sat between Beca and Katie, with Stacie directly across from her. The dinner table conversation was heavily leaning towards Disney movies and the best Barbie Dolls – but Dahlia was enjoying herself.

Later that evening, most of the guests had left – all but Stacie, Jessica, Katie, and Donald. Jessica said it was getting late and they had to go soon – but first she pulled something rather large out of a bag Donald had carried in and handed it to Katie. Katie walked over to Dahlia and handed her the gift. "This is for you," she said, ceremoniously. Dahlia looked at Chloe and Beca, who nodded and smiled, telling her she could take it.

"Thank you," Dahlia said, her speech a bit flustered from surprise. She carried it over to where Beca and Chloe sat together and they helped her open it – it was an American Girl Doll with the set of books. Her name was Samantha and she was from the Victorian Era. Dahlia looked stunned; she knew exactly what this was and had never even dreamed of owning one. She looked at her parents for help.

"Go say thank you," Chloe told her, cupping her cheek. Dahlia did, returning to Katie with a stunned expression.

"Thank you – I love her."

Katie nodded; she knew that was inevitable in her nine years of wisdom. "I have one too – but Mommy made me leave her in the car. She said I can bring her in next time we come – then we can play with them together. I have Kit," she added. She gave Dahlia a hug and pretty much burst every heart left in the room.

Beca walked Jessica, Katie and Donald to the door. "You did not need to do that," Beca said as she hugged Jessica good bye.

"I wanted to," Jessica assured her, tears springing to her eyes as she nodded. "She's beautiful, Beca. Thank you. Just. Thank you." They had found out – senior year in college – that Jessica had been adopted when she was four years old. This hit very close to home for her. She left before she could cry completely and Donald swept Katie into his arms to carry her to the car.

"Thanks, BM. Good party."

"See you later, Donald. Bye, Katie!"

"Bye, Aunt Beca!"

Returning to the living room, Beca found Chloe and Stacie sitting on the floor, helping Dahlia unwrap the doll. Once Dahlia had her, she turned to show her to Beca. "She is beautiful," Beca told her. "I can't wait to read her stories." Dahila nodded in agreement.

"Well, this is coming with poor timing. I cannot compete with the nation's best-loved dolls. But, I still brought you something," she said, standing to go to her purse. She returned with a small box that she handed to Dahlia, who looked absolutely flabbergasted. Two presents. In one night. From people she had never met before.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, handing the doll reverently to Beca. Chloe held the box while she unwrapped it. Once opened, she saw that it contained a necklace. Chloe helped her pull it out and Dahlia's eyes lit up – she recognized it immediately. Poppy, Vera, and Bella had all worn one while at home. Bella's was red – Vera's yellow, and Poppy's green. This necklace had different shades of blue gems creating a flower on the front – it was breathtaking to a little girl who had – a few weeks before – owned nothing. She looked up at Stacie, speechless. The older woman simply smiled.

"It's all yours, pretty girl," Stacie told her. She dropped a kiss on Dahlia's dark locks. Chloe flipped the necklace over and showed Dahlia the carving of the guardian angel. Chloe fastened it around the little girl's neck and Dahlia surprised them again by hugging Stacie. The tall brunette knelt down to hug her properly. "Welcome to the family, Dahlia." Ten minutes later, Chloe and Beca left Dahlia on the sofa – on the brink of exhaustion and hugging her new doll, and walked her to the door.

"Thank you, Stacie," Beca told her. "For everything."

"Anytime," Stacie responded. "I was missing having rugrats nearby. Jessica and Donald aren't as sociable as you two are – I don't get to see Katie often."

"You can come over anytime," Chloe told her. Beca looked at her with a question and Stacie waited.

"You gave that necklace to the other girls when they were 12, didn't you?"

Stacie nodded and shrugged. "I know you said she hasn't had it very easy. I figured she could use a guardian angel a little earlier. I'll give her the matching earrings when she's 12," she said, shrugging again, picking up her purse.

"Then what about when she's 16?"

"Who the hells knows, Mitchell. We've got 8 years, give me a break."

"I'll be waiting to see how you figure this out," Beca responded with a straight face.

"I'm sure you will be. Good night, Chloe. Becs." She was almost out the door when Chloe called after her and she turned around.

"Stacie!"

"Yep?"

Chloe looked at her wife, then back at the doctor. Beca knew what was coming and tried to escape. "Stop!" Chloe ordered. "Stacie, when was the last time Beca came to see you?"

"We had lunch a few weeks ago," Stacie said evasively.

"You know what I mean," Chloe responded.

"Dude – I am fine. This is really not fair to ask her – right in front of me. And after a party," Beca complained.

"Because I know you'll lie," Chloe answered. "Not about much – but definitely about this. When was her last physical?" She asked, looking at the taller brunette.

"You know, Chloe, I don't actually memorize my appointments. They're in a computer," she told her. Fine," the redhead said, turning to her wife.

"Beca, how long has it been?"

"Is this really the time?"

"Yes, actually. Because we just adopted a kid – and I'd like you to be around a bit longer. How long has it been?" Beca looked pained. She looked at Stacie, who shook her head; there was nothing she could do to help.

"Months," she said, nodding.

"How many months?"

"24ish?"

"Rebecca Mitchell!"

"Twice in one night – seriously?" Beca responded.

"You know you have the tendency toward high blood pressure – and there are all sorts of other things you're supposed to be watching for. That's why you make an appointment at least once a year."

Beca winced. "Yes, I know my blood pressure runs high. Do you know why my blood pressure runs high? Because you ask me questions that you know I don't want to answer."

"Well," Stacie said putting her hands up in the air. "This is not my business anymore. Thank you for a lovely dinner – I look forward to seeing you both – and Dahlia – soon."

Once Stacie was gone, Beca stood miserably against the far wall, not looking at Chloe.

"You can be very mean sometimes."

"Only because I love you," Chloe responded. She kissed Beca on the cheek. "I'm going to ask that question again in one month – and either your answer changes, or your bedroom does." Beca rolled her eyes and watched Chloe walk away. If she wasn't in her forties, she totally would have stamped her foot.


Thanks everyone for reading! I'm really loving spending time with these characters and writing this story. But i would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed at the lack of feedback. I only had three reviews last chapter - but I have at least 30 people following it. (For those of you who have been reviewing and letting me know what you think - thanks so much - you are so appreciated - please don't take this as me complaining). If you have been reading, please take a moment to review and let me know your thoughts. Do you have favorite moments? What do you like? Think? Want to know? There was a lot that happened in this chapter to build up the coming conflicts... I really want to know what you think. Thanks! (Sorry for the spiel).