Thank you so much for the support last chapter!

Wolvezzz - Just a little bit of happiness before all of the bad stuff :( I had to include Emily in there... I feel like her and Beca could've had such a good relationship in the movies if they showed it a little bit more. Beca did get the chance to let loose a little, with the help of the kids of course, and lol I'm just going to keep pushing Theo's arrival off until the very last chapter hahaha (kidding... or am I? Idk...)Thank you for your kind words! I hope your mom is recovering well and I hope you and your British boyfriend are well, too :) Thanks so much for reading and for your support!

Hopefully0308 - :((( The faster Theo arrives, though, the faster he can leave and Beca can start to heal! Thanks so much for reading and for your support~

NJCE - Here it comessss... honestly this chapter really hurt me to write but I was also kind of proud of one part in particular? So we'll see! Emily is here! She'll be able to help a little, and yes, Chloe's guilt is a little more deep than what some people (in the fic I mean) might expect. I also want to hug them all :( The part with Beca telling the kids is a big enough "thing" to have it be written in, but it won't be a multi-chapter dilemma if that makes sense. Turtle is def a creep and if I were him I would for sure be afraid of having one of the Bellas come after me - I mean, did you see how Fat Amy blew up her father's yacht? Beca and Chloe will start getting closer once the legal proceedings start... it might not seem so this chapter, but they have a few good moments in 12 and 13... Part 2 is when we'll see the real growth, though. No comment on the person noticing Beca sharing it or not sharing it on the internet ;) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, as always, and for your support!

Jody1990 - Yuppppp it is all starting to happen :( Also "some doughnut" is now my favorite saying). Yes! I also love Bella and Callie's relationship. It'll get the chance to really develop throughout the rest of the fic :) Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

RJRMovieFan - Ah thank you so much! I love Beca and Emily's relationship and was looking for a way to incorporate it without it seeming forced. Theo is coming, that's for sure...thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Isaiah Flamez - Theo will definitely figure out where Beca is one way or another... he is coming, that's for sure. Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Icedragone - I love Emily so much :') Hehe I'm not sure who it was! But let's just say, whoever it was, isn't going to stay quiet and Beca is definitely going to flip. I agree that it is going to be a struggle to get her out again. Thanks so much for reading and for your support!

CJ3 - Thank you so much for your kind words! Theo (and drama lol) is coming but now Beca has Emily and the other girls so she won't be alone :) I'm so glad that you're enjoying the fic! Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

Guest (Ch.10) - It's all good! No sorries! I'm glad you enjoyed Ch.9! I'm so glad the emotions are coming through in the chapters, that's always been one of my biggest fears lol. Emily is here and the other Bellas will be back eventually, too! Hehe I love writing the kids all together... there's a brief snippet today but will definitely be more in the future. YES you're exactly right re: "they are distant but like the connection is there"... even if it might not seem like it this chapter, they are getting closer. They have a few one-on-one moments in the upcoming chapters, there will be more during the legal proceedings, and then they'll really start to get close in part 2. I'm sorrryyyyy about the end! I had to. Idk you're probably going to mad at me for this end too :( If I hadn't stopped it there, though, the chapters would be like 20k words long each hahaha. Something is going to happen that's for sure... I hope you had a nice week, too! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, as always, and for your support!

Ritchellexx - I'm so glad that you're enjoying the fic! Prepare yourself for Theo for sure... he's not going to come quietly (or leave quietly, I guess, either). Thank you so much for your kind words and for your support!

Bechloeforever14 - Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic! And everyone's writing styles are different - I'm sure you're writing skills are amazing :) Thanks so much for reading and for your support!

Disclaimer: There are some of the beginning talks of legal proceedings in this chapter. I've tried to make it as realistic as possible given the information I could find on the internet, but there are definitely going to be some inaccuracies.


Chapter 11

Content Warning: Implied domestic violence situation, panic attack, one swear word, just general distress; brief section from Theo's POV at the very end after the location change.

Yesterday was a good day, Beca knows that much for certain.

And Beca hasn't had a good day in a very long time.

It was nice, she won't hesitate to admit, enjoying some time out in the sunshine, listening to her Callie and Henry's carefree laughs fill the air. It was nice just sitting there, the sun on her face and watching her kids just be kids.

She won't deny that it was nice being there with Chloe and the other girls, too. While she was eventually more focused on pushing Henry in the swing, and watching Bella help Callie on the monkey bars, it was nice to listen to the other Bellas catch up. To hear a little about what Emily's been up to, to see Aubrey and Stacie together as a married couple, without the stress of Beca just being there, taking up the entire space.

To hear Chloe laugh. To see her smile.

For a few hours, Beca was able to forget her current situation. She was able to forget the fact that she is currently hiding from her husband, and that, up until recently, she hadn't seen her college friends in over ten years. She was able to forget all that she left behind, in exchange for a few hours of peace and happiness.

Now, waking up to the sound of the traffic outside the apartment, with one child nestled under each of her arms, the sun streaming in through the split in the curtain, Beca can say that, without a doubt, that feeling has transferred over to the next morning.

Beca brings the hand that was holding Callie close, up to her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as her kids remain sound asleep beside her. She could get used to this.

