Beca sat at the large table in the kitchen of the house they now owned in Connecticut, scraping her spoon around the edges of the bowl, trying to collect every drop of the delicious fruity breakfast oats her wife had prepared before heading out to work. When the brunette was satisfied that she couldn't scoop any more oats from her bowl she paused and glanced down to her right. Alba sat obediently on the floor beside her. The Labrador wasn't really a dog that begged, something both Beca and Chloe were very proud of, but she did have this terrible habit of innocently watching her owners while they ate – no matter where they were or what time of day. They could be sat with a group of their friends or family. And Alba would still just stare at Beca or Chloe or both of them. Beca blamed her wife of course. Chloe had given Alba tiny scraps of food since the lab had been a small puppy. Now Alba tried her luck at each mealtime.

The problem was, all Beca had to do was take one look into those deep brown puppy-dog eyes and she caved each time. Yeah, the brunette blamed her wife for starting this whole 'giving Alba scraps' thing – but Beca didn't help matters. So with a light sigh she rolled her eyes.

"Alright alright." she conceded, handing the bowl down to her dog, "If you think there's any food left to lick up of course." she added with a relaxed grin. They'd been living here for three weeks now and Beca was still trying to get used to this morning routine of Chloe getting up and out of bed before her every day. Beca was in the fortunate position of now being able to coordinate projects with artists so that they came to her office at Residual Heat's NYC Headquarters. And that those face-to-face meetings and recording sessions only required her to drive down to Downtown Manhattan when the artists were in town, or if there were company meetings she was required to attend. Otherwise, Beca's brilliant reputation following the success of her production of Ed Sheeran's latest record meant that the brunette could work from home for a lot of the week. A perfect setup considering Chloe's impending Broadway musical required her attention six days a week for now, leaving Beca in charge of redecorating their new home and keeping Alba company.

The doorbell rang, still an alien 'ding dong' that echoed around the large home that Mrs & Mrs Beale were still in the process of filling with furniture and new belongings – having never really owned that much in their old apartment. Beca stood up from the kitchen table with a tired sigh, having not got up too long ago, and she grinned while she watched her dog scampering through the kitchen then the lounge and through to the entrance hall of the house. Beca popped her bowl on the side and made her way over to the front door. She knew exactly who it was. And they were early.

"Your glamorous assistants are here and ready to wave a magic wand in that spare room of yours!" Stacie said in an excitable tone once Beca had opened the front door, motioning to herself and Aubrey as they stood on the front porch with big smiles on their faces. They immediately crouched down to greet Alba who had dove for them, wagging her tail excitably, and the three women all giggled at the dog.

"I still maintain that I could've painted the spare room on my own but-" Beca began.

"-but your too short and your wife knows best." Aubrey finished for her, a cheeky grin on her face as she and Stacie both stood up tall, standing a good foot and a bit above the brunette and Beca rolled eyes.

"Not exactly what I was gonna say but whatever…" and she stepped aside, motioning for them to enter the house for the first time.

Aubrey and Stacie let out hushed "woooowww"s as they looked at the house around them in awe and wonder. Yes the house was noticeably dated. There was still some unfortunate shaggy carpets in the hallway, up the large staircase, and along the upstairs hallway too. But Beca had plans to pull it all up and spruce up the floorboards beneath. And the wallpaper in most of the rooms needed removing and the walls repainting. And all the light fittings need modernising. And more plug sockets were required. But…well Beca was going to ensure it was all done by the end of this year at the latest.

"This is like…a billion times bigger than our place." Stacie said honestly, her eyebrows raised, peering through the door to the lounge.

"Um…well it's maybe not quite a billion times bigger, babe." Aubrey corrected her girlfriend in an amused tone, grinning at Beca, "But it's definitely impressive."

"Can we have a tour?" Stacie asked excitably, turning on the spot to look at the petite woman before them. Beca shrugged. She forgot this was what people expected whenever they came to the house – which wasn't often. So far the only people Beca and Chloe had had here were Chloe's parents, and the neighbours.

.

Beca stepped out of the driver's side of their hire car that had been ready and waiting for them at JFK airport when they'd landed just over two hours ago. The Beale's were both tired and hungry. But they stood on their respective sides of the vehicle, looking up at their house in wonder. It was big. Like, way bigger than Beca had expected from the photo she'd been provided. And it was now their home!

"Life's pretty awesome huh?" Chloe said in a light voice, and Beca turned to look at her wife with a soft smile. The redhead was looking up at the building with a content expression on her face and Beca felt her body relax. All she ever wanted was for Chloe to be happy. And she knew that the two of them being here, living in this house, making it their forever home would make Chloe the happiest woman in the world, and by default would also make Beca the happiest woman in the world too.

"Yeah. Yeah it really is." Beca agreed gently, a soft smile still on her face. Chloe turned to look at her and Beca gave her a wink, "Love you Mrs Beale."

