A/N - *knock knock*... remember me?!
Don't worry, I won't be giving out a long ass speech about where I've been for the last few months! A little context though - my father in law passed away and I quite spectacularly broke my ankle in about a dozen places a couple of weeks after that. There's so much more to my absence but I'll try not to bore you with it all. It's just been a bit of a journey with physical therapy so my time on here had to be put on the back burner.
I have plenty of chapters lined and ready to go so I hope you'll come back and rejoin me on this journey.
Thank you for waiting!
-waatp :)
.oOo. Chapter Twenty Seven .oOo.
Part One of Three
One Month Later
message from amy.h, to becaroo - 05.57 – Becaroo! I've got nothing ta wear
message from beca.m, to amy.h - 06.03 – WTF Amy? It's 6 in the fucking morning!
message from amy.h, to becaroo - 06.04 – Help me!
message from beca.m, to amy.h - 06.06 – Go back to sleep you weirdo
Beca lay back on the sofa in her apartment and pulled the blanket back up over her head. She was already half awake when Amy had texted, thinking of the day ahead and worrying slightly at the amount of people Chloe had invited to her house for a supposed casual get together with friends. Beca didn't hate people as much as she used to, being around Jessie had made her change but Chloe's cavalier, 'I've only invited about forty people... or so' was still quite daunting to Beca.
She groaned when she heard her phone ringing, its slow melodic tune bouncing around the sparse apartment.
"What?" She said by way of greeting.
"Becaaaa," Amy whined. "I've got nothing ta wear!"
"What the heck are you on about?" Beca grumbled, pushing the blanket down to her waist before propping herself up on her elbows.
"What does one wear ta a celebrity's house?"
"What the fuck does it matter?"
"It matters! There might be important people there."
"Clothes. Shoes. Underwear. As long as you are wearing underwear, then life is all good. And then you can be around polite company."
"Becaaaa!"
"Why are you being so weird about this?" Beca asked.
"I'm not."
"Don't make me regret inviting you."
"If you don't want to regret inviting me, then come and help me choose somethin' ta wear," Amy cried out.
"You don't need my help to get yourself dressed."
"Please help me!"
"Oh for f... what are your options?" Beca asked, suppressing a yawn.
"I've got some fancy dress possibilities."
"Huh?"
"I can come as an alien or a cowgirl. I do have a-"
"-Could you maybe just try and be normal today?" Beca cringed. "Just wear jeans and a shirt, or something like that."
"But celebrities Beca… Chloe's important."
"Chloe is just a normal person, Ames," Beca said, rubbing her eyes. She was wide awake now.
"Beca! She's. A. Celebrity."
"Amy. She's. A. Person."
"But-"
"-If you start whining, I'm hanging up the phone."
"If I bring breakfast, will you help me choose something?"
"Oh for fuc…" Beca sighed heavily. "… yes, okay, that's fine."
"Hooroo!" Amy yelled before hanging up the phone.
Beca grumbled to herself for a couple of minutes as she dragged herself out of bed and set about straightening up her kitchen. She'd spent the night before packing up her apartment. She wasn't sad to leave the place, it wasn't her and Jessie's home anymore. She was currently looking at listings nearer to Studio City but was well aware that she'd likely not find anything in her price range. Time was running short on her finding a new place in time.
She did consider renting a single room in a house again but quickly discounted the idea. She'd have no room if the girls came over and also there wouldn't be adequate space to lay her equipment out properly.
Plus, a shared house might just be a little too peopley for her.
She showered and dressed quickly, choosing cut off shorts, sandals, and an Elvis Presley tee shirt before she braided her hair to keep it tidy and off of her neck in the early August sun. She started putting together the things she wanted to take to Chloe's that morning as she walked around the apartment, brushing her teeth at the same time.
Chloe had insisted that she had it all under control when Beca had texted the night before, but she felt uncomfortable not bringing anything with her. The redhead was starting to understand Beca a little better now that they were spending a decent amount of time together and had realised that she needed to ask Beca to contribute in some way to their daughters' upbringing, including the social events that Chloe loved so much.
