Monday

"Boss lady" Tom cheerfully greeted Beca when she walked inside the studio. "You okay?" he asked noticing that she didn't take off her sunglasses

"I'm still drunk from yesterday," she placed a hand on her mouth putting down her bag.

"You should have call in sick"

"No, I'll be fine" she assured him.

The weekend at her mother's was only bearable after a few bottles of wine. She got home early in the morning and seeing Jesse fast asleep she couldn't wake him up to make her the hangover drink, so she went to work slightly drunk.

"I'm gonna go get you a coffee" Tom jumped from his seat

"I'll do it" an intern sat up

"Thanks" she thanked him. "Matt right?" she turned to him and he nodded.


Jesse woke up to the barking of Cheeseball, he rolled over as he opened his eyes to see Beca's suitcase, he then glanced at the nightstand to check the time, it was 9 am. He was meeting Julie 3 pm.

It was all he could think about the entire weekend. And Beca being away made it worse, he wanted to tell her, but the fact that she was barely holding it together made him postpone it and just listen to her rant about how her family is driving her crazy, which made him feel better in a way.

He fed Cheeseball, showed and had breakfast then tried to work, which was a hopeless attempt to get his mind off meeting his ex.

"This is not gonna work" he threw away his pen and grabbed his car keys, deciding to pay Beca a visit. Call him clingy but he missed her.


Security let him though as usual, he greeted them with a smile on his face as he made his way to the elevator. Getting off it, he spotted the guy Beca punched and couldn't help but giggle as he walked to her office. Peeping inside, he noticed her absence. He took a guess and walked to the studio. After knocking a couple of times he peeped in. There she is. He smiled watching her work as she gave him her back. He waited for her conversation with the basest of Tom's band to end, before announcing his presence. "Hi" he greeted them.

"Hey!" Beca turned to him and took off her sunglasses, surprised. "Um, I'll be back in five" she told the people in the room, who were the band members and a handful of interns, before she got up. Jesse walked out of the studio then waited her for her to catch up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as they walked to her office.

"I came to see you" he answered. "I texted but you didn't get back," Jesse opened the door for her then watched her get inside her office.

"I left my phone in here" she replied picking up her phone from the desk.

"How are you?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I feel like shit" she told him. "I had more wine than I should have" she sighed. "You?" she asked, even in her state she could tell that he wasn't alright.

"Honestly, I feel like crap too" he let go of her then sat down.

"What's up?" she asked taking a seat herself.

"You have enough on your mind already"

"Jesse you came all the way here, so tell me what's wrong" she held her head.

"My ex-girlfriend called me last Saturday" he blurt out and Beca looked up waiting for him to keep going "Julie remember her, I told you about her?"

Beca nodded, she did remember this girl, by told her about her he meant, she came up in a conversation only because she shares the same name as Beca's mom.

"What does she want?" Beca asked when he didn't say anything else.

"She has a daughter, she said she needs my help to get the girl's father to admit the kid is his. He thinks she's mine 'cause when they started hooking up together we were still dating" he informed her bitterly "She wants me to do a DNA test to prove she's not mine and is in fact his—I'm supposed to go meet her later around 3 pm, and I can't think of anything but meeting her again—I didn't tell you right away 'cause you were busy with your family, but I seriously need my best friend now."

She kept staring at him while making sense of what he just told her before finally asking him "you sure she's not yours?"

"The girl is two and a half, she has to be like three for her to be mine" he answered vaguely before sighing "The last six months of our relationship we were apart, I was here in LA and she was in London" he explained. "I'm doing the right thing, right?" he asked watching her get up from her seat. "Yes" she started stroking his cheek "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"No, you don't have to," he shook his head standing up. "I just had to see you, believe it or not, being around you is helping me" he held her hands.

"You can stay here if you want until you have to go meet her" she offered "I'm gonna be working though—"

"Thank you" he interrupted her by kissing her.

"I'm think I'm gonna get sick" Beca pulled away. "Yep I'm gonna get sick" she paced to the bathroom.


Jesse had seen Beca work a lot of times, at home, he could see why she was seriously good as he watched her work in the studio, even hungover, she was doing great. The way she quickly got what was wanted from her fascinated him. Watching her work made him want to work with her.

He did find it funny how intimidated the interns seemed by her.

