A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews so far, they really mean a lot and I appreciate all of them. FYI, I've decided to continue chapter five as a stand-alone story and I think it'll be called Heart of Glass. If you follow any of my other stuff, then you know that I'm a little behind on updating and once I finally catch up with everything, I'm definitely going to continue it. Thanks for reading!

Prompt: Damage

Summary: Beca never pictured herself becoming a mother. That all changes when she, with the help of her best friends, puts together the perfect surprise for Chloe. It only takes one look at the finished nursery for Beca to realize that maybe a baby wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Part Six: In My Place

"So, what's the damage?" Jesse asked, while peering over his best friends' shoulder and trying to catch a glimpse at the receipt in her hand.

"Hey, back off a little. You're so nosy!" Beca replied, pushing him away with her shoulder and sighing as she stuffed the piece of paper into her pocket. He was grinning at her, knowing that she had just spent a fortune and she wanted to punch him. Hard.

"If you're not going to tell me how much it cost, can you at least let me know if you've bought everything?" Jesse questioned with a grimace, watching as Aubrey pushed a cart out of the store and knowing that he would have to load its contents into the back of his truck. "As much as I love you and like being your best bro, shopping with you is awful. How much stuff does a baby need?"

Beca shrugged and softly said "Nine hundred dollars worth of stuff, and we still have to get diapers and clothes and formula."

"Holy shit, dude! That's more than I paid to furnish my apartment and I'm an adult. Your kid is going to be spoiled."

"No he's not!" Aubrey announced as she pushed the cart next to Jesse's car and motioned for him to start taking stuff off of it. "He's going to be just perfect!"

Beca rolled her eyes at the older girl and Aubrey just shrugged, not understanding how they weren't more excited. She loved shopping and couldn't wait for the baby to be born. She was dying to be a godmother and to see her best friend in the world with a child. It figured that the little alt girl and her trusty lapdog would ruin her fun, though. Some things would never change.

"Anyway, I can't believe that neither of you could help me with this stuff. I'm a lady and in case you didn't notice, all of this stuff is heavy!"

"Hey, I'm a lady too!" Beca exclaimed with a smirk growing on her lips. "If you're going to complain about anyone, choose Jesse. He's a guy and he ran out here as soon as we started to check out."

"Pick on somebody else, Bec." Jesse replied while picking up a box. "Preferably someone who isn't picking up the stupid crib. This thing must weight a million pounds!"

"Oh my God, you're such a wimp! Come on, Beca. Grab the other side of this box and help me lift it into his truck. If we want to get back to the house before Chloe comes home, we need to get a move on."

"Yes, sir!" Beca spat out while grabbing one side of the bassinet and hoisting it onto the bed of the truck. This kid was becoming a real handful and he wasn't even born yet. What would the next eighteen years of her life be like?

"Jesus Christ, how many screws are there?! My hand's going to fall off if I have to put another one in."

"Are you sure that you're putting it together right?" Aubrey asked as she popped open the can of paint. "You should be reading the directions. I think Chloe would kill you if the baby fell out because you were too bad-ass to actually look over them."

"I am reading them!" Beca fired back with a glare. "I put together our queen sized bed and there weren't nearly as many screws as this thing needs. This whole thing blows."

Aubrey just scoffed and looked back down at the paint, wincing as she saw that the color was much darker than the sample at the store had indicated. This was a disaster.

"I finished the bassinet!" Jesse called from the living room a moment later and both girls brightened at the prospect of something finally going right. They rushed out to the living room and froze when they saw Jesse standing next to his project and smiling as he pointed at it excitedly. The looks on their faces were glum and the grin slowly wore off as he stared back at them.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You put it together backwards", Beca answered softly while fighting back a laugh. "Do you need help?"

Jesse frowned and said "What do you mean it's backwards? It looks exactly like the picture!"

"The canopy is supposed to go on the other side so it's not covering up the controller. Plus, I think that the shelf is supposed to be attached to the bottom of it, not sitting to the side like some accessory", Aubrey explained, trying desperately to keep her voice even as her temper flared. "Did you even read the directions?"

When the boy didn't respond, Aubrey growled and sarcastically questioned "How did either of you even graduate from college? How can you be trusted with a baby when you can't even screw something right? I'll start praying for your baby now."

