It was one of those typical winter days in LA, the Beale-Mitchell girls were home, they all did their homework, Chloe was at the store buying a few things for dinner and Beca was at home.
Beca was in the living room watching TV when her oldest daughter came in with a photo album in her hands and a smile the bigger brunette recognized as the smile she did when she wanted something.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I wanted to see pictures from when you were a teenager." Charlotte said, taking a seat next to her mother.
Beca smiled and grabbed the album from Charlotte and opened it.
"The more I look at these photos the more I see how much you look like me." Beca said.
"Yeah." Charlotte said. "Can we see old home movies?"
"Of course!" Beca said. "Look, in this picture, I was excited about the new markers grandma got me so I used them.. on me."
Charlotte laughed as a 2-year-old Beca smiled widely at the camera, colorful drawings all over her body.
"Then here, this reminds me so much of you, I put on grandma's lipstick." Beca showed a picture from when she was around 5.
"Why does it remind you of me?" Charlotte asked with a confused frown.
"Because you were always girly, wanting to do things grownups did." Beca shrugged and turned more pages until it showed pictures of her when she was a teenager.
"What's happening here?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, I was 16, this was my first car." Beca said proudly.
"You were 16?! Why does it look like you're 12?!" Charlotte asked as she grabbed the album to look closer.
Beca glared at her but the 11-year-old wasn't looking at her.
"I developed late." Beca finally said.
"I'll say! I'm 11 and my boobs are bigger than yours at 16!" Charlotte said.
"Still on the boob thing?" Beca asked with a chuckle.
Charlotte shrugged as she put the album down.
"Mom there's something I wanna ask you." She said.
"I knew there was something." Beca shook her head. "What?"
"Can I start wearing bras?" Charlotte asked and bit her lips.
"Char.. Your boobs are not that big." Beca said.
"Please, mom?" Charlotte begged and pouted.
"You're gonna start with a training bra first—,"
"— Thank you, mom!" Charlotte said and hugged Beca tight.
Beca laughed.
"I don't know why you want bras, I mean, pretty soon you'll get tired of them. You'll be crazy to just get home and take off your bra."
Charlotte just listened to her mother.
"And then when they grow even more, you'll miss not having them, because you run and they run with you! So you have to do like Aunt Stacie and hold them because it feels like they're gonna outrun you."
Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
"Are you still talking about boobs, mom?"
Beca chuckled and shook her head.
"Don't worry, we can go out to get a couple for you." Beca said.
"Can Ma come with?" Charlotte asked. "I like her taste better."
"I'm not gonna pretend I was offended, that's fine." Beca said with a chuckle.
"And mom.. There's something else I wanna ask you." Charlotte asked.
"Ask away, Char." Beca said. "I'm in a good mood to answer questions."
Charlotte laughed because that was true, Beca would usually cry when Char would ask these questions.
"Okay so.. What's an orgasm?"
Beca choked on air and Charlotte had to give her some slaps on the back to get her to breathe again.
"Yaaay! Story time, I wanna know too!" Sophie ran in and sat on her big sister's lap with a grin.
"Sophie, you're too young to know this." Beca said.
"No I'm not, I'm 7, mommy." Sophie said.
"I know that, but that's still too young. When you're as old as Char is, you'll know." Beca said.
Sophie pouted.
"Mom, have you had the talk with So So yet?" Charlotte asked.
"Oooh the talk! Not yet." Beca said.
"Which talk, mommy? I wanna know, I wanna know!" Sophie said eagerly.
"Tell her, mom! I wanna be here for this." Charlotte said.
Beca took a deep breath.
"Okay. So Sophie, something happens when two people love each other a lot." Beca started blushing. "And when it's a man and a woman, it's.."
"So you know that women have vaginas right?" Charlotte jumped in to save her mother.
Sophie giggled.
"And men have penises." Charlotte continued.
"Ew." Sophie said.
"So when a man and a woman love each other a lot, they.. the man puts his penis inside the woman's vagina and.. and plants a seed there.." Beca said, feeling herself blushing really bad. "And.. Because men's penises have something called sperm.."
"So he puts his sperm inside the woman?" Sophie asked with curious eyes.
"Yeah." Beca said. "And women have something in their tummies called eggs."
"Like a chicken egg?" Sophie asked giggling.
"No, this one is much smaller. And the sperm from the man and the woman's egg get mixed together and they form a baby." Beca continued.