She tilts her head up on the pillow to see the clock, quickly noting that it's quickly approaching nine on a Sunday morning and that if she doesn't get up to start making breakfast soon, Callie and Henry – who look like little angels right now – are going to wake up with a certain reign of terror that stems from their grumbling stomachs.

With that in mind, Beca carefully extracts herself from the limp limbs of the kids, making sure they're nestled back under the covers before taking a step back from the bed. She shrugs on a sweatshirt, plucks the cellphone Aubrey gave her from the bedside table, and sneaks out of the bedroom as quietly as she can. She keeps up the stealth act all the way through the kitchen, not wanting to wake Chloe, who is still asleep in the room Callie and Henry had previously been sleeping in.

Beca gets right to work making breakfast. She pulls out the ingredients for pancakes, working in silence as she turns the stove on. She starts to mix the batter, not having to look at any sort of recipe or set of instructions because she's been making chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakes every Sunday for her kids since Callie was old enough to properly chew them.

The fact that Beca gets to work on breakfast in the silence of the apartment does not go unnoticed by her. It doesn't go unnoticed that this is exactly what she would be doing back in Los Angeles, the only difference is that Theo would be in their bedroom upstairs and she would need to be ten times quieter than she is being right now.

If there's one thing she's learned over the past two weeks of being in New York, it's that living a certain way for over a decade, is going to lead to a lot of habits that are going to take a long time to break.

After finishing mixing the batter, Beca abandons the bowl on the counter, not wanting to start making the actual pancakes for about ten more minutes. Callie, Henry, and Chloe all deserve a few extra minutes of sleep before being woken up by the smell of breakfast. Instead, Beca grabs her phone and heads over to the kitchen table to take a seat.

She swipes open the lock screen, smiling softly at the picture staring back at her as she does so. It's the only photo on the phone, one that she took just a few days ago of Callie reading to Henry on her bed before Beca tucked them in. Beca had snuck the picture before going inside the bedroom to do just that, and since then, she hasn't been able to stop looking at it.

But once she's inside the actual device, she gets to work on the same task she has been doing every single morning (and at lunch, before bed, and a couple of times scattered in throughout the day) since Aubrey gave her the cellphone. The one night she didn't, actually, was last night, just because she had been so tired from the day full of activity and socialization.

She opens the Safari app and starts a new Google search, typing in 'Beca Mitchell' into the search bar.

Up until leaving Los Angeles, Beca had never Googled herself. She has spent the better part of the last ten years hating every aspect of her career and did not need to be reminded about it on the internet. She avoided social media for exactly that reason, handing over the reins to whatever intern or social media director Theo pawned off on her, so that she didn't have to see the fake smiles she put on for the world.

She saw it – and still sees it – every morning in the mirror.

But in that twenty minutes that Beca was waiting in the airport gate with Callie and Henry sleeping beside her, she Googled herself for the first time to see if there were any obscure photos or blogs picking up on the fact that she was at the airport in the middle of the night, with two kids, sans husband. Since then, she's made it a habit to check the same sites, looking through the 'News' tab attached to her name, and hoping that she won't see a recent picture or article that has anything to do with her leaving California.

She would much rather be aware of the fact that there is an article circulating around the tabloid sphere (and subsequently getting sent to Theo, without a doubt), then to walk out of the apartment building and be swarmed by paparazzi.

Or worse, Theo himself.

Beca's been lucky, so far, though. Which is why she doesn't really think much about it as she taps her fingers against the respective keys. In fact, she stifles a yawn as the page loads, and tiredly presses on the same 'News' button that she always does.

This time, though, unlike every other morning, afternoon, and nighttime adventure into the world of the digital age, Beca's breath catches in her throat. Her jaw drops open slightly, fear instantly washing over her, as her stomach drops.

The different headlines swim in front of her.

Beca Mitchell and KIDS?!

Beca Mitchell Spotted in New York with Two Children

Grammy-award winner Beca Mitchell in New York without Husband Theo Burnett

Beca Mitchell Hiding Kids?

Beca Mitchell –

Beca shuts the phone off as pressure builds in her chest, her breathing starting to become labored because of the various claims and rumors (well, they aren't exactly rumors, now, are they?) that had just been staring up at her from the phone screen.

Because if she saw the headlines hours after they've been posted, other people have for sure.

And if other people have seen them, Beca can almost bet that one person in particular has seen them.

Of course, the one day she doesn't check the sites at night…

Beca shakes her head, raking her fingers through her hair. She pulls each breath in through her nose and slowly blows it between parted lips, but her heartrate does not settle down in the slightest.

This is it.

This is the end.

There's no moving forward from this.

With tears streaming down her face, Beca lets out a shuddering sob, the emotions quickly overcoming her.

There's no way that Theo doesn't know – not now. Not after he already had his suspicions that they were in New York.

She failed.

She failed herself, she failed her kids.

They're going to have to go back.

Another sob escapes her mouth as she covers her face with her hands. At this point, she doesn't even know if she can run again.

It could be too late.

It probably is too late.

