Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar movies, characters, locations, etc. that I mention below.
On the tenth day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me...
Ten Bags of Clothing
"It's Swanson family tradition to help out during the holidays, Becs. Donating is just one of the many things we Swansons do."
"But how in the world did you have ten bags worth of clothes in your closet?!" She exclaims, her eyes huge at all the black garbage bags in his room through her computer screen. Jesse's parents were visiting for the day and wanted their son to help them out, however Jesse failed to tell her this last night so she decided not to sleep over. That didn't stop him from video chatting her, though.
"They're not all mine. I got the guys to donate some things, plus the Harmonics pitched in a bunch of stuff. Even the girls added a lot to the pile. You're the only one who hasn't." He says disapprovingly at her.
She rolls her eyes. "I didn't get the memo!"
"It was posted on the Facebook group message! I printed out fliers and put them at the rehearsal spaces, too!"
She scoffs. "Well that explains it. I never check Facebook."
He groans. "Are you adding stuff to the pile or not? I'm leaving in a bit so you better hurry up."
"Okay, okay. Give me half an hour." She hangs up on him on Skype, sighing. She heads for her clothes and begins sorting through it until she fills three grocery bags worth of stuff.
She hears a knock at the door and turns around, watching as Jesse let himself in.
"Wow, this is good. We can at least fill up that last garbage bag to the top now. You coming?" He takes both bags, looking at her expectantly. She sighs and ruffles her hair with her fingers.
"I don't know, Jess..."
"They're dropping me off at the practice hall afterwards. You wouldn't have to walk there if you came along now," He reasons to a still unsure Beca.
She flashbacks to the first (and only) time she met them: The day of ICCA nationals, right after she made out with their son. Lets just say it was a very awkward conversation that involved lots of questions (When did you two meet?" "Has my son been behaving lately?"), labeling ("Oh, Jesse you never told us you had a girlfriend!" "I hope our son isn't too terrible of a boyfriend."), and Beca's vocals ("Your girlfriend has a lovely voice, Jesse!).
He could see the hesitance in Beca's face. Not wanting to pressure her, he gives her a reassuring smile. "It's okay if you don't wanna come. I'll see you soon, okay?" He starts heading to the car with the bags, where his parents were waiting outside. She quickly grabs a jacket, locks the door, and runs after him. His parents weren't so bad; they just liked to talk. She remembered him mentioning something about his niece earlier. Maybe she'd be there.
He turns around and grins. "I'm glad you're going to join me on this lovely day of volunteer service." He puts an arm around her shoulder when she finally catches up with him. They reach the same car that Beca saw on her first day of freshman year; the one Jesse sang "Carry on my Wayward Son" to her in. He stuffs the bags in the trunk, which looked like it was about to burst open the minute he closed it, and opens the backseat door for them to go in.
"Good morning, Beca! It's good to see you!" His mom greets as they enter the car, giving her a warm smile.
"Hi, Mrs. Swanson. It's good to see you too." She replies. The first thing she notices, other than his mom, is little Kaia, Jesse's six-year-old niece. She was fast asleep in her booster seat, with drool traveling down the length of her cheek. She smiles at the sight. So many people assumed she hated little kids, and it shocked them whenever they saw her playing with them. She loved kids. Well, below the age of eight. Anyone beyond eight was a pain in the ass.
"How are the Bellas coming along?" His dad asks.
"We're doing great so far! Just won regionals."
"I'm sure you girls will take that national title again. I have no doubt about it!"
Jesse points to the Treble hoodie he was wearing. "Dad, hello?"
"You're funny, son."
"You haven't even heard us yet!"
"Honey, ignore your father. We believe in you plenty."
"Thanks mom." Jesse grumbles, making Beca snicker. She was already liking his parents 100% more than she did earlier.
"We'll have to make two trips. I hope you don't mind, Beca." His mom says once they arrive at the Salvation Army thrift store.
"Oh no, it's fine Mrs. Swanson." They all exit the car except for the sleeping little girl. Jesse swings around the other side of the car and unbuckles the little brunette's seatbelt, which awakens her. Kaia yawns and wraps her arms around Jesse's neck as he picks her up from the booster and holds her.
"Uncle Jesse, where are we?" She asks, her cheek resting on his shoulder.
Beca smiles at the sight. God dammit. Why were little kids so cute?
"We're here to donate some clothes, Kaia," He replies, "You're gonna have to walk okay kiddo?"
The little girl groans. "But I don't wanna!" She yawns again, nuzzling her face into his neck.
