Hey guys. Sorry for the wait! School is really busy this semester. Thank you again to all those of you who reviewed. I love all of you. Your words make my day.
Today is my birthday, so I thought I would give you all a little gift, and maybe you guys could make my day and leave me a little review.
IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BOTTOM
PLEASE READ IT!
Now some review responses:
BecaMitchell: Um, ok. Maybe in a one-shot. I like the idea though.
Cjrayray: Not sure what that means, but thanks for the review and for reading!
TwilightSeekerHP: Oh trust me, Julie will be sticking around. She understands Beca much better than her own mother ever did. She really is glad that Jesse has found her and that the two of them are so happy. We will definitely be seeing more of her, Ben and Michaela.
Brokenfromthepast: Sorry for the wait! I hope you like this chapter!
Abbie. heppenstall: Thank you so much. I'm excited for it too.
MissLiv: Awww that was so sweet of you to say. Thank you. I love hearing from you guys. I hope you like this chapter!
Jessica. yip. 792: I'm almost positive it is going to be called "Aca Life". That may change though.
Sailormcmarnie: I'm so glad you are looking forward
"OK," I said pulling away from him, "enough of this sappy stuff." I said moving over to his closet. I pulled out the bathing suit he made me pack. Opening one of his drawers, I quickly found one of his. Walking back out, I saw Jesse standing in the same spot I left him in. I threw his bathing suit at him and it smacked him in the face. I may be the worst at catching things, but I love it when I have randomly good aim. "Get dressed nerd. We're going swimming." Jesse just shook his head as I turned and began to undress. As I pulled off my shirt, my eye caught the mirror, where I could see Jesse's reflection. I still get thrown sometimes by how nice his body is. I watched as he pulled on his swim shorts. Straightening up I got a great shot of his abs. He caught my eye, and I quickly looked away, as a blush rose in my face. Ok, what the hell? Since when do I blush from looking at Jesse? I quickly busied myself with stripping off my clothes and quickly pulled on my bathing suit. As I fixed the top, I felt Jesse wrap his arms around my waist. My eyes traveled up and I caught our reflection in the mirror. Jesse pulled my hair down from its ponytail, and trailed kisses down my neck.
"Have I told you how beautiful you are today?" I let a chuckle rumble through my throat as I forced myself to keep thinking clearly.
"Did you start taking some sort of new meds that is making you more corny than usual?" I asked.
"Yup. Just started them. Thought I needed to up my game." He said, as he tightened his arms around my waist, and began trailing his fingertips over the exposed skin of my stomach. I turned in his arms and wrapped mine around his neck. Standing up on my toes, I put my lips right by his ear. "Later." I said, and then quickly stepped away. Turning away from him, I went back over to his closet. I quickly pulled out a white bathing suit cover up and slipped it on. I heard a small thud, and when I walked back into Jesse's room, I found him sitting on the floor, his dog Tally lying next to him, her tail whipping back and forth. I watched as she looked up at me, her head tilting to the side for a second, before she got up and rand over to me.
Growing up, I was never one of those kids that begged their parents incessantly for a dog. It wasn't that I didn't like them; I just never really cared either way. I sat down in front of Tally, and she lay down, her head resting on my leg, her tail still whipping back and forth. It was nice. A creature with the ability to love unconditionally; I kind of liked that. Standing up, Jesse held out his hand to me and pulled me up. He led me out of his room, tally trailing after us. Stopping at Michaela's door, he knocked.
"'Kayla, we're going swimming. Get your but to the pool."
"Way ahead of you bro." Michaela called from downstairs. We made our way down the stairs and found Michaela in the kitchen, bathing suit on, and ready to go out. As we walked into the room, I saw her eyes land on the bruises on my arms, but she didn't say anything, for which I was really grateful. She just sent me a small reassuring smile.
Without a word, she hopped off her stool and the three of us made our way outside. We walked down to the pool, and Michaela jumped in from the side, as Jesse made his way over to the diving board. He turned back to look at me, and I swear an almost cocky look grew on his face as he walked to the end of the board. I watched, expecting him to do some epic fail move, but when he sprung off the board, he made a perfect dive into the water. I pulled off my cover up and moved over to sit on the side of the pool. Jesse surfaced in front of me, and rested his arms along the side.
