A/N: Thanks Corinne! You're the BEST! xx

o~O~o
Chapter 21
o~O~o

"Beca… I know we've had a couple of rough patches and we've encountered some pretty rocky roads but I promise to do better, I promise to be better, I promise to make this next year and every year after that better than the one before it. This is all I can offer you but it's with dedication and determination." Opening his palm, Jesse held out a black velvet ring box. As he opened it, he asked Beca a very important question, "Will you marry me?"

o~O~o

"I know it's not much..." Jesse said, his voice faltering as he held out the diamond engagement ring with a small round diamond to Beca. He wasn't able to read or understand her expression because she wouldn't look at him. He began to question himself and his decision to propose. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe Beca didn't want to get married. Maybe he had misread the entire situation. Maybe she was embarrassed because he'd gotten down on one knee in front of everyone. Maybe she hated the ring, clutched tightly between his thumb and forefinger. The ring, while small in comparison to the ring some other guy could have given her, meant a lot to him and even the jeweler who had cleaned it said it was very pretty and very rare. Jesse was ready to drop his hands, get up and walk away. He felt ashamed as Beca simply wasn't saying a word.

Wiping tears from her face, Beca looked way from Jesse for just a moment to glance at her dad. When her dad gave a slight nod and the smallest of smiles, she knew in that moment that Jesse had, in fact, asked him for his blessing. That small gesture meant everything to her because it meant that he respected her and her dad. She looked at the ring in Jesse's hand and wondered where he had gotten the money to buy it. She could tell it was perfect and she wanted to just reach out and take it from him. She always hoped that one day they would get married but figured it would be after the baby was born and that she'd be the one shopping for the ring, not him. "... It's perfect." She finally whispered.

Jesse winked at her and inwardly sighed with relief as the consolation that he'd done the right thing coursed through his veins. "So... are you gonna leave me kneeling here all night?"

"Oh! No… I mean… yes… I mean… yes, yes, yes I'll marry you!" She said throwing her arms around Jesse's neck and planting a kiss on his lips.

The crowd erupted around them, several whoops and cheers could be heard, ringing out in the night air. Beca heard Amy's signature wolf whistle, knowing that her friend could bring a man to his knees with the piercing sound.

"Way to go!" Amy bellowed, causing Beca to look out into the crowd for the first time. "Now you can bone her officially Jesse!"

"Amy!" Beca yelled back but the noise from the crowd enveloped her protest. She looked over to her parents and saw her dad smiling proudly. She grinned at him and he gave her a thumbs up in response. She blew him a kiss in return. Her Aunt Gail was dabbing at her eyes, using her husband's tie as a handkerchief. Benji stood with his arm wrapped around Aubrey's shoulders and they both looked happy with the news. Beca swept her eyes over to her mother's face.

Anne did not look happy.

o~O~o

The night had been perfect and the party was a complete success. The last guest to leave departed around four and Beca was pleased to see there was no major damage done aside from two broken champagne glasses and a red wine stain on an old tablecloth. Over the course of the evening, she'd heard several of her guests whispering that it was the best party she'd ever hosted which made all the effort of getting everything ready in time worthwhile.

"Did you have a good time?" Beca asked Jesse, as she closed and locked the back door which lead to the backyard. She wasn't worried about the mess outside, knowing that the catering company would be there around noon to collect their equipment and they would also take care of the cleaning up.

"It's been a perfect night. It was so much better than I ever could have imagined." Jesse said. He'd had a great night and was so excited to have made contact with Cynthia Rose and was excited about their meeting the following week to discuss a recording contract. But the best part of the night was the fact that Beca had said yes. She had actually agreed to be his wife. He took her hand in his and looked at the ring on her finger. It meant the world to him that she'd said yes and he'd caught her looking at her hand ever since he'd slipped the antique ring on her finger. "How are you feeling? It's been a really long day!"

"Tired but I'm good." Beca said, turning the lights off as she walked through the family towards the stairs.

"How tired?" Jesse asked as he placed his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him.

"What do you have in mind?" Beca asked, as she tilted her head to one side.

"Well..." Jesse said, leaning down to place butterfly kisses along her shoulder and at the base of her neck. "... I've got a little something up my sleeve."

o~O~o

As Beca and Jesse laid in their post coital bliss, Beca admired her engagement ring. She hadn't seen anything like it before and couldn't take her eyes off of it. It wasn't big or flashy but given the fact that their relationship wasn't like that it couldn't have been more perfect.