Sitting there, cradling her head in her hands, Beca doesn't hear one of the bedroom doors open. She certainly doesn't hear the light footsteps that make their way down the hall, anxiously as soon as the person sees Beca in tears and struggling to breathe – again – by herself in the kitchen.

What she does feel though, is the light touch that falls onto her shoulder.

Beca jerks upward, staring up through tear-filled eyes at Chloe, whose concern is clear all over her face. She pulls an even shakier breath through her nose, ignoring Chloe's questions and desperation to figure out what is going on.

Somewhere along the way, Beca's head foggy and not at all clear, only being able to think about what she's just discovered, she manages to gesture to her phone enough so that Chloe picks up the hint. She doesn't know how she manages to do it, trying to focus on her breathing more than anything else, but she unlocks the device and hands it over to Chloe, who continues to rub a hand up and down her back – terrified at the entire sight.

As soon as Chloe sees the search, she pulls Beca into her embrace. Beca, still falling apart in front of her, is too far out of it to realize that Chloe is holding her so close. She grips the back of Chloe's shirt instead, not being able to recognize that the redhead uses her free hand to dial Aubrey's number, and lets her know that they have a very big problem.


"You doing okay?"

Beca jerks her attention up at the sound of Chloe tapping on the bedroom door, her head pounding from the emotional morning, and the chronic stress that has settled into her body. "Um…" Beca swallows down the lump that has lodged itself completely in her throat, blinking back another round of tears. She ignores Chloe's question all together, not having it in her to conjure up a convincing answer. "Are the kids okay?"

Beca's eyes drift down to the suitcase in front of her. She unpacked this less than three weeks ago, and here she is packing it up again. Her hands have been shaking far too much to properly fold her and her kids' clothes, but as long as they fit, that's all that matters.

Chloe takes a hesitant step into the room – the panic attack this morning was something unlike anything that Chloe has ever seen. Beca had completely shut down, hyperventilating to the extent that she thought she was going to pass out. She really couldn't do anything except for hold Beca while she called Aubrey, letting her know about Beca's discovery.

And feeling so stupid while she did so.

Yesterday had been such a good day, and they had been careless in their responsibilities of protecting Beca. Now Beca and the kids are in danger, once more, and Chloe can't help but feel like it's her fault.

"They are. Emily's going to be over here in five minutes, and Stacie will be here shortly after. We'll be able to talk about everything once we're at Bree and Stacie's, okay?" Chloe keeps her voice soft, not wanting any bit of firmness to scare Beca back into her mind even further than she already is. "Bree is already compiling the paperwork to file the restraining order. He's not going to be able to get to you or the kids."

Beca closes the suitcase, zipping it up as quickly as she can when she can't even hold the little piece of metal in her trembling fingers. "Okay."

Chloe shifts from one foot to the other, keeping a safe distance between her and the brunette. Despite wanting nothing more than to wrap her in her arms and to hold and comfort her, she doesn't make any effort to do so. Instead, she attempts to do by talking.

Attempt being the key word.

"Bec—"

Beca slides the suitcase down onto the ground, practically having flashbacks to pulling it behind her as she walked through the airport. "I'm going to go make sure they're all set."

She tries to ignore the hurt look on Chloe's face, but right now, her mind is so far elsewhere that the guilt doesn't quite register with her. Instead, she is far more focused with getting Callie and Henry out of this apartment before they have any unwanted visitors.

When she is a few steps away from entering the living room, Callie and Henry's light chatter filling her ears, Beca forces a small smile on her exhausted face. "How's it going out here, guys?"

Callie grins up at her mom, completely unaware of the panic coursing through her veins. "Chloe said we're going to Bella's, Mama!"

Beca parks the suitcase by the entryway, not meeting Chloe's eyes as she comes to stand beside it, before she addresses her daughter. "No way. I don't believe it."

Callie giggles. "Uh huh, she said!" She quirks her head to the side. "How come you have the suitcase, Mama?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out, bug." Beca pulls Henry onto her lap, pressing a kiss into his head as he plays with the strings on her sweatshirt. "What're you going to do with Bella?"

Callie shrugs, moving so that she's pressed into Beca's side. She abandons her book on the couch cushions, leaning in. "Probably play games."

"What about you, monkey?" Beca bounces Henry on her lap.

He gives her a cheeky smile. "I dunno."

"You don't know?" She tickles his side, taking extreme peace and comfort from the sound of both his and Callie's laughter.

Before either Henry or Callie have the opportunity to answer, someone knocks softly on the door. Beca stiffens, flicking her eyes to Chloe, who automatically heads that way without being asked. Without taking her eyes away from Chloe, she watches as the redhead takes a quick look in the peephole, and opens the door to let Emily in.

Emily gives Chloe a breathless smile and a quiet greeting when she's finally inside the apartment, her heart pounding from the exertion it had taken to simply get inside the apartment building. But instead of addressing that, she just grins into the apartment. "Hi, everyone."

"Hi, Emily!" Callie calls from the couch. After observing Emily and Bella's relationship yesterday, she must've come to the conclusion that Emily is someone she can trust.

Emily grins even wider, waving at Callie. "Hi, Callie! How are you this morning?"

"Good. We're going over to Bella's for the day. Are you coming with us?"

