A/N: I was truly hoping to get this chapter out sooner than now, but my life has been very crazy lately. I truly hope that you enjoy it.

Corinne, Thank you for being the BEST beta. You always make Luke perfectly posh & oh so British... even if I do have to ask what the heck he's saying! I seriously don't know what I would do without you. You are my person! XX

Twelve years ago today my life changed forever because of Hurricane Katrina. As I reflect on all of my feelings surrounding that time, my heart breaks for everyone in Hurricane Harvey's path. The Houston area was my home for seven years & seeing the devastation caused by Harvey is heartbreaking. I'm not sure if any of you pray but if you do, please take a moment to pray for everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. Thank you!

#TexasStrong #PrayersForTexas

o~O~o
Chapter 41
Homecoming & Heartbreak
o~O~o

When Luke pulled through the gate and drove down the long drive to the horseshoe in front of the house, Beca smiled. In huge pink letters on the front lawn there was a sign proudly exclaiming "IT'S A GIRL!". There was also a large cutout of a stork carrying a baby in a pink blanket with Lila's name and all of her birth stats on it for the neighbors and everyone else that passed the house to see. It was a lovely welcome home.

The last time she'd been home she had been alone and heavily pregnant. She was finally back home and while it had only been a few days, it somehow felt like weeks… and she was still alone. Her husband had been and still was MIA and once again Luke was right there to help in any way that he could. Beca swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that it should have been Jesse helping her bring their baby home rather than her best friend, but deep down, she was really glad Luke was there with her.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Beca pushed the canopy cover on the infant carrier down and started to unbuckle Lila from her seat. "We're home baby girl. Ready to see your house?"

"You're speaking to her like she's going to answer." Luke laughed as he got out of the car, popped open the trunk and started getting the bags out of the car.

Beca smiled. "Says the guy that had a full on conversation with her last night."

"We have an understanding."

"As do we." Beca told him as she carefully scooted out of the car.

"No, not possible. She told me last night that I was her Huckleberry." Luke said swinging the diaper bag over his shoulder as he held out his arm to assist Beca getting out of the car.

Beca raised her eyebrows. "Did she now?"

"She did!" Luke insisted.

"Well Uncle Huck, she hibernated and subsequently sabotaged my baby box for nine plus months, so I'd say that I have one up on you."

"Always with the one ups. Nothing ever changes!" Luke smiled and shook his head before giving Lila a knowing look. "You ready to head inside ladies?"

"Yep… we sure are." Beca said using her hand to shield the baby's eyes from the sun as Luke stepped ahead with the luggage. Beca watched as his muscles strained under the weight of the bags he was carrying and wondered quietly when he'd gotten so buff. She dropped her gaze quickly as they approached the front door Luke stepped aside to let them go through the door first.

Beca noticed the embarrassingly large pink balloon arch at the entryway to the house as well as the pink flowered wreath on the door. Someone had spared no expense and had gone all out to make sure their homecoming was nice. She was truly touched.

Beca walked through the partially open front door into the house with Lila held tightly in her arms where she was immediately greeted by her grandmother and Silvana. There was also the very distinct scent of her grandmother's pot roast and mashed potatoes coming from the kitchen. Nothing said 'Welcome Home' like your family and an amazing meal.

Silvana ran to the front door and wasted no time kissing Beca's cheek then carefully taking the baby from her. She hadn't been able to make it to the hospital for a visit and she planned on making the most of being one of the first people to welcome Beca and the baby home. Silvana had been in the family for years, there was very few memories Beca had that didn't include Silvana.

Silvana carried the baby through to the den, sat in the overstuffed chair by the fireplace and started singing a Spanish lullaby to Lila. Beca remembered the song as one of the ones that Silvana used to sing to her when she was small. She felt lucky to still have Silvana in her life and now she was going to be a huge part of Lila's.

As Silvana sang about a princess who grew wings and learned to fly, she opened the blanket that swaddled the baby so that she could count tiny fingers and toes. She needed to get a good look at her so she could remember everything about her when she away from her. Silvana played with Lila's fingers and said, "You're going to play piano like your Mommy and Papa."

"I'll make sure of it." Beca assured Silvana as she sat on the arm of the chair and watched Silvana with Lila.

Never taking her eyes off of the baby, Silvana told Beca, "Lila is the most gorgeous baby I think I've ever seen. She's even prettier than my own babies."

Beca's heart was full. She was truly happy and she had her daughter to thank for that. Lila was two days old and she was already her everything; the only thing in her life that mattered.

"Where did this come from?" Beca asked as she reached for the gift box on the coffee table.

Silvana looked up and smiled. "Open it."

Beca lifted the lid and looked inside before letting out an audible gasp then lifting what was inside. "It's just like the one you gave me years ago." Beca remembered as she held the bunny in her hands, looking at the little pink dress that was on her.

"Just like yours." Silvana reiterated. "There's more in the box."

Beca placed the bunny on her lap and pulled the box closer. Inside was a matching pink dress for Lila. "It's perfect. I love it." Beca knew that the bunny from her childhood was packed away and vowed to find it.