"Hey, I resent that, Posen. If you must know, I screw Chloe pretty good! Ask our neighbors, they've heard just how much she enjoys it" Beca deadpanned, winking at Jesse and high fiving him as he burst into laughter.

"Go and start painting the room, I'll build this stuff", Aubrey replied while glaring at them, obviously not amused. "It figures that I would end up doing everything."

"But you're so good at it, Bree. How would we get anything done with everyone's favorite dictator here to supervise?"

"Shut it, Swanson, and don't screw up the painting either. I can't imagine what mess I'm going to find when I finish with this stuff." Jesse just grinned and as he slipped from the room, Aubrey smiled to herself and started to take apart Jesse's mess while murmuring "I hate those idiots."

Aubrey slipped the comforter onto the tiny mattress and stepped back, staring down at the crib and blinking back tears as the mobile tilted lazily back and forth and looked impossibly cute. Just yesterday this room had housed all of Beca's DJing stuff and now…it was so adorable that it made her heart ache. Chloe was going to love it.

Beca stepped through the doorway of the room and said "Hey, I just got back from the coffee shop. Did you order the latte or the cappuccino? Jesse's still down at the car screwing around and…oh my god."

She had finally looked up from her cardboard carrier and nearly dropped the scalding liquid onto the floor as she took in the scene around her. It was perfect. From the elegant wooden crib to the little bookshelf full of their favorite books from when they were children to the letters that had been expertly etched onto the wall by Jesse, spelling out her son's name and causing her heart to skip a beat as it all became real.

Aubrey smiled as she took the coffee carrier from the girls' hands and watched as she stepped forward, running her hands over the comforter's soft fabric and whimpering as she fought back tears. She had been reluctant to embrace motherhood when Chloe announced to her that the treatment had finally worked but this…it made everything real and she wanted it more than anything.

"The jungle theme was a good idea, huh?" Aubrey asked as she took a sip from her latte. "I didn't think so at first, but Chloe insisted and you have to admit that those sheets and the stencils we got for the walls are pretty cute."

"They're perfect", Beca breathed out as she looked at the monkeys and zebras that decorated the wall behind the bassinet and smiled. "I would have been terrified of this stuff when I was a kid, but if he's anything like Chloe he'll absolutely love it. I hope that he's like her."

"Me too."

"Hey! I bought you coffee, Posen! That means that snide remarks should be kept to a minimum."

"I'm just joking." Aubrey smiled while winking at the girl. "This is really happening though. You're really going to be a mom and not just the annoying girl that married my best friend. I think…you're going to be a really great mother, Beca. He's a pretty lucky kid."

"Thank you", Beca whispered while running her fingers over the tiny onesies on one of the shelves and trying not to cry.

She just prayed that Aubrey was right and that she wouldn't screw this kid up. She had to be good at this. She owed it to her son and to her wife and to…herself.

Beca pulled her hands away from Chloe's eyes and leaned close to her ear as she whispered "Okay, open them!"

Chloe opened her eyes and yelped at the sight in front of her. The room had been transformed since she had left for work that morning and it was everything that she had ever wanted in a nursery. The furniture was just as she had imagined and the light green paint was charming and the animal stickers and stencils pulled the whole thing together. It was perfect.

"How did you guys do this?" Chloe gasped out while kneeling down in front of the bookshelf and running her fingers over the spines of the tiny books. "The Berenstain Bears! How did you know that those were my favorite books when I was a kid?"

"I called your mom", Beca replied as she leaned against the wall and watched her wife with a small smirk. "We went to the bookstore and picked out all of our favorite books from when we were kids. I figured that since his mom loves English so much, it would be good to give him an early start. Do you like it?"

Chloe simply nodded as she slipped one of the books back onto the shelf and wrapped her arms around Beca, holding her close to her chest and crying into her shoulder in joy. She didn't think that Beca was excited about the baby, but all of this proved her wrong and now she knew that everything would be okay. That they would be able to do this and that they wouldn't screw it up. That maybe it would actually be kind of fun.