Beca offered to put together some music and Chloe had asked her if she'd help set up their lunchtime gathering, rather than pay for food and dessert, explaining that an extra pair of hands was worth more than anything Beca could buy. Beca had happily agreed and said she'd be there as early as possible on the day to help out. She packed her laptop, her recently bought bikini, her favourite sunglasses, and a small collection of things she'd picked up for the girls over the last couple of days. The night before, she'd stopped at Jessie's favourite bakery and picked up her favourite cupcakes, choosing similar ones for Kate and Alex.
She was just mentally running through what else she needed when her door buzzer began trilling through the apartment.
"Come on up," She said into the speaker, knowing there was only one person who buzzed with such enthusiasm.
"Morning!" Amy said as she barrelled through the door a couple of minutes later, clutching more clothes in her arms than Beca owned. She pushed a cup holder with two hot coffees and something in a paper bag towards Beca. "Righto, I've got me outfits."
"Yeah, I can see that," Beca said, shutting the front door and placing breakfast on the kitchen counter. She took the lid off one of the coffees and sniffed. "How much do I owe you for breakfast Ames?"
"Nothing."
"You got the last lot."
"Well, not really. I took twenty dollars from your purse last week so technically, you bought the last two lots."
Beca grumbled something unintelligible as she opened the paper bag.
"Doughnuts," Amy said.
"I can see that," Beca said, lifting out a sticky mess from the back. She examined the pastry quickly. "Um, Ames, did you lick these doughnuts?"
"Yeah. The frosting had some sort of glittery shizzle and I just couldn't help-"
"-You are really weird, you know that?" Beca said, dropping the doughnut quickly back into the bag and wiping her fingers on the towel laying out on the kitchen counter. "Right, what have you brought?"
The next thirty minutes were spent with Amy trying on a few different outfits; some conservative and some not so much. As Amy changed into her fourteenth costume, Beca sighed and rubbed her hands over her face; it really was quite early to be dealing with this. Amy stepped out of the bathroom wearing what can only be described as a ball gown.
"What the fuck is that?" Beca asked as the glittery gold dress shimmered under her spotlighted ceiling.
"Sunday best," Amy stated, turning to look at herself in the small hallway mirror.
"It's just a simple barbecue. Burgers. Beer. Pool. I can't see what was wrong with what you wore over here in the first place," Beca reasoned, remembering Amy's shorts and cheery yellow tee shirt.
"This is a chance for me to meet people Beca. I'm single and ready to mingle."
"And you don't think that dress screams, 'I didn't go home last night from the party and have had to do the walk of shame'?"
"No, it's me best frock. I wanna wear it. Heck, I'm gonna wear it."
"Amy, it's meat in buns, it's not the bloody Oscars."
"What are you wearing then Beca?" Amy asked, huffing at Beca's lack of enthusiasm. She watched as her friend gestured down herself. "That's what you are wearing."
"Yup."
"Is that it?" Amy's eyebrow shot up into her hairline.
"Yup."
"What's Luke wearing?"
"How the fuck would I know?"
"Call him."
"No."
"Beccccaaaaa." Amy whined.
"Oh for the love of…" Beca moaned. She stepped past Amy and towards the piles of clothes that were now littering her hallway floor. She rooted through for a minute until she found, what she considered to be, a perfect outfit. She held out a pair of jeans that she always thought Amy looked nice in, a pair of flat sandals with a daisy motif and a pink tee shirt with a unicorn on it. "This… this is your outfit."
Amy looked crestfallen.
"Trust me. Besides…" Beca knew to throw in her best weapon just as Amy looked prepared to argue again. "… you know Jessie loves that tee shirt and I'll make sure she wears her matching one today."
Amy's grin split her face in two.
"Okay, you've got a deal. So, Luke's pickin' me up at ten thirty, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Don't forget your swimming costume."
"Sure it will be okay ta borrow some water wings?"
"I swear you are the only Aussie who can't swim."
"I survived in the bush Beca! Aboriginals learned from me."
