A/N - Evening all! Just wanted to address a little something that is getting a lot of attention! Jessie's hair colour! I also post this on another site and it's a source of confusion over there too.

My family all have dark hair. We're talking dark, dark, dark brown and black. Nearly all of them have brown eyes too and awesome eyebrows. Most of them are English (heritage) and have a normal, almost olive, complexion. They have always tanned well on holiday and keep their suntans well into the winter.

Then there's me. I'm so pale, I'm almost blue and you can see my veins through my translucent skin. I have blue eyes and red hair, freckles and I don't tan. My eyebrows are so blond, they're white unless I draw them on with a crayon. I'm almost part vampire with my aversion to the sun and burn in less than two minutes. (Side note, red hair and blue eyes is pretty rare which I find really cool which is why 'Chloe Beale' always stood out for me.)

So, am I the milkman's kid?

Nope.

For other reasons, we've had DNA testing done in our family and I am definitely both of my parents. I have my mother's sarcastic sense of humour and her love of books and my fathers temper and love of football (soccer) when EVERYONE else loves rugby. I share too many similar traits with my sister to not be related, despite us looking nothing like each other. I'm 87% from the United Kingdom and 11% from Norway (and 2% from Germanic Europe if anyone is interested in the 'spare' percentage).

So where has my red hair come from? No one knows! There's a random gene out there with my name on it somewhere. So I guess, for me, it didn't seem that abnormal for someone to have a kiddo with different colour hair. I've researched my family history extensively and can trace this back to the 1500's using DNA as well. My red hair probably comes from the Viking part of my life, which I find kinda cool!

I'm not having a moan about the question being raised, I promise you that. I've found it quite interesting that it's been asked so many times and I absolutely love it! It was something that didn't go unnoticed by my readers and I'm truly grateful for it.

Thanks again folks for reading along, for the messages, nudges to post regularly and the reviews. I sincerely appreciate it xx

.oOo. Chapter Nine .oOo.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you this afternoon?" Luke asked as he watched his only real friend finish off three pastries in record time.

"Uh nuh." Beca said, shaking her head and spraying little bits of flaky pastry around the room.

"Are you nervous?"

Beca wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and looked up at Luke properly for the first time since he'd entered the room. She liked Luke. There was a respectful calmness about him that reminded her of Jesse. She missed Jesse every single day but since she'd gotten to know Luke, it felt a little bit like having him back.

The night she had met him, she was almost ready to just give up.

She'd spent a year on the road to get to Los Angeles, working odd jobs to pay for gas and food and enduring some of her worst days but also some of her best. Amy had been her constant companion, something Beca was both resentful for and grateful for at the same time. There were days when the only place they could stop was at the side of the road, taking turns to stay awake while the other slept. Amy had looked after Jessie while Beca worked, doing anything she could to bring in a little money. In turn, Beca had done all of the driving, had sourced them places to stay and even Amy had to admit, that Beca's ability to stretch a dollar was impressive.

They were just outside Albuquerque when Beca's ancient van caught fire. They lost everything that night but the clothes on their backs, a handful of Jessie's belongings and each other. Luckily, the van had been well insured and after finding temporary lodgings for a few days, Beca bought a camper. It was old, smelt of old lady and cats but with a good clean, it got better. For the first time, Beca had a proper bedroom for her and Jessie. Amy took the space above the cab and somehow the new vehicle became home.

They eventually reached Los Angeles and that's where Beca found that Jessie was thriving with the warmer climate. Amy kept the camper and Beca rented a room for her and Jessie. While the two of them were best friends, they were determined to maintain their friendship and they knew living together would tear them apart eventually.

Beca had introduced Amy to Luke a couple of months after becoming friends with him. Knowing Amy as well as she did, Beca worried that she'd react strangely to Beca having someone else in her life but it actually made it easier. Amy could let go a little and she found work in a comedy club of all places, doing stand up.