Chloe let out an excitable squeal and Beca chuckled. Her wife still got excited whenever she told her she loved her. And adding the 'Mrs Beale' bit made Chloe all the more excitable.

"Love you too Mrs Beale." Chloe added with a grin.

"Chloe?" came a curious voice, calling out from over the small picket white fence, and the two women looked to see a couple in their early seventies slowly making their way towards them from the house next door. Beca watched as her wife waved at the strangers and remembered that her wife had grown up here during the summers of her childhood. It was natural for Chloe to know the neighbours.

"Chloe Beale it IS you!" the old woman said with a broad smile, reaching her hands out, and Chloe let out a chuckle while she received a hug from the couple, "My goodness you've grown even more beautiful than you were as a child!" the woman complimented and Chloe blushed, muttering her thanks.

"And my God, Martha, doesn't she look just like her mother!" the man said, beaming down at her. Beca slowly approached the small group, a polite smile on her face. She hated meeting new people, but she wasn't so phased about it when she was with her wife. Chloe tended to lead most conversations which was always a relief.

"When we heard that you were moving here we were absolutely thrilled, weren't we Brian." Martha said to her husband, and the man nodded in agreement with a broad smile still on his face.

"Yes, and when we heard you'd got married earlier in the year too? Well…!" Brian said, clearly thrilled that there was a young couple to bring a bit of life back into the increasingly ageing neighbourhood, "It'll be wonderful to see children growing up around here again." Brian jumped as he received a firm jab in the ribs by his wife, "Uh…when the time comes of course."

"We can't wait to meet your husband, dear!" his wife said brightly, her hand over Chloe's arm. And that was when both Beca and Chloe hesitated. Living in LA for the past year - most people were so preoccupied with their own lives that they never batted an eyelid about Beca and Chloe's relationship status. But this sleepy little slice of suburbia was about to have a bit of a shake-up courtesy of new residents Mrs & Mrs Beale.

"Oh...um...Mrs Caley...I-I don't actually have a husband." Chloe replied cautiously, not overly sure how the elderly couple would react. And they certainly looked confused. But Beca felt as though now was the time to step in, and she lent towards them slightly from her position by Chloe's side, a purse-lipped smile on her face.

"Hi I'm Beca." she said in as bright a voice as possible, holding her hand out for Brian and Martha to shake. And they did so with furrowed brows.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand.." Martha began and Chloe motioned politely to Beca with a bright smile, far from afraid to introduce her.

"This is Beca, my wife."

"Oh.." came the equal reactions from The Caley's, and if Beca and Chloe knew the couple better they would probably laugh. The older adults looked stunned

"Well…" Martha began, her eyes flitting down to the way Beca held an arm around the small of Chloe's back while Chloe reciprocated, and the woman took a deep breath before forcing a smile onto her face, "…how very…MODERN of you!"

.

Alba scuttled up the stairs ahead of the three humans who were slowly following her. Beca had shown Aubrey and Stacie around the downstairs floor of the house: the lounge, the kitchen, the dining room, the 'box room' (which was a large room filled with cardboard boxes that The Beale's were yet to unpack – Beca still wasn't sure what to turn that room into.)

"So are you guys all set for the grand launch of Cara Mia next week?" Beca asked as they reached the top of the stairs with a light sigh. She could hear Alba's paws padding about in the 'second bedroom' – the one with bare floorboards and no furniture that made the room extra echoey.

"Yep, all set, and we've even managed to snag an interview with Buzzfeed!" Stacie said as she followed Aubrey into the nearest room.

About eight months ago Aubrey and Stacie had decided not only were they sick of secretly dating, they were also sick of not being able to see each other very often. Having been in a relationship for three years, they'd decided the only way that they could successfully make that giant leap out of the closet, and still be taken seriously, would be to set up a business together. So using the money that Aubrey had saved over the years running the retreat 'Lodge of Fallen Leaves', the money that Stacie earned during her ever successful modelling career, Stacie's famous status, and Aubrey's business skills – the two women had decided to go down the route of creating a children's clothing line. The choice of the name 'Cara Mia' came from Stacie's upbringing with her late Grandmother – the woman having been Italian and having always fondly called her Grandchildren 'Cara Mia' which translated as "My beloved".

The couple self-confessed that they didn't have much exposure to children per-say. But Stacie was confident that she had a good eye for fashion, and Aubrey was confident that she had a good eye for business. And that was the main thing that drove them forward. Four months ago Aubrey quit her job and she and Stacie moved to a pretty little neighbourhood thirty minutes from NYC. Their home was small, but suited their busy lifestyle. And it was all theirs. Their first home together. While Aubrey got to work with the business, Stacie took up modelling work that her agent got for her in the city, which meant Aubrey and Stacie finally got the chance to be together far more than they ever had done before. And it seemed to be suiting them a treat.

