Here we go! Wrapping up this part of the fic so Beca and the kids can finally move on.

...or can they?

I don't know - read on, friends! Thanks so much for all of your support!

Icedragone - I'm so glad that the wait was worth it! Yeah, Callie knows some of what stuff is going on, and Beca will learn that for herself a little later on. I hope Beca does what Dr. Cole suggests before it's too late dun dun dunnnn...Thank you so much! The exams went well! Hahaha I love protective and jealous Chloe too! Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support!

Guest (Jun 2) - I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter! I definitely agree with you about Henry - and I think toddlers can be so perceptive of how everyone else is acting and feed off of that as well. But yes, Beca is definitely lucky that Henry was acting the way he was around Theo. And 100% - at the beginning, Callie was helping Theo out, and then in her innocence, revealed some of what Dr. Cole was specifically looking for. I love your predictions for the custody recommendation and Theo's potential reaction... you are definitely on the right track ;) thanks so much for all of your support!

RJRMovieFan - I am so glad that you enjoyed the chapter so much that it could be your favorite chapter! And don't worry, I have no plans for abandoning the fic. Thanks so much for your kind words and all of your support!

Iluvtvshows - Hehehe who am I to say if you are wrong or not? I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the court decision, if you'd like to share! Thanks so much for your support!

Jody1990 - Same here! Chloe was not messing around. And yep Theo's facade is finally starting to crack, let's see how much longer he can hold out for... Callie's situation is definitely heartbreaking :( she's certainly a focus in the second part of this fic, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how she progresses if you want to share! Thanks so much for your support!

Wolvezzz - No apologies necessary! I am so sorry that you've been having a hard time lately, and I am heartbroken to hear about your dog :( I am glad that you are in a place where you can come back, though; hopefully it provides some reprieve from real life as I know it has provided me. Hahaha I'm glad that you're noticing the baby steps between Beca and Chloe! They're getting there! and in the second part, it will be even more obvious! And yes, for sure about Henry and Callie. They both have a lot of healing to do. Thanks so much for all of your support and kind words!

Guest (Jun 9) - Here you go! I hope the chapter was worth the wait! Thanks so much for your kind words and support!


Chapter 19

Content warning: Referenced/implied abusive relationship, domestic violence; threat of violence, yelling, panic attacks, dangerous situation (kids involved)

It's been a long time coming. So long, that Beca feels as though she should be relieved that the day is finally here. Post-leaving Theo. Post-restraining order hearing. Now, finally, the – hopefully – last hurdle that they have to go over before their family can see a little bit of peace.

But, no, why would she be feeling any sense of peace? Instead, she is sitting in the courtroom not having gotten a wink of sleep the night prior; her head aches and her chest is tight. Her leg, covered in the fabric of her finest suit pants, bounces up and down with nerves as she waits for the last part of the custody hearing to begin.

It has been a week since Dr. Cole completed her evaluation, speaking to everyone that may have had interactions with Beca, Theo, and their kids. Karla, Chloe, Emily, Aubrey, Stacie, some of the folks from the studio, even Beca's boss, DJ Khaled, was contacted for a statement. Beca doesn't have any idea how any of those conversations turned out, but she does know that Karla, Chloe, Emily, Aubrey, and Stacie, all swore left and right that they didn't say anything that would jeopardize her future with the kids.

Not that they could say anything that would do that. They would have to be lying to make that happen.

Still, Beca is a ball of anxiety and worry. There really is no clear cut way that the hearing could go. Aubrey is convinced, as she told Beca the night before on the phone and multiple times prior, that Theo will likely get some kind of visitation.

As much as Beca trusts Aubrey, she can't help but hope that she is wrong.

However, Aubrey is equally as confident that Beca will get full – if not the majority – of physical and legal custody of the kids. With the judge granting the restraining order for five years and everyone else's participation in the evaluation, she finds it hard to believe that the judge won't rule in Beca's favor.

Similar to the part about visitation, Beca can't help but worry that Aubrey is wrong about that, too.

All that being said – Beca is terrified. And rightfully so.

