It's Sunday. Chloe has her first final first thing in the morning, and her head in currently buried in her textbook. She's determined to be the valedictorian of her graduating class, even if she's not graduating for a couple years. Her tongue is peeking out of the corner of her mouth, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tries to remember the year in which the Mona Lisa was painted for her Art History class.
Chloe knows Beca is right across the table from her, supposedly studying for her Calculus exam, which was the only class Beca was having any real trouble in. She'd been getting better at it since Jessica had started tutoring her, apparently Jessica could explain the math in a way that made Beca understand it better. Chloe also knows that Beca's concentration on math is limited, so she's probably looking up at Chloe every other minute or so.
Chloe knows that if she looks up at Beca, she wouldn't be able to focus, so she doesn't look up until she hears her girlfriend's phone ring, which is odd because nobody ever calls Beca except for Chloe. Beca looks almost as stunned as Chloe feels. She looks at her phone for a moment, and Chloe feels slightly jealous when Beca breaks out into a huge smile at whosever name is on the Caller ID.
"Hey!" Beca says into the phone. Chloe wonders who could possibly be on the other end of the phone.
"I'm just studying for finals," Beca says. Chloe looks back down at her textbook, the realm of studying long forgotten.
"I know, right?" Beca says. "It's a good thing, though, right?"
Chloe's eyes aren't focused on any of the words in front of them. She's listening intently to every word from Beca's mouth.
"Yeah, this week is finals and then the semester is over. I don't think I'm going to leave the area though."
Chloe hears the tone of Beca's voice change. "Oh," Beca says. "No, I understand."
Chloe finally looks up at Beca, and the light that had been in her eyes at the start of the conversation is gone.
"I promise I'll be there," Beca says. "It won't be the same without you, though."
Beca's body seems to slump.
"I know," Beca says. "I should get back to studying, but call me before you leave okay?"
Chloe can see a solitary tear fall down Beca's cheek.
"Promise me you'll be safe?" Beca says. "Promise me you'll come home to me."
Chloe feels her heart break. She's not sure if it's from Beca's words, or the clear pain behind them.
"I love you, too." Beca says. "Bye."
Silence engulfs them. Not the normal silence that sometimes befalls them. This silence isn't comfortable. The tension in it is tangible. Chloe doesn't want to break it. She doesn't know how.
It's about ten minutes of Beca staring at her lap and Chloe looking at Beca before Beca finally says, "That was my mom."
Chloe is overwhelmed with emotions. Relief. Worry. Guilt. Among others.
"She's being deployed in a week," Beca says. "She won't be home for Christmas."
"Oh baby," Chloe says. She gets up quickly and goes to sit next to Beca. She pulls her in close, Beca's tears falling on her shoulder. Beca holds Chloe for dear life. "I'm sorry," Chloe says, "I'm so, so sorry."
Chloe spends the better part of an hour holding Beca and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. At some point Chloe moved them from the table to the couch, where Beca had burrowed herself into Chloe.
It's Tuesday morning, and Chloe's been awake for about ten minutes, just holding her sleeping girlfriend in her arms. Chloe thinks these are the best moments, the quiet ones where you're with the one you love, just appreciating the fact that she's there with you.
Chloe debates whether or not to get up. She doesn't want to waste the day away in bed, not that she considers staying in bed with her girlfriend a waste, but she doesn't want to wake Beca quite yet either. She decides to stay in bed until Beca wakes up, as she had a not so nice wake up call yesterday when Chloe opened her eyes to realize they had thirty minutes to make it to their eight am exams. Beca had shot straight up hitting her head on Chloe's chin in the process.
Needless to say, they were both exhausted at the end of the day.
Neither of them have exams today, which means they have the whole day to themselves, though Chloe knows most of it will be spent studying because she still has an exam tomorrow, and Beca still has three more exams to sit through.
A few minutes later, Beca stirs in her arms. "Stop staring," Beca says. "It's creepy."
Chloe laughs. "Not my fault," she says. "You're just the most beautiful thing in the room."
"Clearly you haven't looked in a mirror," Beca grumbles.
Chloe laughs again. She runs her fingers through Beca's hair. Beca purrs contentedly.
"Hey Becs?" Chloe says.
"Yeah, babe?" Beca says.
"I've been thinking," Chloe says. She feels Beca immediately tense. Chloe places a small kiss on Beca's forehead, allowing the girl to relax slightly. "Your last exam is first thing Thursday, right?"
"Yeah…" Beca says.
"What do you think about flying out Thursday so you can spend a couple days with your mom before she leaves?" Chloe says.