"A baby? Aww!" Sophie said.
"Yeah. That, the man putting his penis inside the woman's vagina is called sex." Beca said. "But only adults have sex, children are not supposed to do it and adults are not supposed to do that to children as well."
"Yeah So So, so if someone asks to touch you down there you scream at them and tell someone else." Charlotte said.
"Okay. Don't worry, I won't do sex." Sophie said firmly.
"That's okay, baby. Do you understand what Char said about not letting someone else touch you down there?" Beca asked.
"Yeah." Sophie nodded. "I won't ever let someone touch me down there, I promise."
"Good." Beca smiled.
"So what's an orgasm?" Sophie grinned.
Beca groaned and Charlotte laughed.
"Sophie, an orgasm is something that can happen during sex or not. It's the moment where people feel so much pleasure from sex they wanna scream or moan, but they're not hurt." Beca explained.
"Oh!" Sophie said. "It's that funny feeling you get down there?"
Beca lost her color while Charlotte's eyes widened.
"What?" Beca asked.
"Sometimes I get a funny feeling down there." Sophie said.
"Oh my God." Beca put her hand over her heart.
"So So what do you do when you.. get that?" Charlotte asked.
Sophie squinted her eyes and made a funny face and she poked Char's chest lightly.
"That's private, missy." She said.
"Oh God." Beca said.
"So So, that's okay. What you do when you're alone is okay." Charlotte said. "Okay?"
"Okay." Sophie said.
"As long as you're alone, alright? It's your body and you're too young to share these things with someone else." Charlotte explained.
"Sophie, when mamma or me ask you this, it's okay to tell us because we're your mothers, okay?" Beca said.
Sophie nodded.
"Can I go play with little Leslie now?" She asked.
"Yeah, go." Beca said and Sophie hopped off of Charlotte's lap happily and skipped out of the room.
"Mom.. Is Sophie.. you know?" Charlotte asked.
"Sophie's discovering her body, which is fine. Every child does it." Beca said. "But I think she's too young to have an orgasm."
"Last question I promise." Charlotte said and laughed when Beca groaned. "Can girls.. touch themselves?"
"Masturbate? You can say it, Char." Beca chuckled. "Yeah, girls can."
Charlotte blushed deeply.
"How?" She asked.
"I'm gonna take this as you wanting to know, not because you want tips." Beca said and Charlotte giggled but the blush in her cheeks didn't disappear. "But girls usually use their fingers. Or some other.. objects. So if you ever attempt it, don't ever use something like a pen, pencil okay?"
"Oh my God, did it happen to you?!" Charlotte asked amused.
"No." Beca rolled her eyes. "I'm saying because.. I heard of a case in school where a girl had to go to the ER because she tried masturbating with a pen and.. the cap got stuck.."
Charlotte covered her mouth with her hands and said, "oooooh".
"Yeah." Beca said. "Any other sex related questions?"
"Yeah. What's a G spot?"
Beca almost choked again and Charlotte chuckled.
"Okay, why are you asking all these questions? Something at school?" Beca asked.
"Yeah, these guys said girls can't masturbate. And they said something about the G spot." Charlotte said.
"I see." Beca chuckled. "Well, the G spot is the spot in the woman's vagina that makes them feel really good. Some say that's a myth but I don't know."
"I see." Charlotte said.
"Yeah." Beca said. "Is that all, Char?"
"Yeah, that's all. Thanks mom." Charlotte hugged her mom tight. "Can we go out this week to buy a training bra?"
"Sure." Beca smiled and Charlotte left. The thought of her baby girl growing up made her proud. She was happy Char could come to her or Chloe with these questions.
oO0Oo
After they picked up the girls from school, Beca and Chloe went straight to an under garments store to buy Char a few training bras and, since they couldn't avoid it, they brought little Leslie and Sophie too, both wanting bras as well.
Chloe went off with Char to find bras that she liked and that would fit her while Beca stayed with the little ones to find them both bras.
"What about this one?" Charlotte asked, pointing to a bra with pink flowers all over it.
"It's cute, but it will probably show through your clothes. You can still take this one if you want." Chloe said.
"I like this one, it looks more like an actual bra." Charlotte said, pointing at a green/blue training bra which actually did look like an actual bra.
"I like this one too." Chloe said. "I think you're a small or extra small."
"Okay." Charlotte took a size of each. "I want the white with flowers."