"Check this out, Chlo", Beca murmured while pulling away from Chloe. She grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the wall, pointing up at the letters that Jesse had painted and smiling when Chloe read over them silently and stilled.

"Ethan?" She questioned in a whisper. "What does this mean?"

"Well, I know that we haven't been able to agree on the whole name thing and I considered some of your suggestions and this one really stuck out to me. I think we should name him this. What do you think?"

"That's my father's name, Beca. He would have loved this whole thing so much…" Chloe trailed off, unable to continue as the tears streaked down her cheeks and splattered against the hardwood floors.

"Hey, no crying allowed in here. Your dad would be so proud that our little boy is going to be named after him. I know that you miss him, but maybe this will help us move on and start over. Maybe our little guy is a sign from him that it's okay. You know?"

Chloe just nodded and hugged Beca, holding her close and whispering endearments into her ear as the tears fell.

They were going to be okay.

"I'm going to give Aubrey a lift home, but we had a gift for you guys before we left. Bree, bring it in!"

Beca was about to protest about not needing anything else, but stopped when Aubrey carried in a beautiful rocking chair and placed it next to the bookshelf. Chloe hugged her immediately and Beca just shook her head at Jesse, biting her lip as her own eyes became teary. She had the best friends and she couldn't even begin to pay them back for everything that they had done for them.

"Hey, what are you crying about, Be-Caw? It's just a rocking chair, not a million bucks or a gold record."

"I just…I love you guys and thank you for helping me put this together. It wouldn't have looked nearly as good if I had done it alone and it really meant a lot to have you here helping me out. All three of us love you guys."

"Stop, you're going to make me cry now!" Aubrey protested as she pulled Beca in for a loose hug. "Besides, someone had to make sure that you didn't mess this whole thing up and we were glad to do it. Now we just need Chloe to pop that little guy out and the real fun can start. We get to be Auntie Aubrey and Uncle Jesse and that little boy is going to be the most loved baby in the entire world. He's super lucky!"

"Oh, totes!" Chloe replied while wrapping an arm around Beca's shoulders and resting a hand on her growing stomach. "He's the luckiest little boy in the world."

For once, Beca didn't have to force herself to believe Chloe's exaggeration. It was completely and unequivocally true.

Beca kneeled next to the rocking chair and placed a hand over Chloe's belly, smiling as the baby kicked back at it and biting her lip as tears filled her eyes. She would never get over this sensation and wished that she could bottle it up and keep it always. To have it when she was having a bad day at the studio or miserable over some stupid thing. To keep this joy inside of her heart forever and to never let it go.

"Hey, what are you thinking about, B? You're being awfully quiet. Do you miss having your recording studio?"

"No way, this is better. Besides, it's time that I keep my work at the studio and leave it there so I can just be free when I'm at home. This little guy is going to be here in a month or two and I'm ready to start making some changes. I think…I'm ready to grow up now."

"Oh", Chloe uttered while pulling a hand out from underneath her blanket and placing it over Beca's, stroking the silver band on her ring finger and not saying a word for a few moments. She had definitely not been expecting this, but that didn't mean that it wasn't unwelcome. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I just…I'm ready for this. I'm ready to walk into that hospital room and see you holding our son. I'm ready for midnight feedings and constant crying and two hours of sleep a night. I'm ready to be a mom and to do it with you. I think we're going to be pretty good at this and I just…I can't worry anymore about being bad at this or turning into my father."

"You could never be like your father, Bec. I would never let you leave me or that little boy."

"I know, but it's hard sometimes to not imagine myself messing this up. I think that seeing this room like this made things real for me and this is the first thing that I've really wanted in a long time and I…I'm glad to be doing this with you. You would never give up on me and I know that I haven't been great through this whole thing, but I'm ready to start now. I love you."

"I love you too", Chloe murmured while patting her stomach. "And I love you, little guy. Now, stop kicking so I can kiss your mommy without feeling like a total-"

Beca's lips were on hers before she could utter another word and Chloe grinned as the baby stilled and let them have one moment of peace. It didn't last for long though and as he kicked against their hands, Beca broke away and laughed while teasing the baby in soft whispers against the fabric of Chloe's shirt.

They would be okay. In fact, they would be amazing and a real family and that…was pretty great.