A/N - Meant to post this chapter mid week but life got in the way, but it's a long chapter to (hopefully) make up for me being so late. Hope everyone is keeping well in this crazy world right now. We've just gone back into lockdown again until after Christmas here, with no chance of seeing anyone until the New Year. I'm lucky that I'm a hermit and can stay at home quite easily but I feel for family, friends and neighbours who've had all of their plans curtailed in the last possible minute.
Thanks to my beta for the read through.
Stay safe everyone, help keep each other sane and we'll get through this together. Much love xx
.oOo. Chapter Ten .oOo.
Beca shook her shoulders, desperately trying to rid the negative feelings she had.
She was torn between feeling nervous and wanting to leave the play area immediately, get in her car and drive home and bury her head into her sofa cushions and listen to some rock music, preferably something with a heavy base and block everything out and running over to her biological daughter, her last connection to Jesse, gathering her up and running off into the sunset with her. She wanted to meet her biological daughter, that was unquestionable but she was trying to think how this was all going to work with them all coming out of the other side unscathed.
Her gut was telling her that this was not going to end well.
From what she remembered of Chloe from the hospital in Flintstone, she'd really liked her. They'd hung out a few times when the girls where in the NICU and she'd kept an eye on her twins for her when she'd had to step out to take a call from David's hospital or from the family when they'd called with an update about Pete. Beca scoffed a little as it hit her that the whole time they'd been in the NICU, her biological daughter had been just a few feet away in a bassinet and she'd not known that the baby in her arms was not hers.
She remembered talking with Chloe, joking almost, that their daughters didn't seem to like them very much and she couldn't help the mumbled swear word that escaped her lips as she realised that someone, somewhere, had made a life changing decision by accident.
Luke stood up and moved back, stepping politely out of the way, as the main door to the building opened and the other couple stepped through, clutching their wrist bands. He immediately recognised Chloe, being a fan of at least two of her movies and, although he wouldn't admit this to Beca, he saw just how normal she looked. She was dressed in jeans, a pair of well worn but expensive knee length boots with a long black cardigan over a plain pink tee shirt, and a pair of oversized sunglasses perched up on her head, keeping her long curly hair out of her eyes. She was carrying her redheaded child on her hip and holding on tightly to the dark haired little girl's hand and was smiling sweetly as she came through the doors.
David, on the other hand, Luke noted, looked rather annoyed at his surroundings and was very overdressed for the occasion. He was wearing a dark three piece suit and striped blue tie and his highly polished shoes shone under the harsh overhead lights. He held the door open for Chloe to come through but seemed distant from his wife.
Luke looked back to Beca, to try to gauge her mood. He couldn't read the expression on her face; her mouth was twisted in such a way that he just knew she was uncomfortable but her eyes were showing interest as she watched the family approach their spot in the corner of the play room. Her eyes were following both of the children as Chloe stopped for a brief time to remove her daughters shoes and place them in one of the lockers just as she and Jessie had done.
Beca stepped out from behind the table, casting eyes at Jessie every few seconds. Jessie was intent on playing with her bunny, seemingly oblivious to the increasing awkwardness. Ms Davies moved forward, holding her hand out to Chloe who set her daughter down on the ground first before shaking hands.
"Thank you for coming Mrs Mitchem. I hope the journey wasn't too perilous and you found the place without any problem." Ms Davies said.
"Chloe, please." Chloe said politely, pulling her hand back. "We found the place easily enough, thank you."
"Of course. Mr Mitchem… welcome." Ms Davies held her hand out to David as well, but he wasn't looking at the court liaison officer, his gaze was firmly fixed on Jessie.
"David." Chloe nudged him hard in the ribs and he shook himself, remembering his manners as he spoke to Ms Davies for a few moments. His eyes kept drifting back to the redheaded little girl he had yet to meet.
Chloe took a couple of steps to her right, her hands worrying the air by her pockets as she saw her biological daughter for the first time. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and looked over to Beca who had moved to stand next to Luke.
"Hi Beca." Chloe said politely, although it was obvious that she wanted to run over and see her daughter first. "It's nice to see you again."
"Um, yeah, you too." Beca said quietly, doing everything she could not to stare at the little brown-haired girl who was holding onto Chloe's leg like her life depended on it. "This is my friend Luke Bryant. Luke, this is Mrs Mitchem."
"How do you do Mrs Mitchem?" Luke asked formally, offering his hand to the actress.
"It's Chloe, please. It's nice to meet you Luke." Chloe said, giving Luke a pleasant smile.
"Can I get you or your husband a drink?" Luke asked, nodding his head towards the small café, hoping Chloe didn't notice the two members of staff subtly trying to take a picture of Chloe.
"Oh we can get our own…" Chloe took a deep breath, showing a little nerves in the shaky intake. She seemed to question her decision a minute later as she eyed the small flash of a phone camera to her left, where the café was. "… actually, a coffee please, black coffee would be great. David will have the same."
"No problem. I'll be right back." He said clearly, more to Beca than to anyone else. He knew she was uncomfortable by the way she had her arms folded across her chest, hugging herself.
