A/N - Hey everyone! Apologies, as always, for the delay in getting these next few chapters out. My wonderful beta has already lined up the next few for you all, so I'll make sure I send them the rest of the written chapters to proof read for me. I'm always indebted to them for their time and help.

And I'm also indebted to you all for sticking around and reading this with me. Thank you. Sincerely.

PS - Happy Birthday Cheryl xx

oOo. Chapter Forty Eight .oOo.

"How can they guarantee that?" Beca smirked, nodding in the direction of a large, hand painted sign that stated, 'Paradise Awaits,' propped up against the side of the building. Alex was holding her hand tightly, slightly timid of the unfamiliar surroundings while Jessie stood near to Chloe, clutching her bunny in one hand and Kate's hand in the other. "What is paradise exactly?"

"Is that an actual question?" Chloe laughed, pulling on the entrance door to the smaller one of the two cruise terminal buildings. They'd been dropped off by the car service and had just taken the short walk to the check in area, arriving right on time for their scheduled departure.

"Nope, but my statement is quantifiable."

Just as Chloe opened her mouth to answer, a Barbie lookalike with an overly cheerful smile, sidled up to them all.

"Hi there! Welcome to Sparkling Sea Cruises…" Barbie Look-A-Like said, holding up a large bottle of hand sanitiser in front of them all. Beca side eyed Chloe and restrained herself from letting out the large snort that she was desperately holding in. Unaware, the Barbie Look-A-Like continued, "How are we all doing today?"

"Very well, thank you!" Chloe exclaimed, matching Barbie Look-A-Like's energy. "And, how are you?"

"Oh. Very jolly, thank you. Full of ho-ho-ho-holiday spirit!"

The snort fell out of Beca's mouth, but she quickly covered it up with a cough.

"My name is Jill and I'll be checking you in today. It's my pleasure to welcome you to Paradise," Jill said with forced enthusiasm. Beca looked around at the rather bland, grey painted reception area, mumbled something under her breath and bent down to adjust one of the buttons on Kate's jacket to avoid speaking. "Before we continue though, I have to ask a teeny favour. Can I squirt on your hands?"

"Excuse me?" Beca exclaimed, standing bolt upright.

"Hand sanitiser," Chloe hissed, trying not to laugh at the look on Beca's face.

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Beca agreed, idly holding out her hand. "Um, why?"

"Um, our pre-flight pamphlet detailed our new sanitising routine. Did you not read-"

"-No," Beca said weakly.

"Hmmm," Jill frowned like her life depended on it. She was starting to remind Beca of Aubrey. "Well, according to code four point one, appendix five states-

"-It's fine," Beca breathed out, extending her hand towards the woman. "I interrupted your… um… whatever it was you saying."

"There's worrying numbers coming from China," Jill explained, squeezing a generous dollop of clear gel onto Beca's open palm. She caught sight of Beca's bemused face, and her eyes flitted towards Chloe.

"She doesn't watch the news or read the papers," Chloe said, by way of explanation for Beca's blank look. She turned towards the girls who were peering through the small window at the side of the reception cabin. "Kate, Alex, Jessie, come here please."

"What did I miss?" Beca asked, rubbing her hands together but dropping most of the gel onto the floor. She smeared it round with her foot in an effort to hide it.

"I'll explain later," Chloe side whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"We're here to make sure your every desire is met and fulfilled," Jill spoke again, liberally applying gel to Chloe's hands and waiting for the three girls to hold out their hands after Chloe asked them to. Beca got the impression that Jill had said her speech several times already that morning. "We can do that best with clean hands and cheerful smiles. We are at your service. Every step of the way. Your safety is important to us. Your happiness is our goal."

Beca side eyed Jill.

"Great," she said, trying her best not to sound too sarcastic and upset Chloe before their Christmas adventure had even begun. She stage whispered to Chloe as Jill instructed the girls on how to rub their hands together. "It's all very clinical and sanitary. And a little creepy. I don't think cruising is for me."

Beca paused as Chloe shot her a sharp look. Beca instantly recognised Chloe trying not to laugh.

"But I get it," Beca said, louder.

"Right," Jill continued, setting the bottle down on the small table to her left. She scanned her clipboard. Beca immediately wondered if she was actually related to Aubrey. "Can I take your names please?"

