A/N Summary: AU Chloe and Beca have both been very busy with work and life, but they've finally found an evening to go out on a long overdue date. However, something causes a change of plans

Hope you'll like it, enjoy :)

XOX

Date Night?

It was finally Friday and Chloe had been looking forward to today, or well, tonight, for a long time now. She was excited to see her girlfriend, Beca, again after five long weeks apart. They'd only been dating for six months now, but it felt like they had known each other for a lifetime.

Work had been the main reason that had kept them apart and busy. She herself had landed a big, important project, being asked to help illustrate a series of animated shorts for a bigshot company, while Beca had to fly out to New York for two weeks to record with an upcoming singer-songwriter. A girl named Emily, if Chloe remembered correctly.

Alongside to her animation project, the redhead also had to take care of her four-year old son, Mason. He was the light of her life, and even though she was stressed at times, his smile, and especially his tight hugs, always made her feel better again. But, having a four-year old—a very easily excitable child that also had the Beale-gene, meaning that sugar wasn't even needed for him to be hyper—meant there wasn't much, or any, time to relax and have a moment for herself.

She'd been pretty exhausted the past few weeks, and she knew her girlfriend was too, but they both promised that they'd always send each other a good morning and a goodnight text, no matter the time. There were a lot of days where that was their only communication with each other and it made Chloe feel down, but then they'd finally FaceTime each other, and just seeing the brunette's face and smile made her feel better again.

She was really looking forward to spending some real time with her girlfriend again. Just texting or seeing each other through a screen for a few minutes wasn't doing it for her any longer. And even though Beca was back again, time had still been somewhat of a problem as they continued to get swamped with work. They'd finally found an evening where Beca didn't have to be in the studio, and where Chloe didn't have much to do herself, so they quickly set up a date.

She couldn't wait to finally hold Beca in her arms again, to kiss her and just be with her. She had always been someone who falls quickly and deeply in love with someone, but after having Mason, she'd become more careful about who she was going on a date with. It wasn't just about herself anymore, and she'd always put her son's happiness and comfort first.

However, she couldn't deny how strongly she feels about Beca, and it should scare her, but it actually doesn't. She just hopes her son will end up liking the brunette as much as she does, but going on with how well they got along when they met once about two months ago, she doesn't think she has much to worry about. But that could just be wishful thinking on her part.

XOX

Chloe had been excited, nervous and worried for most of the week about seeing Beca again, and this morning those nervous butterflies had only grown bigger. Having spent the afternoon playing with her son was a very welcomed distraction from feeling so anxious, but that had only lasted until she had to drop him off at Aubrey's house.

Her best friend had gladly offered to have a sleepover with her godson so Chloe and Beca could have their date and spent a well-deserved night together. Luckily her son had been equally as excited to see his favorite person and couldn't wait to play with Auntie Aubrey.

He did become a little clingy with her when she started to leave, but she guesses it's probably to do with having spent so much time together the past two weeks—the perks of having a home office. She and her son were very close, and personality-wise they were almost exactly the same. Her friends often joked that she had somehow managed to clone herself because they were so alike.

Being apart from her son still makes her heart ache a little, whether it was just for an hour or for a night. It definitely hadn't been easy the first few times when she had to leave him with her best friend or her parents, and she realized that it probably won't ever be easy.

When Chloe gets home she takes her time to get ready. She decides to take a nice warm bath to hopefully relax a little, before making sure everything is washed and shaved. After her bath, she ties her fluffy red bathrobe around her body and stands in front of her closet trying to choose between the two dresses she'd picked out last night.

She hears her phone, that she haphazardly threw on her bed earlier, start to buzz with an incoming text message. She walks over to her bed and picks up her phone, smiling when she sees who the message is from.

Hey milady! I'm really looking forward to our date! Can't wait to finally kiss you again ~ Beca

Chloe can't help but blush, she's really looking forward to tonight as well. And now she also can't stop thinking of kissing her girlfriend. She bites her lower lip as she replies.

