It was sometime after Nine in the morning that Jesse was roused from his sleep by the sound of the front door closing. He quickly got up to his knees and looked through the bushes toward the sound of Stacie and Aubrey walking down the front walk toward their cars that were parked in the driveway and in front of the house.
He stayed down low, hoping the slight rustling of his movement didn't alert them. They didn't seem to notice the prowler in the bushes as they stopped at the end of the driveway.
XXXXXX
Meanwhile inside, Beca was sitting at the table, a half-eaten piece of toast next to her and a cup of hot coffee in her hand. Chloe was just sitting down next to her when Amy made a noise at the window.
"Oh… my god!" She exclaimed looking out the front window. Beca and Chloe looked at her shocked and Emily who had been half asleep on the couch jumped up and ran over to see. Chloe and Beca exchanged worried looks as her hands flew over her mouth.
XXXXXX
Jesse had been watching Aubrey and Stacie have some kind of conversation, he couldn't make out what they were saying but could see Stacie was smiling and had glanced down for a moment before she slowly leaned toward Aubrey and connected their lips.
He barely had time to react before he heard a thundering voice above him. He recognized the accent immediately and knew that Amy was seeing exactly what he was.
It was only moments later footsteps ran to the window and he froze as the front door opened soon after.
He lowered even further into the bushes as Stacie and Aubrey's kiss ended and the Bella's flooded out onto the porch.
"I knew it!" Amy whooped loudly, "Jessica, you owe me twenty bucks!"
Aubrey's eyes closed and she dropped her head onto Stacie's shoulder with a defeated laugh.
Jesse kept his eyes on the porch as Jessica, Emily and CR made their way out. He was equally as nervous to be caught as he was to get a glimpse of Beca. The women on the porch were all laughing and talking excitedly as Stacie and Aubrey made their way over to them. He tuned them out, as they began to talk however, when Beca stepped into view.
His eyes locked onto her and he stayed as still as possible. He was only a few feet away and if she were to get the urge to glance to her left, he would be caught. He held his breath, tracking his eyes down the side of her body. She still wore her pajamas, cotton pants and a long sleeve shirt. Her arms were folded comfortably over her chest as she smiled at whatever Aubrey and Stacie were saying.
His heart thudded hard in his chest. He was only feet away. He could move fast. All he would have to do is get his hands on her, and then what could they do? Nothing. They wouldn't do anything that would risk him hurting her. It would be so easy.
He let out a low silent breath, ready to pounce on her like a cat catching its prey. He was stopped though, when a hand, an unfamiliar hand slipped around Becas waist. He was broken from his thoughts to see Chloe on the other side of her, holding her against her side.
He could feel the murderous growl that threatened to escape at the sight of someone else's hand; Chloe's hand, on his girlfriend.
He closed his eyes, steadying his suddenly erratic breathing and began to move.
Beca wore a soft smile, listening to two of her best friends finally admit they had feelings for each other. She wasn't sure they had intended it to be a group event but it had been made that way. She was still a little sore, and her ankle was begging to throb. She shifted just slightly and felt a comforting hand wrap around her waist.
"I've got you, lean on me." Chloe said, letting Beca take some weight of her ankle.
She opened her mouth to thank her when she heard something to her left. She turned to look at the bushes that lined the front of the house. They were moving slightly and she looked back to Chloe.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked.
She nodded, looking back at the bushes. "Must have been a squirrel." She said, "Come on you guys, lets give them some time to enjoy their short lived first kiss. They don't need an audience." Beca said beckoning them back inside.
"Thanks, Becs!" Stacie laughed as Amy grumbled something unintelligible as she shuffled back into the house.
The door closed and the two remaining women laughed at the situation before making their way to their cars. Another kiss and a promise to see each other that night was their goodbye and they were soon both driving away in their separate cars.
The yard was quiet and a breath was released. Jesse stepped away from the side of the house.
He had to be more careful. He was slow to make a decision and was almost caught. If he hadn't moved when he did, he would never get the chance to get her back.
