Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter! I can't express how much all of your communication/thoughts/comments/and questions mean to me!
We have a little bit of a shorter chapter this time around, but next chapter covers the entirety of the restraining order hearing so that'll be longer.
Icedragone - Yes! They were not letting Theo anywhere near any of them! The child custody dilemma is a tough one, one that I hope that I can portray as accurately as possible. But you're right in saying that proof of him hitting Callie is going to be harder to show. Fingers crossed for a good outcome at the custody trial! Very slight progress, but of course, you'll see a few steps backward this chapter too haha. Baby steps for sure and more are coming! Thanks so much for reading and for your support!
CJ3 - Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story - lots of chances for the Bellas to protect Beca, and even more Bechloe moments to come :) Thank you for reading and for your support!
Isaiah Flamez - Yes, there is a happy ending! It will take a little while to get there, though :) Thanks so much for reading and for your support!
Jody1990 - Oh he is 100% idiotic if he thinks he's pulling one over on the Bellas (even if Beca might think that he will be able to). He really is a despicable man. I think you're right about Callie for sure, and her growth is certainly something that I'm looking forward to exploring. Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your thoughts as always!
Wolvezzz - Not gonna lie, the rewrote that scene with Callie yelling like five different times. It made my stomach churn and for a while I had to step away. I feel your anger for sure. I'm glad that you are able to picture how they feel; that's something that I'm hoping comes across. I also love how you used the word 'coping' because that's really what they're doing - they're just coping enough to get through the next step. Thank you so much for your kind words and your support, as always!
RJRMovieFan - He really is horrible. I guess the positive side of him coming back now is that they can get out from under his clutch sooner. A small moment with Chloe and Beca for sure, and we'll see how they're doing with the pressure of the trial now. Thanks so much for your kind words and support!
Guest (Mar.31) - I really appreciate you saying that! I definitely tried to do my best research and make it seem as realistic as possible because I don't have personal experience with it either. And I am equally as appreciative that you thought Emily did a nice job explaining things to Callie - I rewrote that section about 10 different times because I wanted to try and get it right. I have to watch this movie because yes, proof of abuse of Callie is going to be difficult, Beca is a little easier. But yes, the fact that she took the kids might go against her - in my research, I've found that a lot of it comes down to the judge. Beca's restraining order case might not be hopeless, but child custody is a whole different beast. He-said/she-said for sure, and I have definitely made it as well-researched as possible! Interesting that you say Theo will really have to screw up... thanks so much for reading and for your support!
NJCE - It really was a tough chapter, and I apologize for that. This time around nothing happened physically, but his presence certainly caused some other tension and problems like you said! The Bellas have Beca and the kids' backs 100%. I'm so glad that you liked how Emily/Aubrey/Stacie explained the situation to Callie and Bella. That was one of the parts that made me the most nervous, and I know it was certainly a struggle at times writing it because I just wanted to make sure I got it at least a little bit right. Callie had a hard time understanding then, and will continue to have a hard time, unfortunately :/ I want to hug all of them too! Yes, that's why Beca married him and interesting you point out that line... might not be what you're thinking it is ;) Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and for your kind words!
Swiggy3000 - Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words! I certainly like to take my time, but I'm glad you don't think it's getting stuck in things that aren't exactly necessary. Thanks so much for pointing out that line! It can be sickening at times to see how children absorb the world around them, and, as seen through Callie's situation, she doesn't know anything different than her mom always listening to her dad - no matter what. That's certainly something I hope to explore more as the story progresses. I always try to do my best in researching, but I know that, as I'm not an expert and only have access to Google, I will get things wrong! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you think I did. Thanks so much for your kind words and your support!
Guest (Apr.2) - Omg I love that you still think about YMAW... that makes me oh so happy to hear :') Sorry! I should've been more clear with Part I vs. Part II. They're both going to be in this fic, I just divided the story into two parts. So Part I ends in like ch. 15/16 and part II will pic up where part I left off and go through the epilogue It'll make more sense why there's a part I and part II when we get there. But no, there won't be an actual sequel to this one! Aubrey really was fantastic, she kept her cool and did what needed to be done! They all did! And yeah it was definitely a tricky position trying to get Callie away from Theo without scaring her. The bond will always be there! Yes! I'm really glad that you brought up the effect that Theo has on Callie. It's something that I've read about on my own, and it is just so sickening at times how children absorb everything about the world around them - even the bad things. Seeing Theo and Callie interact is all she's ever known - it'll be interesting to see how she perceives Beca as she distances herself from Theo even more, and eventually gets with Chloe. It is scary, I agree with you 100%. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter even though it was a tough one! Court hearing will be the next chapter, but hopefully this holds you over for a little bit. Thanks so much for your kind words and support! Have a great week!