Hi babe! I can't wait to see you again! And to kiss you, everywhere ~ Chloe

Her phone almost immediately chimes again with a new message.

Everywhere huh? Like in your dream? *smirking emoji* ~ Beca

Chloe blushes again, there might have been a dream a few weeks ago that got pretty heated. She'd dreamed that her girlfriend had stayed over and had woken her with soft kisses that quickly turned hotter and—

The redhead quickly shakes her head as the images of said dream start to play around in her mind. She starts typing again and bites her left thumb nail after hitting send.

Maybe… If you behave… ~ Chloe

Again there's an immediate reply.

Hmm, I guess I'll have to be on my best behavior… *angel emoji* ~ Beca

Chloe chuckles. If their flirty banter is anything to go on, then their date is going to be very... interesting. Her mind starts to drift off again but a new message coming in pulls her away from them. Probably for the better.

Are you gonna wear that blue dress? Pls say yes! ~ Beca

I might, why? ~ Chloe

How her girlfriend knew that she was trying to decide between said dress, a navy blue one with a pretty nice V-neck and thin straps, and her favorite strapless LBD, was beyond her.

Cuz I love it on you ~ Beca

Chloe smiles as she reads the message and smirks when she reads the one directly sent after it.

But I like it better on the floor ~ Beca

I wonder why… ~ Chloe

I'll show you later ;) ~ Beca

Yep, tonight was definitely going to be interesting to say the least. She notices the time and if she wants to be ready on time, she'll have to start getting dressed. So she writes another message to her girlfriend before taking the blue dress off of the closet door where it was previously hanging on.

Can't wait ;) But for now, I need to get ready so stop distracting me ~ Chloe

Yes Ma'am! See you soon, beautiful! ~ Beca

Chloe blushes at the compliment and places her phone down on her bed again, before carefully placing her dress on her bed. She goes to her bathroom to try and sort out her hair, already knowing what kind of makeup she's going to go for.

XOX

With her dress on, her favorite pair of black heels on her feet, a light layer of makeup on her face and her hair in down in soft curls, Chloe decides she's ready for her date. She's still very anxious, and she doesn't exactly know why, but the excitement of seeing Beca is growing bigger and is slowly starting to take over her nervousness.

She's putting the last items in her purse when her phone starts to ring. She turns around trying to spot where she left it and sees it laying on top of the backrest of her couch. She walks over to it and grabs it, immediately frowning when she sees that it's Aubrey.

She knows the blonde wouldn't call her this close to her date unless something wasn't right. The worry and anxiousness start to get worse again as she hesitates before taking a deep breath and picking up.

"Hey, Bree. Is everything okay?" She slowly asks and hears some noises in the background.

"I'm really sorry Chlo. I know you've been looking forward to your date with Beca and how you two haven't seen each—" Aubrey rambles and Chloe is quick to interrupt.

"Bree, what's going on?" She asks worriedly and she hears her best friend let out a deep sigh.

"Mason isn't feeling well." Chloe's stomach drops while the blonde keeps talking, "He's a little feverish, and told me his ears are hurting again."

Chloe's mouth subconsciously forms into a pout at the information. Mason's ears had been bothering him on and off the past two to three months, and apparently tonight they'd started up again.

"My poor baby. How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad, but not nothing we couldn't handle. You know I wouldn't call otherwise, but he keeps asking for you, Chlo." Aubrey's voice is apologetic. They both know that if Mason keeps asking for Chloe, then it must be really hurting, since he's a really tough kid when it comes to pains and aches even at his young age.

Chloe really doesn't like not being there when her son is clearly hurting, and even though she knows that she probably won't be able to make it better, they'd both feel better if they were with each other. So she takes a step towards the front door, ready to immediately leave to go get him, when she remembers what she's currently wearing and where she was heading.