Beca had gone along to one of her warm up shows and had to admit that Amy was actually pretty funny and one of her sketches revolved around their shared time in the camper. Beca left Amy on the side of the road at one particularly bleak point. Amy had clogged the toilet for the fourth time in two days and Beca lost patience and ordered her to get out. She returned to get her half an hour later and it was never mentioned again until Beca saw Amy keep a crowd in stitches over her skit.

There were nights when they'd sit outside the vehicle, sharing a beer and a snack and just looking up at the stars and talking about plans for the future. When driving from town to town, they'd agreed that they'd pull over if something looked like it was worth visiting. Beca liked Jessie to be out of the camper, in the fresh air, as much as possible.

There were the times when life got too much as well. Beca was used to living in confined conditions but Amy wasn't and she often got frustrated with the lack of space. They rarely fought but when they did it was over something breaking in the camper and they didn't have the means to fix it.

Amy was Beca's best friend but Beca found it was Luke she turned to for advice and encouragement.

True to his word, he'd gotten her a position as his assistant and she was still in the intern program. Recent cutbacks had meant there wasn't any permanent jobs going for her until the summer but Luke was her biggest advocate and supporter.

It had been pretty obvious to him after working with her for just one month that she had the potential to be twice the producer he was. He'd play her his finished polished tracks, the ones he'd worked on for days and were ready to be turned over to the artists for final approval. She'd listen with her eyes closed; the huge headphones perched on her head and her fingers would tap on the desk.

"You need to drop the base on the curve, after the first chorus." She'd say to him. "And there's a double beat on step six of the key change."

And she'd always be right. She'd pick up the smallest of details that he'd missed and he'd always give her the credit for it. As new artists came through, the small timers looking for their big break, she'd work endlessly on their demo tracks. She just needed that one artist to make a name for herself.

Luke trusted her judgement.

Beca had introduced Luke to Jessie a few weeks after they met up in Santa Monica. Beca had wanted to make sure everything was settled with Universal before bringing someone new into her daughters' life. Jessie hadn't taken to Luke straight away. She hadn't spent a lot of time around men and the strange accent that Luke had confused the little girl, but he preserved and soon won her over.

Now the pair were as thick as thieves and Uncle Luke was a firm favourite. He'd spoil her, as much as Beca would let him. He'd take her out for an ice cream if Beca had to work and Jessie always came back home with a bag of toys or something she'd persuaded him to buy for her. Jessie would show him her scribbled drawings and he'd excitedly claim they were amazing and should be shown in a museum and she'd grin up at him like he'd told her he put the sun in the sky. She'd share her favourite candy with him and curl up on his lap while he read her a story if she came with Beca to the office.

Luke cared about them both and had been shocked when Beca had turned up to work three days after Valentine's Day looking like she'd not slept for a week, not eaten or bathed and had been told the worst news of her life.

Which, as it happened, all turned out to be true.

She'd collapsed onto Luke's office sofa as soon as she'd seen him, unable to speak for several minutes as her tears silently splashed onto the carpet. He'd sat beside her, rubbing slow circles on her back until she was able to tell him where'd she spent the last four days.

"… so what happened after you arrived at the CPS office." Luke asked as he handed her a clean handkerchief. She'd paused for a little while to collect her thoughts.

"I was trying to find Jessie. They wouldn't tell me anything. I mean, the kid doesn't know many people and I knew she'd be scared on her own. Then all hell broke loose and everything started happening at once. There was loads of people there and I was on my own. It was so loud. And bright. And so many fingers pointing at me, accusing me of things I had no manner or means or reason to do."

"Why didn't you call me?" Luke asked.

"It didn't cross my mind. I just had to deal with what was going on."

"So, you met… um, sorry, who are they again, exactly?"

"It's Chloe and David Mitchem." Beca sniffed. "They were the couple in the car accident, back in Georgia."

"Right. Was it weird seeing them again after all that time?"

"Honestly, it didn't register with me who they were at first. I was in the lobby waiting to speak to a social worker when this guy came rushing in, almost taking the door off of its hinges when he came through it. He was so mad. I've never seen someone so angry. Straight away, he got right up in my face, yelling how he was going to make sure I'd serve prison time. The two women he had with him were trying to restrain him and a security officer intervened and pulled him away from me."

