A/N: This chapter earns its mature rating!

Chloe dropped tiredly into her seat, shoving her purse under the seat in front of her and then buckling her seatbelt as the flight attendant smiled down at her.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"The largest glass of red wine you can find please," the redhead replied. "In fact, I wouldn't say no to drinking right from the bottle."

"One of those days, huh?" the woman chuckled as she wrote down the order.

"Something like that," Chloe grinned as the flight attendant moved on. She closed her eyes then and just let her body relax for a long moment.

It had indeed been a day. After waiting together for a couple of hours in the E.R., Beca's nose had finally been straightened out, but she was now sporting two black eyes to go with it. Chloe had settled her in, back at the apartment, and rewarded her for her bravery by kissing her until she'd forgotten about the pain, and ordering her copious amounts of Chinese food. Then, with epic reluctance, she'd had to leave for her flight to Portland.

The redhead grinned a little to herself at the turn of events. They hadn't really talked yet, but Beca's eyes had spoken volumes as Chloe was leaving and they'd hardly stopped holding hands since their first kiss. In fact, not having Beca close to her felt strange now.

The six-hour flight to Oregon was uneventful and the redhead's rental car was waiting for her, so she got straight onto the road. Her parents' house was about an hour from Portland International so, by the time she was keying in her gate code, it was almost one in the morning, and she was feeling exhausted. The gates swung open, and she drove slowly up the driveway, past the pristine landscaping and the fountain that was worth more than the car she was in.

One thing Chloe did not forget was the quiet. Even the grasshoppers chirped quietly in this affluent neighborhood, and she chuckled to herself as she got her bag out of the trunk of the car and slipped quietly into the house, using a rarely seen key she normally kept on a rack inside her front door at home.

There was a light on in the living room, so she made her way to it, smiling as she found her parents dozing on the couch under a warm blanket. She dropped her purse on an armchair and crouched in front of them. "Mom, Dad?" she said quietly.

They stirred, blinking sleepily at her. "Hi, Honey," Alfie said as he leaned into her for a cheek-kiss.

"You guys didn't have to wait up," the redhead smiled. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Sweetheart," Alice replied. "We just wanted to make sure you made it here safely. Are you ok?"

"Just tired," Chloe sighed. "Long day. I think I'm just going to crash. See you at breakfast?"

Her parents got up, nodding their agreement. "See you in the morning, Baby," Alfie said. "Sleep well."

The redhead hugged her parents, then grabbed her small suitcase out of the hallway and brought it upstairs. Her room was exactly as she remembered it and she smiled as a plethora of memories surfaced from her childhood. Chloe changed into a t-shirt and climbed into bed, then she realized Beca had texted her earlier and, knowing she'd be asleep, just texted her back to say she'd arrived safely. But the phone immediately rang, and she grinned when she saw her friend's picture on the screen.

"Hey," she said softly. "I thought you'd be asleep."

"Honestly," Beca replied with a chuckle. "My nose is all congested and it's making it difficult to lie down flat. I'm propped up on about nineteen pillows."

"Awww... poor baby," Chloe cooed. "And I'm not there to kiss it better."

"Yeah," the brunette tutted a little. "The timing of the wedding kinda sucks, Chlo."

"I miss you already. Is that weird?"

"No," Beca sighed. "Because I miss you too. It's gonna be weird being here this weekend without you. How was the flight? You made it to your parents' house, right?"

"Yeah," Chloe replied. "The flight was ok. So was the drive. I just got here about fifteen minutes ago, said hi and came straight to bed."

"So, you're in bed now?" Beca asked.

"Mmmm..." the redhead replied, smiling to herself. "Is it too soon to say I wish you were in it with me?"

"No," Beca sighed again. "I've been thinking about that too."

"Oh?" Chloe giggled softly. "And what have you been thinking, Miss Mitchell?"

"Let's just say there was a lot of naked skin... all of it yours."

"Mmmmm..." the redhead hummed softly. "And what was I doing in these... thoughts?"

"What I want you to be doing right now..." Beca said, feeling somewhat nervous about the direction the conversation was taking.

