DAY 18 - SOMETHING THAT'S MINE
Prompt from Tumblr User freedomseeker91 and Ally: The backstory would be that Beca & Chloe met at a club Beca was DJing at, moved in together pretty soon after and they're about to spend their first Christmas together as a couple. Beca grew up in foster care system (Chloe is aware, but doesn't realize how bleak the situation actually was because Beca doesn't really talk about it).
I hope you enjoy what I did with it.
Beca Mitchell kept to herself. She learned early on in foster care that no one paid attention to you if you kept your mouth shut and stayed out of the way. So, she became a loner and liked it that way.
Don't get her wrong; she had friends. And they accepted her for who she was, flaws, faults, and all. Stacie and Fat Amy were her best friends, at least that's what they called themselves. They dragged her out to lunch or dinner all the time. They invited themselves to her place for pizza and movie nights, or just to hang out. Thanks to them, she wasn't as much a loner as she used to be.
Beca liked being around them, but Beca's favorite thing was spinning at the clubs. She started off in some dive that just wanted someone to change the CDs that the manager chose. She didn't make much money, but she started learning how to make mixes using those CDs.
One night, a customer in the bar heard one of her mixes and asked to talk to her. The next thing she knew she had a demo and was headlining at one of the hottest clubs in Atlanta. She was also pulling down some really good money.
Beca was happier than she ever thought possible after the life she had led. She could lose herself in her mixes and watch the people dancing to the sounds she created all from the safety of her little DJ booth. No one to bother her; no one to have to talk to, unless she wanted to.
Beca only came out of the booth during her set when Stacie or Amy made fools of themselves and she had no choice. On this particular night, Stacie dragged her out to meet her latest love interest.
Beca rolled her eyes as Stacie led her away from the booth.
"I need your help," Stacie said. "I want to ask Aubrey out and her friend is kind of in the way."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"Just talk to her," Stacie said. "Keep her busy for a bit. She loves your music; talk to her about that."
"Fine," Beca said and Stacie led her over to a blonde and a redhead. Beca found herself staring at the redhead.
"Beca," Stacie said holding onto her arm so she couldn't get away. "This is Aubrey and her friend, Chloe. Aubrey, Chloe. This is my best friend, and the DJ, Beca Mitchell."
"Hi," Beca said looking away from Chloe and over to Aubrey.
"Hello," Aubrey said as she looked Beca up and down.
"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said. "You're the DJ? I love your mixes. How do you come up with them?"
Beca found herself again staring at Chloe. The woman was gorgeous. Beca doesn't think she's ever seen anyone with eyes so blue.
"Your eyes are so blue," Beca mumbled and then blushed. "Sorry."
"That's okay," Chloe said with a smile. "You're not wrong."
Stacie caught Beca's eye and jerked her head to get Beca to take Chloe somewhere else. Beca rolled her eyes and looked at the redhead again.
"Um, would you, uh," Beca said and looked around. "Would, um, you like to see the booth? Where I, uh, play my mixes?"
"Really?" Chloe's smile got even wider if that were possible. "I'd love to."
Beca led Chloe to the DJ booth where she spent the next hour showing Chloe how she did the mixes. Chloe was constantly smiling and being flirty with Beca. Beca was beginning to like the interaction between the two.
Later that night, when the club was closing Chloe found Beca before she left.
"I'd like to see you again," Chloe told her. "Would you want to go out with me sometime?"
"I'd like that," Beca said. "Let me, um, give you my number so you can call me when you want to go out."
"Give me your phone," Chloe said and held out her hand.
Without hesitation, Beca took out her phone and unlocked it. She handed it to Chloe who entered her contact information and then texted herself.
"Now you have my number and I have yours," Chloe said handing Beca's phone back to her. "I'll call you."
Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek and with a wave and a smile followed Aubrey out of the club.
"You got Chloe's number?" At Beca's nod, Stacie smiled and threw her arm around Beca's shoulders. "Aubrey said she never gives her number out when they go to clubs. You must have swept her off her feet."
"We both like music," Beca said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Oh, and she already asked me out."
"Way to go, Beca," Stacie said with a laugh. "I asked Aubrey out and she said yes. If you're nervous, maybe we can double."
"That might not be a bad idea," Beca said. "Do you think Aubrey and Chloe would go for it?"
"I'll call Aubrey tomorrow and find out," Stacie said. "Come on, you're my ride home."
"I thought Amy was your ride," Beca said.
"She left with some guy hours ago," Stacie said. "So, now you're my ride."
"Fine," Beca said. "Let's go."
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Chloe called Beca for a date a few days after their initial meeting. Three months later they were laying in Beca's bed.
"I have to go," Chloe said as she sat up. "I have to be up early tomorrow to start looking for a new place."
