When Beca pulled up outside her brother's house, Courtney let out an excited shriek.

"They're here!"

"Who's here?" Natalie questioned.

"Jesse and Brody!"

"I'm sure Dean and Ben are here too", Beca chuckled.

"Happy New Year!" Brody called brightly, as Jesse unbuckled his seatbelt. He scrambled out of the car, running towards Beca and the girls.

"It's not the new year yet Brody", Ben said, sounding exasperated (it wasn't the first time they had been through that). Beca chuckled, hugging Brody gently.

"Happy New Year boys!"

"We're gonna see the ball drop on Aunt Aubrey's big TV!" Natalie said brightly, slinging her arms around Jesse's waist.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Hey Jesse, have you seen the ball drop in real life? you've seen the parade".

Jesse nodded. "I have seen the ball drop. We were in New York for Christmas last year- we didn't go to Times Square that time, but I have". He hugged her gently.

"Hey, can I press the doorbell?" Brody checked, and Beca lifted him up to do so.

"Hey, it's the whole motley crew!" Michael laughed. "Hey there Shortie McGee, hi kids! Hi Jesse".

"Hi Uncle Michael!" and Rosie pushed past, dragging the other five with them.

"Oi, munchkin, where's my hug?" he feigned outrage, as Rosie giggled her way down the hall. "That kid is so much like you, Rebeca".

"Don't call me that, Michael". And Beca, taking Jesse's hand, made her way down the hall, following their kids.

"Hey, whaddup Shawshank?" Fat Amy grinned.

(Jesse would have loved to know why they called her Shawshank. But it was a story that Beca wasn't going to tell him, and she didn't allow him to spend enough time with her friends to find out why.)

"Stacie's here!" Stacie announced.

"You reek of sex", Fat Amy told her bluntly.

"Amy!" Beca snapped.

"What?"

"There are G rated ears in the room!" Aubrey almost shrieked, and Stacie grinned.

(Beca had to wean her kids away from their Aunt Stacie before they hit their teenage years. Got only knew what she would tell them.)

"Aunt Amy", Courtney said carefully, sliding up to the blonde and climbing into her lap. "It's my birthdays soon".

"Your birthday's in May", Beca reminded her. "That's five months away".

"My birthday's soon", Courtney repeated, ignoring her mother. "Can I get a puppy dog for my birthday?"

"I'll talk to Aunt Stacie about it", Fat Amy promised.

"Thanks!"

"As much as we'd all love one, we aren't getting a dog".

"Why don't you have a dog?" Michael asked in exasperation. "it's all I heard about when we lived together, all you wanted was a damn dog, and now you have the choice to get one you aren't? Where's the logic in that one?"

Fat Amy leant towards Jesse. "Ask Chloe why she doesn't have any pets".

"Do I want to know?"

Cynthia Rose started to chuckle. "Her hamster died when she was five and she banned her parents from buying her anything else because her heart couldn't take the pain of losing something else".

Jesse grinned (because, in the short time that he had known Chloe, he had learned that she wore her heart on her sleeve). "Courty would love a dog, Becs!"

While Beca and Jesse bantered playfully, Stacie turned to Fat Amy.

"A wedding by June", she predicted.

"July", Fat Amy retorted.

And the pair shook on it.

"Uncle Benji", Brody yawned, "When's the ball gonna drop?"

Benji grinned (because he too had come to New York the year before, and the only child to make it to midnight was Ben). "Not much longer now bud! Only half an hour".

He yawned again, climbing into Donald's lap.

Brody's yawns had set off Natalie, who was lying on the floor with Ben, Rosie and Dean. Courtney was curled in a ball, leaning into Jesse's chest (having refused the offer to go to her beloved uncle Tom and making him frown).

"Not much longer now", Jesse promised. "Hey, how about we get out the noisemakers?"

That brightened up both Courtney and Natalie, as they scrambled to the bag of noisemakers and party poppers that they had brought.

"Ten more minutes guys!" Donald called brightly. "Any resolutions, Benjamin?"

Ben frowned at the use of his full name (because unlike his beloved uncle, he did not like it). "No".

"What about being good?" Jesse chuckled. "Trying to stay out of trouble? Not punching any kids in the playground?"

"Hey!" Rosie protested. "You said we wouldn't get in trouble!"

"Rosie Ryerson, are you taking after your mother?" Cynthia Rose mock-gasped, and Rosie flushed.

"Nope".

"Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

Courtney and Brody blew into the noisemakers, while Ben, Rosie, Natalie and Dean (and Stacie, Fat Amy and Benji) popped party poppers. Beca turned to Jesse, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Happy New Year nerd", she whispered.

"Happy New Year, weirdo", he retorted, capturing her lips with his, oblivious to the people around them.

"Awww", Chloe cooed, snapping a photo and leaning against Tom. "Look at her, she's so happy!"

Michael frowned slightly. "That's my little sister!"

"Suck it up, she's not little anymore", Stacie told him with a grin. "Look at her, she's happy".

"Mum!" Rosie shrieked. "Gross!"

"Dad", Dean rolled his eyes. "That's disgusting".

"Always have that attitude Rosie posie", Michael laughed, wrapping his arms around his niece and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Always think that".

"Good night Aubrey", Beca said with a smile. "Thanks for having the girls".

"We'll bring Charlie and the girls home around four?" she checked. "Michael wants to go and see your parents".

"That's fine. Have fun!"

"Don't have too much fun", she warned, and Beca's cheeks flushed pink.

(Beca didn't listen. Once the boys were tucked into Rosie, Natalie and Courtney's beds, they collapsed on the couch, tongues tangoing. And after a solid fifteen minutes Beca breathily whispered 'bedroom' and clothes were shed.)

"Beca?" Jesse said quietly, and Beca murmured in response.

"Mmm?" she shifted slightly in his arms, her eyes heavy with sleep.

"I want to marry you".

He felt her tense in his arms, and she shifted, suddenly wide awake.

"Huh?"

(Her sudden change of demeanour worried him, and he suddenly regretted saying anything.)

"Um…" he stuttered for words, suddenly sounding like Fat Amy when she tried to make an excuse. "I love you".

"I love you too".

(But suddenly Beca's words sounded far away, and she shifted slightly again in the bed, almost as if she was pulling away from him.)

(Holy shit, he'd done it now. He'd sent her running for the hills. He was going to wake up to an empty bed, one that wasn't even his own.)