Happy Monday friends! I hope you enjoy this next installment!

Please, if you are reading, take some time to review. Hearing your thoughts is extremely helpful and gives me the motivation to keep writing.

This is another tear jerker, keep the tissues handy.

Bekah-Thank you for always being willing to look at countless drafts. I couldn't do this without you.


"We need to talk." Beca said, as confident as ever, when Chloe opened the door.

Luke was making his way out of the house, a packed bag in his hand, as he saw Beca standing on the porch.

"Good luck getting her to talk." He scoffed. "She hasn't spoken two words to me. I've just spent the past half hour having an argument with myself. I'm out of here, she's all yours."

Beca watched, her eyes wide, as Luke walked to his truck. She then turned to face Chloe who finished off what remained in her wine glass. Without saying a word, Chloe stepped back and allowed Beca to walk into the house.

Beca was stunned by what she saw when she walked in. While she had never been one to judge, she couldn't help it this time. Beca and Jesse's house wasn't pristine by any standards. Even with a nanny, more often that not, toys were scattered about, laundry was waiting, and there was at least one thing in every single room of the house with a picture of Anna and Elsa on it. The Swanson residence was more than a house...it was a home. Every nook and cranny was lived in. It was warm, cozy, and inviting and Beca preferred it that way. The entire first floor was covered in hardwood floors in case of spills, their walls were lined with family pictures, and their refrigerator was covered in Alex's artwork.

Across town, Chloe earned a living as an interior decorator. Their stately Connecticut home looked like an ad for Pottery Barn. Decorative paintings covered their walls, there were cabinets full of fine china, and everything had a place. The Barnes household was always well kept and put together. But not this time, not today. It was quite apparent that their housekeeper hadn't been there in some time. Beca wondered if she had been fired or if she quit.

Beca knew something was very wrong the second she walk inside. There was dust an inch thick on anything that sat still. The living room looked like a frat house with stale food and beer cans on the coffee table. There wasn't a coaster in sight. When she passed the laundry room, she could smell the stench before she saw the baskets full of dirty clothes. In the kitchen, the sink was piled high with dirty dishes despite the fact that she could hear the dishwasher running. The recycling bin was overflowing with dozens of empty wine bottles and beer cans. On the kitchen island sat a half empty bottle of Moscato wine surrounded by pizza boxes and take out from the Chinese place up the road.

Deciding to look around further, Beca turned to the fridge and was shocked when she opened it to find that except for a few bottles of wine and some beers, it was empty. As she closed the door, there it was under the "World's Coolest Aunt" magnet that Alex gave Chloe...the invitation to Alex's dance recital. The anger bubbled up even more. Opening the pantry door, Beca found a bag of flour, a few boxes of pasta, bread, and a couple cans of soup. She felt like she had just stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Chloe Barnes could throw together a party at a moment's notice. The house was always spotless and well stocked. Chloe herself was always put together and dressed to the nines with a full coat of makeup.

Beca turned to look at her. She had clearly been drinking for a while. Chloe grabbed for the bottle, pouring herself another glass when she finally looked up to Beca.

"Wine?"

Beca's face remained stoic. "No, I'm good. I can't stay long anyway."

Beca had never seen Chloe like this. Her beautiful, flowing red hair was dull, dirty, and thrown up in a messy bun, her manicure was chipped, she wore no make up, and she was in pajamas that if Beca had to guess, she had been wearing for a couple days. Beca also noticed that her engagement and wedding rings, as well as the diamond studs she always wore in her ears, were missing.

Looking at her face, Beca could tell that Chloe had lost weight, a lot of weight, and she knew it wasn't from dieting. Chloe Barnes was an absolute walking disaster, and the picture in the living room of her and Luke on their wedding day only served to further point out the dramatic difference. It was all Beca could do not to simply stare at her best friend in horror. Why hadn't Luke called her and told her things were this bad?