"Why?" Beca sat up and looked at Chloe.
"My roommate's moving out and the rental agency is raising the rent," Chloe said. "I can't afford the place on my own. And with the rent increase, I'd barely be able to afford my share even if I could get another roommate."
Beca bit her bottom lip and swallowed. "So, um, move in here."
Chloe looked at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Beca said. "Yeah, I'm totally serious. You spend almost every night here anyway. And I'd love for us to live together because I lo-." Beca's eyes widened at what she was about to say.
Chloe looked at Beca hopefully because she had been wanting to hear the words Beca almost said. She knows they haven't been together long and she has to take it slow with Beca, but she also knows that she is already head over heels in love with her.
A sudden calm came over Beca and a smile came to her face. A smile that reached her eyes and was rarely seen by anyone, even Chloe.
"Because I love you," Beca said and Chloe practically melted.
"Yes," Chloe squealed and hugged Beca. "I'll move in with you. And, I love you, too."
"Yeah?" Beca wasn't expecting Chloe to say it back.
"Yeah," Chloe said and leaned in to kiss Beca.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Chloe moved in three weeks later. Beca helped Chloe unpack and they were sitting together on Beca's small sofa.
"All my stuff is put away and this place still looks a little bare, Becs," Chloe said as she looked around the room.
"I'm not used to having a lot of stuff around," Beca said quietly.
"I'm sorry, babe," Chloe said and pulled Beca into a hug. "I didn't mean anything by it. I know you said you didn't have a lot while you were in foster care, but you never really talk about it."
"There's not much to talk about," Beca said as she pulled out of the hug. "It was shitty from day one and didn't get any better the older I got."
"You can talk about it with me," Chloe said softly. "You know I won't judge you. I love you and I want to know everything about you."
Beca didn't say anything and looked down at her hands in her lap. Chloe sighed and lifted Beca's head by her chin so she could look at her.
"Whenever you're ready to talk about it," Chloe said. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Beca wiped away a tear that had fallen and gave Chloe a smile. "So, what else do we need to make this place feel like home to you?"
Chloe smiled and they began talking about what they should get.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
Thanksgiving with Chloe had been an experience for Beca. Beca was used to having her foster families arguing and fighting during Thanksgiving. Some of the families didn't want to spend the money on making a big Thanksgiving dinner so they would just have turkey sandwiches made from packaged deli slices and chips.
Beca didn't like turkey; at least the ones they did have in foster care. They were also dry and had no real flavor. Beca thought it was like eating cardboard.
Thanksgiving with Chloe had all their friends over who couldn't go home to family. Chloe called it "Friendsgiving" and made a turkey with all the trimmings. Beca changed her mind about liking turkey after eating the turkey Chloe made. It was moist and was seasoned just right to let the natural turkey flavor through.
With her and Chloe, there were eight people around their semi-new dining room table. It was loud and chaotic and Beca was a bit out of her element. Along with the turkey, she had tried several dishes that she had never had before. She liked everything and it only made her feel sad about all that she had missed out on growing up in foster care.
Her sadness didn't last long. Chloe always had a way of putting a smile on her face and making her feel happy.
That night, as they lay in bed, Chloe had her head on Beca's shoulder as they cuddled together.
"Thanks for dinner," Beca said. "It is the best Thanksgiving I can remember."
"I'm glad," Chloe said and kissed her. "Hey, where do you keep your Chrismas decorations? In my family, it's tradition to start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I have a few things and I thought we could combine them to make this a really special first Christmas together."
"I, um, I don't have any," Beca said softly. "I've never really celebrated Christmas."
Chloe sat up and stared at Beca. "Never?"
"Um, not really," Beca said. "The foster families were never big on giving us kids anything so it was just another day. And, now that I'm on my own, I don't have any family so it's still just another day."
"Well, I'm going to change that," Chloe said. "I am going to give you your first and best Christmas ever. I'll have my mom send me the rest of my Christmas stuff. I have more than enough," Chloe was starting to get more excited as she talked. "Oh, and we'll have to have a real tree. It makes the whole place smell like Christmas. This is going to be so exciting."
Beca laid there with a fake smile on her face as Chloe kept talking about all the decorations and traditions she and her family had. She didn't want to think about Christmas but couldn't deny Chloe, so she just smiled and agreed to everything.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
It was three days before Christmas when Beca had come home. She had placed the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen and went to the living room. She went over to the tree and sniffed. Chloe was right about how good the real tree made everything smell. She noticed that there were several wrapped packages under the tree. Beca looked at one or two and noticed that they were for some of Chloe's friends. Then Beca saw her name on one. She stood up and panicked a bit.
