A/N Here's Chapter Two for you. Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites. It truly means the world to me.

Currently looking for a beta for this story if anyone can spare a little time in reading it through for me. I try to catch my own mistakes but I'm (mostly) human so...! Truth - I do have a little bit of Cyborg engineering in me!

And just so the Copyright Police don't come after me, I don't own Pitch Perfect... or on occasion a decent grasp of the English language. I do however own two cute puppies and a very grumpy cat, who actually sat on the keyboard and deleted half this story a while back.

Anyway... enjoy :)

.oOo. Chapter Two .oOo.

Chloe Mitchem-Beale laid back against the stiff, white, cotton covered pillow and let out a deep sigh. She pulled the scratchy blanket up over her legs and let it drop around her waist, unable to cope with the itchy fabric near her chest. She was used to Egyptian cotton sheets, feather pillows and a king size bed as opposed to the uncomfortable metal frame and thin, plastic covered mattress.

Feeling the warmth from that simple action already envelope her, she longed for the air conditioned comfort of her pretty master suite rather than the little noisy, rotary fan that was in the far corner of the stark hospital room, doing little more than push the warm air around with a rhythmic rattle.

She quite liked the sound though and over the last couple of hours, Chloe had found herself humming along with the sound as she tapped out a beat with her fingers on the bedding. It was her only method of distraction as she waited for news. It was past three in the morning, but she couldn't sleep.

Chloe ached all over, pain radiating up and down her right side and across her stomach. Her head hurt, her hands hurt and her heart hurt. She was exhausted but fighting against the pills they gave her. She had too much to think about.

She was very ready to go home.

She wasn't allowed visitors. She wasn't supposed to be moving around at all but while it was quiet and the nurses were all away from their station, she figured no one would know. She was hooked up to an IV bag, and there was a heart monitor giving out a low beep every few seconds.

Chloe reached for her phone that was perched somewhat precariously on the small unit next to her bed. Aside from the small pile of clothes on the chair next to her bed, she had nothing else with her.

She dialled her husband's number and fidgeted with the ring on her finger as she waited for him to pick up the phone, forgetting for the briefest of moments what had happened the day before.

She dropped the phone onto her lap, gulping down the thick knot in her throat as the scene played out in her mind.

.oOo.

The Previous Day

"You okay babe?" David asked, reaching for her hand as they drove down the I285. They were on their way to David's parents' annual Fourth of July barbecue and games day at Berkeley Lake.

Chloe and David hadn't missed a single family gathering in their eight years of being together and it was a great excuse for David to return home to his close-knit family. Despite the epically long drive from their house in Los Angeles, they'd enjoyed the trip, stopping off to visit many different places in the past three weeks. They'd even found the time to swing by their old college, Barden University.

David was one of five brothers and came neatly in the middle. They were close, looked out for each other and kept one another grounded. Tom, the eldest ran a local gas station, Pete worked in a hardware store and built custom furniture in his spare time, Jake was a bartender and part time musician and Steve, the youngest was an electrician. David was the only one who went to college, a fact he was teased about mercilessly by his brothers. He gained his degree and became a High School teacher, just as he said he would do from the age of eleven.

He met Chloe on his first day of college and was instantly in love. He noticed her bright smile first, perfect teeth second and then found himself unable to look away when he gazed into her eyes for the first time. They were a flawless shade of blue.

She sat two seats down from him and it wasn't long before he got her attention and asked for her number. The feelings were not reciprocated but she turned down his request with such grace and kindness that David struggled to accept her answer. Chloe was at college to learn and she didn't want the distraction from a boyfriend (or girlfriend for that matter as she believed in the freedom to fall in love with whoever you wanted to fall in love with).

She relented that first Thanksgiving when her travel plans fell through at the last minute and it was too late, and expensive, to rearrange a trip back home. She was walking through the college campus with a grocery bag of food for the weekend when David, packing his car to make the short journey to his parents, stopped and asked her why she wasn't heading home.

