A/N - Here's the update that no one asked for!
I jest, but after being told (via private PM) that I need to go and work on myself and I'm a disgrace to the literacy world, I honestly just felt like giving up and not bothering to upload the rest of this story. While I am trying to believe that their intention was to help, sending me a (fifteen hundred word PM) with a list of my faults was like a punch in the gut. However, I made a promise to myself that I'd get this finished, if nothing else for myself.
A very, very, very special thank you to J, for the support, friendship and patience while I pulled my head out of my ass/arse. There are many chapters ready to go, all kindly beta'd and polished.
Thank you everyone for reading along. I hope the rest of the story is worth the wait. We are about halfway through so I hope you can settle in for the ride. I'll bring the biscuits, if you put the kettle on!
.oOo. Chapter Twenty Nine .oOo.
A couple of hours had passed, and so far Beca had avoided any more awkward conversations, mostly because she was hanging out with the girls in the sandpit. At Chloe and Luke's insistence, she'd finally managed to hold a decent conversation with Tom about her speakers and, of all things, which colour he should use to paint his recently remodelled master bedroom. He offered for Beca to come down to the studio, to see how they had things set up in the production and editing rooms and she was honestly surprised that he really seemed to want to help.
Meryl, Beca found to her surprise, was incredibly warm and funny and spoke mostly about her new grandbaby, who was only a few months old. She'd talked about the baby having early breathing difficulties and they almost bonded over the worry of a small baby with asthma. Meryl seemed genuinely interested in Beca's work and gave her a few ideas, for no particular reason at all, on how to keep on the good side of the business.
Beca had successfully managed to avoid Aubrey who, to her amusement, looked completely out of place in her three piece pant suit. She couldn't understand why someone would wear that to a backyard barbecue but Aubrey, to her credit, didn't seem uncomfortable. She had wandered over to Luke at one point to ask his opinion on it all, but he'd been staring at Aubrey in such a way that Beca couldn't find it in herself to tease him.
She'd promised the girls that she'd watch them swimming and had just finished getting them all ready when Chloe announced that Tom and Meryl would be leaving. She'd successfully managed to say goodbye to them without embarrassing herself any further, although neither of the Hollywood greats seemed in the least bit bothered by her first reactions to them and she secured both of their agent's numbers for any help she may need in future projects.
Tom profusely proffered that Beca's grilling techniques were the finest he'd ever seen and had laughed about having her around to grill for his next family gathering.
Chloe had reassured her that Tom was joking.
Beca felt herself relax a little as she sat with her feet in the pool, watching the three girls splash about by the steps as they waited for an adult to join them in the pool. She felt that, despite a couple of things, the day had gone really well and knew she only had to contend with David's family coming around for the evening and then she could escape back to her apartment for the night.
She had a late night of packing ahead of her but managed to forget all about that as she watched Alex gently scoop a bug out of the water and rest it gently on the side of the pool. She defended it against Kate and Jessie who were quite busy squealing in horror that she'd touched a bug and wouldn't let the little redheads anywhere near it, until it had recovered enough to fly away.
All Beca could think about was how it would have been something Jessie would have done.
"Doing all right, Becatron?" Amy asked, snapping Beca out of her thoughts.
"Uh huh," Beca said, pulling down her sunglasses as she looked up to Amy, not even reacting as she saw her friend dressed in a bright pink swimsuit with matching pink water wings and... a frilly tutu.
"You comin' in?"
"Nope," Beca cricked her neck, wondering where on earth Amy had found her swimsuit.
"You not brin' swimmers?"
"Wearing them now under my shirt," Beca explained. "Just not sure the world is ready for all my paleness."
Amy took a spot next to Beca as she watched the girls continue to play in the shallow water.
"Been a nice day," Amy said.
"It has," Beca said, pushing away the prickly tutu material.
"Girls have had fun. Jessie seems so grown up. Kate is adorable and Alex... she's surprisingly nice, considerin' she's your kid."
"So kind of you to say," Beca deadpanned, casting her eyes back towards the girls as Kate squealed especially loudly.
"None of 'em seem bothered by all of this."
"At the moment," Beca said, a little wistfully.
"And you and Chloe are goin' to make this work, aren't you?"
"We're going to try, yes. For the kids' sake."
"And not for any other sake?" Amy jabbed Beca so hard in the ribs that the small brunette nearly ended up in the pool.
"What?"
"Saw the way you were lookin' at her."
"I'm not looking at her in any sort of 'way'," Beca bristled.
"Right? And my real name is Patricia."
"Your name is Patricia."
"Yeah, well, you were still lookin' at her all funny like."
"Whatever you want to think," Beca sighed, watching as Alex and Kate's play became a little rough. "Hey, girls, take it easy on each other."
Beca continued to watch the girls for the next half an hour as the afternoon sun began to make her feel quite hot and sticky. She wanted to get into the pool to cool off, but didn't feel comfortable with so many people around. She had tuned out Amy's irrelevant ramblings, a trick she'd learnt from their time living together and was just sending a couple of nods and a few 'uh huh's' in her friends direction while she absentmindedly watched the three girls playing with some floaties in the pool.