Chloe nodded as her daughter grabbed two more sizes of that.
"Take a beige one, you'll need it." Chloe asked, giving her two more.
"Okay. Why only three, Ma?" Charlotte pouted.
"You'll grow fast, your boobs grow faster than you know." Chloe said. "If you grow, we can get some bigger ones."
Charlotte nodded.
"Can you come with me in the fitting room?" Charlotte asked.
"Sure, let's go." Chloe smiled.
Charlotte tried on the beige first, but, to her and Chloe's surprise, it was too small. It was the extra small, so Chloe handed her the small one. That one was also too small, much to mother and daughter's surprise.
"I'll get a size bigger." Chloe said and she was back a couple minutes later with medium sized versions of the training bras Char chose. "Here Char."
Charlotte tried on the beige one and smiled.
"This one is a lot more comfortable." She said, looking at herself in the mirror.
"It looks better too." Chloe said.
"I can't believe my boobs are growing." Charlotte said with a chuckle.
"You'll never get over it, huh?" Chloe chuckled.
"Nope." Charlotte said.
Charlotte tried the other two and decided to take them all.
Beca met them at the counter with two white kiddy bras for jumping Leslie and Sophie.
Beca smiled at her oldest daughter and hugged her sideways.
"The days are finally coming, Char." Beca said.
"Yeah." Charlotte said. "They're coming a lot slower than I thought."
"I told you it was gonna take time." Beca chuckled.
When they got home, Sophie and Leslie were dying to try their bras on, so that's exactly what they did while their mothers decided on dinner.
"Mommy! Mamma! Look!" Sophie came in screaming and grinned. Well she had tried the baby bra on in the store but now she didn't know how to put it on by herself, so it was backwards, meaning the bra didn't cover much.
"Sophie, baby, your bra is backwards, let me help you." Chloe said. She took off Sophie's bra and put it on the right way.
"Yaay! Thanks mamma! Now I'm a little big girl!" Sophie said with a grin.
Leslie got in too, holding her bra in her hands and she didn't have a shirt on.
"Thank God our house is heated otherwise you girls would wake up sick for sure." Beca said with a chuckle as she helped Leslie with her bra.
"Yaaay!" Leslie grinned.
"See little Leslie? Now we're little big girls!" Sophie said.
"Yaaay!" Leslie and Sophie started jumping up and down while Beca and Chloe laughed.
"Char!" Sophie called when her big sister came into the living room.
"Hey Sophie! Wow! Leslie, Sophie, you two look so grownup!" Char said.
"Put your bwa on, Char!" Leslie said.
"Oh, sorry little Leslie, I can't do that." Charlotte said.
"Why?" Leslie asked.
"Because I'm a big girl, I can't walk around in a bra." Charlotte said.
"Awww!" Leslie pouted.
"That's okay, Char." Sophie said.
Charlotte chuckled and smiled while Sophie and Leslie asked their mothers to take pictures of them in their grownup bras.
oO0Oo
Sophie woke up on that Wednesday morning and heard someone downstairs in the kitchen and immediately jumped out of bed. She ran to her little sister's room and shook her awake.
"Little Leslie!" She whispered.
Leslie woke up but didn't say anything. She had such a baby face when she woke up, she'd be pouting and her eyes would be half shut in a "why did you wake me up?" kinda look.
"Come on, little Leslie, it's Char's birthday! We have to give her the gift we got her!" Sophie said.
"Okay." Leslie kind of whined as she rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. She reached out one hand as she continued rubbing one eye so her big sister would take it, but when Sophie simply turned around to the door, Leslie did start whining.
"Sorry little Leslie, I didn't see your hand." Sophie said and grabbed Leslie's hand.
Sophie took Leslie to her room where she knelt down and looked under the bed for a pink Victoria's Secret bag.
"Here, let's go give it to her." Sophie said before grabbing Leslie's hand again.
The two sisters went to Charlotte's room and Leslie was about to just walk in when Sophie stopped her.
"Remember, we must always knock before entering." Sophie said but Leslie was too sleepy to care so Sophie was the one who knocked.
When there was no response, Sophie opened the door and entered carefully. She opened the door and saw her big sister wasn't in her room, so she closed the door again and almost dragged her sister downstairs to the kitchen.
"Char!" Sophie grinned when she found Chloe and Charlotte in the kitchen. Charlotte looked sleepier than her little sister.
"Hey So So." Charlotte yawned.
