Author's Notes: Hey guys, thanks for the kind reviews and the follows. I didn't expect this much of a response. You guys are awesome!
"Wait, what!?" Kyle yells, down the phone, "You took our stunning, German goddess to your parent's house, for Christmas?"
"I mean, yeah…" Beca starts, pulling her ear away from the phone, while she was sitting in her room, answering emails on her laptop.
"I told you to start dating, not marry her!" Kyle continues to yell, seemingly very worked up.
"She offered to come, Ky." Beca explains, wondering why he was being weird, "You know, since you bailed!"
"She offered to come?!" He whispers, sounding like he was pacing, "How could you do this to me?"
"What are you talking about?" Beca asks, now completely lost, looking up from her laptop.
"Four days! I'm going to miss four days of my favourite reality show that's actually real life." He cries, dramatically, "Why did I decide to go on this cruise?"
Beca rolls her eyes, her assistant needed a life.
"I can literally hear your eyes rolling, Mitchy!" He shouts, very upset, "What if you guys kiss? *Gasps* and what if it's beside a roaring fire and you guys look deeply into each other's eyes and confess you undying love for each other?"
"What do your weekends consist of, Ky?" Beca asks, a little weirded out.
"I'm so upset!" He actually sounded close to tears.
"Jesus, Ky! You need a boyfriend!" Beca says, suddenly worried for his mental state.
"I KNOW!"
It takes a few minutes for Kyle to calm down, Beca decides then that she be actively trying to find Kyle a boyfriend. Though, low key hoping he finds that six foot blonde on the cruise ship.
"Hey Beca."
Beca looks up, it was Sheila. She smiles at Beca as she hovers at the door, hoping Beca would invite her in. While their relationship had gotten a little better over the years, it still wasn't where she'd like it. She truly loved Beca, but Beca was reluctant.
"Yeah, hey Sheila." She looks back down at her laptop.
Sheila takes that as an invitation in.
She sits on the end of the bed, "I like Luisa."
Beca cringes internally, here it comes, the questions about her love life. Marriage, kids, the works.
"Yeah, she's nice. She's a pleasure to work with, you know, since I'm producing her album." Beca says, trying to push home that they were just friends at the moment, and for her to not meddle.
"Is her voice as amazing as I'm imagining?" She asks, with anticipation.
Beca seems surprised by the question, "Oh… Um, yeah, it's incredible. Um, do you remember that group we versed at worlds?"
"Yes, DSM." Sheila answers, surprising Beca again.
"…So, yeah she was the leader of that group." Beca explains, bewildered that this is the way the conversation headed.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Sheila remarks, "It must be so amazing being able to help create music for the world."
Beca blinks, "Yeah, it is." Trying to push away the feeling of apprehension.
She never really spoke much about her work, because her father always made it awkward. So she just learnt not to mention it too much.
"Do you have any songs that maybe I could hear? I mean, if that's ok." Sheila asks, tentatively.
"Ah…" Beca says, really surprised, ".. Yeah… yeah ok."
Sheila beams at her, as Beca hands her the headphones.
"Um.. we recorded this the other day. It's still rough, but you'll get the idea." Beca says, as she starts the song.
Sheila listens intently, the sound of Luisa's voice makes her close her eyes. Sheila starts to block everything else out, the only thing she hears is the song. As the song builds, Sheila breaths in deeply, finding herself lost in the music, not noticing the single tear rolling down her face.
Her eyes open when the music ends, wiping her face when she realises she had been crying.
"You alright, there?" Beca asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh my. I don't know what happened." She breathes, deeply, "That was incredible!"
"Yeah, Luisa can really hold her own in a song." Beca says, taking back the headphones.
"Beca! Is that you playing the guitar?" Sheila asks, remembering Beca learnt how to play a few years ago.
"Oh.. yeah. There'll be a professional band recording once the album starts coming together." She dismisses, "This is just a rough recording."
"Beca it sounded amazing! Oh my god!" She gushes, "Baby, you are so talented!"
