Epilogue X - Comparisons

Jerry reached into the dishwasher, pulling out the first tray of clean plates to put away in the kitchen cupboards. That was the thing about having a full house again, the dishwasher was constantly on the go. He looked over at the kitchen clock. 9pm. The women had taken the children upstairs almost an hour ago to get them bathed and settled for bed. Chloe had joined them but, as she had done for the previous two nights that the Beale brothers had been at the lake house, the woman had insisted her girlfriend stay downstairs with the men. And Jerry noticed that Beca really hadn't minded. In fact she'd almost seemed relieved. As though 'night duty' with the children was her idea of hell. So at this moment in time Beca was sat in the back garden with the Beale brothers, drinking beers whilst they all sat around a large fire.

Over the past couple of days the Beale brothers had been relatively well behaved in regards to teasing Beca, saving the good stuff for their little sister who hadn't held back the sting in her slaps as she lashed out in retaliation. This action was often met by rolls of laughter from her brothers, all of whom found that the joy of their sister's embarrassment greatly outweighed the pain of the slaps to their arms or thighs. Despite the teases though, Jerry had been told privately on several occasions by his sons that they really liked Beca. And Jerry had to agree with them. Beca had really slotted into the family well.

"I think Chloe actually drew blood when she scratched me!" Jerry heard his youngest son complain as Johnny reached the top of the stairs of the attic. The men had helped their father bring the suitcases to the correct rooms, as instructed by their mother, and were now gathering in the centre of the attic where the children would be sleeping for the rest of the week.

"Well you had it coming son" Jerry said with a chuckle as he began sliding one of the kids suitcases over to the first of three single beds that lined one end of the attic.

"Oh come on Dad it was harmless banter" Johnny protested, running his palm over his upper-arm, a clear streak of red scratch marks visible on his skin.

"Harmless banter that wound your sister up…" Jerry said in a serious tone. He could tell by his sons' expressions that they couldn't quite understand why their father seemed less sympathetic than normal. Normally the patriarch would laugh along with the men, loving the dynamic between all four of his children. But the atmosphere in the attic seemed different, and they all sensed it.

"You've never minded us teasing her in the past" Michael said curiously, wondering why his father was acting differently than normal.

"Yeah well in the past you weren't teasing her about Beca…"

The three brothers looked at each other as their father's sentence rang in their ears and the room went silent. In the past whenever they'd discussed Chloe's boyfriends it had always been Jerry who has led the dislike of any young man that entered Chloe's life. Behind closed doors and away from the ears of Sue, the Beale men would agree that the 'boyfriend' was not good enough for Chloe, and that if he stood the test of time it would be ultimately down to the challenging week they would often make him endure. If he liked Chloe enough, he'd make it work. And each young man failed. It killed them that it ended in heartache for the redhead, but they did it for her own good. To protect her.

"So what do you think of Chloe's girlfriend?" Jerry asked his sons, breaking the silence. He liked Beca a lot and he hoped they would too.

Chloe's first 'boyfriend' had been the opposite of Beca. He'd been tall and loud and overbearing, having the nerve to call him 'Jerry' before Chloe had even formally introduced them. Jerry hadn't liked that. He also hadn't liked the way the young man constantly had his arm around his daughter. It made the boy seem dominating and Chloe didn't deserve to be with someone who held her back from doing anything. And the kissing. There'd been far too much kissing going on for Jerry's liking. Fortunately the Beale men made quick work of the little twerp, Jerry having called his sons for reinforcements, and within ten days of meeting him they'd been delighted to hear that he'd dumped Chloe. She was better off without him

"I like Beca" Ryan said with a grin, "but I guess we'll know by the end of the week if she's right for our little sister huh?"

Chloe's second 'boyfriend' had been someone she'd been seeing on and off at college and had brought him to the lake house for a week during spring break. This guy had also been tall, but not nearly as loud as the previous. The problem with this one though was that he'd had a habit of looking at Chloe in a way that made The Beale's uncomfortable. Even Sue had noticed it. They'd often find the young man looking down Chloe's top as she spoke, or checking out her ass as she walked away from him. He hadn't been subtle about looking and so he'd been told by Sue and Jerry that he had to sleep on the sofa while at the lake house. Again the Beale men had made it very clear to the young man early on that if he didn't break up with Chloe by the end of spring break then they'd break him. A threat that they could never in a million years consider carrying out but luckily Chloe's 'boyfriend' wasn't to know that. So he had broken up with her before the end of the week and left.

"That's what I'm gonna need to talk with you about" Jerry says "look I know that we've had this agreement since Chloe became a teenager that we'd protect her from any dickheads that dared to grace our presence."

"Which has been pretty effective" Michael said, folding his arms with a proud smile.

