Happy Holidays! Let me know how you like this chapter. I thought it was fun. Also, if you've watched How I Met Your Mother, there's a pretty obvious reference lol Enjoy. R&R please!
Chapter 28: Christmas with the Beales
Chloe took a deep breath and gave Beca a confident nod before knocking on the door. They waited a moment before it swung open to reveal a beaming redhead who looked like Chloe in 30 years.
"Chloeeee!" The older woman shouted with glee as she embraced Chloe in a fierce hug that Chloe returned enthusiastically. "I'm so happy you're here!" She shook Chloe a couple times before turning to Beca. "And Beca!" She held out her arms as if she had already known Beca for years.
"That's me." Beca grinned as she awkwardly raised a hand. Before she knew it she was engulfed in a Beale hug. She suddenly realized where Chloe got it from.
"I am soooo happy to meet you, Beca!" Mrs. Beale swayed back and forth with Beca in her arms. "Chloe's told me so much about you and I'm so happy you're here!"
"Me too!" Beca smiled widely in a slightly fake manner. Mrs. Beale finally broke away and clapped her hands. "Alright inside! Inside! Don't want you catching pneumonia before our ski trip!" Mrs. Beale grabbed a bag and led them inside while calling for her husband. Carl came strolling in from the kitchen wearing a "kiss the chef" apron and a beaming smile.
"Chloe-Bee!" Carl wrapped her in a hug and spun her around. Before relinquishing his hold. Chloe was giggling and breathless.
"Hey, Daddy! And this is Beca." Chloe put a hand on Beca's back, urging her forward. She held out her hand to shake his, trying not to visibly shake. He gave her a tsk and bent down to give her a hug.
"We Beale's don't do handshakes." He stood back proudly.
"So, what's with the nickname?" Beca grinned as she looked at Chloe.
"Bees were my little Chloe's favorite animal as a kid." Carl winked at Chloe who was rolling her eyes.
"Yes, and why were they your favorite?" Caroline gave Chloe a nudge.
"Because they pooped on flowers to make them grow." Chloe deadpanned, not finding this as amusing as the others. Beca was glad she wasn't drinking because she definitely would've done a spit take. But she couldn't contain the snort of laughter that escaped her mouth.
"I was four!" Chloe gave her a little slap on the shoulder.
"Did I hear Chloe?!" Another bubbly redhead bounced down the stairs. Beca was shocked at the family resemblence. She was literally looking at a slightly miniature Chloe. It was a little weird.
"Hey, Chels!" Chloe gave her little sister a hug before turning her to Beca. "And this is Beca!"
"Hi!" Chelsea waved. "Chloe tells me you don't like hugs, and I'm assuming you've already been nearly squeezed to death."
"Bless you." Beca smirked.
"I feel like I already know you. Its always Beca this and Beca that when I talk to Chloe on the phone."
"Aw, you like me." Beca poked Chloe in the side.
"Hmm...sometimes I suppose. Anyway, I'm assuming our room is ready?" Chloe rolled her eyes again as she grabbed her luggage and started for the stairs.
"Oh, um…" Carl cleared his throat. "We were going to have Beca stay in the other guest room...downstairs."
"Seriously?" Chloe nearly shrieked and Beca flushed red. Chelsea's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Chloe and their dad. Caroline couldn't keep up the bit and started laughing as she grabbed a hold of Carl's arm.
"Kidding, sweetie." Carl bit his lip trying not to laugh too hard at his daughter's reaction.
"Oh my God." Chloe rolled her eyes and grabbed Beca's arm as they went upstairs.
"You're mean." Chelsea shook her head at her parents. Caroline's giggling died down as she followed Carl back into the kitchen to let the girls get settled.
The night went better than Chloe could have planned. Beca was clearly nervous but she was hiding it surprisingly well. Her niece and nephew were infatuated with her the moment they met. They fought over who could sit on Beca's other side at dinner. Chase and Chelsea bonded with her immediately. And her parents acted like they were ready to adopt her into the family on the spot. Aunt Laura even made a comment about how wonderful Beca was, mainly after seeing how Tommy and Olivia latched on to her.
At one point the family was watching one of the typical lame Christmas movies that Beca hated but wasn't about to admit that to the Beales. Chloe had her arm around Beca's waist when little Olivia came tottling over and pulled on Beca's jeans. Beca glanced down nervously as Olivia looked up at her with those bright blue Beale eyes.
"I sit." Olivia tried to climb up onto Beca's leg but was still a little too small. Beca looked at Chloe for help and Chloe just chuckled as she reached down to pick up the toddler.
"Do you want to sit with Beca?" Chloe bounced Olivia on her knee. Olivia nodded quickly. Beca was frozen and her hands weren't moving as Chloe tried to hand Olivia over.
"She's not a bomb, Beca." Chloe whispered as she gave Beca's leg a little kick. Beca gulped and then sat up straighter to let Olivia climb over. Beca's arms were barely around the little girl before Olivia clung tightly to Beca's waist and snuggled as close as humanly possible.
"She's a koala." Beca whispered back as she awkwardly let her hands hold on to the little blonde.
"A super cute koala." Chloe grinned as she rubbed Olivia's head and put her own on Beca's shoulder.