"Uhm, can you drop him off here? I have to call Beca and cancel our date, and get changed." Chloe tells Aubrey as she starts taking her heels off with her left hand while still standing, holding her phone to her ear with her right hand.

"Of course. We'll be there in about 20 minutes. I'm sorry again."

"Not your fault, Bree. See you in a bit." Chloe tells her and they end their phone call.

There's a moment of silence as she takes a few deep breaths, feeling a sudden sense of panic coming over her but she tries to ignore it. She walks to the front of her couch and lets herself fall down on in it, still trying to keep herself as calm as possible.

She scrolls for Beca's name and hesitates for a moment before pressing the call button. It doesn't take long before her girlfriend answers.

"Hey! I'm just about to—" Beca starts to talk but Chloe quickly interrupts.

"Beca, I'm really sorry…" Chloe's voice sounds a little off and the brunette notices immediately that something is up.

"What's wrong, babe?" Beca's soft, worried tone makes something in Chloe break, and she lets out a soft sob, "Chlo? You're kinda freaking me out."

"I'm sorry. I—Mason, he's…" Chloe takes a shaky breath before continuing, "He's not feeling good, I have to cancel. He—"

Chloe stops and tries to swallow another sob, she has no idea why she's suddenly getting so emotional. She's had to cancel before, and her son had been sick a few times before as well, so why was she reacting like this?

Beca's voice softens even more, "Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. What's wrong with him?"

"His ears again. I know I should've taken him to the doctor sooner." Chloe blames herself, her shaky voice laced with frustration.

Her breathing starts to get louder and harder. The exhaustion and excitement of the past few weeks, her baby being in pain and her not exactly knowing how bad it is, him not being here with her yet, is all starting to overwhelm her and she doesn't know how to deal with it.

"Baby, can you take a few calming breaths for me please? It sounds like you're about to have a panic attack." Beca tells her and the redhead listens to the calming voice of her girlfriend as she helps her calm down again.

"Ugh, this is stupid," Chloe says after a few minutes, rolling her eyes at herself, "I'm a mess…"

"No. You're overwhelmed and worried. You're allowed to be, your mini-me is not feeling good." Beca's last words manage to make Chloe let out a little chuckle and the brunette smiles to herself.

"Besides," Beca starts again, "You haven't been sleeping all that well, and work has kept you very busy. I'm surprised you didn't break down earlier."

"Yea…"

Beca had been aware of how emotional of a person Chloe was when they'd started dating. Besides crying whenever she was happy, sad and all of those emotions in between, she'd also been through a lot. She'd had to deal with a surprise pregnancy and then having to raise her son all by herself while still finishing college. It caused a lot of stress and anxiety, and the brunette is in awe of how strong Chloe must have been—and still is now.

"You can't always be superwoman, you know." Beca states, before throwing in a joke that she knows will help lighten the mood a little, "However, you in a latex superhero costume…"

Chloe lets out a loud laugh while shaking her head, "You're an idiot."

"I'm your idiot, though."

The redhead lets out a small smile before standing up with a soft sigh. She starts

making her way to her bedroom, "Thank you, Becs. For calming me down, and not thinking I'm—"

"Stop. You're amazing, okay?" The honesty in her girlfriend's voice makes tears form in Chloe's eyes again. She shakes her head and wipes her face, frowning when she sees some of her makeup smeared on her hand. She guesses her face probably looks like a panda right about now.

"I'm gonna go get changed and get my face cleaned up before I also scare my son…"

This time it's Beca that chuckles, but she doesn't say anything for a few moments. Chloe can hear some rustling and hushed talking in the background but doesn't question it. She doesn't have to because her girlfriend is suddenly speaking again.

"I know you're not gonna want to leave your son's side tonight, but I really wanted to see you, so I was thinking… How about I come over? I mean if you don't mind?" Beca suddenly rants and is about to backtrack when Chloe answers her.