The bunny from Silvana was the second bunny she had received for Lila. Beca began to wonder if the bunnies held some sort of significance with babies or if there was some unwritten rule about giving new babies stuffed bunnies. Both of the bunnies were different and she had a feeling that Lila was going to love them both the same.

"Thank you Silvana, I really love it."

"You're welcome."

Anne and Will arrived a short time later with their arms full of gifts for Beca and the baby, fresh flowers and groceries. They had also stopped for a couple of bottles of champagne and Beca's favorite almond cupcakes with pineapple filling from the bakery near the courthouse where Anne worked. Luke made himself useful as he found places for the flowers to go and moved Beca's suitcase from the hospital to her bedroom upstairs.

Anne couldn't drop everything quick enough and Will staggered as a little as Anne thrust more than he could hold into his arms as she hurried towards Beca. She wanted to hug her daughter and hold her granddaughter but MawMaw told her, "You're some sort of champagne mental person if you think you're getting your hands on the baby before me… get in line sista." and thrust her thumb behind her. MawMaw loved that new baby smell and just couldn't get enough. Beca was beginning to think that she should have had a litter because one baby just wasn't going to be enough for everyone.

Throughout the afternoon, Anne noticed that Beca kept checking the time on her phone or the wall clock. Anne knew it wasn't that she was checking the time for Lila's feedings, she was worried about Jesse and why he hadn't answered any of her calls and texts. She also noticed that Luke was attentively watching Beca, refilling her drinks and seemingly knowing what Beca wanted before she did herself. Anne found the time to thank Luke for being there for Beca, especially today but Luke shrugged it off as nothing.

After visiting with everyone and eating dinner, sharing jokes with familiar ease, the group began to leave so that Beca and the baby could get settled and possibly take a nap before her next feeding. Even though Jesse was very noticeably missing, everyone surprisingly kept their thoughts to themselves about the matter. He had still not made it home and was once again avoiding or ignoring Beca's calls and texts.

Beca was thankful that everyone was so enamored with the baby that they chose not to state the obvious by addressing the elephant in the room. Speaking with Casey about Jesse's absenteeism was one thing but speaking with her parents and grandmother was like a free for all and she wasn't ready for that. They had all tried giving him the benefit of the doubt and he continued to throw it back in their faces every chance he got.

After everyone left, Luke cleaned the kitchen and had just finished loading the dishwasher when Beca appeared in the kitchen.

"You didn't have to clean the kitchen." She said, coming around the kitchen island to give him a hug.

"No big deal." Luke said quietly. "It just didn't seem right for you to be doing it."

"I appreciate it Luke. Thank you."

"Damn, motherhood has changed you." Luke said, grinning out of the corner of his mouth as he shut the dishwasher door with his foot. "Where is then punch in my arm or your cocky retort telling me I'd make an excellent wife one day, huh?"

"I am too exhausted to tease you tonight." Beca yawned. "I'm saving it up for another time. I've settled the baby in her Moses basket for now, she'll need feeding in another couple of hours. Are you staying over tonight?"

Luke checked his watch, "Do you need me to stay?"

"Only if you want to. The spare room is made up already anyway." Beca yawned loudly, unable to cover it in time. "Sorry!"

"Why don't you get yourself in bed now?" Luke said gently. "I'll head out and let you get settled but I'm only a phone call away if you need me. Ok?"

"You're awesome."

"I'll come by with breakfast tomorrow." Luke said, offering a hug to Beca. She quickly moved to his side and let his strong arms wrap around her. He noticed that she immediately relaxed into his embrace.

"That sounds really good."

"Text me. I want hourly pictures of the little lady and just let me know you are managing on your own."

"I will." Beca sighed, thinking she was always getting more support from her best friend than her husband. "Shame I'm here by myself but that's not your fault."

"I don't have anywhere else to be. I can stay if you-"

"-No, go. I have to get used to this. Plenty of people the world over manage to do this every single day. If we have a meltdown tonight, I'll call, I promise. Besides, if I get no sleep tonight, I might need you to take over tomorrow. I love and appreciate the offer though, thank you."

Luke nodded. In a way, he was glad that Beca didn't need him around. He wanted to find Beca's deadbeat husband. He kissed Beca's forehead, and took out the bag of trash to the back of the house on his way out. Luke swore, come hell or high water, he was going "to find Jesse and drag his sorry, no good hoofwanking bungleprick arse home" before promising to "drop him into the fiery depths of eternal damnation" then fish out whatever remained and do it all again for leaving Beca alone on what was one their most important days as a family. He himself had trouble leaving them both in the house by themselves and vowed to find Jesse, get him home, return to his own apartment for a few hours sleep, a shower and change of clothes and then he'd be back for breakfast.