"We are the Beale party of five."

"And your name?" Jill asked, already running her finger down the list of names.

"Chloe Beale."

"Oh, I see you are... VIP guests," Jill said, looking at the bottle of hand sanitiser as if she should have offered a different method.

"We have Very Important Princesses with us," Chloe smiled, ruffling Alex's hair and bopping the tiny brunette on the nose. She mused to herself whether she'd have to sanitise again in front of Jill for touching Alex.

"That's not what that means," Jill squeaked out, her fake smile plastered back on her face as she reached the bottom of her list. Beca rolled her eyes. Jill looked up at Chloe again, suddenly realising who she was; her eyes widening in recognition. "It's… umm, just that there is a VIP entrance for… umm… people like you."

"I know Jill, we wanted to blend in with everyone else," Chloe said, smiling broadly.

Biting her lip, Beca held back a snort, knowing Chloe had already pointed out the separate entrance on the way in. It was literally the other side of the roped off area in which they stood, no less than four feet away and they would be going out of the same door.

"It's just..." Jill started to say something but thought better of it. She shook herself a little and walked to the other side of the room to collect a small box. She hurried back and almost curtseyed at Chloe. Beca suddenly hoped there was a security camera watching them, as she would love to ask if she could get a copy of the tape. "I have your passes here."

Reaching into the yellow box she'd just placed on the table behind her, Jill pulled out two laminated lanyards, printed with the Sparkling Seas logo and three small pin badges. "The passes will get you into the VIP areas of the ship."

Jill passed the lanyards to Chloe and Beca.

"Laminated," Beca absentmindedly stated, turning it over in her hands.

"Oh yes, we do that for our special guests," Jill fawned.

"And what do the common folk get?" Beca asked.

"Oh, they don't get anything," Jill explained, with an air about her, uncertain why Beca wasn't more grateful for the coveted pass. Chloe put hers around her neck as Beca shoved hers into her back pocket, having every intention of giving it a burial at sea when they were far enough away from shore to make it feel remotely cathartic.

"Under fives are not required to wear them," Jill continued, passing the three small buttons to Chloe. She sensed that the redhead would be more willing to follow the protocol. "So we ask that they pop on these buttons when entering the VIP areas."

"And if we want to slum it with the normal people?" Beca asked and Jill blanched a little.

"You are welcome in all areas, of course. You might feel more comfortable in the secluded areas."

"Why's that?" Beca asked, antagonising the girl some more.

Jill made eyes towards Chloe who was busy fixing the fiddly badges to the front of the girl's winter coats and not about to come to her rescue; Beca could see that Chloe's mouth was twisted into a grin.

"Her head isn't going to explode or catch some weird disease from the unfamous just because she's been in a couple of movies," Beca grumbled, more to herself than to the room at large. She understood Chloe's need to try to keep everything as normal for herself and the girls as she could.

"Beca!" Chloe said simply, glaring playfully at Beca. "Sorry Jill, please carry on."

"If you'd like to follow my colleague, Richie, through that door over there, he'll take you to the ship on his special cart."

"It's like a hundred yards to walk," Beca exclaimed, eyeballing the boat from the window.

"I'll have Enrique follow you with your luggage," Jill nodded to their suitcases and ignored Beca's snarky comment.

"Fantastic, thank you Jill," Chloe said politely, turning and ushering Beca and the children towards the door. Richie stood up from behind his desk and held the door open for them all.

Glad to leave the perky, plastic woman behind, Beca followed Richie out into the weak sunshine outside, looking back to see Jill spritzing the air with disinfectant. She was looking forward to seeing what their stateroom looked like and tried to remember that this was part of Chloe's world and she was desperately trying to fit in.

After Chloe had announced they would be taking the trip just after Thanksgiving dinner, it had sunk in with Beca she was about to go on her first ever holiday. She'd tried to be cheerful about it, and not worry about the cost of it. In painstaking detail, Chloe had explained that she received many corporate gifts and vouchers for trips so the vacation would be heavily discounted.

Beca hadn't been convinced and it had taken Chloe quietly saying to her a couple of days later that they would stay home for Christmas if she didn't want to go on the cruise. Beca could see that Chloe was a little hurt by her lack of enthusiasm and decided to accept the generous gift and keep her reservations to herself. She'd asked Chloe to show her the brochure of where they were going and what they would be doing on their trip.

