DAY 04 - CHRISTMAS GET (BACK) TOGETHER

Prompt from FanFiction Guest: [The full prompt is listed at the end of the story. There is some angst but it's a Christmas fic, and things will be okay].

Eleven-year-old Sophie Mitchell was sad to leave her mom on the weekends when she went to her mama's apartment. Her mom seemed to be sad a lot these days, and she seemed even sadder when she saw mama.

Sophie's moms have been divorced since Sophie was six. They sat her down and tried to explain to her why they couldn't stay married to each other, but her six-year-old brain didn't fully understand it then. Honestly, she wasn't sure she understood it even now. Sophie could see that they both still loved each other.

Sophie heard the doorbell ring and knew her mama was there to pick her up. She grabbed her jacket and went downstairs. She was lucky that her mama made a lot of money as a music producer so she had plenty of clothes at her mama's house and didn't have to drag a suitcase back and forth every other weekend.

Sophie frowned when she saw her mom and mama standing there not speaking to each other. Chloe had her arms wrapped around herself and looked sad. Beca still didn't know how to treat Chloe since the divorce and stood there looking uncomfortable.

"There she is," Beca said with forced enthusiasm. "Ready to go, kiddo?"

"Yeah," Sophie said. "Bye, mom. I'll see you on Sunday night."

Chloe reached down and hugged Sophie. "I love you. Have fun with your mama."

"I love you, too," Sophie said.

Beca and Sophie left with a last wave to Chloe. Sophie got to the car, and the woman her mama had been seeing was sitting in the passenger seat.

"What's she doing here?" Sophie asked looking at Beca over the hood of the car.

"Amber's going to be spending the weekend with us," Beca said.

"It's nice to see you, Sophie," Amber said. "Your mom's got so many things planned for the weekend. It will give us a chance to get to know each other better."

"My mom is inside," Sophie said. "This is my mama. And I didn't know you were invited for the weekend."

"Sophie," Beca said in a warning tone. "Be nice. Amber asked to spend the weekend with us, and I thought it-"

Sophie turned and ran back to the house.

"Sophie!" Beca yelled out as she ran around the car after her.

Sophie hurried up the steps and was at the door by the time Beca reached her.

"Stop right there young lady," Beca said loudly.

"I don't have to listen to you," Sophie said just as loud. "This was supposed to be our weekend. Me and you, and nobody else."

The door flew open, and Chloe stood there looking at the two. "What's going on here?"

"Mama brought her skanky girlfriend with her to spend the weekend with us," Sophie said. "I'm staying home, and I don't want to go with her ever again."

Sophie shot past Chloe before she or Beca could stop her. Beca went to follow Sophie, and Chloe stood in front of her to stop her.

"I need to talk to her," Beca said.

"Not right now," Chloe said. "You could have given her a head's up that you invited Amber to spend your weekend with her. I think you should go and give her some time to cool off."

Beca glared at Chloe and Chloe stood her ground. "It's my weekend with her."

"And she's upset," Chloe said softly. "I'm not going to force her to go with you."

"Come on, Chloe," Beca said. "I just want her to get to know Amber."

"Then you should have told Sophie that before you just showed up with her," Chloe said.

"Tell her to get down here right this instant," Beca said trying to keep her anger in check.

"I won't do that," Chloe said. "You didn't fight for her during the divorce so I got sole custody. And it's only because Sophie wanted to see you that I allowed it. Now that she doesn't want to see you, she doesn't have to, and I will not force her to."

Chloe was going to say more but stopped when Amber came walking up behind Beca.

Beca flinched slightly when the woman put her arm around Beca's waist. "Is everything okay, Beca?"

"Go back to the car, Amber," Beca said. "I'm handling this."

"I think you should both go," Chloe said and stepped back into the house and closed the door.

Chloe ran a hand through her hair and wiped a tear from her eye. "I guess Beca really has moved on."

Chloe calmed herself down and went to check on Sophie. She knocked on Sophie's door and walked in. Sophie was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling, dried tear tracks showing on her face.

"You okay?," Chloe asked softly.

"Why did you and mama get a divorce?," Sophie asked.

"We explained all that to you," Chloe said.

"Mom, I was six," Sophie said. "I had no idea what was going on. It was just one minute she was here living with us, and the next she was living somewhere else. I just want to know why."

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"Well, that was a boatload of fun," Amber said as they drove away.

"Shut up, Amber," Beca snarled.