That night Beca was changed and under the covers when Chloe came back in, teeth freshly brushed, and quietly closed the door. She flicked the light switch and slid in next to Beca, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"My family loves you." She gave Beca a kiss on the cheek.
"They're pretty awesome too." Beca grinned, replaying the day in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Chloe start kissing down her neck.
"What are you doing?" Beca flinched.
"I'm not going to lie." Chloe mumbled as she continued peppering kisses on Beca. "It kinda turns me on seeing you get along so well with my family."
"Dude, that's weird." Beca tried to push Chloe away, but Chloe already had Beca firmly in her grasp.
"Come on, Beca." Chloe leaned forward to hover over her slightly. "I love you. Let me show you how much."
"I am not having sex with you with your family in the next rooms. Especially the babies!" Beca squirmed underneath Chloe, trying to keep her voice down.
"We'll be quiet." Chloe continued making her plea as she continued working on Beca's neck.
"You've said that before." Beca scoffed. "And we have to wake up early."
"I'll be quick then." Chloe nipped at Beca's earlobe and Beca quickly scooted herself away.
"I swear I will sleep on the floor, Chloe, and you won't get any cuddles." She said with a little extra firmness.
"Ugh, fine!" Chloe whined as she rolled off of Beca. "You're such a prude." Chloe accepted the next best option and snuggled as closely as she could.
"I have a ridiculous amount of self-control." Beca sighed as she wrapped her arms around Chloe.
The next morning Chloe got all the extra ski gear for Beca ready and loaded into a van. She then made the largest pot of coffee she could as her mother met her in the kitchen.
"You and Beca are a pretty cute couple, Chlo." Caroline got the eggs and bacon out to start making breakfast.
"You like her?" Chloe asked, although she was pretty sure of the answer.
"Like her? I love her! She is so perfect for you. There's a reason why they say opposites attract." Caroline started whisking the eggs in a bowl. Chloe could only grin stupidly as she waited for the coffee.
"Is she why you decided to prolong your stay at Barden?" Caroline asked innocently as she stirred some butter in a pan on the stove.
"What? No." Chloe responded defensively. "I just chose a different career path. Getting to spend more time with Beca was just an added bonus."
"Well, she's a pretty big bonus, then." Caroline shrugged as she started making the eggs. Chloe could feel herself blush and start involuntarily grinning.
"Well...I'm going to go get her up. She's not a morning person no matter how much coffee is available." Chloe filled a mug that she carefully brought upstairs to her sleeping girlfriend.
Once everyone had breakfast and was packed for the next few days at the cabin, Caroline started barking orders. Beca wondered if she had some sort of military background.
"Alright, Laura's driving the SUV. All the kids will ride with her, and Carl and I will bite the bullet and take the El Camino." She winced as she looked at the black car sitting under the carport.
"Me and Chloe can take it, that's fine." Beca chimed in quickly. The family all exchanged smirks as Laura let out a giggle while fighting with Olivia to get strapped into the car seat.
"Beca, its fine. We can ride in the van." Chloe rubbed her arm patronizingly.
"Come on." Beca gave her a nudge back. "Might be our only chance at some alone time."
"I don't think you realize what you'd be agreeing to. That car is-"
"Special." Chase interrupted. "I know I LOVED driving it last year."
"Shut up, Chase." Chloe shot him a glare.
"Come on, Chlo. It'll be fine. Really, let us take the car." Beca turned to Chloe's parents who just exchanged shrugs and handed Chloe the keys.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Chloe groaned as she shoved one last bag in the giant SUV's trunk.
Chloe and Beca slid into the car and watched as the van slowly pulled out onto the street. Chloe took a deep breath and started the car. 'We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel' started playing from the middle of the song at a loud volume, but not too obnoxious.
"Sweet, I love Billy Joel!" Beca bounced in her seat.
"You say that now." Chloe mumbled as she backed the car up and started down the road. A minute or so later, the song ended and then started back up. Beca glanced suspiciously at the stereo. Chloe had a cocky smirk as she watched Beca's confusion out of the corner of her eye.
"Tapes." Beca shook her head, reaching for the tape player. "I mean I love old school, but I hate when they mess up." She punched at the eject button several times and nothing happened. But the song kept playing. Chloe looked completely unfazed.
"Okay, what's the deal?" Beca leaned back, annoyed.
"Oh, the tape got stuck years ago. So it plays this song on repeat now." Chloe explained in false cheeriness.
"You're messing with me." Beca scoffed as she tried again. Then she settled for just turning the volume down, but that didn't work either.
"Oh the volume knob broke too."
"Okay. Okay." Beca nodded anxiously. "This is fine. Out of all artists to have to listen to on repeat, Billy Joel is not a bad choice."
"Good attitude!" Chloe patted her thigh like she would a child.
"How long is the drive again?"
"Two hours."
"Oh, God." Beca rubbed her temples, trying to mentally prepare herself. "Okay. We're going to make the most out of this."
"Oh, I'm fine. I've made this drive three times. I'm immune to hating it." Chloe grinned as she watched Beca mildly panic.
"Fine. Good. Great. Okay, here's the plan." Beca clapped her hands, psyching herself up. "I'm going to take this opportunity to learn all the lyrics. That's pretty hard to do. So that's the goal." She nodded as the chorus started.