"So…" Chloe said as Luke took his leave, looking as awkward as Beca felt herself.
"Yeah." Beca responded, looking down to the floor. She found looking at Chloe hard and was glad that she hadn't known who she was when they'd bonded in the NICU.
"Such a strange day."
"You can say that again."
"Mrs Mitchem, Miss Mitchell…" Ms Davies interrupted the awkwardness. "… I'd suggest taking a few moments to reacquaint yourselves before introducing the children. They will pick up on nervousness and become distressed."
Beca refrained from commenting that was exactly what they were trying to do. Ms Davies turned back to speak with David and Beca noticed she'd not fiddled with her notebook the whole time she'd been talking. She got the distinct impression that Ms Davies wasn't her ally in this situation.
"I'd like to apologise to you, Beca. I'm really sorry about how the last few days went with…" Chloe glanced over her shoulder and huffed a little, her bright demeanour slipping a little for the briefest of moments as she looked at David, something that didn't go unnoticed by Beca. "… how things were left at the police station. It shouldn't have gotten so out of hand and David wasn't himself. He has some prob… I'm sorry about it all."
Beca didn't quite know what to say to Chloe's apologies but she nodded a couple of times and mumbled something about it not being a problem. She noticed David finish up his conversation with Ms Davies and the CPS official begin to listen to what she and Chloe were saying.
"Yeah, I know you've had it rough too. It's not easy on anyone." Beca said simply, hoping she wasn't going to get a mark in Ms Davies notebook for that.
"I'm trying so hard to keep it together." Chloe said, shooting a sweet smile in Beca's direction, instantly seeing the brunette relax a little.
"Me too. I don't know what to say or do."
"We never ran out of things to say back in Atlanta, did we?" Chloe asked.
"No, we didn't." Beca said, sending a small smile back towards Chloe before she caught David staring her down. She lowered her voice as she continued. "But it was different when it was just the two of us. We-"
"-Well, whatever difference it was, it's done with now." David interrupted. "I'd like to make a start. I've had to take a little time of work to be here."
"David!" Chloe hissed, spinning around to glare at him.
"Well, what of it, Chloe? Miss Mitchell's available dates and time didn't include a Saturday which would have been more convenient for me."
"I'm sorry." Chloe looked beseechingly at Beca as David continued mumbling in the background with Ms Davies trying to appease him.
"I have to work Saturdays." Beca explained politely. "If I don't work, I don't get paid."
David mumbled something under his breath and Beca took all of the inner strength she gained since becoming a mom and decided not to snap back at him.
"And why meet here of all places? Is it close to your house and convenient to you?" He asked.
"David, seriously?" Chloe admonished, her face flushing.
"What Chloe?" He bluntly said, shrugging off his jacket which he hung on the back of one of the chairs. Both of the little girls were still clinging to Chloe, unsure of their surroundings.
"It was the CPS's decision for us to meet here. You agreed that it was a good idea, back in the car." She said quietly to him. "Don't start acting up. This is uncomfortable for all of us."
"Coffee's here." Luke said, a forced almost jovial lilt to his words. He laid the second tray on the table. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of getting the girls a juice box each. I didn't know what they liked so I got one of each flavour."
"Thank you Luke, that's very thoughtful of you." Chloe said, turning her back completely on her husband. "Alex likes grape and Kate will have the apple as orange and grape unsettle her stomach a little."
"Just like Jessie." He said in automatic response, then winced at his own words.
There was silence for the longest time.
"Gosh, this is awkward, isn't it?" He said.
His statement broke the ice a little and everyone let out a thin laugh. Luke stepped behind Chloe and introduced himself properly to David, angling the man's body away from the table to allow Beca and Chloe a few moments to breathe. Ms Davies stepped back and pulled out the notebook from her pocket, scribbling away and not trying to hide the fact she was taking notes.
"What do we do now?" Beca asked, not catching Chloe's eye. She was watching Jessie as she played with her bunny, perfectly content with herself in that moment. Beca couldn't believe the little girls' life was about to be turned upside down.
"Honestly, Beca, I don't know."
"I feel like I'm waiting for bad news."
"Or test results."
Beca nodded.
"I'm struggling to know what to think, let alone say." Beca lowered her voice and glanced in Ms Davies direction. "I feel like I'm being judged too."
Chloe looked carefully over her shoulder and saw Ms Davies straining to hear what they were saying.
"I think we need to get this over and done with, rip the band aid off and make the best of it." Chloe said, matching Beca's tone. She leaned so close to Beca, the brunette could smell the light fragrance of cocoa butter... and weirdly, cinnamon. She blinked a couple of times, trying to get the intoxicating smell of Chloe's skin out of her mind as she realised Chloe was whispering almost in her ear. "Let's play the game and we can meet up in a less formal setting once the excitement has died down."
Beca nodded blindly, feeling the goosebumps threaten themselves on her arms as Chloe moved back a little.
"If you are ready…" Chloe said, her voice louder. "… I'd like to introduce you to my girls."
"Of course." Beca said, nodding gently before crouching down on her knees.
