Second last chapter :( and before I get into it, I'd like to thank every single one of you who have read and/or reviewed this story. I never in a million years imagined this story would have over 500 (!) reviews! It means so much to me that you've read and enjoyed this, because that's all I wanted. Its incredible, and I love you all! You rock, don't ever change :) xxx
"I'm getting married today", Beca whispered, smiling to herself. She was in a hotel room surrounded by her daughters and her closest friends, and she was marrying the man of her dreams that day.
And then it hit her.
She was getting married that day.
Kicking off her blankets she bolted towards the bathroom, barely throwing herself down in front of the toilet in time.
Chloe was at her side before she knew it.
"Hey, are you alright?" Chloe said in alarm.
"Just nerves", she told the redhead, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ugh".
"You can't be sick on your wedding day!" Chloe said gently, filling a cup with water and offering it to Beca. The brunette accepted it from her, taking a sip to wash out her mouth.
"I'm getting married today", Beca repeated.
"I'm getting married today!" Jesse whooped, having woken up with a completely different reaction to Beca. "Get up get up get up get up! I'm getting married today!"
"Oh my God", Benji groaned, pulling a pillow over his head. "Somehow I don't remember this being quite this bad when you got married the first time!"
"Get up!" he bellowed directly into Donald's ear, and the slightly older man smacked him with a pillow (making Brody giggle). "I'm getting married today!"
"Let's do this! Wedding wedding wedding!"
Chloe and Aubrey were hyperactive, more so than the bride.
"Go, have a shower", Aubrey instructed, pushing her sister in law into the bathroom. "And when you're out I'll do your hair and makeup. Courtney, you're up! Hair!"
"Don't pull", Courtney said warningly, and Chloe laughed.
"God you're like your mother!"
"Daddy do we get to see the girls?" Brody wanted to know, as Jesse brushed his hair down.
"Uncle Benji, I can't get this", Dean sighed heavily, holding up his tie.
"Whoa, don't look at me man!" Benji said. "I can't tie a tie either. Donald, help". He knelt down beside Brody, tying the little boy's shoelaces, while Donald looped the tie around Dean's neck.
"You can see the girls", Jesse agreed, "But I'm not allowed to see Beca, and they're with her. Maybe Uncle Benji or Hat or Donald or Uni could take you".
"Uncle Benji?" Brody said hopefully.
"Sure kiddo, in a minute, okay?"
"Aunt Stacie, can we go and see the boys?" Courtney said hopefully, as Stacie blew gently on her nails (because the little girl was a nail biter and had chipped off the polish she had painted them with the night before). "I wanna see Brody! I haven't seen him all day".
"It's been like ten hours", Fat Amy said with a shrug. "Miss your partner in crime, Courty?"
"Yeah".
"Beca, I'm going to take the kids to see the boys, okay?" Stacie said brightly. "What's taking you so long? We're all ready and the kids are ready and you're not even out of the bathroom yet!"
They got no reply from the closed bathroom door and Stacie sighed, taking Natalie and Courtney's hands.
Beca threw up once more, while getting ready in the bathroom. She didn't understand why. Aubrey was the nervous vomiter (nervous projectile vomiter, Beca might add. She'd seen it on more than one occasion and it was the grossest thing on God's earth), not her.
"Oh shit", she said slowly, realisation dawning on her.
"Wow, Stacie, you look gorgeous!" Benji almost blushed, as he brought the boys towards their sisters. "You look really nice".
"Very smart, Benj". She grinned at him, and Courtney beamed.
"Hi Uncle Benji! Do we get to see Jesse? Is he wearin' his suit?"
"We're all wearing penguin suits today".
"Shit", Beca cursed out loud, and Chloe tapped on the bathroom door.
"Bec-ca! Are you done yet? We need to do your hair and makeup! What is taking you so long?"
"You've been in and out of that bathroom all morning, what was so important that you had to run down and see your mother for?"
"Coming!" Beca said quickly (because she knew from experience that Chloe was not beyond barging into her bathroom. And if she didn't have to relive that, she'd rather not).
"She's not going to run!" Hat protested, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "How many times do we have to go through this?"
"But she's got walls, you saw how she freaked out when I told her I wanted to marry her!" Jesse threw up his hands in an action that matched his friend's. "What if-"
"Yeah, and I've also seen how she looks at you!" Donald objected. "She's not gonna run, man, Fat Amy will crash tackle her to the ground before that happens".
Jesse finally sunk into his seat, his heart beating fast.