"Right this way ma'am," Richie said, giving Beca a courteous nod and reaching out to take her messenger bag.

"Beca is fine, thank you," Beca said, pulling her bag closer to her body. She had no intention of letting it out of her sight. She had just one piece of music to finish before they got to their destination if she had any intention of enjoying their Christmas break. She'd spoken to Chloe at length about finishing up this one small project while they were away. Chloe had acquiesced but had put her foot firmly down that the one project was it.

She knew Beca was a workaholic but wanted to ensure she enjoyed a few days of sea air, and time together with her family. Chloe also hoped for them to work out what they were, as a couple.

"Have you cruised with us before ma'am?" The steward asked.

"No. I've never cruised anywhere, actually," Beca looked back towards Chloe as they approached the golf cart. She desperately wanted Chloe to be the one doing the talking.

"Which room are you staying in?"

"The Seahorse room, I think."

"That'll be the Seahorse Suite ma'am," Richie said, indicating the large utility vehicle in front of them.

"Room, suite… what's the difference?" Beca mumbled as they took their seats on the golf cart. She moved swiftly towards the back, away from Richie so he'd stop talking to her.

"An extra two bedrooms, our own private deck and our own chef for three nights," Chloe whispered as she lifted Jessie onto the seat next to Beca.

"Wait, what? You said this was a simple-" Beca hissed.

"-I knew you'd have pitched a fit, that's why I didn't tell you."

Beca looked up at the ship towering above them, the logo emblazoned on the side.

"Why did you pick such a funky sounding cruise group?"

"Because I knew you'd love it so much," Chloe said, leaning over and pecking Beca's cheek. She walked around to the front seat and took her place next to Richie.

As they drove towards the cruise liner, Richie began to remark on the size of the ship and other interesting facts about the cruise. He was also doing his best to get the girls excited by telling them he'd driven Santa Claus to his room, just a couple of hours earlier. Richie drove along the lower deck by the dockside towards the back of the boat. Beca felt a bit bad about not being more upbeat and pressed a ten dollar bill into Richie's hand as he dropped them at the entrance to board the ship.

Richie wished them a pleasant voyage and a Merry Christmas as the family walked towards the wide gang plank. Beca was impressed by the attempts to make the entrance cute and Christmassy. There were Chloe's favoured twinkle lights everywhere and Christmas garlands wrapped around the handrails. She felt a flicker of something pass through her, recognising it as excitement, something she hadn't felt for a while as she watched the girls fawn over the snowflakes, holly and whimsical Christmas puddings.

"Good morning!" A cheerful greeting pulled Beca away from looking at the fake snow piled up in the corners of the gang plank. She felt Alex slip her hand into her own, immediately understand Alex's reaction to new people as she was exactly the same. She gave the little girls' hand, what she hoped was, a comforting squeeze.

"Good morning," Chloe responded, gathering up Kate and Jessie in front of her.

"Welcome aboard the Sparkling Seas Christmas Cruise. My name is Jimmy."

"Thank you, Jimmy," Chloe smiled, watching as he gave a subtle glance at the lanyard around her neck.

"Beale family?" He asked politely.

"That's right. Our booking is under Chloe Beale."

"It's lovely to meet you all," Jimmy said, taking a small step back and gesturing with his arm for them to step onto the ship. Beca immediately noticed he was speaking with Chloe quite normally.

Beca pulled Alex behind Chloe, Kate and Jessie as they embarked, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the darker entrance foyer. There was a large tree in the middle, decorated tastefully with gold bows, large red baubles and even more twinkle lights. There were boxes underneath the tree, wrapped in colourful Christmas paper and strings.

"Can we go look Mama?" Kate asked, pointing a chubby finger towards the tree.

"Yes. But please don't go any further than that," Chloe said, watching as the trio skipped towards the tree, loosely holding hands.

"They are very sweet," Jimmy smiled, holding out a packet towards Chloe. Beca reached for it instead, smiling as she watched the girls exclaim that the tree was beautiful and much bigger than the one at home. "Your room won't be ready for another hour or so. We'd be happy to keep your personal luggage and jackets here while you explore."

"That's okay," Beca said. "We can-"

"-It's all right Becs," Chloe whispered as Jimmy turned to a small machine on the left, sorting out their room keys. "Your laptop will be safe."