"Come on, Beca," Amber said. "You can't be upset that she wants to stay home. It just gives me and you more time to spend together this weekend without having some kid running around."

"That's not some kid, that's my daughter," Beca said.

The remainder of the ride was silent as Beca drove. Amber was surprised when Beca stopped in front of her apartment building.

"I need some time to myself," Beca said. "I need to figure out how to transition Sophie into wanting to be around you. I'm sorry. I'll call you later."

Amber didn't say anything as she got out of the car and walked to the entrance of her building. Beca sped off as soon as Amber was out of the car and drove to her apartment. She parked in her building's garage and rode the elevator to her apartment. Beca wanted to call Sophie and tell her she was sorry but took Chloe's advice and decided to wait and let Sophie calm down.

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"I love you and mama," Sophie said. "But, can you please just tell me why you two aren't together? Even though she's with Amber right now, you both seem sad and miserable apart. Why can't you just fix whatever it was so we can be a family again?"

"We are a family," Chloe said. "We just don't live in the same house."

"Are you going to marry someone else?," Sophie asked. " Is mama going to marry Amber?"

"I don't have any plans to get married anytime soon," Chloe said. "But, there is a possibility your mama could if she, um, loves Amber. That possibility is higher now that she wants Amber to spend time with you."

"Are you seeing someone?," Sophie asked.

"Of course not," Chloe said. "I'd tell you if I was.

"I thought mama would, too," Sophie said. "But then Amber's name suddenly started coming up in conversation. She never told me that she and Amber were dating. I guess she thought I'd just figure it out and accept it. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Your mama and I both love you very much," Chloe said. "We got divorced because we just didn't...work anymore. We never really talked. All we did was argue."

"About what?"

"Nothing. Everything," Chloe said. "It started with just little things now and then. Then one day I got mad because of some pictures I saw of her with other women. She just brushed me off like it was no big deal. I thought she was cheating on me. She said she wasn't and I wanted to believe her but it got harder and harder."

"Why didn't you believe her when she said she wasn't cheating on you?," Sophie said with tears in her eyes.

"I wanted to; I tried to," Chloe said. "But your mama was staying out later and later every night with no explanation. She'd come home smelling like perfume, and it wasn't mine. There were more pictures of her with the same two women, and it went on for a few months. She'd ignore phone calls and texts. She always said she was working and that was it. It got to the point that I didn't feel like I could trust her anymore because she wasn't telling me anything. She just let me assume the worst. Instead of trying to work it out, she filed for divorce, and I didn't fight her on it."

Sophie wiped her eyes and stared at the ceiling again. They sat quietly for a few minutes before Sophie broke the silence.

"Can we have a Christmas party?"

"What?" Chloe was shocked at the sudden change in Sophie. "I thought you were mad at your mama and wanted to talk about the divorce."

"I am," Sophie said. "But, I want to have a Christmas party like we used to. They were always so much fun."

"I don't know, Soph," Chloe said. "We can talk about it later. Let's finish talking about what's going on between you and your mama."

"There's nothing more to talk about," Sophie said. "I don't want to see her anymore."

"Sophie, you can't mean that," Chloe said getting worried about Sophie's lack of emotion. "You know she loves you and it will hurt her if you don't want to see her."

"I don't care," Sophie said. "She's got Amber, and she obviously wasn't going to be spending any time with me this weekend. I'm eleven now, and I should have a say in whether or not I see her, and I don't want to see her. If spending time with just me isn't her top priority, then me spending time with her is not mine. I'm giving up on her before she can give up on me like she did with you."

Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat. When she could speak again, she said, "Sweetie, you can't put all the blame on your mama. We both messed up. I didn't fight to save what we had either."

"Be honest," Sophie said. "You only gave up because she did. I may have only been six and may not have understood a lot of what of what was happening, but I saw how you tried to get mama to talk to you about your fears of her cheating. You didn't give up on her until she gave up on you and filed for the divorce."

Chloe had been blindsided when Beca served her with the divorce papers, and it had felt like Beca had given up on them. Chloe didn't fight it because she didn't want to be married to someone who didn't want her, no matter how much she loved her. They never really talked after that except through their lawyers.

Sophie sat up and hugged Chloe. "Please don't make me see her. It makes me physically sick every time I think of her hugging or kissing Amber. I can't be around that; I just can't."

By this point, Sophie was crying hard. Chloe gathered her into her arms and held Sophie on her lap as tears ran down her face as well.

