She woke up the next morning, sun streaming in the window, warm under the covers with a small body pressed up against her, their limbs tangled together. She breathed in and smelled something vaguely floral and fresh, apple blossom perhaps, maybe cherry blossom, she couldn't quite tell in her hazy state. It certainly wasn't Pieter beside her, but it wasn't a stranger either. Her body wasn't tense. As much as she liked her one night stands, the ones where she accidentally stayed over had her waking up stiffer than a board.

"Morning," Pieter said, voice still gravelly from sleep.

Mina blinked open her eyes to see Pieter hovering above her a smile on his face. His hand came to rest on a mound of brown curls that was resting on Mina's chest. "You woke up, I'm surprised."

"How did you even know I was awake?" Mina asked.

"Your breathing changed. You do this thing, your breath catches twice right before you start to wake up. It's rather cute."

Mina frowned but didn't say anything to refute his claim. "I see. I slept well, that's why I woke up. No need to be surprised."

"Mhm, sure." Pieter's hand started to gently stroke through Beca's hair.

And everything from the night before came crashing back as she realized who was on top of her, still sleeping soundly. They had all fallen asleep together effortlessly. And now Beca was so wrapped up in her it was hard to tell where she ended and the little mouse began. And none of this made her want to run. It had the opposite effect. She wanted to stay here for the next eternity and then some.

"What do you think she would like for breakfast?" Pieter asked.

"Coffee, lots of coffee, and then something sweet, French toast or pancakes, either will do. And I would ask for extra syrup."

Pieter smiled. "She could be a health nut, you never know." They held each other's gaze for a second before laughing. "Ok, ok, I will order room service then. You want one of your usuals?"

Mina thought for a minute. "Eggs benedict, I'm in a rich mood today."

Pieter nodded. "Will do."

He moved out of her line of sight and over to the phone, picking up the phone and dialing down to the kitchen. He ordered for them quickly and set the phone down once more. He sat on the other side of the bed and Mina turned her head towards him.

"Do you think we should wake her up now or wait until there is coffee readily available?" Again they looked at each other for a second before responding together.

"Wait until there's coffee."

Mina's own hand came up and started to stroke through Beca's hair. She could feel how soft it was under the remnants of hairspray from the night before. She wanted to feel it when it was freshly washed. She wanted to feel it after a long, hard day. She wanted this as often as she could get it.

Mina took a deep breath. "Pieter," she said quietly. "I…I need this more than ever now."

He nodded. "So do I." He looked at Beca, snoring so very quietly now. "I think she might too, but maybe she hasn't quite put it all together yet. But she's getting there."

"Do you really think this will work?"

Pieter thought for a long time before nodding once more. "I think I'm more sure than ever now."

Mina breathed out, all the air inside her wanting to get out at once, she was so relieved. "Good. Good."

"Yes. It is."

A knock came at the door and their room service was there. Pieter pushed himself up from the bed and answered the door, wheeling the food cart in and setting everything up with quick efficiency. He poured a cup of coffee and came over to Mina's side of the bed. He set the cup down on the nightstand and sat on the small sliver of bed that was left beside her.

Mina looked up at him and smiled as both of them started to shake their little mouse awake.

"Beca, darling, it's time to get up," Mina said in Beca's ear.

Beca groaned and buried her face deeper into Mina's chest.

"We have coffee," Pieter added.

"Mrm, you have my attention." Beca's hand snaked from the covers and flopped around for a second before Pieter carefully set the mug into it. The small woman sat up a second later, breathed in the scent of coffee for a few seconds before slugging back a good bit of it in one gulp.

Mina was slightly impressed, not only was it black coffee, but it had to be rather hot. Beca just hummed and almost wrapped herself around the mug as she sipped the rest of the cup slowly. She glanced over at Pieter who was watching Beca with much the same expression she was, a bit of a question on his face, but mostly just a soft look and a small smile. To know their little mouse wasn't a morning person and to see it were completely different things. To see was much more intimate.

Beca straightened up as soon as the cup was empty. "Ok, I'm a person now. What's for breakfast? It smells wonderful."

Mina wanted to kiss the woman so badly in that instant she almost leaned forward, but she caught herself. That wasn't her right yet. Perhaps soon, but not yet.

"Pieter ordered you pancakes I believe." Mina nudged Pieter in the butt and he got the message and got up. Mina extricated herself from the covers and stood as well.