Chloe shrugged as she grabbed the glass, emptying the bottle, and made her way out onto the patio. Beca followed behind her.

Chloe leaned up against the railing of the deck, sipping her wine and looking out into the pool.

"What do you want?" She muttered, her back towards Beca.

Beca was in a complete state of shock. She had shown up expecting to have a huge showdown with Chloe. Instead, she had walked into a war zone. Chloe was a stumbling drunken mess, and Luke was walking out on her during a time when she clearly needed him the most. Beca was still furious with Chloe, but as she took in the scene unfolding in front of her, she was also extremely concerned.

"Seriously? What am I-What are you-I'm here because I want you to pull your head out of your ass for five fucking minutes!" Beca yelled, her anger causing her thoughts to jumble all together.

Beca walked over to where Chloe was standing and put her hand on her shoulder. Chloe immediately went rigid and just when Beca thought she was making a little bit of progress, Chloe brushed her off a little more forcefully than she thought.

Beca, completely caught off guard, stumbled backward and when she caught her balance she squared her shoulders, "What the fuck was that for?"

Chloe turned back toward the yard and remained silent, further angering Beca.

"Chloe! Jesus Christ, what the hell is your fucking problem?!"

Chloe shrugged, saying nothing, deciding instead to finish the wine in her glass.

Beca threw her hands up. Now she understood what Luke meant about having spent the past thirty minutes arguing with himself. Chloe left Beca on the patio to go inside and refill her wine glass again. When she finally walked back outside, bottle in one hand, full glass in the other, Beca unleashed her pent up anger.

"Fine, you don't have to say anything, I'll do the talking. I've got a hell of a lot to say." Beca stated, slightly calmer this time.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to organize her thoughts.

"When I went to Barden, I didn't think I wanted or needed friends. I was there against my will and my goal was to make my dad's life miserable because I wanted to be in Los Angeles. I had tunnel vision and saw only what I wanted or needed, not caring about anyone or anything else. Then I met you and the other Bella's...and Jesse. You guys changed my life. I wouldn't be who I am today without each and everyone of you."

Beca looked over to see if Chloe was listening. She wasn't sure so she carried on.

"Then I got pregnant and my world was turned upside down. I never wanted to be someone's mother. Clearly my mother wasn't the best role model, and I didn't want to repeat her mistakes. Kids...they're messy, they're exhausting, they're obnoxious, they take your freedom, they ruin your body. I never understood the appeal of them. When I saw that first positive pregnancy test, I lost it. I still, to this very day, don't know how I got pregnant while taking the pill." Beca took a deep breath before she continued. "All I could think about was how my life was ruined, how Jesse's life was ruined. It killed me inside, that positive test signified the end of my life as I knew it. I thought about abortion, I thought about adoption. I'm not proud of it, but those thoughts crossed my mind several times. I had to force myself to look at that first ultrasound and I cried, I wish I could say I cried tears of joy but I can't because that's not how I was feeling at the time."

Beca did her best not to cry. She did not want to choke out words through her tears, and she had already cried enough. It didn't matter how long it took, she needed to get through this, she needed to get through to Chloe.

"And then came that night I woke up covered in blood." Involuntarily, Beca closed her eyes as the flashbacks of that horrific moment hit her.

"Lying in that Emergency Room as they told me that there was nothing more they could do, I felt my world crumble around me. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be a mother, to grow life, and to feel my child inside of me. Alex is a miracle. You know that she is. Being conceived when I was on the pill, and surviving that partial miscarriage, she's a miracle, my miracle. It took me almost losing her to know how much I wanted her. And the moment that she was placed on my chest after ten hours of labor, I knew I would never love another person quite like I love her. She's...She's not like other children. Alex has a maturity to her that I've never before seen in a child. She's so easy to raise, so easy to love."

Chloe continued to stare out at the pool, her back towards Beca the entire time. Beca didn't even know if Chloe was listening, but she didn't care. The whole point of driving to Chloe's house was to get all of this off of her chest. If Chloe didn't want to listen, that was fine, but Beca needed to be free of everything that she'd been holding in for so long.