"But Kai, I have to help take the clothes to the building.. You can hold grandma's hand, okay?"
"I'll do it." Beca offers before the little girl can reply. He gives her a helpless look as she hauls two of the garbage bags filled with clothes while his parents take the remaining three, and together they walk through the front doors of the crowded building, with Kaia still hanging onto Jesse's chest.
"Jesse can you go get the rest of the bags at your place? Dad and I are going to go help out for a little. Bring back some warm food or something for everyone working here, okay?" His mom asks. He nods and begins counting how many volunteers there were at the moment. Just as he's about to step out of the doors, his mother calls to him. "Oh, and Jesse, please be extra watchful of Kaia. We wouldn't want what happened last time to happen again." Jesse nods again and tightens his hold on Kaia before leaving the building. Beca follows, now noticing how the smaller brunette was staring at her.
"Who are you?"
Beca gives the little girl a smile. "I'm Beca. What's your name?"
She figured it would creep the kid out if she didn't ask properly.
"Kaia Swanson! Ooh, Jesse talked about you on Thanksgiving! Are you guys..." she giggles, "Girlfriend and boyfriend?"
"Uhh..."
"Do you guys kiss? Kissing is gross." She makes a sour face, making Beca laugh.
"I agree, kissing is gross."
Kaia grins. "My mommy and daddy kiss when I'm not looking. Once," she whispers, "I even saw."
"Okay okay, put your seatbelt on you silly girl." He places her back into her booster seat and shuts the car door.
"Sorry about her." He apologizes, running a hand through his hair.
She shakes her head. "It's fine, she's adorable."
"Huh, who would've known that you, Beca Mitchell, liked children. You'd think that ear spike was there to scare away kids." He chuckles, only earning a shove on the chest.
"Jerk."
"There's no need for violence! Way to be a good role model." His head turns to the little girl watching them through the window, who sticks her tongue out at them.
After retrieving the five bags at the Treble house, the trio head to Beca's favorite coffee and bakery shop off campus. Kaia clings tightly onto Jesse's arm, bouncing along on the snow laden ground.
"Beca how old are you?"
"That's not a very polite question to ask, Kai." Jesse scolds the little girl, whose face was getting red.
"Sorry. Do you like movies? Like uncle Jesse likes movies?"
"I think your uncle Jesse loves movies, not just likes them. He's kind of crazy, don't you think?" Beca smirks, only to be surprised at the fierce response Kaia gives.
"No he's not! Movies are..." Kaia rolls her tongue inside her mouth, trying to find the right word to describe her love of movies.
"Amazing? Terrific? Incredible? Awesome?"
"Yeah that's the word! Awesome!" She shouts, giving her uncle a high-five.
Beca raises an eyebrow at Jesse, who simply shrugs in response. "I've trained her well. There's no corrupting this one, sorry Beca. You tried."
She rolls her eyes as they enter the coffee shop, which smelled strongly of fresh coffee and peppermint. "What do you want, Kaia?"
"A caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream and extra caramel sauce, please."
Her jaw drops slightly. She was speechless. What the hell?
He gives Beca an amused look. "She's kidding. She's getting hot chocolate."
Kaia giggles beside him. "That's what my mommy usually orders when I'm with her."
She sighs under her breath, shaking her head at the clever little six-year-old. "So Jess, what exactly happened last time you two were together?" She asks once he finishes ordering their drinks and baked goods (a cookie for Kaia, a muffin for Beca, and a warm apple pie for Jesse's parents and the rest of the volunteers).
He looks up from the table counter and puffs a cloud of air from his cheeks, taking a moment to think.
"He lost me at Toys 'R' Us on Black Friday! My mommy and daddy got really mad at him. Grandma and grandpa, too."
Jesse rubs the back of his neck nervously. Beca blinks, unable to keep the sly smirk off her face. She drums her fingers on the table. "That is brand new information. Very interesting."
"Mommy said he was 'too distracted', but I dunno what that actually means. He bought me a brand new dolly to play with because he felt really bad."
"What a naughty, naughty thing to do, Jesse." She shakes her head disapprovingly at him.
Jesse gets up at the sound of their number being called, leaving Kaia and Beca alone for a moment.
"You never answered my question, Beca! Do you like movies? What's your favorite?" Kaia bounds up to her and suddenly jumps onto her lap, eager to hear her answer.
"Movies are O.K. My favorite is The Breakfast Club, but don't tell uncle Jesse that. He knows, but I don't want him making a big deal out of it, okay?"
The smaller brunette nods enthusiastically. "I've never seen that movie! My favorite is movie is Tangled."
