A/N - Thanks to my lovely beta, as always.
.oOo. Chapter Forty Seven .oOo.
Beca had just finished closing the door of the dishwasher when Chloe came back down the stairs and swept into the kitchen.
"How do you do it?" Beca asked as Chloe reached for the small pile of used towels and dirty cleaning cloths on the kitchen counter.
"What's that?" Chloe smiled sweetly.
"We've been up since the ass crack of dawn, had three little girls riding the crest of a sugar high all day, not to mention the crazy Australian She-Devil being exceptionally loud and relentless, you've cooked, you've entertained a house full of people all day, run around after everyone and... you don't have a hair out of place!"
"Oh, I don't know about that," Chloe reached up to smooth down the side of her hair.
"Seriously, I feel like I could sleep for a week."
"But have you had a nice day?" Choe asked, turning to leave the kitchen and make the short walk to the laundry room on the other side of the hallway.
Beca narrowed her eyes and thought about her answer as Chloe threw the dirty cleaning cloths into the open top of the washing machine and returned to the kitchen.
"I have to say," Beca began carefully, "that despite what I just said, it has been a really nice day. I can honestly say it's been the best Thanksgiving I've ever had. Despite Amy's take on what Thanksgiving really is all about."
"Some of her games were quite funny... I mean the girls did well in Thanksgiving Tic-Tac-Toe and I honestly didn't think Aubrey would do so well in Thanksgiving Mad-Libs," Chloe chuckled.
"Have you had a good day?" Beca asked, tilting her head to the side a little.
"Yes, it's been a really lovely day," Chloe smiled genuinely. "I was so grateful for your help."
"But I didn't do anything?" Beca protested.
"You did Bec, you supported me all day long, especially with the girls and you've just cleaned the whole kitchen while I was putting the girls to bed. I couldn't do these things without you by my side. I know you don't think so, but I need you."
The brunette's cheeks flushed and she smiled shyly before whispering, "I think I need you too."
Chloe reached out and wrapped her arms around Beca, hugging her tightly and tucking her head in between Beca's shoulder and neck.
"I know you are tired Bec, but I've got something for you," Chloe murmured, pulling away but keeping both arms around the brunette. Beca raised an eyebrow in anticipation; a look that wasn't lost on Chloe.
"Okay..." Beca said, slightly suspiciously as Chloe unwrapped herself from her and slipped past her to walk over to their now shared study.
Beca closed the cabinet door above the dishwasher and reached over to turn off the main lights, leaving the under cabinet lights on. Beca loved the low light this gave in the kitchen; she felt it was so sophisticated, yet knew that a lot of homes probably had this and it wasn't that special. Her mind drifted back to the kitchen in the trailer she used to share with her Mom.
She pulled a face, more to herself than anyone else, noting she rarely thought about the woman who gave her life anymore. Beca felt a ripple of anger flood her, as she knew her Mom just gave up on her. She also knew she had fought for Jessie with everything she had, and more, and it really hadn't been that difficult.
Beca couldn't deny that she was now in a much better position, but there was a part of her that pined for their life before; the simplicity of it all.
Swallowing thickly, Beca faked a smile as Chloe reentered the kitchen, talking animatedly about something that Beca wasn't sure was aimed at her. She had gotten used to Chloe quoting parts of rehearsals or movie dialogue to herself, randomly throughout the day.
"Hey," Beca smiled, somewhat startling the redhead.
"Oh yes, sorry, I was just-"
"-No need to explain."
"Come through to the lounge with me?" Chloe nudged her head towards the kitchen doorway.
"Yeah, sure," Beca couldn't help her eyebrows from twitching. She recognised the nervous look on Chloe's face; she usually had the look when she was about to tell Beca about one of her crazy dreams (complete with actions or, on one occasion, an actual diagram) or make a grand gesture.
Beca pushed herself away from the kitchen counter and followed behind Chloe who pulled the edges of her cardigan around her shoulders as the late evening chill enveloped her.
"I wanted to give this to you earlier," Chloe began to explain, "but with everyone around," she casually waved her hands around and Beca could see that her hands were shaking. "I know you don't like grand gestures so I thought it wise to wait until everyone had gone before giving you this."
Chloe handed Beca an envelope.
"Before you open it and get mad," Chloe continued, "this is something for all of us to do at Christmas, okay?"
"Like an event?" Beca asked, taking the envelope from Chloe.
"Sorta like that," Chloe replied cryptically.
"What have you done?" Beca eyed the redhead suspiciously. "Have you bought something expensive?"
Immediately Beca's thoughts went back to her birthday and how she acted when Chloe had presented her with the guitar of her dreams, in an effort to do something nice for her. Knowing she acted badly, she shot Chloe a cheesy grin, instead of moaning about her organising something without talking to her about it first.
"Because you know you'll get it back tenfold when it's my turn to organise something, right?" Beca shot a wink in Chloe's direction.
Chloe visibly released the breath she was holding and nodded playfully. Having just witnessed Beca go through a range of emotions in front of her, she easily recognised Beca's attempt at making an effort.
"Deal," Chloe grinned.
Beca turned the thick envelope over in her hands, not recognising the logo on the front. "What is it?"
"Open it, and you'll find out."
Eying Chloe dubiously, Beca slid her finger under the envelope flap and pulled out a few sheets of thick, expensive paper.