Emily nods, glancing briefly at Beca, who hasn't stopped watching her. "I am! Is that okay?"

Callie nods vigorously as Emily takes a seat on the couch, placing her purse on her lap. Beca manages a small smile. "Morning."

"Hey, Bec." Emily keeps her voice soft, winking at Henry as she does so. "You doing okay?"

Beca shrugs, not answering the question, and instead asking one of her own. "Are they out there?"

Emily's smile wavers slightly and that is enough to give any hopes she had of letting Beca down easy, away. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

Emily had taken an Uber over from Chloe's apartment and was shocked when the driver had pulled up to the curb. A mob – twenty people at least – was hovering around the entrance of Beca's building, waiting for a certain musician to grace them with her presence. Emily wasn't necessarily surprised that they were there, per se – she had seen the reports online after Chloe texted her to let her know what had happened, and had seen all the rumors of where Beca and her kids (or were they someone else's kids?) were staying and why. What she was more surprised about, was that they had practically pounced on her car like a flock of vultures, wondering if it was going to be a much shorter brunette climbing out of the backseat instead of Emily.

They had all been waiting, cameras at the ready, some with video cameras and microphones, too, and Emily knew that there was no way that she was going to let Beca walk through that. Not if she has anything to say about it.

"I asked the building manager if there was another way out, and he said that we could use the back entrance. There's a service area out there that Stacie can pick us up in. I already texted her."

Beca slowly nods, already trying to wrap her head around protecting her kids from the flashing lights and screams of those who think they're entitled to know the intimate details of their life.

Chloe sits down beside Emily, shooting a fleeting glance at Beca, whose gaze has fallen to the ground in front of her, before asking, "Did you see anyone else?"

Emily shakes her head immediately, knowing exactly what Chloe is hinting at . "No. Just the people with cameras."

Callie starts to play with Beca's hand, her little fingers running over her nails. "What people with cameras?"

Callie's question seems to snap Beca out of, yet another, daze that she has found herself lost in. She takes a deep breath, shifting so that she can look at both Henry and Callie. She's been able to avoid having this conversation with them since Callie was born – and as much as she definitely doesn't want to have it now, she would much rather them be prepared than put in danger. She is already aware of how nervous her kids get around other people, so, in the high likelihood that the paparazzi or fans or whoever is out there desperate for a picture, follow Stacie's car to the back of the building, she would like her kids not to completely breakdown.

"Do you remember how Mama used to go and sing in front of lots of people? And those people would get really excited because they got to see Mama sing?"

Callie nods, meeting Beca's eyes. Henry just watches his mother intently, hanging on to her every word.

"Well, because I used to do that, people try and take my picture – even when I'm in my pajamas."

Callie's eyes widen. "In your pajamas? How come?"

"I'm not really sure. Because people want to see what I do at home, I guess."

Callie scrunches her nose. "Did they take pictures of Daddy, too?"

Beca's stomach lurches and her face pales, but she forces an answer out, nonetheless. "Not really, because Daddy didn't go out on the stage a lot. But sometimes they did."

"Do you like it when they take your pictures?"

Beca hesitates in answering, because, really, when she was in Los Angeles, it wasn't that big of a deal. Yes, she didn't like having her picture taken or feeling like she was being watched every second of every day. But the majority of the time, if she just gave them whatever content they were looking for, they would go away (plus, she always had Theo chirping in her ear about 'keeping up the image' so she never really had a choice). Sure, there were the few people and tabloids that would get in her face – and those she hated. A few that she caught trying to follow her home – which, again, she hated. But for the most part, Beca took it with a grain of salt because it was just another hurdle she had to jump through in order to keep living this so-called life.

For some reason, she has a feeling the people currently waiting for her outside, the ones that will have the first glimpse of Beca Mitchell's kids… she has a feeling they won't be as nice.

"Most of the time it's okay, but sometimes, these people can get really close to me, and I don't like that."

"They go in your personal bubble?"

Beca nods. "Exactly."

"That's not very nice of them."

She shakes her head in agreement. "Not at all. And now, I think there are going to be some people waiting for us when we go to get in Stacie's car, and this time, I think they're going to try and take pictures of you guys, too."

Callie crinkles her eyebrows. "How come?"

Beca lets out a heavy sigh. "Because they think that it's okay to take a picture of us, even if we might not want it."

"How come?"

Beca reaches out to play with the end of one of Callie's braids. Chloe must've done them this morning. "Well, for some of them it's a job. For others, it's just something that they believe in, I guess."

When Callie doesn't answer, and Henry looks just as confused as ever, Beca pushes forward gently. "So, when we go outside, it might be a little scary with all of the people there trying to take our pictures."

Callie bites her lip while pondering the question. "Do we smile?"

Beca immediately shakes her head. That is the last thing that she wants them to do. "No. We don't have to smile for these pictures. Instead, I want us to try and see how fast we can get to Stacie's car without stopping to smile for these pictures. Do you think we can do that?"

A look of dedication falls over Callie's face as she gives a definitive nod.

It doesn't do anything to soothe Beca's worries.