After a couple of hours at the thrift store, the Swansons (plus Beca) leave to see Jesse's grandmother. Well over the age of 80, she suffered from Parkinson's disease and currently resided at an elderly home, where a caregiver and nurse were always on hand to tend to her needs. Beca remembers when he talked about it with her when she was first diagnosed nearly a year ago. She felt awkward and had she known they were going to do this, she wouldn't have come.
Kaia holds Beca's hand tightly with her own as they walk down the quiet hallway that led to Jesse's grandmother's room. Jesse's parents go in first, since they only allowed a certain number of persons in each room during visiting hours. They wait outside the doorway in the uncomfortable silence of the hallway, with only an occasional cough heard in the distance every once in a while.
"Becs, you don't have to come in if you don't want to. I understand." He murmurs into her ear. She nods, thankful. "I had no idea we were coming to visit Nan."
"It's okay, I'll just stay out here." She gives him a tight-lipped smile just as his parents emerge from the room, holding each other tightly. She squeezes his hand, unsure of what to do in a situation like this. She had never been through something like what the Swanson's were going through. Kaia's hand remains in hers for the next five minutes, waiting for Jesse. Once he returns, she wraps her free arm around his back and rubs it assuringly, hoping to relieve some of the stress. He remains silent as they drive to their next destination, the soup kitchen. Kaia seems to pick up on his mood and mimics his silence, the cause of a very uncomfortable car ride.
Once they arrive at the soup kitchen, the Swansons' moods seem to brighten a little as they begin the start of a holiday dinner for the homeless people. Kaia sings Christmas songs, lifting everyone's spirits greatly. From their station at the sink, Jesse and Beca sing along with the bubbly six-year-old as they washed and dried dishes. Eventually, however, they all stop singing. Kaia, bored out of her mind, skips around the dining hall, aimlessly running into people and clumsily tripping over her own feet. It's four o'clock, and Jesse and Beca have to leave to practice their duet. Beca thanks the Swanson's for the day and they begin to head out, only to be stopped by Kaia's little hands grabbing at Jesse's coat.
"Where ya goin, uncle Jesse?"
"We've gotta go, kiddo. We need to practice our singing."
"Can I come? Please?" The smaller brunette begs. Jesse exchanges a glance with his mom, whose eyes seem tired from trying to tame the energetic girl.
"If you come along, you'll have to be really quiet, okay? This is serious singing."
Beca tries not to laugh. Serious singing.
"Okay! Can I bring my backpack then?"
"You brought your backpack?"
Kaia nods. "It's in the car. I brought homework to do!" Jesse sighs, grabs the keys from his dad, and retrieves the backpack from the car.
"You three be safe out there! We'll come pick Kaia up around seven, okay?"
The three nod and leave to catch the bus to the campus. Kaia sits on Beca's lap, obviously taking a liking to the taller brunette. When they arrive, Kaia sits on one of the chairs and takes out her homework, studying it like a scholar. Every once in a while, she'd interrupt rehearsal by asking for homework help on a word that she didn't understand or to just comment on their singing. The little girl was very interested in their duet and watched with big, adoring eyes, clapping her hands whenever they finished the chorus. Beca loved her mini audience; it made practicing for the stupid duet more worthwhile.
By the time seven o'clock rolls around, Kaia's exhausted and passed out on her seat. Jesse carries the young girl to the car, where his parents were waiting outside. Beca accompanies him, meaning to thank his parents. They hand him containers of dinner, which they gratefully take. They're about to shut the car door when Kaia suddenly awakens from her slumber, reaching for Jesse with a yawn.
"Uncle Jesse?"
"Yes Kai?"
She gestures for him to move closer to her, intending to tell him a secret. Her little hands cup around his ear. "Are you and Beca going to get married?" She whispers into his ear, looking at him intensely, as if she were never asleep.
Although he's taken aback by her question, he's not hesitant in his answer. "Hopefully. Eventually."
She sleepily gives him two thumbs up, which makes him smile. He shuts the car door and wraps an arm around Beca's waist while the other waves goodbye to the young girl waving back at them.
"What was that about?" She asks, curious to know.
Jesse shrugs and smiles. "She said that you have a great singing voice."
Kaia is loosely based off of a little six-year-old girl I met while I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago. She's the sweetest little thing on the planet, and I just had to write about her.
I also wrote this while I was supposed to be studying for a final tomorrow, so this is very rough.
If I don't update tomorrow (which is unlikely, but possible) or Wednesday (which is much more likely), then know I'll make it up on the weekend. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, it'd mean a lot!