"Which is...?" There was quiet for a moment, but Chloe wanted to hear more. "It's ok. You can be honest, Becs."

"Pleasuring yourself," the brunette whispered. "And it was REALLY hot."

A surge of desire took over and Chloe felt a little out of control as her hand slipped under her t-shirt and drifted to her right breast to caress its nipple. It sent little ripples of pleasure through her, and she sighed softly, biting her bottom lip as her hand moved to the left. "And were you watching... or were you helping?"

"Watching," Beca said, and Chloe could hear the smile in her voice. "Until I couldn't just watch anymore."

"And what did you do?" The redhead was breathless, and she smiled as she heard Beca gasp. The brunette had obviously just put one and one together. "Tell me, Baby... please?"

"Chlo..." Beca swallowed. "Are... are you sure?"

"Mmmm... if you don't, I'm just going to take matters into my own... fingers."

"Oh God," the brunette whimpered. "Um... ok... damn, Chloe." Her voice turned husky. "But maybe you should tell me what YOU'RE doing right now first?"

"Oh, you mean with my hand?" the executive asked innocently.

"Mmmhmmm..."

"It's on my breasts and... my nipples are hard and sensitive against my fingertips... but really, Becs, they're aching for your beautiful mouth." Her hand drifted lower to trace fingertips over the ridges of her abs, circling her navel. Then Chloe realized Beca was right with her when a breathy whimper echoed down the line. "God, I want you," she murmured frankly as she slipped her hand into her panties. She ran her fingertips along her folds. "I'm already so wet just imagining what it'll feel like to be naked with you."

"Me too. Just thinking about you touching yourself is making me throb for you."

Chloe's fingertips were on her clit now and she nodded. "My fingers are your fingers, Beca, and my clit loves them."

"Ditto," Beca replied, taking a shuddering breath.

Chloe heard the bed creak and imagined Beca's hips lifting to meet her own hand, unable to stop a moan from slipping out. Her hand moved faster against her clit and then she eased two fingers inside herself, rubbing softly at her walls. "You're inside me," she moaned. "You feel so good."

"Fuck, Chloe," the brunette groaned. "I'm... soaked... and..." She was panting now. "Close."

The redhead's hips lifted as she thrusted her fingers harder, thumb swirling against her most intimate bundle of nerves. "Becs," she moaned. "Tell me..."

"My clit is soooo hard, Chloe. God, what you do to me. What you've always done to me... since the second morning at your apartment... when you came into the kitchen wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties. God, I wanted to bend you over the island and fuck you right there. " Beca's moans were louder now, and she was gasping for breath.

It pushed Chloe closer to the edge and she concentrated on her clit, rubbing it faster. "I'm... sooo close, Baby. I've wanted you too... so much. I want my mouth on you."

And Beca was lost. She tumbled into an orgasm so intense, it made her legs shake. "Ooohhh Chloe... Oh my God... Fuck fuck fuck fuck...!"

" Oh shit… yessssss, Baby...!" And the redhead was right there with her. Her body pulsed intensely, radiating pleasure all the way to her fingers and toes and she had to bite her knuckles to keep from screaming and waking her parents.

On the other end of the phone, she could hear ragged breathing but neither of them said anything for a long span of breaths.

"That was..." Beca began but couldn't immediately find a word to describe it.

"Intense and amazing," Chloe finished for her, giggling softly. "You ok, Baby?"

The brunette sniffled a little. "I came so hard it made my nose rebleed," she laughed, voice muffled behind what Chloe assumed was a tissue.

"Awwwww," the executive chuckled as she rolled onto her side and snuggled into her comforter. "That was unexpected... but very welcome. I feel so relaxed now."

"Me too," Beca agreed. "I'm finally feeling a little sleepy."

Chloe knew she should probably let her friend go, but she didn't want to, not just yet. "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"I had planned to have breakfast in my favorite bagel place I haven't been in in years. Then I'm going to go buy a new guitar and case," the brunette said. "After that, I might go busking."

"Busking, really?" Chloe asked, red eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"For fun," Beca added. "I don't need to for money now, but I still like performing in the park."