"Sorry, just a habit," Beca shrugged.

"It's okay," Chloe said quietly. She knew Beca was very protective of her things and understood. If she broke or lost something before, it would have taken her an age to replace it. It was a hard habit to break.

"There are no Christmas crumbs Mommy…" Jessie said, running back to Beca and tugging on her hand.

"Christmas crumbs?" Chloe asked.

The petite brunette smiled at the cherished memory. "We got a half dead tree last year for a couple of dollars and we had a couple of old decorations for it. They left a glittery, pine needle mess on the floor. She called it Christmas crumbs and I always thought it was cuter than just calling it 'mess'. So it kinda stuck."

"That's adorable," Chloe grinned and Beca smiled back as Jessie ran back to join the others.

"Here are your suite keys," Jimmy said, turning back to them. "They'll open your suite door as well as give you access to the gym, the bar and the upper floors of the ship."

"Thank you," Beca said.

"Are you sure you don't want us to hold your luggage for a little while?" Jimmy asked again.

"Actually, yes please," Beca said, slipping the messenger bag off of her shoulder.

"No problem at all. Let me give you a token for it. Would you prefer to collect it from here or we can have it delivered to your suite instead?"

"Delivered would be great. Thank you," Beca held out her bag for him after only one last moment's hesitation.

"No problem ma'am," Jimmy said, slipped a coloured disc onto the handle and gave Beca a corresponding tag. "If I can just ask you ladies to sign your names on these forms please?"

"What's this for?" Beca asked.

"Whilst your keycard will also work as a chargeback to your room, on occasion, some restaurants need an authenticated signature."

"Oh, okay," Beca said, taking the pen that Jimmy was holding out and signing her name before passing it to Chloe to do the same.

"Thank you," Jimmy smiled, collecting the papers and laying them onto a stack to his right hand side. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Beca as she looked towards Chloe, who shook her head.

"Well, this area is staffed twenty four hours a day. It can be reached by dialling zero from your room," Jimmy said politely, as he stepped back out from behind the desk. "If you would like, I would be happy to give you a quick guided tour of the main areas before leaving you to explore by yourselves?"

"Umm, Chloe?" Beca said, turning to the red head.

"That would be great Jimmy. Thank you."

"No problem at all," He reached for the small radio on his hip, speaking softly into it as he stepped forward towards the tree and the girls. He paused in front of them and crouched down on his knees. "Well ladies, are you ready for me to show you around? We've got an awesome playroom and a huge movie theatre and the biggest restaurant you have ever seen in your life. Shall we go and look?"

"Yes," Jessie said, her eyes shining at the word theatre.

Jimmy escorted the family through the foyer and out through a set of double doors. The décor of the ship was something Beca wasn't expecting. She had half been anticipating an over the top, gawdy, anchors, sails and ship wheel motif everywhere but it was subtle shades of white, pale blue and yellow giving off a beach cottage vibe.

"Do you sail with the ship Jimmy?" Chloe asked, as they began climbing the stairs just off of the foyer.

"I do," Jimmy said politely. "I deliver room service and cocktails around the main deck lounge area. You can also find me in the onsite nightclub a couple of nights. I'm a dancer."

"Wow, you keep busy."

"I love what I do, so it's a pleasure not a chore," He smiled. "Now, let me show you to the executive lounge and then the children's play area. Did you know they run a Kids Club? Actually, first, let's stop at the executive cocktail bar and see if we can't wrangle something fruity and delicious for you while we tour."

.oOo.

Chloe marvelled at the beauty of the ship.

Jimmy had made good on his promise and she and Beca toured their exclusive area with a cocktail in hand. The girls each had a fresh fruit slushie, safely secured in a cup with a lid to keep Beca's nerves under control. This was all new territory to Beca.

Watching Beca most of the tour, Chloe took note of how blown away the petite brunette was with the architecture and the many small details of the ship. Chloe was storing the fact that Beca's mouth had been open for at least half the tour, gaping in an unattractive manner as Jimmy pointed out the sound system in the entertainment room.

"It's like a city on water," Beca remarked, half way around. She was enthralled, listening to Jimmy's brief but informative description for each area they stopped in. Even the girls were caught up with Beca's enthusiasm. There were multiple levels and something for everyone. Every whim seemed to have been thought of and Beca knew if at any point on the cruise, she was bored, then that would be on her.