Jesse watched as Beca laid on his chest looking at her engagement ring. She was glowing, her face was full of wonder and excitement. "It was my Granny's." He finally told her, kissing the top of her head as he ran his fingers up and down her spine.

"Really?" She asked as she rested her chin on his chest so that she could see his face.

"It's the last thing of hers that I have. The only reason I have it is because she hid it in an old coffee can that she buried in the yard behind the trailer. When she died, I went back hoping that I'd find it before the trailer was bulldozed to the ground. I wasn't going to lose the last piece of her that I could have had. I dug for hours before I finally found it. So, when I moved in with you, I found a loose floorboard in your closet and put it there for safekeeping. I forgot about it when you kicked me out so technically, you've had it all along."

"I didn't… I never-"

"-I know. I never told you about it. I figured I'd give it to you at some point, I just wasn't sure when."

"It's beautiful and I promise I'll take care of it."

"One day I'll have enough money to replace it. I promise to give you something that you really and truly deserve but for now Granny's ring is all I have."

"It means more than anything you could have bought me in a store."

"But it's tiny, the center stone is only a half carat. You deserve something that screams 'I'm taken' when people see you on the street."

"It doesn't have to scream anything."

"But I want it to. I want everyone to know that you're mine."

"I am yours."

"Yeah?"

"Forever."

"And ever?"

"Longer."

o~O~o
Three Days Later
o~O~o

It was early… too early and Jesse couldn't figure out who could be banging on the front door. Jesse kissed Beca's forehead before he untangled himself from her, while silently cussin' whoever was at the door. It was Saturday morning, one of two days that he and Beca, like most other Americans, could sleep late and nine times out of ten, they did just that. Usually they weren't out of bed before Noon on a Saturday, unless Beca was slumped over the toilet, in which case, Jesse was right there next to her holding her hair and rubbing her back.

Jesse sat on the side of the bed and rubbed his face before he glanced at the bedside table… eight o'clock in the fucking morning was just too damn early for a visitor. When the pounding didn't stop, he stood up and stretched before walking over to the chest of drawers for a clean pair of boxers and a shirt. Glancing over, he made sure Beca was ok before walking out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Alright, alright… I'm coming." Jesse said as he walked sleepily down the stairs and towards the front door. He could see Luke through the glass on the double front doors and tried to recall if Beca had mentioned that Luke would be coming by so early. "Hey Luke." Jesse said opening the front door while yawning and rubbing the back of his neck.

"We need to talk." Luke told him as he pushed his way into the house.

"Please do come in!" Jesse said sarcastically as Luke swept past him. Luke shot down his attitude with a look that said he wasn't there for witty conversation. Jesse blanched. "Ok fine… I'll go wake Beca and send her down."

Luke turned around. "Jesse… I said 'we' as in all the three of us need to sit down and talk."

"Oh… ok. Well, help yourself to coffee or tea or whatever. You know where everything is. I'll go wake Beca and we'll be down in a few minutes."

Jesse couldn't imagine what they needed to sit down and talk about so desperately, unless Luke had decided that now was the time to protest against their engagement. Jesse couldn't quite place the look on Luke's face but he knew about his feelings towards him, and they weren't pretty. If that was the case, this discussion they were about to have would likely be the equivalent of World War II. Luke very rarely spoke to Jesse without Beca's prompting so this was sure to be an interesting morning. He quietly walked up the stairs to their room and gently closed the door behind him. He stood staring at Beca, she was sleeping so peacefully buried under a huge pile of blankets and pillows and he really hated to wake her up.

"Hey baby…" Jesse said sweetly as he sat on the bed and kissed the sweet spot on her neck just below her ear. She grumbled as she opened one eye to look at him before pulling the bedsheet over her head. "Bec… come on babe, wake up."

"Hmm… was that Matt at the door?" She asked, pushing the mountain of bed sheets off of her as she rolled onto her back rubbing her tummy and yawning. "I swear he's always walking over here for milk and eggs."

"No babe, it wasn't Matt."

"Who was it?"

"Luke… he's downstairs."