"Happy birthday!" Sophie grinned. "Little Leslie and I got you a gift."
"You did?" Charlotte sat up and looked surprised at that and her heart melted when Sophie handed her the bag. "Oh my God… This is amazing!"
Sophie grinned proudly while Charlotte opened the bag. It contained a perfume and a pink hoodie with PINK written in black, just the way Char had been asking for.
"Oh my.. Sophie! Little Leslie! I love it!" Charlotte said, putting her gifts away so she could hug her sisters. "You guys are the best sisters ever!"
Charlotte hugged Sophie tight and kissed her cheek. She then moved to hug Leslie and the little redhead looked more like a child who was tired of walking than a child wanting to congratulate their sister which made the brunette laugh and scoop Leslie up in her arms and sit her on her lap.
"Are you sleepy leepy little Leslie?" Sophie asked. Leslie nodded and buried her head in her big sister's neck, wrapping her arms around Char's neck.
"Well you have to wake up, baby Leslie, it's time for school." Charlotte said.
Leslie whined while Sophie took her seat and Beca came into the kitchen, looking exactly like Leslie.
"Happy birthday my big girl." Beca managed a sleepy smile and hugged her oldest daughter and kissed the top of her head.
Chloe was still at loss of words because of Sophie and Leslie giving Charlotte a gift. She knew Beca had taken them shopping so she knew where the gift came from but she was still so surprised at their generosity.
Sophie and Chloe were the only ones among family who were morning people. They'd have identical grins each morning, talk animatedly about their day and what they were excited for.
Chloe found it amazing that the girls Beca was pregnant with were copies of her in that sense: they were not morning people and they all had the same sleepy look and manners in the morning.
"Mommy, you only make sleepy babies." Sophie said.
"I'm sorry?" Beca asked, confused.
"The babies that came out of your vagina are really sleepy." Sophie said. "Just like you."
"Well, only Leslie's birth was natural, Char was born via C section." Beca said.
"I don't think that's the point she was trying to make, mom." Charlotte yawned.
"Well So So, Char is growing up, she's a pre teen, it's normal for her to be sleepy. Little Leslie is 3 years old, it's also normal for her to be sleepy." Beca said.
"And you?" Chloe asked with a smirk.
"Hey I'm allowed to be sleepy! I gave birth, okay?" Beca said.
"Yeah but that was 3 years ago." Sophie giggled.
Beca rolled her eyes.
"Mommy is just not a morning person like you and me okay So So?" Chloe asked.
"So why can't you go back to sleep, mommy?" Sophie asked.
"Because us adults have to work." Beca said.
"Okay." Sophie said. "Like us have to go to school?"
"It's 'we', Soph." Charlotte said with yet another yawn.
"Oh!" Sophie said.
"Yeah, Sophie, like you and your sisters have to go to school." Beca said.
"Is that why we go to school? So one day we can be grumpy in the morning like you and go work?" Sophie asked curiously.
Beca ignored the grumpy comment because Sophie was Sophie, she didn't mean to offend.
"Yeah. You go to school so one day, when you're big, you can go to work and help people." Beca said. "Help make a better world."
"I wanna work a lot then." Sophie said. "I want my kids to have a great world!"
"Your kids? Hey mom, I'm gonna be an aunt!" Charlotte chuckled.
"You want kids, So So?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah!" Sophie grinned as she kicked her legs happily under the chair while she ate her French toast.
"How many?" Chloe asked with a smile.
"I want two. One is gonna be called Sophie Jr and the other is gonna be my husband's name Junior." Sophie said and the family chuckled.
Charlotte had been trying to feed her sleepy sister all breakfast and for the most part it worked. Leslie was waking up now so she was eating by herself.
"What about you, Char?" Beca asked.
"Maybe Stacie or Aubrey." Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know."
"That's sweet, Char!" Chloe said. "And if one of you doesn't wanna have kids or get married, that's okay."
"Okay but mamma I already have a boyfriend." Sophie said.
Chloe and Beca's eyes widened while Charlotte laughed loudly.
"What?" She asked. "Little So So, how did this happen?"
Sophie shrugged.
"He game me a really pretty stone in recess so now he's my boyfriend." Sophie said with a grin.
"Awww, puppy love!" Chloe said.
"Sophie, what do you do with your boyfriend?" Beca asked curiously.
"We play sometimes." Sophie said.
"What do you play?" Beca asked again.