Chloe, unable to be rude even on her worst day, simply answered that she lived all the way across the country and her flight had gotten cancelled and the only available flight was for two days' time so she was going to stay in school, eat junk food and catch up on some work.

David immediately insisted that she come to his family home for a couple of nights to celebrate Thanksgiving. It took some persuading, Chloe not wanting to be a burden on his family. He was always proud of the fact that it only took half an hour of his insistence before she gave in.

He was a perfect gentleman the entire holiday, calling his mom and explaining about his friend's situation before she had returned with an overnight bag. When they arrived at his family home in Chattanooga, two hours from college, a bed had already been made up in the den. David's parents, Trent and Helen, adored Chloe from the moment they met, and Chloe found herself swept up in the family before she knew what was happening. Helen graciously accepted Chloe's bag of weird snacks and junk food with grace and ignored Chloe's embarrassed words about how she should have brought more with her. The family was loud and boisterous but most of all loving.

They became a couple not long after. David worshipped the ground she walked on and while Chloe loved him, she knew it wasn't the same feelings as David had for her, but she went along for the journey, caring deeply for him. He made her laugh, he made her think and some of their late night discussions over a glass of wine were classed as epic. He challenged her every time she got down on herself, stressed with school life or life in general. He made her see that life was for living and the glass really was half full.

He didn't notice the moment of hesitation from her when he asked her to marry him at graduation. She said yes moments after he'd slipped the ring on her finger and ignored the pang of doubt, deep in her gut.

They moved in together after college, in a predictable step that saw them rent the smallest one-bedroom apartment anyone had ever seen. With a little work, it became their safe haven and they loved trawling through second-hand places and junkyards and upcycling furniture in an effort to furnish their home.

They spent weekends with friends, visiting family and helping out in their community. David soon found a full-time position in the local high school, teaching English and Drama. He set up a Saturday drama club which Chloe helped him when she could. They were well liked and respected.

Chloe's career had taken off before they realised it had even started. She was scrolling through the job pages when she saw an audition for a local theatre company, decided to try-out and found herself being called back for the lead part, despite having no previous experience. It was only a matter of weeks before she had an Agent and soon, she found herself being requested for television commercials which lead to work on daytime soaps.

Within a year, she was auditioning in Hollywood which saw them move to Los Angeles and rent a small three-bedroom home with a pool. David easily found work in a high school and was happy, seemingly enjoying the tougher city kids and making whatever difference he could in their lives.

Chloe quickly became a fan favourite and her kind, likeable personality shone through on chat shows where the hosts found her undemanding, honest, charming and funny. She was nice to her fans, especially the kids and gave up some of her free time to attend charity events. David usually accompanied her, proud of his fiancée.

They got married with their families and friends in attendance. David's family, much larger than Chloe's, had outnumbered them almost six to one but by the end of the celebrations, it was hard to tell where the Mitchem's ended and the Beale's began.

Chloe's childhood had been happy, but the Beale's were quiet people. She didn't give her parents, Rosie and Sam, any worry, kept their house rules in the back of her mind and did well in school. She wasn't the perfect child, got detention a few times at school but on the whole, was easy going. She had no siblings, something she always regretted but she knew the hard time her parents had had having her so understood their reluctance to have any more. She had come to them later in life, but they were energetic, busy people so appeared much younger than their years. It was only in the last couple of years as they were approaching their seventies, that they had begun to slow down.

She had plenty of friends growing up and was well liked. She was invited to parties and sleepovers and had a best friend called Aubrey who she was still incredibly close with. Although they'd gone to separate colleges, they'd kept in touch and found their friendship deepened. Chloe was good for Aubrey, calming her anxiety and keeping her grounded. They visited when they could as their colleges were not unreasonably far apart. Each girl had made new friends at school and managed to somehow merge the two groups of friends together. Chloe loved nothing more than the weekends at the lake with her gang.

"You okay?" David repeated his question, looking over at his wife as he pulled off the road, taking the shortcut through the industrial estate towards his parents' house.

"I'm still mad at myself for forgetting the strawberries." Chloe said, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"Chloe! It doesn't matter."