"Fair enough," the redhead replied. "Ok, I should probably get some sleep. I have early morning breakfast and wedding prep. plans."

"Ok, cool, Honey."

"And Becs?"

"Mmmm?"

"Tonight was epic."

"Yeah, it totally was." Chloe could hear the smile. "Night, Chlo."

"Night, Babe."

Xx

Alice Beale didn't tolerate lounging around in her house, had never tolerated it in fact, so Chloe showered and dressed in jeans and a yellow button down before she headed down to the kitchen.

"Amelia!" she grinned, dropping a kiss on the cook's cheek. "It's so good to see you."

"You too, Chloe. How's the Big Apple treating you?"

Amelia had worked for the Beales for years and she was like a second mother to the redhead. In fact, there had been occasions when she'd been there for Chloe when there was something she couldn't talk to her mom about. Like to provide advice on dealing with a teenage pregnancy.

"It's kicking my ass," the executive replied with a laugh. "But it's also bringing me a lot of joy."

The cook tilted her head, brown eyes focusing on light blue. "I know that look," she smirked. "Chloe Beale, are you seeing someone?"

Chloe hopped up to sit on the island and stole an apple out of the fruit bowl. "Mmmmaybe," she grinned, then took a big bite.

"Who's the lucky girl?"

"Yes, Chloe, who IS the lucky girl?" the Beale matriarch repeated as she entered the kitchen. Then she swatted at her daughter's thigh. "Get down from there."

"Sorry, Mom," Chloe said, wincing sheepishly as she did as she was asked. Then her smile returned. "Her name is Beca. I met her about a month ago and we've been dating..." She trailed off as she wondered to herself just when she and Beca actually started dating. She had a strong feeling that it wasn't just the night before and that they maybe just hadn't realized they were. She settled on vagueness. "A short while."

"And what does she do?" Alice asked, leading her daughter to the table to sit down. Amelia served them coffee and then went back to stir the eggs, keeping an ear open.

"She works for me actually," Chloe shrugged. "Not directly... but for my company. She's really smart and a great employee."

"Pretty?" Amelia asked.

"Gorgeous," the redhead replied, a dreamy look on her face. "Tiny though. She's shorter than I am. But hella feisty with it. She used to be a marine"

"Don't say hella," Alice admonished.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Mom, you do realize I'm thirty, right? You don't get to tell me what I can or can't say anymore."

The cook made a face, knowing that this wasn't going to end well. But, to her surprise, her employer just nodded.

"Seems that my daughter has become hella feisty herself."

The redhead blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"

"Chilling in my old age," Alice replied with a sniff, then sipped from her coffee. "So... the wedding is at two. We should be at the church by one-thirty to get a good seat."

"Mmmm..." Chloe replied as she watched her dad stroll across the grass outside with a bucket in his hand, followed by the family dog, Charlie. Then she focused back on her mother. "I have some paperwork I need to do but I'll be ready to leave at one." She smiled at Amelia as the cook set a plate of eggs down in front of her. "How's Tom?" she asked softly.

"He's doing well," the older woman replied. "Getting married this summer." Chloe nodded, looking down as she scooped up some eggs and popped them into her mouth. "He still asks about you now and again."

Chloe nodded again. "He's a good guy, that son of yours. His fiancée's a lucky woman." She allowed herself a brief moment to wonder what her life would have been like, had she and Tom not lost the baby.

Alice remained silent on the subject. Her daughter's pregnancy and the trauma around it was still a taboo subject. So, she decided to change it. "What color did you pick for your dress?"

Alice patted Chloe's shoulder and went back to the stove.

"Uh... blue..." the redhead replied. "Beca said it makes my eyes pop."

"Oh, your eyes pop in the darkest of rooms," Alfie said as he came into the room, wiping his hands on an old rag. "You're beautiful, Pumpkin."

"And you're biased," Chloe chuckled. "But thanks, Dad."

"And who's Beca, may I ask?"

"Her girlfriend," Alice said.

Girlfriend? Maybe. Lover? Not yet. "The woman I'm dating." The redhead corrected gently as she finished her eggs and wiped her mouth on her napkin. "She works at Beale now, but she used to work at Franklin. I'm trying to leverage her knowledge and experience to make improvements to our business model."

"You're doing an amazing job of running your company, Chloe," Alfie said after a long moment of quiet. "To be profitable in this day and age is a feat in and of itself."

Chloe blinked and then looked down. "Guess I made something of myself after all." She took a breath. "And I know that's as close to an apology as I'll get from you. So, I'll take it."

"Chloe!" Alice exclaimed.

"No," the man replied. "She's right. I said things I shouldn't have back then. She was just a kid, and I was too hard on her because I was angry."

Sudden tears welled in Chloe's eyes, and she got up, going to her dad to hug him. "I thought I was in love," she said. "I really did."

"I know, Pumpkin," Alfie replied, softly rubbing her back. "It's all behind us now. I'm so proud of you, Chloe."

"Such a waste," Alice muttered. "And now we most likely won't ever have grandchildren. Who will carry on the Beale line?"

Chloe slowly separated herself from her father, hurt etched across her face. "Yeah, because my losing my baby was such a terrible thing for YOU." She clamped her mouth shut before she could say anything she might regret later. "Excuse me. I have paperwork to do." She turned on her heel and strode away, trotting up the stair two at a time and then slamming her bedroom door behind her. Her phone was on the nightstand, and she picked it up, tears on her face, but a small smile broke through when she saw Beca had texted. She opened the conversation and her smile broadened as she scrolled through some photos her friend had sent her. A couple of them were selfies with captions that made her laugh and she hit dial, needing to hear Beca's voice.

"Chloe! Hey!" the brunette exclaimed as she answered the phone. "Today is awesome! I bought a whole six pack of Miss Vickie's salt and vinegar chips!"

"That's great, Becs," the redhead replied, but she couldn't help but sniffle a little.

Beca immediately sobered. "Chloe, what's wrong?"

"Ooohhh..." the redhead shook her head. "Just my mother being my mother," she replied. "I've never been enough for that woman, and I probably never will."

"Well, that's just bullshit, Chlo." Chloe heard a chip bag rattling in the background. "Because you're everything to me."

And those simple words were exactly what Chloe needed to hear. A beaming smile broke out on her face, and she lay back on the bed, cradling her phone against her ear like it was a precious artifact. "You just made my year," she said quietly.

"What did your mom say anyway?"

Chloe giggled softly as crunching sounds came down the line. "You really love those chips, huh. Um... she just made a snarky comment about how she'll never have grandkids."

There was quiet for a moment. "Don't you want kids, Chlo?" Beca asked tentatively.

"No, I do," the redhead replied. "Just not yet."

That hung in the air between them for a long moment. Then Beca cleared her throat. "Why was she being snarky?"

Chloe gave her an overview of what had happened in the kitchen. "It was just so unfair," the redhead ended. But that's the story of my life with my mother, you know?"

"Mmmm..." Beca agreed, but she didn't know, since she'd never actually had a mother.

"What are you up to?" Chloe asked then. "Other than eating chips."

"I ended up sleeping in so I'm really just out and about now," the brunette replied. "It's a nice day. Not as cold as it has been, so I decided to go to the Bronx Zoo. I'm there now. I saw a red panda and it reminded me of you. It has a cute walk."

The redhead laughed. "A cute walk, huh? Are you sure it wasn't the red fur?"

"Maybe it was the red fur," Beca admitted. "Either way it was cute." She paused then. "You ok, Chloe? I wish I could hug you."

"Me too," Chloe replied wistfully. "But we can talk about it when I get back tomorrow. How's your nose?"

"Meh," the brunette chuckled. "Still hurts but not as badly. I'm taking the pain killers they gave me."

"That's good." Chloe sat up then and sighed. "Ugh, I really should go. I have some paperwork to do and the wedding's at two. God, I wish you were here."

"Me too," Beca replied. "Text me if you get a chance later?"

"Of course. Bye, Becs."

"Bye, Babe."

The redhead hung up and then got up to grab her MacBook out of her purse. At least work would take her mind off her mother, she hoped.

Xx

"Ooookay..." Chloe said as she gently removed the maid of honor's hand from her breast. "Hands without permission don't belong there, Sophie."

The younger woman staggered closer, champagne sloshing over the side of her glass. "But you're so hot, Chloe. I've always thought so."

Light blue eyes rolled. "And apparently liquid courage at weddings is a thing," the redhead chuckled.

"But I heard you're gay now," Sophie slurred. "Don't you find me attractive."

"Contrary to popular belief," Chloe went on, fighting off the younger woman's wandering hands again. "I didn't just wake up one morning and decide I was gay, Soph."

"Come on, Chloe, we could just have a quickie in the bathroom."

The redhead smirked. "Really? Is that what you really want?" she asked, shoving the girl against the wall and pressing against her. "Do you really want to have sex with another girl? What if it turns you gay too?"

"Can... can that happen?"

"Mmmmhmmm... we recruit. You'd even get a toaster oven. And all you have to do to prove you really want this and to begin cult initiation is to go down on me." Sophie blinked and backed off a little. "Still want that quickie?"

The girl shook her head and backed off a little more. "I thought it was just like… scissors."

"Nuh uh," Chloe replied, licking her lips. "Ready? I know a good private spot."

"No," Sophie held up her hand. "No, I'm good actually."

"Alright then, your loss!"

The redhead shook her head and laughed to herself as the inebriated maid of honor staggered toward the nearest guy.

"Now THAT was entertaining," a new voice said, and Chloe turned to find her cousin laughing behind her hand. "You're an asshole, Chlo."

"Only when I have to be," the executive replied, pulling the bride into her arms for a hug. Then they took seats at a small table. "Are you having an amazing day?"

Martina leaned back in her chair, wedding dress ruffled around her, and propped her feet up on the chair next to her. "Incredible but God, I'm tired." She yawned a little. "Food was good though, right?"

"Yeah," Chloe agreed. "Delicious. The wine selection was good too."

"Should be for how much it cost," the bride laughed. "Fuck, Chlo. I had no idea weddings were this expensive. Vic and I will be paying for it for the next ten years."

"Oh, speaking of that," the redhead smiled. "I have something for you." She opened her purse and pulled out a small envelope to hand it to her cousin, who was the closest thing she had to a sibling. "I didn't want to put it with the other gifts in case someone absconded with it."

"What is it?" Martina asked, as she slid her fingers under the flap.

"Just a little something to help start your new life with Vic."

The bride slid a slip of paper out of the envelope and turned it right side up to look at it. Her eyes widened then. "Chloe, we can't take this. It's too much." She tried to hand it back, but Chloe just shook her head and gently stopped her.

"You've always had my back... And I'll always have yours in return." The redhead grinned then. "Besides, my trust fund should be used for something other than figures in a ledger, right?"

Martina leaned over and hugged her cousin hard. "I don't know what to say, Chloe. That's going to cover almost the whole wedding. Thank you."

"My pleasure. I love you, Kid."

"Love you too, Chlo."

"What's going on here?" Vic asked as he joined them. His tie and vest were open, and his cheeks were ruddy from dancing with his college buddies. Chloe was pretty sure she'd seen some head banging and air guitar moves on the dance floor.

"Oh nothing," Martina replied, taking his hand and pulling him into the chair next to her. "Only Chloe paying for the wedding."

Vic blinked. "What?"

The bride showed him the check. Vic almost passed out.

"Fuck me, Chloe."

"No," the redhead got up and kissed his cheek. "That's your new wife's job." She grinned then. "I have to get going. I have an early flight tomorrow. But come to New York and visit soon, ok? You have to meet my new girlfriend." Yeah, she'd decided on that word and hoped Beca would too.

Chloe exchanged hugs with her family and then headed to her rental car to drive back to her parents' house. She hadn't really spoken to her mother since breakfast but she knew she'd have to make it right before she left... even if she felt like she wasn't the one at fault.

She just had to decide how to handle the subject.