Chloe wished she had gone live on any social media platform with this car ride. She had never been more amused by Beca and her mood swings. The first few times through the song, Beca was into it. She bounced in her seat, played air guitar, drummed on the dashboard, and worked really hard to get all the lyrics right.
Her enthusiasm was short lived. She made another, rather violent, attempt to change the volume or get the tape out. But only ended in frustration. At one point she covered her ears and started singing Uptown Girl which earned her a slap from Chloe, because that was a whole other brand of awful Chloe couldn't deal with.
"Why does your aunt even keep this car! She has a fancy house and a cadillac! Buy a new freaking car." Beca whined.
"It was my uncle's." Chloe explained. "He died three years ago. He loved this car and Aunt Laura can't bring herself to get rid of it."
"Oh…" Beca shrunk a little in her seat feeling bad.
"It's fine. I wasn't super close to him. We actually got closer to my Aunt after. She needed a lot of help with the two kids. She almost moved to Florida. But I'm glad she stayed. Its given us some good Christmases."
After two more times through the song, Beca closed her eyes in a quick moment of peace before it restarted. She groaned like she was in physical pain when the beat started up again. She rolled down her window and leaned out like a dog.
"What are you doing?!" Chloe shrieked as she was hit by a gust of cold air.
"I can't listen to it anymore!" Beca shouted.
"Get back inside." Chloe pulled at Beca's jacket. "It is freezing."
Somehow Beca had reverted to enthusiastic Beca from the start of the trip and forced herself to enjoy the song again singing at the top of her lungs and busting out her air guitar again. She went through a couple more bipolar episodes during the last leg of the trip until they finally pulled in behind the family at the cabin. When Chloe shut the engine of Beca sighed in relief and melted against the seat.
"Oh my God. I'm never listening to music again." She breathed heavily, enjoying the quiet.
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen." Chloe rolled her eyes as she got out.
"How was the drive?" Caroline asked with a knowing grin on her face.
"My future music producer girlfriend slash co-captain of a world champion acapella team has declared she is never listening to music again." Chloe looked at Beca as she sluggishly exited the car.
"I still hear it." Beca looked a little zoned out. "I never thought I'd hate Billy Joel."
"Aww!" Caroline gave her an aggressive side hug, "Welcome to the family." Chloe just beamed at the interaction.
Once settled in the cabin, the Beales and Beca enjoyed the afternoon playing in the snow. She helped Tommy and Olivia build a snowman in competition with Chloe and her siblings. It was a goofy, lopsided looking snowman, but still won the contest because who could say no to a pouting little Olivia. Carl fired up the grill and took everyone's requests for burgers or dogs. Chloe got him back for his little practical joke the previous day by announcing she had gone vegan. The look on his face was priceless and she wished she'd taken a picture. She could barely suppress her giggles as she patted him on the shoulder with requests for 2 burgers for her and Beca.
Beca was starving, realizing she hadn't had anything to eat except a pack of gummy bears all day as she piled her burger with toppings and filled the rest of her plate with chips.
"Its amazing you stay so tiny." Chloe gave her a little hip bump as she put some carrot sticks on Beca's plate too.
"Gross. No vegetables." Beca tried to remove them but Chloe just swatted her hand away.
"I hate vegetables too." Tommy grimaced as his mother put some on his plate.
"You and a 9 year old boy with something in common. I'm so shocked." Chloe winked as she went outside to sit around the fire pit, Beca grumbling just behind her.
Everyone was outside around the fire pit. Even though it was freezing, the fire kept everyone pretty warm. Beca scarfed down her burger and then enjoyed endless embarrassing stories about Chloe's childhood. Each family member seemed to be feeding off one another especially as Chloe grew more and more embarrassed. They finally conceded after Caroline told a particularly embarrassing one about Chloe running around the neighborhood with a bee antenna headband, completely nude announcing she was "pollinating" the neighbors' flowers. Beca was clutching her stomach laughing so hard.
"If this gets back to the bellas…" Chloe stroked her fingers along the back of Beca's neck in a sweet gesture, but her voice was quote the opposite. "You will be very. Sorry."
"Yes ma'am." Beca gave a salute as she continue laughing.
The rest of the evening was spent with normal conversation and laughs. Chloe had never felt more at peace than she did in that moment. Beca was leaning against her, her family was together and smiling, they were surrounded by beautiful snow, and there were days and days left to soak this in.
The next day was the first ski day. Beca had been skiing before, but it was about five years ago. She worried she'd be pretty bad compared to the Beales. Chloe eased her anxieties by suggesting they snowboard for awhile.
They had friendly competitions on their way up and down the slopes. Beca was irritated that she had fallen on her ass four more times than Chloe had. Even though their quads felt like jello, they decided to give some skiing a try before the family went back to the cabin.
"Don't break anything. You know Posen will kill me if anything happens to you?" Beca adjusted her skis and pulled the goggles down.
"Judging by the bruises that I'm sure are currently covering your backside, I'd say you should be more worried about yourself." Chloe giggled as gave Beca a hip bump, nearly sending her sprawling into the snow again.
"Rude." Beca grumbled as she staggered to regain her balance.
It was a great day of skiing. Chloe watched in amusement as Beca would race Chase and Chelsea down the slope, only getting the victory once. She always made a show of saying someone cheated, but there was very little sincerity to her complaints.
