Title: I Belong With You, You Belong With Me
Author: heartsmash
Rating: M, for later chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own these wonderful characters written by Kay Cannon and brought to life by Jason Moore.
Summary: Companion piece to "You're My Sweetheart." Jesse and Beca are apart for summer and this time around it's Beca's turn to meet the family. Named for another lyric from "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers
Chapter Seven
"Grr," Beca complained as she struggled with a zipper on an evening gown.
"Do you need help?" Shannon asked from outside the fitting room that Beca occupied.
"Not unless you know voodoo magic to make this zipper budge."
Without warning, Shannon pushed the curtain aside and barged into the fitting room. If Chloe hadn't pulled a much more surprising similar event last year, Beca would have been more shocked. But the girl was obviously trying to help her find a dress instead of accost her into attending auditions for acapella groups.
She dropped her purse on the bench and went to help Beca with the difficult dress. Pulling the material together with one hand, she eased the zipper up with the other.
"Wow, so you practice Santeria?" Beca asked with a smirk
"No, just a lot of practice. I was in a sorority in college."
Beca nodded with a smile.
"What?" Shannon asked, her head turned gently to the side in question.
"I could see it, the sorority thing."
"One of the very few stereotypes that I fall into."
Beca didn't press the blonde's statement and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The dress was boring shade of eggplant and did nothing for her. Beca sighed and Shannon sensed her that her patience for the process was waning.
"Let's take a break, grab some food and maybe get a clear perspective."
Beca couldn't get out of the dress fast enough before they went to the food court and found some salad place that satisfied both girls. Grabbing their lunch, they found a table amongst other hungry shoppers.
Beca spied a couple fighting right outside the Apple store and it brought her back to the night before. She might have overreacted, might being the operative word. But after what she had heard from Jesse's grandmother and learning that Jesse had been hanging out with Molly all night, it had put her over the edge. On top of that, the combination of alcohol and emotions had made the situation that much more explosive.
"You're such an asshole!" the girl screamed at her boyfriend causing several more stares to drift over to them, including Shannon's.
Beca knew that she needed to hear Jesse out and believe him when he said that nothing went on. She had let down her walls and let him in, now Beca had to continue to trust him. Not only that nothing happened but he would believe her when she spoke to him about his grandmother.
"You okay?" Shannon asked as Beca stabbed at some lettuce unenthusiastically.
"Just thinking about last night," Beca answered.
"Like I said, if you want to talk, I can listen or offer advice. Whatever you want."
Beca eyed Shannon warily but didn't see any malice in her green eyes. The girl seemed like she honestly wanted to help her work through the situation.
"You really want to hear this?" Beca asked.
"Jesse is like my little brother at this point. Maybe I can give you some insight?"
Beca shrugged and put down her fork. "So let me preface by saying that I'm aware I drank too much last night. Got that memo as I had to have your sister-in-law pick me up and take care of me."
"Not like you I'm assuming?"
"Correct. It was a combination of hearing what Mrs. Swanson really thinks of me and finding Jesse with that stupid girl he went to prom with."
"We can get back to what Mrs. Swanson said about you but are you talking about Molly Adams? I hate that bitch," Shannon said which surprised Beca a little bit. Her expression prompted Shannon to continue. "I'm assuming Jesse had told you zero about her? Other than they went to prom together?"
"And she goes to Yale. Let's not forget that endearing quality."
"That bitch strung Jesse along all senior year. It was disgusting."
Shannon explained to Beca that the blonde had done nothing but reel him in, making Jesse believe that his feelings were returned. Apparently, Jesse got Parker to help with this elaborate way to ask Molly to prom and reveal his feelings for her. To Beca, it sounded like a bad episode of whatever television show MTV was shoving down the throats of the youth of America.
Molly went on to accept his prom invitation but had shot him down completely, stating that being friends was better for the two of them. Parker found out that she had been casually dating a junior at Towson and being that much older and had never gone to their high school, he was not permitted to go with Molly to prom. Jesse and Molly had gone to prom and had had as much fun as the situation allowed.
"He put on a good face but it was easy to see that she hurt him," Shannon said, taking a sip of soda.
After that story, Beca hated the girl even more. "That's terrible."
"Yeah, no kidding. Jesse is still her friend, which boggles my mind. Personally the minute he went to college he should have cut that girl from his life."
"I guess he can't let her go. And I know he wasn't cheating or anything but I needed him."
Shannon nodded and asked what exactly had gone on with Mrs. Swanson. Beca retold the exchange she had overheard at between Jesse's father and grandmother the day prior.
"Why didn't you tell Jesse?"
"I didn't want to be the bitch girlfriend who accuses a family member of something. But he made it clear last night that I am."
"Mrs. Swanson is who she is. No one will change her. But on the other hand, telling Jesse what's going on may be the best idea."