Sophie finally cried herself to sleep, and Chloe laid her down on her bed. Chloe kissed Sophie on the cheek and left the room. She pulled out her phone.

"Hey, Brey," she said when Aubrey answered. "Do you think you can come over? I really need someone to talk to."

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"What are you going to do?," Aubrey asked after Chloe finished telling her what happened with Sophie and Beca.

"I'm not going to force her to see Beca," Chloe said. "I want to say that Beca will fight like Hell to get Sophie to want to see her, but as long as Amber is in the picture, I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think Beca realizes what she lost, what she's losing by ignoring the problem."

"Hey," Aubrey said getting Chloe to look at her. "Are you still in love with her?"

"You know I am, Brey," Chloe said. "You know how devastated I was when I got those divorce papers."

"Do you think she's still in love with you?"

"Not anymore," Chloe's voice was so low that Aubrey had to strain to hear her. She swallowed past some tears. "I still had hope that she might be until Amber came along. And, tonight she brought her along to pick up Sophie. She's never done that before."

"Do you think they're serious?"

"Yes. Why else would Beca bring Amber to spend the weekend with her and Sophie if she wasn't serious about her?"

"Maybe it's time to let her go," Aubrey said.

"I wish I could," Chloe said as tears streamed down her face.

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

The next morning, Sophie and Chloe sat at the breakfast table. Both were tired from a restless night of crying and thinking about Beca.

"So, um, are you sure you don't want to see mama?" Chloe watched Sophie to see if she could tell with the girl was thinking.

"Not now," Sophie said. "Maybe later. I'm still upset that she didn't tell me she was bringing Amber for our weekend together. I only get every other weekend with her, and it really hurt that she just showed up with her without asking how I felt about it."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Fair enough. How about we talk about the Christmas party."

Sophie squealed. "We're having it?" At Chloe's nod, Sophie smiled and said, "Can I invite mama? I may not want to spend an entire weekend with her and Amber, but it would be nice to have her here for the party."

"Of course," Chloe said. "Why don't you call her now? The party will be on the twenty-second and start around six thirty. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Sophie said. "I'll call mama later and apologize for my behavior last night and invite her to the party."

"That sounds like a good plan," Chloe said. She stood and kissed Sophie on the top of her head. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Chloe started for the stairs and stopped. She looked at Sophie and said, "When you call your mama maybe you should tell her how you feel about how she brought Amber with her for your weekend. Explain exactly why you don't want to spend the weekend for a while. Let her know it's only temporary until you can process your feelings."

"Okay," Sophie said. "That sounds fair."

Later that evening, Chloe was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Sophie came in and asked Chloe if she needed any help.

"You can get the garlic butter out and put it on the bread," Chloe said. "It only has to go in the oven for a few minutes."

"I love when you make lasagna," Sophie said as she did what her mother asked. "It's my favorite."

"Yeah, I know. It's been a while since I made it and I thought it would be a nice surprise," Chloe said. "So, how did the call with your mama go?"

"It was okay," Sophie said. "She still sounded mad that I want to take a break from going over there while Amber is around. She said she'd see what she could do about coming to the party."

"You and your mama are a lot alike," Chloe said. "She'll understand where you're coming from once she takes a step back and processes things. She's always been like that. I hate to say it, but I think the divorce happened because she didn't take the time to step back. And then it was too late to do anything because we were divorced. I keep hoping that she'd realize that we really are good together. But, now she has Amber so I guess all that hoping was for naught."

"You still love her, don't you?"

"With all my heart," Chloe said honestly. "Maybe a small part of me hopes that she realizes she and Amber aren't meant to be and we, I'll get a second chance."

Chloe wiped at a tear that threatened to fall. Sophie walked over and hugged her.

"If she thinks Amber is better for her than you are," Sophie said. "Then she doesn't deserve a second chance."

Chloe laughed and said, "I love you."

Sophie pulled out of the hug and Chloe took the lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven.

"Let's eat," Chloe said as she set the lasagna on the counter.

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

It was the morning of the party, and Sophie and Chloe were making cookies.

"Do you think mama will come and bring Amber?," Sophie asked, her voice full of anxiety.

"I don't know, sweetie," Chloe said. "I personally hope she doesn't. But, if she does, Amber will be a guest in our home, and we will be civil to her."

Chloe and Sophie had spent the last few weeks planning and organizing the party. Chloe was a bit worried because Beca hadn't called or reached out to Sophie in all that time. Sophie was so involved in helping with the party that she hadn't mentioned Beca either and that bothered her as well.

