A/N: Holy guacamole have I been a busy bee these past few weeks but I'm baaack! Thank you so much for your patience! (And the additional recent reviews!) I hope you enjoy this chapter :) the next will be up in a couple of days x

Epilogue XXII - The Nightmare

Chloe took a deep intake of breath as she stirred in her sleep. She wasn't ready to open her eyes and attempted to use this time to assess her surroundings based on the noises in the room and what she could feel against her body.

She was laying in bed that was for certain. In her bed, from the smell of the freshly washed bedcovers that she'd changed on her day off yesterday. She could feel soft skin against her cheek and the tip of her nose, her breath warm as it deflected back at her from whatever it was bouncing against. And the feel of the skin against her cheek along with the warmth of her own breath indicated to Chloe that she was curled up against Beca. Something that her left arm also confirmed as it rested around the woman's bare waist, their bare legs tangled in much the same position that they'd presumably fallen asleep in. Because neither Beca or Chloe were big fidgets when they slept.

The redhead felt at peace as she heard her girlfriend's heavy breathing. Girlfriend. No, Beca wasn't her girlfriend anymore. Beca was her fiancée! And Chloe gently ran her thumb under her engagement finger, a smile growing on her face as she felt the warm platinum band sitting perfectly around her finger.

Last night had been so perfect. All of it. From the 'flash band' serenading her on her walk to The Rubix, to the words Beca said to her as she built up and eventually asked her to marry her, the perfect meal and the slow walk home discussing their future wedding, to the heavy make out session that had been unfortunately disrupted by their puppy. Then the mind-blowing sex that was possibly due to the emotions of the evening, probably due to both Beca and Chloe being thrilled that she was finally off her period, and highly likely to be down to the heated foreplay that had driven them both crazy in the lead up to Beca shoving a half-naked Chloe backwards into their bedroom.

Chloe opened her eyes bleerily, taking another sleepy intake of breath, and slipped her hand from around Beca's waist to rub her eyes gently. She had been right about her positioning against the petite brunette and delicately placed a kiss on the patch of skin that the tip of her nose had been resting upon, just above her fiancée's left breast. Beca didn't stir and it didn't surprise Chloe in the slightest. Not only was Beca a heavy sleeper, she was also not an early bird.

The redhead gently pulled her body away from her fiancée's and began sitting up, pausing briefly as Beca let out a sleepy mumble and simply turned over before sighing heavily in her sleep. Chloe stared down at the porcelain skin of the back of the woman she was going to marry. The woman she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Raise children with. Make a home with. Grow old with. The woman who was strong-willed, stubborn, sometimes rude and often frosty to many outside this apartment. But Chloe knew this woman for who she really was: stubborn at times yes, but also kind, and thoughtful, and affectionate (in her own way), and so so beautiful.

Chloe let out a happy sigh, holding back on her temptation to gloss her fingertips across Beca's back for fear that she would wake her, which she didn't want to do because Beca deserved to sleep for longer after the stress she must have gone through to plan yesterday evening's proposal. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and wasn't surprised to see it read 6am. This was the time she got up every morning to take Alba for her morning walk. Just because she probably only had a couple of hours sleep didn't mean she could shrug off her duty to the puppy, no matter how tired she felt.

The redhead silently slipped out of the large bed, tugging a pair of baggy loungewear pants on, and dragged one of her pyjama t-shirts over her head. Chloe let out a quiet yawn as she reached out for her dressing gown and wrapped it around her body, tying the rope around her waist. She shuffled around the bed, glancing with a soft smile over at her sleeping fiancée one last time before leaving the room.

Beca stood on the cliff-top, looking out at a vast ocean. She looked over her shoulder and saw a giant Disney castle behind her, like the one you'd find at Disneyland. As she turned back to the ocean she saw that Chloe was stood beside her, smiling brightly at her. But Beca couldn't bring herself to smile. She was scared. Chloe took her hand and she felt a little better.

"Are you ready?" Chloe asked, though when she said it, it appeared to echo around them as though they were stood in a cave, but they weren't, and Beca felt her brow furrowing. She found herself saying yes but she had no idea what she was saying yes to.