"I'd like that." And she means that.

"I mean, I know I've only met him once before, but—"

"Beca?"

"Uh , yea."

"I said I'd like that. I'm probably going to fuss over Mason the whole time, but I'd really like it if you came over. It would help keep me calm as well." Chloe honestly tells her and Beca lets out a sigh.

"Okay."

"See you in a few." Chloe states and waits until Beca replies and hangs up. Taking another few calming breaths, she starts to get changed into comfy clothing and cleans up her face.

She doesn't feel as panicky as earlier thanks to Beca, but the underlying worry and anxiety is still there. She hopes having her son and girlfriend with her will help her feel better. But mostly she just hopes her son's earache disappears as soon as possible, and she scribbles down a quick note to call the doctor first thing tomorrow morning.

XOX

Beca had changed out of her dress and quickly put some sweats on before leaving to go to Chloe's apartment. While she sat in the cab on her way to Chloe's, she'd called the restaurant she'd made reservations at and canceled them.

After paying the driver, she walked to the front of the building and pressed the intercom to Chloe's apartment. As they spoke quickly through the device, she could hear Mason's cries in the background, before the buzzing noise sounded and the door clicked open.

She felt absolutely heartbroken for the boy. She remembers having an ear infection when she was about six and it had been hell. She can understand how the little boy must be feeling right now.

The brunette makes her way towards the correct number and knocks on the door before slowly pushing it open. Chloe had told her she would leave the door unlocked for her because she was still trying to calm down her son. Beca walks into the small apartment and softly closes the door behind her.

The only sound she hears were a few whimpers and Chloe's soft humming, which was apparently doing the trick to get the four-year old to calm down and fall asleep. She heard footsteps slowly making their way towards the living room and she felt her heart break a little when she saw her girlfriend enter the room while rubbing her hands over her stressed out face.

"Oh, Chlo…" She whispers out, and watches as the hands drop from the redheads face before the girl suddenly starts to sob again. She quickly moves forward and pulls her into a tight hug.

"Sorry." Was muttered into her neck a few moments later as her girlfriend started calming down again, "This was not how I imagined our reunion to be. Me sobbing into your shoulder..."

Beca chuckles a little, before rubbing the redhead's back, "Me neither, but I have to confess that holding you is all I wanna do right now."

"Same. But…" Chloe bites her bottom lip, "Can we move to the couch? Between Mason and his cries, and me breaking down… This is probably going to be a long night."

Beca doesn't say anything and simply pulls her girlfriend with her to the front of the couch. She lets go and lays down before pulling on Chloe's hands until the redhead is lying on top of her.

"See, all I want, and all I need, is this." Beca tells her and Chloe frowns a little in confusion.

"What? Me on top of you?" She asks seriously, not noticing the double entendre in her already exhausted, and still slightly fragile, state. Beca shakes her head and smiles.

"No, silly. You in my arms." She tells the girl lying on top of her and starts to rub the redhead's back again.

"Oh, yea that makes sense."

Beca smiles and leans down a little to place a kiss on top of Chloe's head, since it's the only place she can reach with her lips. Chloe smiles and looks up at her with red, glossy eyes. 'She looks beautiful', Beca thinks to herself and she can't help but say it too.

"You're really beautiful, you know."

Chloe rolls her eyes, "Yea, I look totally attractive right now. With my puffy face and my—"

"No, really. You're always beautiful, which is totally unfair by the way," Beca jokes out and gets a small, shy smile in return which was the reaction she was looking for, "Seriously, though…"

"Thank you."

Beca continues to smile at the suddenly shy girl lying on top of her and she leans forward to softly kiss her. Chloe smiles into the kiss and the two continue to place soft kisses on each other's lips before they fall into a light slumber.

XOX

Beca felt cold, she wasn't feeling like that a couple minutes ago and the realization is what wakes her up. She opens her eyes and sits up before looking around and notices her girlfriend is nowhere to be seen. She's about to get up when she hears some noises coming from the kitchen and knows she must be in there.

