Epilogue XXVI – Carrie Buchanan

Beca swallowed loudly, clearing her throat while she held her phone to her ear. So Beca had agreed that yes she did need to probably call her mother to tell her the news. Chloe had dashed into the spare room and dug the most recent birthday card from Beca's mother to Beca out of the 'craft box'. The number had been there at the bottom of the card in ink. It said a lot that her mother hadn't even provided her cell number, instead scrawling presumably the home-number at the bottom.

Chloe sat up beside Beca on the couch, her hand held onto Beca's right, their fingers entwined. Their puppy lay obediently at their feet, gnawing her little cuddly toy that Beca had bought her before they'd picked her up. Beca glanced to her right at her fiancée who gave her a wink and a reassuring smile. A smile that dropped the second someone answered the phone on the other end of the line.

"Hello, the Buchanan's house?"

Beca froze at the sound of the man's voice. She realised she'd had no idea what her Mom's surname was. It was stupid of her to think it would still be Mitchell. What was also stupid of her was to think that her Mom would be the one to answer the phone. She jumped at the feel of Chloe squeezing her hand and realised that she may have paused a little too long.

"Uh hi! Um…is Carrie there?"

Beca hadn't said her name in a very very long time. It felt alien falling from her mouth.

"Oh sure, hold on." Beca held her breath, then felt her stomach plummet when she heard the man at the other end of the line call out in the room he was in, "Mom! Someone on the phone for you!" Beca looked at Chloe whose mouth had dropped open in surprise. She had a brother. She had a brother! Younger than her, obviously. But if he was younger than her then he couldn't be more than thirteen years old. After all, that was how long it was since Carrie had left. Left Cal. Left Beca. Left them both. Had this kid been the reason why she'd left? Had she been pregnant with this other dude's kid?

Beca didn't have to much time to process her thoughts. She felt a little nauseous as a woman's voice could be heard entering the room the young man was in. She recognised that voice. She'd not heard it in such a long time, but she recognised it all the same. That was the voice of her mother, and the woman was asking her son who was on the phone. Beca's heart was hammering as she heard her brother say he didn't know and her mother tut.

"Hello Carrie speaking…"

Beca swallowed loudly. Her mind had gone blank and there was a long pause as her mother's voice became a little hesitant, "Hello?" she said again.

Beca cleared her throat, "Uh…hi…its-"

"-Beca?" Carrie asked immediately and Beca exhaled loudly. She hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath.

"Yeah Mom…it's...it's me."

There was a hush that sounded around the apartment as Beca listened out for her mother's reaction. Carrie appeared to be shuffling around the room she was in, presumably looking for somewhere to sit down.

"Wow…um…hi. How…how are you?"

"Yeah good…I'm…I'm good…" Beca said nervously, and began chewing her bottom lip. Her toes were stuffed under her puppy's stomach as Alba continued to chew the leg of her cuddly toy. Her right hand still entwined with Chloe's left and she found herself running her finger over the redhead's engagement ring.

"Good…" Carrie said and let out a deep exhale of her own, "…I've wanted to speak to you for so long Beca. I never expected you to call."

"Yeah well I never expected it either so that makes two of us." Beca said in a monotone voice. She was hating this. There had been so many moments during her teenage years where she'd had questions. Why had her Mom left? Had she done something wrong to make her Mom leave? Why did she love that man so much more than her Dad? But now, those questions had left her mind. She'd grown up. She'd lived her life just fine without the influence of her mother for thirteen years. Now she could confidently say that through Chloe she had a mother-figure in her life in the form of Sue Beale.

There was another long pause and Beca had forgotten just how awkward her mother was. This was where she'd got her lack of open emotion from. Her lack of talking through feelings. Lack of affection. Carrie had never been a larger-than-life cuddly person like Sue Beale was.

A loud yap echoed around the lounge and Chloe slid off the sofa to hush Alba as the puppy told her cuddly toy off. The puppy lumbered onto the redhead's lap, licking her chin enthusiastically and Chloe let out a very quiet giggle.

"Is…is that your puppy?" Carrie asked curiously and Beca looked down at Chloe who sat on the floor beside her legs. She smiled as Alba rolled onto her back in Chloe's arms to expose her belly and Chloe stroked the fur on the puppy's underside.

"Yeah."

"…Alba, right?"

Beca froze and furrowed her brow. Her smile dropped. How did her Mom know about Alba? How did she know her name? Chloe had overheard and looked up at Beca with equal confusion. Alba simply looked up because her Mommy had stopped tickling her belly.

"How do you know her name?" Beca asked slowly and Carrie appeared to clear her throat.

"I…uh…through Instagram."

Beca felt her heart rate increase. She didn't ever go on Instagram. She thought it was pointless. Chloe did but she was fairly certain her fiancée had it set to 'private' - particularly since the Obama incident of 2014... So Beca couldn't work out how her mother had found her on Instagram?