"Girls." Chloe said, her voice rising in pitch a little as she bent down to address the two little ones clutching at her cardigan. "This is my friend Beca. She knew you when you were both tiny babies in the hospital and we thought it would be lovely to meet up today and you can play with her daughter too."
Both Alex and Kate blinked a couple of times, unsure of what she was talking about.
"I know her from work." Chloe said and both girls gave small smiles, already knowing that their mom met a lot of people that way.
"Yeah, I work with your Mommy. So, what is your name?" Beca asked, looking at the redheaded girl first, even though she knew perfectly well who they were.
"This is Katharine." Chloe said, nudging the young girl forward a little, as she caught onto Beca's meaning, knowing the girls really had no clue Beca had known them before. "We call her Kate or Katie at home. She likes Kate."
"Hi Kate, my name is Beca. It's nice to meet you."
"Hi." Kate said shyly.
"Your name is very pretty, just like you. You have such lovely curly hair, just like your Mommy and you have her eyes too." Beca said, searching the little girl's face and finding the exact same features as Jessie. She had hoped they wouldn't be identical, but it was clearly obvious that they were. She gulped, not wanting to scare the little girl with any intensity. She looked down at Kate's feet. "And I love your socks! They look so cool!"
"Mommy got dem for me." Kate said, feeling a little braver now that Beca was on her level. Kate loved anything pretty, sparkly or pink and the socks she was wearing that day embodied all three of her loves.
"Do you think they would fit me?" Beca asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No!" Kate giggled and she looked down at Beca's feet and scrunched her nose up. "You is a growed up and growed ups has boring socks."
"That's very true." Beca smiled. "And what's your favourite thing in the whole world?"
"Unicorns."
"Yeah? You like unicorns? So does my little girl."
Kate cocked her head to the side, and looked thoughtful.
"What is hers name?" Kate asked.
"My little girl is called Jessie. And she's very pretty, just like you. You have the same colour hair."
"Is she…" Kate paused and held up three fingers.
"Yes, she's three like you." Beca said, seeing the same sweet nature in Kate that was constantly present in Jessie. "What do you like to do the most?"
Kate looked confused at the question.
"Do you like to colour? Or play with a doll?" Beca clarified.
"Yes." Kate said, looking around, losing her attention as she spied the tree house in the corner of the room. She slunk back a little towards Chloe, keeping an eye on Beca the whole time.
"Kate is very much a girly girl. She's into anything pink and everything at the moment is all about shoes and handbags but as long as it's playtime, she's cool with it." Chloe said, laying her hand on Kate's shoulder.
Beca noticed, with a hint of surprise, a slight tremor in Chloe's hand. She was almost glad to see that Chloe was as nervous as she was.
"And this is Alexandra. We call her Alex mostly, or Axie at home." Chloe said quietly, trying to turn Alex around. She was holding onto Chloe's pocket and was hiding her face into the woollen cardigan. "Sorry, she's a little shy."
"Hi Alex." Beca said, sitting down on the floor and crossing her legs. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to meet her daughter. "It's okay to be shy. I'm shy too and don't really like new people either. And that's okay too."
Alex turned her head a little, listening to Beca. She seemed interested in what Beca was saying to her so Beca continued.
"And you are three like your sister, huh? Well, look at you though… you are almost as tall as me."
Alex peeked around a little more.
"Some people are giants, aren't they?" Beca said, pointing towards Luke and David. "But it's okay to be small."
Alex looked up to Chloe who gave her a reassuring smile.
"What's your favourite thing, Alex?"
Alex hid her face again.
"Do you like to colour?" Beca asked, catching Luke's eye as he cast a glance in their direction to see how they were getting on.
Alex tucked her head even further into Chloe's leg.
"Alex likes to move." Chloe explained. "She usually cannot sit still for longer than a couple of minutes; always has to be busy, always has to have something in her hands or be tapping with her fingers on something. Her favourite colour is red, she loves anything in motion, like wheels or anything that spins. She loves to dance too."
Beca shot a look over to Luke who offered her a small smile in response.
"He was the same." Beca said to Chloe, hoping she got who she was talking about. She turned her attention back to Alex. "Hey, is that Mickey Mouse on your tee shirt Alex?"
Alex looked down at herself before fixing her big eyes back on Beca. She slowly nodded.
"Is he your favourite?" Beca asked. Alex shook her head but did turn around towards Beca at the same time. She shyly pointed to her socks. "Oh goodness, you have Winnie the Pooh and Piglet on your socks! How awesome is that?"
Alex smiled, showing a couple of teeth.
'Progress.' Beca thought.
"If you like to move, is Tigger your favourite character?"
Alex nodded stiffly a couple of times.
"He bounces a lot, huh?" Beca asked her, her hands itching to reach out to the little girl. Alex watched Beca with interest for a little while before she glanced up at Chloe and did the smallest of little bounces on her toes.
"You are just like Tigger!"
"Why don't you let Beca pick you up and see how big you are." Chloe said, sensing Alex begin to relax in her biologicals mom's presence. Alex looked up to Chloe as Beca raised herself up on her knees before standing up. "I bet she can lift you up high like Momma can."