She was acutely aware that Aubrey was staring at her from the other side of the pool, and it hadn't gone unnoticed that Luke was intent on making conversation with the frosty blonde.
"So you gonna make a move?" Amy asked, flexing her toes in the water. She was thoroughly enjoying herself in Chloe's back yard, having quite forgotten about her new friend's celebrity status just as Beca said she would.
"Hmm?"
"On Chloe."
"Huh?" Beca spun her head around as Amy's comment brought her crashing back to Earth. Her reaction made Luke look over towards her. "What did you say?"
"I was just checkin' you was listenin'," Amy laughed, kicking her feet a little in the water, sending ripples towards where the girls were playing.
"There's nothing going on between Chloe and me," Beca hissed. "There's far too much-"
"-Eyeballin' each other when you think nobody's watchin'. It's like eye sextin'."
"That is not... that is not happening and stop trying to make something out of nothing. We're barely friends."
"And yet you look the most relaxed I've ever seen you."
"How can you not relax here?" Beca asked, gesturing lightly with her head. "I mean, it's like a five star resort."
"I mean, it compares with the van to some degree," Amy mirthed and Beca snorted. "Do you miss it?"
"What?"
"Van life."
"In some ways," Beca pondered. "I mean, life was simpler. Jessie, you, me. We just needed enough to put food on the table and gas in the van. Now... now everything is just hard. I had a kid when I was in the van. Now I've got nothing."
"You still have them. They just don't live with you."
"Isn't that my point?"
"I dunno. I can't imagine what it's like to live a day in your life," Amy said, somewhat sensibly. "All I will say though is that Chloe actually seems like a good person. Her friend is pretty scary though. Ol' Blondie over yonder."
"Over yonder?" Beca smirked. "You've been spending too much time with Luke and his British-"
"-Beca?"
"Yeah?" Beca's head spun around as Chloe called out her name, interrupting her conversation with Amy.
"Come and meet Trent and Helen, babe."
"Babe?" Amy's eyes went comically wide. "And you're tellin' me there's nothin' goin'."
"She calls everyone that," Beca bristled, pulling her feet out of the pool and looking around for her shoes.
"I've not heard her say that to anyone this afternoon. And you know me, I've got the best hearin' out of everyone in Tasmania."
"Yeah, well, you think about that while I go and meet the in laws. Unless you want to trade places?"
"Me? Nah! Now run alon' Becaroo, and play nice!"
Beca stopped short of pushing Amy into the pool and took the short walk up the stairs to the deck where Chloe was animatedly talking with her extended family. Beca saw two young boys, about six and seven, who were already dressed in their swimming shorts and hungrily eyeing up the pool.
She recognised Helen straight away and a sliver of fear ran through her as she remembered their last interaction, in the court house a few weeks ago. She wondered what Chloe's mother in law would make of her, now that time had passed and the courts had found in Chloe's favour and if David's mother would still be as nice or now that their side of the family had effectively won, would Beca now be dismissed.
"Beca, how lovely to see you again," Helen gushed, as she took in the young girl coming towards them. Beca felt a little relieved that the woman was still as nice as she had been.
"Hi." She said, a little awkwardly, as she joined the group, freezing as Helen wrapped her arms around her, holding her tenderly. Beca almost forgot where she was as she felt a little bit of love enveloping her.
"Everyone," Chloe began, even though it was obviously who she was. "This is Beca. Jessie's... Alex's... this is Beca."
"Hi!" The group chorused, as if they'd been practicing it.
"Hi," Beca said again, feeling her cheeks burn a little as she gave them all an uncoordinated wave with both hands.
"This is Helen and Trent, David's parents," Chloe explained, nodding towards the older couple. "Helen is an excellent cook, she writes poetry and is really good at gardening."
"Nice," Beca said, nodding a couple of times.
"Trent loves fishing, family and football. I'm not sure in which order though!"
"College or professional?" Beca asked Trent, looking shyly towards him.
"College," Trent answered, his interest piqued.
"'Bama or Georgia?"
"'Roll Tide."
"Oh shoot. And we were so close to being friends," Beca quipped.
"Bulldog, huh?" Trent's eyes were shining.
"Yup," Beca nodded. "All the way."
"Well, we certainly have some things to discuss later on." Trent said, nodding appreciatively towards the small brunette. "None of my boys like college football, only my daughter in law. We'll meet for a beer later."
"Yes sir," Beca grinned.
"You dark horse," Chloe whispered in Beca's ear, sending more shivers down her spine. Beca was starting to wonder if she was doing that on purpose. "I didn't know you liked football."
Beca shrugged.
"I guess it never came up."
"It makes me happy!"
"What does? That I didn't tell you I like college football?"
"No silly! It makes me happy to know there's so much more of you to get to know."
Beca eyes went wide for a second before Chloe clapped her hands together a couple of times and turned back to the family.