"I'm sure they did," Beca said, resisting the urge to wind Amy up a little more. "Do you need anything else from me or can I get back my chores?"
"Thanks, Beca," Amy grinned, leaning down and giving Beca a quick hug. Beca pulled back quickly, knowing how handsy Amy could be and she didn't feel like getting her butt squeezed that early in the day. "I'm gonna go get changed."
"Wait! Before you go… I want to talk about the twenty that you stole from me."
.oOo.
Beca stepped out of her car and kicked the door shut with a hefty bang, grimacing slightly as she heard it reverberate around the quiet neighbourhood. She'd already texted Chloe to let her know she was on the way, offering to pick up coffee if Chloe wanted some.
Chloe had replied with a smiley face but said she was already on her third latte of the day and was starting to get the shakes. Beca didn't feel like stopping just for her own, unable to justify the expense to herself so she'd just driven straight over. It was still early and the day wasn't too hot yet.
She hoisted her laptop bag up onto her shoulder and gripping the cloth bags in her hands, she walked to Chloe's front door. Noting it was slightly ajar, she called through the opening, still not quite comfortable with just walking in, despite Chloe's reassurances that she could.
"Hello? Chloe?"
"Beca, that you?" Chloe called back from somewhere towards the kitchen.
"Yeah."
"Come on in silly."
Beca pushed open the door with her foot and slipped inside. She placed her bags by the front door, wondering whether to close it or not.
'Meh.' She said to herself as she toed off her sandals, pushing the door closed at the same time with her hip.
"I'm in the kitchen."
Beca made her way into the kitchen, already catching the fresh scent of lemon and lime as she entered the room. Chloe was at the kitchen island, apron tied haphazardly around her waist. She was elbow deep in a huge silver bowl but turned and gave Beca a huge smile as soon as she saw her. Beca had learnt, in the short time that they were friends, that Chloe had a different smile for each person she knew. She could already tell the genuine smiles from the ones reserved for the over zealous fans.
"Marinating shrimp," Chloe said, by way of a proper greeting. She leant back towards Beca and air kissed her cheek.
"Smells good," Beca said.
"You look cute today," Chloe said, taking in Beca's simple outfit.
"Um, thanks, um, you too," Beca flushed, taking in Chloe's romper, covered in little blue flowers. She looked around and realised it was way too quiet. "Where are the girls?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry. They were super bouncy this morning, so Stacie's taken them out for breakfast."
"Okay," Beca said, trying to hide her disappointment.
"They wanted to wait for you," Chloe said, as if she could read Beca's mind.
"Am I late?" Beca asked, looking at the clock on the wall.
"Late?"
"They were waiting for me?"
"No, not at all. The girls were planning to ambush you with water balloons out in the front yard. I think it's payback for the water pistol fight you started a couple of nights ago."
"About that…" Beca started. "… sorry if I overstepped. It just seemed too funny an opportunity to-"
"-No need to apologise Becs. They are your kids too. I'm sorry though, I should have thought and got them to wait for you."
"It's okay, I'll see them all day today," Beca dug her hands into her back pockets and surveyed her surroundings.
"They are super, super excited about today," Chloe smiled but Beca couldn't quite match her enthusiasm. "And I think we are all going to enjoy the chance to spend more time with you."
"Need help?" Beca said in an effort to hide her cheeks pinking up again at Chloe's words, attempting to change the subject.
She was really trying hard with the girls, all three of them. The situation was awkward, but she was doing her best to act as normally as possible. In the very short space of time that they'd been trying to make this work, she'd come to think of all three of them as partly hers. It did help that she and Chloe seemed to be getting on well and while it was still relatively polite and formal, they were both really trying to make it work. They both knew there was a lot left that they needed to say but for now, they were just focussing on moving forward and making an effort together.
"Actually yes, could you grab me some water from the fridge please? I think my caffeine high is starting to plateau."
"Sure," Beca said, bypassing the island and pulling on the fridge door.
