Author's Note: I was lazy (and really tired) and did not proof-read this chapter. So if you get two updates in one day, that's just me correcting my mistakes. Thanks for the reviews and follows, I appreciate it. Here's the next installment. Let me know what you think if you have the chance. (:

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: Okay, mistakes have been corrected and a few things have been added (Nothing major enough that you'd have to go back and read it). I wanted to know, though. Who's POV did you want next? Aubrey or Chloe's? I have to admit I enjoyed Aubrey's and I hope I did her justice (AM doing her justice) Please let me know, I'm being indecisive about this. xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Chapter Five

The car ride is quiet as Aubrey and Chloe head back to their shared apartment, but Aubrey knows that Chloe can't keep silent for long. As if on cue, Chloe turns her head from the window to look at Aubrey's profile. "Well… That wasn't what I was expecting." She says quietly.

Aubrey nods slowly. She's still trying to process everything. Beca has a kid. Beca Mitchell, annoying alt-girl has a kid and she raises him by herself and manages to go to college and work too. Aubrey had her pegged all wrong. She shakes her head at the thought. "Aubrey?" Chloe's voice breaks her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She glances at Chloe when they reach a stop light.

Chloe stares out the window again and sighs. "Beca has a 5 year old son." Aubrey turns her head to look at the redhead, noting the way her lips tug down in a frown. "This—this changes everything." She says quietly.

The light turns green and Aubrey turns her head back to pay attention to the road. She's quiet for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek as she thinks back to the way Jonah hugged her. Kids had never been her strong suit but she wasn't terrible with them. Still, she'd always been a little nervous around them, but Jonah, Jonah was easy to like. And Beca, god, Beca was so good with him and Aubrey admired her for working to keep up with her schooling and her son, and everything else in her life. God damn it, it made Aubrey like the brunette more.

A sigh parts Aubrey's lips as she mentally groans and grips the steering wheel tighter. "I still like her." The blonde suddenly blurts out as she turns into their apartment complex.

Chloe's head whips around to look at Aubrey with a mixed expression that the blonde can't quite discern. "Well, yeah… I mean so do I, but Aubrey, she has a kid." Chloe says slowly, as if Aubrey doesn't understand.

The blonde huffs as she puts the car into park. "Yes, I'm aware, Chloe." She says in a voice that barely contains her agitation.

"Which means we can't—she—she comes with a kid. Are you honestly prepared to take on not only the complexities of a 3-way relationship, but a child as well?" She asks though not unkindly.

Aubrey sighs and fidgets with her hands. "I—I don't know. And when did we switch roles? Usually I'm the voice of reason when it comes to things like this." She deflects with a weak laugh.

Chloe gives Aubrey a sympathetic smile. "I'm not sure but it's kind of weird." She reaches across the center console and covers the blonde's fidgeting hands with her own. "We'll figure it out, Bree. I still like Beca too, if anything I like her more and Jonah is…" She trails off and smiles.

"He's so sweet," Aubrey says. "And I know. I admire Beca for what she's doing."

Chloe gasps dramatically, feigning surprise. "Aubrey Posen admires Beca Mitchell? The alt-girl with her mad-lib beats and scary ear spikes?"

The blonde rolls her eyes at Chloe and grins. "Oh shut up and let's go inside. I'm tired." Not that she was going to get any sleep tonight. She knew her brain was going to be running non-stop. Chloe nods gently and they both get out the car, meeting in the middle of the parking lot and linking arms as they head for their building.

…...

7:45 [The Hobbit]: Hey, Bree. I know this is last minute but was your offer serious last night? About Jonah coming to practice? 'Cause his usual sitter bailed.

Aubrey reads the text a few more times, knowing she should probably answer since it's almost time for practice (8 AM sharp as always). She swallows and sends out a quick reply.

7:47 [Aubrey]: Yes, of course. I trust he won't be much of a disruption—well, except in the beginning because the others will have questions…

Beca's reply is immediate.

7:47 [The Hobbit]: Fuck. I forgot about that. Okay. Uhm. Can you like, I don't know just… let them know I have an important announcement? I'm gonna be like 5 minutes late, 10 tops.

7:50 [Aubrey]: That's doable. I'll see you soon, Beca.

She doesn't bother unlocking her phone when it vibrates again, she can read the thank you from the preview. Aubrey puts the device in her bag along with two waters. "Chloe, come on, we're gonna be late!"

A few minutes later, Chloe appears, ready to go. "Sorry, I couldn't find my other shoe." She says sheepishly.