Beca, now more awake and alert, sat up holding the sheet against her bare chest. "What's he want?"

"All he said was 'we need to talk'."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure, but let's not keep him waiting."

The two got ready to go downstairs in relative silence, but both wondered why Luke had come by so early and what the hell he wanted. While not unwelcome, the early start prompted a couple of worry lines to appear on Beca's forehead. Neither of them was able to come up with much of anything that they thought was important enough to warrant such an early and unannounced visit. They were pretty sure that whatever he needed to say could have waited until a more reasonable hour. Or he could have just texted Beca like he usually did.

Beca was moving rather slowly and yawned as she pulled a hoodie over her head. She was not ready to be awake and she certainly wasn't ready to talk.

"Bec… you ready to go downstairs?" Jesse called from the bathroom.

Beca groaned. No she wasn't ready to go downstairs. She wanted to be asleep in her nice, warm bed. "Not quite." She said pulling a pair of leggings on.

"Come on…" Jesse encouraged her. "Knowing Luke, he's pacing at the foot of the stairs, being overly British and muttering about how disappointed the Queen is."

"Go ahead… I'll be down in a minute. I just need to get some socks and do something with my hair."

Jesse kissed the top of her head. "Ok… don't be long."

He made his way downstairs and wouldn't you know, he was right… Luke was pacing the floor near the foot of the stairs. Jesse could swear that Luke said something about a corgi. Maybe he had decided to get a new pet and wanted Beca's opinion… but at eight o'clock in the morning? "If you're not careful, Beca's gonna charge you to replace those floor boards you're wearing out." Jesse told him.

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "You know her too well, my friend."

"That I do."

"Where is she?" Luke asked as he looked up the staircase.

"I had to wake her. You of all people should know that she's A) not a morning person and B) she's hell to get out of bed without some kind of persuasion."

"Please tell me you didn't persuade her to come down here by having a quickie." Luke muttered, a hint of humor to his tone.

"Dude no!" Jesse said looking mildly disgusted that Luke would think that they would have a quickie while he waiting to speak to them. "She's getting dressed. She'll be right down."

Luke looked relieved as he followed Jesse into the kitchen, pleased that Jesse had walked straight into the trap he set up for him. Jesse still had no idea why Luke was there or what he wanted but the fact that he was following him around like a lost puppy was really making him start to wonder.

"Coffee or tea?" Jesse asked as he filled the teapot and placed it on the stove for Beca's tea.

"Tea please." Luke said as he sat down at the kitchen island. "With milk. Cold milk." He reminded Jesse.

"Got it. Yes, almost forgot that you drink your tea differently."

"Two sugars as well please. And it's not different, just proper English tea." Luke said and upon a raised eyebrow from Jesse, offered an explanation. "It's been a long night."

Jesse noted that Luke looked like absolute shit. If he had to wager a guess, Luke hadn't slept in a few days so whatever he had to speak with them about must have been weighing heavily on his mind.

He took three mugs from the cabinet and placed one under the Keurig machine. Jesse put a tea bag in one for Beca, she could only have certain types of tea now that she was pregnant, and put her mug to the side. Remembering that Luke liked the English blend breakfast tea that Beca had, he put a pod in the brewer and pressed brew.

"Want anything to eat?" Jesse asked Luke as he poured hot water into Beca's mug.

"Whatever you're having is fine."

"Denver omelet and hash browns?"

"Sounds amazing." Luke nodded hopefully, scratching at the stubble on his face. "I'm starved."

Luke watched as Jesse moved around the kitchen with ease. Opening the fridge, Jesse took out the ingredients he would need for their omelets as well as some fresh fruit for Beca to have with her toast and yogurt.

Jesse took several condiment bowls out of the cabinet and placed them on the counter for the chopped ingredients. Moments later, he began slicing an onion and four different colored bell peppers, he liked colorful food. He placed that to the side and began slicing the ham and bacon that Beca had cooked the day before. Scrapping the ham and bacon from the cutting board and into a condiment bowl, Jesse began to finely chopped a couple of potatoes for the hash browns. Luke could tell just from watching that Jesse had learned from Beca how to slice and chop things. He was using the method that Beca had tried to show him so many times.