"You cannot wear those ear monstrosities", Aubrey informed her sister in law, waving her curling iron dangerously close to the brunette.
"Jesse likes them", Beca informed her, crossing her arms and tightening the towel around her chest.
"Jesse's scared of them", Lily said quietly.
"They're staying in, Aubrey. This is not like college when you were all dictator like at an aca pella competition. Jesse likes them. I'm marrying him, not you".
Aubrey sighed heavily, before picking up a lock of hair. "Fine".
"Bec, you look beautiful", Cynthia Rose told the brunette sincerely, and Beca grinned shakily at her.
"What's wrong?" Lily said in alarm.
"What happens if he doesn't turn up?" she mumbled, and Chloe threw her arms around her.
"Oh, honey!" she cooed. "Jesse's going to turn up, I promise".
"But-"
"Bec, he looks at you like you hung the goddam moon up there", Aubrey said gently. "He's not gonna run. He's gonna marry you and you're going to live as happy as the Brady Bunch".
"Thanks, Aubrey".
Aubrey had clearly been spending too much time around Fat Amy, her pep talks were sounding more and more like the Australian's.
"Where are my kids?"
"Stacie's got them".
As if on cue, Stacie strolled through the doors with Courtney on her hip and Natalie and Rosie holding hands beside her. "You called?"
"God that's weird, you've been spending too much time with Lily". Beca shook her head, and Courtney scrambled into her lap. "Where are your shoes, babe? Wait, why are you all barefoot?"
"Why are you barefoot? You always say that our shoes should be the last thing we put on", Rosie said, her all her eight year old wisdom (that, damn it, Beca had taught her).
"Rosie Ryerson, you're too much like your mother", Cynthia Rose declared.
"Hey Becs!" Michael tapped gently on the door. "Hey Becs, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"I'm not marrying you, so yes". Beca slipped out into the corridor and his eyes widened.
"Oh wow", he said softly. "Oh wow… Bec, you look beautiful".
"Thanks, Michael". She grinned shyly. "Really?"
"Really really", he said firmly, nodding. "Now, I have a proposition for you".
"What?" she looked at him suspiciously (because that was the brother she knew. Compliments always led to something else with that guy).
"Now, if you decide that you can't go through with the wedding", he said, only semi-seriously (the twinkle in his eye alerted her), "I can go and tell Jesse right now. Like, don't worry about it, I'll let him down gently".
"Wait, what?"
"And then I'll take you out for ice cream".
"What?"
What was she, twelve? That would definitely wash with her kids, all six of them, but she was not falling for that.
"It's okay! I'll let him down gently, and then I'll take you out for ice cream".
"Michael, no!"
"I will let you eat as much ice cream as you want. My shout".
"Michael, no". She frowned at him. "Michael, I love Jesse. I know you just want to protect me and the girls, and you've done a fucking good job, but you don't need to any more".
"Passing the buck to Jesse now?"
She nodded, and he put an arm around her.
"You know, even after everything, you turned out pretty okay, little sister".
"I love you too". She rolled her eyes and Michael grabbed her around the neck, making Beca shriek and Aubrey rip open the hotel room door.
"Michael", Aubrey said with murder in her eyes. "If you mess up her hair, I swear on my life-"
"Yes dear". And Michael let go of the brunette, Beca glaring at him.
"Let's get this show on the road! We've got a wedding to attend!"
"Wedding! Let's go go! Let's do this shit!"
"Oh wow", Benji said softly, seeing Beca standing at the back of the church. "Beca, wow. Jesse's gonna be… wow".
"Really, Benj?"
"Really". He nodded, squeezing her tight. He kissed her cheek, taking in the vision of the tiny girl before him. "You look beautiful".
"Thanks Benji". She kissed his cheek. "How's Jesse?"
"Packing it", he chuckled.
"I don't blame him". She tittered nervously, feeling her stomach start to churn again.
"You'll be fine",
Jesse stood nervously at the altar, impatiently awaiting his bride. He'd seen the girls (who looked stunning and too grown up, especially little Courtney). Tapping his foot against the ground, he met Benji's eyes.
"She looks stunning", Benji assured him. "I saw her, she looks beautiful".
"Ready for this Becs?" Michael questioned.
"Nope".
"Beca, you look beautiful", her father told her softly, and he smiled.
"Mummy looks so pretty", Rosie piped up, "Doesn't she Grandpa?"
"Absolutely beautiful". William nodded. "Ready to do this, Beca?"
"Yeah".
"Look!" Donald turned Jesse's head around, to see Beca and their kids advancing down the aisle.
