There was a gathering taking place in the Bellas living room. More specifically, there was a Bellas and Trebles gathering taking place in the living room. Beca heard them before she saw them, and it was every kind of concerning. She very nearly turned around and walked back away, but the big ass box clouding her vision told her either way, it was a bad idea.
"What is that?" Cynthia Rose said suspiciously, as Beca tossed the box down.
"Bellas jackets!" Fat Amy cheered. "Now you can stop wearing the enemy's!"
(It wasn't going to stop her.)
"What the fuck is happening in here?" she said, as calmly as possible.
"We're discussing our baby", Benji said cheerfully.
"Who's baby?"
"This is most definitely our baby, what do you think this is?" Donald said loudly.
"Where is Jesse?"
"The baby daddy is on his way", Stacie announced, pulling on her jacket and admiring herself in the mirror above the mantle. "Honestly, this mirror was the best thing we ever bought".
"Totally made that shopping trip worth it", Fat Amy agreed.
"Oh, please Jesus do not start calling him that". She threw herself down on the lounge, pulling a pillow over her head. "I will smother myself, I am not joking. What is happening right now?"
"Family meeting".
"What the fuck kind of fucked up family is this?" she muttered. "Family meeting, are you fucking kidding me?"
"Framily", Benji corrected, and Beca stared at him.
"What the fuck is a framily?" she almost wailed.
"I hope Jesse's bringing dinner, did anyone ask Jesse to bring dinner?"
"How long is this meeting going to take?"
"As long as it takes to pick out a name for our baby", Donald said firmly.
(Beca and Jesse had casually discussed names. And when it became blatantly obvious that they were never going to agree, they decided to drop the subject and approach it again when they found out if they were having a mini Beca or mini Jesse.)
"What is going on?" Jesse said, and Stacie cheered. "And since when have you guys had a Capella jackets?"
"Since Beca got knocked up and ordered us some". Cynthia Rose shrugged. "Did you bring dinner?"
"Was I supposed to bring dinner?"
"We'll send someone out to get dinner", Donald decided. "Framily meeting".
"What the hell does that mean?" he startled, shifting Beca's feet so he could sit down. "What is happening?"
"We're gonna name the baby right here, right now".
"Baby Fat Amy, we've already decided", Fat Amy said loudly. "I will be equally happy with baby Fat Patricia".
"More importantly, where are you going to live?" Stacie said over her. "And we all know I am the favourite aunt, if anything you should be naming the baby after me".
"Can I be the godmother?"
"Where are you going to live?" Donald said suddenly. "I didn't even think about that! Will you be allowed to live on campus with a baby?"
"We could apply for one of the co-ed dorms", Jesse said, patting Beca's leg gently. "Having Beca's dad and step mum here would be a huge help with that- or we could live off campus. Don't know how we could afford to live off campus, but we'll work something out. It's a work in progress at the moment. We have ages to work that out".
"On that note, my dad has summoned us for dinner next week". Beca rolled her eyes heavenwards. "And I'm sure its going to be brilliant, considering how well the last dinner we had with them went".
"In their defence-"
"Do not defend them!" Beca almost barked. "We are not defending the stepmonster!"
"She took it a lot better than we thought she would, you have to give her that!" Jesse protested.
"She's probably been waiting for something like this to happen, 'that Mitchell girl gone got herself knocked up'-"
"That's the second time you've said that, should I be worried?" Stacie said eagerly and Beca pulled a pillow over her face.
"Can we get some dinner happening?"
"Bring out the snacks!"
Twelve months ago, Beca would have confidently bet her right leg and said that the Bellas and the Trebles would never be hanging out together. Only right then and there, it felt kind of right. They were a weird group- the social outcasts of the school, the a Capella kids- only they seemed to fit.
"Okay", Beca said firmly, as they set off towards her father's house, tugging her coat around her tight. "if my father starts yelling, we can play the 'you walked out on your family and into bed with another woman' card. We still have that one to play".
"This is really causing you grief, isn't it?" Jesse said, almost in amusement.
"I frickin' hate dinner with my father", she grumbled. "We never have anything to talk about because he left when I was just a kid and I only saw him for like two weeks of the year under duress, and now we have something to talk about only that something I'm pretty sure is making me the family disappointment-"
"Beca!"
"Look, they won't say it to my face, but I know they're saying it", she grumbled.
The two of them walked silently, hand in hand, and they'd almost reached Beca's father's house when Jesse spoke.
"What about Molly?"
"Huh?" Beca startled.
"Molly", Jesse repeated. "For a girl. I'm sure it's a girl".
"Molly", she said slowly. "Do you want a girl?"
"I'd be happy either way", he said honestly. "as long as the baby is healthy. I just have a hunch it's a girl".
"Molly", Beca said again. "I like it… but I don't love it".
"I'll keep thinking", Jesse decided.
Dinner was not what Beca expected. Her stepmother roasted a chicken, made gravy and cooked all the vegetables Beca ate (and the ones she didn't, because she was a notoriously fussy eater). But it wasn't dinner that surprised them.
"What the fuck was that?" Beca almost shrieked, as Sheila closed the door behind them. "what the actual fuck was that?"
"They want to get us an apartment", Jesse said, his voice quiet. "They want to help us get an apartment, Bec".
"Why? Why are they doing this?" Beca was almost hyperventilating. "We can't afford an apartment in Atlanta! I don't care how close to school it is, we can't afford it! And we can't keep living off them- I am definitely not moving into my dad's place, not with a baby. I still think we should apply for one of the co-ed dorms, and see how that goes-"
"Beca, we'd have our own place!" Jesse said, finding it hard to downplay his excitement. "We'd have our own place and we can have our own room for the baby and all the baby's stuff and we won't have the Bellas or the Trebles barging in at every moment of the day-"
"You know that's just untrue".
"Okay, Fat Amy will find a way. How does she always find a way?" he laughed a little. "But Beca, imagine the freedom we would have!"
"This is actually fucking amazing", she admitted quietly. "Don't' tell my dad I said that".
"Oh I'd never, I know Beca Mitchell has too much pride for that". He laughed. "We're gonna have our own place, Bec. And the money will work itself out, we'll find a way to manage".
She let out a squeal as he twirled her around, her breath frosting in the cold night air. "We're gonna have our own place!"
"How am I gonna break it to the Bellas that I'm moving out?" Beca said suddenly, pausing by the letterbox.
He stopped. "maybe you should have held onto the Bellas jackets for a little while longer".
She smacked his chest, laughing. "Goodnight Jess".
"Goodnight baby mama". And he pulled her closer for a kiss, ignoring the girls in the window.
"What do you think about Molly?" Beca said, and Fat Amy propped herself up on one elbow.
"its no Fat Amy", she complained. "Or Fat Patricia. But I guess it's alright".