A/N: I am thrilled with the amount of kudos/favorites I'm getting! I adore all of you and wish I could give you all a massive hug!
Now, since the memories are more fun for me, I think I'm going to make the majority of each chapter memory-based. Can't wait for you all to read about Beca and Mina's history! (And I know that angst would round this story out much better, but it almost causes me physical pain to write angst. I need the fluff!)
Okay, but is that really necessary? Beca wondered to herself, munching on her bag of fritos and watching the British team set up their massive UK flag. Literally. A giant, wooden wall of flag. How did they even get that beast all the way here?
She was seated backstage on a black set block, more or less relaxed in a pair of yoga pants and her second favorite striped t-shirt. Chloe apparently thought the "fuk off" t-shirt was too visceral to bring to worlds. Her chestnut-brown hair was swept up in a loose ponytail (which was from the previous days rehearsal, and which she'd admittedly also slept in last night), and she'd managed to sneak her holey converse to the rehearsal stage as well.
"Ah, kleine maus. I see this is how you fuel up for your performances. Perhaps now we know why your team isn't always at its best?"
Well, son of a bitch. Beca set down her munchies, and turned slowly to face her… what was she, technically? Did making out in a dressing room earn a label? She probably needed to figure that out.
"Yes, well, when you're an actual human being, you enjoy tasting your food."
One perfectly manicured eyebrow rose, pulling a smirk up along with it. "Feeling confident now, are we?"
"Just making up for lost time," Beca replied smoothly, before realizing that she'd basically just insulted herself.
The Kommissar leaned in closer, opening her mouth to respond with what was probably a smart ass remark when a loud, nasally male voice called from across the stage. "I said: Barden. Bellas. Leader of the Barden Bellas, PLEASE." The brunette whipped around to face the source. A short, thin, bald man was glaring directly at her, with his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. His face was a lovely shade of mauve, and Beca swore she could she a tiny stream of smoke coming out of both ears. Scattered behind him was the female a cappella group, the British Bombs, also glaring in her direction.
"We are trying to run a tech rehearsal here, Miss Mitchell. If you could wrangle your… group, that would be immensely appreciated."
"Sorry! Yeah, we're coming."The Bella leader shouted back, and then muttered under her breath, "don't get your fuckin' panties in a bunch…"
As she turned back around to herd her girls, she noticed that her blonde fr-enemy had disappeared. How does she do that? Oh well. Task at hand, Beca.
"Alright, girls! Time to go. Remember, the quicker we do this, the quicker we can go back to the hotel and nap, so get your booties on stage!"
Once she finally had all the Bella's on stage, she began to count. "7, 8, 9… Oh my GOD, who is missing!?"
"I'm not going to mention any names… but I think I saw Stacie making out with a 'Naan jock' earlier…" Amy replied, scratching the back of her neck and looking away like she hadn't spoken.
"Miss Mitchell, could I have a word. Please." The short, red man quipped. The brunette sighed, rubbed her eyes, and turned to Chloe. "Can you, just, like, keep everyone within a 10 foot radius while I go talk to snippy over there?"
"Of course, just hurry back? I don't like the way DSM is looking at us. Like their making fun of us, but silently…"
Beca spun, and sure enough behind the angry stage manager waiting for her, was the entire group of DSM with a certain blonde someone smirking in front. Just watching them. Making a very strong effort to not look at the black clad group in the distance, Beca scuffled her way over to the SM. On the way, she was stopped by a very snooty looking red headed British Bomb in a ridiculous looking glittery, blue scarf.
"Barden Bellas," she practically shouted in her very condescending British accent, even though Beca was only a foot away. "It would behoove you to be more punctual." If looks could kill, Beca would be in the deepest pit of hell right now.
"Alright, dude, calm down. I do my best, but getting the Bella's together is kinda like herding cats, so just give us a minute."
"No! This is unacceptable!" She was really shouting now, and getting in the brunette's personal space. She jabbed a finger into Beca's sternum. "If you cannot properly run a small group of girls, you are wasting our time."
Who does this bitch think she is? Beca thought as she slapped the finger away from her. She could feel her neck and face heating up, and her hands curled into fists. She was running on roughly three hours of sleep, and did NOT have time to deal with egotistical maniacs from other groups right now. Dealing with her own was enough. "Look, I don't know if you're trying to threaten me or what, but the sooner you get the hell out of my way, the sooner we can all finish this rehearsal and go about our days."
The look in the girl's eyes became instantly darker, and Beca new that swearing at her had probably crossed the line of professionalism. Oh well, too late to take it back now.