"I never wanted to be someone's mother until I met my daughter. And now, being her mother is the greatest joy I have in my life. Alex makes me want to be a better person, she reminds me to not be so bitter and hateful at the world. Because my daughter exists, the world, my world, is a better place. So to hold her in my arms tonight as she cried because she thinks you hate her, and then having to figure out a way to explain that you don't hate her just about killed me. You're Aunt Chloe, you can do no wrong in her eyes and yet tonight you did. You fucked up Chloe and I'm not sure, what if anything, you can do to fix it. She wanted nothing more than for you to be there today to see her dance. And maybe it didn't mean much to you, but in her little world, today was the biggest day of her life. It doesn't matter that twenty people came to watch her dance. What she remembered as she went to sleep, was that Aunt Chloe wasn't there."

Chloe's body stiffened, and she turned to face Beca. "I don't hate Alex."

"Really Chloe? 'Cause I'm starting to think you do. If it's not Alex that you're mad at then it's gotta be me. And where the hell was Luke going with a packed bag?" Beca demanded, feeling so utterly lost and confused.

"Georgia." Chloe answered, as she poured another glass of wine, her voice was void of any emotion.

"Georgia!?" Beca repeated in a state of shock.

Chloe swirled her wine around in the glass. "We had a fight."

"Yeah, Jesse and I have fights too, but he doesn't go running home to Mommy and Daddy in Massachusetts!" Beca retorted.

"We just need a few days apart is all." She explained as she pulled out a chair so she could sit.

"No, he needs to nut up, and you...you need to stop being such a petulant bitch and shutting everybody out! Beca yelled. "You get in one fight and suddenly he's all assholes and elbows to Georgia while you drink yourself into a stupor. That's just fan-fucking-tastic Chloe!"

Chloe was wide eyed as she stared at Beca. This was a side of her she hadn't experienced before.

Beca was feeling overwhelmed as she tried to process all of the information hitting her at once. Something was clearly wrong with Chloe. The Chloe Beca knew and loved would never have been so blase about her husband taking some time away from her. Beca honestly didn't even recognize the person standing in front of her. She was cold and callous. The only thing she seemed to care about was her wine.

Beca glanced at the bottle. "Chloe, I'm just going to come right out and ask , do you having a drinking problem?" Beca questioned. She was trying to find some kind of balance through all this. Beca was so furious with Chloe, but she knew now as she stood in front of her, that there was clearly something big Chloe was fighting. The littlest bit of sympathy slipped into Beca, though her blood was still boiling.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "No, I don't have a drinking problem Beca." She said as she poured yet another glass of wine.

"Well then put the Goddamn bottle down and have a conversation with me without taking a drink every two seconds!" Beca hissed as she got in Chloe's face and pulled the bottle from her. "I've got a four year old at home who cried herself to sleep tonight and damnit I'm demanding a fucking answer!"

Chloe refused to look at Beca as she got back up again and leaned against the deck as the tears started falling again.

"It hurts okay?" She finally answered, giving some semblance of an answer. Beca didn't try to push, she just listened. This was the first time since she got there that Chloe showed any sign of emotion.

"Month after month after month of getting your period. The doctor acting all cheery and telling you to "Just stop stressing so much and keep trying!" And you do. You try every fucking month for over a year, and nothing happens." Chloe continued. Finally, she slowly turned around to face Beca, tears streaming down her face.

"Let me ask you something Beca, I want to have a conversation woman to woman, so don't bullshit me."

Beca's brow furrowed in confusion slightly, she was still trying to process everything. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

Chloe stared at her straight on. "When was the last time you and Jesse made love? Not sex, not a quickie. When was the last time you laid in bed with Jesse and made love to him?"