When Chloe gets the text saying that Stacie is parked out back, Beca is filled with a mixture of downright terror, and determination. As much as she would like nothing more than to stay in the safety of the apartment, she knows that going to Stacie and Aubrey's is what is best for the kids. It's where they will be the safest, it's where they can plan for whatever is going to come next in this rollercoaster straight to hell.

They just have to get to the car. And then they'll be fine.

Following the building manager's directions, Beca and the two kids follow Emily and Chloe as they lead the way through the back staircase. Emily is dragging the suitcase behind her, and Chloe keeps looking worriedly back at the family of three, still struggling to find the right words and actions to comfort Beca without making her more uncomfortable than she already is.

Beca, on the other hand, is far more concerned with looking behind her to make sure that no one – Theo – is following them.

Callie bounces along happily beside her mother, linking her fingers with Beca's as Henry just enjoys the ride on Beca's hip. She's just excited to see her new friend again, and Beca is fine if that's all Callie thinks is happening.

When the back exit is in sight, Beca's heart quickens, and she subconsciously tightens her grasp on Callie's hand. The group comes to a stop a few feet in front of it.

Taking a few stabilizing breaths, and under the careful gaze of not just her kids, but Emily and Chloe, too, Beca carefully removes her hand from Callie's. She takes a few steps to the small window on the door, and peers outward, wanting to prepare herself for whatever zoo they're about to walk into to.

Sure enough, she can see Stacie's car idling in the center of the lot. Waiting by the car, though, and even more right by the door, are the twenty or so people that Emily had to make her way through to get into the apartment building. And they're all waiting, eyes on the same door that Beca just glanced out of.

Her eyes drift closed as she focuses on her breathing, wanting nothing more than to just run in the other direction with Callie and Henry in tow. But, like always, Callie is the one to bring her back.

"Are they out there, Mama?"

Beca gulps, opening her eyes and nodding a few times as she tries to look as confident as possible for the sake of her daughter. Ignoring the worried glances that Emily and Chloe are passing to each other, she squats down in front of Callie, pulling her sunglasses off the top of her head. "I want you to wear these, okay, Cal?"

She takes the pair with a furrowed brow. "How come?"

Beca gently guides them onto her daughter's nose. "Because sometimes, the flashes from the camera are really bright and I don't want them to hurt your eyes." And because if she can disrupt any actual pictures of Callie's face, that would be really great.

Callie readjusts the frames. "What about you and Henry? And Emily and Chloe?"

"Well, Henry," Beca bounces him on her hip, "Is going to close his eyes really, really tightly. And me, and Emily, and Chloe – we're just going to walk really fast. Is that okay?"

Callie shrugs after seeing Emily and Chloe nodding their heads.

Beca heaves a heavy sigh. "Okay. Now, Cal, I want you to know that there are probably going to be a lot of people out there and I want you to hold onto my hand really, really, tightly and just focus on getting to the car. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Like when we walk to school?"

"Exactly like when we walk to school. No letting go of my hand, no matter what, okay?"

Callie gives her a small, oblivious to the actual situation, smile. "I can do it, Mama."

"I know you can, bug." Beca reaches up, planting a kiss on Callie's forehead, and takes her hand.

When she stands, she addresses Henry. "And you, Mister Henry, I want you to squeeze your eyes closed really tight like we're playing hide and seek. You can even lay your head on my shoulder if you want."

Henry giggles. "You're silly, Mama."

Beca tries to grin. "I know, but can you try and keep your eyes closed until we're inside Stacie's car? You can count to see how long it takes us to get to the car."

He starts to nod. "Okay."

"Alright, you start counting as soon as I open the door." With her heart rate rising and her palms growing steady, she finally turns to talk to Emily and Chloe. "Seriously, the flashes can be brutal sometimes. Just keep your eyes to the ground, I guess."

Chloe shakes her head with a certain amount of confidence, but there's still an underlying sense of fear. "Don't worry about us. Let's just focused on getting you three to the car."

Slowly, Beca agrees, and with one final nod to Emily, they open the door.


It's strange, how quiet it is at first. In the beginning, there are just the sounds of the NYC traffic coming from surrounding streets. But then, a solid second after the back door of Beca's apartment building is open and those waiting finally get the action that they have been waiting for, the back loading area erupts into a level of volume that even Beca finds deafening.

The reporters – paparazzi, journalists, vultures, whatever you want to call them – swarm the exit like ants to a puddle of melted ice cream. They start shouting over each other before they're even in front of Beca and the kids, all screaming their various questions – questions that go unheard by every member of the group trying desperately to get to Stacie's van a mere fifteen feet away.

Because as soon as they approach – attack – their shouts and camera flashes short-circuiting Beca's brain more so than it ever has before - she is stopped in her pursuit of the car before she's even taken her third step.

Callie has planted her feet firmly on the ground, her lip trembling as she has tightens her already-death-tight grip on Beca's hand. This hesitance gives the reporters enough time to get real up close and personal with the Mitchell-Wright family, with Chloe and Emily desperately trying to move them along.

Beca turns in a flurry of motion, trying to tug Callie's hand so she is back by her side, but as more people swarm, it seems the distance grows bigger. Beca's anxiety skyrockets, her chest tightening as she tries to block out all the noise – there is so much noise – attempting to get Callie's attention.

