"What's the deal, shortie?" Aubrey wanted to know, marching through the doors of Beca's house on Sunday afternoon.
"Hello Aubrey, nice to see you too, I'm very well, and yourself?"
(Aubrey rolled her eyes, because Beca and Michael might not have had the same parents, but they had the same sarcastic nature.)
"well Chloe's complaining because she's worried you've eloped without her, Michael's demanding to know if you are living together, and if so, why haven't they been informed, and Stacie and Fat Amy believe that if so, you should have a housewarming party".
Beca put her head in her hands.
"And what about Cynthia Rose and Lily?" she questioned.
(Because they would definitely have something to say.)
"they're coming for the Boone's Farm, and want to know what's going on and why the hell haven't you kept us informed?" she repeated.
"And you?"
"Well I'm just the messenger, apparently", Aubrey said darkly. "So, what's the deal shortie?"
"Your nicknames get worse as you get older, do you know that?"
"Don't change the subject, or I'll get Chloe over here".
(Aubrey might have been her sister in law, but Beca felt like she would be more comfortable discussing the goings on in her life with Chloe.)
Instead of flat out telling Aubrey (because that would end with a list of never ending questions from the blonde), she invited the others over. Because she'd rather they hear it from her first hand (because in their little group, the words 'Beca told Jesse she loved him' could very well mean 'Beca proposed to Jesse and they're eloping this weekend in Vegas'. Beca didn't trust them).
"You told him you loved him?" Chloe's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "Aw, Beca!"
"Well what's going to happen now?" Fat Amy questioned. "Do we need to go register for wedding gifts? Because I saw this-"
"Amy", Aubrey scolded.
"Sorry sir", she muttered.
"Are you getting married?" Stacie ploughed on. "Oh my God, you're the kind of person who would elope. You're going to elope, aren't you?"
"Stacie!" Beca cut her off. "We are not getting married, we are not eloping. I don't know what's happening- except I'm going to his place for Thanksgiving".
"Meeting his parents?" Aubrey checked.
Beca nodded grimly. "Yep".
"They'll be married within the year", Stacie whispered to Fat Amy, and Fat Amy nodded emphatically.
By the time that Thanksgiving rolled around, Beca was a nervous wreck. She knew that Jesse's parents had arrived in town the day before, and she knew that she was meeting them.
"I like your hair, Rosie", Courtney said quietly, as she buckled her shoes.
"Thanks!" Rosie patted the intricate braid on the back of her head with a grin.
"Nat, your turn". Beca pointed to the seat in front of her. "One more to go and then we're heading over to Jesse's".
"What's his mum and Dad's name again?" Natalie questioned.
"Caroline and Barry".
"Oh… what do we call them?" Rosie wondered.
(The boys had called their grandparents 'hey'. They had never directly addressed them by their names.)
"Mr and Mrs Swanson", Beca said quickly.
"Is Jesse gonna meet Nanna?" Rosie questioned. "They met Grandma and Grandpa".
"Nanna's coming for Christmas, maybe Jesse and the boys can meet Nanna then", Beca told them, butterflies flapping in her stomach.
(What if Jesse's parents hated her? Luke's parents hadn't exactly been pleased when they saw her tattoos and earspike.)
"It's gonna be a good day", Natalie declared, as Beca slid another bobby pin into her hair. "I know it".
"Happy Thanksgiving!" Brody grinned at the four girls, as he swung open the door. "Come and watch the parade!" he hugged Beca, before taking Courtney's hand.
Courtney wiggled away from Brody's grasp, throwing her arms around Jesse.
"Hi!"
"Hey there munchkin!" he laughed, swinging her into the air and holding her to his hip. "I like your dress, is it new? You look very pretty. Nice hair, Rosie!"
"Thank you!"
"Yeah, Aunt Aubrey got me one, and one for Natalie and Rosie too". She nodded, her arms around his neck. "Are you watchin' the parade too?"
"I'll be in to watch the parade in a moment", he told her, setting her down. The three girls disappeared into the living room, and Jesse took Beca's hand. "Come on, come and meet my parents".