Chapter 13
Content Warning: Implied abusive relationship, mentions of trial preparation, anxiety, mentions of Theo.
Breathe. Just, breathe.
It's the same mantra that Beca's been repeating to herself ever since she left Aubrey and Stacie's house, saying goodbye to the kids and trying not to let them see her cry.
It's the same mantra that Beca's been repeating to herself since she got to JFK with Aubrey and Chloe by her side, facing the first round of fans and journalists that somehow caught wind of her departure date. She kept saying it to herself as she gave a tight smile to the crowd surrounding the entrance of the airport, ignoring those calling her name and notepads being shoved in her direction.
It's the same mantra that Beca's been repeating to herself since she got on the airplane, trying desperately to fall asleep, the five melatonin tablets she took being ineffective against her racing nerves.
And, of course, it's the same mantra that Beca is currently repeating to herself as she steps out of LAX to the ambush of camera flashes and questions being shouted at her.
In and out.
In. And out.
She keeps her head down, grateful – which still surprises her – for Chloe's steady hand on the small of her back, and Aubrey who is pushing her way through the crowd to the waiting Uber that is supposed to be taking them to the hotel. It's a lot easier to focus on their destination without her kids' screams and cries of distress, but that doesn't mean she doesn't flinch at the raising of the journalists' voices, and the brushes of their bodies up against hers.
Because, if she's being honest with herself, Beca knows that the last two weeks have not been good for her mental health. At all.
To say she has been on-edge since Theo showed up would be an understatement. If Beca was jumpy before, even the slightest noise – something as simple as a toilet flushing, causes her to jump as though Theo is standing three feet away from her. She doesn't let the kids out of her sight and she kept Callie home until Wednesday of the first week until Aubrey reminded her that a judge was going to be evaluating her parenting capabilities in the near future (Beca only agreed to let her go back if Chloe promised to check in on Callie after every period. Which she did, without hesitation).
For everyone else, the worst part about it all is that Beca still won't talk to anyone about what is going on. The person she talks to the most is Aubrey, and that's for the sole reason that Aubrey, along with a friend of one of her coworkers that is a family attorney licensed in California, has been preparing Beca (and Beca's case) for the hearing. She definitely hasn't talked to the other Bellas who caught wind of the paparazzi photos and apparently wouldn't leave the group chat alone until Stacie caved and told them (only with Beca's permission, which she gave with the condition that she really can't handle seeing them now or for the foreseeable future). She's pretty much shut herself off from everyone else – Stacie, Emily (who has stuck around to help with the kids and has been seeing her clients via video chat), and Chloe.
Especially Chloe.
Beca isn't sure if it's because of their failed attempt at talking the night of Theo's arrival (maybe it's because of the fact that she was tempted to talk to her), or if it is because preparing her testimony and talking about everything that she's been through over the last ten years is dredging up even more overwhelming feelings of guilt, but Beca has been doing everything in her power to avoid talking with Chloe.
It hasn't been difficult. Ever since Theo and the paparazzi caught wind of Beca's location, she no longer brings Callie to school. So that's two interactions that she no longer has to have. When Callie arrives back at Stacie and Aubrey's house where she has been staying as well, Beca almost always goes upstairs to spend time just with her kids, something that Emily has reassured everyone else is perfectly normal. The hardest part is at dinner, when everyone tries to act like things are normal – especially for all three of the kids – but by the end of the night when Chloe retreats to the basement for bed and Beca goes upstairs, both of them are utterly exhausted from the tension that radiates throughout the house whenever they're in the same room.
But Beca can't help it. She needs to re-establish some distance. Especially if things tomorrow don't go the way everyone has been ensuring her that it's going to go.