"Bug, come on, it's okay."

Someone brushes up against Beca and she jumps a mile high, flicking her gaze briefly to Henry who has opened his eyes and started howling, hot tears rushing down his face as he screams from the overstimulation.

Choking back her own tears, Beca final manages to pull Callie back into her side. "Come on, sweetie, you're okay, it's okay."

The distance between Beca and the car might as well be a mile-wide chasm. Each step is painful and covers minimal ground. Beca's pretty sure she's doing everything in her power to comfort her kids as much as possible, Callie clinging on to her like there is no tomorrow – crying and calling out for her – with Henry continuing to scream and sob at the same time, but really it's all a blur.

She just needs to get to the car.

The questions being shouted at her diminish to a dull roar – white noise – with Chloe and Emily's calls and directions becoming virtually nonexistent in the rest of hustle.

She just needs to get to the car.

They're closer now, with only a few steps left. She can just barely make out the handle of the back door, but there are even more people standing in front of it, despite – what she thinks – is Emily and Chloe trying to get them to move.

But they aren't. Of course, they aren't.

She just needs to get to the car.

Her kids' cries get louder. Their grips tighten, and Beca is trying to get past the last remaining group of people standing between her and the car door. Their questions aren't lessening, their persistence only growing.

And Beca can't breathe.

Her eyes are blurry with her own tears.

Her head is pounding.

And she just needs to get to the—

"Get the fuck out of the way!"

The scream rips through Beca's throat stunning everyone in the area, and the shock from those doing the harassing gives them enough of a window of opportunity for Chloe to tug the door open and usher Beca and the kids inside.

When they're finally inside the car, Beca lets out her breath, and a sob escapes her own mouth.


"I'll be right downstairs, bug. Come get me if you need anything, okay? I love you."

Callie gives her a hesitant nod and turns back to where she is watching a show on Bella's iPad, lying beside her on the bed. She doesn't look at all convinced that she should stay, and only when Bella lightly taps her shoulder, does she bring her attention back to the screen.

Beca closes the door over, shifting a sleeping Henry to her other hip as she slowly makes her way towards Aubrey and Stacie's kitchen.

In the span of an hour, both of her kids have had panic attacks from having fifteen-plus grown adults shoving cameras in their faces and shouting at them for their names. Beca, too, had her moment, breaking down in the car before coming to and working to comfort her kids.

When they eventually got to Stacie's, having to take five different back routes to make sure no one was following them, Henry had cried himself out, yet his grip never once loosened on Beca, and Callie had absolutely zero interest in leaving her mother's side. It has taken Beca forty-five minutes of persuasion just to get Callie to stay in the room with Bella.

And Beca doesn't blame either of her kids. The events of this morning were traumatizing for her, and she's a grown adult.

But now, with Callie safely upstairs and Henry fast asleep in her arms after his emotions were running so high, Beca knows she has to take the next step.

As much as she would love to avoid this conversation, there are more important things to think about.

Emily and Chloe are sitting at the counter that Beca had sat at less than three weeks before in a similar – albeit so different – anxiety-inducing situation. Stacie is milling around the kitchen making a variety of different coffees, and Aubrey is nowhere to be found.

Stacie sees her first, with Beca hesitantly approaching the last empty seat at the counter. Naturally, the one right next to Chloe. "Is Callie doing okay?"

Beca manages a stiff nod, her throat tightening with emotion. The forty-five minutes that passed upstairs flew by for Beca, but it must not have been the case for everyone else. "Yeah, I think so. Bella's good at distracting her."

A sad smile tugs at Chloe's lips. "It's adorable how well they get along."

Beca nods, not even bothering to respond. She can't. Not with the exhaustion and the guilt and the fear all battling to get her to pay attention to them in her brain. Instead, she shifts Henry so he's laying against her chest, brushing a few stray locks of hair out of his face, and pressing a gentle kiss onto his forehead.

Stacie passes out the mugs of coffee, and if Beca had been paying attention, she would've have seen the gentle It's okay look to Chloe at Beca's non-answer. "Do you want to put him down one of the bedrooms, Bec?"

Subconsciously, her hold tightens around her son. "No, he's fine. He'll sleep through anything. And I don't know how he's going to be when he wakes up. I don't want him to be alone."

No one says anything about how terrifying it must have been for the kids to be ambushed like that in the back lot of the apartment building, each one of them feeling some sort of guilt from not being able to protect them from it.

Beca, most of all.

Stacie nods an understanding and when silence falls over the kitchen once more, it's Emily that quietly asks, "Where's Bree?"

There had been a lot of chaos when they finally got to Stacie and Aubrey's house. Mostly just Beca wanting the kids inside before anyone managed to follow them to the driveway and wanting nothing more than to just hug all of their pain away. Aubrey had been there, at first, asking immediately what had happened and if it was Theo that had caused this reaction. Beca isn't sure what anyone told her – she was far too preoccupied – but apparently she's not around any longer.

Stacie takes a small sip of coffee, her stomach already in knots. "Um, I think she's on the phone with one of her coworkers? I'm not sure, but she said she would be out as soon as she was finished."