"Why was he yelling at you?"

"He was saying that I'd stolen his kid and I thought the guy was going to punch me in the face. I asked him which kid I was supposed to have taken and he paused and muttered something about not knowing her name. I thought he was drunk at first and then he started absolutely screaming at his wife for holding him back, then shouting at me that I'd switched his kid."

"What did you say back to him?"

"Nothing. I was too busy looking over his shoulder at the woman behind him. I recognised her straight away. It was Chloe, the friend I'd made from the NICU in Atlanta. She couldn't take her eyes off me either but she had this blonde woman with her who looked she like sucking a lemon who pulled her away."

"Did she say anything to you?"

"Who Blondie?" Beca asked and Luke nodded. "No, she was just glaring. Like absolutely shooting looks that could kill. I had no idea what was going on until they were taken off into an interview room."

"And someone came and explained everything then."

Beca shook her head and blew her nose hard.

"No, not straight away. I was kept waiting for ages in the lobby, dozens of people kept coming in and asking to speak with them. Lawyer types, stuffy suits and arrogant faces. I was thinking about what David had said to me and just how angry he had been. I figured something was going on but thought he was just scared, or confused. Like I said, it was as if he were drunk. Eventually, I was called into an interview room and told that Jessie was in a day care facility playing with some other little kids and was fine. I explained that I wouldn't be leaving without her and had a back and forth argument with them for over an hour, which was exhausting. And that's when they explained that Chloe and David's thoughts."

"About Jessie being switched?"

"No, they wanted me charged with kidnapping. See, it turns out that Chloe is famous and they thought I'd wanted a celebrities kid."

"Famous?"

"Yeah, she's a movie star."

"Isn't everyone in Hollywood?"

"Yeah, but turns out she really is."

"I can't think of an actress named Chloe Mitchem."

"It's Beale. She's Chloe Beale."

"Wait…" Luke said, pulling out his phone and pulling up a picture of Chloe on the internet. He looked at it for a little while before turning it to show Beca. "Her?"

"Yup, that's the one."

"And you didn't know that?"

"Nope."

"Why would she think that you wanted her kid?"

"I don't know how many times I explained that I'd given birth to this child. They kept telling me to deny it, throwing the DNA results down my throat but I absolutely know I gave birth to a little girl. I didn't imagine it." Beca gulped down fresh tears. "I kept asking to speak to Chloe, she was there in the NICU with me. Every time they came back into the room, the Mitchem's wanted me charged with something else… child neglect, child endangerment-"

"-How can that possibly be?"

"Mr Mitchem said that my daughter had probably died and I'd taken theirs because they had twins. I kept asking that if they had two children, why did they think I'd taken theirs. I asked to see a picture of their girls and my request was refused. It took hours before I was shown a family picture of them four of them."

"And what did that show?"

"For all the lawyers, friends, family members they had around, not one of them… not one… took the time to have a logical thought. They had twins, I had a single daughter. They still had twins, I still had a single daughter. No child was missing. And then, when I saw the picture of their children, it was so obvious."

"It was?"

"Typical Instagram family photo, taken a few days beforehand. As far as I was informed later on, Chloe didn't post the kids' pictures to Instagram and if she did, it was always from behind but there was one picture of them down by the beach, posing on the sand. It was her, David, her daughter Katharine and her daughter Alexandra. Katharine is the absolute spitting image of Jessie. Her hair is slightly different, but they are clearly identical twins."

"And they only figured this out-"

"-When I pointed out that their daughter Alexandra is the double of my best friend and her father, Jesse. I think emotions were running so high, that nobody was thinking straight. Once it all clicked with everyone, it all just made sense. It can be denied all we want but it's obvious that somehow Jessie and Alexandra were switched. Jessie is not my biological daughter. My bio daughter is called Alexandra and for the past three and a half years, has been raised by someone else. So… yeah."

"Beca… I don't quite know what to say."

"That's where I was two days ago. Now, I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that the little girl who I've raised isn't my daughter and belongs to someone else."

"Have you seen Alexandra yet?" Luke asked.