"It does matter! Your mom asked me to bring one thing. Just one. And it has taken eight years together and three years of marriage to you to get her to let me help! She asked, and I forgot."

"I called ahead when I was getting gas to let her know. She said it wasn't a problem and sent Dad out to get some."

"Great." Chloe said, covering her face with her hands and rubbing her eyes with her fingers. "Now my muddled brain is-"

"-Chloe! It's okay. You know how laid back they are with things."

Chloe grumbled something unintelligible as they turned down the road where the lake house was. While David's family weren't particularly well off, they'd been gifted a small lake house from an uncle on Helen's side that no one knew about until his will was read. Helen's eldest brother, James, was given the keys to a ski lodge just outside Lake Tahoe and her other brother, Keith, received the beach house in Florida. They shared the houses between them and would often congregate for the holidays or big birthdays.

"Chloe, please…" David began. "… I could have stopped for some more on the way if you'd told me how much this would upset you."

"I know." Chloe said quietly. "But it wouldn't have been the same."

"Why not?"

"Because I picked them myself, straight from that organic farm off Jupiter and Marlow. Shop bought says that I forgot or couldn't be bothered to do something nice."

David tried not to laugh as he pulled onto his parent's driveway, immediately noting his brother's and their family's cars parked slightly haphazardly across the driveway and front lawn. There were twenty houses on their side of the lake, some second homes, some lived in full time. People were friendly enough, waving to each other on the lake, commenting on how good the fish were that year or warning each other of any problems. Other than that, people kept to their piece of the shoreline and were respectful of noise after ten o'clock.

"Trust me, with the news we've got to share, they won't be caring about the strawberries. Come on darling, let's go inside." David said kindly.

Chloe nodded and unclipped her seatbelt, rubbing her hand over her stomach as she did so. It had taken them a little while longer than expected for her to get pregnant and while a handful of people knew, they'd taken great strides to keep it a secret from the media before they'd told his family. Prior planned trips had to be cancelled due to some of her work commitments and then Chloe's grandfather had passed away, prompting a trip back to her family.

Her parents were thrilled with the news, needing it in such a sad time and before the weekend was out had taken them both shopping for the baby items they'd not gotten around to buying. Chloe protested but after seeing the joy it was bringing to her parents, she quickly relented and kept quiet.

David popped open her door and held his hand out for her as she slid off the seat, landing on the ground with a bit of a jolt. She shook out her hair, running her fingers through her curls and straightened her pretty, red summer dress, brushing off imaginary crumbs as David closed the door of their shared car.

"You go in first." She said as he walked around to the back of the car to retrieve their overnight bag. She pulled a thin scarf out of her purse and tidied it around her head, knotting a small bow on the top. She could feel the heat of the day already and needed the hair off of her neck.

"Um, okay."

"That way your Mom won't fall down the front step when she sees this." Chloe smiled, gesturing to her swollen belly. David smiled and kisses Chloe's cheek as he picked up their luggage.

"Okay, beautiful."

They walked hand in hand towards the front door of the lake house, already hearing the commotion inside of the house. It had taken Chloe quite a few visits to get used to the noise and had often sort out a place of solitude when she visited. More often than not, she found Helen doing the same thing although Helen claimed she was clearing out a cupboard when she was found sitting in it with a hot cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

It had become their thing, sneaking off for some quiet time. There were a lot of boys in the house and wider family. Helen had two brothers and Trent had a brother, Frank, who lived in Canada. There were no girl cousins or offspring and even now, it was only Tom that was also married, bringing Jennifer into the family.

Jen was quite the tomboy and their two boys were born in quick succession ten months and twenty-two months after their woodland wedding. The boys, Nate and Wade, now three and two were good boys on the whole and adored by the whole family but were quite the handful.

Jen was often the one making the most noise during the football and would be the first to offer to help mend the broken fence down by the dock, confidently replacing the damaged wood while Tom hopped from foot to foot, unsure what to do to help.

