A/N - Bit of a long chapter tonight, sorry, not sorry! I hope you enjoy it anyway. As always, I'm super indebted to my beta for their time and efforts in helping me make this the best story it can be.
On another positive, it's Friday tomorrow and it's also payday! xx
.oOo. Chapter Twenty Five .oOo.
Beca got into her car, feeling nervously excited, and placed her backpack on the passenger seat.
She couldn't wait to see Jessie and she hadn't slept well during the night, but had eventually nodded off on her sofa, waking early to take some Tylenol for a headache and managed another hour's sleep before working at home for the morning. It had kept her busy, but she found she was clock watching more than normal.
Just after midday, she sent all of her morning's work over to Luke before showering and dressing in clean clothes. She put on her best jeans, favourite shoes and a tee shirt she didn't think would offend anyone and picked up one of her plaid shirts, in case the temperature dipped after their time in the pool. She wished she had some nicer clothes, but Chloe had said casual so, casual was what she went with.
She carefully finished wrapping up three presents for the girls' birthdays and stood debating, for quite some time, whether she should bring something for Chloe as well. Deciding that giving her Jessie was the biggest gift she'd ever need, she left her apartment with a spring in her step for the first time in what seemed like forever.
She pulled on the car door hard and it shut with a rusty protest before she threaded her seatbelt and turned on the ignition. It took a couple of turns before the car leapt into her life and Beca thanked her lucky stars it started. Checking her gas level, she pulled out onto the street and drove towards Chloe's.
She knew the area she was heading to, having done some work for Universal and at Warner Brothers, but she stopped at a nearby Walmart to check the GPS on her phone when she knew she was close by.
Beca turned into Chloe's road, nodding appreciatively at the mix of houses on the street. Some were single storey, a couple of duplexes and some apartment blocks as well as some larger family homes. The trees lining the street gave the place a wholesome feel as she looked around at the numbers to find Chloe's house. Finding the first white house that Chloe mentioned, she quickly realised she was in the right place.
Chloe's house had a Spanish feel to it, with flowers creeping around the front door and up a trellis to the left. She had thought Jesse's family home had been large, but this appeared, from the road, to be much bigger, yet it didn't stand out like a sore thumb amongst the mix of houses in the area.
Pulling up at the side of the road a little way from Chloe's, she sent her a quick text to let her know she had arrived and got out of the car, reaching for her backpack and purse as she did so. She looked down at herself, hoping again that her choice of jeans and Chucks wasn't too casual for the occasion. She tugged down her tee shirt, smoothed her finger under the collar of her plaid shirt, thanking her lucky stars that she'd at least ironed it and locked her car.
She walked back down the road towards the house just as the gates started rolling back.
"Hi!" Chloe said brightly. She leaned forward as if to hug Beca, but seemingly remembered at the last moment that they were, in fact, still strangers. Beca was pleased to see that Chloe was barefoot but also in jeans and a tee shirt, emblazoned with a Barden Bellas logo which Beca wasn't sure what it meant. She looked relaxed and her hair was bouncing as she walked, exactly the same way that Jessie's did.
"Hi," Beca nodded her greeting back.
"Where's your car?" Chloe asked, looking at the immediate area around her driveway.
"Um, it's that old rustic beast, down there," Beca replied, pointing.
"Why did you park it all the way down there?"
"Didn't want to lower your house price with that thing outside," Beca leaned forward and stage whispered. "This is a nice neighbourhood!"
Chloe threw her head back and laughed. Beca grinned and decided not to mention David's opinion on her car the first time they met and spoil the mood.
"I'll give you a gate key before you leave," Chloe said, indicating towards the house. Beca took that as the invitation to follow Chloe as she turned around. "You can just keep it in your car for the next time you come over and park on the drive. Well, I mean… you know, if you wanted to come back."
"This is a lovely place," Beca said, ignoring what Chloe said. Small steps. "I'm impressed."
"Thanks, we're pretty happy with it. I mean, it's home," Chloe smiled warmly, but her eyes told a different story. "Let's go and see the girls and I'll give you a guided tour later."
Chloe pushed open the front door, which had been left slightly ajar. Beca heard the rattle of the front gate shutting itself and she liked the security that the house provided. She gasped as she took in the front hall and vestibule.
"Wow," She said as she wiped her feet several times on the doormat. She looked up and saw a chandelier in the centre of the large, bright hallway. Several closed doors lead off from the foyer and the staircase rose like a centrepiece in the middle of the room. There were family photos on the wall along with some printed pictures and a couple of framed magazine front pages, celebrating Chloe's movie star success.
Beca dug her toes into the back of her boots and slipped them off, picking them up off the floor and holding onto them. The floors looked new and clean and she didn't want to bring any dirt in with her.
"You can leave everything by the front door…" Chloe said, sensing Beca's awkwardness, finding it quite endearing. Chloe pointed to a door adorned with a picture of some funny looking hats. "… or in that closet there."
Beca nodded, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed. She opened the closet door quickly and placed her boots and backpack on the floor and pushed the door shut.
"Your coat closet is almost as big as my kitchen," She stated, running her hands over her face and shaking herself a little. She hoped Chloe hadn't heard her.
"Would you like a drink?" Chloe asked.
"No, thank you. I just need to see…" Beca trailed off, her mouth dry.
"Come on, let's go find the girls," Chloe said brightly.
"Please."