Beca even got some quality time with the little kiddos as she and Chloe went over to the bunny hill for a break to see how Olivia and Tommy were doing. Olivia was very proud of herself for just standing upright on the skis and moving inch by inch with her mother close by. Tommy was getting better and better at snowboarding and challenged Beca to a race. Chloe smiled from the top of the hill as Tommy raised his arms over his head in victory that Beca clearly let him win.
"I got beat by a 9 year old. Low point of my existence." Beca met back up with Chloe acting like she was out of breath.
"I owned your ass!" Tommy raised his board.
"Thomas Daniel! Language!" Aunt Laura looked over sternly as she hovered over little Olivia. Chloe pretended to console her girlfriend as everyone seemed to agree that it was about time to head back to the cabin.
"Dude, my body is going to be so sore tomorrow." Beca whispered as she wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist.
"Hmm...maybe I could give you a massage." Chloe whispered back seductively.
"Don't get any dirty ideas now, Beale." Beca squinted at her girlfriend.
"Party pooper." Chloe stuck out her tongue before giving Beca a quick kiss on the cheek.
The next day after a full day of skiing/snowboarding and bumps and bruises, the family sat in the large living area with the fireplace going. Carl was dragging out the karaoke machine and Beca groaned softly so only Chloe could hear.
"I thought I was done with holiday karaoke." Beca whispered.
"You can never have too much karaoke." Chloe gave her a gentle reproving smack on the stomach as she cuddled in closer. Olivia came toddling over again from her mother's lap and looked up at Beca.
"Auntie Bec. I sit?" She held her little hands in the air and Chloe pressed a hand to her chest, loving how quickly Beca bonded with her niece and nephew. She also wanted to bounce in glee at the fact that her little niece called Beca her aunt. Although, she worried a little that it might freak Beca out.
"Come on, short stuff." Beca wasn't even phased by being called aunt, and she grunted as she lifted Olivia up on her lap.
"You wuv Auntie Chwoe?" Oliva asked burrowing into Beca's neck.
"Sure do, kiddo." Beca smiled to herself briefly before glancing at Chloe and giving her a wink.
"I wuv her too." Olivia had her cheek against Beca as she looked at Chloe. Chloe reached over and tickled Olivia's belly, sending her into a fit of giggles. Beca struggled to keep her from falling off her lap, but she was convinced it was the most adorable thing she'd ever heard.
"Alright, everyone." Carl got up and adjusted the mic. "Time for my traditional first song to kick us off." The kids, minus Chloe, groaned and Caroline lit up with a smile that reminded Beca so much of Chloe. Carl cleared his throat and hit a button on the machine. Sweet Caroline started playing and Beca had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
"Cheesiness runs in the family." She leaned over to whisper to Chloe. "However, you definitely did not get your amazing voice from your dad."
"Shh, its sweet." Chloe couldn't stop smiling as she watched her parents. When Carl sang "hands, touching hands." He reached out for his wife and she stood as they started swaying in the middle of the room. Chase made a gagging gesture at Tommy who just giggled. Chelsea leaned her head against her hand acting like she was disgusted by the duo, but really was pretty happy her parents still loved each other that much.
As Carl belted out the chorus in his classic off-key way, he spun Caroline around and pulled her back in, repeating this move several times. Caroline was nearly out of breath by the time the song was over. Carl planted a firm kiss on her lips, causing more groans from the crowd, and Tommy covered his eyes being the loudest in his disgust. Laura smiled, but Chloe could see a little sadness behind her eyes, knowing she'd never have those moments with her husband. She then looked at Beca and gave her waist a squeeze, wishing she could show a little more affection, but kept herself controlled in the presence of her family.
Christmas Eve came and the little kids were exploding with excitement. Even though they didn't get their big gifts till Christmas Day, opening a present was always thrilling. Tommy unwrapped his little package and pumped his fist when he got a deck of the new UNO game. Olivia clapped her hands when she held up a new doll. She clutched it to her chest like it was her prized possession. Everyone opened their gifts calmly and said their thanks. Beca was about to get up to head into the kitchen for a fresh drink when Carl stopped her.
"We have one more, Beca." He pulled out a box from under the tree and motioned her to sit. "Now, we usually save the big gifts for Christmas Day, but this is the only one we got you and we can't wait for you to open it."
Beca sat frozen, glancing from the red box up to Carl and then to Chloe. Chloe gave her a nudge to go get the box. Beca silently reached over and held it in her lap.
"Huwwy! Huwwy!" Olivia bounced at Beca's knee as Laura held her back, telling her to calm down. Beca slowly unwrapped it and revealed a box of wireless noise cancelling beats headphones. She held it with her mouth gaping, completely in shock.
"Guys...this is…" She was at a loss for words.
"Our Chloe tells us you spend half your life with headphones on working on music so we wanted you to have the best." Caroline smiled, enjoying Beca's reaction.
"And you're pretty clumsy and get tripped up by the cords a lot." Chase snorted, getting a slap from Chloe and Chelsea.
"I mean...wow...thank you. Thank you guys so much. This is awesome." Beca gulped as she attempted to look around the room without crying.
"We all pitched in." Chelsea waved it off like it was a simple gift.