Encouraging her daughter forward, Chloe took a step back as Beca offered her hands out to Alex to take. Alex didn't move but was staring at Beca's face like she just knew the secret they were trying to keep from her.
"Just pick her up." Chloe said. "She can be a little standoffish with new people."
Beca heard Luke grunt a response out that she was sure sounded like a stifled laugh but she focused her attention on picking up her daughter for the very first time. She reached for Alex who flinched but Beca gritted her teeth against the look on Alex's face and scooped her up.
Beca held Alex to her, breathing in the scent of her daughter and she slotted her onto her hip in exactly the same way she'd hold Jessie. In Beca's mind, Alex smelt of cookies, crayons and the first hint of spring and she choked back a sob so as not to startle the young child.
She hugged Alex to her, sensing the connection immediately as every single sense went into over drive. She could feel the hairs on her arms stand up, every nerve react as if she'd been doused in icy water and she could feel million emotions course through her. It was like hugging Jesse again and for a fleeting moment, she felt as if she was eight years old again and they were playing together by the creek in Jesse's back yard, using an old tyre as a swing and building a fort out of some old pallets Jesse's dad had stored in their wood shed. She felt a connection to Alex like she'd never felt to anyone in her life and she closed her eyes as the bond she'd expected to feel the first time she'd held Jessie but never did, happened with Alex.
She hadn't been holding Alex for more than five seconds when the little girl began to fight against Beca and begin to wail.
"Momma!" Alex sobbed, reaching out for Chloe.
"It's okay Alex." Chloe said soothingly. "Give Beca hug. She likes hugs."
"Noooooo." Alex cried out, her arms flailing and her voice rising in fear.
Beca immediately set her down on the ground and took three very large steps backwards. Luke moved to her side straight away, recognising Beca's first encounter as unsuccessful in her eyes.
"I'm sorry." Chloe said, scooping Alex up into her arms. She turned Alex to her side a little and whispered some comforting words in her ear.
Beca stood there dumbly, unsure what to do. She didn't expect to feel the reaction she had when she held Alex. It felt as if she had been the last puzzle piece in a huge jigsaw, or the last tick box on a long inventory list. She felt right in Beca's arms and Beca knew it… yet she was a total stranger to the little girl who'd grown in her bely for a little over eight months.
"It's okay Becs." Luke said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "This is new and confusing for everyone. She'll come around."
Beca held her emotions in check and tried to smile, knowing it probably came out more like a grimace. She noticed David staring at her, an odd look on his face as he watched Chloe comfort Alex. She noted that he didn't step forward to help, or interact with either Kate or Alex. Deciding that she didn't care what David was thinking about, her past dealings with him were simply poor value, she watched Chloe settle Alex easily enough and set her back down on the ground and tried to ignore Ms Davies's furious note taking.
"Sorry." Chloe said again. "She's just getting over a bit of a head cold."
"It's okay. You don't need to explain. I get that she's scared, we probably shouldn't have done that to her." Beca said quietly. She looked up at Chloe and cast her eyes in David's direction as well. "Are you ready to meet-"
"-Yes." Chloe breathed out. She looked round to her husband who took a few steps forward to stand next to her as Beca called Jessie to come over.
Jessie looked up from the bench seat she was now laying on, her bunny firmly clutched in one hand and she slid down from the chair. As her feet hit the floor, she looked up at Chloe and gave her the oddest look before running over to Beca and grabbing onto her hand. Jessie was a sociable child but Beca had always instilled in her that it was okay to hold back with new people.
"Who dem?" Jessie asked.
"Jessie…" Beca said, bending down a little to talk to her. "… this is Chloe and David. I know them from… work. Can you say hi to them?"
"Hi." Jessie said, looking at them under her eyelashes a little bit.
"David works as a teacher. The kids are a little older than you though, but how cool is that?" Beca said brightly and Jessie nodded. "And Chloe… she works inside the television. I bet if we went home right now and watched a movie, we'd find a smaller version of her in there."
"Like in Frozen?" Jessie asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"Not quite like Frozen. More like the movies that Auntie Amy lets you watch but I have to pretend I don't know about."
"Oh, the secret films?"
"That's right." Beca looked over to the waiting couple. "And those two little girls are their children. They are your age too. You all share a birthday."
"How?"
"You were all born on the same day. Which is pretty cool, right?"
Jessie shrugged her shoulders, but she looked interestedly at Chloe who was beaming down at her. Even David was smiling by this point.
"Do you want to show Chloe your bunny? I'm sure she'd love to meet Bunny."
"Okay." Jessie said, stepping forward and holding out the smooshed toy for Chloe to see. "Dis is Bunny."
"Hi Bunny." Chloe said cheerfully, reaching out and gently taking one of the bunny's paws into her hand. "It's super nice to meet you."
Jessie grinned and visibly relaxed.
"My bunny hops." She stated and demonstrated on Chloe's outstretched hand.
"That's super cool. Must be a very smart bunny." David said and Beca's eyes widened in surprise at the change of tone in David's voice; there was a charming lightness to it. She wondered if this was how he normally talked to kids.
"Uh huh." Jessie agreed.
"Bunny goes everywhere with Jessie. We don't have many toys, so she's very attached to everything she's got." Beca explained further.