Beca followed Chloe across the hall and through the only open door. Beca found herself in a formal living room, with three huge, overstuffed sofas piled high with brightly coloured cushions which tied in well with the cheerful area rug and drapes. It was discreetly tasteful and simple. The open fireplace seemed odd to Beca, southern California wasn't really an indoor fire kind of place, but she then realised this was what people meant when they talked about having a focal point in the room. The large screen television above the fireplace, wide brimmed lamps and ornaments finished off the room nicely. It was clearly used and enjoyed. Beca liked this room.
They crossed through the lounge and Chloe paused at the door in the opposite corner.
"This is the playroom. I didn't tell the girls… Jessie… you were coming."
"Oh?"
"Just in case you hit traffic or something." Chloe said, but Beca read between the lines.
'Just in case I didn't come,' She thought.
Chloe pushed open the door and a wall of sound hit Beca. It was obvious that the playroom had been previously sound proofed by someone. She could immediately hear giggling over the sounds of a television set.
She pushed past Chloe into the room and was confronted by more pink than she had ever seen in her life. The room wasn't overly large and had a door that led onto an enclosed outdoor deck area with a few potted plants. The room was bathed in mid afternoon sun which highlighted the glitter on the pink painted walls. This was Beca's idea of hell for a room, but she failed to notice the rest of it as she laid her eyes on Jessie for the first time in over two weeks.
Jessie was pouring out fake tea in several cups and saucers with ardent attention. To the side of her, Kate was tending to a dolly, wrapping her up in a scarf of some description and talking non stop to anyone who would listen. She was trying to do her task one handed as the other was firmly clutching Jessie's ankle, keeping her close. Alex was sitting slightly apart from the two redheads, playing on a toy keyboard like her life depended on it. She glanced over to the other two girls every few moments and was the first to notice someone had entered the room.
"Ladybug," Beca said quietly and watched as Jessie's head spun around so fast, her whole body twisted with it.
"Mommy!" She yelled, pushing away the tea set in front of her to make room for her to stand up. She brushed Kate's hand off of her ankle and struggled to her feet, spilling the contents of her lap all over the floor.
"Hey," Beca crouched down as Jessie approached her at speed and held her arms out for what can only be described as the hug to end all hugs. "Happy Birthday baby!"
"Mommy!" Jessie cried out again, throwing herself into Beca's arms. "You is back!"
"I'm back. And I missed you more than sunshine!" Beca said, kissing the top of her head. "But, where did I go?"
"That lady said you work late." Jessie muttered, pointing a sly finger towards Chloe as Beca scooped her up easily. Jessie slotted onto her hip as she always did and nuzzled into her neck.
"That's right, Mommy had to work," Chloe said, shooting Beca an apologetic look.
"Yeah, yeah I did," Beca faltered. "How have you been, Bug?"
"I fine."
"You being a good girl?"
"Yeah."
"What are you playing with?"
"Hers tea set," Jessie said, pointing at Kate.
"That's cool and super nice of Kate to share. I hope you are sharing your toys too."
"I is."
"Did you have a nice birthday?"
"Yeah. We all got presents."
"Well, that's because you guys all share a birthday. How cool is that?" Beca smiled.
"It's okay," Jessie shrugged.
"I've got a present for you in my bag."
"You has?"
"I have."
"Can I has it?" Jessie asked.
"As soon as I've said hello to everyone, yes baby."
"When's your birthday Mommy?"
"Mine is in September."
"And hers?" Jessie asked, pointing to Chloe.
"It's June," Chloe said.
"I has no idea when that is," Jessie grinned happily. "We go home now Mommy?"
"Well, here's the thing, Chloe and I are going to have a little chat this evening as I might need to work some more this week and you might get to stay here with Alex and Kate. Would you like to do that?"
"Nooo," Jessie said, burying her face into Beca's neck. "I go home."
"I know you want to go home but for now, you will stay here and I'll come and see you when I can."
"You was gone for aaages."
"I know, but I missed you every single second," Beca admitted to the young girl.
"I want home," Jessie began to squirm on Beca's hip.
"But here is an awesome place. Did you know this house is magical?"
"Mag kick?" Jessie stilled immediately.
"Yes, magic. It has special powers but you'll only get to find out what they are if you stay here."
"What mag kick?"
"Well I don't know 'cos I don't live here. It's only magic that kids can see so you'll have to look out for it and tell me."
Jessie pulled herself back and looked at Beca. She wasn't completely sure what Beca was saying but she trusted the woman she believed was her Mommy. She nodded a couple of times and brushed the hair out of her face.
"I bet the faeries are nicer here than we have at home, huh?" Beca continued.
"I no see faeries no more."
"Any more," Beca corrected. "Well, are you looking for them?"
Jessie shook her head.
"Perhaps you are being too busy all the time?" Beca asked and Jessie nodded.
"Them toys," She said, pointing at the vast array of clutter all over the floor.
"I know, there's so much, isn't there?" Beca laughed, kissing the top of Jessie's head. Jessie nodded and started to play with the thin necklace around Beca's neck. "But remember, it's okay to sit and be quiet sometimes."
"I know Mommy."
"I'm going to go and say hello to Alex and Kate. Okay? We'll have more cuddles later. Do you go back to your tea set and maybe you could pour some tea for Chloe and myself?"
"Okay Mommy."
"Good girl," Beca said, setting her down on the thick, plush and very pink carpet. Jessie ran back to her seat and started setting the cups back onto the saucers, side eyeing Beca all the time as if she might disappear again.
Chloe watched Beca run her hands down her jeans and walk over to where Kate was now earnestly drawing on her dolly's face. Her heart had been pounding while she watched Beca and Jessie's interaction and she loved how open they were with each other.