"No. We have a court liaison officer who has suggested that we leave things for a couple of weeks, to let the dust settle as it were. Then we are all going to meet up in a neutral place and let the girls play and get to know each other a little bit."

"What about long term?"

"Switching them back?" Beca asked and Luke nodded carefully. "If they were under six months old, it would have been advised that we switch back immediately but because they are older, it needs to be more of a gradual process."

"What do you need me to do?" Luke asked.

"How do you mean?"

"How can I help you?"

"There's nothing you can do." Beca said flatly. "You are doing enough by listening. Amy… Amy is too involved. She's too close to it. And... God… and while I love her, she's not saying anything useful and keeps telling me to run away to some random island her Uncle in Tasmania owns."

"I understand that. I can be your friend and support you through this."

"Thanks Luke. That really means the world to me."

True to his word, Luke stayed by Beca's side over the next few days.

She didn't want to keep talking about what was going on, despite the inner turmoil permanently etched on her face. He let her say what she needed to say and then put her to work. He dumped file after file into her lap, keeping her busy doing something where she could completely immerse herself into without consequence. And for that she was grateful.

It was the morning of the scheduled family get together and Beca had woken just before four in the morning. She had a hundred questions running through her mind and a thousand emotions coursing through her.

Amy had come over the evening before to watch Jessie while Beca was working and was currently wedged into Beca's sofa, drooling slightly onto one of her cushions. Beca crept past her quietly so as not to disturb her and showered and changed in the bathroom. She caught the subway to Universal and was deep in thought when Luke arrived at work and thrust three pastries in her hand.

"Dude, what's with the tie?" Beca asked, as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, flicking a few crumbs onto the carpet.

"Well, I asked out of politeness if you wanted me to come with you today but regardless of your answer, I am coming anyway."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't. I want to though."

"I can manage." Beca said weakly.

"I'm not saying you can't, but I imagine that both Mr and Mrs Mitchem will both be there, together, and you might need someone on your side. I can loiter in the background, fetch a cup of tea, wring my hands like an old granny or just be there to talk things through."

"Thanks Luke." Beca said after a minute or two contemplating the idea, crumpling the pastry bag in her hands.

"No problem." Luke said. "Just let me know when we need to leave."

.oOo.

It had been the court appointed liaison officer who had suggested that the two parties meet at a local children's play area in Glendale, citing it as a mutual meeting place in between where Beca and Chloe both lived. There was plenty of activities for the three little girls to do and play with and there was also a coffee shop where the adults could get a drink to help loosen up the nerves.

True to his word, Luke had left the office with Beca just before twelve. He'd tried to hold her hand as they waited for an Uber outside of the Universal main office, to offer her some support and he wasn't surprised when she pulled away from him. She'd not said much else that morning and he knew she was deep in thought. Amy had been texting Beca since she'd been in the office, giving her reasons why the meeting shouldn't take place. In the end, Beca had eventually switched her phone off for a few hours, pocketing the device and had tried to focus on her work while she waited for noon to come around. She ignored the forty odd messages when she switched it back on as they left the office together.

They'd picked Jessie up at around half past twelve, sent Amy home as she was pacing the apartment making things worse and Beca had changed Jessie into clean clothes and washed the little girls hands and face. Jessie had noticed that there was something bothering Beca and had been unusually quiet and compliant as Beca busied herself packing a small bag with a change of clothes, some snacks and a drink for the little girl.

"Ready?" Beca asked Luke as she gathered up Jessie's small backpack and held out her hand for the little girl to take. She picked up her keys and her phone, switching the device back on as Luke nodded and pulled on the front door for Beca and Jessie to walk through first before closing it behind him and following them to the elevator to take them down to the parking garage in the basement.

Beca's phone pinged with a text message as soon as the elevator doors closed.

message from amy.h, to becaroo - 12.39 - I think yoos are making a mistake
message from beca.m, to amy.h - 12.39 - I don't have a choice Ames

Walking to Beca's car, Luke looked over to see if she was all right and she nodded back at him, gripping Jessie's hand in her own tighter than she meant to. She pulled on the door for Jessie to climb, ignoring the loud metallic screech that echoed around the empty parking area and made, probably, the tenth mental note that she needed to get the car door oiled and fixed.