Plus, he wanted more baby cuddles with Lila but he was, in no way, ever going to admit that to anyone. He already adored the little lady as much as she adored B-

'-Nope, not going there.' He thought as he drove past the guard shack on his way out to find Jesse. He called Will on his way, letting him know what he was doing in case they called Beca and wondered why she was still alone, late into the evening.

o~O~o

While Luke was out looking for Jesse, Beca walked around her now empty house with Lila showing her everything, something she thought that she and Jesse would have been doing together. However, as she carried her tiny daughter around the downstairs of the house, pointing out the now barely visible scratch on the stairs where Amy had slid down on a tea tray almost two years before and whispering quietly into Lila's ears that while Auntie Amy was quite a handful, she would always have a best friend in her crazy Aunt. In the hallway, Beca pointed out the Tiffany lamp that Luke had gotten for her and Jesse's growing movie collection was commented on in the den.

Introducing Lila to Jagger and Roxie had been a very sweet moment. They were the most gentle and loving dogs and yet, they had always been extremely protective of Beca even though they were still very young. She hoped they'd protect Lila the same way. Jagger had slowly sniffed the baby blanket before sitting down and offering his paw to his new sister showed Beca that he already loved the addition to his family.

When it was time to show Lila her room, Jagger and Roxie quickly took the lead, careful not to bump Beca as they trampled up the stairs. As Beca opened the door, they both went in and laid next to Lila's crib, circling a couple of times before falling asleep almost instantly. She was sure that was going to be their new place to sleep and made a mental note to ask Jesse to bring their beds into the nursery.

Taking a quick glance at her phone, Beca realized that Lila was due to be fed. Getting everything she needed and putting it all within arms reach, she relaxed into the large, overstuffed leather recliner in the nursery. Even though her feet didn't touch the floor when she sat in the chair, Beca slowly and carefully started to rock by moving her upper body back and forth. Luckily, the chair moved with very little effort making it extremely comfortable for both her and the baby.

Beca had noticed from early on in her pregnancy and again after Lila was born that the baby responded to music. It didn't matter what kind of music, as long as it was smooth and had a good rhythm the baby was happy. At only two days old, Lila knew what she liked and what she wanted, and she loved being sung to so as she nursed. While Beca sang, she would always stroke Lila's forehead, the bridge of her nose or the side of her face. It was a sweet, special time that Beca savored, even though she was beyond exhausted.

o~O~o

Luke stewed and fumed as he drove. If it killed him, he wasn't going to allow Jesse to hurt Beca anymore. He either needed to start thinking of his family first or he needed to get the fuck out. Jesse's rock and roll days and playboy ways were over as far as Luke was concerned.

'The idiot has bigger responsibilities now and he just cannot see how good he has it. If I was in his place... and we aren't going there again.' Luke thought.

He was angry and knew that when he found Jesse he was going to tear him limb from lying limb. Luke couldn't imagine what Jesse could be doing that was more important than bringing his wife and newborn daughter home from the hospital. Most men would have tripped over their dick to make sure everything was perfect… but not Jesse.

Luke decided to start looking for Jesse in the most obvious of places… the studio. Getting past security could present a problem but he'd handle that when and if he needed to. In hindsight he knew that he should have called Cynthia Rose while he was in route but he didn't want anyone to tip Jesse off if he was, in fact, in the studio. Luke had a suspicious nature when it came to Jesse and if he was right this time, and Jesse was getting high with the band, he wanted to catch him in the act.

Luke screeched into the parking lot of Columbia Records, parked in the first available parking space he saw and made himself take a deep breath before he started walking toward the entrance a few moments later. As he walked across the parking lot, he spotted Jesse's fully restored 1966 candy apple red Chevy Camaro, a wedding present from Beca, parked in a "Studio Session" space.

Luke realized that Jesse needed to make music to make money to help support the family but Beca had just had a baby… was music really more important than his wife and newborn daughter? Surely everyone would have understood him needing and wanting to take a couple of days off to spend at home while Beca recovered from being in the hospital. Certainly Cynthia Rose understood the importance of family? She and her husband had twin boys at home and were trying for a third, hoping for a daughter this time around, if the rumors were true.

'I would have taken the month off, if it was me.' Luke grumbled to himself. 'I would have taken the time off to do all the chores so my girl could concentrate on the baby and resting. But then, that's just me.' Luke had already made his mind up that he'd step up and help even more if Beca needed him for anything.

Walking past Jesse's car, Luke reached out and touched the hood. It was cold, which meant Jesse had been at the studio for hours. Luke growled low in his throat. Things weren't looking good for Jesse.

Luke walked across the sky bridge from the parking garage and entered the building. He walked past the guard at the door, ignoring his pleasant "Good Afternoon. Welcome to Columbia Records!" and made a beeline straight to the reception desk. He wasn't there for pleasantries. He was there for one reason and one reason only… to find Swanson and drag his stupid, sorry ass home to his wife.

"Ahem." Luke cleared his throat to get the receptionists attention.

The redhead looked up from her trashy romance novel. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there. Can I help you?"

"I'm Luke Donovan… here to see Jesse Swanson with The Riff. Cynthia Rose is his producer."

The pretty redhead, who resembled Emily Blunt, looked at Luke with starry eyes before she started tapping away on her keyboard. "Well… Mr. Swanson is in the studio recording at the present time and cannot be disturbed. Did you have an appointment?"

