Thank you so much for your patience as I worked to get Chapter 3 up! Life is a little crazy right now and I've been struggling to find the time to actually sit down and work on this, so thank you! (And then I had to go and delete all my responses to your reviews, so that was really good of me, too).

Jody1990 - What...me ripping hearts out? I would never. Hehe. No comment. I promise it won't be horrible, though! Yeah, Beca and guilt are truly BFFs. But I promise there are going to be happy times! Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Guest (1/2, Sept. 16) - You know me so well! One more chapter before another reunion, hopefully the wait will be worth it ;) I totally agree with you about the father. Tbh I'm leaning more towards not including them because there is going to be so much to focus on with Kiara/Beca/Chloe's relationship and I really want to focus on the three of them + their new family. I also hear you on the medical storyline. All I can say is trust me. While it is a major plot line, it is not the only plot line. The development of the Mitchell's family is definitely the focal point of the story and will remain that way. The medical storyline has it's purpose and I promise the fic will not be total doom and gloom. I promise I will make it make sense :) I'm glad you liked how I introduced Kiara's group home life and Chloe's character. Beca's character is a little all over the place in the beginning, but she'll even out eventually. There's just a lot of stuff going on up in her head right now. Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Icedragone - Yeahhhh Beca did not have it easy. But now it's all good because she has her amazing Chloe support system! Beca and guilt are very familiar with each other in this fic and you certainly have her blaming herself correct. Thank you so much for your kind words and for your support!

Wolvezzz - Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it. I hope the rest of the chapters live up to your expectations :) Hahaha I will try and get it posted soon! It's really not much, maybe like 3k words, but I just had to write something for them when I finished the show. Thank you so much for reading and for your support! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Guest (2/2, Sept.16) - I love reading all of your predictions! I can't give anything away because then what would there be to read, but I love hearing your thoughts, so thank you for sharing! But omg wouldn't it be so cruel if I was just like "and Beca donated her heart to Kiara the end." Talk about ripping people's hearts out. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the fic! Thanks so much for reading and for your support!

CJE - I'm so glad that you enjoyed last chapter, I hope this one follows suit! Thank you so much for your kind words and for your support!

Guest (Sept.21) - I will say that this fic is *loosely* inspired by Life Unexpected. The main plot points are there, the idea of building relationships between mother/daughter is there, but the medical stuff is all new. I'll let you make your own predictions about Kie ;) Who knows what could happen... Hahah baby bechloe is on the way! Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Chapter 3

"Bec, please sit down. You're going to make yourself dizzy."

For the first time in days, Beca feels awake. Conscious. Competent.

It's the first time that she has seen a light at the end of the tunnel.

Because, once again, Chloe has brought clarity to the situation. She has brought hope. She has stood by Beca through thick and thin and was willing to work with Beca in a partnership that Beca once never thought would happen to her.

She has, once again, been blown away by the sheer luck that she has to have Chloe Mitchell as her wife.

"Sorry." Beca sits down with a small 'huff', tugging her suit pants down so they aren't up around her ankles, and straightening the sleeves of her jacket. She looks around the office, at the filing cabinets, the diplomas, the few child-made drawings hanging on the wall. They've been waiting here for the last twenty minutes for Kyle to arrive.

Kyle, Kiara's social worker.

Kyle, the man that they're going to talk to about bringing Kiara home.

It took Beca three days and seven hours after meeting Kiara to realize that this is exactly what she needed to do. To realize that it remains the only plausible option.

She put Kiara in this situation, and she isn't going to let her stay in it any longer. Not if Beca can do something about it.

Chloe was the one to bring the idea up to Beca, gently suggesting it and perhaps insinuating that if Beca were afraid of mentioning it, that she shouldn't be. That Kiara was just as much their family as the baby that Chloe is currently carrying is, and if Beca was okay with pursuing some sort of custody arrangement, Chloe was more than onboard herself.

Which leads them to where they are now, sitting in Kyle The Social Worker's office, waiting for him to arrive for their eleven-a.m. meeting.

It's kind of shocking, how fast it all fell together. And it's not anywhere near being over yet.

Because if all goes according to plan, Beca's daughter – a sixteen-year-old girl nonetheless – will be moving in in a short amount of time.

Hypothetically, of course.

"Hey—it's going to be just fine, babe. Deep breaths."

Beca grips onto Chloe's hand, giving her a tight smile, before relaxing in her chair.

And Chloe understands why she's so anxious. She gets what kind of traumatic memories resurfaced for Beca when Kiara showed up in the lobby.

It took Chloe three years of knowing Beca and two years of dating before she had opened up about her junior year of high school. About what happened when she moved from one side of the country to another and had her entire life uprooted.