"What Instagram?" Beca asked, her mood lowering as she suspected what her mother's answer might be.

"Your…your singing group's Instagram?" Carrie said nervously in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean my singing group's Instagram?" Beca's tone was noticeably increasing in irritation and she could see Chloe becoming somewhat uncomfortable at her change in mood. Alba had grown restless and scrambled to her feet to dive ontoher cuddly toy again with another 'yap'. Carrie exhaled nervously.

"I saw your performance on the TV a few years ago…the one for Obama? And…well you were in every newspaper the next day." Beca remembered the embarrassment. Fat Amy had swung down from the ceiling and ripped her outfit revealing far too much of herself to the nation. "My sons…your…your brothers…" Beca felt her stomach flip at the pluralled word "well they said how much you looked like me…then they showed me a photo of you on your group's Instagram and…well I've followed it ever since…" Beca didn't really know how to process this information so she remained frozen to the spot, staring at the wall opposite her, "...they know about you...I told them you were my daughter..." Beca swallowed loudly, her breathing increasing slightly. Her Mom had been following her progress. Her achievements. Well, The Bellas' achievements. But they were her achievements all the same. As they were Chloe's. Chloe.

Beca looked down at her fiancée who was looking up at her with an expression that Beca knew meant the redhead was just as surprised about all this information. It was hard to know what her mother now knew. Did her mother know that she was in a relationship with Chloe? Did she know they were engaged? Beca had no idea what was on The Barden Bellas Instagram page.

"…I hope you're not angry with me…" Carrie finished quietly but Beca scoffed. She wasn't just angry, she was fuming. This was an invasion of her privacy, surely? She knew stuff about Beca's life but Beca knew nothing! All that she'd known was her Mom had ran off with that dude. Now she was finding out she'd had several sons with him?!

"Who was that guy that answered the phone?" Beca asked in a flat voice. She was on the cusp of ending the call...

"Daniel. My eldest. Well, my eldest son that is…" Beca felt her stomach churn again. It was still odd to think that there'd been a couple of kids out there who'd been her brothers this whole time, and she'd had no idea. "Did you not get my cards?"

"They came. I didn't read them."

"Oh…"

"Well what did you expect Mom? You left me and Dad over thirteen years ago-"

"-I know and I have said sorry..."

"Sorry…yeah…well that makes up for everything. One stupid little word to make up for years without a mother. Thanks."

Chloe placed a hand on Beca's knee to try to calm the petite woman, but Beca maintained her frosty disposition as Carrie tried to reason with her, her own voice raising:

"Well if you'd just let me explain then maybe you'd be able to understand why!"

"You know what? I can't do this. Have a nice life Mom." And before Carrie could say anything else, Beca ended the call. She threw her phone onto the space of the couch beside her and exhaled loudly, throwing her head onto the back of the sofa. She stared at the ceiling, trying to process all that she'd just found out.

Chloe gently stood, scooping up their large puppy and sitting down on the couch, being careful not to sit on Beca's phone. If there was anything that would cheer Beca up it would be puppy kisses. But as Alba leapt onto Beca's lap the brunette forcefully shoved the pet back over to Chloe, "That was a stupid idea!" she grumbled as she stood from the couch, and began slinking out of the room.

"Becaaaaa…" Chloe tried to call her fiancée back into the room but the bedroom door slammed and the redhead let out a heavy sigh. Well, what a way to ruin the day. Perhaps the order should have gone: The Mitchell's, The Beale's, Carrie, then The Bellas? They were now out of 'happy people' to call upon.

Chloe jumped as she felt vibration down the side of the couch and she reached down the leather and pulled out Beca's phone. It was a call from an unrecognised home number and Chloe swallowed loudly, biting her bottom lip. It was bound to be Carrie calling Beca back…

Yikes! What's Chloe gonna do?

Hey there gang! Thanks for your patience and your reviews - I had a lovely holiday away and was far busier than I expected so sorry I'm only just getting around to updating :)

LuckyoneChris - liking your style and suggestions dude :) I've had some thoughts for a while about them having a bit of a barney over Beca's Mom and where she factors in Beca's life so there'll be something going on soooooon..

As for 'Maid of Honors'..well we'll see ;)

glugalde - haha well you guys have been asking about her recently and I've always planned on adding Carrie into the equation at some point. I can't delve on personal experience when it comes to estranged parents but I can try to get into Beca's mindset. Haha glad you loved a bit of Emily! She's such a sweetheart! Oh yes the Bachelorette parties..I almost forgot ;P thanks for the compliments dude!

Kamalani - Haha glad you enjoyed!

Leapyearbaby29 - Ooh so many questions! I love it! Well I hope some were answered in this chapter. The rest will be answered in upcoming chapters! :) thanks for the review!

laco0417 - You like those WA chapters and The Bellas you should see the one-shots I write on Tumblr :D there are a lot based on the upcoming PP3 movie.. I love writing that lot together hehe!

Thanks again for the reviews everyone!!