"No, I don't have an appointment but I need to speak with him about his wife and his newborn daughter." He said authoritatively.

"I'll call Cynthia Rose and find out how much longer they'll be." She said as she picked up the handset and dialed a few numbers, most likely Cynthia Rose's extension. She smiled politely as she waited for the call to connect.

"Thank you." Luke said as he turned away from the desk to find a seat. His blood was boiling but he knew he needed to try to keep his cool; it wasn't the receptionists fault this was happening. Getting kicked out was not going to help the situation at all. Luke found it hard to sit still while he waited for Miss Perky to get back to him. He began pacing the waiting room, stopping at the vending machine and wishing he could get an ice cold beer instead of a Dr. Pepper.

Luke sent a quick text to Will. "Found him at the studio. Been here awhile… engine is cold."

"Thanks Luke. At least he's alive."

"He's alive… for now!"

"Luke, I love you like my own son, please promise that you won't do anything to get yourself arrested."

"I won't… I promise."

"Good… keep me posted."

"Will do. Gotta go."

Miss-Looks-Like-Emily-Blunt waved to get Luke's attention. "Mr… umm… Mr…"

"Donovan… Luke Donovan." He said interrupting her stammering. He put his phone in his back pocket as he walked back toward her desk. Clearly she couldn't be bothered to remember something as simple as a name.

Taking a deep breath, she handed Luke a visitor badge, "Yes… Mr. Donovan. Cynthia Rose has cleared you to go up to the studio. Mr. Swanson is in studio 33B, located on the thirty third floor. Take a right as you get off the elevator, walk to the end of that hall and then take a left walk down that hallway and then take another right, studio 33B is at the end of that hallway on the left."

Luke smiled as he the redhead stood to motion left and right as she gave him directions. If he wasn't in such a hurry he might have thought to ask for her name and number; she reminded him of someone and then he realized it was someone he shouldn't be thinking about in that way.

"Thank you." Luke said nodding his head toward the redhead and repeating, "right, left, right, left" in his head like it was a mantra.

"Return your visitor badge to me as you leave." She instructed.

"I will." He told her. "I shouldn't be long. Thanks again for your help."

Luke made his way toward the elevator, flashing his badge at the security guard along the way. The guard smiled and waved him through. Luke noted that the Security at Columbia wasn't nearly as tight as it was at Beca's office. The security at Warner was like going through a TSA checkpoint at LAX. If one needed a cheap thrill, no strings attached, Warner was the place to go.

The ride in the elevator was long and seemed to stop on every damn floor during its ascent to the thirty third floor. Everytime the door opened, there was no one there and Luke angrily pressed the button to close the door several times. He began to take it as a personal slight that he was being halted in his quest. It did, however, give Luke time to think and most importantly breathe, which was a good thing for the unsuspecting Jesse. If it hadn't been for the redhead and the time spent in the reception area, Luke would have gone straight up, found Jesse and killed him right where he stood.

Finally arriving on the thirty third floor, Luke exited the elevator and started his journey down the long hallways of Columbia Records. He felt like he was walking through some twisted maze. Why did they have to have all of the hallways for crying out loud? Had they not heard of the old saying, "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line."? He could feel his anger and anxiety bubbling up again as he reached the door of studio 33B. On the door was a sign that read:

STUDIO IN USE
The Riff
DO NOT DISTURB
(unless you have booze and boobs!)

The sign made Luke even angrier, so did the red recording light over the door. Fuck that shit… if Jesse didn't open the damn door, Luke was gonna go through it, fist first. Either way, the door was getting opened.

Taking a deep breath, and remembering his British heritage thus ensuring him able to act like an arsehole if he needed to do so, Luke knocked on the door. He waited a couple of minutes before knocking again. He knocked a third time and wondered if maybe Jesse's session had ended early and he was no longer in the studio. Taking the bull by the horns and refusing to wait any longer, Luke reached for the doorknob and walked in.

Absolutely nothing, and no one, could have prepared him for what he was about to walk in on.

When Luke drove to Columbia Records that afternoon, he had no idea what he would find. He hoped he'd find Jesse high on something or drunk or even asleep in the studio. He knew, from Beca, that Jesse was on some powerful antibiotics so, despite his internal grumblings, was quite prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and admit that while he still felt Jesse should have been at home with Beca, if he was sick, he was sick.

He certainly never imagined that he would find Jesse, with what he could only assume was one of his many mistresses, in a very compromising position. He knew, in that very moment, that, no matter how many times he bleached his eyeballs, he'd never get the image out of his mind. The tall leggy brunette, completely naked except for a pair of hooker red stilettos, was leaning back on her elbows, her legs wrapped tightly around Jesse's head, as she watched him pleasure her. One of Jesse's hands was holding her legs open and the other getting himself off.

Neither of them heard Luke walk in or saw that he took pictures as proof of their sordid little tryst before he quietly closed the door behind him. He didn't take the pictures for some sick gratification, he took them because he knew that Beca might need to present them in court if she needed to. His heart was racing as he tried to shut out the brunettes moan that permeated the air.