The truth came out on a rather mundane night. Nothing special had been happening, no circumstances that may have otherwise predicted an eventful share. Chloe and Beca had just been curled up together in Chloe's bed, watching reruns of Chloe's favorite show, One Tree Hill. They got on to the topic of high school, about what they had each been like, and that was when Beca told her that Chloe would've been ashamed to even know Beca had they met when she was in high school.

Beca's never been one to be a forward sharer. Never been one that was overly willing to bare her soul to the masses. She's always been closed off with people until she knows she can trust them. Which is why Chloe was relatively surprised when Beca was so forthcoming with the details of everything that happened to her that year.

Later, Beca would tell her that she had wanted to talk to Chloe about it for a long time. That it was the time in her life that she was most ashamed of, that she wanted nothing more than to erase. But that Beca also knew Chloe wouldn't judge her for everything that happened.

And Chloe didn't judge Beca. Of course she didn't. She held her then-girlfriend for the hours that she spent crying after reliving that year. She told her that what had happened wasn't her fault. That she doesn't think of her any differently.

That she loves her all the same.

Still, her wife tenses almost instantly when a voice emerges from behind them. "Mrs. and Mrs. Mitchell, it's so nice to meet you."

Beca and Chloe instantly spring from their seats in front of Kyle's desk, turning around to greet the older man. His tie is askew and his brief case has papers sticking out of it. He's frazzled, with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He takes a deep breath, sticking out his hand, shaking Beca's and Chloe's in greeting as he does so.

Beca takes the lead. "I'm Beca, this is my wife, Chloe. Thanks so much for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice."

Kyle nods, unpacking a laptop and a few folders before sitting down at his desk. "Of course. What can I do for you folks? The front desk said that you wanted to meet about uh…about one of the kids on my caseload?" He looks up with a laugh, running his hand down the back of his neck. "Please forgive me, it's been a long day. Who are we here to talk about?"

Beca gulps, never once releasing Chloe's hand. Chloe gives her a reassuring smile, and with that, Beca says, "Yeah-yes. Yes, we um… we wanted to talk to you about Kiara Mitchell." The words tumble out of Beca's control before she can stop them. "She's my daughter."

Kyle's eyes widen, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "Kiara? How did you…" He laughs, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little shocked. I um… I wasn't expecting this."

With the pressure slowly releasing in her chest, Beca continues. "She found us – or, me – actually. She came to my office, asking me to sign a paper that would terminate my parental rights for her to be emancipated, which, in hindsight, I definitely shouldn't have signed – but I – we – haven't been able to stop thinking about her."

Kyle doesn't move. He doesn't speak. He simply stares at them for a solid twenty seconds, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, this is just… I've been Kiara's social worker for the majority of her life and never, in a million years, would I have imagined this." He clears his throat, still clearly trying to wrap his mind around the entire thing. "Um...first, let me just apologize about Kiara reaching out to you. I um... I know how she found your information and that was my mistake. I shouldn't have left your contact information out on my desk when I knew how passionate she was about moving the emancipation process along."

Chloe speaks from beside Beca. "No apologies necessary. We're happy that she found Beca."

Kyle gives her a small smile. "Well, I'm glad. But, still, that was a breach of your privacy and I apologize. But secondly, and most importantly, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that you want to pursue reunification with Kiara?"

There's the slightest bit of hesitation, her earlier enthusiasm and certainty wavering with the reality of the situation, before Beca nods. "Yes. Exactly."

Kyle folds his hands on top of his desk, stoic and expressionless. "I'll be honest, folks. Requests like this… especially after sixteen years…they barely exist, and the ones that do…they're tossed right in the trash. Parental rights are almost always signed away at birth, as I'm sure you know, and those that aren't, there's a few years lee-way before they are terminated by the judge."

Beca stomach rolls, heart picking up in its racing pace. Her voice cracks ever so slightly. "But…but Kiara had said that the forms were void because they were lost when she moved from Portland."

"They were. Even the one you signed the other day won't hold up because there wasn't a legal witness. Of course, we are always hoping for biological families to be reunited, and even if there hadn't been a sixteen-year period where you did not act upon your rights, Kiara is a very special case. We'd have to have a very serious conversation about whether you are able – and willing – to take care of her. For however long that may be."

There's something about the way Kyle chooses his words so incredibly specifically, that sends a chill up Beca's spine. "What do you mean?"

Kyle lets out a quiet sigh. He seems to struggle with whatever he wants to say, before finally settling on his decision. "There's no easy way to say this… but one of the main reasons why Kiara is still in state custody, is because she's had a lot of health problems growing up. The largest of which has to do with her heart. She has a condition that will likely lead to her needing a heart transplant in the upcoming year, maybe months... it's not a good situation."