Especially if the judge rules in favor of Theo, and Beca has to figure out a way to get back to New York, to pick up her kids, and leave, all without getting charged with kidnapping.
Because one thing is for certain: she is not letting Theo get custody of her kids. That is going to happen only over her dead body.
"You okay, Bec?"
Beca takes a shaky breath in the far seat of the back row, the Uber driver taking off with seemingly little care for whose feet he might run over. She manages a nod. "Yeah."
"How in the world did those vultures even find out that you were getting here today? It's not like it's a public hearing or anything."
Even though Chloe is addressing the question to Aubrey, Beca feels the need to answer it, her voice still a little uneven. "Theo tipped them off."
Both women turn their heads so quickly in Beca's direction, that she's sure it gives them whiplash. "What?"
"There's no way he didn't. The restraining order is public; there's no reason for him to try and keep up the good publicity when he could get something out of it instead."
Chloe stews beside her and Aubrey simply shakes her head and grits her teeth, looking out the windows at the sunny Los Angeles streets, the image of which burns Beca from just a glance.
They ride in silence all the way to the hotel, the Uber driver wisely not choosing to say anything about the fact that Beca Mitchell is in his back seat after she takes her sunglasses off. When they do get to the building, there are luckily not any cameras or anything outside of the 3-star Hampton that Aubrey had booked under an alias, and the three women make it unnoticed (or noticed without anyone commenting) upstairs to their suite, which lets each of them breathe a little easier.
Despite all of the prep that Aubrey and Riley Callahan, the family attorney that will be representing her in court tomorrow, have been doing with Beca, she still feels nowhere near prepared for the hearing. She knows that Theo's hot-shot lawyer, the one paid for using her savings and the money from her albums, is going to try and tear her apart – and she knows she's not going to be able to stay calm. Not with everything that's at stake.
It doesn't matter how many times Aubrey and Riley remind her to just stick to the facts – remind her that there is no way that the judge won't rule in her favor, remind her that she's stronger than she thinks or knows – Beca is certain that it's not going to be easy.
Beca looks around the hotel room with a soft sigh, not being able to see anything other than price tags. The hotel, the car, the flight – it all costs money that Beca will, likely, never be able to pay back. Even if she does manage to get a divorce from Theo, there's no way he's going to give her back a fair sum of the money she brought into the household.
It doesn't matter if Aubrey continues to remind her that it doesn't matter and that her and Stacie don't mind, the ever-lasting guilt is still there.
Apparently, the guilt is showing on her face, too, because when Aubrey turns around from laying her briefcase on the table and appraising the room, she looks at Beca, immediately snapping the brunette out of it. "Stop. Whatever you're thinking, it is okay."
Chloe, surprised at Aubrey's words, turns around from her position at the window. "What's wrong, Beca?"
Beca just shakes her head, swallowing hard. Blinking away the tears – tears that have been becoming more and more of her daily routine as of late – she pulls her phone from her pocket. "I'm going to go call the kids, if that's okay."
Both Aubrey and Chloe immediately agree, knowing just how much of a mess she was in the car ride to the airport, and Beca slips into the bedroom off the kitchen, two twin beds pressed against the wall. She sits on one of them, bringing her phone up in front of her, and dialing Stacie's number on FaceTime.
It takes a few rings before Stacie's face is smiling through the screen, giving Beca plenty of time to calm herself down. "Bec! You're at the hotel already?"
Beca nods, leaning up against the wall and crossing her legs underneath her. "Yeah, we got here a few minutes ago."
Stacie is already walking downstairs toward the basement where the kids have been playing all afternoon (Callie gets a few days off while Chloe isn't in school) and doesn't ask if they had any problems after the flight, because she knows Aubrey is a much better source for that sort of question. Honestly, she's surprised that Beca is as calm as she is, though she's sure it is just a front. "Good! You wanna talk to the kids? I think they've been playing Just Dance since Henry woke up from his nap."
A sigh of relief passes over Beca. "Please, if you don't mind. And thank you, again, for watching them."
"Of course. Don't even mention it. Honestly, I'm glad to have the next few days off." Stacie turns the corner of the basement, calling off screen, "Henry, Cal, your Mama is on the phone."
Beca almost bursts into tears when she hears them call her name from wherever they are in the basement, and a few tears do escape when she sees their faces light up the screen. "Hi, guys."