"If you cannot respect me, rude American girl, then get out of my way." Before the tiny Bella could even think of a response, a hand on her shoulder was literally shoving her out of the way. And having been caught off guard, Beca lost her balance and flew across the stage, hitting the giant flag wall. She stumbled to the ground and winced, rubbing her arm that took the brunt of the hit. That was going to leave a giant bruise. Lovely.
Collective gasps started up around the stage, and Beca looked up in time to see the British flag falling quickly towards her. This is it? This is how I die? Fabulous. She thought she heard Chloe shout "Beca!" but with the UK literally descending on her, she couldn't really process much of anything else.
Just as the flag got close enough for her to make out the individuals strokes of paint, a solid body collided with hers and dragged her hastily across the stage.
The wall landed on the ground with a deafening CRASH, sending dust and chunks of wood everywhere, but Beca was shielded. When the breeze died down, the tiny brunette brought her face out of the chest it had been buried in to see blonde hair and bright blue eyes staring down at her in… worry? Wait. Had the Kommissar just pulled her out of the way? "Are you alright, Beca?" She whispered, not removing her hold around the brunette's back, keeping them pressed tightly together.
She used my name, was all the smaller woman could think.
Mina parked the car in front of the apartment, and as she reached for the door, a slender hand grabbed at her wrist.
"Maus?" The blonde turned and was immediately caught in a light kiss, with a delicate hand holding her cheek gently in place. She let Beca pull back first, and couldn't help the grin that spread across her face at her wife's sweet gaze. "What was that for?"
"Just a thank you that I never gave." The brunette replied, mentally recapping a near death experience and the strong arms that pulled her out of the way. Mina regarded her statement curiously, but decided not to question it. "Come, kleine maus, I have a surprise from you inside."
"Oh, that's right. The mischievous look." Beca smirked, making her way up to the front door. She took the blonde's hand in hers and proceeded through the door.
There was no "surprise!" No yelling or tackling hugs. But there was, scattered around the living room, a group of girls that Beca realized she missed so much that tears sprung in her eyes. All smiles, all warm welcoming arms, and none of them bombarding her.
"Hey, Becs." Chloe affectionately murmured, and enclosed the brunette in a tight embrace. She soon found herself in the middle of a group hug (or maul, is what it ended up feeling like), and she did something she rarely ever did: she cried of joy.
"Alright, enough with the sappy waterworks! It's time for cake!" shouted a familiar Australian accent from the back of the group, and Beca wiped at her face, a little embarrassed.
The night wore on; full of embarrassing stories of Barden University (things Beca had been very careful to keep from Mina's knowledge) but the brunette could hardly find it in herself to be upset. Her girls were here. She'd been so caught up in getting her everyday life back to normal that the Bella's had completely slipped her mind. Just being around them –drinking her virgin appletini with Chloe, listening to Amy's impossible jello wrestling stories– a warmth grew in her heart and she felt an immediate sense of home. It was like she could fall back into her early college days in the Bella house at Barden, sleeping through biology and kicking ass at riff offs with the Trebles.
A warm arm sliding around her waist brought her back to the present. She looked up to meet Mina's ocean blue eyes, and the last piece fell into place. For the first time since the accident, Beca felt utterly and completely content. All of the people she loved and needed were here with her, and none of them fawning over her. It was just a reunion (with Beca's name on the cake).
It was well after midnight and Beca was draped over the arm of the couch, watching her wife pick up the last of the glasses and plates. It had been an amazing night and the warmness in her heart lingered on even though her girls had gone home. She watched the way Mina glided around the room, almost as though cleaning was a choreographed dance that the blonde had practiced for years, and soon she found her eyelids drooping against her will.
"Because, Beca, I cannot always be the one in charge of making our important decisions!"
She knew Mina was right, but this was something she didn't think she could handle. So she handled it how she always handled these things. She ignored it and hoped it would either disappear of resolve itself. Of course, the decision to have a baby would never disappear or resolve itself; Beca knew that. And Mina had a right to be upset with her, but she'd never seen her wife look quite this… this fervent. Her cheeks were red (and it wasn't embarrassment), her eyes were puffy from the few tears that had leaked over the bridge of her eyes, and one of their poor throw pillow's feathery insides covered the couch and floor.
"I just… I –augh! I can't do this right now!" The brunette yelled back for lack of a decent response, ravaging a hand through her knotty hair from work, and screeched when her rings caught on a particularly tangled knot, ripping some brown strands out of her head. "FUCK me! Jesus Christ!"
She snatched her keys from the table and stomped her way to the door, feeling like a petulant five year old, when Mina shouted from across the room. "Rebeca Caroline Mitchell, you cannot just run away from me every time we have a fight!"