Beca paused, thinking about it momentarily. Jesse had tried to initiate a session that morning, but she had just gotten her period. And Friday night, she had been so exhausted from such a long week, that she fell asleep by 9 o'clock. She thought back to Thursday night.

It had been a long week at work. Beca had spent a good chunk of it in the recording studio with Zoey as they perfected her debut album. That night, she didn't get home til seven. Jesse had dinner waiting for her. After she ate, and was able to relax for longer than five minutes, he drew her a bath and told her to enjoy the evening, that he would put Alex to bed.

After the bath, where she soaked until her hands and feet started to prune, Beca toweled off, and was about to put some pajamas on when Jesse instructed her to get into bed. Laying on her stomach, Jesse grabbed a bottle of body oil, and massaged her entire body. His hands worked the muscles in her shoulders and her back. He massaged her ass, her legs, and after she turned over, her breasts and stomach. Turning the lights out and pulling the sheets over them, Jesse spent over an hour worshiping her body. His lips kissed every inch of her, his hands touched her in all the right places. He brought her to orgasm three times that night. It was an incredible time together, and she remembered thinking as he thrust in and out of her how in love with him she was, and how good it felt to be with him.

"Thursday night." Beca answered, not giving any further details.

"Was it good?" Chloe asked, her voice cutting through the night like a knife.

Beca was completely unprepared for the question. "Jesus, Chloe! Seriously?! What the hell does this have to do with the topic at hand?" She yelled.

Beca was a private person, especially when it came to matters regarding her sex life. It wasn't that she was prude, far from it, but what Jesse and Beca did in private was exactly that, private. Truth be told, Jesse was incredible. Not that Beca had anything else to compare their sex life to, she had lost her virginity to him, but at the end of the day, Jesse made sure her needs were met. She had a high sex drive, and she never felt unsatisfied. Beca felt it was one of the many reasons their marriage was so strong, they had a vibrant sex life. Having sex wasn't a chore for her. It wasn't something she felt obliged to do just to keep her husband happy, it was something she enjoyed and looked forward to. While Beca was a full time mother, and a full time record producer, she never let herself forget that she was also a full time wife. Beca always made time for Jesse.

"Answer the question Beca." Chloe insisted.

Beca shook her head. "Yeah, it was good. It was good because it was with Jesse. Because here's the thing, sex isn't just about me getting off. Yeah, it's incredible, and Jesse knows what he's doing, but I have sex with him because I'm in love with him, and I want to be close to him. He's not just some guy I fuck because I've got nothing better to do with my time. There's been a handful of times where for whatever reason, I never finished. But it didn't even matter. Because just being with him, being wrapped up in his arms, holding him, kissing him, that's enough for me. Sex is more than having multiple orgasms Chloe. I want to have sex with Jesse to remind him how deeply in love with him I am."

Chloe blew out a breath as she looked up at the sky, trying so desperately to fight an impossible battle against the tears that were falling. "Do you have any idea what infertility does to your sex life?"

"How would I know that Chloe?"

"Fair point...please, allow me to let you in." Chloe took a sip of wine before she began to pace the length of the patio.

"You decide you want a baby, because you're so madly in love with your husband, that you want a family with him. And at first, it's fun, and it's exciting, and in the back of your mind, every time you're together, you can't help but think this might be the time that works. This might be the night we conceive our child. But it doesn't happen. Months and months go by, and it never happens. And at first, you're not concerned. They tell you that there's no need for concern until you've been trying for over a year. But as month after month goes by, with nothing, you start to get concerned. Suddenly, one day you realize, the sex isn't as great as it used to be. Suddenly, sex becomes a chore. 'Cause that's what it is between Luke and I, I don't get to make love to my husband, I have sex with him. Suddenly you realize that the sole purpose of sex is to make a baby. There's so much pressure. You can't get turned on, you can't get the butterflies in your stomach, because you can't get out of your head for even a minute. You're just laying there, praying to God that something about this time is different."