"Mama!"
"Hi, Mama!"
Beca waves at Callie and Henry, her throat tightening with emotion. "How has your day been?"
Callie answers first, holding the phone while Henry settles onto her lap. "It was good, Mama. Did you know that Bella had to go to school today?"
Beca nods empathetically. "I did. Were you a good girl for Stacie while Bella wasn't home?"
Henry grins, answering before Callie can respond. "I watch-ed Big Bird."
"No way!"
"Uh-huh!"
Beca's heart swells as she stares lovingly at the camera. "That's awesome, monkey. What about you, Cal? Did you do anything fun?"
Callie just shrugs. "I dunno. I read. Stacie let me read one of Bella's books."
"Oh, yeah? Which book?"
Callie furrows her eyebrows, thinking intently. "Uh... I don't remember."
Letting out a light laugh, Beca just shakes her head. "That's okay. Maybe you can show me later."
"I will. Are you at work yet, Mama?"
"No, bug, I don't go into work until tomorrow."
Beca had told the kids that she had to spend some time at the recording studio to tie up some loose ends and further explained that she wanted to show Aubrey and Chloe some of where she worked in Los Angeles. Because she was working and because the kids have long grown used to Beca working long hours – Callie more so than Henry, but he still understands to some degree – they didn't question the trip too much. Instead, they were just upset that she was leaving at all.
Luckily, Beca was also able to talk to Callie separately and let her know that Beca wouldn't be with her father while she went into work, which had also occurred in the past.
Following her conversation with Callie and Emily when Theo had shown up at the Conrad-Posen household, Callie's questions about Theo's whereabouts had lessened. At least, the ones directed at Beca lessened.
Callie asked Beca about him - why he made her sad, if they were going to visit him - a few times in between his arrival and Beca's departure, but according to Chloe, Emily, and Stacie, she had asked all three of them on a couple occasions if Theo was around and if they were going to see him again.
Of course, that question was normally followed by Callie asking them not to tell her Mama because she didn't want to make Beca sad, which, upon hearing that, promptly made Beca burst into tears. That led to another conversation with Callie and Beca, Beca telling her daughter that she can still talk about her father and ask questions about him whenever she wants and that Callie would never make her sad, even if Theo had in the past. Which, in turn, prompted Callie to ask if Beca would be seeing Theo on her three-day trip to Los Angeles.
Beca said no just to keep it simple. And perhaps in an attempt to soothe her own worries.
"Are you going to bring Aubrey and Chloe to see your office?"
Beca smirks. "I am. And I'm going to bring home some of the candies that are in there, too."
Callie's jaw drops open with excitement. "The peanut butter cups?"
"The peanut butter cups."
Giggling and shifting Henry – who is a small two-year-old, but Callie is also a small seven-year-old - on her lap. "Maybe we can go to your office soon, Mama."
A sad smile tugs at Beca's mouth. "I hope so, Cal. Maybe someday. Or maybe I'll get a new office somewhere, and then you'll have to help me decorate with all of your drawings."
"Okay!"
"Yeah? Henry, you think you could help with that, too?"
Henry squirms in Callie's hold. "Okay, Mama."
Letting out a soft sigh, Beca simply basks in the presence of her children. Yet, she knows they're growing antsy, and having already promised to talk to them before they go to bed, she – reluctantly – agrees to end the call. "Okay, guys… you go back to playing with Bella and be good for Stacie and Emily. I'll talk to you at bedtime, alright?"
Callie nods. "We will! Bye Mama, miss you!"
"Bye, Mama!"
"Bye, my babies. I love you so, so much."
"Love you! Bye!" Callie hangs up the phone, the video cutting out just as Beca sees Henry's little fist opening and closing in a wave and leaving Beca alone in the silence of the bedroom.
Beca leans up against the wall, letting out a heavy sigh. She has spent many nights lying in bed, awake and staring at the ceiling, wondering if going through with the trial is going to be worth it. Wondering if pursuing this restraining order and subsequent custody trial, is worth the risk of Theo gaining more access to the kids (and justified with a penchant for vengeance).