"Many things. We play in the sandbox, we play with blocks, we draw." Sophie said. "Don't worry, mommy, I don't kiss him or touch him. Boys have cooties."
Beca laughed.
"That's okay." Beca said. "So Char, where do you wanna go for dinner today?"
Charlotte thought about it.
"Can we go to a Mexican restaurant?" Charlotte asked.
"Sure." Beca said.
"Yay! We're gonna eat aca moly!" Sophie said throwing her hands up.
Chloe, Charlotte and Beca chuckled.
Sophie, of course, could say "guacamole" but she liked "aca moly" better and she thought it was cuter.
"Ma, can I go to the movies with Maya and Alice after school?" Charlotte asked.
"Hey why didn't you ask me?" Beca asked.
"Because I knew you wouldn't let me." Charlotte said.
"Do you have homework to do? Tests to study for?" Chloe asked knowingly.
"I have a test next week but I'm confident about it and I've done all my homeworks." Charlotte said. "Unless my teachers give me homework today."
"You're coming home first and if your teachers give you homework, you can't go." Chloe said. "Otherwise, I think it'll be okay. I can stay with you girls."
"Um.. Ma, I was kinda hoping we could go alone?" Charlotte said.
"You and your friends alone? No way." Chloe said.
"What? But ma, Alice's mom lets her go to the movies alone with her friends!" Charlotte whined.
"I'm not Alice's mom, I'm your mom. And as long as you live with us, you're gonna live by our rules." Chloe said.
"Come on, ma, I'm 12 now!" Charlotte said.
"You're 12, not 16." Sophie said.
Charlotte glared at her.
"Shut up, dumbo!" She said.
"One, Char that's not how you talk to your sister, apologize to her." Chloe said.
Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked at Sophie.
"Sorry Sophie."
"Two, Sophie this is between Char and me. Chloe said.
"Sorry mamma." Sophie said.
"But Sophie's right, Char, you just turned 12, not 16." Beca said gently. "We understand you want independence but it's gonna start small. You want our trust, you have to start earning it."
"Okay." Charlotte sighed.
"How about this, Char. You go with your friends to the movies alone but I'll be there in the mall, you'll have your phone and when the movie is over, I expect you to call me and I'll tell you where to meet me."
Charlotte grinned widely.
"Yes! Yes! Oh my God ma, thank you!" Charlotte grinned but couldn't stand up since Leslie was still eating in her lap.
Chloe offered her a smile.
Beca was pretty proud of herself and Chloe. They didn't want to keep holding so tight on Char but they couldn't just let go and let her do whatever she wanted. Yes, she was growing up but she was still 12, she still had a long way to go.
Charlotte had gotten a cell phone for her 11th birthday, but it wasn't one of the latest smartphones she'd been asking for. Beca gave her her old one, she said in life you're not always gonna get what you want and if you want a cell phone, you have to show us you're ready. She also had a laptop which Sophia and Mike gave her on the same birthday but she had limited access to her laptop.
Now that Charlotte was growing into her teenage years, Beca and Chloe had a big talk with her. They explained how dangerous the internet was, how she couldn't talk to people she didn't know, give them her private informations and stuff like that. She was allowed only 1 hour a day on her laptop after all her homework was done.
Charlotte still did ballet, but her mothers had also enrolled her in tennis, which she had three times a week, so she was barely home now.
Chloe and Beca also had family time, meaning everyday after dinner, the family would get together and they'd play a game but no TV. They wanted to spend quality time together. And they also made a point of having dinner together every single day. Not always they had lunch together but dinner was sacred for them.
oO0Oo
Chloe got out of the office at 3, just as Charlotte and Sophie's school ended so she picked them up and headed home. Beca still wasn't there and Leslie was with the family nanny, Nicole or Nikki.
After they had Leslie, Beca and Chloe sat down and realized they would have to hire a nanny because of the girls' schedules. The two couldn't be at home all the time so most of the times Nikki would pick the girls up from school, give them their snack, drive them to their after school activities.
Sophie was had swimming classes, ballet and gymnastics, which she did at school, so on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she'd be free from school at 3:30 and go straight to gymnastics practice at 3:45 so her mothers or nanny would pick her up at 5 and take her straight to ballet since her class started at 5:30, so Sophie's schedule was the busiest but she loved it. Of course, she would come home all sweaty and sometimes smelly but Beca or Chloe would give her a bath or a shower.