She didn't eat anything for breakfast this morning, and her hands were shaking so much that she burned her finger on her curling iron while she was getting ready. They had to be at the courthouse early in the morning, so she only got to kiss both of her sleeping kids goodbye rather than have any sort of conversation with them. In hindsight, it was probably for the best considering that she probably would have made them upset with her nerves, but still, she definitely couldn't squeeze them as tightly as she would have had they been awake.

Beca didn't want the kids anywhere near the courthouse, so Karla is spending the day with them – something that both kids were ecstatic for.

As long as they are happy – and distracted from what is happening behind the scenes – Beca will take that any day.

More than that, she will gladly shoulder any of life's challenges so that Callie and Henry don't have to face them alone.

"Aubrey said that the hearing shouldn't take longer than an hour."

Chloe's voice startles Beca from her thoughts. She jolts upward in her seat to Chloe's right. Her, Chloe, Emily, and Riley are the only ones in the court room right now. Beca hasn't moved up to the table with Riley yet, and no one else has arrived. They're the first case of the day for Family Court, and the bailiff watching them from the corner of the room graciously allowed them to get comfortable prior to Theo getting to the courthouse.

Beca turns to face Chloe, trying to get her gaze to focus. "What?"

Chloe gives her a sympathetic smile, repeating herself. "Aubrey said that the hearing shouldn't take longer than an hour."

"Oh." Beca's voice is meek as she slowly turns to face the front of the courtroom once more. The Judge's desk up front is just as menacing as it was the first time. While Beca isn't sure if she's in the same room as she was for the restraining order hearing, it certainly looks the same.

"Hey…" Chloe's gentle voice pulls her attention back. Emily is sitting on the opposite side of Beca, but has been staying relatively quiet, letting Beca mull in her own thoughts. Chloe, though – Beca knows that she can practically hear the gears turning in Beca's head, and is determined to quiet them. It is something that she has always been willing and able to do. "It's going to work out. I promise."

Beca doesn't get a chance to answer. Instead, her heart stops in her chest as the back door of the courtroom opens. Theo and his lawyer walk in with their heads down, both of them taking long strides down the aisle.

Subconsciously, Beca grips her thigh, her palms sweaty as she averts her eyes, turning back to look at the front of the courtroom. She takes a deep inhale, trying to calm her nerves and steady her breathing. On her exhale, a warm hand wraps around her own.

Beca jumps slightly at the touch, but upon turning and looking at Chloe who is smiling – hesitantly, but reassuringly – her way, she relaxes. She doesn't feel the swell of panic that she used to upon being touched by the other woman, and instead, finds that the touch, this time around, brings her a sense of calm.

It's short lived, however, when Riley turns around and whispers that it's probably time for Beca to move up to the front. The brunette begrudgingly obliges, giving Chloe's hand a light squeeze before letting go, making it to the seat beside Riley right before the bailiff announces the arrival of the judge.

"Good morning everyone, please be seated." Judge Campbell, looking the same as she did weeks ago when Beca met her for the first time, leads the courtroom in sitting back down. Beca doesn't take her eyes off the older woman as she pulls her chair in closer to the table, gripping her hands together on her lap. "How are we doing this morning, folks?"

Beca manages a small – barely there – smile, acknowledging Judge Campbell's question, but not answering it. She doesn't bother looking to Theo for his response.

"Alright, let's wrap this up, shall we? I'm sure you are both looking forward to this being over."

Beca's stomach churns, her chest tightening. She's almost grateful for Judge Campbell's nonchalance; grateful for her urgency and her desire to get 'this' over with. But on the other hand, she can't help but think about how insignificant this decision is to her.

It is going to change Beca's life. Her kids'. Yet this is just one decision that Judge Campbell will make today, and she'll probably never think about it again.

Beca has to push those thoughts out of her head to focus once more, though, because as insignificant as it may be for Judge Campbell – she still needs to pay attention.

"I have reviewed Dr. Cole's testimony, recommendation, and evaluation, as well as the accompanying observations and interviews. Ms. Mitchell, do you have anything you would like to bring up today, that you have not stated in any of your previous testimonies?"