He squeezed her hand and she looked at him for reassurance.
"Mum, Dad", he called.
The smile that Barry had on his face matched Jesse's- it was clearly hereditary.
"So this must be the famous Beca!" Barry said with an ear to ear grin. "Hi sweetheart, I'm Barry Swanson. I've heard so much about you".
Caroline took another approach, tossing her arms around Beca and all but crushing her tiny frame.
"Mum, let her go", Jesse said urgently. "Mum, don't do that".
"It is so nice to meet you!" Caroline shone, and Beca gave her a little smile. "We've heard so much about you, sweetheart!"
"All good things, I promise", Barry chuckled.
"It's nice to meet you", Beca said, a little shocked at the response.
(So maybe they wouldn't hate her.)
"We need to go around the table and say what we're all thankful for", Ben said, as Jesse reached for the plate of mashed potatoes. "Dad, we always do it, we have to!"
"Okay, Benno, you can go first".
"Um…" Ben paused (clearly he hadn't thought it through too well).
"How about you go second, bud?" Barry suggested. "How about Nanna and I go first?"
"Okay". Ben nodded.
"I'm thankful for spending the day with my beautiful family", Caroline said quickly, and Brody beamed at her. "I'm thankful that I get to spend time with my wonderful grandsons and these three beautiful girls".
"Four", Barry corrected, making Beca blush.
Rosie was thankful for her friends in her class, and Dean was thankful for making new friends in Barden. Brody was thankful for their new house and his Lego (making Beca chuckle) and his best friend Courtney (making Beca coo). Courtney was thankful for her best friend Brody and the Little Mermaid. Natalie wasn't really sure what she was thankful for, but she listed her friends, her teacher and the fact that Santa Claus was coming soon.
"I'm thankful for the beautiful girl to my left", Jesse said cheesily (making Beca blush), "And the three wonderful girls to my left and across from me. I'm very, very thankful that I met you".
"Your turn, Mummy", Courtney urged.
"I'm thankful that I met Jesse", she told her daughter with a smile. "And I'm very thankful that I met Ben, Dean and Brody".
They got through the meal without any major disasters, eating and laughing and talking like they had known each other for forever. Dean and Natalie exchanged cheesy jokes with Barry (informing Beca exactly where the little boy had gotten it from- she wasn't sure about Natalie, if she was honest), Brody and Courtney giggled because they were thicker than thieves and surely planning something,
And once they were as full as they could get (excluding the pumpkin pie that Beca had seen under a clean dishtowel on the bench), they cleared the table and moved their conversation into the living room. The kids sprawled themselves out on the living room floor, plates of pie in front of them, their eyes glued to the television (Jesse had put It's Thanksgiving Charlie Brown in the DVD player and it had captured their attention) while the adults sat comfortably on the couches.
Jesse's arm was wrapped around Beca and she was tucked into his side, feeling full and happy.
Caroline and Barry had never seen their son look at someone the way he looked at Beca.
(When Jesse stood up to make coffee, Beca following him, Barry leaned closer towards her wife. "Donald was right. They'll be married within the year", he whispered to her, and Caroline nodded in agreement.)
"It was very nice to meet you, sweetheart", Caroline told Beca with a smile, hugging her gently.
"It was nice to meet you too", Beca said with a genuine grin. "Nice to meet you Mr Swan- Barry", she corrected.
After the girls had farewelled Jesse's parents, hugged Jesse and said goodbye to Ben, Dean and Brody (Courtney and Brody hugging like they wouldn't see each other for a year), they made their way out to the car.
"I'll call you later, Becs", Jesse called and Beca grinned, climbing into the driver's seat.
"Jess?" Caroline called, as Jesse waved to the girls from the front door.
"Yeah?"
"I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at Beca", she said truthfully. "Your love for her is so… I can tell how much she loves you, too. You're perfect for each other, sweetheart".
Jesse grinned softly. "Mum?"
"Yes?"
"I want to marry that girl".
She smiled softly at him. "I know, Jess".