"Are you ok? You're quiet," Chloe said as she drove herself and Beca to the soundstage to meet Tom, Jessie and Armie.

"Yeah, I'm good," the brunette replied. "Just thinking."

Chloe nodded a little, then scratched her jaw as she glanced back at her girlfriend. "Was this morning too much?" she asked then. "Are you freaking out?"

"What do you mean?" Beca asked, frowning slightly.

"We've been dating all of a few days and this morning, you woke up with a kid in bed with us. I thought maybe it was a little too much too soon." She looked down and then focused back on the road. "I should have remembered to lock the door, Beca. I'm sorry."

"It... yeah, it was kinda a lot for me but... listen, can we talk about that later?" Beca asked. "I'd like to keep that separate from this Armie bullshit."

"Sure," Chloe smiled as she pulled into the parking lot and parked in her usual spot. "And Becs? If he pisses you off again, don't punch him this time, ok? I don't think your hand could take it."

Beca held up her fingers. "Scout's honor." They got out of the car and headed hand-in-hand into the building. Tom and Jesse were just getting coffee and they all met in the meeting room.

"Morning," Jesse said with a smile.

"Morning," Beca replied as she took a seat next to him with Chloe on her other side. "Where's the douchebag?"

Tom shrugged. "Looking for another job, I'd expect."

Chloe's mouth dropped open. "Seriously? You fired him?"

"Correct," Jesse nodded.

"How?" Beca asked incredulously. "He had a contract."

Chloe grinned. "They used the behavior clause… right, Guys?"

"What's that?" the DP asked.

"I have it in my contract too," the actress explained. "It's to ensure the safety of the cast. If an actor makes inappropriate overtures to one of the other actors during or outside of filming, the clause can be used to immediately terminate their contract. I've only ever seen it used once before in almost a decade of doing this."

Jesse looked down, crossing his arms. "I can neither confirm nor deny that I called Armie's agent yesterday and told him Armie was done on this production."

Beca nodded, looking very pleased. "Now I don't have to punch him again for disrespecting Chloe."

The actress laughed and shook her head. "I'm very happy for you, Becs."

"So…" Jesse held up a hand. "That brings us to our problem. We have no male lead now. But I was hoping you might have someone you'd be comfortable with, who we could approach, Chloe?"

The redhead thought about that for a few moments. "Maybe…" she said slowly. "What if I could get Nate Walp? He's an old friend and I'm pretty sure he owes me a favor."

"Nate Walp?" Jesse repeated. "I don't recognize the name."

"His screen name is Chicago," the actress explained. "I've worked with him numerous times. He's very professional."

"I know him," Tom interjected. "I've worked with him before. He's a good guy and I think he'd be a good fit."

"Plus, he has more charisma in his little finger than Armie has in his whole body," Chloe added. "Let me call him and see if he's free to chat." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly found the contact she was looking for. She dialed it and waited for an answer, smiling as she laced her fingers with Beca's and caressed her thumb over the DP's skin.

"Chloe Beale, is that you?" a man's deep voice sounded out. "How the hell are you?"

"Hey, Nate, I'm doing great. I'm here with some colleagues and you're on speaker," Chloe replied.

"Ah, not just a social call then," Nate chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you filming right now? I need a co-star for a movie I'm doing that's already in production. The original lead had to be removed and we need someone to take over."

"Chloe… I'm sorry. I can't do it. Mike and I are taking Charlie to Orlando for the next two weeks. We've had it planned for months and she'll kill me if I back out now."

The actress pursed her lips in disappointment. "Ok, no worries, Nate. Love to Mike and the rugrat. I'll call you soon, ok?"

"Bye, Chloe. Talk soon."

Chloe ended the call and then sighed. "Well shit. I love working with Nate. He's a real gentleman." She shrugged then. "I have a few other ideas. Let's make some more calls."

Two hours and twelve calls later, Chloe was out of ideas and contacts. No one had taken the bait.

"Guess I'm going to have to start calling agents. Sorry, Chlo," Jesse sighed.

"Is what it is," the actress replied with a smile. "Want to just let me know if you get someone and I can audition him for chemistry?"

"Will do," Tom nodded. "I guess we're officially shut down. We'll call you both when we have news."

"Cool," Beca replied as she got up and stretched. "Talk soon. Brunch, Chloe?"