Chloe's third 'boyfriend' (if you could call him that) had been a young man that she swore she'd met when she'd been jogging through the local park near home. Apparently he'd had an "adorable dog" which Chloe had stopped to pet and before they knew it they'd swapped numbers. Chloe had been home for the summer before starting her junior year and The Beale brothers had descended on the family home to celebrate their mother's birthday. This was where they'd met Chloe's 'boyfriend' and the moment they'd set eyes on him they'd hated him. Another tall man, this time the same age as Johnny, who also seemed to love having his arm around Chloe. The redhead was affectionate, the family knew that, but there was rarely a moment the whole day that he hadn't been touching some part of her body. It had been disrespectful. Then the man had had the unfortunate coincidence that his sister was friends on Facebook with Julia, and after some investigation by Ryan using his wife's Facebook with her permission, he found out that not only was Chloe's new 'boyfriend' married, he also had two children with a third on the way. The Beale men hadn't held back this time, immediately confronting the man, having no choice but to reveal that they knew, despite their sister being stood with them at the time. She had been distraught, and he had been apologetic. But it had been too little too late, and the Beale men had chucked the man out of their house, with Ryan throwing him a punch for good measure.

"Right. But I'm gonna call it boys. I'm gonna say we back off on this occasion." The father said, holding his hands up as a way of indicating that his sons back down. Because Beca was nothing like the previous idiots Chloe had brought home before.

"Woah, you're not going soft in your old age are you Dad?" Ryan said, nudging his father's arm with a teasing grin and Jerry returned the smile.

"No, it's just…things seem different this time."

"Well yeah, Beca's a girl…" Johnny joked, stating the obvious with a chuckle, looking around at his brothers who chuckled too. It was an odd feeling for all of them to know that their sister was now a lesbian. They'd never seen it coming. Their wives had all told them at the weekend that they'd wondered over Christmas if something was going on between Chloe and her best friend, which the brothers found highly likely, especially as the women were far more tuned in to Chloe's personality than the men were. Chloe had apparently only cheered up over Christmas when she'd been talking to Beca on the phone…

"True but that's not what I mean." Jerry looks at his sons "You'll see it. Beca may seem too quiet for your sister. Too awkward. But they work. Beca treats your sister really well and she's good for her. So as long as Chloe is happy being with Beca, then I'm happy too."

And this was all the brothers needed to hear to know that they didn't need to interrogate or put pressure on their little sister's new partner. So long as their father felt happy and comfortable with the new addition to the family then they were too. No over-protectiveness necessary.

Jerry heard footsteps patter into the kitchen and he turned to see his daughter walking over to the fridge with a smile on her face, "I hope the boys aren't causing Beca too much grief." She said thoughtfully as she pulled open the door of the fridge and reached out for the milk carton.

"Don't you worry twinkle, if they were going to do something rotten they would've done it by now." Jerry joked, a wide grin on his face as his daughter pulled out the carton of milk from the fridge and raised an eyebrow at him while nudging the fridge door closed.

"Hmm…that's what I'm worried about…" The redhead mused as she placed the carton down on the island before her then made her way to a kitchen cupboard.

Jerry reached across to pull a tray from behind the toaster and placed it beside the milk carton while his daughter gathered six plastic cups from a cupboard she was reaching into. "I wouldn't worry sweetheart, Beca seems to be holding her own." And it was true. While Beca had been quiet and nervous when first meeting Chloe's brothers, two days had gone by and now there was no stopping her quick comments that were sometimes so sharp and sarcastic the brothers were stunned into silence. A silence that was often short lived, because the men would break into laughter, hardly able to believe that such comments were possible from the petite woman.

Jerry watched as a smile grew on his daughters face while she poured milk into the six plastic cups. This was one of the things that made Jerry feel that life was worth living for. To see his little girl happier than he'd ever seen her. And it was all down to the young woman sat outside, sharing beers with his sons. And even though he knew the answer, he couldn't help but ask his daughter, "Are you happy twinkle?"

The redhead continued to pour the milk while she answered, "Yeah, I really am Daddy" in a sweet voice before placing the lid on the milk carton. She looked up at her father, her eyes sparkling bright and blue, just like his mother's had done once upon a time.

Jerry couldn't help the smile on his face, "You know we all really like Beca" he said. It was the first time he'd ever told his daughter that he liked anyone she was dating. Probably because it was the first time he actually liked anyone Chloe was dating. And from the looks of things Chloe realised it was the first time he'd said anything like this, because her smile had broadened as though he had given her a compliment.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

"I'm so glad you do!" The redhead gushed, as though this knowledge was a huge relief to her and Jerry felt his heart swell as he saw his little girl's face break into a huge smile while she returned the milk to the fridge, "Isn't she amazing? And you haven't even heard some of the music she's produced! Wait until you do. She's so talented. And funny. And…" suddenly Chloe stopped, closing the door to the fridge and turning back to her father, her cheeks flushing red slightly in embarrassment, "…and I'm babbling. Sorry."

Jerry chuckled as his daughter bit her bottom lip, "That's alright sweetheart. It's nice to see you looking so happy."

"She makes me really happy." Chloe said in a quiet content voice and Jerry knew it. Over the past couple of days that Beca and Chloe had been staying at the lake house Jerry had noticed just how happy the brunette made his daughter. Chloe's face really did light up whenever Beca walked into the room, and she watched her adoringly as the brunette joked with her brothers or politely explained her job to Chloe's sisters-in-law. He could tell that his daughter was over-the-moon to be able to hold Beca's hand in public, something they had done whilst out and about over the past couple of days. And he knew that his sons were just as pleased as he was to see how happy Beca made Chloe.