Beca looked over her shoulder again and saw a bunch of white horses. She counted them. There were six. They must've been the horses Chloe had been talking about to her. The ones for her wedding.

She turned back and looked down at her hand but saw that Chloe no longer held it. Instead it was being held by a small child, with bright red hair and big blue eyes. A little girl who looked up at her. Beca didn't have to ask, she just knew this was her daughter. Their daughter. And Beca thought she would panic but she didn't. Beca looked past the little girl to see her holding hands with a little boy who was a bit younger, with very similar features, and Beca just knew he was her son. Their son. Both were wearing dazzling Beale smiles as they beamed at her. And she immediately felt calm.

Beca looked up from her children and saw their mother stood the other side of them, holding their young son's hand, and Beca found herself telling Chloe that she was ready. But she still didn't know what for. Beca looked over her shoulder again and two of the horses had turned into Jesse and Aubrey. She felt uncomfortable seeing them approach her with their broad smiles that seemed almost creepy.

Before Beca could ask what they were doing her heart lurched as Jesse strode over to her daughter and shoved her off the cliff top. Immediately Aubrey did the same to her son. Chloe's bloodcurdling scream echoed around Beca as she watched the redhead run and throw herself off the cliff top to go after their children. And Beca found herself crying hard. Harder than she'd ever cried before. And then she ran and leapt off the cliff top, desperately searching below her for the expectant bodies of her wife and their children. But they weren't there. And as she fell the ground got closer and closer and closer until-

Beca woke up with a jump. Her heart was racing as she quickly sat up in bed, head in her hands, furrowing her brow as she tried to collect her thoughts. What the fuck was that all about? She'd felt it. She'd really felt it. The heartbreak. The gut wrenching moment her children were thrown off that cliff. The look on Chloe's face had been indescribable, so distraught she had been. And that scream. She'd never heard anything like it. It had rippled into her ears and through her body. She'd had everything one moment, and the next it had been ripped from her. She hadn't even had a chance to savour them.

Beca let out a heavy sigh, scanning her empty bedroom and noticing the time. 9am. She normally had her puppy sharing this bed with her by now. In fact she normally had Chloe sat in here too – it being a Sunday. Beca felt her stomach knot, wondering if something bad had happened to them, but she quickly shook the idea from her head. It had been a dream Mitchell! Pull yourself together!

The brunette slinked out of bed, pulling her favourite over-sized barden tshirt off the floor and over her head so it hung midway down her thighs. She pulled the door of the bedroom open and walked out of the room.

The first thing that met Beca's senses, giving her immediate relief post-nightmare, was the sound of Chloe's voice trickling around the apartment as she sang along to a song she was listening to on Spotify. The second thing was the sound of something sizzling in a frying pan. The third was the deep warming smell of bacon wafting through to her. And suddenly Beca felt a wave of emotion overcome her as she approached the closed baby-gate and looked into the kitchen.

There she was. She thought she'd lost her forever, but it had just been a dream. No, a nightmare. Chloe stood with her back to her and Beca couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as her fiancée wiggled her hips to the beat of the song. Alba, having noticed the brunette's arrival, scampered to the doorway to greet Beca, wagging her tail feverishly. This action had drawn the attention of Chloe, who looked over her shoulder at Beca with a broad smile, "Good morning!" her voice rang out brightly before resuming her focus on the bacon she was frying. Beca released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and unlocked the baby gate with ease. Funny how easy it was to work the contraption when she wasn't sexually frustrated…

Alba scrambled around the petite woman's feet, but Beca didn't stoop to greet her. Instead she approached Chloe, paused as the redhead hummed along to the song, then wrapped her arms around her waist from behind with a sigh. It was an action that was unusual for her, and Beca felt Chloe freeze in surprise while the brunette rested her cheek against her back. Beca closed her eyes momentarily, relieved that whatever had happened in her nightmare had been just that – a nightmare. Chloe wasn't dead. She hadn't left her alone. She still had time to savour their moments together.

Chloe being the more affectionate of the two didn't take long to melt, and before long she had brought her left hand to her waist, smoothing it across Beca's knitted hands as she giggled, "Wow, I could really get used to this side of Beca Mitchell." the redhead turning in Beca's arms, and wrapping her arms around the petite brunette, smoothing her hands up and down her back, "More affectionate now she's my fiancée, what the hell is she going to be like when she's my wife?"