Beca blushes hard, not knowing what to say, her and Sheila hadn't really ever chatted about her work. Let alone Sheila actually listening and loving her work.
"Um.. Where's Luisa?" She asks, finding it hard to hear Sheila's complements.
Sheila smiles, understanding that may have been too much.
"She's having a tea party with Maisey." She points in the direction of the playroom.
"Really?" Beca laughs, "I was wondering where she went off too."
"Yeah, Maisey's really taken a liking to her. I'm not sure if she's going to let you guys leave on Monday." She laughs, "Luisa's really great." Beca nods agreeing.
"And your father is absolutely terrified of her." Sheila laughs, reaching out and touching Beca's arm, "He's hiding in his office."
"Yeah, she can sometimes have that effect on people. She has a very commanding presence." Beca admits, smiling at Sheila in spite of herself.
"That's for sure. Her eyes feel like that see into your soul." She says, blushing a little.
Beca laughs a little, agreeing.
"Well, she's welcome anytime. I really like her." Sheila finishes, getting up, thinking she shouldn't try an over do the conversation.
"Thanks, Sheila. I think she'd appreciate that. I get the feeling she doesn't talk to her family much." Beca says, frowning.
Sheila's face turns sad, "Oh…well I'll try to make this a really great Christmas for her and for all of us." She turns and leaves the room, feeling good that she'd had finally had a conversation with Beca that didn't turn awkward.
Luisa walks into the room around seven, she finds Beca wrapped in a blanket, with her headphones on. Beca's head nodding to the beat as she cut tracks. Luisa watches her for a moment, she seemed so immersed in her music. Her heart flutters as Beca crinkles her nose at her screen. The more Luisa had gotten to know Beca, the more she seemed charmed by the little things she did. These type of feelings were very foreign to the German woman, but she was welcoming them all the same.
Luisa makes her way over to the bed. Beca notices and takes off her headphones.
"How was your tea party?" Beca asks, smirking.
"It was a royally good time." She answers, smiling, "Maisey is perfect."
"Did she ask you to call her your majesty?" Beca laughs, moving her laptop out of the way.
"No, she made me Queen." Luisa says, as she lays down, propping her head up with her elbow, "I even had a crown, maus."
"Wow! She doesn't make anyone queen!" Beca exclaims, "She must like as much as I do."
Luisa grins happily, she had never been in the presence of someone who was so open about their feelings for her. Even if Beca couldn't control it, it was wonderful to hear.
Beca clears her throat, trying to pass over her awkward flirting.
"I'm sorry we have to share a room, they made the forth room into Maisey's playroom." Beca attempts to recover.
"I am not sorry." She says, unabashed, "I had a very good night sleep the last time we shared a bed, liebling."
Beca blushes hard, "Well, at least this time I won't try to drag you in against your own free will."
"You could try, maus." She says, grinning at Beca's blush.
"You're going to kill me." Beca mutters, looking up trying to ignore how turned on she suddenly felt.
Luisa lets out a laugh, her maus was too easy to wind up. Though she had been secretly hoping Beca would do such a thing, just this time awake.
'In due time, Luisa.' She thinks to herself.
"Kyle called me." Luisa says, giving Beca a break.
"Me too, was he really upset?" Beca asks, looking over at her.
"He was, he made me promise to keep any declarations of my burning desires secret until we got home." She frowns, "He is an odd man."
"Oh Jesus! I'm sorry about him, he's just… yeah he's just odd." Beca laughs, scratching her head.
"I think he is having a nice time on the boat, he keeps sending me pictures." Luisa pulls out her phone, "He said I was his secret squirrel. What does that mean?"
"It means he doesn't want you to show anyone the pictures." Beca laughs, as Luisa scrolls through the pictures.
The pictures consist of good looking gentleman, they look as if Kyle took on the sly.
"Looks like candidates for his new boyfriend." Beca says, "God! How many are there? He's been on the boat for less than six hours."
"Does he realise that this is creepy?" Luisa asks, frowning at the pictures.
"Probably not." Beca says, uneasy, "Maybe we should stop looking at them."