"I like your hair bow." Chloe said, kneeling down onto the ground in a similar fashion to how Beca had done.
"Uncle Luke buyed it." Jessie said, pointing at Luke.
"He did. That was nice of him."
"I like bows."
"Well, they really suit you, don't they David?" Chloe said, turning to David and indicating with her head that he needed to come closer.
"Oh yes, very pretty." David smiled, squatting down.
"Do you want to give them a high five?" Beca asked Jessie who nodded vigorously. She held her hand up high for Chloe and David to both tap and grinned at them.
"Who dem?" Jessie asked, pointing to Alex and Kate.
"This is Kate and Alex." Chloe said, "Do you girls want to say hi to each other?"
Beca held back a tiny laugh as Kate nodded an empathic yes but Alex shook her head vehemently no with the same enthusiasm. As Jessie moved forward towards the two girls, Alex visibly jerked her head backwards as the little girl realised the other two looked alike. She looked over to Chloe, then David, then Beca before looking back at Kate and Jessie.
She pointed at Jessie, then at Kate.
"Mommy?" She said to Chloe.
"Yes baby, they do look alike, don't they?" Chloe answered her unspoken question.
"Have you told your children what is going on?" Ms Davies interrupted their little bubble and Beca wanted to slap her with everything she had.
"No Ms Davies, I felt… we feel that they are a little too young to understand at the moment."
"That's fine, I understand. Probably best to wait until you've worked things out between you a little more." Ms Davies replied, smiling broadly at Chloe. Beca snapped her head towards Luke, noting the difference in the way that the liaison officer spoke with Chloe about the same issue she'd made a fuss to Beca over.
"We has the same hair." Jessie said, bringing the attention back to the little trio.
"Yes sweetheart, you and Kate do have the same hair."
"Hers doesn't." Jessie said, pointing at Alex.
"That's right."
"She has hairs like yours Mommy." Jessie said, pointing at Beca's head first then at Alex's.
"It is the same, isn't it?" Beca nodded.
"Mommy, who dis?" Kate said shyly, moving to Chloe's side and subtly pointing to Jessie.
"This is Jessie, she lives with Beca."
"I like her." Kate said, shooting a glance in Jessie's direction.
"That's good baby."
All three little girls stood staring at each other for a few moments. Sensing their interest in each other, Beca spoke up.
"Do you girls maybe want to go play for a little bit, while we sit over here?" Beca said to the three kids, pointing behind her to indicate where they'd be sitting.
"Yeah!" Jessie shouted excitedly and passed Bunny for Beca to hold.
"Kate, Alex, we'll be sitting over here." David said, as he took his girls hands to walk them over to the gated entrance to their play area. As soon as Alex saw the giant treehouse in the middle of the room again, she began to hope from foot to foot with excitement. She turned back and caught Beca's eye and gave her a knowing smile.
"Come on!" Jessie said, pulling on Beca's hand.
"Why don't I take you?" Luke said, offering to take Jessie to the play area.
"Yeah!" Jessie yelled again, grabbing hold of Luke and dragging him towards where David was standing.
Beca and Chloe watched the three girls enter the play area and with the look of a kid seeing gifts under a Christmas tree, Alex dashed off towards the swing under the tree while Jessie grabbed Kate's hand and pulled her towards the mocked up kitchen and house area. Luke remained by the entrance with David, seemingly engaging him in conversation as they watched the girls. There were two little boys playing quietly in the sandpit area but other than that the place was quiet.
"Shall we sit?" Chloe asked, breaking the thin layer of discomfort that was threatening to return.
"Sure." Beca said, reaching across the table for her coffee as Chloe took a seat. Beca sat opposite, shifting her chair around a little so she wasn't too close to Chloe. There was something that unsettled her a little about the redhead and not in a bad way. Ms Davies took a seat at another table and watched from afar.
"That… could have gone better." Beca breathed out.
"I think it went fine." Chloe smiled and reached for the coffee that Luke had bought for her.
"Alex hates me."
"She doesn't." Chloe said warmly. "She just takes time to warm up. I shouldn't have pushed you to pick her up."
"It felt amazing though." Beca admitted. "Jessie gives the best hugs too. She's like a little limpet monkey."
"Kate's the same." Chloe said, taking a sip of her drink.
"What's Alex like?"
"Busy. She's always on the go. She's quiet, plays by herself mostly but she's clever and so, so strong willed. Was walking unaided by eleven months and hasn't stopped moving. The only time she's still is when she's asleep."
"Sounds like me." Beca said wistfully. "Why did you name her Alex?"
"David chose it. He read To Kill A Mockingbird at school and Alexandra was Atticus Finch's sister. I guess the name stuck and he always wanted to call his son or daughter Alex. Kate is named after Katherine Hepburn. She was feisty and I hope my little girl turns out the same." Chloe smiled softly. "Tell me about Jessie?"
"What do you want to know? Is she independent? Yes. Is she smart? Too smart." Beca offered. "She's sweet natured, easy going, laid back until she's not. She loves to read-"
"-I think Mrs Mitchem would like to know what her daughter is like." Ms Davies interrupted, leaning forward in her seat. Beca turned around confused.