It's hard to describe the overwhelming sense of dread that fills Beca. The way her stomach swims inside of her and how her breath seems to leave her chest. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, words unable to form.

Chloe has her covered. "So she's been sick this entire time?"

Her words, apparently, do little to help Beca, who grows even paler than she normally is. "Chlo..."

Kyle nods, seemingly ignoring (or not hearing) Beca's quiet plea. "She has been. And, to be blunt, she's not getting any better. So, I really need you to consider whether or not this is something you truly want to pursue. If not for Kiara's sake, then for your own."

One Week Later

"Hey, Kie, Lena wants to see you downstairs."

Kiara glances up from where she is laying on her bed studying her physics textbook. Olivia is perched at her feet doing the same. She feels her eyebrow twitch in confusion at Marco's words. "Did she say why?"

The younger boy shakes his head, the light from Kiara's lamp reflecting briefly off of his bald head.

Ewing sarcoma. Pediatric cancer.

"No. Sorry."

"It's fine, thanks, Marco."

She closes her book with a groan, nudging Olivia with her foot. "Any chance this won't be about last week?"

Liv smirks, never once looking up from her notebook. "No way. Best of luck, soldier."

Rolling her eyes with a chuckle, Kiara slides her legs off the bed and climbs out the side. She sticks her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt, the crisp fall air not exactly helping her poor circulation.

There is music playing softly from Sebastian's room, but other than that, the upper level of the house is completely quiet. Her and Liv have been working on studying for their upcoming physics test for most of the afternoon, and the younger kids typically finish their schoolwork far earlier than they do. But Sebastian had a rough night last night and Madison still isn't quite comfortable enough to hang out in the common areas, so the silence doesn't necessarily surprise Kiara.

What does surprise Kiara, is that she finds Lena and her social worker, Kyle, sitting at the dining room table when she rounds the corner from the stairs.

Kyle's one of the good ones. She's had a few social workers during her lifetime, and she's heard horror stories about the other social workers responsible for her friends' cases. Kyle has been working with her since she moved in with Lena, and Kiara has been incredibly grateful to have had him through the tough first few years of her diagnosis, her teen years, and now the lovely forecasting for the next six months of her life.

He listens. He looks out for her in a way similar to what Lena does.

Kiara trusts him.

Which is why she greets him with a genuine smile when he looks up from his coffee. "Kyle. Hey. I didn't know you were coming over."

He grins in return, pushing himself out of his chair and coming around the table. "There's my favorite girl." He wraps his arms around her, giving her a gentle squeeze before taking a step back, looking her up and down in a way a grandfather would his favorite grandchild. "How've you been, Kie? How're the meds working?"

Kiara gives Kyle the same shrug that she does whenever people ask how she's feeling, Lena's knowing gaze on her all the way. "We'll see."

"Loving the optimism as always, Kie." He reaches out and ruffles her hair, causing Kiara to swat his hand away like a bug. "Kidding, kidding. You want to have a seat? Lena and I want to talk to you about something."

Kiara's eyebrows furrow briefly as she looks over Kyle's shoulder at Lena. There's something in Lena's face, though, that makes Kiara pause. Something that makes her stomach do a little flip, rather than settle with the comfort Lena normally brings her. She hesitates, not moving an inch towards the chair that's at the head of the table, nestled comfortably between, arguably, two of the only adults she trusts in her life. "What's going on?"

Kiara can see Lena's chest rise and fall with the sigh, one that is too similar to the sighs that emerge when something is wrong. "Take a seat, love."

Panic washes over her, with Kiara twisting the ring that Lena gave her for her thirteenth birthday around her right middle finger. She takes the smallest step forward, hesitation still holding her back, but she eventually perches herself on the edge of the chair, the trust that she has for Kyle and Lena pulling her further. Kyle sits down beside her, and Lena holds out her hand, motioning for Kiara to place hers in the grasp. Kiara obliges, flicking her eyes in between the two. "What's wrong? If this is about last Monday, I can explain—"

"You're not in trouble, Kie."

"Lena's right." Kyle leans forward, locking his hands on top of the table. "Believe it or not, we actually have some good news for you."

Kiara smirks, feeling slightly more at ease. Her eyebrow arches sarcastically, the levity of Kyle's statement bringing her a little further away from the edge. If anything, curiosity gets the better of her. 'Good news' isn't exactly in her vocabulary. "Well, jeez… color me intrigued." She takes her hand out of Lena's and leans back in her chair, she's worked with them for long enough to know that something's up. "Seriously, guys, what's going on?"