"How do you know that?" Beca questioned. She knew Shannon understood the Swanson family better than she did. But she didn't want to make a wrong move. It could make things worse between her and Jesse.
"When Parker and I were planning the wedding and I went dress shopping, I fell absolutely in love with this lace gown that was backless. I have a dandelion tattoo on my back that you could see over the edge of in the dress. Well, she didn't want me to wear it and said that it would "besmirch" the family name."
"Big word."
"I'll never forget what she said. I invited her as a courtesy and she treated it like her right. If I had had it my way, it would have been my mom and my sister. Anyway, when I told Parker about the issue that I had experienced and he wanted to talk to his grandmother. I don't know what was said, but he went there on his own one afternoon and before I knew it that dress was number one for everyone." Shannon pulled out her phone and showed Beca a picture of her in the dress. Beca could see why it was the perfect dress for newest Swanson family member. She was radiant in it.
"My feeling is that she thought more of him. He was more of a man in her eyes. You never know it could be a similar situation for Jesse. He could speak to his grandmother and let him know that you are important to him. It could have an affect on her."
"I don't want to hurt him."
Shannon gave her hand a squeeze.
"I know that. Deep down, I'm sure he does too."
The two girls threw out their garbage and put back their trays before Shannon begged Beca to try two more stores. The look on Shannon's face weakened her defenses and she gave in with a huge sigh.
"I'll give you a total of 6 dresses for me to try on between those stores so choose wisely."
With her new limitations, Shannon seemed to zone out on everything around and focus only on shopping, most importantly finding Beca a dress. There were in Nordstrom on the second to last option when finally a dress made an impression on the brunette.
"Huh," Beca said admiring her reflection.
Glimmering beads formed rivulets down the dress catching the light. The cream and silver colors of the floor-sweeping gown complimented Beca's fair skin. Spaghetti straps crossed in the back, giving any man with a pulse a fair view of bare skin.
"Jesse may have a heart attack," Shannon said, fixing the bottom of the gown so that it fluttered around her feet.
Beca mused over the blonde's statement. She was going to this thing so they could be with his family and support his sister's amazing recovery. A part of her also wanted to look nice for Jesse. Her usual wardrobe of jeans, tank tops and combat boots didn't allow for such a thing to happen. And she cared for him, greatly.
"This is the one," Beca said decidedly, "This is perfect."
"Glad you can see what is right in front of you," Shannon said, "Now, shoes and makeup." Becca groaned. "Listen, the faster we get through these next tasks, the fast you can finally talk to Jesse."
Beca pointed her finger at Shannon and tried her best to glare as Shannon made an excellent point. "Let's make this fast."
Jesse sat on the piano bench in the den, plunking keys at random. A pile of sheet music sat on top of the instrument untouched in a very long time. Being away at school didn't leave him much time to practice but knowing he would be rusty, he pulled the sheet music to Clair de Lune and began to play. It wasn't long until his mother made her way to the room and hung in the doorway to listen.
He had begun playing piano at age six at his parents push and although like any kid who hated being forced to practice their instrument, Jesse appreciated that at nineteen he was able to play. But just as he had perceived, he was quite rusty but it wasn't a complete failure. It still held the rhythm and sound to the famous Debussy piece.
His mother gave a little clap at the end and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. It had been quite some time since playing in front of anyone.
"Can I request Chopin next?" she asked coming into the den and taking a seat on one of the armchairs.
"I think I'm going to need a little more practice before I start playing Chopin," Jesse said putting the sheet music back where he had found it. His mother watched him curiously and Jesse looked for a way out of the room but it was to no avail. The Spanish Inquisition started before he found an exit.
"This is the first time you've been in here all summer so my mom radar is going crazy. What's going on?"
"Nothing," he answered impassively.
"I haven't seen Beca all day," Liza noted.
"She's out with Shannon."
"Jesse," Liza said sternly and Jesse could hear that his mom was getting annoyed with his terse answered.
He looked up at his mom resolutely. Jesse really did not need her getting involved in the situation. What he needed was Beca to come home so they could talk. If she was even talking to him yet. He had knocked on the guest room door the night before and that had failed miserably. And then he discovered that she had left with Shannon that morning without saying a word, which had stung.
He could only imagine what Shannon would say to him about the situation. Jesse knew that Shannon had a way about her that made it very easy to talk with her and Beca was probably getting advice from his sister-in-law.
He had already gotten an earful from Christina that morning when the seventeen year old had yanked him by the arm into the backyard.
"What the hell happened last night? All I know is I pulled up to you and Beca looking like you wanted to maim each other and not to mention Beca puking her brains out."
Christina tapped her foot impatiently wanting answers from her older brother but Jesse crossed his arms and told her to butt out as nicely as he could.
"I love you, you're my sister but I really need you to stay out of this."