Chloe was openly sobbing as she sat down on the chair, trying to explain all of it to Beca, the pain, the loneliness, and the intense feeling of failure.

"You go to the doctor, you have an app on your phone that tells you the days you're ovulating, you take the pills, you take the shots, and you lose all spontaneity. Everything becomes so calculated and planned. And you're taking your basal body temperature and you're noticing even the slightest changes in your cervical mucus. You become in touch with your body in a way that you never thought was possible and you notice every single slight change. "

Beca sat, listening, as she watched Chloe fall apart and unload. If Beca had to guess, she suspected it was the first time Chloe had ever unloaded.

"In the meantime, you still aren't getting pregnant, and you're forced to watch as slowly, one by one, your friends get the news that they're pregnant. And you feel like the biggest fucking bitch on the planet, because you just can't seem to be happy for them. You know it's not their fault that you aren't getting pregnant, and you know you should be happy, but you just can't. Because all you can think about is how it's not happening to you. Beca, I can't remember the last time Luke and I made love. I don't even know what to call what happens between us. There's no passion. There's no ripping clothes off of each other because were so desperate to be together. We don't light candles and throw on some Maxwell to get ready for an intense session. Infertility has completely wrecked our marriage. We haven't even touched each other in a month. And even when we were touching, it wasn't anything spectacular. It was simply to try for a baby. In and out. No foreplay, no connection, hell the last time I didn't even bother to take my top off. He thrust three times, got off and that was it. We haven't even slept in the same bed in months. It's like having sex with a stranger. Beca, I've seen the way Jesse looks at you. In his eyes, the sun rises and sets on your ass. He is head over heels in love with you, and nothing you do could ever change that. Luke hasn't looked at me that way in over a year. I have failed as both a woman and a wife, part of me wouldn't even blame him for going out and having an affair. Maybe he already has, I don't know what to think anymore."

Chloe sat on the chair, tears streaming down her face, overcome with even more sadness as she tried to explain the pain of it all. She looked up to find Beca in tears.

Beca was horrified. She watched for months as Chloe closed in on herself, and shut everybody out, but she didn't know things were this bad. For someone who hadn't talked for months, Chloe now had a case of verbal vomit. Suddenly, the words and emotions were pouring out.

Beca was terrified to even ask the question, but took a breath and did it anyway. "Have you looked into-"

Chloe cut her off, knowing exactly what she was about to ask. "$30,000 when all is said and done for one round of IVF. Insurance-"

Beca didn't even stop to think. "-Chloe, if money is what's stopping you..."

As angry as Beca was, more often than not, she thought with her heart before her brain. Sure, she was downright pissed with Chloe at the moment. But in her heart, she still loved her, she was still willing to help Chloe if she needed it and if $30,000 would solve the problem at hand, Beca would write her a damn check. All she had to do was ask.

Chloe scoffed. "I don't want money from you Beca! Luke and I are fully capable of handling it on our own."

Beca's eyes were wide as she jumped up from her chair. "Clearly you aren't! Have you taken a look at yourself or your house?!"

"We have the money saved, we just have differing opinions on when we should have the procedure. Because this is it Beca! We have one shot to get this right. Luke and I both have good careers, and we both make good money, but $30,000 is a lot of money, we don't have a hundred grand just lying around. If this procedure doesn't take, we aren't having children. And at this point, maybe that's for the best. This whole situation has torn us apart. Not that you would understand..."

Beca was furious. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" She asked standing up and sending the chair sliding out from underneath her.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well we can't all have perfect marriages now can we."

There was a tremendous amount of venom in Chloe's voice that Beca had never heard before. And she resented the comment.

"My marriage is not perfect by any measure. It's damn good, but it's far from perfect. And for your information, Jesse and I work hard at it every day. We have fights Chloe! If you think we don't then you're living in some fantasy land! Sure, maybe they're not explosive, and no, the idea of willingly separating even just for a few days has never come up, but we've had arguments before, and it sucks. I certainly don't enjoy fighting with him. But Jesse and I communicate. I let him know the second he's pissing me off, and likewise, he let's me know when I'm being a bitchy pain in the ass. We discuss things right away, we don't let them simmer, and we don't go to bed angry. I don't believe in divorce for any reason other than abuse or infidelity. So when there's a problem in our relationship, we find a way to work it out."