"Does anyone have any suggestion?" She randomly asked while massaging her temples "Like anything at all?" she looked up while turning her chair around. "You look like you have something to say, tell me what do you think this track lacks?" she nodded at an intern who looked like he would rather get swallowed by the wall behind him than keep eye contact with her.

"C'mon, tell me, I only eat people on Wednesdays" she smiled at him

"The base line is repetitive, it could use a little more work" he stuttered. Beca arched an eyebrow. "or not," he added.

Jesse couldn't help but chuckle, Beca was enjoy watching the intern struggle. She shot him a glare and he looked back at the piece of paper he was making drafts on.

"No, you make a good point, Matt" she said "care to elaborate more?"

The intern then went on to explain his idea and suggested they change the pace. Beca nodded along and took him seriously despite how infuriating she was being to him indirectly.

Jesse didn't feel the time as it flew by, around 2 pm he decided it was time he left, keeping traffic in mind he figured an hour was enough to get on time. Beca was watching the band record some instruments when he tapped on her shoulder. "You're heading out?" she guessed.

"Yep" he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"You sure you don't want me to tag along?"

"You're working, Becs" he smiled at her,

"They don't need me right now," she shrugged

"Then you should go home and sleep. It's one thing to wake up hung over and an another thing to wake up drunk then become hung over while you're awake. How much did you drink?"

"A regrettable amount of wine" she cringed

"Listen, don't worry about me. We'll talk later" he held her shoulders.

"Okay" she nodded.


Getting greeted by Cheeseball assaulting his leg was something Jesse got used to. He patted the dog after closing the door then made his way inside the house.

The tv was on mute.

"Becs?" he called

"On the couch" she answered to her name

"Hangover still going strong?" he asked, she was laying on her back with her eyes closed.

"I've been trying to sleep, but having a headache that is agonizingly painful wouldn't let me sleep, so I've been laying here practicing for death" she sighed.

Jesse made his way to the kitchen and started making her his hangover drink.

"Here you go" he offered the drink for her after he was done making it.

"Thanks" she sat up and took it from him "How was your public service meeting?" she asked between sips.

"Strange" he sat down next to her.

"Don't hold back on the details" she said before drowning the drink.

"Well, I still hate her" he leaned against the couch. "her kid is adorable though, like she had cute pigtails" he grinned thinking of the toddler. He really wanted kids, he was pretty sure Beca wasn't completely against it but it didn't mean she was on board either. He just had to wait until he really sees it, then maybe bring it up.

"I avoided the catching up part and went straight to the point, she said she'd e-mail me the date of the appointment along with the address in the next few days" he watched Beca put the cup of the coffee table. "It went better than I thought it would"

"That's good" Beca nodded. "Now tell me, how can I help make you feel better?" she turned to him. "Usually I wouldn't ask, I just happen know, but you have to excuse me today" she poked his shoulder "Because there's a chance I might throw up on you instead of kissing you"

"C'mere" he held her up and sat her on his lap "you should start feeling better soon" he placed a kiss on her temple. "And I'm weirdly fine,"

"From experience, I can tell you that you can't be fine after meeting someone you hate so much." Beca rested her head on the crook of his neck

"What do you suggest?" he smiled at her attempt to sound like Stacie. He had to admit, she did sound like her, then again she lived with Stacie for years no wonder she could do a spot on impression of her psychiatrist friend.

"Um, how about you tell me everything about her who shall not be name, then we'll figure something out,"

"Okay" he got comfortable before launching into his story, he made sure not to keep anything from her.

Him and Julie met whilst freshman in college, she didn't go to the same college as him but they had mutual friends. She was a business administration major. They went on a few dates then started dating and before he knew it school was over and they were starting their life together. She cheated on him with a 'friend' that he told her about when she got the job in London. A job that was supposed to last a year in London before she moves back to the states and filled the same position in the company but in L.A instead of London.

"If I were you I would have told her to go fuck herself, you should be proud of yourself for overlooking how you feel about her for the sake of her child" she looked up and placed a kiss on his lips.

"If you've seen the little girl, I'm pretty confident you would do it in a heartbeat" he rubbed her arm. "She's so innocent and adorable" he sighed "enough about this, for now. Thanks I feel better having told you about her now" he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Had dinner?" he asked changing the subject

"No"

"How's your hangover?"

