Disclaimer: Universal Pictures owns all rights of Pitch Perfect.
Title: Coming out of the Dark
Chapter 21 - Epilogue
Summary: Beca Mitchell endured something so horrific in her past, it altered the course of her life. As an adult she's found love and acceptance that will be jeopardized when buried memories threaten to surface. Two fandoms will be represented; beginning as Bechloe but endgame will be Jeca.
A/N: Warning! Content will include depictions of a violent act with references to substance abuse and suicide. M rated for language and mature subject matter.
Nine months since the arrival of Lindy it was also Jesse's birthday, and being the good wife she was, Beca planned a day full of surprises for the love of her life.
With their daughter sleeping in, Beca dressed herself in one of Jesse's white button down shirts forgoing any undergarments, styled her hair in a messy bun with just enough makeup to cover the dark circles under eyes. Being a first time mother was challenging to Beca in many ways. She was often pushed to the brink of madness when her daughter was finicky or didn't want to sleep or threw temper tantrums when she didn't get her way. Her patience was tested by the little person she carried in her belly, and just when she thought she had, had enough, Lindy would reach her helpless little arms to her mother with a giggle and lopsided grin that melted her heart. It was a full time job that often kept her from making her work deadlines or having a good night sleep but she wouldn't trade her daughter's life for anything. With a spritz of Jesse's favorite perfume Beca was ready to carry out her seduction. Folding back their duvet she positioned herself at her husband's thighs, carefully hooked her fingers under the waistband of his red Calvin briefs and exposed the beast which seemed to come to life on its own. Sighing in appreciation at the impressive specimen, she moistened her lips and went for it.
"What're you...!?" Jesse was half asleep and unable to form a sentence while his wife treated him to the first of many birthday gifts. "Oh, my...!"
"Mmm...Hmm…" Beca mumbled back. She was on a mission to get him off and increased her momentum. Adding a hand to massage him, she was like a king cobra devouring its prey. Jesse was so far under her spell that he mewled like a cat while gripping the 1000 thread count Egyptian sheets. In a matter of minutes he was grunting his release down the throat of his very naughty wife.
"That was fucking fantastic." he was still breathless, praising her oral skills. Pulling her up he wrapped his arms around her and treated his love to a searing kiss. "You know, I'm twenty-six today and nobody has ever done that for me."
"Seriously?" she remembered throughout their time in college that Jesse dated but avoided anything serious because he'd been in love with her all along. Knowing that made her want to pleasure her spouse that much more. Kissing him with all the love she could muster, she wanted to show Jesse just how much he meant to her. After the kiss Beca got to her knees and did a mini strip tease by undoing each button slowly to reveal her fit post pardem figure. Jesse moaned in appreciation at her nakedness and reached for her firm breasts. "Not yet, lover." she teased, playfully slapping his hands away. Positioning him between her thighs she manipulated a nipple with one hand and penetrated herself with the other. Her impromptu masturbation was for his benefit as he fixated on her becoming more aroused and felt himself getting harder by the second. When she brought her fingers to her mouth and tasted herself, his jaw fell open. She was his wife and mother of his child but she was also the woman of his dreams who oozed of sex appeal. "Remember, what I said about birthday sex?" she leaned down and brushed her lips to his. "The honoree just receives." and kissed him full on the mouth. Straddling his hips she rubbed her core against him until he was rock hard. Taking hold of the beast she fed it to her opening and took him to a galaxy far, far away.
..ooOoo..
They're lovemaking continued for another couple of hours until it was time for Lindy to feed. At six months Beca had stopped nursing their daughter to get back to her career and learn more about her involvement with RAINN. It was also agreed upon that they would let nature take its course in hopes of expanding their family.
As Jesse went to retrieve their daughter from her room, Beca re-dressed herself in his huge shirt, prepared a bottle of formula then returned to their bedroom to find her bare chested husband on their bed interacting with Lindy. It was something she'd never get tired of seeing as he doted over the little girl who was the perfect blending of them. Taking the formula from her, Jesse bottle fed their infant while cradling and singing softly to her. He was a loving husband to Beca but when it came to their daughter, he was a natural father who adored Lindy and would keep her safe until the end of time.
..ooOoo..
Later that day they paid a visit to Thunderbolt Tattoos. Since their wedding and birth of their baby, Jesse wanted to add to his arm band tattoo to memorialize both events. Having made an appointment with his artist, Jesse had previously emailed sketches of what he wanted to add to the original piece. When the size and content was agreed upon, Jesse removed his shirt so Axel could place the new images within his existing piece. During this time the owner of the shop made her way over to Beca who was pushing a stroller.
"Who's this adorable baby?" The woman asked, hugging her client. "It's so good to see you, Beca. Are you actually babysitting?"
"Um...not exactly." Beca smirked. The last time they were there was on her birthday when her then best friend was getting his first ink. Picking up her baby she kissed her chubby cheeks then introduced her. "This is Lindy, my daughter."
"You had a baby?" The woman was floored. "Who's the sperm donor?"
Beca laughed at her inquiry because at one time that's what Jesse was when he agreed to father a child for her and Chloe, then refocused her attention on her husband who was still glowing from his birthday sex from earlier. "You're looking at him."
"Wait a minute, aren't you and Chloe together?" she asked for clarification. "You told me that you and that guy were just friends, what the hell happened?"
"Yeah...um. It's a long story." Beca gnawed on her lower lip. "We aren't together anymore, actually it was a mutual break-up." she admitted. "Chloe lives in Houston now with her own family but we're still very close. I mean, she was my maid of honor."