"Jump in Ladybug." Beca said, encouraging the little girl into the car. Jessie gave her a strange look, which Beca noticed but she honestly didn't know how to deal with it. She helped Jessie into her seat and was just buckling her into it, when Jessie leaned forward and gave Beca a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you Mommy."

Beca thought her heart was about to break and gulped down the thick knot in her throat. Instead she forced a smile and kissed the top of Jessie's head.

"I love you so much more Jess. I really do. Never forget that." Beca said, her voice high and tight. She turned to Luke who was standing beside her. "I can't do this!"

"Yes, you can. It's going to be okay." He said, tentatively attempting to reach out to her.

"What if it's not?" Beca asked, tears welling in her eyes. She pushed the car door shut and looked at Jessie as she snuggled her bunny to herself.

"The Mitchem's are probably going through the same emotions. It's something you need to do as only the three of you will understand this situation."

"I've let Jesse down. He would be so disappointed."

"Beca, he loved you." Luke said, risking a reproach and placing his hands on Beca's shoulders. "Believe me when I tell you that nothing you ever did disappointed him. He was so proud of you, your ethics and your acceptance of life. Trust me with everything you've got when I say that you have not let Jesse down. Now, we need to go so you can meet your other daughter."

"It feels like I'm giving her up this afternoon." Beca said, running her hands through her hair.

"That's not happening. You know it's not."

"They'll see I'm not a good enough parent."

"What they'll see is…" Luke paused for a second to catch the lone tear that was slowly rolling down Beca's cheek. "… a beautiful woman who has done everything she possibly could to give her child the very best of everything she can. Jessie is such a happy, sweet and thoughtful little girl. You should be proud of yourself."

"I can't-"

"-You can. And I'm here with you. Unless you want me to go and get Amy so she can-"

"-Oh God no. Please, no. I love her to death but…" Beca trailed off.

"Come on, we need to get going." Luke said, wrapping his arms around his friend for a moment. He felt her relax into his embrace and wondered, not for the first time, how long it had been since someone, other than Amy and himself, had truly cared about her.

.oOo.

They arrived at Playland R Us a few minutes before they were due to meet Ms Davies, their liaison officer. Beca parked her car, sighed heartily as the car's engine spluttered as she switched off the car. She felt out of place parking the rusting car in the parking lot, seeing much nicer, more expensive cars everywhere.

"You okay?" Luke asked, feeling like he'd asked the same question for the umpteenth time that day.

"I don't know." Beca said honestly. She turned in the seat to smile at Jessie who still looked troubled.

"Hi." Jessie said as Beca stared at her.

"Hi baby." Beca said, turning back to Luke. "She hasn't got a clue as to what is going on."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"I don't know." Beca said, shrugging her shoulders as she stared out of her window. "She's about to see a kid that looks like her. She's about to meet her parents who she doesn't know, and they don't know her."

"And you are about to do the same. Your biological daughter is in there, or somewhere close by. I think you need to give in to your emotions at the moment."

"No way." Beca stated bluntly. "I can't show weakness."

"It's not weakness Beca. It's honesty. You are allowed to be overwhelmed by all of this."

"Except I'm not."

"Not overwhelmed? I beg to differ."

"No, I mean, that I'm not allowed to show emotion. If I do, David Mitchem will use that as a reason to declare me an unfit parent."

"He can't do that." Luke scoffed.

"Dude, he wanted me thrown in prison for taking his kid. I've suffered too but he's just seeing it from his side. Anything I say or do, he's just going to pick up on it. I mean, look at the pair of them. He's a teacher, she's loaded. Perfect combination."

"Have you talked to them since you saw them at the CPS office?"

"No." Beca shook her head. "One of them asked for my phone number but I declined to give it to them and have been going through Ms Davies."

"Why not? It might have made things easier to have talked with Chloe, at least, over the phone. Break the ice a little."