If it had been any other time Beca probably would have chuckled, rolling her eyes and calling Chloe a weirdo. But the scream she had heard in her nightmare still rang in her ears and the brunette felt numb thinking about how Chloe's facial expression had been before flinging herself off that cliff. So Beca clung a little tighter, a small affectionate smile on her face, looking into those bright blue eyes of her fiancée as Chloe's smile slowly dropped, noticing Beca's odd behaviour,

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Beca quietly began, smoothing her hands across the small of Chloe's back, "I just…I'm feeling a bit off this morning…" she wasn't going to burden Chloe with her nightmare. She knew what the woman was like. She'd analyse it. Like really analyse it. And Beca was terrified that she would read it as a sign that Beca would be unable to protect her and their future children. That maybe they shouldn't get married and spend the rest of their lives together. Fortunately Chloe didn't push for information. That had always been the way the redhead had been around Beca, and it was probably the main reason that Beca had become such fast friends with Chloe in the first place. Chloe understood the importance of patience when it came to caring for Beca.

"Well I'm not surprised. You haven't had your morning coffee!" Chloe said with a loving smile. Beca knew Chloe could tell something was up, but the redhead had learnt over the years not to push any form of conversation with Beca until she had had at least one cup of morning coffee.

"I'll make it" Beca said with a shrug, but Chloe had already peeled her arms from around her small body, diving into the cupboard to grab the Nespresso pods. The brunette folded her arms over her stomach and leant against the worksurface of their little kitchen as she watched her fiancée compile the ingredients for her coffee, in Beca's favourite mug. A mug that Chloe had bought her not long after they'd first moved up to Brooklyn together. It was the perfect size for her small hands, but enough of a size that she could get a good cup of coffee out of it in the mornings before work.

Beca let out a little yelp as she felt a tickle between two of her toes and she jumped, looking down at Alba who had licked her foot and was now looking up at her, her little tail wagging. Beca let out a small smile, and bent down to scoop the puppy up. Alba was getting big, and Beca feared that there'd soon be a moment when she wouldn't be able to carry their dog anymore. So she made the most of it now, as Alba scrambled to lick Beca's chin.

The brunette grimaced, trying to bring a hand out to stop the puppy, but Alba simply began feverishly licking her hand instead, "Alright alright, I know, Mama's tasty…" Beca muttered, rolling her eyes, "Alright. Alba stop!" and the puppy froze, tongue stuck to the palm of Beca's right hand, clearly processing the order her owner had strictly given her. Then the puppy brought her tongue back and let out a sigh, settling in her owner's arms as Beca rocked her slightly, "Good girl." Beca mumbled.

The brunette looked up and did a double take as she saw Chloe beaming at her. The redhead had clearly found the scene between her fiancée and their puppy amusing.

"What?" Beca asked curiously as Chloe leant over to the cooker to flip their bacon that was still sizzling away.

"You're gonna be a great Mom one day." Chloe said with a sweet giggle, before returning to put the final touches to Beca's coffee.

Beca felt her stomach knot as the images from her nightmare came flooding back into her memory. She wouldn't. She'd make a terrible mother. If she couldn't protect their children in a dream how the hell was she going to protect them in real life?

"Hey…" Beca jumped at the sound of her fiancee's soft voice, and saw Chloe holding out her mug of coffee at her, that concerned look on her face again, "Are you worried about telling your Dad about our engagement?" The redhead asked tentatively, knowing it was a little risky mentioning Mr Mitchell so soon after Beca waking up.

Beca stooped down and placed their puppy on the floor with a tired sigh. She hadn't been worried until now. And she was never in much of a mood to talk about her father at the best of times, least of all in the morning. But this seemed to be as best an excuse as any to not tell Chloe about her nightmare, which was the real thing on her mind.

So she took the mug of coffee from her fiancée, "Yeah. He's gonna hate it." She said grimly, taking a long inhale of the scent of her coffee and enjoying the warm comfort it blanketed her body in.