Sure enough, within seconds after Stacie finishes telling them about her wife's location, a door somewhere else on the first floor of the house opens, and everyone in the kitchen can hear the soft padding of feet against the hardwood, until Aubrey comes around the corner.

Surprisingly, the blonde is dressed like it is any other workday. Her hair is curled, slacks covering her long legs. She has a zip up Bellas' sweatshirt on instead of a blouse, but other than that, Beca would have thought it was the middle of the week instead of ten o'clock on a Saturday.

But as soon as she sees Aubrey, a small – miniscule – sense of calm passes over Beca.

"Hi, Bec. How're the kids?" Aubrey approaches the counter slower than she had come around the corner, carrying a folder with stacks of typed paper.

Beca lets out a calming breath, turning so that she can more effectively look at Aubrey as she comes up to stand across from her at the counter. "Callie's upstairs with Bella. Henry crashed about a half hour ago."

Aubrey gives Beca a sympathetic smile, looking down briefly at the sleeping toddler, before laying her hands on top of the papers. Beca allows her eyes to drift to Aubrey's clasped hands, and watches as the blonde twists her wedding rings around the base of her finger.

Beca avoids touching her own as much as possible, as though the metal is going to burn her if she even so much as thinks about what it symbolizes.

Aubrey takes a grateful sip of the coffee that Stacie offers her, having been going nonstop since she got Chloe's frantic phone call early this morning. She doesn't hesitate to dive right in after she's done, though, being able to feel Beca's anticipation radiating off of her. "So, the fact that your picture is now all over social media sort of changes everything that we've been going off of."

Beca lifts her gaze to meet Aubrey's; feeling grateful, and also slightly nervous, about how easily she switches the conversation to what they need to talk about. She appreciates it; the fact that Aubrey isn't going to tiptoe around the issue. That at least she – unlike Beca – is brave enough to face it head on.

"I've been talking with some old and current colleagues, both at the firm and from other places that I've worked and interned at in the past, but I think I've been able to map out sort of a couple of different routes we could go."

Beca gulps, trying to match her breathing to Henry's as an attempt to calm herself. "Okay."

Aubrey gives her a reassuring smile, answering, at first, the same way Beca had answered her. She's had plenty of difficult conversations as a lawyer before, but none of them have ever involved one of her closest friends. Or someone who has been as hurt as Beca is. "Okay. Before we get started, though, do you want to have this conversation out here, or would you rather speak somewhere, privately?"

Beca doesn't have to watch Chloe to know that her eyes widen, and her jaw drops at the insinuation. But even if she were watching, it wouldn't matter – she can hear Chloe's disbelief, too. "Bree..."

Aubrey shakes her head with one firm look in both Chloe and Emily's direction, also turning briefly to Stacie, who doesn't say anything, seeming as though she's already heard this conversation. "No. We don't get to make these decisions. If I am, at the bare minimum, going to be giving Beca legal advice, that means she gets attorney-client privilege just like anyone else. It's not up for discussion."

Beca's cheek flush but she feels oddly protected by the sternness in Aubrey's voice. She gives a small shake of her head. "It's fine. They can stay."

"Okay." Aubrey nods, never once making it seem like anyone besides Beca has her attention. "If, at any time, you want that to change, you say the word and we'll go somewhere else."

Beca slowly nods in agreement, feeling four separate sets of eyes on her as she does so.

"Alright. So, first thing's first. Because your photo is now out there, the media and whoever else has access to it knows that you're in New York. Based on everything that you've told me, I would assume that means that Theo is going to try and get here. Do you agree?"

Beca's heart pounds harder in her chest, tears of fear pricking at the corners of her eyes. Her voice alludes her, so she just nods once more.

"So, then, despite what our original plan was, I think we need to get you a temporary order of protection so that he can't come near you or the kids if he does come."

Chloe's voice – hesitant, but curious all the same – comes from beside Beca. "Order of protection? That's just another word for a restraining order, right?"

Aubrey tears her eyes away from Beca to look at her best friend, her eyes even more piercing than they normally are, with a thin layer of moisture glistening in the cerulean orbs. "Yes."

"Why would she just be getting a temporary one? Wouldn't we want it to be permanent?" Chloe presses a little harder, partly for her own reassurance, and partly because, if she had to guess, it will take a lot for Beca to ask questions that she may want answers to. If Beca isn't going to let her comfort her emotionally, the least she can try to do is find some sort of way to assist her.

"You can't get a permanent order of protection without having a hearing following the issuance of a temporary order of protection. So, the first step would be getting a temporary one for Beca and the kids, having it written within the order that Beca has full custody of the kids leading up to the hearing, and then scheduling a hearing date."

Beca hooks her thumb around the back of Henry's shirt. "Does he have to be there? At the hearing, I mean."

Aubrey sighs, not even needing to ask to know who Beca is referencing. "He does. He has to be able to plead his case."

"Is it going to be here?" Beca's leg starts to bounce up and down, every inch of her body feeling itchy and like the slightest movement could make her jump sky-high.