Beca lights up. The statement has shed any semblance of sleep from the smaller girl as her eyes widen in comprehension.
"Are you serious?" Beca says.
"Yeah," Chloe says. "I thought we could fly out Thursday, that way you could spend some time with your mom before she leaves, and then maybe we'd stick around until just after Christmas so you can have Christmas with your family, and then we could spend a week with my family in New York. New Years in Times Square is pretty cool. And then we'd fly back here and spend the rest of break here?"
Chloe's unsure of what Beca will think. She figures Beca will want to see her mom, but Chloe hasn't met Beca's family yet, and she's not sure where Beca stands on that. And though Beca has met Chloe's family, they've only met once, and Chloe's not sure whether Beca will feel comfortable staying with them for a whole week.
Chloe assumes Beca's thinking about the same things as she watches Beca's brow furrow.
"It sounds great," Beca says.
"But?" Chloe says, knowing there's something else.
"Nobody knows I'm pregnant, Chlo" Beca says.
Chloe's eyes widen. Beca's known about her pregnancy for a while now. She knows she has a good relationship with her mom, so she's surprised that Beca hasn't told them. At the same time, she understands, even the best of relationships can be tested under such circumstances.
"It's completely up to you, Becs," Chloe says, "But even if you decide not to visit them, I think you should tell them. I think it will shock your mom more if she comes back and finds out you have a child. And though I pray it doesn't happen, what if she doesn't make it back? Could you live with yourself knowing you had a chance to tell her? I don't mean to be pessimistic or anything, I just think it's something you need to think about."
Beca's crying now. Chloe doesn't know exactly why. She figures it's either because at this point she's forced to think about the reality of her situation for the first time in a long time, or because Chloe has brought up the possibility that Beca's mom might not make it home.
Either way, Chloe pulls Beca closer, trying to comfort her girlfriend. "No matter what you decide, no matter what happens," Chloe says, "I'm here for you."
"I know I need to tell them," Beca says after she calms down. "I know, I'm just scared."
"What are you scared of?" Chloe asks.
"Not knowing whether or not I'll still have my family," Beca says.
Chloe wants to assure Beca that she'll still have her family, but Chloe doesn't want to lie. She thinks that her mom will be okay with it. Well not okay but she'll be supportive. But Chloe doesn't know her mom, so she can't say for certain. Not to mention that either way, there's, again, the possibility that she'll lose her mom anyway.
"I want to go," Beca decides before Chloe can say anything anyway. "They should know. It's not really fair to them that your family knows and they don't."
"Are you sure?" Chloe says. "I don't want to push you into anything if you're not ready."
"Yeah," Beca says. "I mean, I'm not entirely sure I am ready, but mostly I don't think I could live with myself if something happens to my mom and I didn't take this opportunity to see her before she leaves."
Chloe nods. "Okay," she says. "I'll set it up."
"Chlo?" Beca says.
"Yeah?"
"You'll be there when I tell them?" Beca asks. Her eyes shine with a vulnerable emotion that only comes second to what Chloe had seen in Beca's eyes the night she'd told her she was pregnant.
"If you want me to be there," Chloe says. "Then that's where I'll be."
Beca pulls Chloe into a passionate kiss.
"Do they know we're coming?" Chloe asks as she pulls out of the car rental center.
Beca tenses. "No," she says.
"You think there will be enough dinner?" Chloe jokes. It's enough to make Beca relax again. Chloe takes Beca's hand in her own, squeezing it lightly, letting the younger girl know that it's all going to be okay. It's almost five by the time they reach Lima, Ohio. They've been singing along to the radio for the past hour and a half, and Chloe has been holding Beca's hand the entire way.
"Take a left up here," Beca says. It's only three more minutes until they pull up to the house.
"Home sweet home," Beca mutters. It isn't meant to be heard, but Chloe hears it.
"Are you ready for this?" Chloe asks, squeezing Beca's hand gently.
"No," Beca says. "What if they hate me?"
"They won't," Chloe says. "But hypothetically, should anything go wrong, we'll be on the first flight back home, okay?"
Beca nods. "No turning back now," she says. "I really do want to see my mom."
"Let's go, then," Chloe says. "Every minute you waste in this car is one less minute you can spend with your mom."
Beca nods again. Chloe gets out, and goes around to help Beca out. Beca doesn't really need help, even with her being pregnant. She's only got a slight bump, enough for it to be noticeable, but she wasn't bursting yet. Still, Chloe helps her out of the car, and takes her hand as they walk up to the door. "I'll be with you the whole time," Chloe says as Beca goes to knock.
Chloe feels Beca's grip tighten. Beca's clearly more nervous than she's let on.