"Like what you saw I take it?" he said, resting his head on my knee. I rolled my eyes at him as he continued to grin up at me.
"You are way too proud of yourself right now. You think that just because you do some awesome dive that I'll go all googley eyed?"
"So you admit that it was awesome?" He said, as he trailed his fingers along the skin of my leg.
"Could you guys not make me loose my breakfast?" Michaela called from the other side of the pool.
"Why are you still sitting there?" Jesse asked me, his hand still resting on my leg.
"Relax weirdo. I'm just getting used to the water."
"What better way to get used to the water than to jump right in?" He said. I narrowed my eyes at him, as I lowered my lips to his ear.
"And what better way to make sure not to get any tonight then to get on my nerves." I looked at his face, and was annoyed he didn't look worried.
"Don't make me come get you." He said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"You wouldn't." I said, glaring at him.
"Oh yes he would Beca." Michaela said, swimming up to us. "That's how mean he is." I watched as Jesse slowly turned to look over at his sister. This must be normal here, because what happened next, I didn't see coming at all, but Michaela must have, because she quickly began to swim away as Jesse sprung after her. I heard Michaela call me to help her, as she kept trying to get away from her brother. I rolled my eyes and lowered myself into the pool. Getting over to Michaela quickly, I blocked Jesse as I moved to stand in front of his sister.
"Really Beca?" He asked as he swam up to me, raising an eyebrow. "You are just about as small as she is." He said, straitening up to his full height, forcing me to have to look up at him. I narrowed my eyes, and put on my best glare. It just made him grin more. Damn him. "I could just throw you over my shoulder, and put you back up on the side if I wanted." He said, crossing his arms and smirking down at me.
"Now see I know you won't do that," I said moving to stand right in front him. I placed a hand on his chest, and lowered my voice as I spoke again, "because you know how it will end for you if you do." He stared down at me, and I saw that smirk on his face grow.
"Oh really?" He whispered, his lips inches away from mine. "Forgive me if I think I can distract you." He said, and then scooped me up in his arms, his lips attacking mine. I tried to think, but my brain seemed not to be able to function any more under the amazing feeling of his lips. I was only vaguely aware of some new voices entering the area and it wasn't until someone threw water on us, that I was brought back to my senses.
"Now no one wants to see you two going at it like a pair of rabbits." We both turned to see Bryan and Peter standing by the pool. Seriously, do these guys not have lives of their own? They were both in swimming shorts, and neither Jesse nor Michaela seemed to be too surprised to see them. Jesse led me over to the side of the pool, where I hoisted myself onto the ledge again.
"I thought they were your 'new favorite couple'?" Bryan said looking over at the blonde.
"Oh they are. Still, don't really need to see that this early."
"No one is forcing you to be here jerk." Jesse said with a grin, as he hoisted himself out of the pool. I just smiled and shook my head at the two as Michaela lifted herself up next to me.
"Ah, but see that is where you are wrong my movie obsessed friend. For it is tradition that is making me be here." Peter said with a grin, nodding as if he had just recited the greatest speech of all time. I saw Jesse and Bryan roll their eyes and heard someone laugh. I turned to see Julie walking over, a tray with lemon-aid and some food in her hands. This house gets more cliché by the minute, but I really can't say I don't like it.
"Hey boys." She said, setting the tray down on the table by the pool. "I was starting to think we wouldn't be seeing you guys."
"Ah, Mamma Swanson. As lovely as ever. We would never dream of giving you that sort of heart break." I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing as Julie rolled her eyes.
"If you kids get hungry, and I know you will," she said eyeing her son and his friends, "there is food here." She said, nodding towards the table before heading back into the house.
"They're here a lot I guess?" I asked Michaela with a grin. She nodded as Bryan and Peter pulled off their shirts. I saw Jesse laugh as he took two glasses of lemon aid from his mom. He handed one to me and set his own down next to the ledge before climbing back into the pool, and moved to stand in front of my legs. Michaela stood and walked over to where her mom was, helping to set up the food she had brought out.
