Notes:

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. Hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Here is your Boxing Day Treat.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Best Christmas Ever

Chapter 14

An Unwanted Call

Dinner had finished. After Beca had excused herself from the table, most of the other family members had done the same. Lizzy and Charlie had taken Colton to give him a bath and get him ready for bed. Charles and Chase had gone to the family room to play a round of Chess, while Chad stepped out the back door onto the patio to talk on the phone with a woman he was beginning to see.

Not sure what to do with herself, Chloe stayed around the dining table. She was quite curious about who had called Beca, but she didn't want to interrupt the petite brunette's phone call; especially after overhearing Beca's last phone call.

I really don't want to hear more of Beca and Stacie flirting.

Since she really didn't know what to do with herself, she opted to help her mother clear off the table and clean up from dinner. Her mother was collecting leftovers into a glass storage container when Chloe walked in carrying a stack of dirty plates, and set them on the counter by the dishwasher.

Catherine regarded her daughter as she quietly returned to the dining room. When the younger redhead returned carrying a couple of the glasses, looking as if she had been denied a puppy, Catherine decided it was time to ask. She often waited for her daughter to approach her with her problems, but her motherly intuition suggested that time was of the essence in this case.

"So," Catherine caught her daughter's attention, "is there any particular reason you've been giving Beca the cold shoulder at dinner, ChloBear?"

Caught off guard by the question, Chloe is flummoxed for how to answer. She set down the glasses she was carrying, and kept her back towards her mother. "Umm-I wasn't…"

"ChloBear," Catherine interrupted gently.

Her mother's gentle voice caused Chloe to come up short. She had always been honest with her mother; always. She literally couldn't lie to the woman, whether directly or by omission. Over the years they had just developed a relationship based on trust and honesty. It was actually a fear for Chloe to ever lose that bond, so she always made sure she held up her end.

The younger redhead dropped her head and said, "I tried to kiss Beca."

"What was that, honey?"

The young redhead sighed and turned to face her mother, but she mumbled her answer, "I tried to kiss Beca."

Between the answer being mumbled, and the potential contents of the answer Catherine wasn't sure what she had heard. She responded by asking, "I'm sorry dear, but this old broad's hearing isn't what it used to be. Could you say that again?"

With a sigh, Chloe looked up at her mother. Her eyes were obviously filled with tears ready to be shed. "Mom, when we were outside earlier, I tried to kiss Beca. Chad accidentally interrupted, and Beca fled."

"Oh ChloBear…"

Now that Chloe had answered, she wasn't ready to stop. She clarified with her mother, "I tried to kiss her against her wishes and freaked her out…"

"Chlo…"

"Now it turns out that she has a girlfriend." Chloe felt the tears begin to slide down her face. She knew what Aubrey had said, but her fears in that regard were just too great

"What?"

This news totally shocked Catherine. Having just spoken with Beca, she felt fairly confident that Beca wasn't in a relationship. She could only wonder how Chloe and her young friend had wound themselves up so badly and gotten each other so wrong.

Taking her daughter into a hug, she comforted her, helping Chloe to release these emotions that had obviously built up. "Shhhh-it's okay baby

-~Merry Pitchm as 2021~-

Upon entering Chloe's bedroom, Beca crossed the room to Chloe's desk as she pulled up her dad's contact. She paused, not sure if she really wanted to speak with him at this moment. Their last few conversations had been short and cool at best. She took a seat and steeled herself before she tapped the call icon. It rang three times before her dad answered.

"Hello Rebeca."

"Hi Dad. You called?" She asked as she rubbed her temple. Beca could already feel the stirrings of a headache.

"Yes Rebeca."

"It's Beca." Her voice was heavy with exasperation. She hated when he called her 'Rebecca'. When ever they were in a strained moment in their relationship, he would revert to calling her 'Rebecca'. It was almost like he was scolding a naughty child.

"Hmm? What was that?" Beca heard her dad ask.

"I don't go by Rebecca, I go by Beca," the young brunette sighed. "You should know that," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Doctor Mitchell asked. "Speak up Rebecca, don't mumble."

Feeling a bit trapped, Beca got up from Chloe's desk and began to pace in frustration around the room, her phone pressed tightly to her ear. With a sigh Beca pinched the bridge of nose and asked, "Did you call for a particular reason, Dad?"

"Rebeca, I haven't seen you in over a month; not since that unfortunate incident…"

"You mean the night you overreacted because it was easier to just judge me, instead of talking with me?" Beca challenged.

"That's unfair," her father responded. "I was bailing you out of jail. Do you know how that looks? Do you understand how that could affect my reputation at the university?"

"Yeah, because that was what was important at that moment," Beca snarked. "Do you even know that the charges were dropped? That upon investigation they determined that I had been wrongly apprehended?"

"No, I was not aware," Beca's father answered. "I had assumed that you would be approaching me in the near future to help make restitution for the property damage."