"Hi Kate, do you remember me? I'm your Mommy's friend from um, work," Beca crouched down besides Kate.
"Uh huh," Kate said, without looking up.
"I came by to wish you a Happy Birthday today," Beca said, crouching down on her knees and leaning forward. Kate was so like Jessie. Beca could easily tell the difference in the two girls, but the resemblance was still obvious to the casual observer. "What's your dolly's name?"
"Ummm…" She looked over to Chloe who was taking a seat on one of the two pink armchairs in the room. Chloe smiled broadly back at her which Kate took to be permission to talk to the relative stranger. "… she called Wawa."
"Your dolly is called Wawa?" Beca checked, not sure if she'd heard the right name.
"Yeah. Wawa."
"And are you giving Wawa a makeover?" Beca asked, referring to the green colouring in on the dolly's eye and lips.
"Yeah."
"Well, she looks beautiful, " Beca lied.
"I know."
"Is she your favourite dolly?"
"Yeah. She the best. But I like JoJo, she my dolly," Kate explained and Beca felt her begin to loosen up. "I has another baby called Sam."
"That's amazing. What else do you like to do?"
"Puzzles, " Kate said, looking up and looking confused for a second. "What's dat?"
"What?"
"On dere, " Kate said, reaching out to where Beca had rolled her sleeves up.
"This?" Beca pointed to the tattoo on her forearm. "It's a picture on my skin called a tattoo."
"Does it come off?"
"No, not even in the shower. It's always there."
"My mommy has lots of pictures on her," Jessie joined in the conversation.
"You do?" Kate's eyes went as big as saucers.
"I do."
"Why?"
"Each picture is like a memory."
"What's a mem rory?"
"A memory is like putting Wawa's face on my arm so I don't forget her and she's always with me."
"I put Wawa on my arm?"
"That's up to your mommy but you are too small at the moment. You'll have to get a lot more sunshine and eat a lot more vegetables and grow up big and strong."
"I try."
Beca threw her head over her shoulder and looked to Chloe.
"I'm sorry, I think I've just talked your kid into getting a tattoo..."
"I'll remember that when she's eighteen when she comes looking for the money to pay for it!" Chloe laughed, enjoying watching Beca interact with her daughter.
Beca shuffled around until she was seated comfortably and crossed her legs, as she turned to speak to Alex. The mini version of herself looked over to her and cocked her head curiously. Chloe watched intently, not wanting to get involved as Beca attempted to restart the bond with her biological child.
"Hi Alex. Happy Birthday," Beca said, trying hard not to stare at Alex and frighten her. She was desperate to reach out and touch her, clearly remembering the feeling she got the last time she'd been able to hold her daughter.
"Hi," Alex mumbled, looking back at her little keyboard. She had it perched on her knees with her feet out straight in front, and was busy pressing down on the little black and white keys.
"How are you? Have you had a nice day today?"
"Good."
"What are you doing?" Beca asked.
"Mus kick."
"You like music?"
"Yeah."
"I like music too."
"Okay."
"I make music for a living."
Chloe watched as Alex looked up at Beca, clearly trying to determine who this lady was who was talking to her. It was obvious to an outsider that she was a carbon copy of Beca and Chloe knew Alex wasn't stupid. She could probably tell something was familiar about her, and not just from meeting her that one time. She watched Beca talk to her, trying to get to know her without scaring her, while looking up and keeping an eye on Jessie at the same time.
"Yeah?"
"Yes. Shall I show you some?"
Alex shrugged her shoulders and side eyed Chloe for reassurance. After a few seconds, she pushed the keyboard towards Beca.
"What's your favourite song?"
"She likes Guns and Roses, Sweet Child o' Mine," Chloe said helpfully. Beca's head spun around.
"Seriously?" She said to Chloe who nodded to confirm. Beca turned back to Alex. "You've got great taste. I have no idea where you learned that song, but it's a classic."
Beca picked up the keyboard, and without realising what she was doing, she straightened her legs out in front of her and balanced the keyboard on her knees, copying Alex's stance exactly. She waggled her fingers in front of her and smiled at Alex.
"Ready?" She asked the little girl, who nodded slowly back, still unsure. Beca made a great big show of raising her hands up before crashing them back down on the keyboard, mashing them onto the keys in a jumbled mess of noise. Alex's eyes grew wide and she clamped her hands over her ears and Beca pressed as many buttons at once.
"Do you like it?" She asked Alex, who shook her head back and forth. "You don't? Huh... people pay lots of money for me to do this... oh wait, I know what's wrong..."
Alex looked up to Beca and took her hands away from her head.
"... I'm using too many hands. Let me sit on one real quick and then it will work."
Alex continued to watch Beca skeptically, but it was obvious that the newcomer had her attention. Beca placed a hand under her leg and flexed her fingers for a second before returning them to the keys and began to tap out the notes to the Guns and Roses song she knew so well. It had been one of Jesse's favourites too, so much so, that he'd spent nearly the entire summer one year with it on repeat.
Chloe was quite amazed as she recognised the tune immediately, despite it being played on a children's toy and watched as Alex began to bounce up and down a little as Beca's fingers deftly flew over the keys. Chloe was quite stunned to see how quick she moved her fingers. A minute or so later, the music abruptly stopped.
"Shall I show you a trick on the keyboard?" Beca asked Alex.
Alex nodded her response, she hadn't known her little toy could play such great tunes.