She and Chloe got on famously, despite having nothing in common and Chloe loved the fact that none of them ever treated her differently, despite her growing celebrity status. She liked the anonymity they afforded her and loved sitting out on the back porch with Helen while the chaos inside ensued. It gave them the time to talk, to catch up on the latest Hollywood gossip and for them to watch the other families on the lake enjoy the afternoon weather.

As they approached the front door, Chloe felt a sliver of nervous excitement run through her. She took a step back behind David as she heard footsteps coming to open the front door. It always stuck a little, needing a good tug to open and the elongated squeak could be heard throughout the house.

Chloe saw Helen's face light up with sheer joy as she saw them on the doorstep and pulled David in for a short, quick hug before she reached out for her daughter in law.

David stepped into the house for fear of being pushed back down the steps as the two women embraced. Chloe leaned into Helen's touch, relishing in the warmth it always brought to her. She was only half shocked when Helen jumped back suddenly and watched, with a small smile on her face, as Helen cast her eyes down Chloe's body.

The shriek echoed around the whole lake.

"Chloe! David!" Helen delightfully squealed as she took in Chloe's baby bump. There was no hiding the pregnancy on Chloe's slim frame. "Trent! Come here now!"

David pulled his mom back into the house, her feet stumbling over the door frame a little as she walked backwards until she hit the small bench in the hallway, sitting down with a heavy thump.

"When did you… why didn't you… how… I mean, did you-" She spluttered out, her tone rising higher and higher.

"-What is it Helen?" Trent said, interrupting his wife's high-pitched questioning. He smiled broadly at David, clapping him on the back as he leaned down to give Chloe a hug.

"Don't you see?" Helen said, her eyes wide.

"Yes dear. David and Chloe have arrived. We've put you both in the garden room this year. Need a hand with the bags?"

"Are you blind?" Helen cried.

"Um, no. I can see quite well." Trent said, confused.

"Look at Chloe!" Helen hissed.

"I am looking at her."

"Don't you notice anything different?" Helen asked incredulously.

"Um…" Trent said, his eyes widening. He looked over at Chloe before looking back at his wife. She pointed back at Chloe. "Um, have you changed your hair?"

Chloe smiled and shook her head no.

"Trent Christopher Mitchem. I honestly, despair of you sometimes."

"Well, I don't know about these things. You girls change your hair all the time and-"

"-Dad! You might want to look again." David said, laughing at his father's puzzled face.

"-Chloe!" Jen said, coming into the hallway from the direction of the kitchen and interrupting the conversation. She was wiping her hands on a towel. "I thought I heard David's voice! It's so good to… whoa!"

"Hi Jen." Chloe said, holding out her arms for a hug. She was loving the look on Jen's face at that moment. She was a naturally beautiful girl with collar length, golden hair, the softest brown eyes and her smile at that exact moment was one of true happiness.

"Oh my God, why didn't you tell us?" Jen cooed as she rushed forward to embrace her sister in law.

"We wanted it to be a surprise!" Chloe laughed into Jen's shoulder as they hugged.

"When are you due? God, you are huge!" Jen said, stepping back to look Chloe up and down.

"Due?" Trent said, snapping his head around to look at Chloe again. "Wait…"

"Funny story." David said, walking to Chloe's side. He collected her hand in his and pulled it to his lips.

"Says you, who isn't carrying this around full time!" Chloe mused as she rested her hand on her belly. "You try being eight months pregnant in this heat!"

"Eight months!" Helen's eyes popped open wide as she spoke. Her hands fluttered to her face before she reached out towards Chloe. "Eight months!"

"Well, thirty-six weeks yesterday to be precise." Chloe said. She took a step forward towards Helen, sensing her mother in law's need to touch the low, well rounded bump. She held out her hand to take Helen's and pressed it on the side of her stomach.

"I'm going to be a grandad again?" Trent asked softly, making Chloe turn her head to look at him. Her heart melted when she saw his pink cheeks and watery eyes.

"Mmm hmm." She said in response before casting an eye over at David, who nodded back at her. "You'll be grandparents twice over."