"Beca, these two handsome chaps are my gorgeous nephews. This is Wade," Chloe said, stepping forward and ruffling the taller boy's hair first. "And this is Nate."
"Hey guys." Beca said, offering her fist out for them to bump. Wade hesitated for a second before bumping fists but Nate was straight in there when it was his turn.
"Can we go swim now?" Nate asked, turning to his Mom.
"Yes, go on," Jen said, casting her eyes around the group. "You've been standing still long enough."
The two boys raced off towards the pool, kicking their flip flops off onto the grass before they flung themselves into the pool, causing water to cascade everywhere. Beca had to hold back a laugh at the overly prim as Aubrey, still resplendent in her three piece suit, was showered in fat droplets of water. To her credit, she didn't react but Beca watched Luke school his face too as he reached around the back of his chair to pass her a napkin to dry her face.
"Sorry about that... they've been itching to get into the pool for quite a while! I'm Jen by the way." A young woman spoke as she stepped forward, holding out her hand to Beca. "David's sister in law and mother to those two urchins."
"Nice to meet you." Beca smiled politely.
"And to help Chloe out, three things about me are that I'm into tree hugging, nature walks and astrology." She smirked, shooting Chloe a quick wink. Chloe laughed good naturedly at Jen's teasing. "This is my husband Tom."
"Hi Beca." Tom said, raising his hand to offer a small wave.
"Hi." Beca smiled back.
"As much as I want to stay and chat for a bit longer, I'm just going to go and say hello to the girls," Helen said. "I look forward to catching up with you in a few minutes Beca."
"Yeah, sure." Beca said, and Helen patted her arm before moving away.
"Oh, before I do... are you okay with me introducing myself to Jessie as Nana or would you prefer something else?" Helen asked, turning back to Beca for a second.
Beca was a little taken aback at the question, more of the thoughtfulness of Helen's question. She'd quite forgotten that Helen and Trent were about to meet their granddaughter for the first time and she hadn't thought to explain anything to Jessie.
"Um, Nana is fine. That's fine. Thank you for asking."
"Does she have another Nana? I don't want to confuse her."
"Nope, my mother isn't in the picture," Beca explained simply but concisely, so as not to encourage further questions. Helen patted her arm again.
"Her loss," She said kindly as she moved away, walking gracefully towards the end of the pool where Luke was still trying to help Aubrey with drying herself.
"She's been dying to meet Jessie," Trent shared, in response to Helen's retreating figure. "We all have. She sounds like a wonderful little girl."
"She really is," Beca said, a little wistfully. "All three of them are."
"Yes, I'm a very proud grandfather of three granddaughters now," Trent enthused but Beca didn't know what to say to that. Luckily Chloe noticed she was becoming a little uncomfortable.
"So guys, if you want to go and make yourselves comfortable, we'll bring some drinks down. Tom, I'm not sure if Wade needs rescuing from Kate," Chloe laughed, nodding towards her nephew's attempts to swim away from his cousin.
"I'll go find out," Tom answered obediently, shoving his hands in his shorts pockets and heading towards the pool. "Come on Dad."
"What? Oh yes, of course," Trent said, following behind his son.
"Thought it might be easier with less people. I know it's been a chaotic and crazy day but you've done really well," Chloe whispered towards Beca, who glanced over at Jen to see if she heard what Chloe had said.
"Um, yeah, sure."
"You should see this side of the family, when everyone's around," Jen laughed, not reacting badly at all to what Chloe said which confused Beca. She wasn't used to a big, friendly family and it hit her that Jen and Chloe were practically sisters and friends. "You'll have to come to one of the in law's July fourth parties or their Halloween get-togethers to really know what mayhem looks like."
"True!" Chloe grinned.
"Hey Chloe," Jen began as she turned and walked back towards the kitchen. "Remember that Christmas we got together when I was pregnant with Nate and Trent got his foot stuck up the chimney."
"Oh God, yes!" Chloe chuckled and turned to Beca, encouraging her to follow them. "That is definitely a story you have to hear from Trent."
"And he'll happily tell you," Jen continued, laying her purse down on the kitchen counter. "Keep it in your back pocket for when he's bored you rigid about his beloved Crimson Tide team."
"I will, thanks." Beca said, relieved that Jen seemed so normal and unfazed by her presence within their family unit. "Are you the daughter in law who likes football?"
"I am, but I'm into the pro's. My family are originally from Denver-"
"-Ah, a Bronco's fan then?"
"I am!" Jen beamed. "Do you like the pro's?"
"I've been known to watch a game or two in my time," Beca confirmed.
"Team?"
"Falcons. Gotta support my home state," Beca declared.
"New stadium looks good," Jen nodded appreciatively.
"Yeah, I heard."
"Not been?"
"Tickets were way out of my price range. Never been to a live game."
"For real?" Jen's eyebrows shot up.
"Yeah."
"Jen's brother is a reporter for Denver's sports radio," Chloe added her piece into the conversation.
"Yeah?"
"Mmm hmm, he's a jackass but he can get free tickets to most games. Box seats."
"That's so cool."