But those two kids – the ones that have saved her on more than one occasion, the ones that she loves with every single ounce of her being – they are the reason that she's going through with this. They are the reason that she's going to sit up in a courtroom tomorrow and tell everyone exactly what has happened over the last ten years. She'll tell them all about her failings as a mother, all about her failings as a friend, all about her failings as a person, if it means that Henry and Callie will be safe.
She would go to the ends of the earth for those two kids, and she'd do it in a heartbeat. This hearing – as much as it is eating her up inside and as much as she is dreading having to see Theo again and relive everything that he's put her through (that she's put herself through) – this is just a small step to the rest of their life. A life of freedom; of happiness.
A light knock on the bedroom door breaks Beca from her reverie, and the brunette wearily looks in the direction of the sound.
Chloe is standing in the doorway, her hair piled into a bun on top of her head, her cerulean orbs tired from traveling, a soft smile on her face. "Hey… can I come in?"
Beca nods and Chloe doesn't hesitate to come into the bedroom, closing the door behind her and joining Beca on the bed. She sits closer to the pillows, leaving a sizeable distance between the two of them, which Beca appreciates.
"How are the kids?"
Beca gulps, staring holes into the carpet in the room. "They're good. They were playing Just Dance with Bella when I called."
Chloe smiles fondly at the thought of her niece – though, what Beca doesn't know, is that she's thinking of Callie and Henry, too – chuckling softly. "I've played that game with her so many times. I'm starting to get a little too old to be moving like that."
Beca scoffs, shaking her head light-heartedly. "Whatever. I doubt that."
"No, seriously. I'm pretty sure I pulled something a couple of weeks ago. I'm getting old."
"You're not getting old, Chloe."
Chloe just smirks, continuing to watch Beca out of the corner of her eye. She eventually sobers, glad that they were able to have this light interaction, but she is still able to see the gears turning in Beca's head. "How're you holding up?"
Beca sighs, moving to start picking at her fingernails. "I'll be better when it's over."
"Just one more day. Aubrey and I will be by your side the entire time."
Beca closes her eyes, the words slipping out before she can stop them. The same words that have been tumbling around in her mind for weeks, but words that she's only said to herself - never to anyone else. With the combined exhaustion and stress, it's like they leap from her throat. "But it's not just one more day, that's the thing. Even if I didn't have the custody trial and even if… even if Theo completely dropped off of the face of the earth, it's never going to disappear."
Chloe's jaw drops open slightly, sputtering as her cheeks grow hot. "N-no, Bec, that wasn't what I meant, I'm so s—"
"There's no reason for you to apologize." Beca hangs her head in her hands above her lap. "I just… tomorrow is going to be horrible and it's not even close to being the end of it. At all."
Biting back tears, Chloe grips her hands together – anything to keep them from reaching out to take hold of the brunette. As much as Beca might feel like irritation is coating her words, all Chloe can see is fear. The same fear that she has seen before, but also something completely different. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Beca shrugs, keeping her eyes closed to the world, yet another thought tugging at the back of her brain.
She has wanted to get Chloe alone for a while prior to the trial, and with now being as good a time as any (and Beca being in the perfect position to dig herself deeper into the hole of making Chloe look like a sad puppy), she speaks again. She swallows her nerves, she doesn't looking into Chloe's eyes. She just mumbles. "Listen, Chloe… tomorrow there's gonna… there's going to be a lot of things that are said."
Beca chances a glance at the redhead, her gaze boring into the side of Beca's head, and meeting her eyes as soon as Beca looks her way. "I know."
"I don't…" Beca's stomach rolls. She's had this talk with Aubrey a few times, both recently and before they started preparing for the actual hearing. She's also talked with Aubrey about having this exact talk with Chloe - and did the same with Emily, too. Both of them reassured her that it would be fine - Chloe would understand. But that doesn't make her stomach any less twisted. Or her heart rate beat any less faster. "I understand if you don't want to be in there. I don't… I don't expect you to be in there."
Chloe furrows her eyebrows, confusion instantly covering her features, her voice quiet as she asks, "Bec, why do you think I flew out here?"
"I—" Beca shakes her head, losing the ability to formulate an actual response. She tried making herself have this conversation with Chloe prior to when they flew out - but she couldn't. She could never get Chloe alone. She never felt like she could change her mind when, from the start, Chloe said she would be there.