"Barely there anymore" she sat up.

"You up for some cooking?"

"Sure" she shrugged "Let's cook"


Later that week.

Hearing Beca talk about music was something Jesse could do all day. He thought he was in for a good laugh at her being awkward around kids, but she was doing great, she managed to capture their attention and voice her passion for music, on career day. And for once, he wasn't acting like a hormonal teenager although she was surrounded by kids. He watched her with a grin on his face as she tried to explain to ten-year-olds how music production worked.

It was the one sign that he was waiting for, he had a shot at making her realize that she wanted kids. He knew she felt unworthy but after finding closure, he was pretty confident that his chances were good.

When the bell rang, she looked up and met Jesse's gaze, he gave her thumbs up, she started to pack her stuff.

"ma'am" a young boy called her and she looked away from Jesse. "Yes" she answered

"My sister gave me this and payed me to ask you to sign it" he handed her a CD case of Emily's album.

"Sure" Beca took the case from him and signed it then gave it back. "How much is she paying you?" she asked

"Thanks" he took it. "2$-I know it's not much, but you get what you get" he shrugged.

"What do you need the money for?" she asked when he leaned against a chair and watched her pack.

"Nothing, I'm just saving up, you never know"

"That's very good thinking" she chuckled. "Your sister likes Emily a lot huh?" she figured

"She's always singing her songs, it's annoying"

"Well, if you're in luck, I think I have a sign copy from her" she pulled her phone and texted Jesse to check in her car for the copy before looking up. He nodded before starting to make his way to the parking lot.

He found the copy she asked for and made his way back.

"Bec" Jesse walk in and found Beca leaning against the table facing the boy, she was laughing at something he was telling her before she looked up. "You got it?" she asked

"Yes" he shook it walking inside the now empty classroom before handing it to Beca

"Here you go, Jack" She gave it to the boy.

"Thank you, Beca" he took them from her. Jesse arched his eyebrows

"Wow, first name basis" he said watching the kid run out of the room to join his friends.

"Shut up" she rolled her eyes wearing her laptop messenger bag before she picked up her equipment bag.

"I didn't say anything" he threw his hands up in defeat. "So, you seemed to have hit it off really well, did you give him your number?" he threw his arm around her shoulder

"Okay fine, I enjoyed talking to a kid, can we please move on?"

"A kid? Bec you killed it with all students"

"Thanks" she thanked him. She was quite proud of herself.


Beca was busy with the new album she was working on, which meant she would either come home late or exhausted for any kind of human conversation let along one about starting a family. He was itching to ask her yet couldn't, not when she so tired she can't keep a conversation going.

As they watched a movie (read: he watched the movie as he held her while she slept) Jesse decided to ask for professional advice for a psychiatrist, ie Stacie. He figured out a way to ask without giving anything away.


"Jesse?" Stacie exclaimed when she found Jesse waiting for her at work.

"Hi" he waved

"Is everything alright?" she asked

"Um, yeah" he nodded "I just kinda need your help with something, your medical opinion"

"Sure. C'mon in my office" she gestured at her office.

"I won't take much of your time" he assured her as he took a seat on the couch.

"What brings you here Jesse?" she asked taking a seat herself.

"Okay, so there's girl I know who once had a hamster a long time ago, she didn't want the hamster and hoped it goes away and one day she forgot to lock the cage and the hamster got out and died. This saddened the girl and made her never want to have a pet afraid she'd kill it" he watched her nod along to his story "But you see, the girl really wants a new pet but doesn't seem to realize that she does. Any idea how to get her to see that?"

"Wow" Stacie tapped the pen she had between her fingers before adding "This pet incident was traumatizing, trauma needs time"

"That's it, time?"

"Yep, and patience and will, and soon enough she'll realize that it's okay"

"Okay" Jesse nodded before standing up.

"That's it?" she asked

"Yep, thanks" he smiled.


A week later.

It was the day Jesse went to do the DNA test. He was feeling pretty good about the whole thing, he was doing the right thing, and although he wasn't seeing much of Beca lately, she was there to remind him that it was okay to hate his ex-girlfriend guts yet still do this favor for her.

"Jesse, mind to keep an eye on her while I go take care of the bill?" Julie asked nodding at her daughter

"Of course not" he looked down at the toddler.