"I pitched in two dollars!" Tommy said proudly.
"Me too!" Olivia joined in.
"No you didn't! You don't have any money." Tommy whined.
"Alright, we all donated something. And this is from the whole Beale clan. Merry Christmas, Beca." Carl interrupted the bickering to give Beca a hug.
"I think she'd like a group hug." Chloe gave everyone a mischievous grin. They all agreed and dog piled on Beca. She'd never accepted such an aggressive group display of affection so easily in her whole life.
Beca and Chloe were in the room, waiting for dinner to be ready. Chloe could tell Beca was being extra quiet and distant. She sat on the bed next to her and bumped her shoulder against the brunette's.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Beca nodded, and then couldn't stop the sniff that came from trying not to tear up.
"Becs, what's wrong?" Chloe put an arm around her, genuinely concerned.
"Nothing." Beca let out a sharp laugh and wiped at her eyes. "Its just...your family. I never...I can't believe they've been so...amazing to me. Like they've known me forever. Your mom acts like I'm already part of the family."
"Babe, that's a good thing." Chloe wiped at Beca's cheek.
"No, I know. And I love them too, already. Like I can't imagine my life without them now." She gulped and shook her head. "Its just...my family. They would never accept you like yours have me."
"Oh." Chloe felt a moment of offense, because who wouldn't love Chloe Beale? But then she was curious. "You know, you haven't told me much about your family. Just that your dad works at a church and your mom married an asshole...in your words."
"My mom passed away awhile back."
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. When you've talked about her it was like she was still around. I'm sorry, Becs." Chloe wrapped her in a hug, resting her cheek on Beca's shoulder.
"Its okay. I don't like talking about it. She was awesome. But my dad...I mean he's not the worst dad ever or anything. But he's a preacher and just always used the Bible to manipulate my mom. Never abusive or anything. Just super strict and sometimes hypocritical. I could tell she wasn't happy with him. But divorce was absolutely out of the question. And he um...I don't think he'd approve of...us."
"So…" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. "He's homophobic?"
"Yeah." Beca scoffed bitterly. "He helps some of the leaders of the church run a camp to send gay kids to pray it out of them."
"That's...terrible. I had no idea." Chloe shook her head.
"And I've just imagined all the ways he would react and I just know that it wouldn't come close to feeling like this." Beca waved her hand in the air indicating the whole Beale vacation.
"Well…not everyone can be as awesome as the Beale's." Chloe shrugged, trying to add some humor. "And just know that when you do tell him, I'll be right there with you. And you will always have the support from my family too."
Beca just nodded, wondering if she would actually ever have the courage to tell her dad, and leaned into Chloe. She took a deep breath to compose herself.
"Okay, let's go eat the feast I'm sure your mom and aunt have outdone themselves with."
"Christmas Eve and Day meals are the absolute BEST." Chloe grinned as she pulled Beca up to walk back downstairs.
After an amazing dinner, Chloe was helping Laura clean up the dishes in the kitchen. There was some quiet music playing in the background and the kids plus Beca were all playing UNO in the living room. The game was getting a little competitive and Tommy would pull out some trash talk that just seemed to get Beca riled up. Chelsea just played along, really not caring about winning or losing.
"Oh come on!" Beca shouted when Chase played a card that kept her from her near win. "You're just gunning for me."
"I kept you from winning so I can win. Yeah, I'm gunning for you." Chase scoffed.
In the end, ironically, Chelsea won. Chase, Tommy, and Beca all groaned while they tossed their cards on the table in defeat.
"She's fit in perfectly." Laura gave Chloe a little hip bump as she nodded toward the living room.
"Yeah, she has." Chloe grinned as Beca demanded another game and shuffled the cards.
"So...have you two talked about…?" Laura goaded. Chloe just looked at her, confused, truly unsure where she was going. "You know...the M word."
"You mean...marriage?" Chloe almost had a coughing fit. "No! No, Aunt Laura." She started laughing. "She's only a sophomore in college. Wait...junior? She took extra classes or something." Chloe started getting distracted.
"Doesn't mean you can't think about it. If you had stayed pre-med, you'd be graduated now."
"Yeah and I'd be in med school with more years of school to go."
"Still, Chloe, I know you. You had that adorable wedding binder when you were ten years old when you thought you were going to marry one of the Jonas brothers."
"Oh God, do not tell Beca that." Chloe rolled her eyes with a laugh before turning back to serious. "I mean...yeah, I've thought about it. Of course I have. But this is her first serious relationship...like ever. If I even hinted at it she might run."
"Oh, I don't think so. That girl braved the Beales...on Christmas. She is brave. And she loves you."
"I know she does. And I don't know, I'd like to think that's in our future. But I'm happy where we are. No need to rush." Chloe wiped a plate as she kept stealing glances at Beca with her family as if she had been part of it for years.
Christmas was, in one perfect cliche word in Chloe's mind, perfect. She woke up with Beca's arms around her in bed. And while she was still a little frustrating she couldn't get past first base with her girlfriend this vacation, she was still extremely happy. She took a deep breath as she held Beca's hand and tried to pull her even closer. Before they even had a chance to say good morning to each other Olivia and Tommy came storming into the room.