Luke was shocked, disgusted and appalled. How could Jesse do this to Beca and their daughter? They didn't deserve this and he could picture Beca's face when she learned the truth about this. He knew he'd have to be the one to tell her and that crushed something inside him. Anger overcame him and before he could stop himself, he walked over and punched Jesse in the side of his head.

"What the f-" Jesse said, grabbing his head as he spun around, pulling his pants up as he came face to face with Luke.

"You fucking asshole! I should have known that you couldn't stay faithful to Beca. You lowlife piece of scum, wanker, bastard, tosser, shithead, twatty fist fucker!" Luke spat, jabbing his index finger into Jesse's chest with each word.

"Luke!" Jesse cried out, still holding the side of his head as he face pinked up and his eyes darted around the room. "How in the hell did you get in here?"

"How long has this-" Luke asked, pointing between Jesse and the naked brunette and ignoring Jesse's question. "-been going on?"

The brunette, covering her lady bits with her hand, grabbed at her haphazardly discarded clothes in a feeble attempt to make herself look decent. "Jess… I'm gonna go."

"Oh no you don't little Miss Homewrecker… you're not going anywhere." Luke said angrily.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I said you're not going anywhere." Luke repeated as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and started to dial. "Yes… can you call Cynthia Rose to studio 33B please. Yes… I'll hold. Yes, I'm still here… thank you. Yes, it is essential that she comes. Right. Now. Thank you. When will she be here? Perfect… I'll see her then." Luke hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. "You two had better get dressed if you don't want your producer to see you in your birthday suits."

Luke stood guard at the door, while Jesse and his tart fumbled with their clothes. He didn't particularly want to watch them but he had to make sure Jesse and the tramp couldn't leave while they waited for Cynthia Rose to arrive.

As Jesse pulled his shirt on he turned to Luke. "This was a one off. My medication, you understand. I'm... I was confused. You're not going to tell Beca… are you? "

Luke chuckled humorlessly. "No-"

"-oh good-" Jesse said letting a sigh of relief as he zipped up his pants.

"-you are." Luke said. "You're going to tell your future ex-wife what you've done and that she'll need to have herself and your daughter checked for STD's for the rest of their lives."

"Your daughter?" The brunette asked. "You didn't tell me that she'd been born."

"You know Jesse is married though." Luke stated defiantly.

"Married, yes, but they are having a trial separation." She said and her face fell when Luke shook his head.

"A trial separation huh? Does Beca know about this separation?" Luke asked.

Jesse sat down on the edge of the recording board, putting his head in his hands. "Fuck!"

"You might want to use the time to think about what you are going to tell Beca." Luke said, trying to stop himself from sounding gleeful. "And if that doesn't worry you enough, wait till Anne finds out." Luke was about to continue when he heard the unmistakable clack, clack, clack sound of Cynthia Rose's heels as she approached Studio 33B.

"What's the fucking problem in here? Why am I being pulled out of a meeting?" Cynthia Rose asked as she pushed open the door and walked into the studio. "And why does it smell of sex and booze in here? What are you two looking so guilty about? Where's... oh... hi Luke, I didn't see you there."

"Hello Cynthia Rose." Luke said greeting her with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "You should ask these two what the foul odors are all about."

"How are Beca and the baby?" She asked, more interested in hearing about Lila in that moment than worrying about why she was pulled out of a meeting. "Got any pictures? Jesse was... well... somewhat reluctant to share any."

"Probably hasn't taken the time to take any of her yet. As far as I know, he's only spent a couple of hours with his brand new baby." Luke said as he pulled out his phone and showed her pictures of Beca and the baby, something that Jesse clearly hadn't done. Jesse and his lover watched the friendly banter between Luke and Cynthia Rose and wondered how much longer he was going to drag this out.

"She's beautiful!" Cynthia Rose cooed. "Never thought this asshole..." pointing toward Jesse, "... could help create such a perfectly, precious little princess."

"Asshole is right." Luke told her. "Do you know what these two were doing when I walked in?"

"No, but I have a feeling that I'm going to find out." Cynthia Rose looked between her two lead singers of The Riff and gently shook her head. "I've heard the rumors about the two of them."

Luke nodded, "I usually wouldn't show a lady this kind of picture so I apologize profusely about this."

"It's ok. I can take it."

Once again Luke showed Cynthia Rose his phone. The look of horror on her face was evident. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you two? I left you alone for ten fucking minutes and this is how you decided to occupy yourselves?"

Jesse and Stacie had the decency to look ashamed. Jesse's hands were shoved way down into his pockets while Stacie started to pick at the chipping nail polish on he fingernails.

"We can explain-" Jesse started.

Cynthia Rose put her perfectly manicured finger in the air. "No… you're both going to get out of my studio."

"But-"

"Right. Now." Cynthia Rose's voice dropped low. Stacie blinked a couple of times at the tone.

"Can we-"

"-Oh… it wasn't a suggestion." Cynthia Rose told them. "And don't come back until I say so. The record is on hold until further notice"

"What, why?"