"Next time you head back home, let me know and I'll sort something out for you at the Mercedes Benz stadium," Jen offered.
"Oh, it'll be a while before I'm back there but thanks."
"Sure. Difficult to get away with the kids, huh?"
"More like I have nothing to return to Atlanta for at the moment," Beca said simply.
"Cali grows on you, doesn't it?"
"The girls are here, my job... you know?" Beca said, wanting the conversation to stir away from herself. She glanced over at Chloe who seemed to recognise that Beca was getting a little uncomfortable again.
"Drinks?" She asked. "Shall I make us a pitcher of margaritas?"
"If only to see Helen get drunk and fall in your flowerbed again," Jen laughed, looking over at Beca. "Oh, you have to hear this story."
.oOo.
It was now just before eight in the evening and Beca was begrudgingly admitting to herself that she was having a good time. She looked around at the group of people she was sitting with and realised she was enjoying their company, although she was doing a better job of listening, rather than joining in.
Helen hadn't left her side for the last hour, asking her questions about her work, music and Jessie. It seemed as though Chloe's mother in law just knew which were the safe subjects to discuss and which ones were to be avoided. Chloe and Jen were laughing and filling Beca in on lots of the family mishaps and the stories of Alex and Kate as they grew up. She was happy to share stories of Jessie as well.
Amy had attached herself to Trent and they were both trying to outdo each other with their tall tales and funny stories. Luke and Aubrey were off to the side of the group, sharing one of the benches and laughing over something that Luke was trying to pronounce with an American accent. Tom and the boys were building a small campfire towards the back of the yard and telling everyone that the smores would be ready soon.
The three little girls were quite content in the middle of the group of adults, happily situated with a cup of M&M's each and a toy. They'd been persuaded out of the pool an hour or so before, showered and were sporting matching pyjamas. Chloe's eyes would naturally drift over towards them every thirty seconds and Beca enjoyed watching her keep an eye on the girls. Despite her early thoughts of Chloe, she couldn't deny that she was a good Mom.
Chloe, too, had enjoyed the day and despite the early start, she was feeling quite energised. She was grateful for Beca's help that morning in getting the house ready but more so of the attention she had given the girls all day. She didn't even think Beca realised she was doing it.
Usually at one of Chloe's gatherings, she felt as if she'd been run ragged with looking after Kate and Alex at the same time whilst hosting the party. Even with the fifty or so people that had come along over the course of the day, she felt as if she'd had time to speak to everyone.
Everytime she thought that she should check on the girls, get them a drink, apply sunscreen or make sure they took a break from being out in the sun, there was Beca, having got to them first. She watched her a couple of times as she negotiated around the guests, carrying three juice boxes and three sun hats before making the girls get out of the pool to get something to eat. She didn't treat any of them differently or favour Jessie as she slipped tee shirts on over their heads and led them to a quiet spot under the oak tree to get out of the heat of the midday sun while they ate a hot dog.
Stacie and Chloe had exchanged a glance as they watched Beca gently kiss each of their sunkissed faces as she applied cream, checking that no one was getting too pink.
Chloe noticed, as it was something she would do as well, but Beca would casually glance over at the girls regularly to check on them, and a fleeting thought crossed her mind that Beca was a great person to parent the children with. She felt guilty a moment later that she'd completely forgotten about David's role in that matter.
As Beca watched Jessie swap four of her blue M&M's with three of Kate's red ones, she gave a soft chuckle. Red was Jessie's favourite colour and she always insisted that any red food tasted the best. She was just wondering what Alex's favourite colour was when she felt Helen's hand on her arm.
Realising she'd zoned out and missed what Helen had said, she spun around quickly.
"Sorry?" She said, cringing a little as it was obvious she'd not listened.
"No, not at all. I was just asking if you minded if I bought Jessie some clothes before we leave?"
"Oh, um..." Beca shot a look towards Chloe. "Is there something wrong with-"
"-Oh no, it's not like that. I just always buy my other two girls and my big boys a couple of outfits for the summer and fall while I'm here. I'd like to include my third granddaughter, if that's okay with you?"
"Um, yeah, sure."
Helen seemed pleased with the answer and took her phone out from her pocket, seemingly making a few notes on it or sending a text which gave Beca an opportunity to watch the girls a little more.
In sync, both Chloe and Beca, looked to the wall clock above the back door and spoke at the same time.
"Bedtime in five minutes, girls."
They looked at each other and grinned, before Chloe carried on talking to Jen who was theatrically demonstrating a story with her hands.
"Do we have time for sparklers?" Trent said, overhearing the bedtime announcement which his granddaughters were happily ignoring.
"Sparklers?" Beca asked, shooting a look at Chloe.
"Oooh yes!" Chloe said. "Hold on Jen, put a pin in the story for a few minutes."
Chloe jumped up, out of her seat, and headed towards the kitchen with her usual enthusiasm over everything. Beca had long since given up on the notion that her perpetual happiness was fake; she actually seemed to be happy most of the time. She was getting lost in her thoughts when Chloe returned with a large box under her arm, carrying two safety lighters in her hand.