Beca smiled. "Great! Pancakes are my favorite."

Mina glanced back at her as she started moving around the covers on the food, looking for her own breakfast. "Somehow I thought so, little mouse. What mouse doesn't like something sweet?"

"Oh yeah, well if you're the cat where's your milk, and what the hell do giraffes even eat?" Beca stuck out her tongue for just a second.

"They are herbivores. Mostly they eat leaves from trees. That's why their necks are so long," Pieter said, taking Beca's mug and refilling it.

Beca took back the cup gratefully with a smile. "Well, I don't exactly see a salad there for you, big boy."

Pieter's nose scrunched just a bit. "I like salads well enough, but not for breakfast. I got corned beef hash."

Beca let out a disgusted noise. "You can totally have that."

Pieter nodded. "Good, I wanted it."

Mina shook her head, finally finding her own breakfast. She grabbed it and returned to her place on the bed, fork and a glass of orange juice in her other hand. Pieter held out Beca's plate towards her. Beca looked around for a place to set her coffee before scooting over slightly and setting it on the other nightstand and taking her plate along with the container of syrup and smiling.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, darling." Pieter sat down on the end of the bed by the cart, turning so her could see both Mina and Beca but still could set his drink down easily.

Beca drenched her pancakes in a ridiculous amount of syrup and started eating. "God, this is really good. I think pancakes always taste better after clubbing, though."

Mina hummed and gestured down at her own plate. "No, the kitchen here is actually quite decent. My eggs are good as well."

Beca looked over at her plate. "Is that eggs benedict?" she asked.

"It is."

"Oh, so that's what it looks like. I've never actually had it before."

Mina paused only for a second before she sliced off a bite and held out her fork to Beca. "Try it then. It is good. I admit, I am very, very fond of hollandaise sauce."

Beca took the fork from her and popped the bite in her mouth. She chewed for a second before smiling and handing Mina back her fork. "God, that is good."

Mina tried not to think too hard about the fact that Beca's mouth had been wrapped around her fork not a second before as she went back to eating. "I know, right?"

"I will just be over here, enjoying my corned beef hash. It is marvelous as well." Pieter smiled and stuffed a big bite in his mouth.

"I would throw a pillow if there wasn't a food cart behind you," Beca said, rolling her eyes. "I'm beginning to think that whole android, cyborg, whatever theory about you is right."

Mina looked over and laughed at Beca. "You're taking his love of corned beef as evidence for that?"

"Duh, it's unnatural."

Mina laughed. "Not that I don't agree, but I think your logic might be a bit flawed."

Beca shrugged. "It's before noon give me a break."

They ate the rest of their meal talking between bites of food. It was so very natural and easy. Mina could see mornings like this after nights of passion, after just regular nights all cuddled up together, sleeping, mornings one after the other for years to come. She met Pieter's eyes as Beca reached out and stole Pieter's orange juice right out from under his nose, and she could see the same thought in his mind. This was right, this was easy, this was theirs.

But like all mornings it had to come to an end. Beca set aside her plate and sighed. "Ugh, I really don't want to get back into that dress. It took like five minutes of contorting to get it on."

Mina looked at the clothes Beca was wearing. She had enough pairs of compression shorts to fill a boat and even more DSM t-shirts. "Then don't, wear my things back to Barden. I don't need them."

Beca shook her head. "I couldn't do that. I mean they are yours and everything. I don't want to take your clothes."

"I'm giving them to you, you aren't taking them, and if it really bothers you, it just gives you incentive to see us again, yes?" Mina cocked an eyebrow.

Beca looked between her and Pieter for a long second. "I'd do that without any incentive."

Mina breathed in and sighed almost silently. Hearing those words had soothed something within her. "I am glad. But the point still stands."

"Ok, I suppose I can wear them home. I'm gonna get razzed like hell for the DSM shirt, but like, you guys do have a nice logo, so."

"Yes, we do. I put a lot of effort into picking it from the mound of potential designs we had." Pieter puffed out his chest.

"Don't get too big a head, there, giraffe. Your neck won't support it." Beca stood up from the bed. "I'm going to go wash up though before I call a cab."

Mina nodded. "Sounds good, mouse." She watched as Beca strode across the room and shut herself in the bathroom. Mina turned to Pieter with a small smile. "She called you giraffe."