"Does he…hate me? Is that why?" Chloe asked nervously, her focus seemingly on the bacon she was now picking out of the frying pan in front of her and placing on a plate. Beca swallowed loudly. Because she didn't actually know. It was difficult to imagine anyone hating Chloe - she was the nicest person on the planet. But her father hadn't exactly embraced the idea that she and Chloe were in a relationship. Even when he'd visited in the Spring, which had been the last time Beca had seen him, he had still seemed to be in some sort of denial.

Beca and Chloe looked at each other, swallowing noticeably, the apartment falling silent following the knock at their front door. 10am. Bang on time, as expected.

"Do I come with you to the door or stay here or…?" Chloe asked nervously and Beca shrugged. She had no idea how her Dad was going to be around them. The last time she'd seen him was on Christmas Eve, when they'd had an argument because Beca had revealed that she and Chloe were more than just housemates.

Would it seem too full-on if Chloe greeted him at the door too? Or would it be better if she just remained in the kitchen where they were stood now, poised by the kettle?

There was another knock at the door, this time firmer, and Beca knew that her father was probably getting a little impatient. He'd had a long drive up to NY yesterday. She was pleased Sheila had informed her that they would be staying at a motel just outside the city instead of the spare room at Beca & Chloe's. Not that Beca had offered. She was happy to see her Dad, of course she was, but only if he behaved. Only if he treated Chloe fairly.

"I'll stay here. Put the kettle on or something." Chloe decided out loud, placing a kiss on Beca's cheek before pushing her gently on the small of her back so that the petite woman began walking out of the kitchen.

Beca took a deep breath as she approached the front door of the apartment nervously. She heard her father talking to his wife, her step-Mom. Something about Beca probably not even being awake. She heard Sheila say something about how Beca probably was awake and was most likely just trying to find the key to unlock the front door. For the very first time in her memory, Beca suddenly felt an affinity for her step-mother. She'd never heard the woman stick up for her before. Beca reached out and pulled open the apartment door.

Her father stood up straight, a polite smile on his face, "Beca. Good to see you."

"Hi Dad. Sheila." The young woman said politely, standing to the side to let them over the threshold. And the moment they were in the apartment Beca's Dad reached out and gave his daughter an awkward hug. Beca stiffened in his arms, bringing her hands around to pat him briefly on the back, then the two Mitchell's parted. Beca had never hugged Sheila before, and she didn't plan on starting now. So, as always, she raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips as she threw her an awkward smile. Shelia responded with a polite nod and grin. She was clearly thrilled to be here and Beca wasn't sure why. She'd never seemed excited to see Beca before.

"So, this is your apartment?" Mr Mitchell asked in a rhetoric tone as he placed his hands on his hips and looked around the tiny entrance area.

"Yeah," Beca stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, "um…coat hooks and a shoe rack…" her sentence trailed off. This was awkward, but she was used to awkward. This was often how she and her father communicated. "And um…through here a bit…" she led them a few paces from the door into the lounge which was the largest space in the apartment, which wasn't much, "is the lounge."

Beca had her back to the kitchen door on purpose. She didn't want to rush the introductions of her girlfriend and Dad & Step-mom. Unbeknownst to her though, Shelia had already caught sight of Chloe, who had been stood nervously by the kettle in the kitchen fiddling with her thumb ring, and had beamed at the redhead, mouthing a cheery "Hello!" along with an enthusiastic yet subtle wave. It had put Chloe at far more ease. Which was a good job really because Beca had then turned on the spot, taken a deep breath, and motioned to the kitchen.

"And here's the kitchen…" she began walking through the doorway and into the small room, her father and Sheila following. She stopped beside Chloe, "…Dad, you know Chloe."

Her Dad did know Chloe. He'd met her several times when she'd been at college. But those days that he'd met her she'd been Beca's friend. Her co-captain of The Barden Bella's. Not the woman his daughter was now in a romantic relationship with. And the tension in the kitchen was excruciating.

"Yes," Mr Mitchell cleared his throat nervously, " hello Chloe."

"Hello Mr Mitchell." Chloe replied sheepishly, a nervous smile on her face as she held a hand out and the two shook hands briefly. Beca held her breath, her father bringing his hands back to his hips as her girlfriend resumed twiddling her thumb ring.