As Jesse cooked, he thought about the silence between himself and Luke. It was painfully awkward and both men silently wondered how much longer Beca was going to be. Jesse was beginning to wonder if he needed to go up and check on her. He worried that she was either spewing her guts or that she laid down while putting on her socks and had gone back to sleep.

"I'm just gonna go up and check on Beca. Be right back." Jesse said, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he walked out of the kitchen toward the staircase. Just as he was about to head upstairs, he noticed Beca coming down and walked up to meet her. Noting that she looked a little green in the gills he asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just got sick. I had to wash my face and brush my teeth again."

"I'm sorry." He said hugging her. "I would have come up if I had known."

"I know… it's ok." Beca said, grabbing Jesse's face and planting a kiss on his lips.

Jesse grabbed Beca's hand and together they walked down the stairs, through the family room and into the kitchen. As they walked past the kitchen island, Beca smiled and reached up to kiss Luke's cheek. "Hey bestie. What brings you by so early on a Saturday?"

Jesse walked past the two of them to slice a banana and some strawberries for Beca. He stayed quiet hoping that Luke would start talking. The sooner they could address the elephant in the room the better. When Beca's plate was ready, he passed it to her and ignored the flash of grey green that appeared around her jawline when she looked at her food and began serving plates for himself and Luke.

After several moments of complete silence, Luke gulped as he reached a hand out to take the plate Jesse was handing him. "Thank you Jesse. Guys, I need to talk to both of you."

"Well, that's been established." Beca said as she sipped her morning wellness tea and took an English muffin from the toaster, pushing the fruit over to make room for it on her plate. Jesse took Beca's plate, the butter and jam to the table for her. She followed Jesse to the table, taking the seat opposite Luke who was nervously fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers.

"Look… this isn't going to be easy, so just bear with me, ok?"

"The floor is all yours man." Jesse told him as he sat at the table next to Beca.

Luke took a deep breath. "I did something that will probably piss you both off but at the end of the day I hope you'll both forgive me."

"Great!" Beca said as she leaned on the table and rubbed her forehead. She was tired and feeling like absolute shit, now was really not the time for Luke to pull his crap.

"Beca, do you remember the day you called me about the mysterious photographs that showed up at your office?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Beca asked as she took a bite of muffin. She spooned yogurt all over the rest of the muffin and forked a piece of Jesse's hash brown to lay out on the top, catching Luke's confused face when he saw what she was doing.

"Well, when I was leaving, I saw a guy that looked like a lot like Jesse. When I saw him, the hair on the back of my neck immediately stood on end and I got this really weird feeling."

"And what's that got to do with the price of rice in China?" Beca asked sarcastically.

Luke rolled his eyes. He had just started telling them what happened and already Beca was throwing her sarcasm and pissy attitude around. "You had just gotten that mysterious package and I became concerned for your safety."

"So, let me get this straight… you see a guy that looks like Jesse standing outside of Warner and you become concerned about my safety. What am I missing?"

Jesse reached under the table and rubbed her thigh. "Babe, let him finish." He whispered.

"Anyway, I called Paul, my dad's private investigator friend and colleague. I explained the pictures, the guy I saw and the fact that things just didn't seem right. Paul agreed that my gut instinct was probably right and that it was worth looking into, if nothing else for peace of mind. I paid Paul cash in full and asked him to trail the guy, which he did for over a week. He took dozens of pictures. When I saw the picture he took, I couldn't get over how much the guy looked like Jesse."

"So you thought I was stalking my own girlfriend? We fucking live together." Jesse said angrily, throwing down his fork in a huff.

"I didn't know what to think. The resemblance is uncanny. And let's face it mate, I don't know you from Adam. I'm looking out for Beca."

Jesse rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from Beca. "So besides the resemblance, what does this have to do with me?"

Luke took a deep breath. "If you'd let me finish-"

"-By all means… continue, I can't wait to hear what else you found out." Jesse said cockily.

"Paul had already checked that you were, in fact, at work during the times that he had eyes on the guy, so you were ruled out. That's the good news."

Looking at Jesse, Beca thought for sure she was going to be sick again. She was clammy and pale and her stomach was churning.

"Christ… that's good news? You mean, there's more?" Jesse asked, noting Beca's demeanor he walked across the kitchen to get the garbage can, putting it next to her before sitting down again.

Luke let out a cleansing breath. "Yes, there's more."