Jimmy took them to the main atrium, which was open from floor to ceiling to fill the area with as much natural light as possible. By this point, Alex was holding onto Beca's hand tightly, pointing out the small things that fascinate a four year old. The atrium was flanked by a set of three glass elevators on each side and the glass dome at the top promised a decent night view of the stars once they were away from port.

"Ooh, Starbucks," Chloe said, noting one to the left of the elevators.

"Jazz club." Beca pointed to a small sign. The ambient glow of the chandelier and recessed lighting on each floor was clever, it highlighted the discrete signs for the rooms off of the atrium.

"We have a couple of jazz musicians on staff. They are really good," Jimmy said, noting Beca's interest in all things musical. "Down that hallway is an internet café and the duty-free shops."

They walked up the grand staircase, Beca ignoring Chloe's reference to her being in Titanic as she'd rather not think about the ship sinking. She held Alex's hand up the stairs, noting that she was dragging her feet a little more than normal.

On the next level Jimmy showed them the art galleries and boutique clothes shops. He pointed out the Kids Club room which saw Jessie with her face pressed up to the window immediately. She'd seen the paints and easels and was desperate to stop to do a drawing.

"It's not open yet sweetie," Chloe said, holding out her hand to hurry her along. "We'll come back as soon as we can and get you registered."

"To my right is the piano bar," Jimmy said, as Chloe caught up with them. Beca could see two grand pianos inside and a very fancy martini bar, the bartenders just milling around setting up for the evening. They were dressed in formal dress shirts and smart ties to match the area's aesthetic. "Towards the front, there is a salon, spa and fitness area. It's open to all, but there is a small version on the executive floor as well. On the floor above, in the same area, we have a library and a couple of sports bars."

Jimmy paused at a map hanging directly onto the wall. He pointed to an area on the back of the ship.

"There is a map in each corridor and by each staircase and elevator. It usually takes our guests a couple of days to get their bearings," He smiled politely. "So, the majority of the guest rooms are down in this area."

"What's that area there?" Beca said, pointing to a section that was greyed out before she bent down and slotted Alex, who was asking to be picked up, onto her hip.

"That's the staff quarters."

"Underwater?"

"Some of it is, yes, but not all. Officers are above the water line, along with the higher level management and the entertainers. Crew are at water level or just below. It's not as bad as it sounds!" He said with a short laugh. "We don't spend a lot of time in our rooms, just to sleep and change. We have a cafeteria, bar, gym and social space down there too."

"That's cool," Beca said, nodding along. Chloe watched Beca with a small smile on her lips as she stood talking with Jimmy. She was subconsciously rubbing small circles into Alex's back and the little girl had buried her head into Beca's neck.

"Are you ladies interested in gambling at all? We have a casino on D deck. If eating out is your thing, we have twenty different restaurants on C Deck and the only complaint we get from guests is that there wasn't enough time to visit each venue before the cruise is over," Jimmy said jovially.

"What type of food is there?" Beca asked.

"Oh, pretty much everything you can think of. There's the plated restaurants and the buffet, family style ones. There's sushi, Mexican, Thai, Brazilian, French, Italian and African. The chefs are brought in from each country to give the best authentic feel as we can."

"Chloe…" Beca said, turning towards the redhead. "… I'll be camped out in the restaurants for the entire week we are here."

"That's the other thing I forgot to tell you." Chloe said, clicking her tongue. Beca's face fell a little.

"What?"

"This is a fifteen day cruise!" Chloe laughed.

"Huh? I thought this was for a week."

"Surprise!" Chloe laughed at Beca's face.

"You mean, we get to stay here for two weeks?"

"Yes!" Chloe smiled, loving the sheer joy on Beca's face in that moment. "Happy Christmas!"

"But work..."

"You have your laptop and I spoke to Luke and he cleared your diary for you."

"Oh God! Thank you so much!" Beca grinned.

"You're so welcome! You're not mad?"

"No!" Beca laughed, "Although, I'm going to be the size of a small house by the time we get back!"

"The gyms do get very popular in the second week!" Jimmy chuckled. He walked them back up the stairs and along a long corridor towards the back of the ship.