"I came to be here for you, Beca. I don't care what he says or what the lawyer has to say. All that I care about is if you are okay."
Beca's racing heartbeat slows ever so slightly, but it picks back up at the thought that – through this entire process – Chloe will be hearing things Beca never thought she would have to say in front of her.
And as Beca gets lost in her own thoughts, so does Chloe. She hesitates, watching the brunette carefully, the words painful as the come out. "But if… if you don't want me in there, Bec…"
Beca's heart clenches in her chest, and even if she had an answer, her silence betrays her. She can't even bring herself to look at Chloe's hurt expression.
"Oh." Her voice is quiet and if Beca were brave enough to look into her eyes, she would see the tears pooling in the blue orbs. "Okay."
"It's not that I don't-don't—" It's not that she doesn't want her there; it's that she doesn't want her to hear what has happened.
But Chloe cuts her off, not letting Beca finish in her explanation as she tries to reassure her that it's okay, even if Chloe's expressions are giving her true feelings about the situation away. "It's okay. I'll just… I'll wait outside the courtroom. It's alright."
The quiver in Beca's voice betrays her. "Chloe—"
Chloe forces a smile onto her face, internally reassuring herself that it's fine. Everything's fine. "It's okay, Beca. It's okay."
Beca grips the cool porcelain, her head resting on her arm as she struggles to get a fresh breath of air.
She's been doing... okay.
Though, if someone were to ask Aubrey or Chloe, they'd whole-heartedly disagree. They'd say that she's being strong - as always - but that she's looked like absolute crap since getting out of bed this morning.
Beca managed to get ready, donning a suit that Aubrey managed to get her before the hearing, and curling her hair to the utmost perfection. Her makeup – well, prior to getting sick in the courthouse bathroom – was done to the level she used to do for work: the dark bags hanging under her eyes hidden with a layer of concealer, her eyelashes darker and longer with a few swipes of mascara.
Now, of course, she's sure her face is flushed and damp with sweat, and her hair is most likely flat and making her look exactly how she feels.
Nervous. A mess. And wanting nothing more than to go home and curl up on the couch with her kids.
She didn't sleep at all last night, and instead, spent the eight hours of the time laying in the bed opposite of Aubrey's (Chloe chose the couch), staring up at the ceiling, with every single horrible thought running through her mind on a loop.
When it finally reached five am, she was so grateful to get out of bed, that she took a shower and cooked breakfast (that she didn't eat) and was ready to leave for the hearing a dreadful four hours early.
But it's good she's early, apparently, or else she wouldn't have this opportunity to get sick. Then again, even if they were running late, she's pretty sure the court officials wouldn't have appreciated her getting sick in the courtroom.
A light knocking breaks Beca's labored breathing. "Beca? Are you okay?"
Beca gulps, her stomach screaming in protest as she answers Aubrey's call. She can hear Aubrey, Chloe, and her attorney, Riley, whispering outside of the stall, but she can't quite make out what're they're saying. "Mhmm."
She isn't ready to see him. She isn't ready to talk. And as much as she would love to just get this over with, she does not imagine herself leaving this bathroom any time soon.
When they got to the courthouse, the person that checked them in brought them to a back conference-room-type area that they said was to keep her away from both the paparazzi and Theo. Beca tried not thinking about the fact that it's specifically designated for people that have been affected by domestic violence, but the pamphlets that were set up on the little side table – almost hidden by a coffee pot – was what truly sent her over the edge. They weren't in there for five minutes before Beca was making a bee-line for the bathroom.
Then, in the safety (and solitude) of the stall, how could her mind not wonder to her husband's face and everything that's about to happen.
"Beca, can we do anything?"
Tears drip out of Beca's eyes as she hears Chloe's voice, just the sound of it bringing her some relief (which churns her stomach even more because why does it do that?).
"N-no. I'm okay."
There's more mumbling outside of the door, the clicking of heels back and forth against the tile of the flooring. She tries to concentrate on the repetitive sound, matching her breathing to each step.
In and out. Just like always.
But of course, as soon as she starts to get her heartrate to return to a more normal rhythm, the bathroom door swings open, the hinges screeching in protest. Beca stiffens in her crouched position, the heels she's wearing making her feet ache as she strains to listen to the person that's joined them in the small room. She waits for someone to go into the stall beside her, yet she knows that's not going to happen as soon as she hears the voice.