"Trent?" She said, as she handed the box to him.
"Of course," He grinned back at her.
"Um, Chloe?" Beca motioned to Chloe to come over, as she stood up herself.
"You okay?" Chloe smiled, as she came up to Beca's side.
"Are the sparklers safe?" Beca asked, nodding towards Trent as he began to hand them out to people.
"Yes, of course, we do this all the time. It's okay, we're here with the girls."
"They are safe for kids?"
"Yes. Absolutely. Jessie, Kate and Alex will be fine."
"Oh, no..." Beca said, shaking her head. "I'm not worried about the girls... it's Amy I'm concerned about."
"Oh Becs! You are too funny."
"No, seriously. You see her left eyebrow?"
"Yes, of course."
"Well, she has to colour it in... she lost most of it on a fourth of July celebration that she got a little too enthusiastic over. And if you value your table cloths, I'd suggest you move her away to somewhere near the pool so I can push her in, if things go wrong."
"I'm sure everything will be fine! But I'll watch out, don't worry," Chloe grinned.
"Can you helps me?" Alex's little voice interrupted their conversation and Chloe turned and was about to help Alex when she saw that the little brunette was holding out her sparkler towards Beca. Chloe's eyes widened for a moment or two before she gathered Alex's face in her hands, placed a noisy kiss on her forehead and went off towards Kate and Jessie who were wrestling to get their sparklers out of the wrappers.
"Of course, little one," Beca said, quickly sinking to her knees. She glanced up just in time to see the look on Chloe's face, not unlike her own when Jessie had called Chloe 'Mama' earlier that day.
"I a bit scared."
"Nothing to be scared about. Do you want to hold it together when it's time to light it?"
Alex nodded, turned herself around and backed into Beca's chest. Beca steadied herself on her knees and instinctively wrapped her arms around Alex, feeling the little girls' warmth as she sagged lightly into her. She heard Alex hum to herself as Trent began to make his way around the group, lighting sparklers as he went.
Beca watched Kate and Jessie go first, smiling broadly at the way their eyes lit up as the first sparks began to shoot in all directions. She couldn't help but grin when she watched Luke step forward when Amy went next, watching intently as the Aussie immediately brandished her light stick as if it was a wand, quoting spells from Harry Potter as she flung her arms about.
Soon it was Alex's turn and as Trent began to light the end of her stick, he murmured to Beca that Alex was little afraid of them. Feeling a touch overwhelmed that her daughter had sought her out, amongst the family that she knew so much better, Beca gripped Alex a little tighter as she whispered in her ear.
"Just swish it gently, everything will be okay."
Alex nodded, mesmerised by the fizzing, but she didn't move her little hand at all. Beca quickly covered Alex's fingers with her own and guided her, making a slow circle and then a heart as they ignored the sound of Amy's whoops and snorts as she tried to write inappropriate words with her sparkler.
"Shall we write an A, for Alex?" Beca asked as she saw the sparkler was about to run out. Alex nodded and Beca helped her form the letter. "Good job buddy!"
"Dat was fun!" Alex exclaimed, causing Helen to turn and chuckle. "You is good at dat."
"Why, thank you, little lady." Beca said, releasing her grip on Alex's hand.
"Fank you."
"You're welcome." Beca said, unconsciously looking for Chloe in the small crowd. She caught her watching the two of them and smiled. Chloe gave a watery smile back towards them before shaking herself and snatching up a glass to put the spent sparklers in. Alex rushed forward to put hers in the glass. Beca stood up, brushed her knees down and took a spot by the patio steps.
"It's bedtime girls," Chloe said brightly. "Say goodnight to everyone."
"We want to stay up!" Kate yelled happily, not wanting the fun day to end.
"Yeah!" Jessie called out, turning to Kate for back up, a look that didn't go unnoticed by both Chloe and Beca.
"You can yell all you like but it's bedtime," Chloe repeated.
"I'll put them to bed," Beca offered.
"You don't have to," Chloe said, her voice a little thicker than normal and she didn't turn to look at Beca.. "Stay here with everyone. Girls. Bed. Now."
The group each received a hug and kiss from each of the little girls, lingering a little longer with Beca as she wrapped each girl into a tight hug and gave a noisy kiss on the top of their heads. Jessie paused for a few seconds.
"DId you have fun today, Bug?"
"Uh huh. You be here tomorrow?"
"Probably not sweetheart, I've got some work to do. And you need to spend some time with the family."
Jessie nodded and began to walk off, not before sending a long look over her shoulder at Beca as she disappeared through the double doors, following her sisters and Chloe.
There was a general murmuring as everyone began to take their seats again and no one else seemed to notice Chloe's light frostiness in the last few minutes. Beca shrugged her shoulders and took a seat near to Trent.
"Have you thought about what you are going to do about the girl's name?" He asked, slightly out of the blue.
"Um, no," Beca replied.
"I understand Jessie's dad was called Jesse."
"Alex's dad was called Jesse," Helen corrected him.