Leslie had ballet at the same time as Sophie, so one of their mothers would pick Leslie up from home, Nikki would get her ready and they'd pick Sophie up and go.
Now Charlotte's ballet class was on Mondays and Fridays while she had tennis on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Sophie was in school. Wednesdays was her day off, so it was usually the day she'd study, do her homework and such.
The girls didn't mind their schedules, they loved it. And Chloe and Beca wanted to make sure their girls were doing the right amount of exercise for their age. They did not want girls who would watch TV or be in their phones or computers all day, they had always talked about that.
After school, Chloe picked Charlotte and Sophie up from school at 3 and took them home. Sophie had swimming class at 4, to which Nikki would take her, so she was taking both girls home.
Chloe and Beca had two cars, a Toyota Sienna — which was convenient for them, it was the car they used the most anyway — and Beca's baby, an Audi Q3.
Beca had been whining to Chloe that she wanted an Audi for too long so Chloe just laughed at her and said "why don't you buy one then?" but the redhead reminded Beca to buy an SUV not a sedan because of the girls, which was what Beca did.
Most times, Nikki used her own car to drive the kids around, so Chloe and Beca would include the gas money in her payment, but sometimes she used the family's Toyota, which Beca and Chloe had obviously no problem with. They explained to Nikki that they both worked and often Beca stayed in the studio a lot longer than Chloe so most times she would go in her Audi or, when it was necessary, Chloe would drop her off in her Audi, head to the office so Nikki could use the Toyota.
Chloe parked the car and turned off the engine with a heavy sigh. She was already tired but not unhappy. She was really excited to see what would happen later in the movies with Charlotte, the girl was very excited.
"Ma, I promised Alice and Maya we'd carpool to the mall." Charlotte said. "They're coming over."
"That's okay." Chloe smiled.
"I'll go get ready." Charlotte said and ran inside as soon as the door was opened.
Leslie came running to the front door with a grin to greet Chloe.
"Sophie, go get ready for practice." Chloe said and the 7-year-old nodded and went inside to find their nanny.
Chloe picked Leslie up and kissed her cheek before putting her down.
"Mamma's gonna get ready to go to the movies with your big sister." Chloe said.
"I'll stay with you." Leslie said and Chloe chuckled before going to her own room.
Chloe quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, she took off her high heels and pantsuit to put on jeans and a top.
"Mamma, I'm hungry." Leslie said sitting on the bed.
"I'm gonna go make you and Sophie a snack." Chloe said with a smile.
Leslie smiled.
Chloe grabbed Leslie's hand and went downstairs to the kitchen.
"Nikki?" she called but apparently Nikki was upstairs getting Sophie ready.
Chloe shrugged and proceeded to smash a few bananas to give to Leslie. The girl loved it while Char and Sophie prefered to eat the banana cut up or just normally.
Chloe sat Leslie on her high chair and placed the bowl in front of her with a spoon.
Sophie showed up not 5 minutes later wearing her one piece swimming suit, shorts and a ponytail. Nikki was right behind her with the girl's bag.
Nikki went to the laundry room to get Sophie's towel and flip flops while Chloe gave her a cut up banana.
"Nikki, Beca said she's gonna be home at 5." Chloe said.
"Okay." Nikki said before coming out.
"If you could give Sophie and Leslie a bath and get them ready, I'd appreciate it." Chloe said. "We're going out to dinner tonight."
"Okay." Nikki said.
"I'm gonna have their clothes picked out." Chloe said.
"Good, I'll just give them a bath when we get home from practice." Nikki said. "Can I give them a snack afterwards?"
"Let's see, the movie starts at 4:20, it should end before 6, I have to drop Char's friends at home and the reservation is for 8, so give them maybe half an apple each." Chloe said.
"I don't wanna eat too much, we're gonna eat aca moly today!" Sophie said once she was finished with her banana. "Mamma, look at my tooth!"
Chloe looked as Sophie used her tongue to make her teeth bend at a 90 degrees angle. Beca freaked out when she did that but Chloe just laughed.
"Maybe we should try to get that tooth out before tonight." Chloe said. "Or it'll get caught up in your nachos and you might swallow it."
"No! I want the tooth fairy to give me a dollar for it!" Sophie said.
"How about this, I'll go pick out your clothes for dinner and when we come back, we can try to get that tooth out?" Chloe asked.
"Okay." Sophie said.