Chloe didn't respond. Staring off, she pursed her lips together, not saying a word.

"I am not going to be made to feel sorry for having a good marriage just because yours is going through a rough patch." Beca said forcefully. You're both so wrapped up in yourselves that you can't see the forest for the trees."

Chloe walked over to pour herself another glass of wine when she lost her footing. Her legs flew out from under her, and she fell, landing straight on her back.

Beca gasped, and went to go help her up, when Chloe pushed her arm away. "I don't need your help. I don't need anything from you, so why don't you just leave already?"

Beca closed her eyes and shook her head. This was not at all how she pictured the evening going. Chloe had been a downright bitch. Beca felt for her, of course, but Chloe wasn't making it easy. She had expected Chloe would have felt at least a little guilty for missing her God daughter's first dance recital, but as it was, she didn't seem to care much at all. She hadn't even asked about Alex...not once. Beca wasn't about to fight an uphill battle, not in the middle of the night anyway. If Chloe wanted her gone, she would go.

"Fine!" Beca put her hands up and walked away, admitting defeat, something she rarely if ever did.

As she made her way through the house, Beca paused and turned to go to the living room. On the mantle, sat the pictures. A picture of each of the Bella's ICCA wins, a picture of Chloe, Luke, Beca, and Jesse when they had first started dating, a picture of Chloe with her bridal party, and, at the very end, a picture of Chloe, Luke, and Alex, from Alex's third birthday. Chloe had a smile brighter than the sun in the picture, and Beca picked up the frame, holding it in her hands, wondering if she would ever get her best friend back again.


"You didn't have to yell at her like that."

Luke's southern accent came out of nowhere as Beca walked out onto the front porch and nearly jumped out of her skin from shock.

"Jesus! What the hell are you doing here?!" Beca cried out, clutching her chest.

Luke sat in the rocking chair, drinking a beer, and looked up at her. "I live here."

"I know that. Chloe said you were going to Georgia."

"I was. I changed my mind. Funny how assholes and elbows have the ability to run back home just like they can run to Mommy and Daddy."

With that one sentence, Beca realized that he had heard everything.

"Right...anyway, I had every right to yell at her. Just like I have every right to yell at you. To be honest, I don't know who I'm more pissed at, you, or her!" Beca yelled. She wasn't about to let Luke off that easy.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're just as responsible for this mess as she is! Fuck! I don't even know where to begin! How in the hell could you let her get this bad?! Why did you not call me in the beginning, when things first started going downhill?"

Luke clutched his beer bottle, clearly on the defensive. "She didn't want anyone to know what was going on!"

Beca leaned on the arms of the rocking chair and got right up into Luke's face. "Bullshit! You should have overridden that decision and you know it! Kind of like when I didn't think Jesse needed to know I was pregnant and Chloe called him anyway. In fact, just like that! I am her best friend, or I was at one point. I had every right to know that she was slipping into a horrific depression! Instead, you allowed her to close in on herself and willow away to nothing! She's unrecognizable! And you were going to leave her like this?! She's stumbling around in a drunken stupor, ready to drink herself to death, and you think leaving is the answer? When was the last time she ate Luke? When was the last time she had anything to drink other than wine? How could you claim to love her if you allowed her to spiral so out of control?"

As Beca turned on her heel, Luke stood up and stared at her. He knew he had fucked up. He knew that he was in so far over his head and that he should have gotten Chloe to a doctor when he first started seeing the symptoms of her depression. But he just couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to admit that Chloe was actually depressed. Despite all the symptoms staring him straight in the face, he ignored them all, hoping they would eventually go away. And so, he fed into it, he allowed her to slack off on the cleaning, he allowed her to drink an entire bottle of wine every night, he allowed her to slip and say nothing. He helped her hide the whole thing.