"Well you know what they say about those who assume," Beca mumbled under her breath.

"What was that, Rebecca? Please do not mumble," Professor Mitchell chastised.

"It's Beca!"

"I didn't name you Beca, your name is Rebecca," Beca's father admonished his daughter.

"Mom…"

"Isn't here."

It's a punch to the gut she wasn't prepared for. She has trouble breathing. "Why did you call?" Beca asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"I was calling to see what time you are coming over on Christmas," Professor Mitchell explained.

"What?" Beca asked in surprise. "I'm not coming over for Christmas…"

"Rebecca it's almost Christmas, and I haven't seen you. I would like you to come over and spend the day with Sheila and me."

"Dad, I can't…"

"Rebecca, don't be like that," he said with a sigh. "We're family, and I expect us to be together."

"Dad…"

"What are you going to do, Rebecca? Stay in the dorm?"

"Dad, I'm not in the dorm," Beca interrupted. "I'm at a friend's. I texted you…"

"Yes, yes, I remember seeing that, but I still expect you to be here on Christmas."

"Yeah... no... thing is…I'm in Rhode Island, so... no..." Beca said as she shook her head.

"Rhode Island?!" her father asked in confusion.

"Yes, Rhode Island," Beca returned.

"What are you doing in Rhode Island?" There was a hint of heat creeping into her father's voice. Beca knew from experience that her father didn't handle surprises or things going differently than he planned for. It had been one of the things that had driven a wedge between her mother and father.

"Rebecca, you don't leave your family, especially during the holidays…"

"HOW!" Beca shouted, before she looked about in embarrassment. She prayed that no one had heard that. In a slightly quieter voice, but one that still expressed her shock at her father of all people making such a statement. "How can you, of all people, say that? When you left Mom and me…"

"Rebecca you just don't understand, you're mother and I had just fallen out of love…"

This casual dismissal of her mother sparked something inside of Beca. Fury, bitterness, years of resentment, and possibly animosity, all welled up within her.

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Beca asked. Before her father could answer, she continued. "Did you know she had Christmas presents for you? She had bought presents for you, prior to your leaving. Did you know that? Did you know she kept them? I found them after…" Her emotions overcame her, and Beca couldn't speak. Tears were freely falling down her face. The memories of going through her mother's possessions after she had passed away were heavy on her soul. She had had to do most of it by herself. Her father hadn't come till a few weeks after the funeral, and Beca's mother had no other family, so going through the possessions was left to a young teenager, suddenly alone in the world. Finding those presents, still wrapped, and with her father's name on the tags had been a trigger at the time. Beca had cried herself to sleep in the closet she found them.

Those same emotions began to well within Beca.

-~Merry Pitchm as 2021~-

Upon realizing her daughter and her 'best friend' desperately just need to talk to each other, the matriarch of clan Beale shooed her daughter to her room. As her daughter trudged up the stairs, Catherine called after her to go and just talk with Beca and be honest..

Now, the usually bubbly redhead found herself filled with trepidation standing outside of her own bedroom. Her ears perked up as she heard Beca on the phone still. Usually Chloe Beale was not a fan of eavesdropping in general terms, but this was a specific case, this was Beca, who seemed truly upset, so Chloe focused her listening as best she could.

She realized Beca had her phone on speaker, because she could just hear a male voice speaking. She was pretty sure it was Beca's father. She recognized his voice from when she had been a student in his class.

"Rebecca you just don't understand, you're mother and I had just fallen out of love…"

As she continued to listen to the father daughter conversation, Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. The daughter was so emotional, while the father was so clipped and unemotional. It

How can a father be so callous?

For Chloe, this conversation was completely incomprehensible. Her relationship between her father and her was too close, too loving to understand what she was hearing. No caring father should be so blasé of his daughter's feelings and decisions. Listening to Beca choke up as she challenged her father about Beca's mother.

With a deep sigh, Chloe quietly opened the door, not wanting to interrupt Beca with her phone call, but she wanted to make her presence known. As Chloe walked through the door she saw Beca sitting on the end of the bed. Her legs are stretched out in front of her, with her heels digging into the carpet. Her phone was held tightly in her hand, tears streaming down her face. She looked so broken, it broke Chloe's heart.

"I'm staying In Rhode Island…" Beca announced, not noticing the redhead, her voice watery with emotion.

"No, you're not doing that!" Came the voice over the speaker. "You're joining your family…"

Chloe stepped forward to catch Beca's attention. The petite brunette looked up, her eyes meeting the redhead's. Silently with her eyes Chloe asked permission to approach. Beca's nod was almost imperceptible, but her eyes conveyed a desperate need for Chloe to be there.

The redhead quickly moved to the end of the bed, and knelt at Beca's feet. Instinctively she took the brunette's slender hand. This simple act seemed to bolster Beca's resolve. Both women gave a gentle squeeze to the other's hand, and felt connected.

"They're acting more like my family than you have in years! It's my call whether I stay with them or not."