Chloe kissed the top of Sophie's head before going upstairs. Her life was a lot busier with 3 kids, she was always running around to get things done.
Chloe walked out of Leslie's room after picking out a beautiful little dress and checked her watch. It was 3:40, her and Char had to hurry if they wanted to make it.
"Char, are you almost ready?" Chloe knocked on the girl's door.
"Almost!" Charlotte yelled from inside the room.
"Okay!" Chloe said and chuckled before going back to the kitchen.
"Mamma, the tooth came out." Sophie said holding the tooth in her hand.
"Oh my God, how?!" Chloe asked.
"I grabbed it and pulled it and it came out." Sophie shrugged with a grin.
"Go put it on your bedside table." Chloe said.
"Girls, we have to leave." Nikki said as Sophie stood up.
"Okay!" Sophie said and ran upstairs.
Chloe sat down to drink some water when the doorbell rang. She was gonna stand up to get it but her oldest daughter ran down the stairs faster than she'd ever seen her to answer the door.
"Bye mamma." Leslie said after Nikki finished cleaning her mouth from the banana.
Chloe kissed Leslie and smiled when Sophie came back.
"Bye mamma!" Sophie also kissed her mother and the two left with Nikki.
Chloe stood up to go greet Charlotte's friends but the three just ran past the kitchen door to the stairs.
"Whoa!" Chloe said with her arms crossed. "No running on the stairs, remember?"
"Sorry, Mrs. Mitchell." Alice and Maya said.
Along the years, calling Beca and Chloe "Mrs. Beale-Mitchell" got too long for the closest so they called both Mrs. Mitchell.
"Char, let's go?" Chloe asked.
"Ma, it's not even 4 yet, the movie starts at 4:20!" Charlotte said.
"I know, but we still have traffic to face, I have to find a good parking spot and you still have to buy the tickets." Chloe said.
"And the popcorn." Charlotte said.
"Yeah." Chloe said.
"Okay, I'll get my stuff." Charlotte said.
Chloe managed to find a spot to park near the door so she got in and followed the girls to the movies, since she had to pay for Charlotte's ticket.
Chloe looked at her watch.
"Okay, Char, call me the minute the movie is over." Chloe warned.
"I will." Charlotte said with a smile.
"Have fun, girls." Chloe smiled and kissed the top of Charlotte's head.
"Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell!" Maya smiled.
"I'll be back later." Chloe said to Charlotte one more time and the brunette nodded before her and her friends got in line to buy the tickets.
Chloe never thought staying in a mall for almost 2 hours would be a long time. She always manage to stay for at least that when she came. But waiting for her daughter, who was alone in the movies with her friends, made time go agonizingly slow.
Finally, Chloe's phone rang and she immediately picked it up.
"Hey!" she said.
"Hey ma, the movie just ended. We're getting out of the theater." Charlotte said.
"Great, meet me in front of Zara in 5 minutes." Chloe said.
"Okay!" Charlotte said and hung up.
Chloe was just inside Zara, looking through the clothes, sometimes glancing at the windows but there was no sign of Charlotte. She tried calling the girl but she didn't pick up.
Chloe started getting anxious. She took a seat right in front of the store as she looked from side to side. Her patience was getting lower and lower, she felt herself getting angrier and more worried. She tried calling Charlotte or her friends but the girls just wouldn't pick up.
When the three friends finally showed up, Chloe simply stood up.
"Let's go." she said coldly.
Charlotte was laughing with her friends the whole way to their houses. When she was alone with Chloe in the car, she looked at her mother and frowned.
"Ma, are you okay?" Charlotte asked.
"What do you think?" Chloe simply asked.
Chloe got out of the car and walked silently to the front door, walking in as Charlotte knew to immediately go to the living room.
"Charlotte Grace, I asked you to meet me in front of Zara in 5 minutes, you showed up 20 minutes late!" Chloe didn't even know how to start so she thought that would be a good place to. "You didn't answer your phone or call me to tell me where you were, I was worried about you!"
"Ma, calm down, Alice, Maya and I were just looking through this store!" Charlotte said. "Alice said, since you were at the store with us, there wouldn't be a problem."
"Charlotte, you don't have to do everything your friends say because their mom lets them do more than you!" Chloe said. "When I say 'meet me in 5 minutes', I mean 5! Not 6, I not 7 and certainly not 20!"
Charlotte just crossed her arms and sighed.