"Do you need me to take her?" Chloe said, as they neared a set of double doors, nodding at Alex who looked like she'd fallen asleep on Beca's shoulder.

"I've got her," Beca said simply.

"Busy travel day?" Jimmy asked as he pushed open the doors for them to talk through.

"She was running a bit of a head cold a couple of weeks ago. It's probably just catching up with her again and she didn't sleep on the plane ride over from Los Angeles," Chloe explained.

"There's an infirmary on the top deck, near the ship's bridge. You know, if you need it."

"Thanks," Beca said.

"So this is the observation deck. There is one at the front of the ship too, for private dinner reservations when we're docked in port. You can book from your room or just have a word with your VIP attendant when you meet them later."

"VIP attendant?" Beca asked, shifting Alex up on her hip a little.

"You'll have your own person, like a butler," Jimmy clarified. "I did the job a few years back."

"But not now?"

"No, not anymore."

"That's a shame," Beca said. Chloe knew that Beca was comfortable with Jimmy now.

"I'm too busy in the nightclub these days," Jimmy explained. "I dance, and sing on occasion."

"You sing?" Beca asked, her interest piqued immediately.

"I've been told I'm not too screechy," Jimmy laughed. "If you have time, you'll have to come down and find out. There's a couple of pretty good parties during the week. The dance floor is big, so you'll have room to get your groove on or people watch if that's more of your thing."

"Would be great, but with the kids…"

"You know about our babysitter club though?"

"Um, no?"

"It's pretty simple to book, all they ask is that the children are ready for bed before they arrive. It's usually one of the girls from the kids club, they'll stay in your room while the girls sleep."

"Up for that Beale?" Beca grinned, throwing a glance in Chloe's direction. Chloe smiled back; she already knew about it and had pre-booked a couple of nights before they'd even boarded the ship.

"This is where the tour ends," Jimmy said, surreptitiously checking his watch. "I'll take you to your suite then your luggage should be with you within a few minutes if it isn't in your room already."

"Thanks for the tour Jimmy," Chloe said.

"Yes, thanks. Really enjoyed it," Beca chimed in.

"You are welcome. Please follow me."

They dutifully followed Jimmy towards the staterooms. Beca noted that the twins were beginning to flag, dragging their heels a little as they tried to keep up along the corridors and up and down the stairs. She was still carrying Alex, grateful for once that the child was small.

"Need me to take her?" Chloe asked again discreetly as they tackled the second set of steps.

"She's no bother," Beca said, seemingly fine with carrying her as they arrived at the Seahorse Suite. Jimmy swiped his master keycard through the door and pushed the door open for them, holding it open as far as he could for Beca to pass through first.

Beca stepped into the room, her eyes landing on the wide sofa overlooking the balcony first. She laid Alex down gently, rolling her onto her side straight away. Beca unzipped her coat and shrugged off her jacket in one easy movement, laying it over Alex who hadn't woken up for the last half an hour.

"Is your daughter okay?"

"Yes, I think she got over excited and has worn herself out," Beca said, looking around the room as Chloe began unwrapping the large scarf from around her neck. She quietly called Jessie and Kate over and began pulling off their jackets. Jimmy patiently waited by the door until Chloe looked his way and smiled.

"So, this is the main room. You've got two bedrooms to the left here," He said, indicating with his hand. "And the master bedroom and en suite is on the right, along with the main bathroom. The double doors lead to your own private balcony which has seating for you to enjoy the wonderful sea views."

"This place is huge," Beca said, taking in her surroundings. The main room housed two sofas, two recliners, a television and a desk area with two chairs. There was a small convenience fridge near a second table with seating for four. There was a small, fresh pine Christmas tree in the corner of the room, lit up with string lights and simply decorated with tinsel and a few baubles. Beca quickly noticed four champagne flutes in front of a large bottle of champagne on ice. There were two boxes of gourmet chocolates on a silver platter, with a pile of freshly cut up fruit sitting on ice and a dozen or so mini muffins, decorated with chocolate seahorses.

"Girls, let's go see your room, shall we?" Chloe said, watching Beca take in all the little extras she asked to be added to the package.

"Yeah!" Kate cried out before looking over towards Alex. "What 'bout Axie?"