She saw Chloe's favourite water at the bottom and pulled out the large bottle that had been started and the small box of cucumber slices that sat in the place of the egg tray. She pushed the door shut and reached up to the cabinet on the right, picking out one of the tall glasses. Twisting the cap on the bottle, she let the fizz calm as she opened the box and pulled two cucumber chunks from it, dropping them into the glass and filling it up to the top, draining the last of the water out.
"What?" Beca said as she pushed the glass over to Chloe who was watching her with an amused look on her face.
"Nothing," Chloe smirked. She loved how easily Beca had learnt how she liked her drinks and how comfortable she seemed to be becoming in the house. "Thank you."
Beca nodded her response and walked over to the French doors, looking out across the grass and pool. There were some tables and chairs already set up, slightly haphazardly with varying cushions and tablecloths dumped on each table top. There were some benches set around the pool and a couple of long serving tables on the deck.
"How many people are you expecting?" Beca asked, looking at the number of seats.
"Not too many," Chloe said, shaking some hair off of her face. "Aubrey will be here and her assistant Emily. She's super sweet, everyone loves her. Stacie and her friend Cynthia Rose are coming by. My assistants Flo and Lilly. Some of the studio guys I work with; you'll like them too. My in-laws have flown in. I've invited some of the neighbours so they don't complain too much if it gets noisy. Some of the girl's friends and their families are coming early on. And a couple of my actor friends who I'll be working with on my next movie. Thought we'd have a bit of an ice breaker and kill two birds with one stone."
"Chloe?"
"Yes?"
"That's like half of the population of Los Angeles," Beca said and Chloe laughed.
"Trust me Beca, it's half the amount we usually have around."
"Will David be coming?" Beca asked quietly. She had successfully managed to avoid him so far over the last few weeks, not really wanting the opportunity to spend any time with him. She watched, in surprise, as Chloe stiffened at the mention of his name and her whole demeanour changed.
"No. I told him about the party but he's getting ready for school." She answered stiffly. "That's why there is only half the amount of people coming, 'his' side hasn't been invited. Except his family, because they are awesome. His mom and dad are really missing the girls and his brother and his wife will be coming for the weekend too with their kids. They've rented an Airbnb for a week or so and are just hanging out with the kids when they can and seeing the sights."
"Um, right… sure," Beca said, nervously fiddling with the hem of her tee shirt.
"Becs…" Chloe said and Beca's head snapped up at the nickname. It immediately gave her a strange feeling in her stomach. "… it's okay."
"I know, I know," Beca said, her eyes darting around.
"If this is all too much…"
"No, it's good. I swear."
"If it is too much…" Chloe started to say again, pausing to wipe her hands on the towel on the kitchen counter. "… and you need a little time out, you can always go and sit in my bedroom for a bit. My dressing room is awesome for hiding out in and you can keep an eye on the party from the Juliet balcony off of the bathroom."
"It's fine. Honest. It's just a lot of people and…" Beca sighed. "… I can't hide cos my friend Amy might cause damage to something."
"I'm sure she can't be worse than a four year old."
"I'll get you to say that later on this afternoon after she'd broken your favourite lamp and tried to stick it back together with bubble gum."
Chloe laughed and waited for Beca to stop fidgeting as she paced the kitchen floor a couple of times.
"Do you need a job to do?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, my hands… I need to keep busy when I'm nervous."
"I wish you wouldn't be. These are nice people and they want to come and get to know Jessie, and you, better."
"Just… there could be a lot of questions."
"You don't have to answer them, if you don't want to."
"It's just that-"
"-I know the last few weeks have been overwhelming… trust me, I feel it too. But this is not going to be like the grilling you received in court or in any lawyer's office. This is just a casual get together with friends and some family. I'd really like the chance to get to know your friends as well. I want you to be comfortable and host this party with me."
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologise for. I've been up since five worrying about whether I've bought enough food," Chloe said, nodding to one of the kitchen counters that was groaning under the weight of the food piled on top of it. "And that's not the bits for the barbecue."
"I guess I still struggle with knowing you get anxious like me," Beca said, looking out towards the pool again.
"It's different for me, I get that but yes, I do too."
"I'm going to go and start laying the tables. I just need to get out of my head for a little while."