"What's the bad news?" Beca asked, sipping her tea.

"The bad news is, the guy is following both of you."

"Whoa, wait a fucking minute!" Beca said, holding her hand up and setting the cup back on the table. "We're being stalked?"

"It would appear so."

"Appear?"

Luke put his hands up. "Paul is good at what he does. While he was tailing this guy, he managed to get a cigarette butt that the guy discarded and turned it over to the crime lab in an effort to find out who he is and if he has a criminal history. Turns out, the guy has a rap sheet longer than I am tall."

"Who is he?" Jesse asked as he stood up, instantly walking behind Beca, rubbing her shoulders; a move Luke respected him for.

"His name is David Thomas Russell." Luke said and paused, letting the name hang in the air.

"Is that name supposed to mean something?" Beca asked.

"It doesn't ring a bell with either of you?" Luke asked.

Beca and Jesse looked at each other then back at Luke. "No." They said in unison.

"This is the part where you're going to get pissed." Luke told them taking a deep breath.

"Well… spill it." Beca told him.

"Because the resemblance between Jesse and this chap Russell is so strong, Paul told me I needed to do my best to collect DNA from Jesse. So, on Christmas Day, while I was here, I got a sample of Jesse's hair off of his hoodie-"

"-Luke! What the fuck dude?" Beca said standing up, her chair scraping the floor.

"Beca please… please let me finish." Luke pleaded. "Please sit down. We sent the hair sample to the same crime lab and cross referenced the results. To our surprise, there were some matching DNA markers."

"What does that mean?" Jesse asked.

"It means that your biological father is stalking you and Beca."

"My father?" Jesse asked, hating that he sounded so stupid.

"Yes."

"I don't know who my father is." Jesse admitted, which was no surprise to either Beca or Luke.

"Well, I believe it's this guy."

"And how do you know that he's my father?"

"Paul had the crime lab run a paternity test. It came back that there was a 99.9% chance that he's your father."

"Oh! Um, pretty positive then."

"Yes." Luke said, getting up from his chair. He reached for a glass from the cabinet next to the sink and filled it with cool water from the faucet.

Beca gasped. "Do you have his picture?"

"Yes." Luke walked over to his messenger bag and produced an envelope, handing it to Beca. She sat at the kitchen table and spread the contents out. When she saw the picture of Russell tears began to run down her face. Luke was right, the resemblance was undeniable. It was like she was looking at a photograph of what Jesse would look like in twenty years. But she was confused as why Luke had done all of this.

Beca got up and walked toward Luke, who was now standing near the kitchen island. "What is your problem? Are you so desperate to get Jesse out of my life that you'll stoop this low?"

"I'm not trying to get him out of your life, I was trying to keep both of you safe! If I had come to you and said that I thought you were being followed you would have blown me off and said that I was being stupid. Beca, you're pregnant. I knew I needed all the information before coming to you."

Jesse couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the picture of his father. He was always told that Bambi never knew who his father was. There were several times during his childhood that he had asked Eleanor who his dad was and every time she swore she never knew. For what it was worth, he did believe her, it was Bambi whom he never trusted. Jesse couldn't believe that for the first time in his twenty nine years, he was looking at man who was his father.

Poking Luke in the chest Beca said "You had no right to do this!"

"Beca, you're my very best friend. You're carrying my future Godchild. If this nutcase were to hurt you I would never have forgiven myself." Luke told her. "He's literally been following you everywhere! The doctor. The grocery. Pilates class. Work. Home. Everywhere! Paul saw him watching the house with a pair of binoculars."

"I can't believe you! You went behind our backs!" She dropping her hand to rub her belly. "You should have damn well told me!"

Jesse walked up behind Beca, slipping his arms around her and kissing the back of her head. "Baby, you need to calm down. Luke did what he thought was right."

Beca spun around. "You're on his side?"

"Yes, I am and I'm thankful that he did this. He's protecting all three of us."

Beca pushed Jesse's hand away from her body and stormed off. Stomping up each and every stair as she went, Jesse and Luke could hear her cursing and shooting obscenities as she climbed to the second floor. When she got to their bedroom she slammed the door so hard Jesse was sure it had registered on the Richter scale.