Beca stands on shaky legs, her voice catching in her throat when she answers. "No, Your Honor. Thank you."

Judge Campbell nods, turning her attention to Theo. "Mr. Wright, do you have anything you would like to bring up today, that you have not stated in any of your previous testimonies?"

Beca keeps her eyes trained on the table in front of her as she hears the scrapping of the chair against the linoleum and his accent-laced voice bouncing off the walls. "I do not, Your Honor."

"Excellent. I am prepared to make my ruling on custody, then. As you have been informed in previous hearings, as well as by your respective counsels, I'm sure: once this custody ruling is entered into the court document, it is a binding decision. The custody agreement may not be altered unless a decision is mutually agreed upon by both parties, or if a party finds and pursues grounds for an appeal or a request for modification, during which time, the court may reevaluate its previous decision. Do both parties understand?"

Beca barely hears her own voice over the rushing of her blood in her ears. Over the pounding of her heart in her chest. Her shallow breathing.

It is all heightened. All coming to a head as the time slowly ticks by.

She is holding her breath when Judge Campbell starts talking again after determining that both her and Theo understand.

"Following a review of the Child Custody 730 evaluation, in conjunction with the court's previous findings regarding domestic violence perpetrated by Mr. Wright against Ms. Mitchell, as well as previous testimonies by both parties and other witnesses, it is the decision of the court that sole legal and physical custody of Callie Jane Wright and Henry Theodore Wright will be granted to Ms. Rebeca Mitchell, with Mr. Theodore Wright entitled to once-per-month, supervised visitations with each child."

And just like that, the noise becomes nonexistent.

Her heart quiets. The blood rushing in her ears ceases. Her mind becomes almost blank, save for one question: did she hear that correctly?

Vaguely, almost as though she is under water, Beca can hear Chloe and Emily letting out their own cries of relief behind her. She sees Riley grinning at her, telling her that they accomplished what they set out to do.

She barely hears Judge Campbell continue. "Ms. Mitchell retains the right to move the children's permanent residence to New York, or any other state within the country, so long as she maintains the set visitation schedule until said visitation schedule is updated or terminated. The matter of child support may be determined by both parties, but Mr. Wright will be required to provide monetary support for the children until financial assets are divided between himself and Ms. Mitchell following the conclusion of divorce proceedings."

Then gradually, more loudly above the rest, the sound of Mr. Klein's, Theo's lawyer's, voice, breaks through. "Your Honor, all due respect, but this ruling seems unfairly punitive to my client."

Beca is still too stunned to properly react, so she just watches Judge Campbell's unimpressed expression as she responds.

"Mr. Klein, I did not come to this decision lightly. Your client has shown little remorse to the findings of this court regarding his substantiated abuse toward Ms. Mitchell. He has not been willing to partake in treatment for his alcoholism or to enroll in parenting classes, as both the court and Dr. Cole have suggested. The 730 evaluations, as well – in both Dr. Cole's analysis and my own, did not find Mr. Wright to have proven his ability to properly parent or coparent with Ms. Mitchell, and that his presence, in fact, may have more of a harmful impact on the children than a positive one."

Judge Campbell raises her eyebrows as though daring someone else to question her. "Shall I go on?"

Beca chances a glance over at the other side of the room, with Mr. Klein sitting down and Theo seething silently: his face growing to a deeper shade of red and his hands gripping his thighs.

"Excellent. Either party may file an appeal regarding this custody decision within the next 45 days but there must be substantial evidence of a change in circumstances. Otherwise, requests for modifications by the court may be filed as desired, though again, there must be evidence of a change in circumstances. Does either party have remaining questions before we close?"

Beca barely manages to shake her head, but Judge Campbell seems to get the idea. She lifts her gavel before it crashes down on the plate in front of her. "Court is adjourned. Thank you, everyone."


Beca finds it hard to pinpoint exactly how she is feeling following the conclusion of the custody trial.

Many words run through her head when Chloe, Emily, Riley – and eventually – Aubrey and Stacie, ask her that exact question.