"So, you see this button here…" Beca said, pointing to the on/off switch. Alex nodded again. "… the trick is to switch it off."
Alex watched Beca flick the button.
"Now watch really closely, because it will be quick, okay… but if I press this key here at the same time as pressing my nose, my foot will start tapping a beat out."
Alex looked at Beca like she had suddenly grown two heads.
"Oh, you don't believe me, huh?" Beca asked and Alex shook her head. "Okay, I'll show you. Are you ready?"
Alex shifted back a little to make room for Beca to move the keyboard closer to her. Beca reached out and pressed one of the keys down and noticed Alex look straight at her foot.
"Hmm, it's not working." Beca said. Alex raised herself up onto her knees and with a tentative finger, reached out and lightly pressed the tip of Beca's nose, jumping back when Beca's foot began to tap back and forth.
"You have the magic touch!" Beca laughed and Alex's face broke into a sly grin. Beca suppressed a gasp, seeing Jesse's face in the little girl. "Shall we see what the other keys do?"
"Yeah."
Chloe watched Beca play with Alex for a few minutes. True to her word, they tested every key on the plastic keyboard to see what worked and she was amazed at how quickly Beca came up with different sounds or movements as Alex pulled on her ear lobe or touched her chin. Alex climbed into Beca's lap, leaning back against her as they played together. Kate and Jessie watched them playing and soon abandoned the tea set and dolly in favour of coming over to see what all the giggling was about.
Chloe leant against the back of the chair as she watched her shy Kate climb into Beca's side as they took turns in hunting for the trick noises. Jessie stood behind Beca and threw her arms around her neck and laughed as Beca made animal sounds, did jazz hands and even pretended to be frozen when two of the girls pressed on the keyboard at the same time.
"You are such a natural with kids," Chloe said, once Beca managed to move away from the girls leaving them to play with the keyboard themselves. They kept bursting into fits of giggles as they made up sounds and movements.
"With no money growing up, I learned to improvise with what I had pretty quick. I do the same with music. I guess I related that to kids too."
"I never would have thought to do that with the keyboard. Look how they are sharing Alex's toy and look at the sheer happiness on her face now that Jessie and Kate have forgotten their dolls and tea set and are playing with her," Chloe said, laying her hand over her heart. She opened her mouth to say something else when a head appeared around the door.
"Thought I heard adult voices," The newcomer said, brightly, coming through the door. She held out a hand towards Beca. "Hi, you must be Beca."
"Hi, yeah," Beca said, shaking the hand that was held out to her. "My God, you are tall."
"Beca, this is Stacie!" Chloe explained with a small laugh. "She's my… well, my everything."
"Aww, sweet of you to say Chloe," Stacie laughed, nudging Chloe in the ribs.
"Stacie comes round for a few hours a day, sorts out the mail, books appointments, organises my schedule, keeps an eye on the kids if I need to run an errand or something. And just helps keep our lives on track."
"I'm working my way through college at the moment," Stacie said, as if she needed to explain her presence in Chloe's life.
"Oh, okay," Beca said.
"Stacie is at UCLA. Bioengineering. It's something I don't understand," Chloe laughed and Beca realised that for the first time in ages, she was seeing the real Chloe in person. Even the Chloe in the hospital was slightly guarded. Every interview she'd seen which, granted, wasn't many, everyone always said how natural and easy going she was and now Beca was watching a different side to her emerge. She much preferred this Chloe than the one in the court room.
"I don't even know what that means," Beca said, her eyes wide.
"Molecular science. In a nutshell," Stacie explained, smiling broadly.
"Yeah, that doesn't help," Beca muttered and Stacie grinned.
"Clo said you were a music producer. That's pretty cool."
"Well, I'm not quite there yet. I've yet to get my big break, but at the moment, I'm still an intern."
"Ah, right."
"I do some freelance work; commercials, company jingles… that kind of thing."
"And you DJ at clubs at the weekends," Chloe interjected.
"Oh, anywhere I know?" Stacie asked, seemingly genuinely interested.
"I've done some sets at Sound, um Avalon… Academy. About once a month, I host an after-hours night at Bardot, that's pretty intense."
"What's your stage name?"
"I just go by MitchMatch. No big surpr-"
"-Wait, you're MitchMatch?" Stacie turned to Chloe. "Remember that guy, the stud? The one with the cute face."
"Oh Stacie, there's so many," Chloe laughed and gave Stacie a small wink.
"The one with the glasses, the smooth skin, is a reporter for MTV or whatever…" Stacie explained but giving up when she got a blank look in response. "He was raving about this DJ he'd seen in Bardot that he said was going to be the next big thing. It was MitchMatch… and that's you."
"That's me."
"Are you kidding?" Stacie asked.
"Um, no."
"And you seriously play at some of the best clubs in Los Angeles. That's amazing!"
"They pay my rent, that's all I care about."
Stacie shook herself, clearly awestruck. Chloe watched Beca squirm under Stacie's gaze and inwardly chuckled. Here was this slightly awkward but very clever young woman who could command a nightclub full of hardened partygoers and music lovers, blushing as she received praise.
"I can never get into places like that," Stacie said. "My best friend, Cynthia Rose, would just die to get in!"
"I can bring guests," Beca said lightly. "I sometimes bring a friend but usually the tickets go spare. I can let Chloe know the next time I've got some, if you want to go?"
"Oh, I didn't say that to get free tickets," Stacie looked flustered. "I wasn't asking for that reason."
"It's okay," Beca shrugged.
"Mommy?"