"Oh, of course. I forget..." He shook his head lightly. "Are you going to change their names?"
"Um, Chloe and I... and David haven't exactly discussed it yet. I mean, they have their name now, it's too late to change them."
"We were wondering if a different child to your own having your boyfriend's name was going to upset you."
Beca gritted her teeth a little; more about the question itself, not so much at the quizzical tone.
"We've not discussed it but I don't see any need to change the girls' names. It would confuse them all now if we just swapped them around and besides, Jesse... Alex's dad... his middle name was Alexander so she's got part of his name anyway. And Alex suits Alex, and Jessie suits Jessie. Chloe and I will talk about it, for sure, but I don't see any point anymore."
"You'll have to tell us about Alex's dad one day, when you are ready."
"Yeah, maybe."
"Smores are ready Granddad!" Wade called out, saving Beca from any more questions. She thankfully made a beeline straight for the kitchen as the group moved over to the firepit en masse.
.oOo.
It was just after two in the morning when the phone rang, making Beca jump and fight to sit up. The blankets had wrapped themselves around her legs and she tried to kick them off as she searched for her phone.
"Fuck sake…" She mumbled as she finally connected.
Seeing Chloe's name on the screen filled her with a sudden dread.
"Hi, um, hey, is everything okay?" She mumbled out, her mouth dry from catching flies in her sleep. She could hear the sound of soft crying in the background.
"Hi Beca, so sorry to wake you up."
"It's okay. Is Jessie... Alex... Kate, whoever is crying... are... is she okay?"
"She's fine. Jessie's fine," Chloe said quickly. "She's running a little temperature, nothing to worry about."
"Okay?"
"She woke up about an hour ago, I gave her some medicine and she settled for a bit while I sat with her but she's gotten herself so worked up and sad, I don't know how to settle her. I don't know how to comfort our kid."
Beca's eyes widened at the reference to 'our kid' and she felt a warmth spread over her despite the situation.
"Um, yeah, she's not really a kid who gets sick often but when she does, her world ends. Worse than a Greek tragedy."
"That's exactly how it seems."
"I have no idea where she gets dramatics from," Beca mused and she heard Chloe chuckle lightly down the phone. Beca sighed. "If you can sing to her, she really likes that. Have you got Bunny and her yellow blanket?"
"Yes, she's got Bunny but I think the blanket is with you?" Chloe questioned and Beca looked around but couldn't see it.
"She likes to hold something in her hands so maybe get a washcloth. She'll curl up with you and go to sleep that way usually."
"Okay, I'll try that."
"She's a space hogger so I wouldn't put her in bed with you," Beca said, wincing slightly as she could hear Jessie's cries getting louder in the background.
"A little late for that," Chloe said. "I didn't want to wake Lex and Katie so…"
"I get it. You want to put her on the phone to me?"
"That would be great. Thank you."
"Sure," Beca said and waited as Chloe handed the phone over to the little girl.
"Mommy?"
"Hey Ladybug… you're not feeling good?" Beca asked gently.
"My tummy hurts," Jessie cried.
"Oh no."
"Yeah."
"How come?" Beca asked. "Was it the three hot dogs and two dishes of ice cream you ate today?"
"Dunno," Jessie sobbed. "You come here?"
"I can't come now baby. How about I come see you tomorrow afternoon?"
"No."
"No?"
"Now."
"I can't come now baby, it's the middle of the night. Everyone is asleep. Alex and Kate are trying to sleep and Chloe will-"
"-Mommmmyyyyy…" Jessie wailed and Beca heard jostling before she heard Chloe hushing the little girl.
"Beca?"
"Yeah, still here."
"I'm sorry about this."
"Look, I can come over if it's not going to disturb you guys too much?"
"Are you sure?" Chloe said, her voice a mix of hopeful and thankful. "I've tried everything but the washcloth."
"No problem. Give me half an hour to get there," Beca was instantly out of bed and looking around for a pair of sweats and her shoes.
"Thanks Beca. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologise. I'll see you in a bit. I'll just come in the gate at the side, okay?" Beca pushed her feet into a pair of tennis shoes and picked up her keys from the small coffee table that served as a bedside table.
"Sure, I'll leave the door unlocked in case she does fall asleep. We've come downstairs anyway, as she wouldn't even settle in my bed," Chloe explained, pausing for a second in an attempt to console Jessie a little. "And thanks."
"Don't mention it," Beca said, heading towards her front door. "See you in a few."
The drive to Chloe's didn't take long due to the lack of traffic. She passed four police patrol cars, all of them giving her and the car a once over as they drove alongside her. She ignored them, wishing that she'd stopped to pick up her purse and her driver's licence before she'd left the apartment.
Turning into Chloe's road, Beca's car gave an almighty shudder and she coasted down the avenue until she was about ten yards from Chloe's home. Raising her eyes to the Heavens in silent thanks, she quietly shut the door, ignored the burning smell that came from under the hood and hurried around the side of the house to the back gate; the one that she'd only walked through just a few hours before.