"Sorry!" Chase came in behind them. "They got away from me. You two still clothed?" He grinned obnoxiously at Chloe, who just tossed a pillow at him. Olivia and Tommy bounced on their bed clamoring about Christmas presents.
"Alright, you two!" Chloe sat up. "We will be downstairs soon, but the more you jump on Beca, the longer it will take." She spoke in a stern voice. Tommy and Olivia quickly crawled off the bed.
"Huwwy." Olivia demanded. "We open presents soon!"
"Yeah, hurry up!" Tommy added as Chase ushered them out of the room.
"Excessive enthusiasm really runs in the family, huh?" Beca groaned as she rubbed her eyes.
"Yep." Chloe said cheerily as she slid out of bed and ripped the blankets away as Beca grumbled in protest. "Now hurry up and get ready to go downstairs. There's coffee waiting."
"You are lucky I love you." Beca stood up slowly from the bed and ran her hands through her hair.
"Don't I know it." Chloe gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before guiding her out of the room and down the stairs to where the coffee waited.
They opened presents first of course. Tommy and Olivia being insanely energetic for so early in the morning. Beca put up with it well as she sipped her multiple cups of coffee, making sure to keep in contact with some part of Chloe during the whole present ceremony.
After everyone had breakfast and their presents organized, it was time for the Beale traditional game of touch football in the snow. It was the first year Olivia was allowed to play which worked out well for Laura. She hated playing. And with Beca there, she could just be ref and the teams would be even.
The teams were split by "couples" Chase, Chloe, and Caroline vs Chelsea, Beca, and Carl. Olivia and Tommy fought over who got to be on Beca's team. Tommy won out only because Chloe told Olivia she could keep her from being lonely by being on her team.
The game was friendly overall. Tommy and Chase being the only ones to take it even remotely seriously. Chloe guarded Beca the whole time and they exchanged playful taunts. Every time Beca got the ball Chloe was able to stop her and usually pull her into a not-so-innocent tackle. She'd always take her sweet time getting up and give Beca a little extra shove just to make some physical contact. Beca's no sex stance was really starting to get to her.
"Aunt Chwoe!" Olivia stamped her foot as she scolded her aunt. Beca watched, biting her lip, trying not to laugh at the sight of Chloe getting yelled at by a four year old. "You can't tackwle!"
"Sorry, Livvy. I'm just competitive." Chloe shot a quick wink at Beca.
"I gawd Auntie Bec now." Olivia folded her arms. Chloe just rolled her eyes, knowing the game would be ending soon.
"Fine, but that means I get Livvy cuddles later."
"Deawl." Olivia nodded seriously as she waddled over to Beca. Beca could barely contain her laughter. She was pretty confident that Olivia was a miniature version of her girlfriend and it was adorable.
No one knew what the score was. It seemed like both teams scored every time they got the ball. But Aunt Laura had declared the next score the winner because she was quote "freezing her ladies off and it was time for cocoa."
Beca's team made a huddle and Tommy begged to be quarterback. The others really didn't care at this point. He got the snap from Chelsea and bounced around with an intense focus like he was an NFL quarterback. He passed the ball to Beca and she started running toward the makeshift endzone. Everyone left her alone with Olivia sprinting her fastest after her.
Beca started taking exaggerated strides, letting the girl catch up. Olivia was losing her balance, so she made an awkward trip jump at Beca's legs. Beca let her catch her and then fell to the ground.
"Got you!" Olivia squealed happily.
"Come on, Beca!" Tommy whined. "We could've won!"
"Oh, get over it." Chelsea rolled her eyes.
"You know, Beca." Chase walked over smugly. "You should've taken this chance to win the game. Won't be much longer until Livvy here is as big as you."
"Asshole." Beca muttered and threw a snowball at him.
"Language!" Chloe scolded and threw a snowball of her own at her girlfriend. Then she let out a shocked yelp when Chelsea pegged her in the back with her own snowball followed by giggles. The football game was quickly forgotten as the kids all started a massive snowball fight. The adults quickly scurried inside to hide from the massacre.
Later that evening Beca sat on Chloe's bed while Chloe finished drying her hair from the shower. Beca grimaced as she rubbed the back of one of her shoulders.
"How can I be more sore after a snowball fight than snowboarding?"
"My family can be pretty aggressive." Chloe chuckled as she placed her towel on the back of a chair. "Does someone need a famous Chloe massage." She situated herself on her knees behind Beca.
"Oh, no you don't." Beca moved quickly. "I know what a Chloe massage really means."
"Becaaa…" Chloe whined and then lowered her voice. "It's been over a week." Chloe followed her and put her hands firmly on the brunette's shoulders. "And you keep doing stuff that turns me on." Her voice went to a whisper as she placed a kiss on Beca's neck. Beca gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. "You can't tell me you really, really don't want to…"
"Its not a matter of wanting to." Beca groaned. "It's just...weird."
"They let us be in the same room. They know." Chloe tried to ease her anxieties. "They're not going to judge us or anything. Come on." Chloe was able to guide Beca back to the bed and was just about to straddle her when Beca sat up with a smirk.
"But I haven't given you your Christmas present yet." Beca knew Chloe was a sucker for presents. She could tell she gained the upper hand when Chloe froze and looked to be thinking.
"Unless its sex, I don't know if I really want it." Chloe shrugged as nonchalantly as she could, even though she really wanted to know what Beca got her.