Pieter looked towards the bathroom door. "And so she did."

She knew it wasn't a big thing, a nickname was just a silly thing, really. But somehow it meant more to her, it was a sign that Beca was truly becoming a part of their little group, even in a small way. Giraffe had tumbled off her tounge as if she had been calling Pieter that for years. No, it wasn't much, but for the first time she thought she could truly see the hope that Pieter did, and that was more than enough.

When Pieter turned back towards her she knew he was surprised by the large, brilliant smile on her face. She smiled a great deal in his presence of course, but those smiles were smaller, a bit more reserved, or else elicited by something idiotic that Pieter had done or said. Such large smiles happened rarely without cause, but today, after this morning, this wonderful morning, she could hold nothing back as she normally did and she didn't mind.

"My god," Pieter whispered so quietly he did even seem to realize he was talking, "when you smile like that I remember every single moment I fell in love with you just a little bit more."

Mina reached forward and cupped his face, still smiling. Her hand held still for just a moment, prickled by the first morning bit of stubble, before moving up and tracing the little line between his eyebrows. "I know what you mean. Everytime you concentrate and that little line appears here I see the face you wore to defend me every time I needed it, I see the expression you wear when you concetrate on saying the right words to comfort me, I see years of DSM practices, I see a great many things all in one look." She pulled her hand back as she heard the water shut off in the bathroom. "I imagine the same thing will happen every time the little mouse-"

"Blushes," Pieter completed for her.

She nodded. "Yes. For you too then?"

"You have to admit she does quite a lot of that in our presence and it is so very cute."

Mina laughed and stood up. She had to get ready for the day ahead. It would be long, but she was sure, spirit bolstered as it was, that she would make it through easily.

She had just pulled out her outfit for the day when Beca came out again, face washed, hair brushed and around her shoulders, looking ready for the day. "Uh, hope you dont mind but I stole some of your mousse. My hair wasn't going to cooperate otherwise."

Mina thought that was a lie, she would have looked beautiful anyhow, but she waved it off. "What's mine is yours, mouse, truly."

Pieter nodded his agreement and finally got up from the bed and started to pack up his final things. "What the wise Kommissar says goes for me too." He mock saluted before going about his business and Mina tolled her eyes. Despite how joking it had been, she knew the offer was serious, and looking at Beca she did too, but she didn't quite know what to say.

"Right, glad you and your second in command won't string me up then," she joked instead.

Mina sauntered past Beca into the bathroom. "Perhaps Pieter is my right hand man, but you are my left hand woman, and while the right hand is historically significant of course, I am left handed." She smiled enematically at the other woman before shutting the bathroom door and leaving Beca to figure the meaning out by herself.

Yes, Pieter was her right hand, her balance, but Beca was a doubling, a strengthening, someone that made her more. And Pieter was some of those things as well, but in different ways. She only hoped that the both of them felt the same.

She got ready quickly, changing, putting her hair in a ponytail and forgoing makeup. She would be on a plane all day, there was no point to the effort. Well, perhaps there was a point to the effort standing outside the bathroom door, but she had already seen Mina without makeup and it did not matter.

She stepped out again and both of the others looked up. Pieter finished zipping up Mina's bag and set it beside his own.

"A cab for us is on the way. The mouse has called one for herself."

Mina nodded and opened her mouth to ask why two separate cabs, but Beca answered before she ever got a word out.

"Yeah, the airport is sort of in a completely different direction from Barden unfortunately. You'd be late if you dropped me off, and I, unfortunately, have a fuck ton of homework to do tonight or I'd go with you." Beca grimaced. "What's it like to be graduated again? I need something to work towards."

Mina laughed. "There is still homework, Beca, it just isn't graded. But I admit, there is less of it, but no job is truly nine to five, not really." She shrugged.

Beca groaned. "Ugh, that's not what you're supposed to tell me. I mean, I like advanced production, but the homework makes me want to pull out my hair, especially since it reminds me of the internship and then I get guilty in the middle of the house about the fact that I haven't told the girls about that at all. It's ridiculous."

Pieter walked over and squeezed her shoulders. "I'm sure you are brilliant at it and that it will be worth it to make you a better producer. And as for your internship and the other Bellas, you will tell them when you are ready."

Beca looked up at him with a skeptical look on her face. "You're totally just saying all of those things to make me feel better."