Both Chloe and Beca spun around at the same time. Kate stood in front of them, hopping from foot to foot. Her voice was similar to Jessie's and Beca looked over towards the other two to see they were still playing together.
"Yes baby?" Chloe said.
"We go swimming now?"
"We can, if Beca would like to?"
"I don't get in the water," Beca said.
"You don't swim?"
"Never learned, I guess."
"There's a shallow end-"
"-I didn't bring anything with me, so I'll just sit on the edge of the pool."
"I can lend you a bikini," Chloe offered.
Beca looked out to the sky, from the playroom windows. It was a lovely warm afternoon, and she knew some rays on her skin would probably do her some good. She felt a bit funny accepting the clothing from Chloe, seeing as just a few days ago she despised just everything about her. But she was doing this for the girls and she promised herself that she would have fun and join in and see where the afternoon took her. Swallowing her former opinion, she nodded her acceptance to Chloe.
"Yeah, thanks."
"We'll get the girls changed in their room and then you can change in the guest room."
"Okay."
"Stacie, can you please get their swimming things ready and take them upstairs. We'll be up in a minute. I just want to show Beca around."
"Of course, Chloe," Stacie called out to the girls. Jessie walked past Beca and gave her leg a quick hug. Beca patted her head and told her she'd be up soon.
"Let me show you the rest of the house."
"Sure," Beca nodded, following Chloe as she walked back through the living room and back into the hallway.
"So, the coat closet is by the door and that door there…" Chloe indicated a second door Beca hadn't even noticed before. "… is the half bath. This door, past the stairs, is the laundry room and there's a storage room in there too. The double doors lead straight onto the deck. It's pretty cool for parties."
"Okay."
"This one leads to the kitchen," Chloe said, pushing on the door and leaving it open after Beca had walked through.
The kitchen was modern and filled with some of the latest gadgets. The island had seating around it and there appeared to be a coffee maker built into one of the cabinets. Beca noticed that none of the counters were cluttered with junk or appliances and looked like something straight out of a magazine.
"Wow," She said quietly.
The pale green walls worked well with the grey floor tiles, even though it looked like it shouldn't. The dining area overlooked some of the garden at the back and the table could easily sit eight people. There were colourful placemats and napkins stacked neatly on one end and a pile of muslin cloths for any spills.
"The French doors open onto the deck area as well. It leads down to the pool on the right," Chloe explained. "Really nice in the summer to get the scent of the flowers coming through in the evening while we're eating."
"You always sit at the table?"
"We do. It's a great time to discuss the day or make plans. It's better for their digestion too."
"We don't have a table," Beca mumbled absentmindedly. "Jessie used to sit on a barstool in the kitchen and ate at the kitchen counter. I usually just stood and ate on my feet while I was saving up for a second bar stool."
"That will explain how her balance on those things is so much better than the others then," Chloe smiled as she pointed towards her own barstools and Beca shrugged. "The study is through that door in the corner although we don't use it so much these days. There's a desk, a sofa and about three laptops in there. Probably a few spiders. Stacie pretty much takes care of my diary and appointments and now that David no longer uses it for school prep, it's not used much. He does his own thing in the guest house."
"I've only got the one room for everything," Beca said plainly. "But we make it work. And I've got one ancient laptop."
Chloe's eyes narrowed at Beca's comment. She wasn't sure if she was upsetting or embarrassing her by showing her around; she didn't know her well enough to be able to tell. She was trying to show her around so she knew where the girls lived, but realised after Beca's comment that it might all be a bit much.
'Be less Chloe.'
"Um, sorry. I've just realised that I probably come across as… well, I don't know."
"Oh no, it's cool. This is a lovely home and I hope to have something like it one day. I've always had dreams and they come true eventually, if you work hard enough for them." Beca declared.
Chloe could have kicked herself as she watched Beca look around. She didn't look upset at all as her eyes roamed over the stainless steel appliances and gadgets. She took a few moments while Beca's back was turned to study her profile. Chloe already thought she was beautiful, but she realised that Beca moved about with a certain grace and elegance she'd not seen for a while. There was something about the way she ran her fingers so delicately over the kitchen counter, as if a featherlight touch would tell her all she needed to know.
The way she touched everything reminded her so much of Alex, who also had a tactile need to feel her way around as well.
Chloe noted Beca's athletic but very slim frame and wondered if she always got enough to eat. Beca had a healthy glow about her, but Chloe still felt something tug at her heart strings. She wanted to look after someone who clearly didn't need looking after, but she couldn't help the way she felt.
'Be less Chloe.'
"Have you lived here long?" Beca asked, snapping Chloe from her thoughts.
"Just over four years."
"It's so nice. It's like a proper home." Beca said, turning around. "Well, you know what I mean. It's normal."
"How do you mean?" Chloe laughed, her eyes twinkling.
"I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting a red carpet and a row of Oscars but…
"No Academy Awards yet. And I keep my trophies and statues in the study!" Chloe mused, throwing her thumb in the direction of the closed door. "Haven't looked at them in months."
"I mean, I've never been to a movie star's home before. I guess I always thought everyone famous had full time maids and all that, never lifted a finger to do anything, expected people to fan them with giant leaves and swanned about in their underwear." Beca said before laughing.
"I've locked the help in their respective closets for now." Chloe winked and Beca grinned back, glad that Chloe got her jokes. "I'm gonna go see how the girls are getting along. Would you like to see upstairs or have you had enough house tour?"
"I'd love to see upstairs."
They left the kitchen, crossed the hall and climbed the stairs. Beca paused every now and then to look at the family pictures.