"That would be lovely. Somewhere, in a couple of the boxes, there's some table decorations… just a few simple things. If you can leave them out, Aubrey usually puts together those when she arrives because I'm really not good at doing it. She hates having that job, but knows I'm rubbish."
"I can't imagine you being rubbish at anything."
"Oh you don't know me well enough yet," Chloe half laughed.
Beca grinned and nodded, before heading out of the French doors. The smell of an early summer morning hit her as soon as she jogged down the short set of steps to the lower patio area. The flowers were in full bloom, turning their petalled faces up towards the sun. Beca saw that the grass had recently been mowed and the remnants of the overnight sprinkler system was just drying on the pathways that criss-crossed the backyard.
She liked the garden area very much.
Heading towards the patio tables, she quickly laid out of the white tablecloths and laid a smaller gingham cloth over the top. She didn't know if Chloe had a proper plan, but figured if she'd done it wrong, Chloe, or her friend Aubrey, would come out and change it later. On the longer tables, she laid out the cloths, plates, cutlery and serving dishes in what she hoped was the correct format.
Finding the boxes of table decorations and remembering Chloe's words about her friend not really liking to do the job, Beca set about making small centrepieces with what she could find.
Chloe watched Beca busy herself out in the back yard as she sorted out several packets of bread rolls on the kitchen dining table. She watched Beca lay each table with neat precision and liked what she was doing. Beca was quite meticulous with making sure things were straight and Chloe's heart jumped a little at the care she was taking. After sorting out the bread, she poured a glass of fresh lemonade for Beca and took it out to her.
Beca was bent over a table with her back to Chloe when she felt a cool hand on her shoulder.
"I thought you might like a drink."
"Thanks," Beca said, straightening up and taking the glass that was held out to her.
"Thanks for all… whoa, what are you doing?" Chloe said, looking at the table decoration Beca had made.
"I'm sorry, it's-" Beca started to say, backing away from the table she was standing at.
"-Why are you sorry? I love what you've done here. Where did you find-"
"-It was just stuff in the boxes. I picked some of the flowers by the pond and wove them into the vases, the candle holder, and those small ice buckets you had. I can throw it out if you don't like it."
"I would never have thought to do that. It looks so pretty."
"You like it?" Beca said.
"I can't make a bunch of flowers look like that. How did you do it?"
"My mom was a florist."
"Oh," Chloe smiled, understanding Beca's love of flowers from previous conversations. She closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds when she remembered seeing Beca's large lotus flower tattoo on her shoulder when she came over for the girls' birthday the month before. Chloe looked at the decorations again. "I think these look really pretty."
"Thanks. I didn't pick too many flowers," Beca explained. "Once the outer petals start bending, they have reached potential and if you don't damage the stalk, they'll re-grow again really easily if you give them plenty of water."
"Pick away. There are a lot of flowers here... I've not planted anything myself, I let the gardening service take care of it. I wanted to do it myself, but David said it would be better to establish the garden first. I'm not green fingered at all. Are you?"
"A little. Never had the chance to do much. We had a couple of window boxes when I was a kid and Mrs Swanson let me plant some things at the Lodge."
"The Lodge?"
"Jesse's family home."
"Ah." Chloe nodded. "Well, perhaps we can do something together next spring. Get the girls involved?"
"Yeah, sure. Wouldn't hurt, I guess."
Chloe scrunched up her nose a little at Beca's lacklustre answer but remembered that Beca was probably so used to people not following through with arrangements, that she didn't make plans until the last minute. A few things from the last couple of weeks fell into place as she remembered Beca only confirming or asking to meet up the day before. She made sure to remember that for the future.
"Okay, so I'm going to finish off doing these," Beca said, in lieu of Chloe saying nothing. "What do you need me to do next?"
"Where would you like to set up your music?"
"Ummm…" Beca said, looking around the area. Her eyes settled on a semi sheltered spot under a large oak tree. "Over there would be good. I've brought some speakers, if you don't mind. I can hook up to your speakers as well, just noticed there wasn't any by the pool house."