"Sure," the actress replied. "I know a good place."

Xx

"About what you asked me earlier," Beca said as she drizzled syrup onto her pancakes. "About this morning being too much?"

Bright blue eyes lifted, and Chloe set her knife and fork down, giving her girlfriend her full attention. "Yeah?"

"I feel like things are moving pretty fast," the brunette said. "Like you said, we've only been officially dating a few days."

Chloe nodded. "I totally get it."

"But I've always wanted to be a mom," Beca said, eyes far away. "Luke and I talked about it. He wanted boys of course, so he could take them camping and to football games and stuff like that."

"Alot of guys do, I guess," Chloe smiled. "I think even Dylan was disappointed for a second when we found out we were having a girl."

Beca nodded. "When I think about Luke, when I think about how I could have ended up tethered to him... married, kids... trapped in this normalcy where I'd always come last, it makes me feel sick." She shook her head. "I've come to realize that with him, even in a family of two, I always came last, Chlo."

The redhead nodded sympathetically. "Mmmm."

"But," the brunette went on. "This morning... it felt like I was part of something. It was terrifying and a lot and..." Beca blinked rapidly, then wiped at her eyes impatiently. "It felt really good."

Chloe nodded again and took her girlfriend's hand, bringing it to her lips. "We can take that stuff slowly, Beca. I honestly didn't mean it to happen the way it did."

"Do you... um... regret that it happened?"

The actress shrugged. "No, but we did things a little out of order, I guess. I wouldn't normally introduce someone I'm dating to Bella so soon... not that I've really dated much at all since she was born."

"We weren't even dating when I met her," Beca chuckled.

"True," Chloe agreed. "But you know what? What's done is done. If you don't want to have Bella in bed with us, that's totally ok. I can just set some boundaries with her."

The brunette shook her head. "No, Babe. I don't want her to stop coming in for morning snuggles because... I saw how happy it made you both. And I want you to be happy."

The actress smiled and looked down, biting on her bottom lip. "It does make me happy... but I don't want it to be at the expense of you feeling rushed or pushed into something you're not ready for."

Beca leaned back in her chair. "Look at us communicating like grownups," she teased, making her girlfriend laugh softly. "Look, Chlo, I'll admit it was a little scary but... I really liked waking up with you and Bella."

Chloe nodded, a beaming smile on her face as she picked her fork up again and dug into her eggs. "We really liked having you there too, Becs."

After brunch, Chloe dropped Beca at her car, then they went their separate ways because the actress had an appointment with Bella's teacher. She pulled her convertible into a guest space outside the school and checked her hair and makeup in the rearview mirror before heading inside. It was class time, so the hallways were quiet, and Chloe easily found her way to Bella's classroom. She stood at the windowed door for a moment, smiling as she watched the kids playing, but then the teacher spotted her and waved her in.

"Look who's here, everyone!" the older woman exclaimed as the actress eased into the room and closed the door behind her. "It's Bella's mom, Miss Beale. Can you all say hi?"

"Hi, Miss Beale," the class dutifully chanted, and Chloe grinned at them, raising a hand in greeting as Bella ran to her, hugged her and then hung off her hip.

"Hi, Guys! It's so great to see you all! And thank you, Mrs. Granger, for the warm welcome."

The teacher winked and then turned back to the class. "Everyone keep quietly working in your workbooks while I talk to Miss Beale, ok? You too, Bella." Once the kids were settled, she indicated that Chloe should join her in a quiet corner of the room. They took seats there and Chloe leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs, and wiggling her foot a little. Mrs. Granger smiled and pointed downward. "Bella does that too," she said. "That little foot wiggle."

The actress chuckled softly. "She does? That's cute. I hadn't noticed."

"So, what brings you in, Miss Beale?" the teacher asked.

"Please, call me Chloe." Chloe's smile faltered then, and she looked down as she gathered her thoughts. "I'm worried about Bella. She told me that an older boy, Mark Johnson's older brother in fact, pushed her down and called her stupid because she told him I'm a ballerina."

The teacher shook her head, her face the picture of dismay. "I wasn't aware. When did this happen?"

"Some time in the last couple of days, I think," the redhead replied. "I was working with Bella on her reading last night, and I could tell there was something wrong. She was reluctant to tell me because this older boy also told her that my job is bad and dirty."

Mrs. Granger frowned. "Why would he say that?"