"Hey Chloe?" Beca called out as she followed behind her. "I've brought some baby pictures of Jessie with me. They're copies and some are a little dog eared, but I thought you might like to see years one through three. I don't have many pictures of her first year. They were in the van that caught fire but the rest are good."
"That's really thoughtful Beca, thank you."
They reached the landing and again, Beca was amazed by the size of the empty space. In her apartment, there was barely enough room to breathe too deeply, let alone just have space for turning around.
"So there's five bedrooms up here. The girls are currently sharing the second bedroom which has its own bathroom. So, the master suite is on the left, girls bedroom here, and then the other three bedrooms are on the right along with the family bathroom."
"I need to see your room." Beca said seriously.
"Um, okay." Chloe, confused, turned left.
Beca followed and waited as Chloe pushed open the double bedroom doors. Beca inhaled deeply as she took in the size of the room. It was about the size of her whole apartment. She was surprised at the colour scheme, expecting peach and cream taffeta or pink polka dots and definitely a random unicorn in the corner but she was confronted with a fake brick wall, painted in dark grey instead. The rest of the walls were painted a lighter grey, the colour broken up by some bespoke white furniture and silver accessories. The bed was simply enormous and looked like it could sleep twelve people, the bedding was a deep grey and the throw pillows were fluffy and in a mix of black, grey and white.
There was a tall, open backed unit which housed a couple of leafy plants and some decorative vases. The only colour in the room were a few large prints of flowers and the mix of teal, purple and pink actually worked really well.
"Yay!" Beca said as she took in the dressing area and the corner of the en-suite bathroom she could see from where she stood. Chloe cocked her head at Beca's exclamation.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Yup!" Beca grinned, turning to face her. "Now I can say that I've been in a celebrity's bedroom!"
"Oh my God!" Chloe laughed, thinking Beca was an adorable dork at heart. She nodded her head towards the next bedroom. "Shall we see if the girls are ready for swimming?"
"Sounds good." Beca said, backing out of the room.
Chloe pushed open the girl's bedroom door and called out to the girls as she entered. There was a lot of shrieking for three people who were supposed to be getting dressed for the pool. Stacie looked a little harassed but was just fixing the last water wing on Kate when the door opened.
The girl's bedroom was pretty. The walls were painted pink and white and everywhere Beca looked there were butterflies. There were three small beds in the room, but it wasn't overcrowded. Each bed had the same set of sheets and butterfly blankets, slightly ruffled and the first unkempt thing Beca had seen on her house tour. She guessed there had been some jumping on the beds that afternoon. Each bed had a different throw on top and she wasn't surprised to see the bed that Jessie was sitting on had a purple one. She noticed that the beds had recently been moved around, judging by the deep indents in the soft carpet.
"Are you girls ready for swimming?" Chloe asked and three loud cheers suggested they were.
"I'll take them downstairs while you ladies change," Stacie said, ushering the girls out of the room.
"Do you have a preference on a bikini?" Chloe turned to Beca as they could hear Stacie cajoling the girls down the stairs. "Colour or style, I mean"
"Um, no?" Beca said. "I mean, if you have a black one…"
"Yes, I do. Or would you prefer a one piece?"
"Bikini is fine."
Chloe left the room and went off in search of a bikini for Beca to borrow while Beca looked around the girl's bedroom a little more. It was a little angels paradise and Beca was glad to see it wasn't completely filled with toys. They didn't seem like spoilt girls, despite their mother's status and Beca was glad of that. She felt a little piece of resistant fall off of her shoulders.
"Here you go," Chloe said as she came back into the room wearing a different outfit than she was a couple of minutes ago. She held out a small pile towards Beca. "There's a couple of different styles to choose from and you can mix and match if you need to. There's some shorts as well, if you don't want to wear your jeans by the pool."
"Thanks," Beca said, taking the swimwear.
"You can change in the guest room or my room. I've already changed so you'll have privacy."
"Um, your room is fine."
"Okay, just come down when you are ready. There are pool towels downstairs already so… yeah. Need anything?" Chloe said, gently clapping her hands together a couple of times.
"Nope, I'm good."
Chloe left the room and hurried downstairs leaving Beca in the girl's room. She gave it one last look over before leaving and making her way back to Chloe's bedroom. She felt a little weird changing in, what she felt was her arch enemy just last week, bedroom but she tried to brush those feelings off. Chloe was making a real effort in welcoming her into her home and family and Beca knew she needed to do the same.
Beca quickly changed and folded her clothes neatly into a pile. She selected the bikini bottoms with the tie, as Chloe's hips were slightly wider than her own, but the top part fitted her perfectly. She piled her hair up onto her head and using the band that was around her wrist, tied it up into a messy bun.
Chloe reached the bottom of the stairs and walked through the kitchen and into the back yard, turning right towards the pool. Stacie was just finishing up spraying all three girls with sunscreen.
"Hey, how's it going?" Stacie asked.
"Surprisingly well," Chloe replied. "I thought it was going to be super awkward, but so far so good. I mean, we haven't talked about anything yet and all she's done is see the kids and had a tour of the house, but she didn't do a snatch and grab so…"
"I'm still sorry for suggesting to you that she might do that," Stacie said, tugging the water wings further up Kate's arm. "Okay, Miss Katharine, you are good to go."
Kate wandered off to the edge of the pool and walked down the first step to sit in their water. The girls knew they weren't allowed to go any further than that without an adult in the pool with them. Chloe had stressed this many times to Jessie when she first came to the house. Jessie was afraid of the water and was happy to wait by the edge with the others. They kicked their feet in the water, splashing each other and laughing.