"That sounds great. I'm going to finish getting the food prepared and once you've finished, we should have some time to sit for a while before the girls get back."
"Sounds nice," Beca looked around again. "Who's working the grill?"
"Well, actually, I don't know," Chloe frowned for a moment. "It was always David's job. I can ask his brother Tom, when he gets here."
"I can grill. If you like."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, Jesse and I would do it at his place. He showed me how but it's been a while so…"
"You are quite the jack of all trades," Chloe laughed.
"Not really," Beca shrugged.
"If you can start the grill off, that would be awesome but I'd like you to socialise as well. You aren't here to work all afternoon."
"I just get a bit jumpy around a lot of people."
"I get it, I do a little as well. That's why I need you by my side!"
"Won't your friend get funny about me being 'by your side' all afternoon?"
"No, she's okay," Chloe sighed. "Once you get to know Aubrey, she's really, really nice. The prickly outside is just something you have to work through."
"I guess leaving the hospital with your kid didn't grant me any favours with her."
"I left with yours," Chloe said plainly. "And all three girls don't seem to be too affected by any of this yet."
"It's just us Moms that are the nervous wrecks."
"High five to that!" Chloe said, raising up her hand for Beca to smack. "Another hour and we should be done. Girls should be back by ten. What time did you tell your friends to get here?"
"About eleven, if that's okay."
"Perfect."
.oOo.
Beca was just putting the finishing touches to the outside when she heard her phone ring. She's spent a sweaty hour setting up her speakers and she was pretty ready for a sit down in the shade. Wishing she'd bought a change of clothes, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw it was Luke calling and quickly answered.
"Hi."
"Hey, Beca. We're just outside," Luke said.
"Cool. I'll come and get the gates for you. See you in a sec."
"Thanks."
She pocketed her phone and walked up the steps towards the kitchen. Chloe looked up as she came into the kitchen, smiling as she held the icing bag tightly in her hands. She was in the middle of piping the cupcakes and the girls were holding packets of sprinkles and decorations, ready in their efforts to make the prettiest cupcakes ever. They all looked up to Beca as she walked in, telltale streaks of icing across their cheeks. She ruffled Alex's hair before she wrapped her arms around all three of them.
"How do you find the time to do all of this?" Beca asked, smiling at the joy on the girls' faces. Chloe shrugged her shoulders and blew an errant piece of hair that had fallen across her face away. "Um, my friends are here."
"Oh gosh, is it that time already?" Chloe said, looking at the clock on the wall. "I'm not in a fit state to meet your friends, my hair's a mess and I haven't changed. The time, the time ran away from me."
"And what were you saying to me earlier this morning!" Beca laughed as she walked out of the kitchen door into the hallway.
"Touche!" Chloe giggled as Beca opened the front door. She walked to the front gate and unlocked it for Luke to drive through, giving him a mock salute as he bumped over the gate railings. He parked up in the corner that Beca was pointing to and she pushed the gate back to close it.
"Hi," Luke said as she stepped out of the car. "Am I dressed okay?"
"Oh God, not you as well?" Beca laughed.
"Amy said it was a posh event."
"No, it's really not. I had her over at six this morning; she was trying on different outfits. You look great," Beca said, taking in his long tailored shorts, grey fitted tee shirt, and overshirt.
"I didn't think a barbecue warranted a tuxedo but you know Amy," Luke turned and pushed his door shut, coming around the back of the car and opening up the back seat to retrieve a bag of belongings and a small posy of flowers.
"Yeah. Maybe the next event, huh?"
"Maybe!"
"Is Amy getting out of the car?" Beca asked.
"She's a little star struck, I think. Uncharacteristically quiet in the car this morning."
Beca bent down and tapped on the window. Amy looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"Ames, come on," Beca said. "Jessie's waiting to see you."
Amy looked over at Beca then back to the building in front of her. Beca stood up, trying not to laugh.
"This is a nice place," Luke said, looking over the front of Chloe's house. "Understated in a way."
"But that's Chloe. I know Amy has got issues with her celebrity status but honestly, I forget she's famous. She's actually a really nice person now I've gotten to know her a little better."