"And I'll need some time to consider whether The Riff will need to find new representation."

"Hold on Cynthia Rose, we-"

"-I'll make sure that Carly in reception, as well as security, know not to let you in the building until I've made my decision. Gimme your building access badges now please." She said putting her hand out.

Jesse's head dropped in shame before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Handing over his badge to Cynthia Rose, he said, "I'm really sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it anymore Jesse. Do you realize you've just ruined your entire life with one -"

"-Cynthia Rose, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Stacie asked.

"Harsh? You think that was harsh? Let me tell you something sweetheart… this asshole mother fucker right here went to bat for your stupid ass and at the time I didn't really know why. Now I know that he did it so that he could get time alone with you while telling his very pregnant wife that he was working." Cynthia Rose turned to look at Jesse. "That's shitty Jesse. You've put me in the middle of your fucked up mess. Beca is my friend, a very dear friend… at least after this I hope that she's still my friend but I wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to me again. She put her everything into getting you this contract Jesse. Everything. And this is how you thank her? It's no secret I didn't want to take you on. But as a favor to her, I did and hoped my initial misgivings were to be unfounded. I see a hundred people like you each week. All talented. All capable. Beca said she saw something in you and she's given you more chances to start afresh and prove yourself than she should have. You have a baby together for goodness sake. An innocent, beautiful child. And this is how you thank Beca for her time, talent and love? As a man, you disgust me right now. If it wasn't working out as your producer, you should have owned up and got out of it before shacking up with Miss Thang over here. You-"

"-She's always nagging Jesse and wants to know where he is." Stacie whined. "She hoards sex like a fat kid hoards cake. It's her own fault that he-"

"-Don't you dare blame Beca for Jesse's stupidity! Not having sex with him over the last several months is probably the smartest thing she's ever done." Luke interrupted. "She has been faithful to him the entire time they've been together and this is the thanks she gets? You are a real piece of work!"

Stacie smiled. "Thanks!"

"It wasn't a compliment." Luke said with absolute disgust. "You do know that the red light outside the door doesn't mean the same thing that it means in a strip club… right?"

Stacie grinned. "Like what you see pretty boy?"

Luke curled his lip. "Go flick your bean with a fucking cactus you gannet chuffer manky chavvy minger slag!" Luke spat. His mother would kill him if she knew that he had spoken to a woman that way. Lucky for him, she'd never find out and it amused him greatly that Stacie didn't appear to understand his British insults.

Cynthia Rose stepped in. "Ok... that's enough! You two..." she said pointing to Jesse and Stacie. "... are on probation until I can figure out what to do with you. Legal is going to have a field day with this! Stacie… finish putting your damn clothes on, ain't nobody wants to see your fun bags or your holes-a-plenty. Luke… thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm really sorry about what this is going to do to Beca."

"Me too." Luke said. "You!" He said pointing at Jesse. "... get your shit and let's get the fuck out of here."

"Jess… call me later." Stacie said with a wink as she shimmied her barely there panties up her long legs.

Luke had never hit a women, never even had the urge to do so but in that very moment, he realized and understood why some men do. Not that he was condoning any type of physical abuse but he finally understood why some men snapped. Before he could say anything, Cynthia Rose stepped in.

"Stacie… I said enough!" Cynthia Rose yelled. "Jesse, leave… now! Luke, we'll talk soon."

Luke nodded, grabbing hold of Jesse's arm and dragged him out of the studio, marching him down the hallway so fast that Jesse almost stumbled. When Luke saw a sign for the restroom, he shoved Jesse through the door and said, "Get your nasty ass in there and take a whore bath. You stink! And don't forget to brush your teeth!"

"I don't have a toothbrush with me." Jesse protested, coughing heartily.

"There's a toiletry dispenser on the wall knobhead."

As Luke watched Jesse wash his hands and face, he checked his phone. He was grateful that Beca hadn't messaged him yet. He really didn't want to lie to her or give her any false hope. He also didn't want to tell her what happened over the phone.

A few minutes later Luke and Jesse were walking back down the hallway toward the elevator. As they entered the elevator, Luke got a good look at Jesse's face. The bastard actually had the decency to look ashamed of himself. The elevator began its descent and stopped as several floors. Each time the doors opened, Luke hit the button to close the doors and told those waiting, "no room in this car." and simply ignored the loud mutterings he got in return.

Once on the ground floor, Luke pushed Jesse out of the elevator and closely followed, silently letting Jesse know that he wasn't going to let him get away from him. Luke resisted the urge to hold Jesse's arm as the cough that had started up in the restroom had a real hold on Jesse. As they walked past security, Jesse looked at the officers as if begging and willing them to help him but no one gave the two men a second glance. He knew that by now, Cynthia Rose would have alerted them to his probation and ban from the building. Sadly, he also knew that meant there was no getting out of this and that he needed to stop fighting it.