Relieved.

Glad.

Elated.

There's a lightness to her, a weightlessness, that she has been missing for so long. It's unfamiliar; foreign. She almost feels as though she's sleep walking through the day. Perhaps feeling a little bit like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

That doesn't mean that she didn't completely break down when Theo and Mr. Klein finally left the court room. It doesn't mean that she didn't cling to Chloe, nestled between her and Emily, as she sobbed into the redhead's suit jacket, feeling an overwhelming sense of emotion for the outcome.

It certainly doesn't mean that she doesn't break down again when she gets back to the house, engulfing her kids in a hug that is far too long and tight for their liking – but is just about the only thing holding Beca together.

In her excitement, she doesn't even think about the issue of visitation. Well, she does briefly, when Riley gives her the business card of her court-appointed visitation supervisor and a quick explanation about how, even though it's once a month now, they will likely be able to appeal the frequency in about a year to get it down to never. But Beca doesn't have the patience to think that far down the road.

Because right now, she is celebrating her win. And though the inkling of anxiety and fear that has taken up permanent residence in her life is still there in the back of her mind, she is celebrating the end result of everything that she has pursued for the last ten years. She is celebrating the victory of a lengthy, tiresome, and oftentimes soul-crushing and life-draining, battle.

And that is exactly what she did.

No one mentioned the custody trial as Beca, Chloe, Emily, and Karla, spent the day simply playing by the pool with the kids during the unseasonably warm February Tuesday. Music blasted from the speakers, the kids ate way too much ice cream and other desserts that served as lunch. Laughs rang out from the Mitchell-Wright backyard in a way that their neighbors have probably never heard from members of the family.

Chloe, Emily, Karla, and even Callie and Henry, haven't seen Beca ever smile as much as she did that afternoon.

By seven o'clock that night, however, with the excitement and spontaneous, celebratory happenings of the day behind them, Callie and Henry are fast asleep on the couch between Beca and Chloe, with Emily sitting in the armchair next to them.

Beca leans comfortably up against the back cushion of the couch, a soft, relaxed smile on her face as she holds Henry to her chest and mindlessly strokes Callie's forehead from where she is slumped up against her side. Beca's skin is tingling from being out in the sun all day, not having anticipated the need to put on sunscreen during one of L.A.'s coolest months.

But her heart… her heart is so full, and she feels lighter than she can ever remember feeling.

"Your face is a little pink, Bec. On your nose, there." Chloe lets out a small giggle, brushing her own nose with the tip of her finger, angling herself so she can properly see Beca Mitchell, her best friend, relaxed on the couch with her two kids.

Beca rolls her eyes in a good-natured way that both Chloe and Emily have only seen glimpses of since her return. "I know, I know. You know me, unable to tan to save my life."

"I can't believe it got so sunny today. I'm not ready to go back to New York winters." Chloe shivers involuntarily, causing Beca and Emily to chuckle quietly, both of them cautious of the sleeping children in their presence.

Emily takes a small sip of the tea in her hands. "Is that still your plan, Beca? To go back to New York?"

Beca smiles to herself, looking down at Callie and Henry and the tranquility on their respective faces. It's not really a question. She has long known the answer, probably since she decided to leave Los Angeles, knowing that once she left, she never really wanted to come back. That notion still - perhaps more so - rings true today. "Yeah. For sure. The kids are happy there, we have you guys. Well, Em, I know you have to get back to Georgia, but Chloe, you're there, and Aubrey and Stacie and Bella. I definitely wouldn't have been able to get this far without you guys, and, well, I think for now… New York is where we need to be."

Chloe blinks away the tears that have swelled in her eyes. She pushes away her own elation at listening to Beca recognize that she has a support system. At hearing her say that she wants to come back to New York (where Chloe lives). While Chloe knows Beca's disappearance ten years ago wasn't her fault, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been a little fearful of what might have happened following the conclusion of the custody hearing, especially if the decision hadn't gone Beca's way.

Because Chloe knows full well that Beca would have done whatever was necessary to keep the kids safe.