What the fuck had Luke been thinking? How dare he go behind their backs? He used the fact that they had invited him over for Christmas to collect DNA from Jesse and she was sure that he had taken pleasure in doing it.

Protecting them? He claimed he was trying to protect them from what? A man neither of them knew. She hadn't told Luke that she recognized the man as someone that had bumped into her a few days earlier at Starbucks. Should she have said something? Or did Luke already know because he had pictures? What had he hoped to accomplish by showing up unexpectedly and dropping this little bomb on them?

And what the fuck was up with Jesse? Why was he so calm and better yet, why was he on Luke's side? They hardly tolerated each other but Jesse suddenly had Luke's back. It didn't make any sense. What did this Russell guy want? And why had he chosen now to look for Jesse? Should they arrange to meet with him to find out what he wanted? She was so confused.

Then the tears came.

Big, fat, angry rivers that ran down her cheeks. Someone who she didn't know was following them for an unknown reason. And to think that it could be Jesse's father watching them in the house unnerved her no end. Perhaps Luke had done the right thing.

o~O~o
Monday Morning
o~O~o

Jesse called Cynthia Rose just as she asked him to. He raised an eyebrow when she insisted that they had to meet that day. Unsure what to think, he hoped it was a good thing that she was so interested and eager. He was as keen as anything to discuss a recording contract for The Riff and felt an enormous responsibility to the band; this was a huge deal for him as it was make or break time.

He was sure he had never been so nervous in his life and to prove his point, he fidgeted all the way to work. Beca had to snap him out of his daydream and get him to focus, his leg bouncing up and down as she pulled up outside Cynthia Rose's offices at Columbia. She'd suggested she drive him, seeing his nerves that morning.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Beca asked. She knew what his answer would be but wanted to make the offer anyway.

Jesse shook his head as he gazed out the window. "No, I'm good." While he appreciated her love and support, this was something he had to do on his own.

"You've got this." She told him reaching over to hook his chin, turning his head so she could kiss him gently. "I love you. Go get 'em."

He smiled. She was right, he definitely had this. Beca gave him the confidence he needed to accomplish anything and he loved that about her.

As he sat in the reception area of Cynthia Rose's office, he wondered why he hadn't accepted Beca's offer to go with him. He had arrived early hoping that Cynthia Rose would go ahead and see him but she had been in a meeting. So he sat watching music videos and making numerous trips to the water cooler. If he drank anymore water he was going to spend his entire meeting in the restroom.

Just as he was about to get out of his seat for another cup of water, an attractive, tall, bodaciously built brunette wearing a dangerously low cut blouse, a micro mini skirt and come fuck me heels walked into the room. "Jesse Swanson?" She called as she looked around the room.

"I'm Jesse."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Stacie... Cynthia Rose's assistant." She said giving him the once over as she held out her hand to shake his.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Follow me please."

"Lead the way." He told her, motioning with his hand.

As they walked, in silence, to Cynthia Rose's office, Jesse began to wonder how many more twists and turns they'd have to make before they got there. He hoped someone was planning to walk him back out because he was certain that he was never going to find his way out. The offices at Columbia were light, spacious, and mostly open plan from what he could see. As they walked further down the corridor, he noted that they entered the executive office area and felt his nervousness fluttering around in his belly.

"Have a seat in here." Stacie told him as she held the door open, indicating a huge, black leather couch flanked by two very large ferns. "Cynthia Rose will be with you in a few minutes, she's just finishing up with One Direction."

"That's fine, thanks."

Jesse tried to swallow down the bile as it rose in his throat. He looked around at the pictures on the shelves and all the records that lined the walls. He looked in absolute wonder and amazement just as he had done when he saw Beca's office for the first time. He played a game with himself to name as many bands as he could and was up to thirty one, when a familiar voice could be heard down the corridor. Jesse smoothed down his shirt and quietly cleared his throat.

"Hey Jesse!" Cynthia Rose said as she walked into her office and dropped her things on the desk with a loud clatter.

"Hey! How are you?" Jesse asked, offering his hand.

"I'm good… sorry to keep you waiting. My meeting ran a little long." Cynthia Rose shook his hand warmly.

"No worries at all. If Columbia is anything like Warner, then I know you're busy."