"What do you think I'm doing?" She asked, incredulously.
"Go on… you're doing okay." Chloe said, helpfully.
"I need to get out of here." Beca mumbled to herself, before picking up her almost cold coffee and draining the remains. She shook herself a little in an attempt to shake off the icy glare that Ms Davies was sending her way.
"You were telling me about Jessie." Chloe reminded Beca but she could see that Beca had shrunk into herself a little.
"Yeah, she's… she's a great kid. You'll be proud of her." Beca managed to get out before sinking back into her seat. Chloe could see that the CPS officer was really intimidating Beca.
"Did it take you long to get here today?" Chloe asked, changing the subject.
"About thirty minutes."
"It was about the same for us." Chloe said. "I'm sorry we were a little late, David struggled to get out of school. I nearly came without him."
Beca looked over towards Chloe's husband. She didn't care for his attitude towards her but she could see he was intently watching the girls as he laughed about something Luke had said. She hoped he was a good dad.
"You'll have to excuse his gruffness." Chloe continued, trying to fill the gap in the conversation. "He's changed a bit since the accident. I think about that day all the time. Do you?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I gave birth that day." Beca said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Hey, whatever happened to your brother in law?"
"Pete?" Chloe asked, her eyebrows raising at Beca's mention of him. She hadn't expected her to remember something like that.
"Yeah, guy was all kinds of hurt. His back?"
"He's in a wheelchair now. Paralysed from the waist down."
"Ah. Wasn't the positive outcome that I prayed for."
"You prayed for him?"
"Sure." Beca said, running her fingers through her hair. "Guy was hurt, you know?"
Chloe nodded, blinking away a threatening tear. She picked up her coffee and took a few sips before looking around the room. She was glad it wasn't busy as it was usually so hard to go anywhere without someone recognising her and wanting a picture or an autograph. She usually didn't mind, actually enjoyed interacting with her fans but she just wanted to get to know Beca and Jessie.
She smiled as David and Luke joined them at the table.
"Jessie's really sociable." David said, more to Chloe than to Beca.
"Yeah, my friend Amy takes her out a lot, she's got tonnes of friends, which, you know, is a good thing. She's out by herself a lot without me." Beca said, reaching for Luke's coffee and passing him to him. He winked his thanks in her direction.
"She goes out unsupervised?" David asked, a flicker of anger passing over his face.
"She's twenty six." Beca stated.
"I mean, Jessie." David bit.
"I know. I was making a joke. And no, Jessie doesn't go out unsupervised as Amy is with her. I meant that she spends time away from me a lot so she'd pretty good at finding friends."
"How long have you known Amy?"
"Coming up to five years."
"Is she married?" David asked.
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"No.
"Where did you meet her?" David inquired.
"I used to work with her."
"What does Amy do for a living?"
"She's now a comedian."
"Meaning?" David asked.
"Meaning that she's hilarious, good with jokes and people find her stories funny." Beca retorted.
"Where does she work?" David asked and out of the corner of her eye, Beca could see Chloe's exasperation at the line of questioning.
"She has a gig at one of the comedy clubs in Hollywood."
"Her stage name?"
"Fat Amy's Down Under(wear)." Beca answered. "Her birthday is in March, she has a brother called Zack and she has trouble understanding personal space. I don't have her social security number to hand."
David ignored the hint of snark and turned to Chloe.
"I think that's who Holly and her sister went to see. They said she was really crude." David looked over to Beca. "Is she British?"
"Australian. She's harmless."
"Well, I'm not sure I want her around my daughter if she uses bad language and lets Jessica watch inappropriate films."
Beca cricked her neck and gulped down her true words.
"She has been there since the day I left the hospital. It might not be the perfect family set up, but she loves Jessie completely and would do anything for her. It might not be up to your standards David, but I'm doing the best for my daughter."
"Mommy!" Jessie called from the over side of the gate. In her haste to defend herself, Beca hadn't noticed Jessie trying to get her attention for a few moments.
"Yes baby?" Beca called back.
"I need my puff puff."
"Her what?" Chloe asked.
"It's her asthma inhaler." Beca said, already on her feet and reaching into her purse for the piece of kit she needed. "Excuse me a moment."
Chloe turned and watched Beca hurry over towards Jessie, fitting the inhaler to the breathing mask in a well practised manoeuvre by the time she reached Jessie. Beca slotted the mask over Jessie nose and mouth and pump the inhaler for Jessie to breathe in.
"You need to slow down a little bit baby?" Chloe heard Beca say. "You need to sit down for a minute?"
Jessie shook her head no, as Kate came over to see what was going on and where Jessie had gotten to.
"What's dat?" Kate asked, pointing to the mask.
"This helps Jessie breathe better." Beca explained simply. Kate nodded and watched Jessie take in her medicine. It wasn't long before Jessie was pulling off the mask and pushing it into Beca's hands.
"I okay now."
"All right. Go and play." Beca said, before returning to the table.
"Have you lived in unsanitary conditions?" David asked rudely.