"I don't want to know about their perfect life while I'm bringing her up in a shower of…" Beca cast her eyes to the rear-view mirror and saw Jessie was contently playing with her bunny. "… shite."

"You are doing the best you can." Luke repeated.

"Which isn't much."

"Why do the CPS have to be involved?" He asked.

"It's different to a normal situation. We're trying to keep it out of the media too, for everyone's sakes." Beca explained. "The Police saw how hot headed David was-"

"-You mean the perfect (in your eyes) teacher?"

"Well, yeah!" Beca smirked. "But the Police thought it would be better to get the professionals involved and that's when the paperwork started coming through."

"What paperwork?"

"Just stuff from the courts, legal documents… there's been so much, I haven't had time to read through it all. Or the inclination."

"I can help you with it." Luke offered.

"Yes please. I just want this all to go away."

"I understand that." Luke said kindly. "Unfortunately, it's not."

"I never used to understand Amy's attitude of just burying her head in the sand with everything but now I see the benefits to it." Beca said wistfully, as she looked out of the window.

"What time is Ms Davies getting here?" Luke asked, looking at his watch.

"We said around one thirty to meet up, just inside the lobby."

"She might be here already then?"

"Yeah, I guess we should go. I need to get out of the car before they get here. I don't want them to see this rusty beast and start judging me all over again."

"There's nothing wrong with your car." Luke said politely and Beca scoffed.

"You are a terrible liar." She shook her head at him. "But you are a really good friend. Thank you for coming with me today. You were right, I did need a friendly face."

"You're welcome Becs." Luke said, opening his car door as Beca did the same. She pulled on the back door a couple of times to get it to open, to get Jessie out. Reaching for the little girls backpack, she held Jessie's hand as she jumped down from the car.

"What's this?" Jessie asked, pointing to the nondescript building in front of them. Beca kicked the door shut and shoved the key in the keyhole to lock the door.

"This is an indoor playground for kids." Beca explained. "I think there's a slide, there's definitely a tree house and probably some trikes. You can play with everything."

"Cooooool!" Jessie's eyes went comically wide and for a moment, it forced Beca to remember why she was here. She'd do anything, absolutely anything for the little girl.

"Uncle Luke, you go down the slide, yes?"

"I think I'm a little big for the slide." Luke laughed.

"I put spell on you and you go small." Jessie offered.

"That might work." He lovingly laughed.

"Come on, let's go." Beca said, beginning to cross the parking lot.

Luke held the door open to the lobby for them both and he approached the small teller window on the right hand side. He waited for someone to notice they were there but before that happened, the front door was pushed open and a tall, older lady stepped into the lobby.

"Miss Mitchell?" She asked, switching her large briefcase from one hand to the other to hold out her hand towards Beca. She looked Beca up and down a couple of times.

"Yes?" Beca said, ignoring the outstretched hand and suddenly feel like she should have changed out of her jeans and flannel shirt into the one business suit she owned.

"I'm Ms Davies from the Child Protective Services, here to oversee your meeting with your biological child and this child's biological parents this-"

"-Yeah, I haven't explained all of that to her yet." Beca said, reaching down to protectively pick up Jessie. She held her tight to her side as Jessie side eyed the stranger.

"You should have made the child fully aware of the-"

"-Ms Davies, she's not four yet. She's not going to comprehend what's going on at the moment."

"That's not an excuse. I was under the impression that both parties would be fully informed with what was going on."

"Ms Davies, was it?" Luke said, stepping forward and into the eyeline of the liaison officer. He held out his hand.

"Yes?" She said, shaking Luke's hand.

"I'm Luke Bryant, Miss Mitchell's best friend and uncle to this gorgeous little red head here. Her name is Jessie. And this…" Luke pointed to the toy in Jessie's hand. "… is Bunny."

"Nice to meet you Mr Bryant. And hello Jessie." Ms Davies took a step towards Jessie who shrank into Beca's side and turned her face away.

"Say hi, Jess." Beca encouraged, once again thankful for Luke.

"Hi." Jessie said into the crook of Beca's neck.