"I'm very glad you are getting the chance to get to know her better. I know it was a rocky start, but it seems you are forging a way forward together," He said, lightly punching her shoulder; the only affection he knew he could get away with at any time.
"Me too. It is less exhausting than trying to hate her and she's doing a lot for me," Beca said, looking back at Luke's Explorer. "Is she ever getting out of the car?"
"Maybe we should leave her in there."
"Would be much less of a stressful afternoon!" Beca laughed. "I can handle three four year olds much better than one Patricia Amy Hobart!"
"Do you need to go back into the house? I can wait out here for her."
"No, let's leave her there. She can follow when she's ready."
They both turned towards the front door, taking a couple of steps before they heard Amy's door pop open.
"Hey twig bitches, wait for me!" She said, sliding down from the SUV. Beca was relieved to see she was in the sensible clothes that she'd picked out for her that morning.
"Come on Slowpoke," Luke laughed, locking his car as soon as Amy shut the car door.
"Did you remember how to curtsey?" Beca mocked, as Amy came up alongside them.
"What? Becaroo, you never said-"
"-Good morning!" Chloe said brightly, stepping out from inside the house onto the front porch. She was wiping her hands on a towel as she smiled broadly at Beca's friends.
"Morning," Luke grinned, stepping up a couple of steps and holding his hand out to Chloe. "It's lovely to see you again, Mrs Mitchem."
"Chloe, please… and you as well," Chloe said, shaking Luke's hand. She really liked him, he was friendly, very polite and Beca's rock.
"A little something for you," Luke said, holding out the bunch of flowers to Chloe.
"Oh thank you Luke," Chloe said, taking the posy from him and sniffing the soft fragrance.
"And these too…" Luke said, handing over some goodies Beca recognised as being his favourite British treats from back home. "… just a small contribution for this afternoon."
"You didn't have to do that," Chloe said, looking into the bag that Luke gave to her. "This all looks interesting."
"A little taste of my homeland. Some of my favourite sweets… well, candy to my American friends. There's nothing too strange in there though but I thought you might like them."
"I look forward to sampling these," Chloe said, thinking how thoughtful Luke was.
Luke nodded and stepped aside so Amy could come up the stairs. Beca gave her a not so subtle shove to get her to move but Amy was rooted to the spot.
"Hi, you must be Amy…" Chloe said, her wide smile showing her perfect teeth. Beca's breath caught in her throat a little as the sun highlighted her hair, making the golden strands stand out and her whole being glow.
Beca jumped when Amy suddenly bowed at the waist.
"It's a pleasure ta meet yoos, Your Highness," Amy breathed out.
Beca bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing at the look on Chloe's face. Chloe's eyes shot to Beca's before she plastered on her smile again. Beca poked Amy in the leg.
"You've done enough grovelling," She laughed before stage whispering to Chloe. "See, I told you she was unique."
"Auntie Amy!" Jessie yelled, coming through the door at speed at the sound of one of her favourite people in the whole world. Amy immediately dropped to her knees to embrace the little girl as she jumped from the top step into Amy's arms. She buried her face into Amy's neck and shoulder as Amy hugged her hard.
"Oh I've missed you!" Amy said, her tone changing and a small tear appearing in the corner of her eye as Jessie successfully managed to get some icing in Amy's hair.
"I misseded you too. Are you here all day?" Jessie said, pulling back to look at her favourite Auntie.
"All day," Amy repeated.
"Unless you break something," Beca quipped, gesturing towards the front door. Amy stood up, holding onto Jessie for dear life. Beca's heart swelled a little at the love that Amy had for Jessie.
"Come on in," Chloe said, retreating back inside the house.
"Hi Uncle Luke!" Jessie said as she passed Luke, still being carried by Amy.
"Hey, sweet girl. How are you doing?" He asked, bending to kiss her on the cheek.
"Good," She beamed. "You want to meet my sisters?"
"I sure do," Luke said, nodding empathically as he followed Chloe through the front door. Jessie had completely forgotten Luke had met them before, five months was a long time in a four year old's life.