"She actually seems really nice," Stacie said, referring to Beca. "Bit shy, teeny bit standoffish, but I'd be guarded as well if it was me."
"I honestly think she just wants the best for all of the girls. She's very level-headed, much more than I gave her credit for. I admit, I heard trailer park and thought the worst and I can't get over that thought in my head. I don't think like that usually, I think I was just desperate to find something horrible about her, so I could be mad at her. But humble beginnings aren't a bad thing."
"So, you misjudged her-"
"-I think we all misjudged her. I know I did. And just look how adjusted Jessie is to life. She's far more independent and capable than Kate or Alex. She's more grounded and she's such a happy little girl. Beca has done an amazing job in raising her."
"I agree with you. She dressed herself in her own swimsuit today," Stacie agreed.
"From the things she's said, in court and today, she sets herself a goal and simply achieves what she sets out to do, whatever the pitfalls might be. It might take her longer than most, but she does. And on her own too. I can't say that I'm like that, can you?" Chloe said, shaking herself.
"I guess not."
"She hasn't had it easy."
"Sounds like you've attached yourself to her a little bit," Stacie said, keeping an eye on the girls in case the splashing got too much.
"I'm trying not to."
"Why?"
"I don't know her. Not really. Last month we were… well, I guess, bitter enemies. Today, she's at my house and we're sharing dinner this evening."
"You are both hurting. It's not easy on anyone, the last few months have been rough. Honestly, and don't get mad at me for saying this, but I think she's probably struggling with this a lot more than you."
"No, I agree," Chloe nodded, looking over towards the girls. "Everything is complicated. Everything. I've barely gotten used to having Jessie here and… I want Beca to be involved in all their lives. She was so cute with them today in the playroom, so natural. It literally doesn't seem right to keep her away from them."
"Well, that's a good thing, right?"
"Of course. But how do we work this out? I don't regret reaching out to her, but I should have thought it through. I mean, do they live here, and she visits them here or do they stay overnight with her three nights a week? Is Kate included in her plans? What if she tries to contribute, you know, financially? We rejected the judges decision for her to make a monthly contribution as she barely makes enough to cover her own bills, but will she then get upset if I pay for everything?"
"I think you just talk to her. You've said before that she seems pretty smart. Background check showed she graduated school with honours, right? So, she's got a good head on her shoulders. Chances are she's probably got some ideas. So, start by working out the next week. Then once a week is managed, work out the following one. Small steps."
"You've got a point, thank you."
"It's okay. Just… just try not to let other… people influence you."
"By other people, you mean Aubrey?" Chloe smiled, casting her eye over the girls as they played.
"She's made her feelings known about the whole thing and that's great, she's allowed an opinion but she's been known to bully you a bit in the past so this time, it's you and Beca and the girls."
"I know, you are right."
"I occasionally am," Stacie smirked. "Beca will see just how normal you are soon. She doesn't seem that starstruck which is a good thing."
"Like you."
"Honestly, I wouldn't have answered your placement ad for help if I'd known who you were to start with. I'm just glad we talked on the phone first and you seemed so normal."
"Me too. You're a good friend Stacie."
"As are you," Stacie said, looking over to the house. "We'd best change the subject before she comes down."
"Will you join us out here for a bit?"
"For a bit, yes. But then I've got to go. Got a hot date tonight… a guy from my chem class. He's got such a cute face."
"They all have a cute face Stacie! Here comes Beca now," Chloe noticed a figure in the hallway.
"I'm going to go and change. I'll be back in a minute," Stacie said, before heading back towards the house. She passed Beca as she stepped out onto the deck and gave her a half wave.
"Hi." Beca said, looking as awkward as a turkey at Thanksgiving.
"Hey, did you find everything okay?"
"Yup. Got the bikini on, under my shirt," Beca announced, not knowing why she explained that.
"Awesome. The towels are down by the pool house. It's in the far corner," Stacie pointed in the general direction. "You should have a look around the backyard. It's really nice, there's a pond through the gate in the far corner."
"Thanks," Beca mumbled.
"You're welcome." Stacie said, heading into the kitchen. She watched as Beca nervously picked her way across the deck, down the steps and across the tiled pool area. She paused at the pool house and saw the stack of towels and picked out the one on top.
Stacie reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out her phone, opening the messaging app and scrolling to Aubrey's number.
message from stacie.c, to aubrey.p - 17.10 - It's going well. Chloe is keeping her cool. Beca seems nice actually. :)
message from aubrey.p to stacie.c - 17.11 - Knowing Chloe, she'll be in tears by the end of the night. I'll call her tomorrow and thanks for the update.
Beca found Chloe sitting on a sun lounger, near to the steps of the pool. She was watching the three girls as they splashed in the water. Alex turned when Beca approached and gave her a small smile.
'Progress.' Beca thought as she awkwardly waved at Chloe.
"Hi," Chloe said, leaning over and patting the sunbed opposite. "Sit."
Beca felt uncomfortable. She didn't understand why she agreed to this. This was not how she imagined her day was going to pan out when she woke up that morning.
"Thanks again for the swimwear loan."
"Oh no problem. Did it not fit?"
"Yup, I've got it on underneath my shirt," Beca explained again. "It's fine. Just… I'm not used to, um-"
"-No pressure Beca. You can wear whatever you want to. That's a cool shirt, by the way."