"Chloe got me a present?" Beca thought as she stood there looking down at the brightly wrapped box. "We never talked about presents. Oh, my God. I should have thought to get Chloe a present. I need to get Chloe a present."
Beca started breathing too fast and felt the walls suddenly closing in on her. She was panicking and didn't know what to do so she hurried out of the apartment. She rushed down the hall of the building and didn't stop until she was outside. Beca took several deep breaths to calm herself and started walking. Each step easing her breathing and doing little to reduce the panic she was feeling.
Beca had been walking for about fifteen minutes when she heard the text notification ping on her phone. Knowing it was probably Chloe she stopped and pulled out her phone.
Chloe: Hey, babe, I just got home. Where are you? I thought we could make Christmas cookies together.
Beca ignored the text and instead placed a call. She started speaking as soon as it was answered.
"Hey, Stacie, are you home?"
"Yeah, Beca," Stacie said. "Are you okay?"
"Can I come over? I'm like five minutes away."
"Sure," Stacie said. "I'll see you in a few."
Beca ended the call and turned off her phone before putting it back in her pocket. Five minutes later Beca was sitting on Stacie's sofa with her head in her hands.
"What's going on, Beca? You're kind of scaring me."
Beca looked up at Stacie. "Chloe bought me a Christmas present."
"That bitch!" Stacie said and laughed at Beca. "Is that all?"
"Stacie," Beca whined. "I didn't get her anything. It never crossed my mind until I saw her present for me. I should get her something, too, right?"
"I'm sure she'd understand if you didn't," Stacie said.
"But, I want to," Beca said quickly. "I just have no idea how to go about doing it."
"Come on," Stacie said. "I'll go shopping with you and help you find something."
"You will?" Beca asked.
"Absolutely," Stacie said. "Let's go."
Beca followed Stacie out to her car.
"Beca, I know you had a shitty childhood," Stacie said as she drove. "And, I know you don't do Christmas because of it. Amy and I understand and that's why we didn't push you about presents and stuff. That's why we would do the same things we do all year, so it was no big deal. But, you are living with the human epitome of Christmas, so your life is going to change. You're going to have to change with it or possibly lose Chloe."
"I love her," Beca said. "But, the last real Christmas I remember was just before my parents died. I was only four and Child Services took me and put me in foster care. There were no Christmases after that. No holidays like you and Chloe had. There was barely a mention of birthdays except to remind you how many years you had left before you aged out. I don't know how to do Christmas!"
"Did you talk to Chloe about all this?"
"No," Beca said quietly.
"Talk to her," Stacie said. "You said she told you she was going to give you the best Christmas ever. Let her. I think you'll be surprised at how good you'll feel."
"I guess," Beca said.
They arrived at the mall and Beca followed Stacie. Stacie made suggestions and Beca finally decided on two things she thought Chloe would like.
"Is this enough?," Beca asked as they got back to Stacie's apartment.
"It's plenty," Stacie said. "Come on, I'll help you wrap them."
Stacie's phone rang as she handed Beca the wrapped gifts. She answered and looked at Beca.
"Oh, hey, Chloe," Stacie said.
"Hey, Stacie," Chloe said. "I'm sorry to bother you but have you heard from Beca? I tried texting and calling but she isn't answering. I'm started to get worried."
"Oh, sorry, that's my fault. We were hanging out and she must have turned her phone off. She's right here. Do you want to talk to her?"
Stacie held the phone toward Beca. "Hey, Chlo. Sorry, I turned my phone off. Is everything okay?"
"I was just worried about you," Chloe said. "I came home and saw the groceries sitting on the counter and you nowhere in sight."
"Oh, shoot, I forgot about those," Beca said. "I'll be home in about twenty minutes."
"Take your time," Chloe said. "Now that I know you're safe, I'm okay. I love you."
"I love you, too," Beca said and ended the call. Tears came to Beca's eyes. "She was, um, she was worried about me and just wanted to make sure I was safe."
"That's what people do for the ones they love," Stacie said with a smile.
Beca nodded as she grabbed the bag with Chloe's presents and walked to the door. She stopped and rushed over to Stacie and hugged her. "Thank you, Stacie."
Stacie was taken by surprise but smiled and hugged her back. "You're welcome."
Beca had been a bit apprehensive when she got home, but all Chloe did was kiss her and drag her into the kitchen. They spent the next couple of hours together baking Christmas cookies.
~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~
It was Christmas Eve, and Chloe was in the kitchen putting something together for a nice Christmas Eve dinner for the two of them. Beca snuck the two brightly wrapped gifts out and set them under the tree. She felt really good about them. Better than she did two days ago when Stacie had taken her shopping after she had called Stacie all freaked about the present she saw under the tree.
Beca could smell something really good coming from the kitchen and went to see if she could help Chloe with anything.