"Well… I'm an actress who specializes in adult movies," Chloe replied, after making sure there were no kids in earshot. "I assume he saw one of my movies or heard about me, but Bella doesn't know anything except that I act in movies for grownups, and I really need it to stay that way."

"Adult movies…" The teacher replied with hiked eyebrows. "I see."

The redhead chuckled softly and shrugged. "Anyway… I wanted to let you know what was going on because I'd really appreciate it if you could keep an eye on Bella for me? I don't want to have to call Mark's parents, but I can't have my little girl being treated that way."

"Of course not, Chloe," Mrs. Granger nodded. "I'll most certainly keep an extra eye on Bella. Can you please reiterate to her that she can come to me if anything bad happens?"

"I'll do that," Chloe replied. She looked around the room then at the kids working away. "I'll let you get back to them," she said. "Thanks for seeing me."

"Of course," the teacher smiled. "Come see us any time."

The actress went to Bella to drop a quick kiss on her head, then slipped out, feeling a little better now she knew that Mrs. Granger would be paying close attention to her daughter. She got into her car and sent off a quick update to her mom and Beca before pulling out of the school's parking lot and pausing at a stop sign. Then she realized she didn't really have anything pressing to do, so she just picked a direction and drove until she found a quiet section of beach to walk. She rolled up her pant-legs and carried her sandals as she ambled through the surf, enjoying the sun and breeze on her face.

Chloe thought about her future and wondered if she'd have any chance of getting a mainstream role. While she wasn't ashamed of her career, she recognized that some agents wouldn't take her on because of it. However, what many people didn't know about her was that she was a singer too and she wondered if that could open some doors for her.

The actress found herself a little lost and afraid at the thought of having to step outside of her comfort zone, but she knew she had to do it... for Bella and for herself. Things needed to change in her career, the way they'd changed in her personal life. Chloe sat down in the sand and gazed out over the waves. Then her thoughts drifted to Beca, and she couldn't help but smile as she rested her chin on her upraised knees. Beca knew who Chloe was and what she did... and wanted her anyway. Chloe felt hope that there was a future for them and as she strolled back to her car, she started singing softly to herself. She felt happier in her decisions than she had in a long, long time.

Xx

Beca woke to an empty bed, empty bedroom, and empty house. Luke had packed up the rest of his stuff and taken the boxes away in a rented van the day before. The brunette hadn't really cared what he'd taken and had stayed away, sitting in a local café, browsing through rental listings. She wasn't ready to plunge back into the house buyer's market just yet, so she thought an apartment rental would be a good stopgap.

Chloe had gone to New York for a few days to talk to her agent in person and to catch up with some old friends, but Beca had sent her links to look at, when a property had really jumped out at her and, at the redhead's encouragement, had lined up some viewings for the weekend. She looked at the time and rolled out of bed. Chloe's flight would be arriving that afternoon, and she was going to surprise her at the airport, so she took a shower, ate some breakfast, and decided to work a little more on her screenplay.

Beca had been writing a screenplay for a couple of years. In fact, she'd edited the same screenplay three times, each one an improvement on the one before and she was thinking about finally pitching it to Jesse to see if he'd be interested in producing it. It was about a woman who'd secretly witnessed her husband murdering someone and the guilt she was living with every day because of it. How it was slowly driving her insane, tearing her away from her friends and even her own children.

She was engrossed in it when her phone caught her attention and she smiled at the reminder that her girlfriend's flight would be landing in two hours. She got up and grabbed her keys to drive over to pick up Mari and Bella so they could ride together to LAX.

Over the few weeks she'd been dating Chloe now, she'd slowly established a connection with Bella too. In fact, she was thinking she might be irreparably wrapped around a certain little finger. And the feeling actually wasn't terrible. At all.

"Hey, MiniBeale, you want to get Mommy some flowers?" she asked, looking at the little girl in her car seat through the rearview mirror. "Think she'd like it if we surprised her with them?"

"Yes!" Bella yelled making Mari and Beca wince.

The brunette laughed and looked at Chloe's mom. "Do you know what Chloe's favorite flower is?"

"I think a dozen red roses would hit the mark," the older woman smiled. "I know a good flower shop."

"Great!" Beca replied. "Let's stop there." A few minutes later, they parked in the lot of a small strip mall and Beca got Bella out of her car seat, taking her carefully by the hand as she ducked to look at Mari who was still seated on the passenger seat. "Coming in with us?"