It was six-thirty, and Sophie was excited when their first guest rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it," Sophie yelled as she ran to the door. She opened it and squealed. "Aunt Stacie!"

"Hey, mini-Mitchell," Stacie said and grabbed the girl in a hug.

"What about me?," Aubrey said from behind Stacie.

"Aunt Brey!" Sophie hugged Aubrey. "I'm so glad you both could make it. Come on in. Mom's in the living room."

Stacie and Aubrey walked in to find Chloe. Just as Sophie was closing the door, more guests arrived. By seven it looked as if everyone had made it. The doorbell rang again, and Sophie answered it to find her mama and Amber standing at the door.

"Um, hey, mama," Sophie said. "I'm glad you came."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Beca said.

"Hi, Sophie," Amber said. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

"I didn't," Sophie mumbled so neither woman could hear. She stepped aside to let Beca and Amber enter.

"These are for you and your mom," Beca said holding out a bag with gifts sticking out the top.

"You're not going to be here on Christmas?," Sophie asked.

"I, uh, wasn't sure I'd be welcome," Beca said.

"Could you tell me where the bathroom is?," Amber asked.

Sophie told her and Amber wandered off in the direction Sophie indicated. Chloe saw Beca and Sophie standing awkwardly by the door and frowned. She decided she'd at least be civil and say hi to Beca.

"Hi, Beca," Chloe said coming up to stand next to Sophie.

"Hey, Chloe," Beca said with a small smile. "How are you?"

"Where's Amber?," Chloe asked.

"She had to use the bathroom," Beca said.

"Oh," Chloe said. "Well, the food's all around, and drinks are wherever Fat Amy is. Enjoy."

Chloe turned and walked away so Beca couldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall. Chloe went into the kitchen to try and collect herself.

"Why did you bring her?," Sophie asked Beca. "She wasn't invited."

Before Beca could say anything, Sophie ran after Chloe. Beca stood there not saying a word.

"I can't believe her," Sophie said as she walked into the kitchen where her mother was. "I didn't invite Amber and mama didn't ask if she could come. I guess I know who her number one priority is now."

"Oh, sweetie," Chloe said. "Amber is temporary; you're a permanent fixture and will always be her number one priority." Chloe looked at Sophie with a glint in her eye. "Maybe we just have to show your mama what she's missing. Are you with me?"

"What are you planning?," Sophie asked.

"To start with," Chloe said. "Every time you see your mama with Amber, go over and drag Amber away to show her the tree, your room, the presents; anything to get her away from your mama. I'll use the opportunity to flirt with your mama. She never could resist when I flirted with her. Let's hope that hasn't changed. We need to let her know that we are the best choice for her."

"I'm in," Sophie said with a big grin. "Let's remix this business."

"You really are so much like your mama," Chloe said with a laugh as she and Sophie walked out of the kitchen.

Beca saw the two laughing as they rejoined the party. She couldn't help but smile at the two of them.

"Beca, I want something to drink," Amber whined.

"The drinks are right over there," Beca said pointing to the corner bar that was set up.

Amber stomped away and headed for the bar. Chloe saw Amber walk away from Beca.

"Wish me luck," Chloe whispered to Sophie before making her way over to Beca. "Amber seems...nice."

"She's okay, I guess," Beca said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How did you meet her?"

"Through Jesse. He met her at a coffee shop."

"I see," Chloe said turning to stand face-to-face with Beca. She reached up and straightened the collar of Beca's blouse. She then smoothed her hand down across Beca's shoulder and down her arm where she gently grasped Beca's hand. "I just wanted to say how beautiful you look tonight. Red's a good color on you."

Chloe gave Beca a flirtatious wink and turned and walked away, giving a little extra wiggle to her hips, knowing Beca was watching. Chloe stopped to talk with Aubrey and Stacie.

"What did you to Beca?," Stacie asked with a laugh. "She's just standing there with her tongue practically hanging out."

Chloe didn't turn to look but smiled at Stacie. "I'm upping the game," Chloe said. "I'm letting Beca know what she's missing."

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Aubrey said with a laugh.

Chloe smiled and looked back over her shoulder at Beca. Her smile dropped when she saw Amber was back standing next to Beca with her arm around Beca's waist.

"Dammit," Chloe said. "Amber's back already."

"I'm on it, mom," Sophie said and quickly made her way over to Beca.

"Hey, Amber," Sophie said with a smile plastered to her face. "Did you see our tree? Come on; I'll show you."