"Dinner's almost ready," Chloe said as Beca walked into the kitchen.
"Can I do anything?"
"You could set the table for us," Chloe said with a kiss to Beca's cheek.
"On it."
Beca set the table and added some candles to make it more romantic. Chloe brought out the food and they sat down to eat.
"It smells good," Beca said and she reached to place some salad on her plate.
"It's all seafood," Chloe said. "I was raised Catholic and we always followed the tradition of not having meat on Christmas Eve."
"Why?"
As they ate, Chloe explained about what the Italian Catholics called The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Chloe's great-great-grandmother was part Italian and the tradition was past down from generation to generation.
"And, now this will be our tradition, also," Chloe said as she finished the story.
After dinner, Beca helped Chloe clean up and get the dishes in the dishwasher. Chloe had suggested they make hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies. Another of her family's traditions on Christmas Eve.
"But, first," Chloe said. "Another tradition we have is that we each get to open one present tonight and leave the rest for tomorrow morning."
"Um, okay," Beca said.
"Wait here," Chloe said. "I have a special gift I want you to open."
Beca smiled and nodded. Chloe smiled and ran to their bedroom. Beca sat on the floor near the tree. She leaned back against the chair and waited for Chloe.
Chloe came hurrying back and sat next to Beca. She put the gift she had been carrying in front of Beca and reached under the tree for one of hers.
"Um, you go first," Beca told Chloe.
"Okay," Chloe said excitedly. "This is from my sister, Carrie."
Chloe tore open the package and pulled out a nice blouse.
"That's pretty," Beca said.
"I love it," Chloe said. "Carrie always buys me a nice blouse. She says I need to look good when I'm standing in front of my class." Chloe put the blouse back in the box and set it aside. "Your turn."
"Why aren't you in Tampa with your family for Christmas?" Beca blurted out.
"I told my mom that since this was our first Christmas together, I wanted it to be just you and me at home," Chloe said with a shrug. "So, they sent all our gifts here, and I sent what I got them from us to them."
"You put my name on the gifts you sent them?"
"Of course," Chloe said. "That's okay, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Beca said. "I just never thought of getting them anything. I never thought about getting anyone anything. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Chloe said. "Now, open your gift."
Beca got a weird feeling in her chest as she slowly tore the paper off the gift. She found a box and opened it. Inside was a heart-shaped ornament. Beca took it out of the box and held it in her hand.
Tears came to her eyes as she read Beca and Chloe's First Christmas - 2018.
"I had it made for you to commemorate our first Christmas together," Chloe said with a smile.
"I've never had something like this before," Beca said through her tears.
"You've never had a custom Christmas ornament before?"
Beca shook her head. "I've never had something that was just mine before."
Tears sprang to Chloe's eyes and her heart broke a little. She pulled Beca to her and held her as they both cried.
After a few minutes, Beca pulled back. "Can we put it on the tree now?"
"Of course," Chloe said and wiped Beca's cheeks with her hand. "Anywhere you want it."
Beca stood and helped Chloe up. She looked at the tree and placed the ornament at eye level in the front center of the tree.
Chloe smiled and said, "That's the perfect spot."
Beca sat back down on the floor and stared up at the ornament. More tears flowed as she thought about how Chloe had kept her promise of making this the best Christmas ever.
Chloe sat next to her and took Beca's hand in hers. She put her head on Beca's shoulder and was surprised when Beca started talking.
Chloe sat quietly for the next hour while Beca told her about what it was like for her growing up in foster care. Chloe interjected a question here and there as she wiped at the tears that fell as Beca spoke. Beca finally grew quiet and Chloe looked at her. She used her thumbs to wipe at the tears on Beca's face.
"You're wrong you know," Chloe said.
"Wrong about what?," Beca asked
"About never having something that was just yours," Chloe said. "You've had me and my heart practically from the moment we met. And it will always be yours."
Beca smiled as tears came to her eyes again. But this time, they were happy tears. "I love you. And for the record, my heart will always be yours, too."
Beca kissed Chloe and Chloe eagerly returned it. Beca pulled back with a small laugh and wiped her face.
"I seem to recall mention of hot cocoa and a movie," Beca said.
Chloe jumped up and Beca followed suit. "I'll start the cocoa, you pick out a movie."
"How about 'It's a Wonderful Life'?" Beca said with a grin. "Because that's exactly how I feel about my life right now."
"You're such a cheeseball," Chloe said and grabbed Beca for another kiss. "Don't ever change."
"Never," Beca said and eagerly kissed Chloe again.
Chloe pulled back and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Beca."
"Merry Christmas," Beca said. "And thank you for making it the merriest Christmas ever. I love you."
"I love you, too."