After a moment's pause, Sheila stepped forward, holding her hand out with a kind smile, "And I'm Sheila."

"Hello Sheila" Chloe said with a slightly more relaxed tone and smile. Beca exhaled quietly. If she didn't know any better she'd think that Sheila was on their side. Maybe her step-monster was?

"So lovely to finally meet you Chloe." The woman said in a genuine tone and suddenly the tension seemed a little less heightened.

There was another brief pause before Chloe broke the dead air, "Would anyone like a cup of tea?" She croaked out nervously and The Mitchell's nodded.

"Um yes, good idea…" Beca heard her father say in a slightly irritated voice and Beca could feel her aggravation growing. He was being polite, yes, but she could sense an undertone that she didn't like one bit.

"Why don't Chloe and I make the teas, and Beca you show your father around the rest of the apartment?" Shelia suggested, looking to Chloe for her nod of approval, then turning to look at her husband and step-daughter. Beca didn't say anything and just shrugged, before turning on the spot and beginning to walk out of the kitchen.

"Shouldn't take long" Beca heard her father mutter and she closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath whilst continuing through to the back of the apartment. He wouldn't get on her nerves today, she wanted to make sure of it. It wouldn't be fair on Chloe if she did. And to be honest it wouldn't be fair on Sheila either, who was actually turning out to be alright.

"So the bathroom is here on the left." Beca watched as her father poked his head into the little room, peering up at the ceiling then down to the floor, then bringing his head out with a little light 'Huh' of approval.

"Here is bedroom one." Beca motioned to her and Chloe's spare room. The one that had originally been her room when they'd first moved here. When they hadn't been more than friends. When they'd had separate rooms. Her father stepped into this room, just a few paces, and peered around. She knew what he was looking for. He was assessing whether his daughter and Chloe really were in a relationship like she'd revealed to him just before Christmas. Because if they weren't, then this bedroom would belong to one of the women. But it wasn't lived in, that much was obvious.

Beca was relieved Chloe had spent the past two days feverishly tidying the apartment while she'd been at work. Their spare room no longer had scruffy cardboard boxes littering the corners of the room, and all belongings that had been in those boxes were now in large plastic boxes that Chloe had bought from a store several blocks from their apartment. Having those boxes stacked to the right immediately made the room look neater. There was a long mirror on one wall, beside a long clothes rail, which was full of Chloe and Beca's clothes. This was, after all, the room they dubbed their 'walk-in-wardrobe'.

The large double bed to the left lay neatly made and untouched. There were no lamps around the room. No books or magazines or knik-knaks on any surfaces. No sign in the slightest that this was used as a bedroom. And Beca could tell by her father's expression that he recognised this.

"Good space." Mr Mitchell said as he cleared his throat again with a curt nod, and stepped out of the room. Beca led him to the room next door.

"And bedroom two." She announced, stepping into the room this time, her father following. He paused, his hands still on his hips as he looked around. This really was all the confirmation he needed. Because this was so obviously Beca & Chloe's shared bedroom.

The double bed was made but also had several neat matching cushions on it, completed by two white cushions, one with a black letter 'B' on it and one with a black letter 'C' on it, indicating which side of the bed was who's. The bedside tables on either side of the double bed had a lamp on each. Chloe's had a couple of novel's beside her lamp, Beca's had her iPad and her favourite headphones.

A chest of draws lay opposite the bed, and on it's surface were several photo frames that Chloe had sought a couple of days ago, and in those frames were photos of Beca and Chloe together during college, during their European Tour, and one even as recent as a selfie Chloe had taken of them at The Rubix bar last week. On the wall was a large framed photo of Chloe, Beca & the rest of The Bella's, including Barden Bella's alumni, during their final performance at the World's a few years ago. It was the photo they both agreed was their favourite group-performance photo.

Beca loved their bedroom, and she had no shame in letting her father see it. "Right…another good room." Was all the man seemed to muster, before walking out with a sigh. Beca furrowed her brow briefly, then realised that was probably as good a reaction as she could've hoped for, so slowly followed him back to the main body of the apartment.