"She didn't want you to know." He whispered, his pain coming right back to the surface.

"I don't give a fuck what she wanted. I had a right to know, I had a fucking right! I am angrier at her than I have ever been, but so help me God Luke, if you don't get her to a doctor, I will. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me." She stated, standing mere inches from him, completely unintimidated by his 6'4 stature.

Beca turned to walk back to her car when she stopped and turned around to face him.

"I want an honest answer. Have you cheated on her?" Beca asked, not even sure she wanted to know the truth.

Luke looked her dead on. "No. Chloe and I may have a lot of issues to work through, but I am not that kind of man. I have been faithful to her through our entire marriage."

"Well she thinks you have, and I swear, if I find out its true, Chloe will be the least of your worries." Beca spat.

"I love my wife, Beca."

"Then start fucking acting like it."

Beca got into her car and put her hands on the steering wheel, just trying to comprehend everything that had happened over the past several hours.

Chloe couldn't get pregnant and she was not taking it well. As a result, her marriage was in shambles, she had fallen into a complete depression, and was well on her way to becoming an alcoholic. Beca couldn't figure out how she felt about the situation. She was angry at Chloe, she was heartbroken for her, and yet, she was so grateful for her own family. Though she felt slightly guilty, she was happy that she was going home and crawl into bed with her husband and their daughter. Beca was sure she had never appreciated Jesse more than she did in that moment.

It was nearing 2 o'clock in the morning, but still, she called him just as she promised she would.

"Hey babe" He picked up on the third ring, his voice groggy with sleep.

"Hey, um, I'm just calling you to let you know I'm on my way home now." Beca answered.

"Okay, please be careful. We're here waiting for you."

Beca smiled, feeling her heart swell with love and appreciation. He couldn't have known just how much those words meant to her.

"I will. I love you."

"I know...I love you more."


Jesse could hear the beeping of the alarm as Beca walked in the house. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to stay awake, and ended up falling asleep at some point after she called. He glanced over at the nightstand. It was 3:04am. The alarm was quickly disarmed and reset again. Jesse looked down to see Alex still curled up against his chest looking perfectly peaceful.

Beca made her way upstairs and shut the bedroom door behind her as quietly as she could. Jesse could tell she was exhausted both physically and emotionally, but at least she didn't appear to have cried recently. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Beca walked over to him and bent down to kiss him. Jesse wrapped his arm around her waist as he lightly kissed her once, twice, three times. Beca had to remind herself not to get too heated as she really wanted to be with him. After such an emotional evening, she really needed him.

"You okay?" He whispered hoarsely. Beca nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just gonna change real quick."

She walked over to the walk in closet and grabbed a pair of Jesse's boxers and one of his t-shirts. Picking up his t-shirt, Beca brought it to her face and breathed in heavily. The scent of him wrapped around her body helped to calm her immediately. The intensity of her love for her family scared her sometimes. Beca had never had to be dependent on anyone and learning to be dependent was quite the challenge. But marriage and pregnancy had changed all of that. She couldn't have gotten through it on her own, and needed to learn to lean on Jesse for both love and support. Beca swore to herself that she would never forget the look on Jesse's face as she brought Alex into this world. She would never forget the very moment her daughter was placed on her chest. The pain of it all had been so worth it. It may have been little, but Beca was so totally in love with her family.

Climbing into bed, she settled in on the other side of Alex, sandwiching the small child in between them. Jesse reached out his arm wrapping it around Alex, and Beca. So physically and emotionally exhausted, Beca fell asleep almost instantly, so happy to be with her husband and her daughter.

"Jesse." Beca whispered. He turned his head to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I hope you know that." She stated, wishing there were more words she could use to express how she felt about him.

"I love you too, Beca. Always."