"How do you mean?" Helen asked, drawing her eyes away from Chloe tummy for a fraction of a second.

Jen laughed hard for a few moments before looking between David and Chloe and grinning.

"Twins?" She asked, her smile almost splitting her face in two.

"Twins!" Chloe laughed as Helen began to cry.

"I'm going to be a grandad to twins."

"And…" David started, looking back to Chloe for confirmation of his next piece of news. She smiled her answer back at him. "… we're going to be adding to the girl numbers in this family at long last."

"We're having pink babies!" Chloe laughed, watching Helen's face fall in shock.

"Girl babies?" Helen asked. "Girl babies?"

"Yup. Identical, apparently!" David replied.

"Congratulations!" Jen yelled as she high fived David.

"I'm so happy." Helen sobbed into Chloe's summer dress.

"I'm going to be a grandad to… girls." Trent repeated.

"Come in, come in, let's sit on the porch and hear all the details." Jen proffered. "It's got a nice breeze out there and I'm sure Chloe would like to get off of her feet!"

The next hour was filled with the happy news amongst the family as they are rushed to congratulate Chloe and David. The enveloping of love was wonderful but soon the men drifted off into their own groups as they set up the grill and replenished the ice chests.

"How on earth did you keep this off the media?" Tom asked David, as he handed him a congratulatory beer.

"Chloe's manager never informed the press. She's been working on a closed set since February." David explained. "We don't really eat out much anyway and with the house move in June, it kept us pretty busy. She'll tell you she's not big news yet in Hollywood, but she doesn't watch the news or take part in social media and doesn't see that she's been labelled as the next big star. Actually, it's kinda nice. It makes what we have seem so much more real."

"I bet. She's so grounded. You wouldn't think she's pipped to be the next big thing."

"And to think she just wanted to be a history teacher!" David mused.

"Much left to do on the house? Jen showed me the pictures; looks a really good, solid home for your family, brother."

"No." David said, shaking his head. "It was all done before we moved in. The master suite had been recently remodelled anyway, so that just needed redecorating. The other four bedrooms were mudded and painted, new carpets and drapes. Bathrooms were all replaced and decorated. Downstairs needed some care, but we agreed we'd rip out the walls between the kitchen and dining area to make one large sunny room. It overlooks the back yard and pool. The study is at the back too, behind the garage and the den is spacious with a big television. There's a room that we are hoping to use as a playroom for the twins. There's a pool room which we'll convert to a guest room… or if I have my way, a games room! I honestly love the house."

"It's good to see you happy D."

"I've never been this happy in my life. I've got a gorgeous wife, a good job, great home and two babies on the way. Chloe's going to take some time off from filming, at least the first year to stay home with the girls."

"That's awesome. Jen did the same thing if you remember."

"I do. Seemed to work well for you guys. Money will be tight until the royalties start coming in, but we've got a little saved up. I'll have a couple of weeks with them before school starts back up and if I need to take some private tutoring on, I'll do that. Oh, and…" David paused as he took a swig of his beer. "… I got promoted to department head so that's a real positive too. I've got a great colleague, Holly, as my assistant so yeah, life feels good."

"That's wonderful D, really wonderful. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks bud. That means a lot." David grinned. He looked over at Chloe and watched her interact with his mom, answering all of her questions about the babies, work and their new home. In that moment, he was truly content.

Chloe caught his gaze, sensing he was looking at her and she smiled back at him. She was glad he was happy.

"Have you thought of names?" Helen asked, reaching for the jug of ice water and refilling Chloe's glass.

"Thank you." Chloe replied, thanking Helen for the top up. "We have a list, but we'll probably will wait until the girls arrive before making a decision."

"Any clues?" Jen asked.

"David likes traditional names. I guess I like something different or interesting, a little bit 'out there' but not hard enough to spell."

"So, I might get a niece called Sarah and a niece called Treebark-Moonbeam?" Jen laughed and Chloe joined in, holding her sides as she chuckled along.

"Well, that name is on the list."