"Well… let's get started." She said as she motioned to the chair on the other side of her desk. Jesse sat, ready to listen to a spiel similar to the one Beca rattled off the night they met. "I won't bore you with all of the details as I'm pretty sure you've heard it all before." Cynthia Rose started. "I don't expect you to sign anything today, this is simply about negotiations. I trust that you'll have Beca look everything over and advise you."

Jesse nodded. "Yes, that's what I planned to do."

"Good. Now… this is the part you probably won't like. I'm not one to beat about the bush and I'm damn sure not a babysitter."

Taking a deep breath, Jesse looked at her and said, "Lay it on me."

"It's no secret that Beca has been trying to persuade me to sign your band. She's very proud of you and want to see you succeed. I can see the potential but I think there's something missing."

"Missing?" Jesse asked, a little more high pitched than he intended.

"Yes… I figured out what it was on New Year's Eve."

"Ok, I'm listening." Jesse said, leaning forward linking his hands together.

"Do you remember the girl that sang with the band that night?"

"Yeah, Pepper something."

"Do you know her last name?"

"No, New Year's Eve was the first night I'd met her. I think Beca and her cousin Aubrey know her."

"Right. Well, this is the offer… I will sign your band to Columbia with a pretty decent advance and recording budget which you'll see when you read through the document. I will promote you, get your name out there and for as long as the band is committed, I am in it for the long haul. There'll be fast cars, expensive hotels, fine dining and all the trappings of a rock and roll lifestyle."

"So what's the catch?!" Jesse asked, nervously.

"I think The Riff has potential, however, I will only sign you if Pepper becomes a member of the band."

"You can't be serious? I don't know her… why would I invite her to join my band?"

"Because she's what you need to make it in this industry. No Pepper… no recording contract. Simple as that." Cynthia Rose told him, as she sat back in her chair.

"That's not fair. I don't even know how to contact her." Which wasn't exactly true. Pepper was Beca's pole dance instructor, he could definitely get her phone number but he just didn't want to. "What makes her so… great?" Jesse asked trying really hard not to throw an 'F' bomb into his question.

"She gives the band an amazing sound. Her voice is rich, deep and full of flavor."

"So, you're saying we sound like shit without her?"

"No, not at all… The Riff is edgy but her sound gives you an edge that wasn't there before, if that makes any sense."

"Nope, not at all but… by all means, please… explain."

"Are you familiar with Fleetwood Mac?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with us?"

"Stevie Nicks is ballsy. She's full of sass and edge… that's exactly what The Riff needs. It's what was missing."

Jesse had to admit that Cynthia Rose had a valid point. Pepper had an amazing set of pipes and she did add something to their performances at the party. He could admit to himself that he had tried a little bit harder when she was on stage so as not to show himself up. She was good but could that carry over to in studio recording and future performances?

"Ok… I can see your point but I can't make the decision for the band. This is something we'll have to discuss as a group."

"I completely understand and appreciate that." Cynthia Rose said. "So, when can you get back to me?"

"End of the week soon enough?"

"Perfect." She said standing up to shake Jesse's hand. "I look forward to hearing from you."

As Jesse left Columbia Records, he pulled out his phone to call Beca. He knew he should wait until they both got home to talk but his mind was racing with thoughts. He wondered how on Earth he was going to convince the guys to give Pepper and Cynthia Rose a shot. They had always been so against taking on new people, having all come together when they first got out of Juvenile Hall, Nate had said it was what bonded them together. He decided, if any of them asked him why he wanted to do it, he would say 'what do we really have to lose?' Jesse knew that if it didn't work out then they were no worse off than they were before he met Beca… or were they?

Scrolling through his contacts, he paused at a name which he could have sworn on a stack of Bibles hadn't been there the week before. Confused, he looked at his phone, as he saw Pepper's name in his contacts before deciding it was Beca who added the number as he didn't remember doing it. Putting the phone to his ear as he placed the call to Beca's office phone, he began to walk down the street, in the direction of Warner. He absentmindedly strolled, lost so deep in thought that he wasn't quite prepared for someone stepping straight into his path. He looked up sharply as he collided with a gentleman wearing a faded school jacket and a pair of cheap sunglasses. He heard himself gasp as a thin flash of silver appeared and was aimed at his stomach. He was about to run away when he looked at the face of his would be attacker.

"It's you! What the fuck do you want?"