"You lost your birthday gifts your sisters got you, you're gonna have to earn them back." Chloe said.
Charlotte's eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms.
"What?"
"You're grounded." Chloe said.
Charlotte's eyes started watering.
"You can't ground me on my fucking birthday!" Charlotte shouted.
Leslie walked in just in that moment. She looked at her mother with wide eyes before looking back at her sister.
"Mommy!" she said, running out.
Chloe made fists with her hands in anger.
"That's it!" she shouted back. "Forget about your birthday dinner! Go to your room!"
Charlotte's eyes filled with tears and she stormed out of the living room, angrily slamming her bedroom door.
Chloe threw herself on the couch and rubbed her temples with a deep breath.
"Hey." Beca said as she got in, holding little Leslie in her arms.
"Hi." Chloe sighed. "I just feel like I shot her."
"Why? What happened?" Beca asked.
"I told her to meet me in front of Zara in 5 minutes and she was 20 minutes late because 'Alice thought there would be no problem'. I took her birthday gifts, she dropped the F word on me so I said we wouldn't go out for her birthday dinner." Chloe said. "I feel terrible, you should've seen the look on her face."
"Hey, you did what you had to do." Beca said. "She has to understand being older doesn't mean disrespecting the rules. I mean yeah, probably the dinner thing wasn't necessary, but let her cool down and I'll go talk to her, okay?"
Chloe nodded and Beca kissed her cheek.
"Go. I drew you a bath." Beca said with a smile.
"You're the best!" Chloe smiled and kissed her wife's lips.
Chloe disappeared upstairs and Beca turned to little Leslie.
"Leslie, wanna go see what Sophie is up to?" she asked.
"Okay." Leslie said and both went upstairs.
Beca knocked on Charlotte's door and heard a faint 'go away' in reply, but she came in anyway.
"Hey." she said softly and the 12-year-old immediately turned her head. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy from the tears. "Can I come in?"
Charlotte nodded and sat up, sniffing quietly.
"Char, mamma told me what happened." she said. "I'm not here to let you off the hook, I'm here to talk to you. Char, you're growing up and you wanna be independent, but that's not how you do it. While you live with us, you're gonna live by our rules, so if we say 5 minutes, it's 5 minutes."
"Okay." Charlotte wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Ma can't ground me on my birthday, can she?"
"She can." Beca said and Charlotte started crying silently again. "But we're still going out for dinner, okay? I'm gonna take your laptop instead."
"Okay. Thanks, mom." Charlotte said.
"But you're grounded for the rest of the week." Beca said.
Charlotte pouted again and wiped her eyes.
"Now go take a shower and get ready." Beca said, patting Charlotte on the knee and standing up. "We're leaving at 7:30."
"Okay." Charlotte wiped her tears again. "I'm sorry, mom."
"Apologize to your mother, too." Beca said and Charlotte nodded. "Go take your shower."
Beca left and closed the door with a sigh. She turned around but Sophie and Leslie were standing in front of her.
"Is Char okay?" Sophie asked.
"Honey, Char and mamma had a little fight. Char disobeyed the rules so mamma grounded her. She's a little upset." Beca said.
"Can we go in cheer her up?" Sophie asked.
"I guess so, but if she tells you to stay away, do." Beca said.
"Okay." Sophie said as her and Leslie knocked on the door.
Beca waited because she knew Charlotte would throw the girls out not 30 seconds later but she was surprised when that didn't happen. She opened the door to see the three sisters cuddling. Leslie was wiping Charlotte's tears and telling a story to make her feel better. Beca smiled and left.
Charlotte apologized to Chloe as soon as she was out of her shower. She said she wouldn't do it again but Chloe said she was still grounded, which Charlotte understood.
Chloe wasn't all that surprised when they left the house 10 minutes late because of Beca. The woman definitely had a talent!
The family got in Beca's Audi Q3 — the brunette was driving, of course — and drove off.
"Shoot, we're late! We're late, we're late, we're late!" Beca said as she drove.
"No! No going limit!" Leslie said with a mad face.
"No going over the speed limit, mommy!" Sophie agreed.
Charlotte chuckled and looked at her mom through the rearview mirror.
"Who are you, raising law abiding children?" she asked and Beca chuckled.
Beca was glad the tension dissipated, she hated when two members of the family were mad at each other, it made things more difficult.
Charlotte knew she was still grounded but at least she was able to enjoy her birthday dinner.