The older woman smiled. "I think you two have it." Beca nodded and guided her little buddy toward the florist while Mari watched with an affectionate smile.

It was quiet and fragrant in the store and Beca scooped Bella up into her arms so she could see all the different flower selections. "So, Grandma said red roses. Do you think Mommy would like those?" She pointed at a gorgeous bouquet of twelve, decorated with sprigs of greenery and Baby's Breath.

"Yeah, those are pretty," Bella nodded. "She'll like those very much."

"Does Mommy get flowers often?" Beca asked then.

The little girl shook her head. "No, never." Beca felt sad about that. Chloe deserved the world, let alone a bouquet of flowers. "She'll be really surprised."

"So, you're sure? These ones?" Beca asked, one more time.

"And that!" Bella exclaimed, pointing.

"Good choice," the brunette replied, plucking the item off the shelf, and then carrying their bounty to the checkout to pay. The bouquet was almost as big as Bella, and Mari laughed as she watched the two petite people struggle out of the store and across the parking lot to get loaded into the car. "Phew!" Beca exclaimed, turning the air conditioning up. "That was awesome." She looked in the rearview mirror to double check Bella was still secure. "You got your buckles all done up, MiniBeale?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Bella replied dutifully, and Mari melted just a little at the expression of affection on Beca's face.

"Good girl. Grandma, you got your buckles done up too?" the brunette asked.

Mari grinned at her. "Snug as a bug in a rug. Let's go get our girl."

Xx

Chloe was tired and a little down. Her agent had essentially dumped her over dinner when she'd told him Elektra was retiring, but honestly, she wasn't really surprised. After all, what use was an actress who wouldn't do porn, to an agent who specialized in providing cast for porn movies? But still... it stung that they were parting ways after she'd lined his pockets for almost a decade.

The flight from New York had been ok, except for the kid kicking the back of her seat for half of it, but the actress had just taken a deep breath and looked forward to getting home. She walked along the broad hallways of the terminal, pulling her small suitcase behind her, and exited through automatic doors, into the public area.

It only took her a moment to realize that someone was yelling, and her eyes, along with about thirty other women's eyes, turned in the same direction at the same time.

"MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYY!"

But Chloe's face was the only one that lit up and the only pair of eyes that filled with tears. "BELLA!" The redhead hurried forward and then dropped everything to scoop her daughter into her arms to hug her so tightly, the little girl squeaked.

"Surprise, Mommy!" Bella exclaimed, pushing the bouquet of roses into her mother's chest. "We missed you. And we got you flowers."

Chloe set her daughter down and took the bouquet from her, bringing it to her nose to smell it. Then she noticed the little teddy bear nestled between the blooms, sporting a tiny red We Love You sweater and a black sewn smile. "Thank you so much," she said, hand caressing through her daughter's hair but eyes firmly on Beca. "They're absolutely beautiful… and perfect and… God… I missed you all too."

Beca smiled softly. "Welcome home, Baby." The brunette blushed a little then as her girlfriend stepped closer to her, cupping her cheek in one hand, and kissing her gently on the lips. The soft contact, and the look in Chloe's eyes, ignited a flame of desire inside her and she tried to breathe steadily, even though her heart felt like it would pound right out of her chest. She and Chloe still hadn't revisited having sex yet. Beca had wanted to take things slowly; to have a chance to think and process. But now, she was ready, just kinda nervous. She wanted it and she knew, despite the redhead's patience and understanding, that Chloe wanted it too.

Then the actress was stepping away to hug her mother and Beca was able to breathe again. "Hi, Mom. Thanks for coming."

"We missed you, Honey," Mari said with a big smile. "Bella asked every hour on the hour when you'd be coming home." She rolled her eyes and made a face.

The redhead laughed and leaned down to kiss her daughter's head. "Were you pestering Grandma, Bells?"

"What?" Beca deadpanned, eyes wide. "MiniBeale? Never!"

Mari just snorted and shook her head as they made their way toward the exit.

Xx

Chloe smiled as she stood by the pool and watched Beca playing with Bella in the sandpit. They were creating quite the sandcastle and the actress chuckled as her daughter carefully filled her bucket, a look of utter concentration on her face that Chloe recognized as Dylan's. She strolled across the patio, smiling at Mari as she crouched next to her child.