She was seeing red now. Mina knew how much she hated her middle name. "I am a grown ass woman, Milimina, you can't scare me with my full name," Beca grumbled sharply as she slammed the door behind her and thundered her way down the stairs and out into the cold night air. Dammit, shoulda brought a jacket. The brunette jammed her hands into her jeans pockets to find only lint. And I also left my phone. Perfect. Great. Amazing. Just fucking peachy, Mitchell. Leaving her hands balled up in her pockets, she scuffed her feet against the concrete and started her way down the street, goose bumps rising on her arms. She was still angry: livid even. But mostly at herself. Mina had hinted for months now about wanting to have a baby, and Beca had avoided the subject at every turn. The brunette had never wanted kids. Even babysitting them was a test on her patience, so she couldn't imagine being responsible for one 24/7. But being with the former leader of DSM had changed a lot about her already. She was even starting to accept the girly side of existence: bubble baths (with Mina, of course), lighter colored clothing, and even nail polish colors other than black.
But now she was fighting her heart, and the love of her life. Tears stung in her eyes and she let them pool up, refusing to wipe them away. It was irrational, but it felt like they'd be winning, like wiping them would admit that they'd gotten to her. So she stomped on down the road, tears streaming down her face, hoping she wouldn't come across anyone that would stop to ask her what was wrong. She didn't need to subject a stranger to that mess.
After about 20 minutes of walking aimlessly, the small, less angry woman decided that it was probably time to head back home. They'd pause the fight (something she'd happily picked up from binge watching How I Met Your Mother), and the brunette would get to snuggle against her wife's warm body until morning, when Mina would most likely un-pause them.
"Alrighty then… which… which way did I come?" Beca spun slowly in circles, trying to remember which way was home. "Well, shit."
This is why you ALWAYS grab your phone, Mitchell. She cursed herself and decided on the most well lit path behind her. She hadn't gone THAT far. It wouldn't be too long before she found a familiar land mark and was on her way back to the warmth of the apartment and Mina's arms.
But about 30 minutes later nothing looked familiar. In fact, everything started to look a tad bit sketchy no matter where she turned. Even the CVS looked like it had seen better days some 50 odd years ago. She shivered against the cold that had now soaked into her skin and pretty much to the bone, and wrapped her bare arms around her torso, shivering. Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck. Two tall figures began walking her way from a distance in front of her. She slowly turned around and began walking back the way she'd come, speeding up only a tad. It wouldn't do if those two thought she was running. They'd catch her for sure; her cardio wasn't necessarily in the best shape. Just something else Mina told her that she didn't listen to.
Mina, Beca telepathically sent out into the crisp evening air, if I die tonight, I am so sorry. I love you so much, and honestly, you deserve all of the babies in the world. Well… not ALL of them. But you know what I mean.
She rounded a corner, almost tripping over the uneven sidewalk, and ran smack straight into another body. She looked up somehow hoping that Mina had found her in the darkness yet again, but it wasn't her beautiful wife. It was a very tall man with probably four teeth in total and long moppy hair.
"Ya lost, sweatheart?" He breathed in her face, smelling of piss and cheap whiskey.
"Ah, nope, just on my way home, thanks." Beca mumbled, pushing past him, hoping that he really was just a kind, older gentleman asking to see if she was lost. The hand that curled around her bicep, however, told her that she could go ahead and flush that positive assumption right down the toilet.
"I don' think so, honey. I think yer comin' home wit me." He chuckled, tightening his hold on her arm, but the brunette refused to cry out in pain even when his jagged, uncut nails dug into her flesh. No way would she give him the satisfaction. However, panic began to rise in Beca's chest. She'd never been accosted like this before, and now she was about to become a statistic.
In the next moment, the man's grip was ripped from her arm and he was tumbling down to the ground. Beca yelped when strong hands grabbed her by the waist and literally picked her up and set her down behind whoever had set her free.
"Don't you EVER lay a finger on her again. Is that understood?" A German accent roared.
Mina. Mina, Mina, Mina. Mina had come for her. Mina had found her. The man picked himself off of the ground, spitting out blood and what looked like his fourth tooth onto the sidewalk and almost tripped over himself getting away from the pair.
Without a word, Beca launched herself at the blonde, curling her arms as tightly around her as was physically possible. She hated feeling weak, but she hated the possibility of being kidnapped even more. Mina effortlessly held the brunette in her arms off the ground and began walking in the direction of home, neither of them speaking a word.
Only when they were through the threshold of the bedroom did Beca lower her feet to the ground, keeping her face buried in Mina's neck. "I'm sorry. I love you, I love you, I love you." She whispered meekly.
"I know, Maus. I love you too. So very much."
A/N: Alllllright! You know the drill! Tell me what you want to see next! Hope you enjoyed it :)