Silence falls over the table, Kiara not being able to miss the way that Lena and Kyle seem to be communicating sans words right in front of her. She waits expectantly, only looking at Lena when she opens her mouth to answer, an almost pained smile spreading across her face. "Kyle found you a home, Kie."

It is like a bucket of ice water is thrown over Kiara's head. Like the world has frozen around her. Like her heart has finally stopped beating and her lungs have stopped working. She blinks – once, twice - waiting to see if Kyle and Lena disappear and she wakes up from this nightmare – but they remain sitting there, watching her every move.

She gulps, locking eyes with Lena, the one person that has been there through it all. And then a laugh – one of pure disbelief – escapes her control. "What?"

If Kiara's head wasn't spinning, she might notice the quiver in Lena's voice when she responds. "Kyle found you a home, Kiara. A good home. A safe home."

Kiara's jaw opens and closes as words get lost in her throat, slowly regaining her awareness. "Wh-where?"

A smile grows on Kyle's face. "Well, Kie, it's actually with your birth mom. Beca Mitchell."

This time, Kiara's response comes lightning fast, as does her pushing herself out of her chair. "What?!"

"Kiara, hold on—"

Kiara ignores Lena's outstretched hand, her pleading expression. "No—you guys… you can't be serious?!"

"Kie, Beca and her wife Chloe came to talk to me the other day – they said that they want to pursue custody options—"

"They signed away their rights! I have—I have my emancipation hearing next week this isn't—Lena, tell him that this can't happen!" Kiara's chest aches, her heart pounding hard against her ribcage as anger floods her system. She can feel her blood rushing inside of her head, all of the symptoms that she has long been told to be aware of, happening at once.

Lena stands from her chair in a hurry, trying to bring her into her arms, with Kie fighting the entire way. "Kiara, you need to calm down. This is not good for your heart."

"No! You can't—how is this happening?! She's not-she's not even my mom! She signed away her rights I'm-I'm going to be emancipated and-and I can't—"

Kiara struggles to get a breath in, Kyle's image wavering in front of her, but she can still hear his voice. "There wasn't a legal witness there when Beca signed away her rights, Kiara. The petition wouldn't be valid in the court, and even if Beca would sign the paper again, which she point-blank told me she wouldn't, it is unlikely the court would grant you emancipation when you have a safe and capable home with parents who can provide for you especially when—"

"I swear to God if you say anything about my heart right now—"

"Kie, please—"

"No!" Kiara rips her arm away from Lena's gentle hold, taking a step back so that she is far enough away from both Kyle and Lena, revoking both of their ability to touch her. "Why is this happening?! Why are you doing this?!"

Tears start to stream down Lena's face, but Kiara can barely notice because her own cloud her vision. "Honey, this is good news. It is about time that you get the family that you deserve. Beca and Chloe—"

"Beca gave me up. She doesn't get to have any say in what goes on in my life!"

Lena reaches out to her again. "Kie, can you please try and calm down? We can talk about this but your heart—"

"My heart is going to crap out anyways! It might as well happen here and now – that way I can stay where I am supposed to!" Hands shaking, Kiara rubs her face, her vision blurring beneath her palms. "I'm not leaving. I-I can't leave. This-this is my home. My home is with-is with you and it's with you and Liv and Jackie and—"

"I know sweetheart, I know it is…" Lena takes another step forward, stopping when Kiara moves backward once more. "But I want you to try and think of this like it's the good thing that it is. You're going to live in a beautiful home, with two parents that are so excited to get to know you. I know you don't want to leave, Kie, I don't want you to leave either – I really don't, love – but this…honey, it doesn't get much better than this."

Kiara shakes her head, hot tears streaming down her face. She digs her teeth into her bottom lip, entire body feeling like it could collapse on the ground at any moment. Not a single rational thought makes its way through her consciousness; all she can feel is the complete and utter betrayal associated with what Kyle and Lena are telling her.

And though she doesn't trust either of them right now, she can barely look at them, she does force herself to look Lena in the eye for one last moment. She pleads with all that's left in her. "Please don't make me go."

Lena gives her a pitiful expression, her head quirked to the side and clear distress written on her face. "It's…there is still going to be a process, Kie. This isn't happening overnight."

Kyle joins in, "Exactly. We're going to do a few mediation sessions here, there is going to be time for you three to get to know each other…"

Kiara shuts her mind down, not listening to a single word.

Thank you so much for reading - I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think/thoughts/comments/predictions in the comments if you are willing to share! I love reading all of your responses!

See you next time! xx