"Shoes, coats, bags," Beca said, pointing towards the large closet that had overwhelmed her so much on her first day. She pointed at the other doors. "Lounge, kitchen, restroom."
"Check," Luke said.
Amy looked around the hallway in wonder. Beca held in her laugh at her best friend's face.
"Amy, breathe," Beca said.
Amy set Jessie down on the floor and the little girl immediately grabbed hold of Luke's hand and pulled him towards the kitchen.
"Welcome to my home," Chloe said, pushing the front door closed behind them all. Amy stood still, unable to move. "As Beca has pointed out the main areas already, please feel free to explore whenever you like."
"Becaroo…" Amy murmured out of the corner of her mouth. "… this is a real house."
"Yeah Ames, what did you think it would be?"
"I dunno, like a rocket ship or somethin'."
"A rocket ship? Have-"
"-Or like a movie set with a tiger."
"Okay, shall we take it down a notch maybe, and-"
"-Or a desert island or-"
"-Amy, can I get you a drink?" Chloe asked politely, trying not to laugh at the Australian's side-whispering to Beca, who was watching her friend with a look of pure disbelief.
Beca poked Amy in the stomach to get her to answer Chloe.
"Um, sorry ma'am, I didn't hear what you said."
"She asked if you wanted a drink," Beca said, hearing the excited voices of three little girls coming from the kitchen alongside Luke's even higher pitched one.
"She has a butler ta do that for her, right?" Amy asked, putting her hand in front of her face as she spoke.
"No, there's no butler."
"Sssh Beca, she can hear you."
"She can also hear you," Beca said, pulling Amy's hand down. "Dude, stop being so weird."
Amy shifted from foot to foot for the longest time before Chloe began to feel uncomfortable. The redhead looked to Beca, silently asking what she needed to do here. Beca shrugged her shoulders in response.
"Ames, do you want a drink?" Beca asked and Amy nodded. "Then will you answer Chloe like a normal person, you are making this whole thing very uncomfortable."
"It's okay Beca," Chloe said, taking a step forward towards Amy.
"But she-"
"-Hi Amy, it's really lovely to meet you," Chloe said, in a sugary voice. Beca recognised the difference immediately, noting it was the voice she used when she'd seen her encounter one other highly emotional fan before. "I've heard a lot about you from Beca here, but I'd really like to get the chance to talk to you. I'd rather do that over a cold glass of lemonade with my feet in the pool rather than standing in my hallway with the dust bunnies. I'm sure you have a few questions for me so why don't we take some drinks and snacks to the pool and get to know each other a little better before everyone else arrives."
Chloe's speech snapped Amy out of the weird funk she'd gotten herself.
"Ginger here is all right," Amy nodded, directing her thumb towards Chloe.
"Oh, thank God." Beca said and Chloe looked to her for an explanation. "Oh, if she likes you, she'll give you a nickname. She just called you Ginger so..."
"And what do you get?" Chloe asked, with a small laugh.
"Becaroo, Becatron, The Becsanator, BecaBob, BecanAndEggs…" Amy recited.
"Pretty much anything other than Beca," Beca explained.
"I see!" Chloe giggled. "Right, my kitchen is this way."
Amy followed behind Beca and Chloe as they made their way to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway when she saw Luke sitting on the floor to the side of the kitchen, wearing a Princess tiara and talking to the three little girls who had surrounded him and showing him one of the cupcakes they'd just finished decorating.
"Amy, these two are Kate and Alex," Chloe said, pointing to her daughters and holding back a laugh when her eyes fell to Luke. "And I'm sorry, I don't know this beautiful little girl? I don't believe we've met."
"I'm Lady Lucille… apparently," Luke said, chuckling as he adjusted the tiara he'd had plonked on his head. "I've just been given the task of bestowing royalty onto these darling children of yours."
Chloe turned to Beca and raised her hands up in the air.
"I don't know why I was ever worried about meeting your friends!"
.oOo.
A/N - This chapter ended up being extremely long so I cut it into three. I'll post part two in a couple of days. Take care everyone xx