She rubs her eyes and leans back into the backrest of the couch, pulling her legs up onto the couch and sitting crossed-legged as she waits for her girlfriend to come back again. She grabs her phone out of her pocket and looks at the time, seeing that it was almost 12am, apparently they'd been lying on the couch for over three hours.

She almost has a heart attack when she turns to look to her left and sees a little body standing there. Mason is standing a few feet from her, hair in a mess, his trusty blanket held in front of him with one hand while his other rubs at his left ear as he stares at Beca.

"Hey buddy." Beca softly whispers at him and he just continues to look at her with a blank face tinged with a light red glow from sleep and probably a lingering fever.

"Where's mommy?" He asks softly after a moment.

"She's in the kitchen, wanna wait with me until she comes back?" She asks him and after a moment of contemplation, he nods his head before walking over to her and crawling onto her lap.

Beca's eyes widen comically at the move and she lets out a soft 'oomph' as he tries to get comfortable. When she'd asked him she'd actually expected that he would sit next to her and not in her lap. But she quickly calms herself again when he snuggles closer into her, pressing his right ear just above where her heart is beating and pulling his blanket to his face.

She takes this as her cue to help wrap his blanket, and the one from the back of the couch, around him and lets her arms wrap around his tiny body, holding him tightly against her to keep him warm. She feels a little awkward just sitting here with Mason on her lap but after a moment he looks up and softly mumbles to her.

"D'you know Disney songs?"

Well, that was not a question she expected. But she smiles and nods her head at him before answering, "I know a few, do you have any requests?"

"Uhh…" He pulls his head back a little and Beca simply watches him while he thinks it over, the look he spots reminds her of his mother, "D'you know Baloo?"

"Hmm, do I know Baloo?" Beca questions out loud, making a face as if she's thinking really hard and she feels Mason softly giggle against her. She softly starts humming The Bare Necessities to him, which makes him smile before cuddling closer against her again and joining in with his version of a hum.

The two of them don't notice that Chloe has been watching them after she heard an 'oomph' and was wondering if something had happened. But what she saw was not something she'd expected and the sight in front of her makes her heart melt.

She watches them for another moment before turning back to the sandwiches she was preparing for Beca and her since they hadn't eaten any dinner before they'd fallen asleep. The hunger had been the reason she woke up. She makes another sandwich for her son and grabs some drinks before she makes her way over to the two in the living room.

"Well, look who's as snug as a bug?" She asks as she gets closer to them and the two look innocently up at her, Beca's eyes have a shine in them that makes Chloe smile at her.

"Me?" Mason asks his mother and she nods her head at him while putting the tray holding the cups and plates on the coffee table in front of them, "But I am no bug."

"You look like a caterpillar though. All wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets." Chloe answers her son and Beca starts to smile.

"You know those turn into beautiful butterflies." She tells the boy in her lap and his eyes get wide.

"Really? If I am a butt'fly, can I be pink?" He asks in all seriousness and the two grownups share an amused look with each other before Chloe tells him he can be whatever he wants to be.

They continue to talk about butterflies and how they have all these different colors and sizes, and Chloe is surprised at how much her girlfriend knows about them as Beca starts to tell Mason more about the different species that exist. The boy is completely enamored with the knowledge the brunette is sharing with them about his new favorite subject.

The three eventually end up falling asleep on the couch, Mason having demanded his mother join their snuggle fest and the redhead had complied immediately. Beca had pushed herself into the back of the couch while Chloe snuggled into her front with Mason ending on top of the two. It looked uncomfortable, it felt a little uncomfortable but they were now all as snug as a bug and more content as ever.

And so a night that had started differently than they planned, had ended with a perfect bonding moment. Beca and Chloe were both secretly looking forward to more moments like this in the near—and far—future.