Beca glanced down at her chest and noted she was wearing one of her David Guetta Bulletproof shirts.
"You know David Guetta?"
"Yeah," Chloe said. "I crawled out from under a rock quite a while ago now."
"I've got a recording session with him in August," Beca said as she perched on the end of the sunbed. She was feeling really subconscious and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Chloe's beach ready body.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, it's only half an hour, but I'm prepped with questions already."
"What made you get into music?" Chloe asked, reaching out to stop Alex smacking Jessie on the arm.
"My best friend, Jesse."
"Ah."
"He got us into the stupid school choir. That turned into band practice. My music teacher liked what I did. Kinda rolled with it. Never had anyone believe in me before."
"I sang in an a capella group in college."
"That's like a thing now, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah. We toured a lot. It was really good fun."
"I don't sing."
"But you said you were in a choir? And you mentioned signing Jessie to sleep."
"Yeah, but I don't sing, like in front of other people. I stood at the back and generally messed about. I was one of the smallest so I hid pretty well. It's pretty lame. I mean, for me. Kudos to you though."
Chloe smirked at Beca's face pinking up.
"Mommy come. Beca come," Alex said, making them both look towards the pool. Kate was bobbing about by the steps, kicking her legs underneath the water.
"You girls can swim?" Beca asked and two heads nodded enthusiastically.
"They've been in the pool since they were little," Chloe explained.
"I can't swim. Will you teach me one day?" Beca asked Alex who nodded enthusiastically. "And you'll help Jessie learn too?"
"Yes." Kate answered and flicked some water towards Jessie, who flinched in a very Beca like move.
"CANNON BALL!"
"Oh my God Stacie!" Chloe yelled as Stacie came charging down the deck steps, dressed in a bright pink bikini. She threw herself into the pool to the squeals of delight of the three girls. "Ladies, I give you my oldest child!"
.oOo.
"Holy Christ!"
"Chloe?" Stacie's head snapped around and she paused drying her legs to look at Chloe. "You okay?"
"Look at her," Chloe whispered, her eyes wide, as she subtly nudged a finger in Beca's direction.
Stacie looked over towards Beca who had finally stripped her tee shirt off and was sitting on the edge of the pool, with her feet in the water. She had her head tilted back, her face turned towards the last of the afternoon sun. Jessie was sitting next to her, half leaning onto her and was in an animated discussion about something which had Beca laughing and nodding along. Kate and Alex were close by, fighting over a pool noodle as they joined in the conversation. Alex would glance up to Beca a lot, who was encouraging Alex to win the pool noodle as well as telling Kate she was doing an awesome job of holding on it.
Chloe was loving how carefree Beca was with the girls, and she was seemingly treating them all the same. She watched as Jessie threw her head back laughing, as Beca giggled over something they found funny. She then leant forward and told Alex and Kate the same thing and the little peals of laughter drifted across the water. The small pang of regret that Chloe still had about taking Jessie away was growing ten fold as she saw that Beca was the most relaxed and happy that she'd ever seen her as they sat by the pool.
"Chloe?" Stacie said, snapping Chloe out of her daydream.
"She's like an angel."
"Jessie? Yeah, she seems like a real sweetheart."
"No, Beca," Chloe muttered.
"Beca?"
"She's practically glowing."
"Or burning. Did you offer her sunscreen?" Stacie laughed, sliding her shorts up over her legs.
"Um, no."
"Distracted over something, were we?" Stacie smirked.
"She's beautiful. I mean, really beautiful."
"Um, Chloe, your toner is showing."
"No, no, it's not," Chloe stammered.
"I know that look."
"What look?"
"Chloe… don't do anything you'll end up regretting later."
"I'm not."
"Don't make this any more complicated than it already is."
"Whoa, I'm not. I'm just saying anything like that. I'm just saying she's beautiful."
"You cannot fall for her."
"I'm not falling for anyone," Chloe said, biting her lip as she watched Beca pull her hair free from her bun. It tumbled down her shoulders and she shook it back, away from her face.
"I wish this conversation was making me uncomfortable, it should be. But the look on your face right now…" Stacie grinned. "… Chloe, do you like her?"
"No! I mean, yes. I mean…"
"Chloe?"
"It's just… I remember her from the hospital when the girls were born. I remember her coming to my room and, you know, David… but I remember thinking she was beautiful back then. She was so young. But she had this resolution about her that impressed me. I saw her a few times when the girls were in the NICU. She always smiled when she saw me. Always had a kind word, although our conversations never went on for longer than a few minutes. Those first few days were rough, and I eventually forgot about her face, I guess, but I never forgot how she made me feel. David and I stopped working not long after and I always wondered if she awoke something in me. David changed, I know that, he knows that, but did I fight hard enough for us? Did I want to make it work or was this creature from my past in the back of my mind? I don't know."
"You know you've made this whole thing way more complicated, don't you?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I can't tell her," Chloe said, smiling softly towards Beca.
"Oh God, no."
"She'd run a mile. And I'm hopeful we've turned a little bit of a corner today. It will take her a long time to even begin to trust me, but I think she's worth the effort. I think she's really special and she needs people to tell her."
"Just be careful. She's been hurt by a lot of people."
"I know, and I'm one of the worst offenders. When she was with the girls earlier, it was like seeing a different person," Chloe admitted. She looked around her, as if remembering what she was saying out loud. "Stace…"
"Don't worry Chloe, your secret is safe with me."
.oOo.
A/N... part two of their evening will be up in a few days. Hope you enjoyed the start of them talking like decent humans! x