"You got married?" The owner couldn't believe it, picking up her left hand she gawked at her bling. "He's going to be awhile, now have a seat and tell me everything." Rolling her eyes Beca let out a sigh then gave her an abbreviated version of how it all happened.
Meanwhile, Axel had successfully incorporated the new images into the film cells and began to trace over the temporary lines. With the first being wedding bells and the date he and Beca tied the knot, the second was their daughter's name and date she was born and third being RAINN's logo to commemorate their support for the non-profit organization.
By the time Axel was finished, Beca and their sleeping nine-month old returned to his station where she examined the new additions and praised the artist's workmanship before dismissing him. Climbing onto Jesse's lap, it was reminiscent of the time when she kissed him to warn off a couple of skanky bitches who'd taken an interest in her hot friend. Snaking her arms around his neck, Jesse wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed their lips together. When the kiss ended Beca nibbled on his ear lobe.
"Hey, birthday boy, love the new ink." she spoke softly in his ear. "I think it's time for another gift, don't you?"
"There's more?" he grinned. "It's so not necessary. I mean, this has already been the greatest birthday ever."
"I bet I can make it even better." she whispered, then took a deep breath before continuing. "You're gonna be a daddy again."
"What?" Jesse pulled away to face her. "You're pregnant?"
"Yeah...about four weeks." she smiled and struggled with her emotions. "Surprise!" Words were not necessary when Jesse held his wife's face between his palms and kissed her passionately. When they parted both were beaming. "I guess you're happy about this."
"You can say that." he hooked a tendril of hair behind her ear-spike. "I love you so much. You make me so happy and give me everything I could ever want."
"The feelings mutual." she smiled, placing the palm of her hand over his heart. "Because of you, I love my life and can't wait to be a mother again. I love you too."
A few months later Benji accompanied them in Los Angeles for Garrett's parole hearing. It was a small sacrifice on their part to come out each year, but it was the only way to ensure the low-life piece of shit wasn't going to be released anytime soon. They also took the opportunity to visit Beca's mom and Lindsay's parents, then fulfill an obligation to RAINN who had arranged for Beca to be a guest speaker at the high school she and Lindsay attended.
Standing in back of the auditorium her mom stood with Benji, Jesse and their daughter who were there to support Beca in her speaking debut. With hundreds of students looking on, the former Bella's captain waited for her introduction then took the stage.
"I'm Rebeca Swanson, but you can call me Beca. I used to go here but due to unforeseen circumstances, I didn't graduate with my class. On the night of our Homecoming, I was raped by three guys." she paused to maintain her composure.
"That night I suffered a concussion, internal bleeding and slipped into a catatonic stupor for nearly six months. When I finally came out of it, I had no recollection of what happened and found out that I'd gotten pregnant but lost the baby. That was a really big deal because to the best of my knowledge, I was still a virgin. I also found out that my best friend had slit her wrists during my vegetative state." she gave it a moment to let her words sink in.
"My memory of that night didn't come back until nine years later. It's a miracle that I'm here today because during my darkness I became addicted to drugs and alcohol and screwed just about anything on two legs. God obviously had a plan for me, because I'm living proof that it's possible to survive a sexual assault and live a normal life afterwards. My miracle came in the form of a wonderful man who was there during my breakthrough and still loved me regardless of my past. He helped me confront my demons and to this day, accompanies me to my therapy sessions. For the first time in my life I fell in love, then married my best friend. Today we have a beautiful daughter, and in about four months from now, we'll have a son." she smiled at the thought and rubbed her baby bump.
"Not everyone is as lucky as I was. Like me, my best friend was raped, but she couldn't cope with what happened and killed herself." she paused again and heard sniffling from her audience.
"It's okay to cry, God knows I have. But if you're currently or have been a victim of sexual assault, that's not okay, and hurting yourself with drugs or promiscuity or ending your life is NOT the answer! You're not alone. We're here to spread awareness and help you heal from your trauma. If I can recover from mine, than so can you."
Beca received a standing ovation that brought her to tears. After the applause subsided she found herself surrounded by a handful of teens reaching out to her. Working closely with the RAINN counselors, she witnessed first hand the power of her words and importance of the organization. She realized at that moment that God's plan for her was quite simple; pay it forward.
A few months later, Logan Isaiah Swanson was born to a planned c-section delivery. They were now a family of four with bright futures ahead of them. With Jesse helming Dramatica Studios he'd contracted his wife to produce 'made-for-movie' original songs who still had connections with high profile recording artists from her time at Residual Heat. They soon became business partners where their combined talents earned them respect from their peers along with several award nominations and wins. A couple times each year the Swanson's took a break from running their business and toured the country with RAINN. Reaching out to thousands with her story, Beca continued to give hope when all that was left was hopelessness and became the voice to those who could no longer speak for themselves.
As a teenager, Beca experienced a trauma so severe, it nearly destroyed her, but with a little help from a few good people and unconditional love of a good man, she turned her life around and was finally at peace with herself.
A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my little fic which was based on a true story of a very close friend of mine. I was so moved by her story that I was compelled to write about it using these beloved characters from Pitch Perfect. Perhaps someday I'll re-adapt it to an actual novel for publishing. In the meantime, I'm still considering a companion piece to this story so let me know what you would like me to write and I'll see what I can do.
A special thanks to my beta for helping me organize my thoughts and to those who supported my writing through reviews and private messages.