"If you'd stop throwing your things around and put them in their designated areas, you wouldn't lose them." Aubrey says with a shake of her head. "Now come on, Beca texted me and apparently Jonah will be attending practice." She tries to hide her excitement as they leave the apartment.

Chloe seems to brighten at this. "Oh, well this should make for an interesting morning." She says with a smile.

They make it at exactly 8AM on the dot. Usually Aubrey liked to get their 10 minutes early to prepare but she'd let Chloe hit snooze on the alarm clock. They were of course the first ones to arrive, so Chloe went about taking the chairs out while Aubrey wrote on the board.

Minutes later, their fellow Bella sisters begin to slowly trickle in. By the time they're all seated (Sans Beca), Aubrey folds her hands in front of her and opens her mouth to speak, however she's cut off before she gets a chance.

"Where's short-stack?" CR asks, noticing her absence.

"Yeah. Oh shit, is she still in jail? I thought you guys bailed her out?" Stacie looks worried for their friend.

Before anyone else can interrupt her, Aubrey holds up a hand. "She's just late, calm down." She takes a breath and swallows her nerves. (She's not sure why she's nervous, perhaps she's just nervous for Beca.) "Speaking of which, Beca has an important announcement." Her face hardens slightly as she allows her eyes to stare them all down. "You will not interrupt and you will treat her with the same respect you have always treated her with. I won't tolerate anything less, are we clear?" Behind her, Chloe is giving them the same hard look.

Wide eyes stare back up at Aubrey but after a moment, they all nod.

It's at that moment the sound of the door opening and closing is brought to their attention. Everyone's eyes shift to see Beca creeping in slowly, eyes wide and looking pale and anxious. No one notices the tiny body hiding behind her legs until—

"Beca, I was just telling the others you would be late…" Aubrey says, noting her pale complexion. It's then that a little head pops from behind Beca's legs, hands wrapping around one of them shyly but as soon as he spots Aubrey, his face lights up.

"Bree!" It comes out more like 'Bwee' and Aubrey's pretty sure her heart has melted into a puddle. All semblance of the shy little boy before are gone as he moves from behind Beca and starts off in a run until Beca calls after him, 'no running!' Jonah comes to a halt halfway there and Aubrey hides a smirk at his agitated huff. She gets down on her knees and waits, offering a smile. The little boy's grin is back and he walks very quickly until he's close enough to throw his arms around Aubrey's neck, smacking a kiss on her cheek.

Aubrey feels a warmth settle in her chest as she ignores the shocked expressions of the Bellas and wraps her arms snugly around the little body. "Hi, Jonah. It's so good to see you." She says as she pulls back.

Jonah beams but then he notices the others staring at him and suddenly he's shy again. His wide eyes search their faces before he scoots closer to Aubrey. Seconds later, Chloe comes up (apparently noticing his nervousness) to block his view as she kneels down with a wide smile. "Jonah!" She chirps, holding out her arms. "I believe I was promised a hug."

The little boy is hesitant at first but then he smiles and wraps his arms around Chloe's neck, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well. "Hi, Chlo-Chlo." He says quietly. After a moment, he steps back, still looking wary as he watches his mother approach the group nervously. "I don't like them staring." He whispers anxiously, glancing between Aubrey and Chloe.

It's Aubrey who scoops him up, much to the surprise of Chloe. The blonde can read it on her face. She smiles to herself as she feels little arms wrap around her neck and legs around her waist. The warm breath on her skin as Jonah hides his face shyly in her neck causes her heart to flutter quickly in her chest like a baby bird. "Let's go sit at the piano while your mom talks to the nice ladies, hm?" Jonah nods as Aubrey gives Chloe a look: . Stay with Beca. Chloe nods in understanding and the blonde watches as she approaches Beca who seems frozen in place as the Bellas whisper among themselves.

Aubrey carries the little boy over to the piano bench and sits down with him. She's far away enough that she's sure Jonah can't hear but close enough that she can. "You okay, now?" She asks as he pulls back just slightly.

Jonah nods and smiles softly. "Yes, thank you. Mommy says that I'm gonna like everyone but I'm scared, Bree."

"Why are you scared, sweetheart?" The term of endearment seems to slip past her lips without her permission.

Jonah fidgets and looks down before twisting in her arms so he sits sideways in her lap and his little legs rest on the bench. He leans into her and starts to play with her fingers, causing funny feeling in her chest. "What if they don't like me?" He finally asks in a quiet voice, navy eyes filled with worry and sadness.