"That's where it gets kind of tricky." Aubrey pauses, flipping through some of the information that is within the folder, before placing her nail on one of the lines. "First of all you have to decide whether you want to pursue the order of protection – temporary or otherwise – through criminal or family court. Then, after that, we'll get the order, and the judge will sign off on it and schedule a hearing for the permanent order. According to everyone I've talked to, the judge will most likely send the hearing for the permanent order back to California, especially because the kids are involved."

"Why?"

"Mostly because that's where you and the kids have residency. If you choose to do it through criminal court, then only California would have the jurisdiction because that's where the abuse happened."

Beca flinches at Aubrey's word choice, but with her head already spinning, she can't conjure up anything to say in response.

Aubrey, seeing Beca starting to slip away and not wanting that to happen – not when they're kind of on a time crunch – pushes forward. "So, that leads me to my next question. Do you have interest in pressing criminal charges against Theo?"

This answer comes just as quickly to Beca, as the previous one left her. "No."

Despite Aubrey's supportive nodding, Beca senses Chloe stiffen beside her. She can feel Stacie's gaze on her, and even though she's not saying anything, Beca's sure that Emily has her opinion, too.

It's a no-brainer, really. Throughout this whole process, Beca has never been interested in pressing charges. Not only does she know that she wouldn't be able to go through a criminal proceeding, but she also knows that it would a) traumatize her kids far more than she already has and b) not go her way. It doesn't take a lawyer to know that she has very little evidence of what has been going on over the last ten years and that domestic violence cases almost never get a ruling in favor of the accuser.

Then where would she be?

Without any legal protection, that's for sure. Would she have to move back in with Theo? Would she have to give the kids up?

All while Theo goes back to living his life like nothing had happened.

It's best to just go through the motions that will keep Beca and the kids safe – at least, that's what she thinks.

Apparently, some other people in the kitchen disagree, and that much is made obvious by Chloe's almost-silent question. "Are you sure, Bec?"

Beca doesn't even turn to look at her. "Mhmm."

Chloe can feel her desperation rising, because to her, there really should only be one option here, and it's the one that will end with Theo behind bars. "But, Beca…"

"Chloe. She said no. That's the end of it." Aubrey quirks an eyebrow in the redhead's direction, the warning there both in her words and her looks. "Does everything make sense so far, Bec? We'll file the temporary order of protection through Family Court, the hearing for the permanent order will be passed to the California Family Court System, and then we'll go out there for the hearing?"

Beca runs a tired hand over her face, hoping that no one else sees how it shakes from its journey from her side to her eyes. She really only has one main question, and it's the most important one of all. "What about the kids? He's not going to give up custody without a fight. And he's not getting them back."

Having already expected this question, Aubrey easily responds. "The good thing is, the judge is more than likely going to give you full custody until the hearing out in California. The other good thing is, that California, compared to the rest of the country, has pretty progressive laws in terms of domestic violence. There is a very slim chance that Theo will be granted any sort of physical custody."

Beca's heart pounds against her ribs. "But?"

Aubrey tilts her head to the side. "But, if Theo wants, he can petition the court for whatever degree of custody he wants, and then there will most likely be a custody trial. Best case scenario, he gets supervised visitation. Worst case scenario, you will have to split legal and physical custody. It's highly unlikely that his parental rights will be terminated."

Hot tears start to stream down Beca's face. She knew it was always a possibility – a high possibility at that – that she would have to go to court for the kids. That she wouldn't just be able to take them away and have them never see Theo again. But still, the idea that she might have to split custody with the man that she ran away from, is sickening.

Before Beca can fully start spiraling, though, Aubrey holds up a gentle hand. "That is going to take a little while, though, so we don't have to worry about that right now."

Beca scoffs, wiping the tears from her cheek.

Chloe lays a gentle hand on Beca's arm, no longer caring about the physical and emotional distance that Beca has put between them today. "We aren't going to let him get the kids. We'll do whatever it takes."

For probably the first time in her life, Beca isn't comforted by Chloe's words.

She takes a shaky breath, trying to ignore the weight of Chloe's hand on her arm. "What do I have to do now?"

"Nothing." Aubrey says with every ounce of confidence that she has in her being. "You stay here, with the kids and with the girls, and you let me handle everything at the courthouse. We'll get you the temporary order, we'll get you custody of the kids, and we won't let Theo get anywhere near you. We take this one step at a time, just like we have been. Okay?"

Closing her eyes to the world while simultaneously trying to push away every fear-induced thought that is racing through her mind, it takes a minute for Beca to respond. But when she does, it's only because she has two people, and their lives, in mind.

Nothing else matters.

"Okay."


John F. Kennedy International Airport – New York City

Similarly, to how he did less than a week ago, Theo Wright steps off the airplane with a tight grip on the handle of his bag. It's not a suitcase this time. Rather, it's just a carry-on, with Theo not planning on staying in this God forsaken city any longer than necessary.

He barely glances at the Welcome to NYC! mural as he stalks through the airport with only one destination in mind.


Thank you so much for reading! I look forward to hearing any thoughts you would like to share :)

The next chapter is going to up sometime between next Wednesday and next Friday; I've had some stuff going on and haven't really be in the right headspace to write but I promise Chapter 12 won't be up any later than Friday morning. Then hopefully we can resume our normal schedule.

Thank you again, and see you soon!