A/N: I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.
Beca was pacing the living room again, running a hand through her hair. Chloe, Ben and Emily were sitting and watching her walk back and forth.
"Mom, you're making me nervous." Ben said with a sigh. She stopped pacing and dropped to the sofa, taking a seat beside Chloe.
"Sorry." She said, checking her watch again. "Tell me again why I agreed to do this?"
"Because we might get a chance at having a peaceful life." Chloe said, taking her hand.
"If she tries to justify what her son did-"
"I'm sure she won't." Chloe said. Ben shifted in his seat, wincing slightly. "Do you need anything?" She asked him. Ben shook his head, his hand resting on his side.
"When did you last take your pain meds?" Beca asked.
"Couple of hours ago." He said shifting in his seat again. "I'm fine, mom. I'll take more soon."
"You don't have to sit here if you're in pain." Chloe said, casting worried glances at him.
"I want her to see what her son did." He said, defiantly. Beca gave him a small smile. Emily had been unusually quiet, chewing her lip in the way that Chloe did. Suddenly her face broke into a grin. She knelt up on the sofa and whispered into Chloe's ear who smiled and nodded. Emily got down from the sofa and scurried off upstairs. Beca raised her eyebrows at Chloe who just shook her head, still smiling. A few minutes later and Emily came running back into the living room, Ben's old cuddly Nemo toy in her hand. She walked up to him and placed it on his lap.
"To make you feel better." She said.
"Thanks princess." He grinned. There was a knock at the door. Chloe went to answer it and Beca stood, ready to greet her. Her hands clenched reflexively into fists. Emily saw and stood beside her, taking her mother's hand in her own tiny one. Beca smiled down at her daughter and her hands relaxed. Chloe returned to the living room, followed by an anxious looking Colleen. Beca extended her hand and the woman tentatively shook it.
"Coffee?" Chloe asked, looking between the two women. Beca had yet to look away whereas Colleen had dropped her eyes to the ground immediately.
"Please." She said in a small voice. Chloe glanced at Beca before heading to the kitchen.
"Have a seat." Beca said, sitting back down in her own. Colleen perched on the edge of the armchair opposite Beca. "You already know my kids." She said, gesturing to Emily and Ben. Colleen nodded.
"You're Freddie's mommy." Emily said, smiling at her. "I like Freddie." Colleen gave her a small smile.
"Thank you." She said.
"Can I go play?" Emily asked, turning to look at Beca. The brunette laughed and nodded.
"She's sweet." Colleen said.
"She is." Beca replied, turning back to look at the woman in front of her. Chloe re-entered the kitchen with a tray of coffee, a glass of water for Ben and his pain meds.
"Thanks mom." He said, grimacing as he leaned across the coffee table to get them.
"I wanted to apologise for what my son did." She said, taking a sip of coffee. "I never imagined he could be so... So violent." He hands were shaking slightly so she put the cup down. "He's always been a... difficult boy. But I never thought... Things aren't good for him at home." She said, feeling the need to defend her son. "My husband and I are divorcing and money is tight. And Ben, you're smart, funny, people like you and you live in a stable family. I think Brad was just jealous of that."
"So you think that makes it okay?" Chloe said, angry at the way she tried to justify his actions.
"My parent's divorced when I was six." Beca said, feeling Chloe's hand close over her own. "My mom killed herself when I was ten." Ben looked over at his mother. He'd only ever heard the full story about what happened to his grandmother once. He knew she hated talking about it. "I had to live with my dad who'd abandoned me and a step-mom that I didn't get along with. Do you think I was a bully?"
"No." Colleen said, her voice catching in her throat. "And I'm sorry that my son is. I guess there's no real explanation."
"I have a pretty good explanation, actually." Chloe said, squeezing Beca's hand again. "Tell me, that homophobic nonsense you shouted at the school those times, do you speak like that at home?" Colleen didn't answer, but her tight-lipped expression taught them all they needed to know. "Kids pick up on that kind of thing. Brad would have heard you spouting that rubbish and assumed that's how you're supposed to treat people who are a bit different."
"So you're saying it's my fault that my son... attacked yours?" Colleen said, her eyes still downcast.
"No. But maybe if he hadn't grown up in an environment where hate was accepted he wouldn't have thought it okay to bully." Chloe replied.
"I don't really know what else I can say." She said.
"Why did you want to meet with us?" Beca asked, frustrated that she wouldn't acknowledge the role she played in her son's bullying.
"I've been getting letters. Hate mail. And... threatening emails. Calling me homophobic and saying that my son is a psychopath. I... I need you to help me."
"Are you kidding me?" Beca said, an incredulous laugh escaping her. "You verbally abuse me and my wife in front of our daughter and then your son sticks a knife in my son's stomach, almost killing him, and you want my help?!"
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for what my son did." She said, trying not to raise her voice.
"But what about what you did?!" Beca said. Colleen pursed her lips again.
"I won't apologise for my beliefs." She said eventually.
"Then we have nothing more to say." Chloe said calmly, standing up.
"You're ridiculous." Ben said to Colleen, attempting to stand up, gritting his teeth through the pain. Beca was at his side immediately, supporting his weight. "If you think your family is superior to mine then I feel sorry for you." Colleen stood up too.
"I can't change how I feel." She said, trying to remain dignified.
"But you can admit that the way you acted on those feelings was wrong." Chloe said, her hand closing around Beca's again. Colleen stared at their entwined hands.
"I can't." She said, finally.
"Then we can't help you." Beca said. "I trust you can see yourself out." Colleen opened her mouth to argue but Beca wasn't paying her any attention. "Do you wanna go lie down?" She asked Ben. He nodded, his jaw clenched. Colleen watched as the two women guided their son towards the stairs before she turned and left the house.
"Are you going to help her?" Ben asked as he was lowered onto his bed. Chloe and Beca looked at each other. They didn't want to help her. They didn't want anything to do with her. But they also couldn't pretend that they were okay with the innocent members of her family receiving threats.
"What would you do?" Chloe asked, perching on the side of his bed.
"I don't know." He said trying to shift himself into a comfortable position. "She doesn't deserve help. But that doesn't mean you should stoop to her level."
"When did you get so wise?" Beca asked, ruffling his hair before the two women left him to get some sleep.