"Leave her to sleep for a bit longer. You can show her later," Beca said, catching Chloe's eye. She held out her hand for Jessie who ran across the room to take it. Chloe pushed open one of the left side doors, opening up to a beautifully decorated king size bed. The built in furniture helped keep the room simple but elegant and Beca found herself running her fingers over the soft bed covers.

"The en suite shower for this room is through that door," Jimmy said from just outside the door, indicating to his right.

"So this must be your room." Chloe said to the girls, pushing open the next door. Jessie and Kate ran into the room together, squealing when they saw the two sets of bunk beds, decorated nicely in a nautical theme. There was a small television perched on a desk and other than a double wardrobe, the room was simple. The porthole windows claimed the girls' attention as they kicked their shoes off before scrambling onto one of the beds to get a better look outside. "No fighting over who gets the top bunk. Okay? We're going to leave you in here for a few moments while we look at the other bedroom so pick your bed but no fighting."

"Okay Mama!" They chorused together, before turning back to the window.

"I'm going to leave you both to explore the rest of the suite in private," Jimmy said. He didn't usually show the adults their bedroom area unless asked and he got the impression that Chloe had been on a similar cruise before and knew they tried to be discreet about it. "The lifeboat drill will be in about twenty minutes. Miss Beale, Miss Mitchell, it was a delight to show you and your lovely family around this afternoon and a pleasure to get to know you. I hope you have the most fantastic time with us onboard and if there is anything else I can do for you, please do let me know."

"Jimmy, you've been great. Thank you." Chloe said, holding out her hand to shake his. Beca noted the swapping of a couple of bills as they shook hands. She liked Chloe's smoothness about the whole thing. Jimmy held out his hand to Beca as well.

"Thanks Jimmy."

Jimmy nodded his greeting and left the room swiftly. Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and dragged her across to the other side of the suite, quickly opening the door to the bedroom they'd not seen.

Beca sucked in her breath as she took in the room. There was a single door, partially open to the balcony. The sheer, white curtains softly billowing in the gentle breeze, framing the ocean view nicely. The four poster bed stood proudly in the middle of the room, angled so the first view upon waking would be to the outside. The copious amounts of pillows and throw cushions seemed overkill and there were soft, white robes laid out on the chaise at the end of the bed. Beca turned as Chloe pulled the ensuite door open.

"Oooh tub," Beca heard Chloe say as she disappeared into the room.

Taking a moment to truly appreciate the space, Beca was truly impressed. She'd never been somewhere as nice as this and needed a moment to take it all in. She would have been happy to have spent just one night in the suite. That would have been enough to have kept her going for at least a year. She couldn't believe they had fifteen days of luxury ahead of them, not to mention Christmas. She felt tears prickle the inside of her eyelids when she looked back at the year they'd had, and where they were in that moment.

"You okay?" Chloe asked, coming up behind her. How Chloe sensed she was getting overwhelmed surprised Beca. She felt Chloe's hand slip into hers. "You need a moment?"

"I'm good," Beca said, spinning to face Chloe. "Is the tub okay?"

"Big enough for two," Chloe smiled, giving Beca a tiny wink.

"We need to talk," Beca said, pulling away from Chloe a little. There was something about being so close to the redhead that made her mind wander off into a direction that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

They'd not had much time to talk about what happened between them over the past two months. Even though Chloe had finished filming, she had needed to spend some time back at the sound stage redoing some lines. At the same time Beca had been working late on a number of occasions. The studio wanted to make her known, so Beca had to attend various award shows and industry events with Luke. Her new position also meant Beca had to secure new talent for the first quarter of the year. She had surprised herself and been rather successful, and now had a fully booked diary for January onwards. All of this though meant neither had time to really talk about what happened.

In many ways, Beca felt this mostly fell on her. The last couple of weeks had seen her leaving early in the morning and not returning until late in the evening. She had been working closely with Emily on rewriting some of the Twenty One Pilots songs that the band members simply didn't like and wanted fresh ideas. This had left Chloe to take care of the girls and handling most of the Christmas and cruise preparations.

They'd promised that they would talk about what had happened that night when they'd both had time to think things through. There was definitely something between them that was undeniable, but Beca had admitted that she was worried she'd gotten herself caught up in the emotion of the year. From the comfort of finding a family of sorts, to having a roof over her head, a burgeoning career, and thus money in her pocket, it all made her wonder what was real, and what was just being caught up in the moment.