"Peter, Bryan and I have grown up on the same street, just a couple of houses away from each other, so they're here a lot." He told me as the two boys got into the pool. I saw the two boys grin, but they both faltered as their eyes fell on my bruises.
"Damn Beca, those bruises look nasty." Peter said, his eyes going to my arms. My hands immediately moved up to my arms as I saw Jesse throw a glare at his friend. Putting his hands on my waist, he gently lifted me off the side of the pool and lowered me into the water. Holding me in front of him, his arms wrapped around my body, and the water helped to cover up the bruises.
"Are you doing ok Beca?" Bryan asked, his tone much softer than Peter's.
"Yeah. I'm fine." I said with a smile that I really doubt met my eyes. "It takes more than one drunken jerk to break me." I saw both of them laugh and it seemed that, at least for the moment, we were done with that topic. We all stayed out at the pool for a few more hours before deciding to head into the house. As we walked into the kitchen, I saw Julie grin over at the guys.
"Now boys, please take it easy on my kitchen. Other people have to eat too." She said, before walking out of the room. As Peter and Bryan settled in the living room, Jesse and I ran upstairs to get changed.
"Don't take too long you two love birds or I'll come find you too." I heard Peter call after us. I saw Jesse flip him off before following me up the stairs. We walked into his room, and I began to make my way over to Jesse's closet, but I felt his hand grab my wrist as he pulled me back into his chest. Cupping my face with his hands, his lips descended on mine. Biting gently on my lower lip, his tongue danced with mine. I pulled away after a minute, knowing that Peter's threat to come after us was not an empty one.
"Get dressed nerd." I said, kissing his cheek. Walking into his closet, I quickly found a pair of jeans, and a shirt with sleeves that went down to my elbows. After running a brush through my hair, I walked back out into Jesse's room. He had changed out of his bathing suit and into a t-shirt and jeans. Taking my hand, we made our way back downstairs. Bryan and Peter were sitting where we had left them, with Michaela sitting by them, all three of them watching something on the TV. Jesse led me over to the love seat and pulled me down into his lap. As I looked over at the screen I felt my jaw drop as I saw myself, and the Bellas dancing in last years finals.
"Damn Jess, if I ever said anything bad about that a cappella stuff before, I take it all back." Peter said.
"If? You did nothing but make fun of me when I joined the Trebles."
"Where do you get the music from Beca?" Peter asked, ignoring Jesse.
"My computer." I said with a grin. "I mix it myself. Find songs that fit well and mix them together."
"Wow." Bryan said. "Your really good."
"Wasn't that the song from the breakfast club?" Peter asked and Jesse nodded. "Don't let this one go jess. If she is willing to serenade you with the song from one of your favorite movies, she is a keeper."
"Oh trust me, I know." Jesse said, wrapping his arms around me tighter. "That was probably the one and only big romantic gesture that I'll ever get from this one."
The guys stayed for a few more hours, before both of them left to go to another party. They invited Jesse and I to come with them, but after what happened yesterday, neither of us would be going to a party tonight. After they left, Jesse and Michaela were able to talk me into watching another Disney movie.
"Come on Beca." Jesse said, holding up Finding Nemo, smiling down at me the way he always did when he was trying to charm me into something. "Let me give you the childhood that you never had."
"I had a childhood." I said, crossing my arms.
"Yeah a messed up one." He countered. "Just watch the movie." He said, pulling me into his side. Michaela hit play, and I have to admit, I did like getting to spend this time with Jesse and his sister. The afternoon stretched into evening as the last scene of the second Disney movie of the day transitioned into credits.
"So Beca, did Jesse tell you we have a family movie night every Sunday?" Michaela asked. I turned to look over at Jesse.
"No. He forgot to mention that."
"Don't worry Beca. We're not as bad as he is." Julie said as she walked into the room. "We eat dinner in here and just have a good time with it. Jesse always ends up getting annoyed with us at some point." She said laughing.
"Yes." Jesse said, nodding at his mother. "Because you guys always manage to talk through the entire movie!" Jesse said, his sister trying to suppress a grin
"Anyway, your dad called." Julie said, looking between her children. "He's picking up a few pizzas on his way home, and wants you two to decide now what you want to watch. He doesn't want to have to hear you guys fight when he gets home." She said, sending a pointed look at Jesse and Michaela.