"Is she in here?"
Beca sits up, her last breath slipping from her lips. She remains frozen, as the new visitor must get her answer, because soon enough, she's knocking gently on the bathroom door. "Beca?"
Beca grabs some toilet paper, dabbing her face both dry and clean, and, after flushing the toilet, shakily stands. Her lip trembles – this time with immense relief than anything else – and opens the stall door.
She's standing in front of her, dressed in a similar cardigan-based outfit that she always wore to Beca's house. Her graying hair is tied up in the same bun, and her kind eyes are as sympathetic as ever; kind, open, and looking like they hold all of the world's wonders.
Beca almost breaks down as soon as she sees her.
Karla takes Beca into her arms, holding the younger woman tightly into her chest as Beca easily sinks into her embrace. She lets out a shuddering breath, breathing in Karla's familiar scent, and simply standing there in the middle of the bathroom, allowing her to hold her in a way that she hasn't been held since she left LA.
Beca doesn't realize she's crying until she feels the damp cloth of Karla's clothes against her closed eyes. She grips onto the back of Karla's shirt, relaxing even further when Karla's hand starts rubbing circles into Beca's back.
"No, no. No tears. Do not give him those tears. He doesn't get your tears." Karla continues her soothing motions, looking up at the three other women standing in the bathroom. "Could we have a moment, please?"
Aubrey is the first one to nod, placing her hand lightly on the small of Chloe's back and leading both her and Riley from the bathroom and leaving Karla alone with Beca.
They stand there for a few moments, Karla keeping in mind the seven-minute warning that Aubrey gave her on their way out, before Beca slowly backs away, lightly brushing the tears off of her cheeks. "I wasn't sure if you were going to come."
"Of course, I was going to come. Nothing was going to stop me from being here."
Beca allows her eyes to trail the older woman. She looks exactly as Beca remembered her, and as that exact thought crosses her mind, she realizes that she is the only one that's probably changed in appearance.
Karla's expression softens. "I've been trying to keep in touch with Aubrey. How have you been, Beca? How are the kids?"
Beca gulps. "They're okay…" With a little hesitation - and absolutely no conviction - she adds, "I'm okay."
A small smile – sympathetic but wholeheartedly disbelieving – tugs at Karla's lips. "I know you're probably terrified, but he's not going to get away with this. The judge isn't going to believe his lies."
Beca's chin starts to tremble as she bites back another wave of both nausea and tears. She brings her cool hand to the back of her neck, moving to sit down on the bench that's in the corner of the bathroom. "I don't want to go in there."
"I know."
"I don't want to see him."
"I know that, too. But you won't be alone. He won't be able to get to you. Not anymore."
Beca falls silent, leaning her head up against the wall.
"I won't be able to be in there because I'm testifying, but you'll have Aubrey and Ms. Callahan. And Chloe. That was Chloe, wasn't it?"
Beca manages a nod, head pounding, but remains silent.
"So, see. You aren't going to be alone."
"I asked Chloe to stay outside." The admission comes out as a whisper, Beca slightly ashamed as she speaks it into existence that she couldn't form her thoughts into proper words yesterday while she was talking with Chloe.
Karla quirks her head to the side, holding on to her purse as she stands in front of the brunette. "And why's that?"
Beca's eyes flutter closed. "She doesn't need to hear that stuff."
"She is a grown woman, Beca. A grown woman who wants to be there for you."
"I don't want her to hear it."
"I don't believe you."
Beca opens her eyes, staring at Karla through a sheen of tears. "I don't. I don't want her to hear anything...like that. What he's done, what I've done..."
Karla grows serious. "Stop trying to protect those around you, sweetheart. You need all of the support that you can get right now – and they want to support you. The way Chloe was looking at you just now? She wants to support you."
"Karla—"
"No." Karla shakes her head, using the same tone – strict, yet soft – that she used to use with Callie and Henry (and Beca when she was trying to convince her to call Aubrey). She sits down beside Beca, wrapping one arm around her. "You need to let your people in, Beca. That's the whole reason why you went to New York. They are here – they are your family. This is one of the times where you need them the most."
Thank you so much for reading! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
See you next Wednesday!