"I couldn't agree more." Chloe gives Beca a tearful smile, her voice cracking ever so slightly. The brunette simply nods, smiling back, before returning her gaze to her sleeping children.

Beca didn't say anything to them about what today was going to entail. She still hasn't told them that there even was a custody battle (or explained what a custody battle even is). She didn't bring it up when they got back from the courthouse, and Callie and Henry, so caught up in their mother's joy and relief, didn't find it necessary to ask.

Callie even went the entire day without asking about Theo, instead just relishing in her mother's happiness.

"I'll talk to them tomorrow night," Beca starts, without being prompted, "Before we fly out on Thursday. About what's going to happen with Theo."

She knows that everyone has their own opinion about what she should and shouldn't tell the kids – specifically Callie. It's a subject that has kept her up more nights than not, wondering, as she lies in bed, how much information is too much, and how much the withholding of information may be harming her daughter. Beca wants to tell her something – something that justifies all of the craziness that she's been through; all of the changes. But at the same time, she doesn't want to cause Callie even more pain.

She needs to play it right. And now, with custody in her hands, she has the ability to do that.

Emily nods in agreement. "I can be there, too, if you'd like. Whatever we can do to help."

Chloe gently strokes Callie's ankle where her hand has been resting. "Absolutely. Whatever you need."

Beca sighs deeply. "I know she probably won't understand it. At least not in the beginning. But I think – I hope – that all of this...it's for the best."

"It is. And yes, she probably will be angry at first, but when she's older and you're able to tell her a little more about what happened, she'll get why everything happened the way it did."

Chloe searches Beca's face until she lifts her gaze to meet Chloe's. "And both her and Henry are going to be so grateful and proud that you were able to get them out of that situation. I know I am."

Emily never once looks away from the pair on the couch. "Same here. You're pretty freaking amazing, Beca. I hope you know that."

Beca's cheeks flush a deep red as she casts her eyes downward.

For a while, she would've disagreed with them – she has disagreed with them on similar, previously-made statements. But now, as she begins to come out on the other side, there is a small part of her that is beginning to believe that maybe they are at least a little bit right.

Because she did get herself out of an abusive relationship. She did get her kids out of an unsafe home environment. She faced a mile-long list of fears – fears that otherwise would have prevented her from doing what was best for her and her kids – in order to get out. And, as this morning proved, it was success.

The road ahead of them is undoubtedly long, but for now, they have made it through this part of the fight. Beca is going to take that win and hold it close.


As darkness settles around the house, illuminated only by the table lamps in the living room and the glow of the city beneath them, the conversation amongst the three women grows lighter. Chloe shares stories about some of her students – students that she is anxious to get back to but knows that it is likely she will have to wait until the start of the next school year, summer school at the earliest. Emily brings up stories from her years with the Bellas, something that normally would make Beca shift uneasily in her seat, but tonight, simply makes her laugh.

Eventually, Beca, too, brings up a memory from her own college years – one of the first times, to both Chloe's and Emily's recollection, that she has willingly brought up Barden since her return. It's a glimmer of the progress to come.

The first yawns start to come around the eleven-thirty mark. Honestly, Beca is surprised that she made it this late, what with all the stress and subsequent excitement from the happenings of the day. But sure enough, her eyelids begin to grow heavier the later it gets, no matter how much she is enjoying just sitting on the couch with her kids, talking with Chloe and Emily without the stress of wondering about what's going to happen next.

Chloe, though, is in the same boat, as she stretches her legs out, letting out a long yawn. "Even though I don't want to break up this party, we should probably head to bed soon."

Emily rubs her eyes under her glasses, agreeing immediately. "Mhmm. We had a long day today and the next couple of days are going to be long, too."

Beca looks down at her kids, a soft smile on her face. As much as she doesn't want to leave this spot – nestled into the couch with each of them sound asleep on top of her – she knows she should agree, too. "I should probably get them upstairs or they're both going to have a stiff neck in the morning."