Instead he decided to focus his attention to what he was going to tell Beca and how he could explain what had happened so that she'd understand that it was a one off and the last time he'd do something like that ever again. Jesse wanted to laugh at his own stupidity as he knew, deep down in his gut, that there was no getting out of it this time. As they walked to towards the parking area, Jesse toyed with the idea of trying to take Luke's phone. Without the evidence to show Beca, it was all hearsay and he might be able to use Luke's devotion to Beca as a way of explaining that Luke hadn't seen what he thought he saw. But Jesse knew he'd never get Luke's phone from him. He had at least twenty pounds of pure muscle on Jesse.

When they got to the garage, Jesse reached in his pocket for his keys. He hoped he could get home before Luke and lock the doors before he arrived so he could explain things to Beca and hopefully fake the story enough so that she'd have doubts. He knew it was a long shot but he had a few tricks up his sleeve. He knew it was a cruel way of dealing with it but the desperation was kicking in as he saw his entire life slipping away from him.

"Oh no, you tall drink of shit… my car." Luke said, as Jesse fumbled with the keys in his hand. He wondered if Luke knew what was going through his mind. "Your car can stay here until it gets towed for all I care… then you can pay some sloppy, sweaty repo dude that smells of chicken fat and old grease to get it back." Luke told him.

Jesse just looked longingly at his car before pocketing his keys and following Luke.

Luke spent the drive back to the house reaming Jesse out for his actions and asking him if he knew what his philandering was going to do to Beca. Jesse had enough sense left in his head not to respond. He just sat there quietly taking the lumps that Luke was dishing out.

"You still stink! You're fucking drunk and you reek of sex, drugs and booze!" Luke told him as he put the windows down. If he could have gotten away with strapping Jesse to the roof of the car for ride he would have. He made a mental note to get his car detailed first thing the next morning and get the Swanson Stench out of his leather upholstery.

For Jesse, the short ride seemed to take forever and Luke's ranting wasn't helping matters at all. His head was pounding from the combination of alcohol and Luke's loud, clipped accent. His accent was dripping with sarcasm and he was using words Jesse had never heard before. As much as he hated to admit it, Luke was right. He had fucked up… and bad this time.

"She trusted you! She fucking trusted you! She's given you more chances than you deserve. This will ruin her… do you know that? Do you even care? And what about Lila? You selfish, horrid son of bitch! Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself? You have a daughter now, you plonker. How would you feel if someone did to Lila what you've done to Beca? You gormless knob jockey."

Again, Jesse was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He could think of all the things that he wanted to say but there was no way he was going to allow it to exit his mouth. Wouldn't make any difference anyway… he was wrong and that's all there was to it. He just wished Luke would shut his mouth for two minutes so he could think of a suitable excuse to soften the blow to Beca.

Once they arrived back at the house and Luke parked by the gate in such a way that another car wouldn't have been able to get past, clearly anticipating Jesse taking one of the other cars in the driveway and leaving before Beca found out anything, Jesse was glad that it was almost over except that, without any warning at all, Luke was at his side of the car and was dragging him out of the car by his shirt collar.

Jesse protested loudly, shouting, "I just need a minute!" as his feet struggled to get a grip on anything.

"Are you dead from the neck up? You don't deserve a minute. You're going in there, right now, and you're going to come clean, do you understand me?"

Jesse nodded his head as Luke threatened him with bodily injury and/or death if he didn't tell Beca what had been going on. "It will be better for you in the long run if you come clean now. I warned you that you couldn't have your cake and eat it too. Beca and Lila deserve better than that and somewhere deep down in your selfish, black heart you know it too, you stupid, fucking wanker. They deserve better than you."

Jesse took a deep breath as he looked at the front door then back at Luke's very determined face. He knew his marriage was over this time. There was no way Beca would ever forgive him and there was certainly no way that she'd ever forget either. He looked at the stoic Luke for a few moments; his nemesis, the one he could never quite live up to, despite Beca assuring him that he was the one she wanted. He wondered if Luke would be the one to pick up the pieces when the shit in the fan in the next couple of minutes; he wasn't sure how he felt about it in that moment as the sweat began to drip down his back. He'd rather it be Luke than Amy or Aubrey. He thought about the crap-a-palooza with his dad and Chloe and how the heck he'd gotten involved with all of that. He thought about his son, the one he'd never gotten to met properly.

"Well… what are you waiting for you pansy ass? Get in there and confess."

Jesse shook the thoughts out of his mind and began the short walk to door. He turned and looked back at Luke as if to say "Can we just forget this ever happened?". But Luke wasn't in the mood and he knew if there was ever a case that someone could get away with murder… this was it.

The doorknob burned the skin on Jesse's hand. It was almost as if his was trying to burn a memory into his brain. He had walked through that door countless times and more than likely this would be the last time he ever did. This wave of guilt and regret hit him like a shit ton of bricks to the face. This was it…

o~O~o

Beca had finished feeding Lila, taken a quick, hot shower and was just in the kitchen picking at some leftovers from dinner with Lila in her arms when she heard Luke's car pull into the driveway. He'd left the gates open at her request so that if Jesse had come home, the gates wouldn't wake the dogs. They didn't seem to bark at the sounds of the cars they recognized but the gates opening always elicited a little bit of excitement from them as they both loved the prospect of visitors.