"Wow, Buzzfeed. Nice one." Beca mused as she stepped into the first of two spare bedrooms, this being dubbed 'the second bedroom' as it was the next largest room. Alba stood obediently by Beca's feet while she motioned to the room around her, "So this is the first spare room. The one I need your help painting."

"Perfect size for a nursery.." Aubrey said with a grin, shooting Beca a wink, and Beca blushed.

"Uh..yeah, well..I was planning on the other spare room being the nursery. This will be the guest bedroom." she replied with a shrug, wandering over to the large window so she could ignore the massive grins on her friend's faces.

"Oh so you've got it all figured out then?" Stacie teased, joining Beca by the window while Aubrey inspected the walk-in closet. Beca shrugged again. If she'd been told back in college that by the time she was in her late twenties she'd be looking forward to having children she would've laughed loudly in disbelief. But then she also would've never have believed that she'd be married to Chloe and that she'd be planning on having those children with Chloe. Ever since she'd started settling down with the redhead though, ever since getting Alba and having become rather attached to Chloe's nieces and nephews, Beca conceded that yeah she definitely could see her and Chloe's future being filled with kids and the sound of their footsteps dashing through this house while their laughter echoed around each room.

"I mean it's not going to be quite yet because Chloe's got her Broadway show still in the works and I'm super busy with work and the house and stuff but…yeah it's definitely in the plan for somewhere down the line, sure."

Aubrey began wandering over to them with a smile that revealed just how pleased she was with this news. She'd always known how much Chloe wanted to be a mother. It was good to hear Beca talking so openly about the prospect.

"So you've done a massive spreadsheet and budget?" Aubrey asked and Beca let out a light embarrassed chuckle.

"Umm…"

"That's a yes!" Stacie burst with a loud chuckle, nudging Beca with her elbow and Beca raised her index finger, trying to look as serious as possible.

"It's for like five years time!" she lied, but it was enough for her friends to stop teasing her. She had created a spreadsheet, but ideally she was looking at her and Chloe hopefully trying for a family in the next two years – it was definitely Chloe's hope to start having babies in her early thirties rather than late. Beca planned on researching into their options once they'd got the house a little more decorated and cosy, checking out the costs, then broaching the subject with her wife. That was Beca's thing – organising their finances and sticking it in a spreadsheet.

"I'm going to grab the overalls from the car." Aubrey said as she began making her way out of the 'second bedroom', Alba promptly following her with a wagging tail. Beca had to admit, the blonde was looking the best she'd ever looked. Clearly the new lifestyle of setting up her own business with her girlfriend of three years was working out really well for her. And living in New York now too, only a forty minute drive from Beca and Chloe? Perfect.

"So I'm thinking of proposing to Aubrey.." Stacie suddenly said in a low voice, aware of how echoey the empty room was and how her girlfriend hadn't quite left the house yet. A big grin grew on Beca's face as she brought her fist out to playfully thump her friend's arm.

"Dude! That's awesome!" the smaller brunette whispered, understanding the need to also keep her voice low, and a content smile spread across Stacie's face.

"Yeah, things have just been so amazing since we got our place together and started setting up the business…and with Aubrey's Dad surprising both of us by being so okay with us being in a relationship together-"

Beca remembered how terrified both Aubrey and Stacie had been having to tell Aubrey's strict father that his only daughter was in a relationship with another woman. But surprisingly the man had been impressed that Aubrey had found someone with such a successful career that he seemed to overlook the fact that the two were in a gay relationship.

"-I've thought about how cool it'd be to finally be able to call her my wife." Stacie explained, letting out a light happy sigh. She paused then turned to look at Beca nervously, "She'd say yes…right?"

"Are you kidding?" Beca blurted with a grin, "Of course she'd say yes, dude! She and Chloe talk about it all the time!"

"Th-They do?"

"Yeah!"

"Did she have specifics? Because I've kinda already mapped stuff out." Stacie began to look worried and Beca felt guilty. She remembered how stressful and nerve wracking preparing to propose to Chloe was.

"So long as it comes from you, she'll be totally fine Stace. Honest!"

"Phew." Stacie said with a heavy sigh, and they both heard the car door slam closed outside. Aubrey would soon be making her way back inside. "I'm actually thinking of proposing to her then we get married later that same day or something…do you think she'd be mad if we did?"

Beca hesitated. She had no idea. She really didn't know Aubrey as well as her wife did. The conversation was due to come to an abrupt end very soon as the sound of the blonde's footsteps were heard making their way up the staircase, along with the quick patter of Alba's paws.

"Better check with Chloe," Beca whispered honestly, "she'd be able to give you a more definitive answer."

"Right. Thanks." was all Stacie was able to whisper back before Aubrey strode into the room with two sets of overalls folded neatly in her hand and a bright smile on her face.

"Tada!" Aubrey said brightly, and both Stacie and Beca cleared their throats nervously. They were the worst at trying to keep secrets..