"I'm sorry?" Beca said as she stuffed the equipment back into her bag.
"Why does she have asthma? Have you lived with mould?"
"Wow." Beca said, her eyes widening. "You don't hold back, do you?"
"She's my daughter." David said through gritted teeth.
"I would have thought your teaching experience would have shown you a little more understanding." Beca hissed.
"Miss Mitchell, Mr Mitchem was simply expressing concern for the child. Perhaps you could dampen down your bad attitude." Ms Davies said, her singsong voice now grating on Beca's nerves.
""She was born with a medical condition and I've done everything I can to make her life as easy as possible. And while I understand she is your biological daughter, she is my child and I would appreciate you not continuing to blame me for everything that has happened."
"She belongs to Chloe and me." David stated.
"And Alexandra belongs to me but I'm not making disparaging remarks to you about her."
"You've barely asked one question about her but now you are pretending-"
"-Mr Mitchem." Beca interrupted. "I haven't done anything wrong here. I'd appreciate you not assuming anything about me."
"You are clearly showing a lack of interest in Alex." David snapped.
"What constitutes an interest? I chose this seat so I could watch the play area. So far, Alex has been on the swing on her own. She obviously likes her own company, which she most likely gets from me. She's reacted twice to the change of song on the overhead speakers and she's swinging herself to the beat of the music, which, again is something I'd be likely to do. She's looked out of the window a couple of times and-"
"-And that makes you think you know her?" David growled. He didn't like Beca standing up to him.
"You know what Mr Mitchem? I don't like your tone. Do you behave like this in front of your daughters?"
"That's not-"
"-Okay, okay… let's not start off on the wrong foot." Chloe said, raising her hands and speaking a moment before Luke was about to say the same thing. "We need to make this work going forward."
"Chloe!" David barked. "Don't speak to me like that in front of other people."
"Don't talk to her like that either!" Beca growled as she watched Chloe deflate a little at her husband's words. She wondered what their home life was like if this was how he treated her in public.
"And you-" David began, his finger halfway towards Beca's face.
"Miss Mitchell, may I ask that you refrain from upsetting Mr and Mrs Mitchem." Ms Davies interrupted, jotting down words and underlining them in her notebook.
Beca was about to say something ugly towards Ms Davies when David spoke first.
"Chloe, we need to get custody of Jessica. She's clearly not being taken care of properly."
"How dare you?" Beca bristled, rising to her feet.
"Ladies, gentlemen…" Ms Davies said, walking over to the table in an attempt to divert a scene. She clutched her notepad to her chest. "I know this is stressful but let's not pour oil on troubled waters. Mr and Mrs Mitchem, I understand how difficult this must be for you."
"And for Beca as well." Chloe said, her hand itching to reach out to Beca.
"Hmmm." Ms Davies pursed her lips and almost shook the comment away. "How about you take turns in explaining something about each of the children instead?"
Beca wanted to slap her around the face with the notepad in her hands.
"I'll go first." Chloe said brightly. "Umm… Alex was the first to sleep through the night."
Beca breathed hard for a few seconds, trying to recognise what Chloe was aiming for. She didn't want David around, feeling that he was making the whole thing more stressful than it should have been.
"Jessie was out of diapers by the age of two." Beca sighed.
"Alex is neater and tidier than Kate." Chloe shared.
"Jessie is thoughtful and kind and finds joy in the simple things in life, like a butterfly or a funny shaped leaf. We have a box full of leaves at home." Beca smiled, ignoring the smirk on David's face.
"Alex is a daydreamer."
"Jessie has an imaginary friend called Hogie."
"Kate has a bear called Hogie!"
Beca and Chloe paused for a few moments to smile at each other.
"How is this helping?" David called out.
"David?" Chloe said, her nostrils flaring. "I think it best if you go home."
"Why?"
"Because at the moment, you are the reason this isn't working." Chloe said quietly.
"I came to get to know my child."
"But you aren't. You are doing everything but."
"I don't have time for this." David said, standing up. "Luke, it was nice to meet you. Chloe, make some appointments to meet up with Jessica on our own. Miss Mitchell, I'll be in touch. Ms Davies, I'd like to speak with you outside."
"Um, okay, sure." Ms Davies bumbled a response as David walked away from the table.
"He didn't say goodbye to the girls." Beca stated, unaware that she'd spoken out loud.
"I'm sorry about him." Chloe said. "I know it's not an excuse, but the accident, it changed him."
"I'll have to take your word for it." Beca said blandly.
"Let's try again and see-"
"-I have to go soon. I've got work and…" Beca let the rest of the sentence hang in the air. She needed to leave, this first meeting had gone exactly how she thought it would, but she was still disappointed.
"Maybe we can speak on the phone and arrange to do this again. I know we need to make more of an effort."
"Yeah, whatever." Beca said and Luke knew she was completely overwhelmed.
"Let me write down Beca's number for you." Luke said as Beca stepped away to call Jessie over.
"I'm sorry." Chloe apologised.
"It's not you." Luke said, taking one of his business cards out from his wallet. "She's complicated to know but once you get through the first layer, she's really a remarkable woman who's fiercely loyal and dependable."