She disappeared back into the house with a exasperated groan.
Footsteps in the hallway made him hopeful that Beca was home and was actually seeking him out. Both he and his mother faced the doorway waiting for the person to enter.
"Shannon!" Liza said, brightening at the presence of her daughter in law and momentarily forgetting the inquisition that she was giving her son.
"I figured I owed you some visit time," Shannon told her mother in law with a bright smile before turning to Jesse. "Hey Jess, someone's out on the dock waiting for you."
Jesse escaped from the room and very nearly sprinted down the stairs. He shot out the back door and true to Shannon's word, Beca was sitting on the end of the dock, her eyes trained on the water. Not wanting to scare her, Jesse slowed down and walked to where she sat before taking a seat next to her.
"How was shopping?" he asked casually.
The sideways glower that Beca sent at him told him to not try and change the topic from the get-go.
"I want to apologize," Beca starts and swallows hard like it's difficult for her to admit. "The way I treated you last night...I was wrong and I'm sorry. I went off the handle about Molly but it doesn't mean that I liked seeing you in that position with her."
"I get that now…Harrison and Chris did not go light on the walk home. I think the endearing terms inconsiderate asshole and bonehead were thrown around a lot. I'll let you decide who said what."
A small smile appeared on her lips at the mention of his two friends and their wildly unorthodox ways at both cheering people up and reprimanding them.
"Why were you with her?" she asked
"I don't know…a part of me was worried about her, she seemed really out of it."
"And the other part of you? Was it still tied up in senior year of high school?" Beca asked. From the look on her face, Beca knew much more about the situation other than the fact that Jesse and her had only gone to prom together.
"Shannon?" he asked
"Yes, but it should have been you. The way you acted with her at Southside's that night, it was like she was one of your best friends. But from the sound of it, she was awful to you. Why does she deserve any more of your time?"
Jesse didn't have an answer to that question.
"Your line is, she doesn't," Beca said nudging him in the side.
"You're right."
Beca wanted to cheer at him finally admitting that the girl needed to be removed from his life.
"Can I kick her ass now that we're not calling her your friend? Show her some of the Connecticut where I live?"
"Somehow you going all Amy Adams porch fight in The Fighter on her doesn't seem like the best solution."
"Fine, maybe just a few choice words then?" Beca asked flashing a sarcastic smile.
"We'll see," Jesse said putting an arm around her.
The first part of their discussion had gone well but it didn't ease her worry over bringing up the second part.
"I do have to tell you something else," she said softly and at first, she wasn't sure that he had heard her because he remained quiet and still.
"Okay," he responded
"There's a reason that I drank so much and why the Molly situation made even more crazy than normal."
"And that is?"
"This is going to be hard for you to hear," Beca told him and Jesse removed his arm from around her, which made Beca hate saying anything else. "When I went to the bathroom yesterday, I overheard something that I shouldn't have and it just threw me for a loop," Beca started and Jesse looked at her expectantly. "Your grandmother doesn't like me. She was talking to your dad about how different I am and how she didn't approve, asking about that cute girl that you had taken to prom. She said she was going to talk to you about me."
Again with the quiet and the no movement which made her nervous.
"Are you sure?" he finally asked her.
"Yes," Beca answered quietly.
"I mean, you could be wrong, you were eavesdropping."
Jesse didn't say maliciously. It sounded to her like he didn't want to believe that it had happened in the first place.
"Jesse, please…I would never want to disrespect you or your family by saying something that isn't true. I just…I hated the thought that she would talk to you and this could end."
Jesse sighed and stood up before offering her his hand so that she could get to her feet.
"My grandma is 84 years old and throughout her life, she has developed a personality. Her personality has clashed with my brother, with my cousins and now it seems it's my turn."
"It shouldn't have to be. I don't want to cause problems with your family."
When Christina had invited her to Maryland, this entire issue and conversation had never entered her mind.
"Why are we together Bec?" Jesse asked and the question threw her.
"Not sure what you're asking?"
"Do you think we're together just because I'm trying to piss off my grandma?"
"I hope that'd be a no," she said looking at him.
"I'm with you and I want to be with you because there is no one else like you. I know we can get this sorted out."
Jesse put his arm back around her and led her up to the house. Beca wasn't sure what Jesse had in mind in terms of fixing the situation but she certainly hoped that it worked.
A/N: I love how enthusiastic all of you are as readers - I read every single one of your reviews and I appreciate them greatly. Especially those of you who write to tell me that you are sitting, clicking refresh to see if I have updated which I find incredibly humbling. If you've never listened to Clair de Lune, please do yourself a favor and go do so. It's a beautiful piece and my imagined Jesse has mastered at least a beginner's level of the song on piano. Oh and also, go YouTube search the porch fight scene in The Fighter if you've never seen it. Incredibly entertaining. Thanks for reading!