"Wow", he said softly, tears brimming in his eyes. When she approached him, he held his hands out for her. She squeezed his hands gently.
"You look stunning", he breathed.
"You scrub up pretty well too". Her voice was laced with tears and he grinned at her.
"Jesse Swanson. You are the definition of perfect and I spend every moment of every day wondering how I got to be so lucky. You are persistent and silly and such a nerd and even though you make me sit through hundreds of movies, I fell in love with the aca pella singing guy from the karaoke bar. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Before I met you, I was broken in so many ways, and you put me together. You made me whole, and there's no one in the world I want to spend my future with more. I used to be scared of falling in love… and then I met you. You're funny and charming and the best father in the world, and we have six kids that think the world of you. I think the world of you. You are my sun, moon and all my stars, and I can't wait to grow old with you". Tears glistened in her eyes and Jesse swallowed the lump in his throat, taking in the beautiful girl in front of him.
"I'm going to keep my vows short and sweet- just like you, Bec". Jesse grinned at the way Beca's eyes crinkled, as she fought back a giggle. "Beca Mitchell, you're amazing. I knew that from the moment I saw you sitting at the bar. There was something different about you, and there still is- you were the girl with tattoos and that amazingly scary earspike and the smile that could light up a room". He reached out, brushing a curl off her face and exposing the aforementioned scary earspike and making her giggle.
"That earspike", Aubrey almost groaned, and Chloe elbowed her in the ribs.
"Be nice".
"You're the most beautiful girl in the room- in every room. We've both been to hell and back together and apart, but together we're going to take on this rollercoaster ride together. I'm not asking for the moon and the stars- I'm just asking you to stand under them with me. I loved you then, I loved you now and I'll love you forever". He kissed her hand and she choked back a sob (because Jesse Swanson had broken her, he made her cry all the time).
"Beca Anne Mitchell, do you take Jesse Swanson as your lawfully wedded husband, til death do you part?"
"I do". Beca nodded, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks yet again (she was very glad that the makeup Aubrey had used was waterproof).
"Jesse Swanson, do you take Beca Mitchell as your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do".
"By the power vested in me, by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you, man and wife". He grinned at them and Jesse squeezed Beca's hand. "You may kiss the bride".
Their kids shrieked and Stacie and Donald wolf-whistled and Michael stiffened in his suit, as Beca and Jesse passionately kissed in front of their family and friends, sealing their vows.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the church, I present to you Mr and Mrs Jesse Swanson!"
"We did it", Beca almost laughed, crawling into the back of the limo, Jesse following.
"We did it. Hello Mrs Swanson", Jesse murmured against her lips, and she found herself pressed against the leather seats. She grinned against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Beca Mitchell, the unbreakable Beca Mitchell, was now Beca Swanson.
"Someone's hair's a bit messy", Chloe teased gently, as Beca and Jesse, hand in hand, walked into the hall where their reception was being held. Beca's hand flew to her hair, colour rushing to her cheeks.
"Mummy!"
"Daddy!"
Jesse dropped Beca's hand other hand, catching Brody and Courtney and spinning them around.
"Hey guys! Courty May you look beautiful!"
"Thanks Jesse!"
And then they were surrounded by their kids, talking and giggling over the top of each other, and then their family, crowding around to congratulate them.
Their family was loud and messy and big and couldn't go more than five minutes without fighting. And while it was as far removed from what both Beca and Jesse had ever imagined, they were a family.
After everyone had eaten ("when are we doing cake, Dad?" "Benjamin you're acting like it's your birthday, there's no candles. That's our cake, you can wait your turn mister" "but Dad, when are we getting cake?"), Jesse tapped his fork against his champagne glass, drawing all the attention to himself.
"Anyone who knew me when I was in college", Jesse began, standing up, "Knows that I was a huge aca pella nerd. What a lot of people don't know, however, is that Miss Beca here was equally as big of an aca pella nerd. I've heard her sing before, but the pipes that she displayed on that stage! And I only have Aubrey to thank for that".
"What?" Beca turned icily to Aubrey, and her sister in law shrugged.
"It was Chloe's idea".
Beca turned back to Jesse, to find her newly turned husband standing up with the boys. "Jesse what are you doing?"
And then Benji and Donald and Hat and Uni were harmonising and Jesse was singing and she was crying, because how did she get that lucky? How did she manage to snag a nerd like him?