She used the key that Chloe had given her, just that evening, as she left after the barbecue. The rest of the evening had been lovely and Chloe had seemed more herself when she'd come back down after putting the girls to bed. Beca had stayed, after everyone had left to help clear up but there hadn't been an opportunity to talk much as it was obvious they were both tired, and Beca had a long drive home. Chloe had sent her on her way with a huge bag of leftovers just before eleven.
She quietly made her way up to the house, glancing over the backyard as she walked. Everything had been tidied away and the yard was dark, save for the dim lights along the pathway. She found the back door unlocked and quietly pushed it open, closing and locking it behind her as she came through to the hallway and into the lounge where the soft lamp light showed Chloe curled up on the sofa with Jessie tucked into her side.
"Hey," Beca spoke softly as she came into the room, digging her toes into the heels of her shoe and kicking them off. "How's she doing?"
"A bit calmer. She's still saying her tummy is hurting," Chloe whispered as Beca sank down to her knees next to Jessie.
"Hey Bug."
"I don't feel good Mommy Beca," Jessie whimpered. Beca's eyes widened at the choice of name, her heart dropping for the briefest of seconds again as her mind raced, wondering if this was the start of her losing Jessie to Chloe. She tried to tell herself, it was just a name, similar to earlier when Jessie had called Chloe, Mama Chloe.
"I know sweetheart. What can I do to make you feel better?" She asked instead.
"Rub," Jessie mumbled, pointing to her belly.
"Roll over then."
Jessie shifted onto her back and lifted her pyjama top a little, showing the smallest amount of skin.
"Need me to move?" Chloe asked, looking as though she was about to get up. Beca shook her head.
"No, this is something that helps and you'll need to know this for the future."
Beca's fingers began to dance across Jessie's belly, feather light touches that barely made contact. After a couple of minutes, Jessie's breathing began to slow down and she reached out a little hand to rub at her eyes. Beca shot Chloe a look and gave her a small smile.
"Sing Mommy?"
"You need a song too?"
"Yes pease."
"Chloe could sing for you," Beca said softly but Jessie shook her head.
"That sounds like a job for you," Chloe murmured, winking oh so slightly at Beca.
"Yeah, but I'm not used to an audience when I sing. I'm not exactly any good."
"Jessie seems to like it."
"Hmm mmm," Beca lightly growled, looking down at Jessie who stared back at her; big blue eyes imploringly locked onto Beca's. "I've got one I'm working on for one of Uncle Luke's clients, okay? But I kinda had you in mind when I wrote it, Ladybug."
Jessie nodded, looking sleepy.
"Don't laugh," Beca uttered towards Chloe, who said nothing in response but laid her head back on the couch cushion next to Jessie. Beca wondered for a brief moment if Chloe was still having trouble sleeping, remembering their conversation from a few weeks before.
"All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am..."
Beca glanced at Chloe as she sang before fixing her gaze back on Jessie.
"So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true, I was made for you..."
Jessie reached out with her fingers to touch Beca's face.
"I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Oh, because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
You do and I was made for you..."
Beca's eyes swept over to Chloe, pausing for a second before she continued. She'd written this song for Jessie a few days after she'd learned she'd have to give her away to Chloe but had finished the lyrics after she'd spoken to Chloe and her muddled mind had come to light.
"You see the smile that's on my mouth
It's hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess
No, they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through like you do
And I was made for you..."
Beca's face pinked up as she sang the last few lines, she wasn't sure what had made her write them but she remembered having Chloe on her mind, as well as Jessie and Alex as she had furiously scribbled the words, handing them to Luke and asking if it was something that his client would like.
As she finished the song, Beca looked down and saw, with some amusement, that both Jessie and Chloe were fast asleep, their faces showing the same expression as the peaceful moment surrounded them. She watched them for a few seconds, before deciding it was a little creepy, and pulled the blanket that lay on the back of the couch over the sleeping pair.
She saw the flush that had been on Jessie's face had lessened as sleep overtook her. Beca laid a soft hand on the little girls' forehead, happy that her temperature didn't seem that unusual.
Deciding to wait a little longer in case Jessie woke up again, Beca crept over to the other sofa and took a seat, leaning back against the squishy cushions as she watched both of them sleep.
.oOo.
The sound of soft giggles woke Beca the next morning. Though her head only popped up from the arm of the sofa, when she heard the sound of a coffee machine pinging, announcing its success in brewing an early morning drink.
Turning her head in confusion, Beca was for a moment at a loss as to where she was and why she was covered in an unfamiliar blanket. Beca found herself looking straight into the dark blue eyes of her biological daughter. Alex was sitting cross legged on the coffee table playing with the ear of a plush duck.
Beca blinked a few times, as the memory of her coming over the night before and singing to Jessie came flooding back to her. She looked over to the other sofa, but Chloe and Jessie weren't there. She turned onto her side, wondering who'd covered her up, and smiled at Alex before checking the time on her watch, shocked to see it was after ten in the morning.
"Hi Mommy," Alex said, tilting her head in such a way that Beca was instantly reminded of Jesse. The half crooked smile she wore was all him. She almost failed to notice that Alex had just called her Mommy for the first time.