Aubrey decides that's a look she never wants to see on his sweet little face. "Impossible," She says, shaking her head. "They are going to love you. How could they not? You're such a wonderful little boy."

She hopes this is the right thing to say and when Jonah smiles shyly up at her, she feels relief wash over her. "You think so?" He asks, perking up a little.

"I know so." Aubrey says with soft conviction.

He lets out a heavy sigh and nods, eyes closing as he yawns. "Still sleepy?" She asks quietly, one hand moving up to card through his hair. Jonah nods as he settles himself against her, continuing to play idly with her free hand's fingers.

Meanwhile, her ears pick up the conversation happening across the room.

"So, uh… I'm sure you've all connected the dots by now but just in case—yeah, that's my kid." Beca says in a shaky voice.

Aubrey slowly moves her head to watch everyone, keeping up with her ministrations of soothing Jonah.

No one speaks but Chloe puts a reassuring hand on the small of Beca's back so she continues. "His name is Jonah and he's five and uh—I just… yeah." She scratches the back of her neck.

"So you were… 15, then?" It's Fat Amy who's asked.

Beca glances down and then back up. "Yes. Jonah and I moved here a few months back, after—after my mom died. I was going to head to L.A. but my dad—" She sighs heavily. "Look, my dad is a dick and left when I was seven and long story short he thought he could pop back into my life and try to make it better and he's said a bunch of shit about my not being able to care for Jonah with my mixes. And for those of you who don't know, I mix music—like a DJ. That was the dream, anyway. Get my name out there and eventually produce music."

Chloe keeps her hand on Beca's back, rubbing slow circles in the center. "But, moving here wasn't so bad 'cause well, I met you guys and I've never… I've never really had friends and I just—I hope you guys don't look at me differently, ya know? And you—you accept Jonah."

The room is dead silent and Beca fidgets, looking pale and like she might pass out. "That was a lot more than I intended to share so please say something…" Beca says in a shaky voice. Aubrey realizes that Beca isn't used to opening up like that. Beca barely opens up in small doses and if she's come to know anything about Beca, the brunette is probably feeling extremely vulnerable and anxious and all Aubrey can worry about is Beca having another panic attack.

That is not something Jonah needs to see.

"Why would we look at you differently?" Stacie finally asks. "Sure, it's kind of a shock but there's no reason for us to feel any differently toward you than we did before. You're still the same Beca, but now it's a package deal. We get a mini Mitchell too." The leggy brunette smiles softly.

Fat Amy nods in agreement. "Yeah, short-stack. We love ya no matter what. The way Aubrey was looking at us, I thought maybe you had like a secret penis or somthin'." Everyone glances at her and she just shrugs.

"So you're all... cool with this?" Beca's eyes look suspiciously glassy but Aubrey can't tell from her spot. Chloe looks over at her and they have a silent conversation with their eyes before Chloe nods and wraps an arm around Beca's shoulder.

Everyone looks at each other before a chorus of 'yeahs' and 'of course', comes from them.

"So do we get to meet him, or is Aubrey gonna hog him the whole time?" CR pipes up, eyeing Aubrey. The blonde meets CR's gaze before she looks down at the little boy in her arms. He's half-awake in her arms, head on her chest. She suddenly feels protective of him—or maybe she just doesn't want to share him, possibly both.

Beca lets out a laugh and glances back at Aubrey. "Uhm, well… He's kind of shy to new people so if he seems kind of quiet, that's why."

Aubrey waits, knowing that the brunette is going to call her over. She's right and Aubrey glances up to meet Beca's eyes. She gives a slight nod and then looks down at Jonah. "Hey, sleepy. Your mom finished talking and everyone wants to meet you." The blonde says calmly.

Jonah rubs his eyes tiredly as he sits up. "Okay. Will you hold my hand?" He slides slowly off of her lap and glances anxiously at the others before looking back at Aubrey.

She can't refuse him and even if she could, she wouldn't. She stands up and holds out her hand and he smiles softly as he places his tiny hand in hers. They walk together until he's standing between Aubrey and Chloe. As all eyes go to him, his hand tightens in Aubrey's and she watches as he uses his other hand to grab Chloe's jean clad leg.

Chloe glances down and runs her fingers through his dark hair before Beca comes to kneel in front of him. "Jonah, these are the rest of the ladies I sing with." She says with a smile.

"Not just Chlo-Chlo and Bree?" He muses, glancing between the two woman before looking back at his mother.

