AN: Thanks so much for reading! Just a quick note because some people have been confused about when I say 'pram' - I think the most common American term for it is 'stroller'. I live in England so call it either a 'pram', 'pushchair', or 'buggy', so if you're confused what I'm on about then I mean a stroller that you use to wheel your child around! If I use any more phrases that cause confusion just let me know. Thank you! Jen x


Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw her. Her chest bubbled with excitement and nerves the whole time she walked over, but the second Chloe was directly in front of her, Beca felt everything relax. "Hey," she greeted the redhead, who replied by hugging her eagerly. "I'm so glad you made it!" Chloe said, and then turned to the toddler in the pram that Beca was pushing, "Hi Darcey!"

Darcey kicked her legs out and wiggled in her seat gleefully, reaching out towards the familiar face. Chloe hugged the tiny girl as well before turning back to Beca and leading her over to rows of chairs positioned in front of a very, very detailed whiteboard. There were five girls already sitting down and they introduced themselves, smiling politely at the new arrival before their eyes wandered to Darcey. Beca took in a deep breath and prepared for the judgmental stares and questions, but instead she – or rather Darcey – was greeted with a chorus of cooing and "aw, she's so adorable!"

"I'll leave you to get to know everyone while I just go check on Aubrey," Chloe said with a reassuring wink before disappearing somewhere amongst the stands. Beca nervously sat down, positioning the pram next to her at an angle so she could still see her daughter. "How old is she?" an attractive, busty brunette who introduced herself as Stacey asked her.
"She's two," Beca replied, and proceeded to answer all the questions about her daughter. Soon, Darcey became restless with all the attention directed her way without being able to leave the buggy, so she fought with the straps around her waist to try and break free.

"Sweetie, I don't know if I can let you out for a minute," Beca said whilst shaking her head to convey to her daughter she'd have to stay put, but Darcey persisted. Before she could shake her head again, Chloe's voice appeared again and said, "It's okay, she can run around a bit. She won't be any bother."

The tall blonde next to her seemed to be a bit more disgruntled at the presence of the young girl, but she didn't object to the suggestion. "Thanks," Beca said, and released her daughter from the clasps of the buggy. Instantly the little one was on her feet and curiously wandering towards the other girls who had been cooing over her earlier; getting right up in front of them before quickly toddling back to her mama's lap. Beca picked her up and placed her on her knee, bouncing her lightly as the blonde began to talk.

"Welcome to the Barden Bellas. Before we begin, I need to set a few ground rules. We will rehearse five times a week for varying intervals of two to three hours, although that will increase if I don't think you are ready enough. You have already been sorted into mezzos, sopranos, and altos, and your training will be conducted by me and Chloe in your respective groups. We will also expect from you a serious commitment to our cardio regime-"
"Why cardio?" Beca asked before she could help herself.

An Australian voice echoed her concerns, but Aubrey only seemed annoyed at the resistance. "It is of vital importance to not only sound good, but to look good. And if you think you can make it through one of our routines with low stamina then you may as well walk out the door now."

No one moved an inch, but the atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense. Thankfully, Chloe broke the silence with a more upbeat tone and started outlining the plan for the session ahead of them. "We'll split up into two groups today – I will take the altos and Aubrey will take the rest of you so hopefully by the end of the two hours you'll be able to form a standard harmonising song together. Okay?"

The new Bellas formed a mumbled response and quickly formed into the two groups, Beca carrying Darcey on her hip. They began some vocal warm-ups, and Darcey seemed entranced by her new surroundings at first but quickly started to doze off on her mama's shoulder. Sleepily her hand moved closer to her mom's throat, and she suddenly wiggled upright with a newfound burst of energy. "Shh…" Beca soothed her daughter, rubbing her hand in circles on Darcey's back.

She was hoping the little one would have a nap while they were there and she could set her back into the pushchair soon as her arms were getting tired. However, as she started singing scales again, Darcey sat bolt upright in her arms and giggled loudly. Beca's first thought was that her daughter was going to get her kicked out of the first social group she'd joined in years, but soon she started to notice a correlation. Every time she sang, Darcey would laugh or sit up. It was as though she could hear her.

Beca's head was suddenly full of all the possibilities. Her daughter could hear after all! There was no other explanation for the way her daughter reacted every time she sang. Being that close to the sound, Darcey could hear her. Maybe she wasn't deaf after all! Maybe she was just slightly hard of hearing! That stupid doctor didn't have a clue what she was on about.

Chloe noticed that Beca was distracted and gave her a quizzical look, wondering what was making her grin. Trying her best to focus, Beca continue with the warm-ups and eventually had to set Darcey on the floor when her arms began to ache too much. She quickly fetched a book from her bag, singing along with her group as she ran to her bag, and brought it back to entertain the little one with while the Bellas continued with practice.