"Is she always like this with strangers?" Ms Davies asked but her question went unanswered as a play worker approached the window, apologising for making them wait. Luke turned around and explained what they were doing here. The worker, displaying a name badge that read Sadie, found Beca's name on the sign in sheet and read the short note that was written next to it.

"Hi Miss Mitchell, my name is Sadie, can you sign in please?"

"Please call me Beca." Beca said, stepping forward and lifting Jessie off of her hip to set her down on the ledge by the sign in window. She filled in and signed the form that was given to her quickly and handed it back.

"Thanks!" Sadie said brightly. "So, shoes can be stored in the lockers near to the food and drink station. No shoes in the play area but they can wear them in the communal areas and restrooms. No food or drink in the play area and please report any accidents to us so we can clean the area properly."

"By accidents, you mean…?" Beca said

"Yes! Little ones don't want to stop playing and we've had the odd accident before."

"Got it." Beca said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Here are your bands. Please keep these on at all times. I'll just buzz you through." Sadie said, handing over three coloured wrist bands before opening the inner door. Luke stepped back to let Ms Davies through first before he picked up Jessie's backpack. Beca scooped Jessie up from the counter and carried her through the door, setting her down near to the lockers that Sadie had mentioned.

"Shall we take your shoes off?" Beca asked Jessie, who nodded back.

"I do it." Jessie said, making a big show of sitting down on one of the small benches by the side of the lockers. She huffed as she pulled her shoes off, handing them to Beca who'd found a free locker to put them into. She held her hand out for the backpack and shoved it into the small space, locking the door behind it.

"Good girl." Beca said as Jessie jumped up, eyeing up the entrance to the play area.

"What will you have to drink Beca?" Luke asked, nudging his head towards the small drinks counter. "Ms Davies, can I get you a drink?"

"No thank you Mr Bryant." Ms Davies said, almost sternly.

"Becs?"

"Just a black coffee please."

"Little Miss Mitchell?" Luke said, bending slightly to talk to Jessie. "Would you like a juice box?"

Jessie nodded brightly and Luke felt some of the tension roll off of the little girl's tension.

"Yes pease, Uncle Luke."

"What flavour would you like?" He asked the little girl as she slipped her hand into his. She shrugged her shoulders.

"She'll take apple." Beca whispered behind him. "Grape and orange upsets her stomach."

"Apple sound good to you?" Luke asked Jessie and she grinned up at him. Beca reached into her purse and took out a small stack of dollar bills, from an old and well used wallet. She handed them to Luke who looked like he was about to refuse and pay for the drinks himself when he caught the imploring look on Beca's face. He took the money from her without further question.

"Excuse me a moment." Luke said politely to the group as he stepped away to place the order.

"Are you warm enough Jess?" Beca asked Jessie.

"Yeah, I good. Can you hold Bunny?"

"I can, but what's the word we use for-"

"-Ppppease!" Jessie laughed out, handing Beca her precious bunny as she wandered off to the left to look through the opening of the playroom. Beca turned to keep an eye on her as Ms Davies cleared her throat besides her.

"You had no trouble finding the place Ms Mitchell?" She asked, trying to ease the hostility.

"Not really. I've not been to this part of town before but Luke navigated pretty good to get here."

"Would you like to sit in the main area or in a private room?"

"Can I see the play area from a private room?" Beca asked.

"No, but the children are secure in here. The doors won't open unless a member of staff operates them."

"I would prefer to keep an eye on Jessie. She's not used to rough and tumble with other kids."

"Does she not play with other children?" Ms Davies said, pulling out a small notebook and pen from the inside of her jacket.

"She has a couple of kids we see regularly but…" Beca trailed off as she realised Ms Davies was scribbling something in her notebook and not being very subtle about it. Ms Davies paused when she realised Beca wasn't continuing.

"Oh don't mind me." She said, giving Beca a thin laugh and the impression that she should, indeed, mind her.

Beca gave her the once over as the liaison officer snapped her pad shut and stashed it back inside her coat. She was suddenly more wary than she was before. She was starting to feel quite hot and a little bit nauseous.