"Whatcha building, Honey?" she asked.

"A Ferral Wheel Beca told me about," Bella replied.

"A Ferris Wheel? Hmmm… that's absolutely amazing," Chloe replied solemnly. The construction looked nothing like a Ferris Wheel and Beca just shrugged as their eyes met. Then her eyes dropped to Chloe's lips, and she smirked a little as she heard the actress's inhale. Chloe swallowed and had to look away, since it probably wouldn't have been appropriate to jump Beca's bones with her child right there. And her mother. Instead, she gave in to her desire to kiss her briefly as she gave her a beer. Then she passed Bella a juice box and joined her mom on the small sofa, giving her a beer too. "They're so cute together," the redhead said, a wistful smile on her face. "I think Bella really likes her new playmate."

"Dylan asked about Beca," Mari said as she half turned to look at her daughter. "The munchkin talks about her all the time. Maybe it's time for a conversation with him?"

"I know," Chloe nodded. "I was planning to, but I've just been kinda waiting to see where this was going."

Mari reached out to push some escaped wisps of red hair behind Chloe's ear. "And where IS it going, Honey?"

The actress didn't say anything for a long moment and her mother waited patiently. "I really, really like her, Mom, and I think we could have something really great," Chloe said then. "We DO have something great… but Beca asked for us to take things slowly and of course I respect that but…"

"But?" Mari prompted.

Chloe sighed and scraped her nail against her beer bottle's label. "It's driving me a little crazy. I'm like…" She blew out a somewhat frustrated breath.

"So horny you could explode?" the older woman suggested.

The actress laughed softly. "Something like that, yeah."

"I think she is too," Mari said in a confidential tone. "Sometimes, she looks at you and the air practically sizzles."

Chloe swallowed. "You're not helping," she groaned.

"Maybe she just needs a little bit of encouragement," the older woman chuckled. "Maybe you should go home with her tonight."

The actress smiled and squeezed her mother's shoulder. "Have I told you you're the best mom in the world?"

"Not nearly often enough," Mari laughed loudly, making Beca look over at them and smile.

"Well, you are," Chloe replied. Then she got up and ambled over to the sandpit again. "Hey, Becs? Take a walk on the beach with me?"

"Sure!" The younger woman got up and dusted the sand off her clothes. Then she took her girlfriend's hand and followed her down the steps onto the beach where they shed their shoes. They walked quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the rising moon as the sky darkened, then Beca looked at Chloe with a little smile. "I actually wanted to talk to you alone," she said.

"Me too," Chloe nodded.

The brunette nodded in return and squeezed Chloe's hand a little. "I want to say thank you," she said. "You've been so patient with me, and I know you could have anyone, Chloe… I mean… you're so beautiful and smart and everything anyone could want…"

But Chloe was suddenly right in her space, cupping her jaw. "Hold that thought," she said and leaned in to kiss Beca with everything she had. It made the brunette's head spin, and every drop of moisture in her body rush to between her thighs. Beca groaned as Chloe ended the kiss and pressed their foreheads together. "Sorry… I've just been wanting to do that since the moment I saw you at the airport."

The brunette blinked slowly as she tried to clear her hazy mind and then she was just saying the first thing that popped into her head, as if the kiss had completely erased her internal filter. "I want to have sex with you."

The actress sucked in a breath in surprise and then laughed softly. "Ok, well, I guess I don't have anything to talk about then."

Beca pulled back. "Oh my God, you weren't like… going to break up with me or something, were you? Was that a goodbye kiss?"

The panic in the brunette's eyes broke Chloe's heart and she took her girlfriend's cheeks between her hands to look seriously at her. "Baby, no, of course not. I've been waiting for you to make this decision because you're more than worth it and I need to make sure you're happy and comfortable. I wanted to talk to you tonight to make sure there wasn't anything bothering you." She grinned then. "But I guess there isn't!"

"I AM happy," Beca whispered. "I really, really like you, Chloe."

"Me too, Becs," the older woman replied with a smile. "And I really want to have sex with you too, so, the question is… who's going home with whom tonight?"

The actress's clear blue eyes were Beca's downfall, and her hands slipped under Chloe's shirt to caress the skin over her ribs. "I know we're already at your house but… Bella. So... come home with me?"

Chloe just smiled adoringly. "I thought you'd never ask."