Jerry had also come to realise why he liked Beca a million times more than he'd liked any of the previous individuals that Chloe had dated. She was the entire opposite of any of Chloe's ex-boyfriends. The petite woman was often quiet, calm and laid back, a different personality to Chloe entirely. She made conversation if it was prompted by somebody else, but didn't go out of her way to dominate a conversation. Jerry liked that yesterday morning Beca had walked through to the decking area out the back of the house after breakfast and asked him if she could read the finance section of his newspaper, which he'd happily obliged. He liked that she'd been comfortable enough to sit with him as they both silently read their newspapers, waiting for their respective women to get ready for the family walk that had been planned. He liked that she was financially savvy. A sign that his daughter would be safe and secure if she spent her life with her.

Jerry also liked that Beca wasn't too overbearing when it came to affection. He knew she must be affectionate towards Chloe in some way or Chloe wouldn't be as happy as she was. But it wasn't thrown in the Beale's faces. Chloe always initiated a kiss if the women were in the company of her family, but it was only ever on Beca's cheek, and only a rare occurrence in public. A far cry from the way Chloe had acted with her ex-boyfriends. They did hold hands a lot. Or lean their legs against each other if they were sat side-by-side. Beca would sometimes bring an arm out onto the back of Chloe's chair, but never sling it around her shoulders in a controlling or dominating manner. And she would watch Chloe intently whenever the redhead was talking, though the Beale's had clocked between them that the expression Beca often wore when she watched Chloe wasn't one of lust or desire. It was a look of wonder, affection, and love. As though she couldn't believe how lucky she was to be in Chloe's presence.

Over the past couple of days the Beale's had found out about Chloe's many achievements in New York. From the successful reviews that were written for the performances her little theatre company she volunteered at had received, to the amazing cupcake store that she'd stumbled upon one day. From the lost kitten she'd successfully reunited with its owner, to the most amazing pancake recipe she'd finally perfected, to the huge amounts of money she'd raised at a charity art sale she'd organised with the owners of the coffee shop she worked at in the city. And the Beale's had found all this out from Beca, who more often than not spent most of her time revealing the amazing things Chloe got up to with a tone of love and admiration. To say that the Beale's liked Beca was an understatement. They loved her and how perfect she and Chloe were for each other.

"Well that's all that matters sweetheart" Jerry said to his daughter with a warm smile. The redhead smiled, walking away from the island to make her way out of the kitchen and the man called out to her, "Um…aren't you forgetting something?" he said as he motioned to the tray of drinks but Chloe shook her head.

"I'll be back in a minute, I just need to get Beca." She said, giggling as she noticed her father's change in expression, "The kids want her to read them the bedtime story tonight." And Jerry raised his eyebrows as Chloe simply shrugged before leaving the kitchen.

The bedtime routine at the lake house had been the same for however long there had been young children staying there. Bath time was at 8pm. Story time and milk at 9pm. Sleep time by 9.30pm. For as long as Chloe had been an Aunt she had always been chosen by her niece and nephews to read the bedtime story. Until tonight.

The kids had seemed to take a shine to their Aunt's girlfriend, the boys in particular. It had started this afternoon when Oliver had dashed up to the brunette and insisted she go and play on the zip-wire with them. Which she had reluctantly obliged. Thirty minutes later Beca had returned to the decking area to have a drink and a sit down with the adults, only for Hunter to dash up to her and insist she return to the treehouse nearby. Beca, exhausted, seemed to have panicked and as a result had simply taken the eight year old by the shoulders and gently shook him like a maraca. That was it. The boy had laughed so much that the rest of Chloe's nephews gathered around the brunette and Beca had had to spend the next hour gently shaking the little boys by the shoulders one by one while she listened in on the conversations being held between the Beale adults.

Jerry had finished unloading the dishwasher by the time Chloe returned to take the tray of milk cups. Beca was following and wore a nervous expression. "I hear you've been chosen." Jerry said with a grin but Beca merely shrugged.

"Um…yeah…looks like it"

"I wouldn't worry Beca, Chloe's been reading them bedtime stories for years. You can learn from the master."

Beca didn't have any time to respond, instead following Chloe out of the kitchen again while the redhead carried the tray of milk cups. Jerry smiled as he started to fill the dishwasher with dirty plates and cutlery, looking forward to hearing his wife's review of Beca's story reading ability.

Thank you again for the reviews and the vote of confidence about doing an 'M' version of some of the BeChloe and Staubery chapters of this fic. Don't worry, I'll keep going with these epilogues and try to get around to writing the M versions soon :)

Next epilogue I think we should see how well Beca can read a storybook to children..

Skyeze.10 - so glad you love the story so far!

sugarlandaddict23 - haha I'm so glad you found the last chapter funny! I really enjoyed writing it! Don't worry, i'll keep going with this fic even if I start the other..

justbch - your English is brilliant dude so don't apologise for it! And thank you for the compliments :)

laco0417 - hehe gooooooood!

Mystery Guest - Jerry and Sue underestimate the timings.. haha yup, a good ol' butt grab!