"Shall we take a seat then?" Ms Davies asked, snapping Beca out of her thoughts.

"Jess." Beca called out softly towards Jessie, who turned and ran back to Beca. "Shall we find somewhere to sit?"

"Yeah." Jessie said, scanning the small seating area. She pointed to a table in the corner with wraparound bench seating.

"Perfect. Good choice." Beca smiled down at the little girl who beamed back.

"Do you always allow her to make decisions like that?" Ms Davies asked.

"Choosing a table to sit at? Sure, why not?" Beca responded.

Ms Davies nodded slowly and suddenly Beca wasn't sure which side this woman was on as they turned towards the table Jessie had chosen.

"You sit on the end Jess, so you can get out easily to play." Beca said, pointing to the spot she wanted Jessie to sit in.

"Okay, Mommy."

Luke returned with a small tray, carrying a couple of bottles of water, the juice box and two coffees. He set the tray down on the table and pushed it into the centre, taking a seat on the opposite side to everyone else and handed Beca a few dollars change. She quickly folded it in half and jammed it into the back pocket of her jeans as Luke pulled the lid off of one of the coffee cups, collected two packets of sugar and ripped the tops off, pouring it into the hot liquid in a solid, well-practised, movement.

He stirred the drink for a few moments before pushing it towards Beca who mouthed a thank you back as she accepted the cup. It was only then he looked up to see that Ms Davies was watching him intently.

"How long have you two been together?" She asked, setting her pen down on the table.

"We're not together." Beca said, reaching for the juice for Jessie. "Do you want this now Ladybug?"

Jessie shook her head and pointed with a finger towards the play area.

"Couple of minutes, then you can go and play, okay?" Beca said, placing the juice box down and sliding her hands back around the coffee cup.

"You're not together." Ms Davies repeated. She looked between the two of them, confused as she took out her phone and laid it on the table in front of her.

"No." Beca said, taking a sip of her drink.

"We've been friends for a few years now." Luke explained, sensing Beca's discomfort in the situation.

"Best friends." Beca mumbled.

"Is it a problem me being here?" Luke asked, taking the cap of one of the bottles of water and drinking a couple of mouthfuls.

"No, not really."

"I just thought it would be nice for Beca to have a friendly face."

"I have a friendly face." Ms Davies quipped but the joke fell flat. She quickly swiped up her phone and pretending to be looking at something on it.

"Mommy, can I go play now?" Jessie asked, looking at the entrance to the play area and mercifully changing the subject away from Ms Davies' anything but friendly face.

"We're just waiting for Mommy's friends to come and then you can go and play, okay?" Beca said, looking from Jessie back to Ms Davies. "Where are Mr and Mrs Mitchem? Will they be here soon?"

"They are running a few minutes behind schedule as Mr Mitchem got caught up leaving school this afternoon." Ms Davies explained, not bothering to looking to look up from her phone. "They should be here any moment, unless they've hit traffic and are further delayed."

"Okay, thanks. I've got to leave around three thirty as I've got work at four. I can't afford to lose another job at the moment."

"I'm sure they won't be long. Where are you working this afternoon?" Ms Davies asked, in way of conversation.

"I refill shelves at the local grocery store, near to my house. It's not glamourous but the money is good. I was doing some bar work which paid better but they fired me for missing my shift for two days while I was at the Police station and I hadn't been there long enough to fight the decision."

"Who looks after Jessie while you work?" Ms Davies asked.

"My friend Amy has her if she's not working, and Luke can work at my apartment if I get stuck." Beca explained.

"Is it every night you work?"

"No, not every night but I work every day. I need to make sure this one…" Beca ruffled Jessie's hair. "… has everything she could possibly need in life."

"Except your time."

"I'm doing my best." Beca said defensively and she glanced at Luke, who shot her a quick wink back, trying to offer some sort of encouragement and support in his small gesture.

"I'm sure you are." Ms Davies, checking her phone again, reading a message. "Ah, the Mitchem's are just parking their car."

Beca breathed in as deep a breath as her chest would allow.

"Here we go then."

.oOo.