When the door opens, Beca drops Chloe's hand. Chloe looks up at the boy in front of her. His hair is gelled back. He's got a plaid short-sleeve button down on, with a bowtie and khaki's. Chloe looks up at Beca. Beca looks confused.
"Um hi," Beca says finally. "I'm Beca."
"Blaine," the boy says. "I'm Kurt's boyfriend."
Beca nods. "That's good," she says. "He's a good guy. He deserves to be loved. You do love him, right?"
"I, uh, yeah. Of course I do." Blaine says.
"Good," Beca says. "If you hurt my little brother you'll have to answer to me."
Chloe smiles at Beca, even if she can't see it. It's adorable to see this side of her, the protective older sister. Chloe falls a little bit more in love with her girlfriend every day.
Blaine says, "I would never hurt him."
"Good," Beca says. "This is my girlfriend, Chloe."
Chloe exchanges pleasantries with Blaine before Beca pulls Chloe past him and into the house.
"Hello!" Beca yells.
"Little B, is that you?" Chloe hears somebody call. Chloe can hair multiple footsteps all hurdling toward them.
The woman reaches them first. She pulls Beca into a hug, and Beca holds onto her for dear life.
"Beca," the woman says tenderly.
"Mom," Beca says. "I missed you."
"I can't believe you're here," Beca's mom says. "I missed you so much, honey."
When Beca and her mom separate, a man steps in and hugs Beca. "Missed you, kiddo," he says.
"I missed you, too Burt," Beca says. The hug doesn't last as long as the previous one.
"Little bro," Beca says, looking at the boy in the corner.
"Beca," he says.
"Oh come here," Beca says, gesturing for the boy to come and give her a hug. Chloe doesn't expect for the boy to run into her arms, but he does. "Missed you," she says.
"Missed you, too. Don't touch my hair," he says. He swats her hand away.
"Chloe," Beca says. "This is my mom, Lieutenant Mitchell-Hummel."
Chloe takes her time to look at the woman. She looks young. Too young to have an eighteen year old daughter. She's got brown hair, a shade or two lighter than Beca's, pin straight and bangs cut across her forehead. She's got soulful brown eyes and a killer smile. She's wearing a fitted tee and skinny jeans. You'd never be able to tell from looking at her in this moment that she was a lieutenant in the army.
"My step-dad, Burt Hummel," Beca says.
The man looks older. His hair is thinned, his hands are calloused, but he oozes kindness. He also looks like someone you don't want to cross.
"And my step-brother, Kurt," Beca says.
The boy is flaming. He's easily the best dressed here, with his coiffed hair and his designer clothes. He looks friendly though.
"Everyone, this," Beca says, "is my girlfriend, Chloe Beale."
Chloe still feels giddy every time she hears Beca call her her girlfriend. She's smiling like an idiot as she exchanges pleasantries with Kurt and Burt, but there's a hard expression on Beca's mother's face when Chloe turns to her.
Chloe tries to stand tall and confident under the woman's gaze, but she feels scared and insecure. She hopes it doesn't show.
"I just have one question for you," she says.
Chloe simply nods in acknowledgement.
"How on earth did you get Beca pregnant?" Lieutenant Mitchell asks.
Chloe's eyes bug. She looks completely serious, but she must know that it's impossible for that to happen.
A few moments later, a smirk appears on Lieutenant Mitchell's face.
"Mom!" Beca says. "You're not allowed to scare my girlfriend off."
When Chloe wakes up Friday morning, she's actually not surprised that she's alone. She figured her girlfriend would wake up at the crack of dawn to spend as much time with her mom as possible. Though she's disappointed Beca isn't in her arms, she's glad Beca's taking advantage of the little time she has before her mom leaves.
She looks at the clock on Beca's side table. It's only eight thirty. She gets up, stretches and treads downstairs in search of coffee.
As she walks through the house, she finds she loves it. It's nothing like she's used to, it's smaller, but more homely. She would rather have a place like this instead of the mansion her father gifted to her. It's not that she doesn't appreciate what he's done; she does. It's just not her style, too grandiose.
As she gets closer to the kitchen she can hear Beca and her mother talking.
"I know I hated the idea, but I'm really glad you made me go," Beca says.
"You're only glad because you met your girlfriend there," Beca's mom says.
"Well yeah," Beca says.
"I know you don't think you need a college degree," Beca's mom says. "But simply having the degree will open so many doors for you, Bec. I only want the best for you."
"I know, mom" Beca says. "With everything that's going on, I'm sure I could use it. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself anymore. I'm just thankful to have Chloe."
"That girl is head over heels in love with you, Beca," Beca's mom says.