Chloe and Emily are beginning to laugh, both of them starting to stand and stretch and readjust their sleep clothes when Beca notices it. She joins them in the brief laughter, but the sweep of the headlights across the front lawn, bouncing off the glass front door, pulls her attention away from the group. Beca furrows her eyebrows, leaning forward to look around Chloe as she folds the throw blanket she had been using, to try and see anything in the darkness of the front of the house.

Chloe moves to start lifting Callie from Beca's lap when she notices where Beca is looking. Her eyebrows furrow and she turns to look in the same direction, except this time, the outside of the house is as pitch black as it was before. "What is—"

All three of them freeze when they hear the slamming of the car door. The sound is unmistakable, and it causes a chill to run up Beca's spine.

She shifts on the couch so that she can get a better viewpoint of the front door, but other than that, all three of the women stay still.

That is, until they hear him yell.

Same as the slamming of the car door, the sound of Theo screaming Beca's name – albeit with an undeniable slur – is paralyzing. Her breath catches in her throat and her grip subconsciously tightens around Callie and Henry as the volume grows, until he's standing in the glow of the porch lights, visible from the inside because they foolishly didn't close both doors after seeing Karla out after dinner.

"Oh my—"

"Beca!" Emily's quiet, shocked, statement is interrupted by Theo banging his fist against the glass door, the surface rattling violently, as he shouts louder into the house. He presses his hands to the door, getting his face close to the glass so that he can peer in without the glare of the various lights, and Beca feels every breath leave her body.

Because they're all shocked. They shouldn't be – but they are. They let their guard down for a day – not even a full day – and here they are, Theo acting predictable as ever.

Beca should've known – or at least suspected it.

And while the fear is locking her limbs, her brain is reverting back to its old habits of its time spent living in the house. The one where she mentally runs through her checklist to make sure the kids – her priorities – are safe. Right now, they are most definitely not.

Of course, it doesn't help that Theo continues to bang on the glass and shakes the door handle so hard that it looks like it might come off its hinges any second, and within seconds, Callie and Henry are awake.

Henry lifts his head off of Beca's chest and blinks a few times, but Callie is much more quick to register that something is wrong. She stretches out, slowly at first, but then jolts upward at the sound of Theo banging on the door once more. She whips her head in the direction of the noise, the color draining from her face. The word is laced with both confusion and fear. "…Daddy?"

Callie's voice breaks Beca and Emily from their trances, with Beca taking a firm grasp of Callie's wrist and Emily turn to address the three of them. Emily doesn't get to say anything before Callie quickly realizes what is happening, and she fills with the same fear that her mother has experienced for the last ten years, her screams joining in with Theo's, and Beca, Emily, and Chloe's instructions to go with her mom.

Even in Beca's hurry to pull a screaming and crying Callie and a sobbing Henry towards her office, she can see how inebriated Theo is. She can see it in how he stumbles over his feet in front of the door, and how sometimes he misses the glass part of the surface. She can hear it in the slurs of his screams about wanting to see his kids; in his screams about letting him into his house.

She tries to block it out – all of the noises – as she takes her kids away from Theo's line of sight – and away from his threat. She barely notices Chloe on the phone with the police, or Emily showing her bravery once more in running towards the front and closing the second, much more sturdy door on Theo and engaging all three of the locking mechanisms tightly, before leaning up against the door with a sigh.

In all of the panic, all of the overwhelming fear at the – very real – threat of danger to everyone's safety, Beca barely notices when the screaming from her soon-to-be-ex-husband eventually stops. When his headlights show him backing out of the driveway. When he's driving away, with Chloe still on the phone with the 9-1-1 operator.

And in her need to comfort her children, and in Chloe and Emily's need to ensure Beca and the kids' safety, combined with the fact that it's a few miles away from them when it happens, none of them notice the squealing of Theo's brakes, nor his failure, in his alcohol-induced state, to stop before crashing into another car in the opposite lane.


Predictions? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

What happened with Theo? Who knows. How will this impact Beca and the kids? Only time will tell.

Part II will be up next Wednesday (maybe sooner if I can get my act together). We'll be jumping ahead a bit in time!

Thank you so much for all of your support for this fic! See you next week!