"I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad", Jesse sang gently, and tears streamed down her face (because he'd turned her into a big crying wimp). "Carry you around when your arthritis is bad. Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you. I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches, build you a fire if the furnace breaks! Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you".
He took her hand, kissing it gently, and she wiped her face with the back of her hand, not caring how smudged her makeup would be.
"Come on guys", Jesse called, and Courtney almost tripped over her feet in her scramble to move towards him (how had he got their kids in on that too? They were becoming too sneaky, and Beca didn't think she liked that. Had they known what song she'd be walking down the aisle to?). "I'll miss you, kiss you-"
"Give you my coat when you are cold!" Ben and Dean giggled.
"Need you, feed you-"
"Even let ya hold the remote control!" Natalie winked cheekily at Jesse and Beca burst out laughing along with their guests.
"So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink; put you to bed when you've had too much to drink. I could be the man who grows old with you. I wanna grow old with you…" his voice trailed off and Beca stood up, wrapping her arms around his neck and smashing her lips against his, not caring who was watching.
Yeah, he had totally changed her.
"To Beca and Jesse!" Fat Amy hollered, holding up her champagne glass (because as hard as the girls' campaigned, Beca refused to have the glasses full of Boone's Farm at her wedding).
"Beca and I would just like to thank everyone for coming", Jesse said clearly, standing up and putting an arm around his wife. "For coming to celebrate our day with us, for supporting us all the way through this crazy rollercoaster ride, and for standing by us even when you thought we were wrong".
"Thank you Chloe, for being the perfect maid of honour and keeping me sane the whole time", Beca grinned, and Chloe beamed at her.
"Thank you Benji, for assuring and reassuring me that Beca would make her way down the aisle and not leave me standing there, and being the best best friend and best man I could have ever asked for", Jesse grinned and Beca punched him lightly on the shoulder. "But most of all, thank you to Ben, Rosie, Dean, Natalie, Brody and Courtney, for being the best kids anyone could have ever asked for".
"You guys have stood by us since the very beginning and make us so proud every day", Beca said sincerely, tears threatening to fall.
"Aw, Bec", Chloe cooed.
"Group hug!" Jesse announced, and Ben groaned.
"Dad, no!"
"No!" Natalie giggled in protested, as Dean pushed her closer to their parents. Jesse wrapped his arms around them, lifting Courtney and Brody off the ground and hugging them tight. Beca wrapped her arms around Ben and Rosie, squeezing them tight, despite their protests.
Laughing, Jesse released them from his bear hug, an Chloe stood up to make her own speech.
"Could I please say something, Aunt Chloe?" Courtney tugged on her aunt's hand the moment she was released from Jesse's arms, and Chloe nodded.
"Sure, baby. As soon as my speech is over, alright?"
Courtney nodded, smiling shyly and Chloe grinned, putting an arm around the little girl.
"For those who don't know me, I'm Chloe, Beca's maid of honour", Chloe introduced. "I first met Beca when we were in college, and the girl I met is light years away from the one standing here today. She was shy and rebellious and withdrawn and it took someone special to draw her out of her shell. Jesse, I've known Beca a long time, and I have never seen a smile so bright on her face until she met you. You two are an absolute match made in heaven, and I'm so happy that Beca found you".
"Thanks Chlo", Jesse grinned and Beca reached over to squeeze Chloe's hand.
Chloe beamed at them, before motioning her youngest niece over (who had shyly snuck back towards her oldest sister. Rosie had Courtney sitting on her lap, her arms wrapped protectively around her). "Courty babe, your turn!"
Courtney took the microphone nervously, looking down at her shoes and speaking quietly.
"Um… I'm Courtney… um…"
"It's alright, Courtney", Ben whispered encouragingly, and Rosie grinned at her.
"I just wanted to say that Jesse is the coolest guy in the world and I'm really happy that my mummy married him and he's my new daddy", Courtney said with a rush, making everyone coo at her innocence.
"Yeah, Beca makes Daddy really happy, and I'm really glad that they're married now. Beca's the coolest mum ever", Dean said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Courtney protectively. "I don't even mind having sisters now!"
"Boys are gross", Natalie piped up (Dean flicking her shoulder and Brody looking at her indignantly), "But having brothers isn't so bad".
"Aw, guys".
(That was almost like an 'I love you'. it was the kind of relationship that both Beca and Michael and Jesse and Mikaela shared. They were siblings.)
Jesse, wrapping his arms around Beca (the bride blushing and protesting the whole time), stretched his arms to reach his kids. Their kids, he had to correct himself.