Thinking Luke had come back for something he'd forgotten, she quickly looked through the den looking for something that was his. She thought it was strange as he could have gotten what he'd forgotten the next day when he came over but shrugged and decided not to think too much of it. She had just finished putting the dogs in the family room so Luke could make a quick exit when the front door opened.

Beca knew the minute that Jesse and Luke walked into the house that something wasn't right. She hadn't seen Jesse in over twenty four hours but he made no effort to greet her, apologize for not being in contact or even ask if she, or Lila were ok. And she knew Jesse. She could read him like a book. And if she was honest, deep down she knew something was off before that and they were both papering over the cracks until they could deal with whatever issue was going on. Seeing the looks on their faces as they walked in the front door confirmed her worst fears and Beca knew it was big, whatever it was.

Luke hurried across the room and took Lila gently from Beca's arms so that she and Jesse could talk. He tried to smile at her as he settled the sleeping baby into the crook of his arm but he couldn't so he just nodded at her instead. Beca wasn't really sure what was going on but she relinquished Lila to Luke as she somehow knew things were going to get ugly and quick, and Luke knew Lila didn't need a front row seat.

"Jess... are you ok? You look awful." Beca asked as she walked toward him. Surprisingly, Jesse had stepped back, away from Beca's advances. He actually had the decency to look ashamed.

Luke stood behind Beca, close enough that she could feel the heat coming from him. Looking at Jesse, he said, "You know what you have to do. Do it… now."

"What's going on Jesse?" Beca asked kindly. Jesse gulped hard. "Are you sick again? We can get through it, if you are."

"No, I... well, I... um, Luke said I needed... um, this is... um, well... I..." Jesse fumbled for words and suddenly found the stack of mail on the coffee table very interesting. Luke cleared his throat loudly. Jesse looked up at Luke and remembered what he needed to say.

Luke listened quietly as Jesse began to talk. He heard the words tumble from Jesse's mouth as it became clear that Jesse was suddenly suffering from diarrhea of the mouth as he confessed about not just one, but many affairs. He described in detail with whom he had spent his time with and admitted to drinking and smoking again. As soon as he started to confess, it seemed he wanted to get it all off of his chest. He kept his eyes on the floor the whole time as the revelations struck Beca's heart like little lightning bolts. Jesse's words were slowly but surely breaking Beca's heart and her spirit.

He continued to list all of his wrong doings, admitted to throwing a couple of parties in the house while Beca wasn't home and confessed to taking various women upstairs. He recalled the time that he'd nearly been caught, when Beca had come home a little early and he'd just changed the sheets on the bed and revealed that he'd lied when he said it had been Jagger cocking his leg on the sheets.

Throughout the whole conversation, Beca remained steadfastly silent. She hadn't taken her eyes off of his face as he reeled off his list of indiscretions and Luke watched as each word took a little piece of her with it. He watched as her heart broke into a thousand pieces and her soul seemed to shatter as she listened to her husband confess. She watched as Jesse ran his hand through his hair, signaling the end of his speech.

When Jesse finally looked up and saw Beca's face, he was shocked. He moved closer and tried to embrace Beca but she stepped back towards Luke, not wanting him anywhere near her, let alone touching her. She felt Luke's presence and soaked in his strength as she tried to comprehend Jesse's lies and divulgements. She didn't know quite what to say to him but he was clearly waiting for her to speak. She willed herself to stay strong but slapped him hard across the face anyway and asked him in the quietest of voices "How could you?"

Jesse didn't have an answer. Part of him, the part that still loved her, wanted to say anything to take away the hurt look on her face, the pain in her eyes and the stoop to her stance. What could he say that would help the situation? The truth was, there wasn't anything that could be said or done that would make the blow that he had just dealt Beca any easier to take. His laundry list of excuses wasn't going to get him off the hot seat.

Growing impatient with the situation, Beca took a deep breath and then in the most graceful manner and the same quiet voice as she had used before, which surprised even Luke, she took a half step towards her husband, moving in front of her baby and told Jesse to, "Get out."

The air turned thick with emotion and Luke held his breath and pulled the baby in his arms closer to him. He didn't want her to witness anything ugly in the first few days of her life and hated that she had to hear all of her father's imperfections, even though she would never remember any of it.

As the words filtered through Jesse's muddled brain, he turned and walked away without a second look back. Without asking to talk in private, without asking to see Lila one last time, without a proper apology, he just tucked his tail between his legs and left. As the door closed quietly behind him, Beca stared at the door half expecting Jesse to walk back in and beg for forgiveness. Jesse never came back, the door never opened, the space where he'd stood and filled her head with the truth about their marriage was never refilled with her husband… that's when Beca fell to her knees, tears falling down her face as she fell apart.

"Jesse is over and where can I turn?
Covered with scars I did nothing to earn.
Maybe there's somewhere a lesson to learn
But that wouldn't change the fact,
That wouldn't speed the time,
Once the foundation's cracked
And I'm…
Still hurting"