Chloe nodded her understanding, but Luke could see she was uncomfortable and upset.
"It was really nice to meet you Chloe." He said, holding his hand out to shake hers.
"And you, Luke."
"May we help you out with the girls?" He asked, casting an eye towards Beca as she took Jessie's hand and began to walk over to the lockers to get the little girl' shoes. Jessie was protesting that she didn't want to leave.
"That's very kind of you to offer but I'm used to managing them by myself." Chloe said briskly.
Luke backed away from the table and dug his hands in his pocket as he walked towards Beca who was hurriedly pushing Jessie's feet into her shoes. Jessie was looking over to the play area, watching Kate and Alex as they continued to play.
"Beca…" Luke began.
"Don't Luke. Whatever you are about to do or say, just don't."
"Okay."
"Mommy, why you cross?" Jessie asked but Beca ignored her, instead, she pulled Jessie's bag from the locker. She stood up, dug her hand into her purse for her car keys and held them out to Luke.
"Please go and get my car. I need to get out of here." She said, imploringly.
Luke took the keys and walked towards the exit without saying a word. He knew Beca would apologise for snapping at him, but he didn't like it when she took her anger out on him. He ignored the heated conversation between Ms Davies and David that was taking place in the parking lot and climbed into Beca's car. It took a couple of tries to get the engine started and he saw David watching him as a plug of black smoke plumed into the air behind the car.
Luke drove the car towards the entrance and pulled up outside, leaving the engine running as he jumped out to open the back door for Jessie. Beca stepped out, and lifted Jessie up and into the car in one easy movement. She clipped Jessie into the car seat and shut the door without saying a word.
"I'll drive." She said quietly, as she walked around to the driver's side.
"Is this your car?" David called out, beginning to walk over.
"Get in." Beca said to Luke over the top of the car. She climbed into the seat and began to pull the door towards, wincing when it refused to move at first then screeched as it began to close.
"Is this death trap your vehicle?" David yelled as he came up to the driver's side. Beca shut the door on him. "Is this thing road worthy?"
"It's tagged." Beca said, slamming the door and pulling on her seatbelt, silently cursing as it wouldn't move from its position.
"Are you putting my daughter in this wreck?" David bellowed.
"Mommy, why that man yelling?"
"Don't worry baby, he's just in a bad mood." Beca said, freeing the seatbelt and slotting it into its holder.
"Get my child out of this car immediately!" David shouted. "It's not safe! Ms Davies, this isn't safe!"
Ignoring David, Beca drove out of the parking lot as fast as she could and easily joined the traffic that was slowing building up. Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she prayed that he wouldn't run down the street to find her.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked after a few minutes of complete silence. He turned to look at his friend and immediately saw that she wasn't. "Pull over. I'll drive."
Beca shook her head and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"Beca, stop mate."
Beca shook her head again.
"Look, I know that was horrible but don't drive upset. Please, pull over somewhere and I'll drop you both home."
Beca burst into tears.
"Okay." She said quietly, indicating to move over a lane and enter a small shopping arcade. She parked in a spot and bent over the steering wheel, letting out the week's worth of emotion all at once.
"Come here." Luke said, unclipping his seat belt and reaching over to wrap his arm around her in an awkward, but much needed hug. "Sssh, it's all right."
"It's really not." Beca said and Luke had no comeback for that. Luke held her until her body stopped shaking and rubbed her back a couple of times as she wiped her face.
"I'm good, I'm good." She said and Luke nodded slowly before settling back in the seat.
"Mommy?"
"Yeah baby." Beca sniffed.
"Why cry?" Jessie asked.
"Mommy's just had a busy day sweetheart." Luke said, looking over his shoulder and giving Jessie, what he hoped, was a reassuring smile.
"Bad man made Mommy cry."
"How can I tell her?" Beca sobbed out, the tears immediately flowing down her face again. "How am I going to explain this to her?"
"I don't know." Luke said, looking out of the window. He wished he had an answer for her.
"I'm so sorry for snapping at you." Beca whispered.
"I don't remember you snapping at me." Luke lied.
"Today has been a s-h-i-t show." Beca spelled out.
"It was going well, until he became agitated."
"Uh huh."
"The first meeting was always going to be awkward."
"Yeah."
"Come on, let's get you home. I'll buy you both some dinner." Luke offered.
"I've got to go to work tonight."
"I'll call in for you."
"I can't afford to-"
"-You need a night in with your little girl."
"She's not mi-"
"-Don't finish that sentence." Luke interrupted. "She may not understand but she can hear you."
"What the hell do I do now?" Beca asked again.
"I would say you need a night off from yourself but I know that is not going to happen. Let's go back to yours, you can pack an overnight bag and we'll pick up all the paperwork that's come through for you and go back to mine and go through it all. Jessie can make camp in my bedroom, we'll order some pizza-"
"-Pizza? Yeah!" The little voice from the back sounded excited. Beca let out a thin laugh.
"And we'll discuss this for as long as it takes." Luke finished off.
"I don't deserve you."
"Yes, you do. Now, out you pop and I'll drive." Luke said, in a voice that Beca needed to hear.
.oOo.