Luisa puts her phone away and lays down fully on the bed. She grabs a pillow to snuggle into, as she looks up at Beca.
"So, my dad's scared of you." Beca says, after a while.
"Hm, yes I noticed. He came into check on Maisey and he couldn't meet my eye. He backed out of the room very quickly." She smiles, seemingly a little proud.
"Is that how Kommissar really is? Coz I don't think I got her full effect." Beca laughs, remember her lame comebacks.
"You were one of a kind, maus. But yes, that is usually the response I would get." She nods, continuing to look up at Beca.
"It's really amazing to watch." Beca comments, "Hey, was that really your full name when you introduced yourself?"
Luisa sits up a little, "Yes, I come from a family with strong noble heritage. I was the first female born into my family in 50 years."
"Wow!" Beca says, her eyes widening.
"An achievement met with nothing but displeasure from my father." She remarks, bitterly.
There was an awkward silence for a moment. Luisa hadn't told anyone this story in a long time. Pieter was the only friend that knew the full story of her strict upbringing.
"I came out a Luisa instead of a Luise." She sighs, "And I was a disappointment ever since."
Beca frowns, feeling an incredible surge of rage towards Luisa's father.
"What about your Mum?" Beca asks, trying to suppress her sudden anger.
"Mama past away a few days after Christmas the year I turned five. It has always been a hard holiday." She says, sadly continuing her story, "I was raised by a nanny until I was eight. After that, my father sent me to a military school. That was where I learnt discipline and order."
Beca's face start to show disgust, who sends an eight year old to military school. Luisa notices the look on Beca's face, she decides then that she would not go into the horrors she experienced there. The only good thing that came out of it was her friendship with Pieter, who somehow managed to stay silly and a little crazy. He kept her from losing touch with herself and not turning into a robot.
"I went to university, studying business and politics. I was to enter a career in politics or go into the military. Those were the options I was given." She says, looking down at the bed.
"Wait! Your dad told you that you had to do one of those things? You didn't get a choice?" Beca's frown increases, suddenly understanding Luisa distaste for her own dad.
"Yes maus. I came from a family of tradition. If you didn't up hold tradition, you were disinherited." She confirms, sadly.
"That's fucked up!" Beca shakes her head, grabbing Luisa's hand and holding it tightly.
Appreciating the warmth of Beca's hand, Luisa smiles, feeling that she had made the right decision to tell Beca about her past.
"But the choice was made for me, before I came to America, when we took over the Bella's tour." She starts again.
"What happened?" Beca asks, her frown now a permanent fixture on her face.
"My father forbid me to go, he put up with DSM touring in Europe. But he hates Americans more than anything." She explains, "I told him I was a leader, that is what I had been trained to do. We had a massive argument. He told me I was making a fool of myself, and I had no business singing and dancing. I had to uphold traditions, even if I was doomed to fail, because I was female."
Beca squeezes her hand trying to suppress her anger that seems to be raising at an accelerated speed.
"What did you do?" Beca asks, breathing heavily with anger.
"Liebling, I think you know what I did." She smiles, sadly, "He was rather surprise at my actions. He never thought I would defy him. I have not seen anyone in my family since."
"Luisa.."
"It is ok, maus." She pats Beca's hand, "Pieter and DSM became my family. I learnt to live by my own merit instead of my name. It was quite liberating."
They sit in silence, still holding each other's hand. Beca breaths deeply, she knew her and her father had their ups and downs, but she always knew he had her best interests at heart. She knew he loved her. Even though he didn't always understand her choices, he at the very least respected them. She can understand why Luisa was the way she was back then.
'I guess, a terrible past makes for a strong woman.' She thinks sadly.
"Is this why you're not so intimidating anymore?" Beca asks, looking at Luisa.
"Yes maus. After the worlds, I found myself more relaxed, I had never lost before. It was quite interesting." Luisa admits, "It helped me to be on my own, with no looking over my shoulder anymore. For once in my life, my life was my choice."
"You shouldn't have had to lose your family to have that." Beca says, feeling terrible.
"They were not much of a family, maus."