He pulled his hood up and moved into the neighbor's yard before jogging to the sidewalk and moving away from the house. He had more planning to do.
XXXXXX
Beca stood at the living room window, looking out over the lawn. She had a weird feeling in her stomach. She watched as the neighbor jogged across his yard and walked down the street, his hood up and his hands tucked in his pockets. She let out a breath and turned to see Chloe walking toward her with a glass of water and her pain medicine. She carefully moved away from the window and lowered herself down on the couch, accepting the medicine and smiling as Chloe dropped down next to her.
The bad feeling was going away and after setting her glass on the table next to the couch, she tuned back into the discussion the Bella's were having about what classes they had that day and when they wanted to get together for dinner.
XXXXXX
Jesse walked through the front door to his parent's house and was heading for the stair case when his parents came crashing out of the kitchen.
"Jesse Skyler Swanson!" His Mom bellowed as he reached the bottom stair. "Where the hell were you?"
He turned around taking his hood off. "I was walking." His answer came out in an annoyed huff.
"All night? Jesse, I swear if you went looking for that girl- "His Dad started and he cut him off.
"Beca. Her name is Beca, you've met her dozens of times. She's been here for Christmas. She isn't just 'that girl'." He snapped. "And no, I didn't go looking for her." He growled. "I was walking. Clearing my head. Spending multiple days in a jail cell after being accused of kidnapping and domestic violence is a lot to think about. I was walking, all night. And I am tired." He said turning and walking up the stairs. Leaving his parents looking after him in shock.
"And if I wanted to find her, it wouldn't be hard." He said disappearing at the top and a few seconds later they heard the bathroom door slam.
His parents looked at each other. "You don't think it was a mistake to bring him home, do you?" His Mom asked. "He is right, David, we know Beca. Why would she lie about this, she was always such a nice girl?"
His Dad glared up the stairs, then at her. "He is our son, Jill. If he says he didn't do it, I believe him. And you should too. You're his mother for Christ sakes." He growled and stormed out the door, late for work.
Jill watched him go, then looked back up the stairs, her eyes troubled and the dark circles under them were dark. She hadn't slept at all, waiting by the living room window, waiting to see her son walking back up the front walk. Letting out a breath she walked over to the door and set the alarm. Then made her way up the stairs, going to her own room to hopefully get a few hours of sleep.
XXXXXX
"How did I do?" Beca asked, turning away from the mirror where she had just done her best to cover the healing bruises on her face.
Chloe, who was also applying mascara to her already full lashes, looked over at her as she put the mascara wand back in the tube.
"Beautiful." She said, admiring the work. She did a very good job, and Chloe could hardly tell that there were any bruises at all. She wondered for a moment, if this wasn't the first time Beca had to do this.
"Thanks." She said softly, looking at her work in the mirror.
Chloe watched for a second before grabbing her chap-stick and applying it. "Are you sure you are ready?" She asked as Beca pulled a brush through her hair, taming the curls before tossing them over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I think so. End of term is in three weeks. I need to get all the notes I can for exam week, I don't want to have to retake any of these classes." She laughed as she straightened her shirt, making sure her arms were covered before looking at Chloe.
"Besides, I have all of you looking out for me. As well as a restraining order and my dad on campus." She said as they made their way out of the bathroom.
"And what about your ankle, your ribs?" Chloe asked.
"It hurts, but I'll be sitting in both of my classes today, so no worries," she said giving Chloe's arm a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, you need to go back to work."
Chloe nodded, and picked up her bag, following after Beca as they left the bedroom and met Jessica and CR in the living room.
She wouldn't admit it to Beca, but she wasn't ready to go back to work. She wasn't ready to not be with her. She wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with Beca going back to class. But it wasn't her choice. If Beca was ready that was that. She would support her decision. Even if it terrified her.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait between chapters! Work, and covid and living fulltime in a travel trailer takes up a lot of time! Please review?