Beca let her father take a seat on their small sofa, before she sat on the floor on the other side of the small coffee table opposite him. She could hear Chloe chatting animatedly to Shelia in the kitchen, the two women having not taken long to become acquainted. This was one of the many things Beca loved about her girlfriend. Chloe found a way of striking up a conversation with anyone no matter whether she knew them or not.

"So…things seem to be going…well?" Beca heard her father say to her awkwardly, clearing his throat, and Beca shrugged.

"Yeah, really well thanks. I'm…I'm really happy Dad."

"Right…good…it's…it's good that you're happy."

The lounge fell silent again and Sheila's voice could be heard coming from the kitchen while the sound of teaspoons stirring tea echoed, "You mean you hold dance classes for twenty children?!"

"Yep" Chloe replied brightly.

"And they're only eight years old?"

"Well they're a range of ages. The youngest are six, the eldest are ten, but most of them are eight." Chloe said informatively. It's at this moment Beca would've smiled. She loved how passionate Chloe got when she spoke about the volunteering work she did over at the local theatre a couple of blocks from their apartment. But right now Beca was glancing at her Dad, who was busy fiddling with one of the button holes on his jacket. He looked highly unimpressed, Beca was sure of it.

"Well you're a braver woman than I am, Chloe. Children terrify me at the best of times, I couldn't imagine having to try to engage with twenty of them!" Sheila complimented with a chuckle.

Beca looked to the kitchen door to see Chloe carrying a tray with four mugs over to them. Sheila took a seat beside her husband, and Chloe gave Beca a look as if to say "everything okay?". Beca merely responded with a forced smile. They knew each other well enough to read each other's minds when it came to an uncomfortable situation. Luckily for Beca, Chloe was able to read her body language well, and as such the redhead must've known that Beca was hating this.

Chloe placed the mugs on the coffee table in front of their respective owners, then sat on the floor beside Beca. The room fell silent again, as the adults smiled politely at one another. Fortunately Sheila was the first to break the ice again, turning to her husband as she said, "Cal, Chloe's just been telling me about the position she has volunteering at the local theatre group."

"Volunteering huh?" Cal Mitchell said seriously, looking at Chloe as the redhead reached out to take Beca's favourite mug and hand it to his daughter.

"Yeah, um, the kids in the local area come together every couple of days to learn to dance and I teach them." Chloe said nervously, a kind smile on her face. But Beca was watching her father like a hawk. She knew that tone of voice he'd used. He was on the verge of saying something that she would blow up over.

"So you don't actually get paid for it?"

Beca noticed out of the corner of her eye Chloe glance at her, wondering if this was a trick question. But Beca had begun glaring at her father. The man, however, remained his attention on the redhead, his eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer.

"Well, no…I don't. No." Chloe said in a quiet voice.

"Hence the word 'volunteer' Dad." Beca said coolly, "She gives her free time up to help teach underprivilaged kids who want to learn to dance."

"Oh, no I understand what the word 'volunteer' means Beca. I just don't understand how she can afford to live here with you if her 'job' is as an unpaid volunteer." Cal Mitchell said, leaning forward and taking hold of his mug of tea, looking at the two women opposite him.

"Oh that's not my only job Mr Mitchell." Chloe piped up, but Beca could sense from her girlfriend's tone that she also knew what Beca's father was insinuating.

"I see. So you're a high-flying banker maybe? Or the manager of a downtown boutique?" Cal said sarcastically. Beca began pulling her hands into fists, her blood beginning to boil. He was doing this on purpose.

"Um, no, actually. I'm…I serve coffee at a store downtown." Chloe said quietly, and Beca hated how embarrassed her girlfriend had sounded. Because serving coffee was hard work. Dealing with customers was hard work. Working all the hours that she did there on top of the hours she volunteered at the little theatre group was hard work. But Beca's Dad didn't seem to understand that.

"So you're just a waitress?"

"Right that's it," Beca snapped as soon as she noticed her father smirk, "Dad if you've got something to say about me and my girlfriend just come right out and say it!"

"Okay," Cal said, his voice growing louder to try to match his daughter's, "I want to know if your 'girlfriend'," ugh, he was back to using quotation gestures whenever he said that word, "is actually only with you because of your money."