"Hi baby," Beca whispered back.
"Why you sleep dere?"
"I, um..., last night..." Beca started to explain, grinding her knuckles into her eyes as she tried to rid herself of sleep. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so late. Or so well. "... Jessie wasn't feeling... good, so I came to see her."
Alex nodded and uncrossed her legs, sliding onto the edge of the table.
"Careful," Beca said easily.
"I okay," Alex said, sliding down to the floor. She handed Beca the duck she'd been playing with. "Dis is for you."
"Um, thank you."
"Hers name is Laura."
"The duck is called Laura?" Beca asked and Alex nodded again. "Right, okay."
"You take to your house."
"Won't you miss having Laura here?"
Alex shook her head.
"For you," She smiled, pushing the soft toy closer towards Beca. "If you is sad, Laura help you."
For a moment, Beca wanted to cry. It was a small gesture from Alex but it meant everything to Beca, like she was being accepted into Alex's world a little more.
"Thank you Alex. I'll look after her always and when I don't need her anymore, she can come back to you."
Alex shrugged her shoulders.
"Where's your... where are the others?"
"Kitchen. They is having snacks!"
"You don't want snacks?" Beca asked her and Alex grinned back at her.
"I come to get you," She whispered conspiratorially. She reached out and pulled some of Beca's hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "Dis is like mine."
She pointed to her own head.
"Yeah, we have the same colour, don't we?"
"Yes," Alex said simply, rolling Beca's hair around in her fingers. Without warning, she bent down and kissed Beca lightly on the cheek before letting out a soft giggle, turning and running out of the room. Beca watched her leave, then stiffened as she saw Chloe standing in the doorway watching.
"Um, sorry, she-"
"-Don't apologise Beca, please."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep here last night. I thought I'd hang out for a quick minute to see if Jessie would wake up again. And I must have just closed my eyes for a second."
"I should be the one saying sorry. I fell asleep during your beautiful song. I haven't slept that well for so long."
"Funny, I thought the same thing. How's Jessie this morning?" Beca asked, wishing her cheeks weren't heating up the way they were.
"She's absolutely fine. She wanted to wake you earlier but I managed to persuade her to go back to her own bed for a couple of hours."
"This was you?" Beca asked, nodding towards the fleece covering her.
"Mmm hmm, you were out for the count. Hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all."
"Sorry about Alex waking you. She's been asking for ages to come in," Chloe explained.
"You should have let her, I could have been out of your way ages ago."
"You aren't in the way," Chloe said kindly. "It's a beautiful morning outside. I was thinking of taking the girls over to the rec centre to play on the swings."
"Yeah, no problem," Beca sat up properly and pushed the blanket off of her, haphazardly folding it in half a couple of times. "I'll get out of your way."
"No silly, do you want to come? It's a lovely day, we could pack a picnic and hang out for a couple of hours. If you wanted to. Unless you've got things to do?"
"Um, only packing… and that can wait," Beca's mind raced a little. She liked the idea of hanging out with everybody and after her little interaction with Alex that morning, really wanted to start spending some proper time with her.
Chloe beamed.
"I don't have anything else to wear though," Beca gestured down her body.
"What's wrong with what you have on?" Chloe asked. Beca glanced at Chloe's cut offs and pretty blouse before she looked down at herself, her raggedy sweats and sleeping tee shirt that had seen better days. Chloe seemed to understand without Beca saying anything. "You can borrow something of mine, if you like? Just root through until you find something you like."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Um, thanks."
"Hungry?" Chloe asked.
"I could use a coffee," Beca mused. She wouldn't mind taking the time to chat with Chloe to make sure she was all right about the evening before.
"Pot's just brewed. Come through when you are ready."
"Wait, don't you want to spend the day with your family?"
"David's family," Chloe corrected.
"David's family," Beca repeated.
"They are actually spending the day with David and..." Chloe breathed heavily through her nose. "... Holly today. Which is fine, because as much as I love and I do, I really do, love them, they can be a bit much sometimes. I actually do like a quiet day with just the girls, although that does mean I never have time to sit and read or anything like that."
"I can watch them if you want to read a book."
"You are too sweet. Honestly, I'd rather spend the day with you."
.oOo.
"Jack Preston."
"Hi, it's Sam."
"Yeah?"
"I've found her."
"Where is she?"
"In a park on Rye and Beeman."
"Good work. What's she doing? Who is she with?"
"She's with the other woman again, and the three kids... the two that look alike and the other girl. They look like they are friends and it's definitely the same woman from the courthouse or if I'm wrong, it's definitely her double."
"What are you thinking?"
"I dunno, but I think there's potentially a story going on here. I can just feel it."
"Can you get closer to them? See if you can hear anything they are saying?"
"Yeah, I'll try. Okay, talk to you later."
"Yeah, see ya."
.oOo.
A/N - One of the biggest criticism's I received in the PM was my over use of characters. Sorry, not sorry, that I just chucked another two in the mix!