"Okay, let's take five!" Aubrey called out; her voice ringing throughout the whole auditorium. Chloe took this opportunity to approach Beca and said, "What's up? Was Darcey okay earlier?"
Eagerly, Beca took both of Chloe's hands in her own and said with a wide smile, "I think she could hear me!"

Chloe tried to share in her friend's enthusiasm but she couldn't help but be a little dubious. "Beca, you know the doctor said she was deaf, right? I don't think she'd be wrong about that, however rude she was."
"I know, but she reacted to my voice! When I was holding earlier, she reacted every time I sang a scale or did a vocal exercise. I swear she can hear me!"

"Show me," Chloe said with a mixture of curiosity and doubt in her voice. She watched as Beca picked up her daughter and started to sing a few lines from 'Titanium'. Just as Beca had said, Darcey started giggling and pointing at her mom's mouth. "Beca," Chloe said tentatively, "She can see your mouth move. That's why she's getting excited."

"No!" Beca said with an unwavering tone of excitement, "Look – I'll show you." She started to rock her daughter slightly and held her head to rest on her shoulder so the little one couldn't see her face any more. Once Darcey was suitably relaxed, Beca began singing again. At first, nothing happened.

Darcey wiggled slightly to reposition herself, but it wasn't in reaction to hearing a voice. Then, all of a sudden she leant upright and giggled loudly again. "You see!" Beca said loudly with tears forming in her eyes. "She can hear me! She can hear me!"

Chloe took Beca by the crook of her arm and sat her down in a chair before sitting next to her. "Give me your hand," she said softly, trying to be as comforting as possible. Before Beca had a chance to move, Aubrey called out, "Break is up! Back to work!"

Reluctantly both girls stood up again and headed back to the other side of the auditorium so they could work on harmonies for the song 'Sunrise'. Beca carried Darcey with her, bringing her bag full of toys and supplies with her so her daughter would stay entertained. The toddler sat on one of the chairs with her toys and behaved well for the remaining hour. Chloe couldn't help but notice Beca glancing over at Darcey even more than usual every time she sang, as though she wasn't just checking her daughter was okay but she was also waiting for another reaction to her voice.

Finally, after a ten minute stint of cardio, Bellas rehearsal finished. They regrouped in the middle for a quick debrief from Aubrey and messily concluded with their group hand-wave before being released back to their daily lives. "Beca, can I speak with you for a minute?" Aubrey called out before the brunette could leave. She turned back to the leader of the group and braced herself to be reprimanded for bringing her daughter along.

"You know you'll have to take those ear monstrosities out before the fall mixture, don't you?" Aubrey said sharply. The comment annoyed Beca, but at least it wasn't her role as a parent that was under attack. "You really don't like me, do you?" she replied.
"I don't like your attitude. You showed up late for auditions, object to cardio, and quite frankly you don't fit the mould of what a Bella woman should be."
"You mean because I'm not 5"8, majorly skinny, and obsessed with cuticle care and E! Network?"
"Partly. I expect you to be in better form by next rehearsals, which means removing your many piercings."
"Whatever," Beca said without much promise in her voice, and turned to retrieve her daughter.

"Chloe – can you lock up?" Aubrey called out to her best friend who was currently tidying a few chairs away. "Sure," she replied, and soon the blonde left the auditorium, leaving Beca, Chloe, and Darcey alone.

Beca sat next to Chloe again, watching her daughter play by their feet for a few moments. After a minute she turned to Chloe and eagerly began chattering: "Doctors are wrong all the time: and maybe she'd not deaf - I mean she's intelligent and - she can't be deaf - I knew it!"
"Beca," Chloe interrupted softly, putting one hand on the brunette's knee to get her attention. "Give me your hand," she repeated from their earlier interrupted conversation.

Beca quietened down and apprehensively placed her hand in Chloe's. The redhead brought Beca's hand up to her own throat and began singing, "I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away."

Instantly, Beca realised what Chloe was trying to tell her. Darcey hadn't heard her voice, she'd only felt the vibrations in her throat as she sang. She couldn't hear after all. Tears filled her eyes again and she pulled her hand away from Chloe's throat, looking away. "I'm so stupid…" she muttered, reprimanding herself in her head.

"No, no you're not," Chloe said firmly, still holding one hand on Beca's knee. "You're a good mother. Every mom wants the best for her child and that's all you were doing. You were hoping. That's one of the things I love the most about you – how despite all you've been through you're still so full of hope."

Beca looked up with a small smile, and Chloe used her free hand to wipe away the tears running down her cheek. "Why don't you come over mine for a bit?" she said softly, her voice a little more than a whisper. Beca nodded and looked Chloe in her blue eyes, noticing their faces were only inches apart. "I'd like that," she said, and Chloe pulled her into a hug.

She rubbed Beca's back and held her for a few moments, saying, "It's going to be okay," as reassuringly as she could. As she pulled away she kissed Beca on the cheek, making sure she had stopped crying before turning to Darcey and help put her toys back into Beca's bag. They walked over to the door, shut off the light, and Chloe locked the auditorium door as they left.