"I'm saying those things because I believe them. I have developed the habit of being very forthright, at least when I am being serious. I wouldn't know where I got it from." He smiled back at Mina before looking back at Beca. "But it is true."

Beca crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Ok, ok, fine. But it's still super stressful."

Mina walked across the room to stand beside the both of them. She put one of her hands on top of Pieter's and squeezed Beca's shoulder as well. "We will be here for you every step of the way. Call us at any time. If we are practicing we will call you back as soon as we're done, just as we have been doing. Nothing has changed about that. Nothing will."

The mouse uncrossed her arms and frowned harder. "Well, I mean talking to you guys does help…"

"Exactly." Mina reached up and tucked a few stray pieces of hair back into place. "And talking to you also makes our days much, much brighter."

Beca blushed and stepped back. Mina let her hand drop to her side as Beca shuffled about the room.

"Yeah, well, not as much as hearing your gorgeous voices makes my day better." Beca threw up her hands for a second before shrugging.

Mina chuckled. "Call it a drawl?"

"Sure." Beca's color finally started to go back to normal. Mina was sad to see the cute pink tint go.

Pieter's phone going off interrupted them. He picked up and spoke a few words and Mina frowned. Their cab was here. It was official. They really had to leave now. She sighed heavily and grabbed up her bag. It was off from a wonderful, almost dreamlike weekend, and into the harsh reality of the TSA. She thought the transition was almost cruel, really.

Pieter hung up a second later and grabbed his bag. "Here's hoping that the checkout line is short. That cabbie was very quick."

Beca grabbed up her stuff and headed out with them down to the lobby. Her cab arrived just as Pieter was handing over the key card and settling their expenses. Mina had the irrational urge to just lift the tiny girl up onto her shoulder and take her with them. If only it were that easy. But Beca had been right the night before. Months sucked, no matter how much contact they could have through text and phone calls and video chats.

Then they were walking out onto the sidewalk into the lukewarm winter day. A cabbie that was leaning on his van stood up as they approached and popped his trunk. Pieter grabbed Mina's bag off her shoulder and helped the other man load their bags. Mina turned to Beca a brittle smile on her face.

"Until worlds, little mouse?" she asked, wishing that they could somehow see each other before then.

"At least for in person, yeah, I guess." She looked down at the ground for a second before her face turned up again. She took a hesitant half step forward before launching the rest of the way into a rather spontaneous hug. Mina was so surprised for a second that she froze. Beca didn't do things like this she knew. She held back affection, not unlike herself around anyone but Pieter and the woman gripping onto her. But here she was.

And that was enough for Mina's arms to wrap around the other woman tightly, setting her chin on Beca's head and hugging her for a long, long moment. Pieter came up a second later and hugged her from behind, long arms going around the both of them to rub circles on Beca's back. Beca breathed out into Mina chest, shaking just barely.

All too soon it ended. Beca stepped back from them and looked away. "Right, I mean, it's not like I'm never going to see you again, or that you're going to die or anything. No need for over dramatic movie moment hugs. Ugh, I always hated them when Jesse made me watch movies with them in it, but I mean, you guys hug really well and everything so like, that was still really, really nice, and maybe we should do it again sometime, but that isn't the point right now. Yeah, I'll see you guys at worlds," she rushed out.

"We look forward to it, tiny mouse," Pieter said, stepping from behind Mina.

"Uh, yeah, ditto." She looked over her shoulder at the other cabbie there. "Right, well, he's probably gonna be cranky if I wait any longer. See you guys."

Mina stepped forward on an impulse and hugged the girl to her once more for just a short moment. "Have no illusions, I will be texting you the moment I can't see you in the mirrors of the taxi."

Beca's breath caught. "Um, ok, I'll make sure to text you back."

Mina nodded. "Good, little mouse, we can't have you lapse into bad texting habits, now can we?" She raised a haughty eyebrow before turning and climbing into the cab, Pieter right behind her.

The taxi pulled away and Mina took out her phone. Just as she promised she sent a text message as soon as she couldn't see the other woman anymore. "I miss you already," it read.

It was risky, she knew, but they were the only words that came to mind, and so the only ones she sent. She held her breath for a few seconds before her phone vibrated in her hand.

"I miss you guys already too," Beca's message read.

And in more ways than one Mina breathed easy once more.