"Sarah?" Helen asked.

"No, Treebark." Chloe deadpanned. "David's vote is for Katharine, Alexandra or Elizabeth. He wants to name at least one. So, I'll guess we'll see, when the time comes."

"Well, whatever their names are, I can't wait to meet them. What's your birth plan?" Jen asked.

"Cedars-Sinai at the moment. And hopefully, a water birth if they'll let me and both babies behave themselves." Chloe said. "They've got a private wing which I've made a reservation for. They can ensure confidentiality, away from the paparazzi and while I'm not that big of a deal-"

"-Don't say that!" Helen interrupted.

"Luckily, I'm not though, which means I'll hopefully be able to have the girls in relative peace and quiet."

"I saw you on the cover of a few magazines these past couple of months." Jen stated. "And your interview on Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America."

Chloe flushed a little before smiling shyly.

"I think you are a bigger presence than you know, Chloe."

"Yeah, well, I'm still just me." Chloe mumbled, looking down at her hands and fiddling with her rings, signalling the end of the conversation.

"Best we help these menfolk finish up our lunch." Jen said, slapping her hands on her knees. "Or our Fourth of July will be known as the Fifth of July."

Jen stood up and turned towards the grill, lightly punching David and Tom's arms as she walked past. Tom and their brother Pete got up to follow her as David walked over to Chloe and bent down to place a kiss on the top of her head.

"I was just talking with Pete about his new workshop over towards Flintstone. Do you fancy a ride over there to have a look after lunch? Be a twenty-minute ride."

"I'm on clean up duty with Mom and Jen." Chloe replied.

"Oh hun, I think you can be excused this year! That package you are carrying is more important than having a hand with the dishwasher. I'll rope Trent in to help." Helen smiled happily. "Oh, I'm so excited to be a grandma again."

"If you are sure?" Chloe asked, gratefully. Helen nodded enthusiastically. Chloe turned back to David. "Then I'd love to see Pete's new place."

The next couple of hours was spent around the picnic tables, sharing burgers, hot dogs and steaks. Chloe was digging her way through an enormous bowl of salad when it was suggested they all go down to the edge of the lake to cool off. David held Chloe's hand as they picked their way over the gentle sloping grass towards the water and helped her sit on the edge of the deck after she'd toed her shoes off.

Chloe tilted her head up towards the sun as Wade and Nate came up to sit beside her. They weren't allowed in the water just yet and she was more than happy to sit there for a few minutes with her arms around her nephews, hearing their stories of how many Hot Wheels they had and what each one was special for. It was just after five when they walked back up to the house and David helped Chloe back into her shoes.

Walking from the house, they decided to take David and Chloe's car, a six month old Ford Expedition and Pete reassured them that he could navigate from the backseat to let Chloe remain in the front with the cars air conditioning blasting right at her.

"Whoever thought being pregnant in ninety five degree heat would be fun, needs my foot up their fucking ass!" Chloe moaned as she waited for the air con to kick in.

"And okay!" David laughed, turning up the air con even higher. "My wife, ladies and gentlemen."

They approached Flintstone at around half past five.

"Take the second left, past the tyre place." Pete instructed, pointing with his finger into the front of the car. "Then you'll see a McDonalds on the corner. Turn right and then my new place is just about a hundred yards on the right, on Peachtree Boulevard. Pull in off the road and I'll unlock the gates."

"Sure thing." David said, slowing down for the stop sign, noting the large McDonalds to his right.

"Chloe, with your permission, I'd like to make something for the girls when they arrive. Maybe a bureau or a chest of drawers they can keep. Would that be okay with you?"

"Oh Pete!" Chloe exclaimed, turning in her seat to look at her brother in law as David slowly pulled away from the stop sign. "I'd absolutely love that. That would-"

"-DAVID! LOOK OUT!"

.oOo.

A/N - Chapter Three will be up in a couple of days. Thanks for reading. And thanks to 50ShadesOfPitchPerfect for catching a spelling mistake, somewhere around the strawberries bit!