"I know," Beca says. "She told me."
"Don't tell me you didn't say it back," Beca's mom says.
"She told me before we started dating, mom," Beca says. "We've only been dating for a little under a month, but every day with her is amazing. I think I'm falling for her, mom. I think she might be the one."
Chloe is ecstatic about that new bit of information.
"So tell me about her," Beca's mom says. "We didn't get to talk to her much last night."
"God, she's amazing, mom. It's like she sees into my soul; she makes me want to be a better person. She's smart, no, she's brilliant. Clearly, she's beautiful. She believes in me, and she supports me. She's just a really happy person, but she's down-to-earth. She likes to earn everything she gets. Chloe could have anybody she wants; I don't know how I got her. The only thing I worry about is that she gives me too much. And it's not that I don't appreciate everything she's done for me; I just, I worry because I don't have anything to give back, you know? I just, I want to give her the world, but she already has it. I guess I'm just worried that at some point she'll think I'm using her for all the things she does for me, and I never want her to feel that way. I want her to know that I'm invested in our relationship, because, mom, she means the world to me. She's everything to me."
Chloe feels her heart beating out of her chest. She's not sure what to think. She's incredibly touched by everything she heard Beca say.
"Well why don't you tell her what you just told me?" Beca's mom says.
"I will," Beca says. "And mom?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't have to worry about me, okay? I've got an angel looking out for me, now, so just worry about yourself, and come back home, okay?" Beca says.
"I will always come home to you, my child. Always."
After a few minutes of silence, Chloe decides to make her presence known. She acts like she's just woken up and hadn't heard anything they just said.
"Morning," Chloe mumbles. She heads straight for the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup before dumping a ton of sugar into it.
Chloe turns around to see Beca questioning her with her brow, an amused smile on her face.
"So ladies," Beca's mom says. "There's some semblance of a gathering tonight, a going away party of sorts, if you will. Everyone's staying at the hotel, we got a room for Kurt, but I assume he'll be staying with Blaine, so you two can have it if you want."
"Who's going to be there?" Beca asks.
"Well Kurt's Glee Club will be performing, and mostly just their families, and a few of Burt's close friends and their families. I was never in town long enough to form lasting friendships with anyone else here."
"Okay," Beca says.
Chloe puts her hand on Beca's knee. She can feel the apprehension in her girlfriend, but for the moment she doesn't press the issue.
"Can we spend the day together?" Beca asks. Chloe looks at her girlfriend. She can see Beca's eyes are full of hope, insecurity, innocence.
"Of course," Beca's mom says. "Why don't you go take a shower, and then you, me and Chloe will spend the whole day together until Kurt and Burt get home?"
Beca lights up like a Christmas tree. "Awesome," she says. She gives Chloe and her mom a kiss on the cheek and runs upstairs to get her shower.
When Beca reaches the top of the stairs, Beca's mom turns to Chloe, her eyes narrowing at the redhead.
Chloe already knows what's coming, seeing as this is the first time she's been left alone with Beca's mother. And as such, Chloe cuts her off before she's even had the chance to begin.
"Look," Chloe says. "Beca and I haven't been together all that long, but I love her. I am in love with her, and I will do anything to make her and keep her happy. I want to tell you I will never hurt her, but let's be honest, I probably will, because we'll have our fair share of arguments, like every couple does. We'll both have those moments where we say something stupid, unintentionally hurting the other person. I'm not stupid, and I know that to promise that I'll never hurt someone is to lie. What I can promise is that I'll never want to hurt Beca. I promise that I'll never intentionally hurt her. I promise that I will do everything in my power to make her happy. I promise that I will love her forever. I promise I will do whatever I can to take care of her and her child. I promise that I will love her child as if he or she is my own. I promise I will put them first, before everyone else, including you."
Beca's mom smirks, and Chloe realizes that's where Beca gets hers from.
"Those sound like wedding vows," Beca's mom says.
"To have Beca is to be the luckiest person in the world," Chloe says. "If Beca were ever to want to marry me, I would be an idiot to say no."
"You're saying all the right words," Beca's mom says. "But words are just words."
Chloe nods. She understands that. "You still have your doubts," Chloe says. "Just know I will keep my promises I've made to you, and the promises I have and will make to Beca. I never make promises I can't keep."
"Good to know," Beca's mom says.
"Ask Beca about Aubrey," Chloe says. "You'll understand just how much Beca means to me."
"Why don't you tell me about Aubrey?" Beca's mom says.
"I could," Chloe says, "But words are just words if I say them. If Beca tells you what happened, it'll mean more to you."
What do you think?