"Thank you" she thanked him before turning on her heels.

"Whatcha got there kiddo?" he asked

"It's a penny" she answered. He couldn't help but chuckle at her words or the way she sounded to him. He got on his knees to get on her eye level "Can I have it?" he asked. She gave it to him. And that second he was grateful for the one tick that he let Benji teach him.

"Where did it go?" He asked her.

"I don't know" she shrugged "Oh wait" he reached behind her ear "Here it is" he gave it to her then grinned watching her giggle.

"You know magic?" she asked

"Not much" he got on his feet.

"Can you come do tricks on my birthday?" she requested and his smile dropped

"What?"

"My birthday, can you come do tricks?"

"How old will you become?" he asked

"Three" she held three fingers up. Jesse kept watching her then ran his fingers through his hair. Three. He stopped listening to her. He leaned against the wall as it sunk in. She could be his. He didn't even see Julie come back to pick her up, he walked with them out of the building, a million thoughts going through his head. He waited for Julie to strap in her kid on the seat.

"Julie" he called in a very uncharacteristic voice. When she turned around he asked "Is your daughter mine?" and was met with silence.

He held his head. As hard as he tried to process what was going on he couldn't.

"I don't know" she finally said

"Why did you lie about her age to me?"

"I thought you might bail if there was a chance she's yours" she explained

"What am I a monster?" did she really expect that from him? He looked at the little girl who was singing to herself before he turned on his heels.

He didn't know how to feel about this. He did want kids, but with Beca, but it didn't mean he wouldn't take Julie's daughter if she was in fact his.

Jesse kept driving around aimlessly trying to think things through before he headed home.


Beca wasn't home yet, he grabbed a beer and sat by the dining table. Half way through his beer, he heard the front door slam. Beca walked in, she was a raging mess.

"I've been calling you, why didn't you pick up?" she questioned

Jesse put down the beer to pull his phone "It's on silent" he answered, not liking how she was talking to him. She was clearly pissed off.

"Why the fuck did you tell Stacie about my miscarriage?"

He seriously couldn't deal with Beca right now. He held his head while resting his elbows on the table.

"She slipped and told me that you went and asked for medical opinion. I am not some broken toy that you need to put back together. Back off" she was now yelling at him "Jesse I'm talking to you, don't you dare ignore me"

"Stop!" he looked up "Stop shouting" he yelled back, it was the first time he ever raised his voice at her. He should have known better, of course Stacie would figure it out and tie it together.

"I only went to her 'cause you need the push every fucking time to see what you want." He spoke in a normal voice. "I see how you act around kids, you want them but as always, you can't see it" he got up. "Excuse me for trying to help" he threw his hands up.

"Oh my god, dude, who's asking for your help?"

"You don't have to ask for it, dude" he walked pass her

"where are you going?" she asked

"Away, this won't end well" he answered

"Why, go ahead Jesse tell me whatever the fuck you want, I can take it" she shouted

"Stop yelling" he said behind gritted teeth before turning around. The look in his eyes scared Beca but she didn't show it, she stepped forward.

"Get this delusion of an idea of your head" she snapped at him "If you want kids this bad, you can go find someone else to have them with"

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. "I won't have to" he murmured before clearing throat "Julie lied to me about her kid's age, she's three" he said and let her figure it out herself. She let out a humorless chuckle.

"Well isn't that perfect. You should go back to your college sweetheart and raise your daughter together"

"Wow" Jesse took a step back. "Thanks a lot Beca," he said, his voice and facial expression showing how hurtful her words were to him. "These are the exact kind of supportive words I was expecting to hear from you" he didn't have to say it, he was disappointed in her.

"Jesse" Beca called him regretfully

"Don't sweat it" he put his hand up as he turned on his heels.

"Fuck" she cursed hearing him slam the front door.


AN: A lot went down, like A LOT for one chapter. It felt wrong to split it into more than one, so yeah an almost 4k chapter.

It has been all rainbows and cute shit forever, I have to fuck it up for my own well being. I'm gonna try and wrapped it up, soon. Give it a good enough ending.

Reviews are very appreciated.

EDIT: question: did anyone else read the time settings in the SpongeBob Square Pants time cards's voice, or is it just me?