"Okay, I'll make you a deal." Beca stroked Chloe's arms. "We can either have sex and I'll send the present back. Or, you control yourself and get to open it."
"Not fair." Chloe slapped Beca on the arm while still grinning. "Finnnee!" Chloe dramatically huffed as she stood back up and folded her arms, waiting for Beca to grab the present. Beca rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a green box with a red bow. Chloe let out a little aww as she ran to the closet.
"I guess its only fair I give you yours too." She pulled out her own, slightly more sophisticatedly-wrapped present.
"I thought it was the headphones?" Beca looked at the bigger box Chloe was holding, worried she was about to be upstaged.
"No, that was my family's gift. I contributed nothing except the idea." Chloe sat beside Beca as they passed off the gifts. Beca opened hers first. It was heavy.
"A digital record player?!" She held up the box and inspected it. She wanted to open it and set it up right then and there. But she had no vinyl to play and that would just make it harder to bring back on the plane.
"Don't get too excited." Chloe grinned, enjoying seeing Beca act like a little kid. "It wasn't like the best one or anything. But the reviews were really good. And you've said how you always wanted to start a vinyl collection."
"Dude, this is awesome!" Beca threw her arms around the redhead and then set her gift to the side. "I seriously can't wait to get it set up when we get back. Okay, now you."
Chloe unwrapped the box to see a black jewelry case. She glanced up at Beca, before cautiously opening it to reveal two arrow necklaces, one gold, one silver. She didn't know what to say.
"So one's for you, one's for me. It just means that wherever we go or whatever happens we'll always come back to each each other. You're like...my person." Beca bit her lip nervously as Chloe's eyes started to water.
"I love them." She pulled them both out. "Which one's mine?"
"Either one. You pick."
"Silver. It goes with more of my outfits. And since you love black and neutrals, gold will be perfect." She handed off the gold arrow and then turned around. "Put it on me?"
Beca happily obliged, letting her hands linger a little longer than necessary on Chloe's neck and shoulders. Then turned for Chloe to do the same. They held their necklaces as they looked happily at each other.
"Best Christmas ever." Beca whispered.
"Totes." Chloe nodded. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
The Beales and Beca packed up and left the cabin the day after Christmas to get back to Laura's. Much to Beca's dismay, the Beale rule that was whoever drove the El Camino to the cabin had to drive it back. And once again she went through her bipolar behavior of loving the song, hating the song, dancing and air-guitaring, to covering her ears and trying to stick her head out the window. Chloe just found it all amusing just like the first time, but hoped that she and Beca would never have to be in that car again.
Once back at Aunt Laura's house, it was nothing but games and eating and movies and more games. There was very little physical exertion, but somehow Beca was still exhausted. She was enjoying every second though. She couldn't get over how much she liked Olivia and Tommy. She had no idea she could enjoy two human beings under the age of 16 so much. She also found it a little amusing how they fought for her attention, and Chloe tried not to be a little offended.
It got to New Year's Eve and Olivia was pitifully crying as Laura took her to bed.
"Mommy! Pwease! I wanna do fi cwackers." Olivia cried into her mom's shoulder as she was carried away. Beca gave her a little wave from the living room.
"In a few years, baby, you're too little." Laura shushed her, unphased by the tears. If Beca had been in charge she would have caved immediately.
"I'm big girl, mommy!" Olivia pleaded again. Laura disappeared behind a door and Olivia's cries were muffled. Beca turned to Chloe with a pained expression.
"I could never be a mom. Those tears would get me every time."
"You'd be different with your own kid." Chloe grinned. "Olivia is a master manipulator though. My Aunt is immune."
"She's adorable, though. What's the harm in letting her stay up till midnight?"
"Do you want to be in charge of her tomorrow then when she's grumpy all day?" Chloe cocked an eyebrow. Beca just hmmphed as she returned to the kitchen to grab drinks before going outside around the fire.
They all sat around the fire and made some s'mores. Tommy was ecstatic since it was his first New Year's Eve to stay up till midnight. He and Chase got the box of sparklers and small fire crackers out and Chase explained how to manage each one without getting a finger blown off - Chase's words to scare Tommy into being careful.
"So when do you two fly back?" Carl sipped his beer with an arm around Caroline.
"Day after tomorrow." Chloe said with mild disappointment. "Beca wanted to get back a few days early for her job. She also has a wintermester she has a final for next week." She put her hand on the back of Beca's neck as if she were proud.
"You stay pretty busy then. Beca?" Caroline asked.
"Oh, yeah. Its been great to relax though." Beca nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with the spotlight on her.
"Well, its good to be such a hard worker. Chloe's dated some real lazy duds in the past." Carl shook his head and laughed while Laura and Caroline chuckled quietly.
"Daddy." Chloe rolled her eyes, feeling herself blush.
"What? I'm just saying Beca's a catch. You've done good with this one." Carl tipped his bottle to Chloe who just shook her head, keeping her hand stroking the back of Beca's neck. Beca just smiled down at her drink. Never in a million years did she think Chloe's family would like her this much.
"Can't say I disagree." Beca leaned closer to Chloe, smugly.
"Oh, shut up." Chloe gave Beca a little pinch before removing her hand. "I want a s'more."