"What?!" Beca cried out, her voice echoing around the apartment. She didn't notice Shelia have the exact same reaction, seemingly shocked at her husband's accusation.

"Mr Mitchell, I assure you, I've been in love with your daughter far longer than-"

"You're not in love with my daughter." Cal Mitchell scoffed, "An infatuation, sure. You both got close being the only two moving up here from Barden. But the natural step for you both to take isn't for you to become 'life partners' or whatever the hell they call it nowadays."

"Would lesbian's be an easier label?" Beca asked sarcastically. Angrily. She knew it'd hit a nerve with her father and she saw him shuffle uncomfortably on the sofa. Good. She wanted him to feel uncomfortable after what he was insinuating. "Chloe is not with me for my money. And it is none of your business how we sort our finances. We are grown adults, living in the real world, with real jobs, and a real life, and we want to spend that real life together."

"Oh, so you're just going to live here? In this tiny apartment? Busting a gut to pay for her lifestyle while she holds you back?" Cal Mitchell motioned to Chloe who was tearing up. She didn't like confrontation. And she really didn't like it when people didn't like her. But Beca was fuming.

"What do you mean holds me back?" The petite brunette asked incredulously. The two other women in the room had no choice but to sit back and watch the car crash unfurl.

"Oh come on Beca! You and I both know you could've been far more ahead in your career if you hadn't been distracted by her. You could be in LA by now with…"

"Let me guess, I could be in LA by now with Jesse." Beca snapped. Why did her father insist on clinging to her ex-boyfriend like he had been so perfect for her? "Dad you have got to let the Jesse thing go! He and I broke up a long time ago now. Chloe may not have a high-flying job but she loves the work that she does and she's good at it! And she supports me. Maybe not financially but she sure as hell supports me emotionally. Far better than you ever have!" And as the room fell silent, something suddenly occurred to Beca. Her Dad was jealous.

Beca followed her father's gaze down to her lap and realised that the reason why she'd stopped arguing was because Chloe had brought a hand to hers and held it. Chloe knew her. Chloe loved her. And Beca loved Chloe.

"Right," Sheila said with a lighter tone, clearly wanting to clear the atmosphere, "we brought some cake! We brought cake so…um…Chloe would you care to show me where you keep the plates?"

"I don't think he hates you Chlo. I think he hates that I don't fit in his box, you know?" Beca said as reassuringly as possible.

"Mmm" Chloe said in confirmation, as she complied two large bacon baguettes. One for Beca, one for Chloe. And Beca smiled softly as she watched her fiancée squeeze a huge portion of tomato sauce onto the side of Beca's plate. Because Beca loved tomato sauce, and Chloe knew that. Just like Chloe knew how nervous Beca must be feeling about revealing their engagement to Mr Mitchell.

"Um…why don't we call your folks first? Then we can dull the day by calling my Dad, then brighten it again by called Aubrey maybe?" Beca never thought she'd ever consider 'calling Aubrey' a way of brightening a day, but anything was likely to be a pick-me-up after the inevitably awful conversation they'd be having with her father. At least Aubrey was okay with the idea of the two of them being together.

"Oh I've already spoken to Aubrey!" Chloe said with a bright smile, holding both plates as she tried to guide their puppy out of the way with her foot, Alba far too excited by the smell of bacon to behave.

"You have?!" Beca asked as she followed Chloe, carrying two mugs of coffee, also trying to nudge Alba out of the way when the puppy gave up trying to beg the redhead for food and went to her other owner's feet.

"She's been asking me almost every morning for about month now if you'd proposed," Chloe said as she settled down on their small sofa, and Beca placed the mugs of coffee on the little coffee table and settled in the space beside her, taking the plate of food that her fiancée handed her way. "You know I don't like to lie about things so I just simply said yes."

Beca chuckled, batting their puppy away gently with her foot as she brought her baguette to her mouth. Because she knew that Chloe could never lie. And she could only imagine what it must've been like for the redhead once Aubrey had texted her early this morning. "And let me guess…" Beca said, grinning with her mouth full, "she called you straight away?"