Detangling myself from the couch, I left the siblings to figure out their movie dilemma on their own. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw Julie pulling out dishes and placing them on a large tray sitting on the kitchen island.
"Can I help you?" I asked hoisting myself onto one of the stools. Julie turned and looked at me, a grin on her face.
"You don't want to help pick out a movie?" She asked, nodding towards the entrance to the living room, where we could hear Jesse and Michaela arguing over what movie we would all be watching.
"Yeah, not so much." She just laughed as she motioned over to where she had place a few different snacks and a stack of large bowls.
"You can put those snacks into bowls if you want?" She asked. I nodded and moved over to where she had indicated. She had about five different types of chips, plus popcorn, and a bag of chocolate. I was just finishing poring everything into the bowls when the back door opened and Ben walked in, with four large pizzas in hand.
"Think we have enough food now?" Julie asked, as Ben placed the pizzas on the counter and kissed his wife on the cheek.
"Hi Beca." He said smiling over at me.
"Michaela, if you force Beca to watch more Disney, she will probably break up with me." We heard Jesse say from the living room.
"Are they at least being civil?" Ben asked me.
"Oh god no." I said laughing as we could both hear Jesse and Michaela continue to argue. Julie just shook her head as she picked up a few of the bowls and carried them into the living room.
"Listen Beca," Ben said, looking over at me. Damn, this is probably what I've been trying to avoid since yesterday. "Jesse's friends told me what happened yesterday at that party. Are you OK?" I heard footsteps, and saw Julie reenter the room.
"Yeah." I said forcing myself to meet his gaze. "I'm fine. A little bruised up, but other than that OK. I mean nothing really happened, so I'm just letting myself forget about it."
"You know you can talk to us right?" Ben said, as his wife sent me a small smile. "Jess told us a bit about your family, so just know we're not here to judge you."
"Yeah. I know." I said, pushing the words out of my mouth. I forced myself to hold Ben's gaze, and fought the overwhelming urge to run from the room. "I'm just really used to doing things on my own. Until I met Jesse, I really didn't let anyone in." I couldn't believe that I was actually telling them this.
"We're always here if you need us for anything sweetie." Julie said, reaching out and giving my hand a squeeze. I let myself smile up at her. I heard someone else enter the kitchen and then felt Jesse place an arm around my waist. I leaned my head back so it was resting against his chest, and let the smile on my face grow.
"You guys finally decide on a movie?" I asked looking up at him.
"Yeah. I talked Michaela into watching The Avengers. But I had to promise Michaela that you would watch a Disney movie with her tomorrow."
"That's real nice Jess." Ben said, laughing. "Throwing your girlfriend under the bus so you can watch what you want." I could see Jesse trying to suppress a grin, as he shrugged. Rolling my eyes, I hopped down off the stool and let him take my hand as we all made our way into the living room. I couldn't believe how much food there was sitting in the living room. There were probably five different kinds of chips, plus a huge bowl of popcorn. Jesse led me over to the couch, and handed me a juice pouch and a plate with a slice of pizza on it, and picked up one for himself. My eyes found the TV and I saw that it was already all set up to start. The rest of the family settled in and grabbed food as Julie lowered the lights and sat down next to her husband.
I leaned my head back and rested it against Jesse's shoulder as the movie started. Jesse wound his arm around my waist, and I felt him lay a kiss on the top of my head. I turned my head slightly, so I could see his face and smiled up at him. He looked down at me and returned the smile and placed another kiss on my forehead before turning his eyes back to the movie.
Breathing a content sigh, I turned my eyes back to the TV screen. I would probably end up falling asleep before the end of the movie, but I couldn't think of any other place that I would rather be.
Ok guys, so here is where I need your help. I am really bad at thinking of music, and I can't decide what songs the Bellas and the Trebles. I kind of want Beca to pick another song from a movie that Jesse would love to use in their set. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
There is only going to be one more chapter after this one, but then hopefully I should have the sequel up not long after that. Also, if you guys have anything you want to see in the sequel, like always, I would love to hear your suggestions. I may be able to incorporate it into the story. We are almost at the end of the road for this one, but like I've been saying, the sequel is coming.