"Beca! Wanna do sparklers?" Tommy came jogging over after Chase's extensive safety training. Beca gave Chloe a glance.
"Go play." Chloe smirked. "I'll join you in a minute."
"Kay." Beca grinned excitedly. She really liked sparklers, fire crackers, works, etc. She considered herself a pyro-light. She hopped up and jogged with Tommy over to Chase waiting by the assortment of sparklers.
"You guys are adorable." Chelsea quickly took Beca's seat.
"I know." Chloe put her marshmallow on her stick before holding it over the fire.
"Think she'll ever be another sister for us? Cuz I think she's way cooler than you." Chelsea giggled as she got her own marshmallow ready, waiting for Chloe's response.
"First of all, she is not cooler than me." Chloe shot back immediately. "Second, it's way too soon to talk about her being an official part of the family. She scares easy."
"She hasn't seemed to scare at all this whole vacation." Chelsea said as she looked over to Beca and Tommy rummaging through the sparkler box. "And the entire family loves her. I'm sure Nana and PawPaw will love her too when they meet her. You two are perfect. And I'm not saying propose tomorrow or anything, but don't let her go. Beca is perfect for you."
"Thanks, Chelsea." Chloe gulped, trying not to get teary eyed as she leaned over to give her sister a half hug.
"Chlo!" Beca came running over. "You almost done? We gotta take a picture with these to send the bellas!"
"Just a sec." Chloe shook her head as she put her s'more together and watched Beca and Tommy run around with their sparklers. "She's such a dork."
"Oh and you're not?" Chelsea challenged.
"Shut up." Chloe bit into her perfectly melted s'more before standing up to join Beca. She handed Beca her last bite, that Beca took eagerly as she handed Chloe a sparkler. They posed together and let Chase take their New Year's pictures. One was of them holding their sparklers. The next was of Chloe stealing a kiss while Beca grinned even brighter. Chase was pretty proud of his photography skills. Chloe was too as she instantly posted the two pictures to her social media accounts and the bella group chat immediately.
Before they knew it, the countdown had begun. The doors to the living room were open as they listened to the New Years' celebration on TV. As they all counted down, Chloe gripped Beca firmly around the waist. As everyone cheered "Happy New Year!" she pulled Beca into a kiss. Carl and Caroline exchanged a quick traditional kiss. And Chase gave his aunt and Chelsea kisses on the cheek.
When the countdown was long over, Chloe and Beca were still in a liplock. They had been a little pent up this break and were enjoying their kiss. Chloe hummed, pulling Beca even closer and letting her tongue roam Beca's mouth. Beca didn't stop her and leaned forward to return the favor.
"Alright!" Chelsea clapped. "There's still a child present, let's keep it PG. Don't make me get the hose."
"Happy New Year." Chloe whispered as she leaned back.
"Happy New Year." Beca ignored her blushing cheeks, just looking happily back at Chloe.
"Hopefully the best one yet." Chloe kissed her one more time, quickly, before they all started popping the fire crackers and using up the rest of the sparklers. Chloe loved her family. And she loved her family vacations and traditions. But this, by far, had been the best Christmas and New Year's she's ever had. And it was mostly thanks to Beca.
When it was time for Chase to drive Beca and Chloe back to the airport, it was a tearful goodbye. Carl and Caroline wrapped them in big hugs and demanded they come to Florida to visit on a free weekend. Olivia was sobbing and Beca could hardly stand it. Chloe wrapped her in a big hug.
"We'll see you soon, Livvy." She gave the four year old a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"I wuv you Aunt Chwoe. And Beca." Olivia held tightly to Chloe's neck, before reaching out for Beca. Chloe handed her over and Beca awkwardly held her in true Beca form. Olivia gripped tightly to her and Beca was pretty sure that Beale hugs were some weird family trait that she enjoyed more than she would ever admit.
"Bye Chlo. Bye, Beca." Tommy seemed disappointed to see them go too, but refused to be as emotional as his little sister.
"You owe me a game of UNO." Beca ruffled his hair as Chloe gave him a hug,
"I'll beat you again, too." Tommy smirked and Beca playfully glared at him.
The rest of the family showered them in hugs and goodbyes as Beca and Chloe got their bags in the car.
"It was great meeting you, Beca. I feel like I have a second sister. And you're totally different than Chloe so it's extra awesome." Chelsea gave Beca a firm hug after she shoved the last of her luggage down in the trunk.
"Hey!" Chloe swatted her little sister in offense.
"Alright, be safe you two." Caroline wrapped them in a double hug before they got into their seats. "Don't be strangers."
"Love you, mom." Chloe gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as she slid into her seat next to Beca.
Chase started backing out of the driveway and Chloe had to wipe away her tears as she watched her family wave at them until they were out of sight.
"We'll see them soon." Beca whispered as she grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her closer.
"Yeah." Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder. "I told you they'd love you."
"I'm very loveable." Beca shrugged in fake confidence.
"Totes loveable." Chloe kissed her cheek before settling back against her shoulder.
A/N: I hope this chapter didn't feel rushed or too crammed. I just wanted to include a lot of stuff. Lots of fluff and good times. Wanted to give you guys a mostly happy chapter because...there's a bit of tumultuousness coming up... Hope you all had a great Christmas! And happy new year!