"She called me straight away! I'm surprised you couldn't hear her from my phone in the kitchen." Chloe said with a giggle tucking into her own baguette and delicately bringing her foot up to keep Alba from jumping up onto the sofa. The lounge fell silent as the two women tucked into their bacon baguettes, laughing every so often at their puppy, who looked up at them with big pleading eyes.

"Don't!" Beca said sharply, as she spied Chloe casually twiddling a piece of bacon around between her fingers, trying to gently break it away from the large slab that was in her baguette. The redhead looked at her, raising her eyebrows innocently.

"What?" Chloe asked, but a cheeky smile had crept onto her face despite her innocent expression.

"You know exactly what Chloe Beale, do not give that dog any bacon!"

"But, she looks so saaad!" Chloe whined, looking down at their puppy, and Beca followed her gaze with a big grin. Because Alba was now staring up at them even harder, knowing just how close she was to finally getting a piece of bacon.

"You know full well the moment we start giving her food from this sofa she won't ever leave us alone again." Beca said strictly, though a smile still remained on her face.

"Just one tiny piece?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeease?" Chloe begged, sticking her bottom lip out. And Beca melted. She both hated and loved it when Chloe looked at her like that. Hated it because Chloe would get her way. Loved it because Chloe's eyes shone ten times brighter than normal, if that was even possible. She also loved how giddy Chloe would get when she caved.

So Beca caved. "Go on" she said, rolling her eyes, and Chloe squeaked a "Yesss!" before plucking the piece of bacon out of her baguette and facing their puppy, "but if she starts scrounging when we next eat on here I'm blaming you!" Beca finished. But she could tell Chloe was ignoring her, because the redhead was now trying to get their puppy to sit.

"Alba!" Beca said in a strict tone and the puppy turned to look at her, "Sit!" and Alba immediately sat. So she may not be the cuddly owner, she may not be deemed as 'the alpha', but she was certainly seen as the respected owner. Alba so often listened to her orders, and she figured it was down to her tone of voice.

Beca smiled as she watched Chloe let out a giggle, cooing at their puppy as she handed her the piece of bacon with a sweet "Good girl!"

She had a feeling their spoilt dog was soon going to become even more trouble…

Thank you again guys! As always, reviews are forever appreciated :)

And as I say, the next chapter will be up in a couple of days (maybe sooner)

Leapyearbaby29 - Haha, yep, I'm (slowly) working on doing the missing 'M' rated parts of this fic and putting it in a 'separate fic' so that this fic doesn't have to be categorised as 'M' and can be easy to find still. Haha, smut noted ;)

lincky13 - thank you so much! I love being able to write two or more POV's of the same scene :)

JustLettie - I absolutely CAN imagine that and as such will be keeping that in mind for future chapters ;)

LightningShades - loving the use of the word 'floof' there dude! Yes, I know Alba really is more like Chloe's dog and I may give them another pet at some point but for now they'll be having a lot going on. And drama? Well I did mention this wasn't an angsty fic...

LauratheChef - So glad you liked the chapter and sorry you've had to wait so long for an update! Hope you liked this one too :)

Chocolate - you absolute superstar! Thank you so so much for going out of your way to leave a review even though you don't normally. I'm blushing at your compliments. Thanks so much dude :)

laco0417 - wow wow wow, what a review! Thank you! Yes I get that this fic is all very happy but I actually wanted to capture the happy moments in their relationship and not so much of the angst. Though the idea of having an alternative fic with the more angsty-side of a relationship is a great idea. The problem for me as an author is I'm actually in an awesome long-term relationship with little to no bickering, let alone fights or arguments...so it'd be tough to write angsty Bechloe..

alwaysdivine - you, my friend, are awesome! Thank you so much for your review and I feel totally honoured that this fic is the reason you created an account! I hope you enjoyed this update :)

C - ooh goosebumps? Yay :)

Zombiekiller1013 - Dude there you are! Welcome back and I'm glad you've loved the latest chapters! And gosh a thanks for the mention of periods? Never expected that, but you're welcome. I agree, it's a fact of life. And I imagine these two to be pretty sexually active so it must suck for them when Mother Nature comes a'knockin'. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter :)