Vera, Aubrey, and A Step Too Far

Vera's eyes were red and she looked miserable as she was the first to exit the Swanson home and meet her mothers in the drive. Beca and Chloe both tried to hug her in greeting but she pulled away. Beca put a hand to her forehead and then kissed her. "Are you warm?" Vera nodded miserably. "Do you feel ok?" A shake of her head followed. "Ok." Beca said softly. "Let's get you home." Vera didn't make it as far as the car. She doubled over in the grass beside the driveway, falling to her knees just in time to vomit forcibly. Big crocodile tears streamed down her face. Beca knelt behind her and caught her hair up in a tie.

They were quiet in the car. Chloe sat in the middle seat with Vera while Bella rode up front and Poppy was in the far back. When they arrived home, everyone was sent to their own room to get ready for bed. Beca followed Vera and made sure she was okay before leaving her to shower. A few minutes later, she returned to help the ten-year-old comb her wet hair.

"I'm sorry you don't feel good, love," she said, softly.

Vera snuffled. "I'm okay," she said, quietly. Beca finished combing her wet hair and used a towel to squeeze out excess water.

"Do you need anything?" Vera shook her head.

Beca gestured to the nightstand. "Try to drink, if you can. I'll be back later to check on you. But yell if you need something." Vera nodded. Beca kissed her temple and left her curled up in bed.

Returning to her own room, with every intention of preparing for bed, she found Bella and Poppy with Chloe – clearly waiting for her. "What's up?" She eyed them wearily. "Tell me you're not sick. I love you and all – but there's only so much vomit I can deal with in a day." None of them smiled at the joke. Beca tensed.

Bella looked angrily at Poppy, who finally spoke. "We thought you should know what happened at Aunt Aubrey's. Well, Bella thought you should know – and I'm tired of arguing with her."

"What is it?" Chloe asked, her concern palpable. Beca sat next to her and prepared herself to listen. She forced her hands open, resting against her jeans, not allowing her nails to dig into her palms as they desperately wanted to in the fraught moment.

"Aunt Aubrey made Vera eat her dinner," Bella said, seething.

"What do you mean, made?" Beca asked, sharply.

"She yelled at her and said manipulative things until Vera broke down and ate it – even though she'd said no before. It was spaghetti with meatballs and red sauce."

"I'm aware of that part. I believe some of it landed on my shoes," Beca said dryly. "What did Aubrey say?"

Poppy shrugged but Bella glared and continued to speak for her. "She said that Vera needed to eat because you were worried about her – and if she didn't eat, she was going to end up in the hospital with a feeding tube. And she would make you both so happy if she would just eat like she was supposed to. And it went like that for like half an hour. Vera was crying. Aunt Aubrey yelled at her too when she got frustrated and Vera wasn't eating. We heard it all because we were sitting on the landing."

"Where was Jesse?" Beca asked, her blood boiling. Her best friend being a part of such manipulation seemed unfathomable.

"He was still at work," Poppy answered. "And the boys were at practice. He picked them up on his way home – they got there late – right before you did."

Bella looked angry and guilty at the same time. "We should have done more. We tried to talk to her – but she told us to go upstairs. I'm sorry – we should have stopped her."

"You shouldn't have to," Beca assured her. "This wasn't your fault."

"Thank you for telling us," Chloe said. She hugged them both and walked them to the door. "We'll take care of it." Once they were gone, she turned back to see Beca's expression livid.

"I'll call Aubrey," Chloe told her calmly. "Can you check on Vera?" Although Beca desperately wanted to yell at her old frenemy – or quite possibly punch her - she nodded and walked to her daughter's room, taking deep breaths to calm herself along the way. She knocked lightly on the door with her knuckles, waiting to hear a faint welcome. When she opened the door and slipped inside, she found Vera still in bed, curled up with a book and her favorite stuffed bear.

Beca sat on the edge facing her. She reached up to brush a lock of red hair from Vera's brow. "How are you feeling, kiddo?" Vera marked her page and shrugged.

"Better, I guess?"

"You guess?"

Vera shrugged. "I can't really explain it. I don't feel terrible, but I don't feel good either."

Beca nodded. She motioned for Vera to scooch over and then sat with her, leaning against the pillows and headboard. She reached out and pulled the girl to her side, holding her close. Her next words were soft – she knew it was going to be something difficult for Vera. "What happened with Aubrey?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," Vera told her.

"I need you to, love."

"It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal if it upset you," Beca told her. She closed her eyes, taking more breaths and trying to relax. She knew Vera could feel the tension as well as she could.

"Why are you upset?"

"Seriously?" Beca asked, opening her eyes to meet her daughter's. "You're asking me that? You know why I'm upset. But I need to hear what happened from you."

"I thought you would be happy," Vera said softly.

"What? Vera. That makes no sense."

"I ate. I thought that's what you wanted."

Beca sighed in frustration. "Love, I want to help you figure out whatever it is that's messing up food in your brain – and I want you to start eating normal amounts of normal food. But you need to do that on your terms – not with someone shoving food down your throat. No one has the right to bully or force you into anything."

"It wasn't a big deal. I'm fine."

"Are you?" Vera turned away, no longer able to meet Beca's eyes. Big, fat tears came to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Vera tried to hide but Beca wrapped her in a strong hug, whispering words of reassurance as she let her cry. Soon, they were both calmer.

"I didn't know what to do," Vera admitted.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that. You shouldn't have had to."

"If I knew how to stop being weird, I would," she whispered.

Beca smiled and took her hand. "If you stopped being weird completely, you wouldn't be Vera. And that would not be ok. Got it?" Vera nodded, tears slipping again. "The rest? We'll figure it out together. That's why we're here."

The next morning, Chloe took the twins to their dance lessons and Beca stayed home with Vera. It was just after nine when the petite redhead appeared in the kitchen, dressed for the day. Beca finished pouring her coffee and then hugged her daughter. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Vera said. "Where's everyone?"

"Dance class," Beca reminded her. "Want to go to the music store?"

Vera nodded happily. She sat at the table and warily eyed what was probably her mother's breakfast. Yogurt, berries, and some kind of granola that Beca didn't like – but Chloe made her eat because it was high in fiber. Vera had listened to the argument pertaining to that granola before.

"What would you like?" Beca asked her. "I made French toast earlier – there's some left. Would you like that?" Vera had once liked French toast, but she wasn't sure anymore.

"Maybe?" Vera said. "I'm not sure if it'll be okay," she admitted.

"But it might be?" Beca asked.

"It sounds kind of good," Vera admitted. "But sometimes things do, until I look at them."

"We can only try," her mother answered.

"Mama, you can finish your breakfast first," Vera said, as Beca walked to the refrigerator to pull out the bowl of mix she'd created earlier. "I don't want it to get soggy."

"Darling, that stuff starts out soggy. Besides, if it gets too soggy, I will have no choice but to dump it down the disposal and eat French toast for breakfast. It will be my only option," she added with a wink. Vera smiled. She watched her mother work, dipping bread in the mixture and setting it on the large skillet that covered two burners. Before long, a plate of French toast – and another of bacon that had been cooked earlier, sat in the center of the table. Beca also put out the berries, the butter and syrup and poured Vera a small glass of milk.

Vera looked hesitantly at the food. She took once slice of the toast and moved it to her plate, carefully spreading butter and then pouring on the tiniest bit of syrup, which she spread with her fork. Using her knife and fork, she cut the bread into small pieces. She speared one and brought it to her lips. Her brain immediately started telling her how much fat and carbs were in this breakfast, but Vera forced them back and took her first bite.

She knew her mother was working hard not to watch her. "Do you want anything specific from the music store?"

Vera shook her head. "No – I just like to look. How about you?"

"Music for the Bella's reunion concert in October. Aubrey's already bugging me about it."

"It's only April."

"Tell me about it," Beca said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know if you've picked up on this, but Aubrey is a pain in the ass sometimes." Vera giggled and continued eating her breakfast. She ate a decent amount – and it all stayed down. Beca considered that a victory for the morning.

Chloe dealt alone with Aubrey. She knew that letting Beca be involved would end their friendship. Or her marriage. And she wasn't willing to risk either. So she went to the Swanson house while her wife was occupied. When she knocked on the door, Aubrey answered and was surprised to find her best friend on the other side.

"Chloe! Did one of the girls forget something?"

"We need to talk," Chloe said calmly, walking past Aubrey and into the living room. "Where are the boys?"

"In their rooms," Aubrey said. She looked at her watch. "Doing homework, probably." She closed the door and joined Chloe in the formal living room. "What's going on?"

"That is what I would like to hear from you. Because I'm hoping that somehow, for the first time in my memory, my daughters are either lying or terribly confused. What happened with Vera?" She asked, surprising even herself with the venom in her voice.

Aubrey was taken aback. She sat on the sofa but Chloe remained standing, arms crossed over her chest. "Chloe, I was just trying to talk to her. Trying to get her to eat. She's just being stubborn. You and Beca never push them when they're being stubborn."

"Because we're teaching our children they're allowed to have autonomy and set boundaries," Chloe snapped. Her voice lowered. "Did you raise your voice to my child?"

"Chloe –"

"I asked you a question, Aubrey."

"I might have gotten a bit loud when I became frustrated. But if they weren't so sensitive…"

"Did you threaten my daughter?"

"Of course not," Aubrey insisted.

"Did you tell her that if she didn't start eating she was going to end up in the hospital with a feeding tube?" Aubrey's flitting eyes indicated that those words had indeed crossed her lips. "That is a threat," Chloe hissed. "Aubrey, how could you?"

"Chloe, I was trying to help."

"Aubrey, I don't tell you how to raise your boys. I don't try to discipline them for you. I expect the same courtesy from you. We are handling the situation in the way that we believe is best for our child. If we need your help, we will let you know. But you are never," Chloe warned, almost growling, "to raise your voice to one of my children, to threaten them, or to say or do anything manipulative. Do you understand me?"

"Chloe – please –"

"Do you understand me?" Aubrey nodded. She tried to speak again, wanting to offer her explanation. But Chloe refused to listen, leaving as quickly as she had come. Leaving Aubrey to explain herself to her husband, who had been listening silently at the door to the kitchen.

Beca did not speak directly to Aubrey for six months. She also made certain that her daughters were never alone with the blonde, no matter Chloe's insistence that Aubrey would never repeat anything like what had happened. Vera seemed to forgive her aunt but was still skittish around her. Bella was occasionally outright hostile, and Chloe had to intervene several times and tell her to behave herself. The third time, Beca got involved and finally had a heart-to-heart with her daughter where both brunettes agreed to a truce with Aubrey for the peace of the entire family.

With their continued determination and steady work with Stacie and a very cheerful dietician named Kaitlyn, Vera eventually regained the weight she'd lost, found a therapist who helped, and stopped looking at food as a constant enemy. It was an on-going battle, but one she certainly had support in fighting.

Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts! They are inspiring :-)