For her part, Chloe had tried to explain that what Beca might be feeling was just happiness. They'd both broken into laughter at this, helping to relieve a tension that was there. Still, Chloe also understood what Beca had meant, and what she was having to process.

It was so confusing for Beca; she knew she found Chloe attractive, kind, funny and just about everything she needed in a partner, but there were the added complications of the girls and their future to think about. She worried if she, in good conscience, could be putting this family's future in jeopardy by getting into a relationship with Chloe. Beca didn't have a strong record of healthy relationships; she didn't have any history of relationships..

It wasn't all on Beca, as Chloe explained, that while she had deep feelings for Beca, the redhead also admitted her own baggage, The actress had admitted to the petite brunette that she'd awakened something within her that she hadn't realised was dormant. Yet Chloe was also coming out of a marriage and wasn't yet divorced. Yes David had started the paperwork, and they were both relieved and grateful that it was as amiable as possible, but she didn't want Beca to feel as if she were jumping from one relationship to the next. Chloe also admitted that she'd not been in a serious relationship with a woman for a very long time, and didn't want Beca to feel as though she were an experiment.

She was also in agreement with Beca that they needed to discuss the girls in all of this. While it was their babies being born that had brought them together, there was a lot at stake if they forged ahead with an attempt at a relationship and everything went wrong.

They both understood the stakes at play, and they each had baggage, yet both couldn't shake the feeling they were probably overthinking the whole thing.

"We really need to talk," Beca reiterated.

"I know," Chloe replied softly, a slight tremor of trepidation in her voice.

A wave of guilt passed through Beca. "I'm sorry I got caught up with everything and haven't been around to-"

"-You don't have to apologise Beca. I've been busy with reshoots and we said we'd discuss this while we were away."

"I don't want you to think I've been stringing you along," Beca cocked her head to the side, trying to read Chloe's take in all of this.

"I don't think so. But now is not the time to begin this discussion."

"When the girls are asleep later?"

"If you are ready to talk, that's fine baby," Chloe said quietly. "But it might have to wait a little longer than that."

"Why?"

"We might be busy tonight."

"Doing what?" Beca's face flushed a little as Chloe's eyes glazed over a little.

"You'll find out soon enough," Chloe said, winking again.

"Okay," Beca said letting Chloe keep her surprise. A knock on the door stopped them continuing the conversation and Chloe crossed the main room to open it. Beca followed, pausing to check on Alex who was still fast asleep as Chloe pulled open the door.

"I have your luggage ma'am."

"Oh thank you," Chloe said, opening the door wider. "What's your name?"

"Jared, ma'am," He said, lifting the first suitcase from the trolley. "Where can I put this for you?"

"Oh, anywhere is fine, thank you Jared."

"I can take it through to your bedroom. We also have an unpacking service if you need it."

"Thank you. I'll think we'll manage the unpacking on our own," Chloe said kindly. "You can put that one in the master."

Noting that the suitcase that Jared was holding was hers, Beca looked over to Chloe a little confused.

"Thought I was having the other bedroom?" She questioned. Chloe just shot her a look that said not to ask questions and she closed her mouth quickly.

Jared unloaded all of their luggage into two of the bedrooms, accepted a tip from Chloe, wished them both a very Happy Christmas and left to continue his deliveries.

"We've got someone else's luggage," Beca said, as she came back into the lounge area. She'd checked on the girls and found them quite happily playing together in their bedroom. "Those in the second room aren't our suitcases, Chloe."

"Are they not?" Chloe said coyly.

"You know they're not. What's going on?"

"Don't-"

"-Chloe?"

A knock at the door brought a big smile to Chloe's face.

"Saved by the bell!" She said, clapping her hands together. "Your turn to answer it."

"I don't think I want to," Beca said. She wasn't sure what Chloe was up to, or why she was being so secretive but she was suddenly worried that Chloe had ordered things for the room that would make Beca's planning of their next vacation hard to top.

"Go on," Chloe urged.

"Urgh, okay," Beca said, crossing the room and tentatively pulling on the door handle. She cautiously peered through the spy hole but couldn't see anyone out in the hallway. She opened the door and stuck her head out, jumping back in surprise.

"Oh my God! What are you doing here?"

.oOo.