"I'm your father…"

"Are you?" Beca asked, cutting him off. "You might actually want to think about that, and what it actually means."

On the other end of the line, Warren Mitchell simply sighed and tapped his finger on his desk. "Fine. If you want to be that way…"

"I do," Beca said with a finality, and hit disconnect. She looked down at the redhead, who looked at her with such care, such concern, that Beca couldn't help but let a few tears roll down her cheeks. No one ever looked at her that way. No one ever talked her up so much. No one ever showed her so much love.

These additional emotions roiled with the pandemonium of thoughts, fears, memories, and insecurities already there. The silence in the room was heavy, till a sob wracked Beca's chest and she leaned forward.

Chloe rose to meet her, wrapping her arms around Beca and holding her close. "It's going to be okay," she soothed as the younger woman let out a small sob. "It's going to be okay."

Beca rested her head on Chloe's chest as she continued to cry. She felt so ashamed. Yet there was comfort in Chloe's arms, and in time the redhead's heartbeat helped to calm her down. "It was my Father who called," Beca said after a few minutes of silence. "That was him."

Chloe had figured it was Professor Mitchell on the phone. "I heard some of it," Chloe whispered as she took her thumb and gently caressed Beca's cheek to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for eavesdropping, I'm sorry for dinner…"

Beca pulled the senior in closer, "Don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're here. I need you here." As she told Chloe this, she marveled at the scent of the redhead, as she buried her nose into the soft silk of her red hair.

"I heard you arguing with him. Do you want to talk about it?" Chloe asked as she moved them both back over to the bed so they both could sit down.

"It's basically most of the same thing he always brings up whenever we talk," Beca sighed, snuggling closer to Chloe. "He makes it out that it's my fault we don't have a closer relationship. That I'm the one holding onto the past. Now…" Beca paused. "He's mad I'm here, and not going to join him and his wife for Christmas," Beca explained. "But that's not what hurt so much. It was how dismissive he was of my mother, and her feelings before she…" Another sob shook the young woman's slender frame.

"I'm so sorry, Becs," Chloe whispered as she started tracing random patterns on the petite woman's back.

The redhead could tell Beca didn't really want to talk about it more, which she understood. She would let Beca talk or not talk as she wanted. Truth was she didn't need Beca to tell her much of what her father had said, Chloe had heard much of what it was.

The two sat in silence for a long period of time, as Beca gently cried. It seemed to Chloe that Beca had been holding all this in for too long. Every time Chloe thought Beca might be done, that she might have finally run out of tears, a new wave would overtake her, beginning the cycle once more.

Yet they did slowly pass as Beca let herself be comforted in Chloe's arms, soothed by gentle strokes up and down her arms and back. When her tears had eventually subsided Beca lifted her head to meet Chloe's eyes. She nodded a silent thank you, not trusting her voice yet. In Chloe's face she read nothing but understanding and care. And not for the first time Beca found herself getting lost in those clear blue eyes.

With her tears finally finished, Chloe could tell Beca was exhausted, and should get some rest. So she helped the younger woman change into more comfortable sleeping clothes. Part of her realized the intimacy of this act, but also that it wasn't, it was just an act of kindness and care for someone she cared deeply for. The redhead left her petite friend standing just long enough to pull the covers back and settle Beca into the bed. She crawled in after and pulled the covers back over the both of them.

Gently, Chloe reached out and stroked Beca's hair slowly, combing her fingers gently through the soft chocolate brown hairs, feeling Beca respond by leaning in slightly.

This brought a small smile to Chloe's lips, as she continued the soothing movement absently staring abstractedly at Beca's form, thinking deeply about everything that had happened today. How her earlier fears seemed so trivial. Tomorrow would be different, she would be honest with the younger woman lying here next to her. Whether she returned Chloe's feelings or not, she deserved to know she's loved.

After what could've been anything from five minutes to an hour, Chloe came out of her reverie and realized with a start that Beca had fallen asleep. This was a relief for the redhead, who worried about the younger woman. She smiled softly, fondly, at Beca's innocence. Focused so thoroughly on her thoughts, Chloe had stopped combing her fingers through the other woman's hair. This resulted in Beca letting out a sound that was suspiciously akin to a whimper, and Chloe felt a warm smile spread on her face.

Chloe chanced a move: to get closer, pressing her chest against Beca's back, then slipped her arm over the sleeping brunette, wrapping the petite woman's torso in her arm, pulling the brunette in comfortably against herself. Yet before she could get comfortable, Beca was moving about and before Chloe knew it, there was an arm around her waist. Beca had turned so she now cuddled into Chloe as much as Chloe cuddled into her, and it felt right, holding her safe.

"Sleep well, Becs, and know you're loved," Chloe whispered before she kissed Beca's forehead, and then slipped into sleep herself.

-~Merry Pitchm as 2021~-

Notes:

Just a last bit of Angst.