They were dancing to 'Don't You Forget About Me'. The same song that she had walked down the aisle too (Aubrey had turned to her with a smile plastered on her face but eyes burning into her), the song from 'their movie'.
"Want to know a secret?" Beca whispered lazily against Jesse's mouth, and he nipped at her bottom lip.
"Always". He rested pulled her close, swaying gently to the music.
"You're gonna be a daddy again".
"What?" his eyes widened, pulling away slightly. "What?"
"I took a test this morning". She bit her bottom lip, suddenly unsure. "We're going to have a baby, Jess. I'm pregnant. Courtney's gonna be a big sister".
"Oh my God, that's fantastic!" he twirled her around, wanting to shout it from the rooftops. "Oh my God!"
Beca laughed, pressing her face into his chest. "Shhh, don't tell anyone. Don't say anything".
"How can I not?" he almost demanded, laughing. "This is not something to be quiet about!"
"No, no", she pulled him closer. "Not today. We'll announce it when we get back from our honeymoon".
"I love you!" he announced, smashing his lips against hers and spinning her around.
"Oh, PDA!" Fat Amy announced, coming towards the newlyweds. "Keep your hands to yourself, there are children around!"
"Our children are preoccupied". Beca pointed towards the dance floor, where their kids were the stars of the show. Chloe was spinning Rosie around, and Ben was unwillingly dancing with Stacie.
"Lily wants to know when you plan on tossing that bouquet?" she questioned.
Beca grinned. "Lily wanted to know?"
Lily and Donald had gotten quite serious in the time leading up to the wedding- and Jesse and Beca, whilst they'd never directly tell their friends, were taking bets on when they'd be getting married.
"I give it until Christmas", Jesse predicted. "I know I said New Years, but I changed my mind".
"You can't change your mind! Either way, I said Halloween, so suck on that".
Jesse laughed; wrapping his arms around her and making Fat Amy roll her eyes.
"Bouquet. Lily. Answer? Or I'll ask Michael".
"Alright, let's toss this bouquet!"
(The last thing that Beca wanted was for Michael to complain about her liking Jesse more than ice cream. Because she knew her brother, and she knew how he worked.)
Lily caught the bouquet, to shrieks and wolf whistles.
Jesse slapped his hand against his wife's grinning. "We totally called that".
"We so did", she agreed, laughing.
"Hey B-man", Jesse said cheerfully, as Ben ran towards them, his face flushed.
"This is the best wedding I've ever been too", he said excitedly, hugging his father.
Jesse frowned slightly. "It's also the only wedding you- you know what, we're taking that. Hey, can you go and get the other kids for us?"
"Yeah, why?"
"We're getting ready to cut the wedding cake".
"Okay!"
Beca laughed. "Time to get a little more sugar in them before we leave them with their aunts and uncles?"
"Hey, they were the ones who wanted them for a week. They can deal with them". Jesse's eyes sparkled.
"Cake time!" Ben announced through cupped hands, grinning excitedly. "Guys! Rosie Courtney Natalie Dean Bro-dee!" all their names were spat out in one single breath, hollering out for his siblings.
"Hey, can I help cut it?" Courtney wanted to know, skipping towards them. "And Mummy if the knife is dirty you have to kiss Jesse".
"That's with birthday cake", Dean told her knowingly.
"I think that's for wedding cake too", Jesse told him, ruffling his hair and making him groan.
Beca and Jesse, with their hands entwined and their kids surrounding them, sliced through the thick white fondant on their cake, exposing the rich cherry chocolate mud cake (their two favourites combined, they couldn't go wrong). Jesse offered the small piece to Beca, holding it out towards her, his eyes sparkling.
"Shove that in my face and you're dead to me", she warned him, squirming away with a laugh. She bit the piece of cake, before Jesse pulled her towards him.
"The knife came out dirty", he said breathlessly, and Ben and Rosie shrieked in disgust.
"Gross!"
They laughed, pulling their kids closer towards them, Jesse resuming the use of the knife.
"Here, guys, will this keep you quiet?" he wanted to know (noting how Fat Amy snuck closer to them, a tiny dessert plate of her own), keeping his right arm firmly around Beca. Beca, a firm believer against PDA (or so they'd all thought- but that day proved them wrong), leaned in as close as possible, breathing in the smell of his cologne (God she loved that smell).
After heartache and heartbreak and three kids apiece, Beca and Jesse had found a soul mate in the other. A partner in crime- the Allie to his Noah, the Claire to his John Bender, the Samantha to his Jake.
It was a long time coming, but they were finally there.