Beca chuckles. "No, buddy." And one by one she points out each Bella.

"Sup, lil dude." CR says as she comes up to him and holds out her fist.

Jonah automatically fist bumps her and smiles. "Sup!" He repeats with a shy but enthusiastic smile.

"Mini Mitchell, awesome to meet ya!" Fat Amy grins at him and Jonah smiles back.

"I like the way you talk." He says as Fat Amy holds out her hand for a high five which he happily gives.

Stacie comes up next, stooping to his level and smiling at him. "Nice to meet you, cutie."

Jonah all but blushes and looks down bashfully, a small smile on his face. This doesn't go unnoticed by anyone. Beca looks over at Aubrey and Chloe with a smirk. "You too," He finally says as he looks up at her through long lashes. "Can I give you a hug?"

By then most everyone is trying to hold back a laugh. Stacie looks delighted though and holds her arms open. "Of course!" She chirps. Jonah lets go of Aubrey's hand to step forward and wrap his arms around Stacie's neck. He doesn't kiss her cheek though as he steps back after a few moments. "You're very pretty." His cheeks flush and Stacie just grins.

"You're such a charmer, a future heartbreaker I'm sure."

Jonah looks momentarily horrified. "I don't want to break hearts! I'm a—a gent—mommy what is it?" He looks up at her and Beca chuckles.

"A gentleman."

Jonah beams and nods. "Yeah, I'm a gentleman. I don't want to hurt anyone. Everyone should be treated with 'spect and their partners should get flowers and mixed CDs with songs that—that 'splain how you feel." He says seriously.

"Oh my god, you are the cutest thing ever!" Stacie says, hand on her heart. She leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek and grins. "Stay sweet, little man." Jonah's face turns a shade of crimson and he looks down bashfully, smiling wide.

Beca, Chloe and Aubrey chuckle as Stacie stands. Of course he would crush on Stacie.

The rest of the introductions go smoothly and before long, Jonah is sitting on the bleachers, coloring while everyone practices choreography.

There were still a lot of questions, but the Bellas knew better than to ask while Jonah was around, plus they all had a silent agreement to give Beca a few days, knowing their tiny DJ wasn't used to divulging so much personal information.

Jonah was quiet the entire practice, so engrossed in his picture that he didn't realize the group coming over. "Hey, Jonah, it was awesome to meet you, lil dude. I'll see you soon, okay?" Aubrey watches as CR holds out her fist once more and Jonah bumps his into hers, grinning.

"Bye, CR!" He chirps with a wave. The rest of the Bellas say their goodbyes, Stacie planting another kiss to Jonah's cheek and making him blush.

After that it was just the four of them. Chloe is the first to plop down on the bleachers next to Jonah, looking to see what he is coloring. Beca was next and then Aubrey herself.

"You about ready, buddy? I have to drop you off with Mrs. Avery and get to class." Beca says, breaking the silence.

Jonah sighs and closes his coloring book. "I guess so."

"We can watch him." Chloe pipes up, surprising Aubrey, although she had been about to offer the same thing.

The little boy brightens at this. "Can I please stay with Bree and Chlo-Chlo, mommy? Please?" He gives her a puppy dog face and Aubrey briefly wonders if Beca is ever capable of saying no to that face.

Beca looks between the two women. "Are you sure? I have work after so it'll be kind of late… I don't want to inconvenience you guys."

"Please, he was a complete angel during practice. He's not going to be an inconvenience, Beca." Aubrey says with a scoff.

The brunette stares down at the puppy dog face once more before she sighs. "Okay, but call me if anything happens. He has snacks, a change of clothes and a few things to do in his bag." Beca says, standing up. She looks to Jonah who is beaming. "Give me a hug bye and be good for Aubrey and Chloe, okay?"

Jonah wraps his arms around Beca's neck when she leans forward. "I promise, mommy. I'll be good!" He kisses her cheek before he releases her and then Beca says her goodbyes to Aubrey and Chloe, making them promise to call if something happened.

"So, are you hungry, little man?" Chloe asks, picking up the book bag after Jonah finishes putting away his crayons and coloring books.

Jonah nods. "Very hungry." He replies, moving to stand up.

"How's grilled cheese and goldfish sound?" Aubrey asks, holding out her hand to which Jonah immediately grabs.

"Yes!" Jonah fist pumps before his free hand slips into Chloe's as they start the short walk to their apartment. This should make for an interesting day, Aubrey thinks with a small smile. Interesting indeed.