Sophie took Amber's hand and pulled her away from Beca. She gave Chloe a wink as they passed by to go see the tree. Chloe smiled and made her way over to Beca again.

"What was that all about?"

"Sophie offered to show Amber the tree. I don't know what it is, but she's up to something. I can feel it."

"Sophie is just trying to be a good hostess," Chloe said. "Come with me. You need a drink."

Chloe linked her arm with Beca's and started off toward the bar. They were chatting about Beca's work when they heard Sophie let out a yell. Everyone was turning to see what was going on. Beca and Chloe pushed their way through the crowd of friends and found Sophie holding the side of her face with tears in her eyes.

"What the Hell happened?," Beca asked.

"She slapped me," Sophie said.

Aubrey grabbed Chloe before she could attack Amber. Sophie ran to Chloe and threw her arms around her. Tears were streaming down her face.

"She was being a brat to me," Amber said. "She said I wasn't good enough for you and that we wouldn't last."

"And you thought slapping her was the way to respond?" Beca took a step toward Amber and got in her face. "Get the fuck out of here before I do the same to you."

"You're kicking me out?," Amber said angrily and taking a step back. "Just because of some kid getting what she deserved?"

"That kid is my daughter," Beca snarled at Amber. "And, nobody touches my kid or hurts my family." She stepped closer to Amber and yelled, "Get the fuck out of my house!"

Beca glared for a moment longer and then turned and walked over to Sophie and Chloe. She grabbed the two in a hug and whispered soothing words to Sophie.

Amber looked around at the crowd and swallowed. She stuck her nose up and started pushing through the crowd toward the door. Before she made it she stopped and turned back to Beca.

"Call me when you've calmed down."

"Don't hold your breath," Beca said back to her. "Lose my number and forget my name."

Amber turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

"Okay, everyone, let's not let this put a damper on things," Aubrey said as she started pushing the crowd to leave Beca and Chloe alone. "Sophie's fine. Her moms are taking care of her. There's plenty of food and drink so let's leave them alone for a bit."

"Soph," Beca said when they were alone. "Look at me, please." Sophie sniffled and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Sophie wiped at her tears and nodded her head.

"Want to tell us what happened?"

"She said I should start calling her mommy since she was going to marry you someday. I told her she wasn't good enough for you and she slapped me."

Chloe was doing her best to hold in her anger. If Amber hadn't left, she doesn't know what she would have done to her.

"Here," Stacie said coming up to Sophie. "I got you some ice to put on your cheek."

"Thanks, Aunt Stacie," Sophie said taking the ice pack.

Stacie kissed her on top of her head. "You're welcome, Soph." Stacie left the three alone again and went back to the party.

Sophie pulled away from her moms and sat down holding the ice to her cheek.

Beca turned to Chloe. "I'm sorry I brought her here, Chlo."

"This wasn't your fault," Chloe said. Chloe looked down at the floor. When she looked back up she was smiling. "So, you called this your house."

"I did, didn't I?," Beca said with a small smile.

"And, you called us your family," Chloe said. "Something I haven't heard you say in a while."

"You guys are my family," Beca said looking from Chloe to Sophie and back again. "Chlo, can we maybe talk? I, um, I miss you...both so much. Would you want to have dinner with me sometime? Just the two of us? So we can talk."

"No," Chloe said, and Beca's face fell. "I still love you, Beca. If we go out to dinner, I don't want it to be so that we can talk. We can do that here. I want it to be so we can start over and become what we used to be."

"Why, Mrs. Mitchell," Beca said with a grin. "Are you saying you want to date me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Chloe said with a matching grin.

"I don't know," Beca said. "You'd have to be approved by my daughter first before we can start anything." She turned to face a wide-eyed Sophie. "What do you say, Sophie? Do you approve of me and your mom dating?"

Sophie squealed and ran over to Beca and Chloe, grabbing them both in a hug. "I approve!"

"I guess it's a date then," Beca said and pulled Chloe to her for a kiss.

[Full] Prompt from FanFiction Guest: Beca and Chloe are divorced. They share custody of their 11-yr-old daughter. Beca has moved on, but Chloe still has feelings for her. Their daughter sees that Chloe still wants to be with Beca and convinces Chloe to have a Christmas party. Beca comes to the party, but Chloe is not too thrilled that she brought a girl with her. During the Christmas party, Chloe is determined to get Beca's attention so she can tell her how she feels. [I changed it up a bit, but the idea is basically the same].