'Oh god, this is fancy,' Beca thought to herself while schooling her features. She opened the paperwork and read the first few lines before her eyebrows shot straight up to her hairline.
"A cruise?" She carried on reading. "A Christmas cruise? What is-"
"-It's a vacation for us all at Christmas," Chloe explained. She held up her hand as Beca opened her mouth. "And before you worry, I got a really good deal on this from a company I've used before and did some advertising work for them a few years ago, just as I got out of college. They've been really good to me since then."
Beca read a few more lines and began blinking rapidly.
"And I know you've never had a vacation before," Chloe continued. "And you did say you wanted to see what a Beale Christmas was all about... well, this is what we do."
"Chloe, this is..." Beca trailed off.
Chloe dropped her head a little, "please don't say you are mad at me for doing this for us."
"I'm not mad!" Beca squeaked, "I'm so happy!"
Chloe sighed with relief.
"Like you said, I've never had a vacation before and the first one I get to go on is to," Beca turned to the second page, "the freaking Caribbean with the girls!"
She shot Chloe a look to double check that the girls were joining them too.
"Of course the girls are coming too. David did ask to have them over Christmas but I said no. We've compromised and he's going to have them, with your permission too, from the time school breaks for Christmas to when we go."
Beca nodded, "Thank you Chloe."
"You're welcome baby," Chloe smiled, watching as Beca's eyes darted about everywhere, clearly trying to process something.
"I'd like to pay something towards this."
Chloe, having anticipated that Beca would most likely say something to that extent , understanding her need to not be reliant on others for everything.
"I haven't organised transport to the airport or to the cruise terminal yet, are you able to take care of that?"
Beca nodded happily, "Yes, of course. Maybe, if you don't mind, I can get the girls some outfits for the holidays too?"
"That would be lovely," Chloe reached out her hand to grab hold of Beca's. "I'm sure the girls will love to go shopping with you."
"That's settled then!"
"I'm not sure what happens on a cruise," Beca admitted.
"It's a week of pure luxury, with some stops in ports where we can get off the ship and explore. But the best thing about the whole thing is us spending quality time together. You and I can get the chance to talk about everything, there's amazing food and entertainment."
"Can you tell me all about this..." Beca asked, pointing to the itinerary.
"Yes, of course. We fly out from Los Angeles to Miami and pick up the ship in the late afternoon. Day one is a sailing day, day two..."
.oOo.
*Three Weeks Later*
"Last store," Beca announced as she and the girls pulled up outside of Big Sugar Bakeshop on Ventura Boulevard, a tiny bakery which was also the final stop on her day shopping with the girls. She was feeling the tell tale sign of a headache looming in the back of her brain but was having a lovely time with the girls at the same time.
"Yay!" Jessie called out, before she began working on undoing her seat belt.
"You three have been such good girls today, I thought we could get some cupcakes on the way home," Beca offered, seeing how tired all three girls were.
"And one for Mama too?" Kate questioned.
"Of course Mama has to have one as well. Come on, let's go in," Beca smiled, reaching for the handle and popping open the door. She slipped out of the car and pulled on the handle to open it so the girls could clamber out.
They'd been out for most of the day and Beca could tell they were tired, judging by the light bickering and whining. She'd managed to pick out some really cute outfits which she hoped Chloe would like as well, as well as a backpack for the girls to take some of their toys with them. She'd picked out a couple of things for Chloe as well and was nervously excited about the opportunity to gift Chloe with something.
Pushing open the door to the bakery store, Beca held it open wide enough for the girls to slip through as they walked in wide eyed and looked around everywhere.
"Good afternoon!" The store owner called out cheerfully as the family entered, coming out from behind the cash register to greet everyone.
"Hello, sorry, you're probably trying to close up for the day."
"It's okay," the girl smiled politely. "I've got a few minutes."
"Thanks," Beca nodded back, turning to the girls. "Go and choose what you'd like."
Kate ran up to the counter first, followed closely by Jessie but Alex hung back with Beca, reaching up to hold onto her Mommy's hand.
"You okay little one?" Beca asked, squatting down on her knees to talk to the little girl.
"Mmm," Alex nodded. "My head is... hot."
"You're not feeling good?" Beca laid her hand on Alex's forehead, noting with a little surprise that her temperature was extremely high. Alex had seemed okay during the day, but Beca had been a little preoccupied with getting the girls from place to place and she hadn't noticed her being off colour.
Alex shook her head and reached out for Beca to pick her up which the brunette did immediately, standing up and tucking her onto her hip.
"Are you ready to go home, Big Al?" Beca placed a quick kiss on Alex's cheek, feeling her breath catch when Alex tucked her head onto Beca's shoulder, relaxing into her embrace, needing the comfort in that moment that only Beca could give her.
"Yeah," Alex murmured.
"Want to choose a cupcake first?" Beca asked carefully. Alex shook her head. "Want the girls to choose one for you?"
"P'ease," Alex nodded.
"Okay baby," Beca took a few steps forward to where Jessie and Kate were busy pointing at the various treats behind the glass counter. "Which one are you going to get?"
"I like dis one," Kate said, pointing to a pink vanilla cupcake. "And dat one," Kate then pointed at an Oreo cupcake.
"You gets one," Jessie nudged Kate in the ribs.
"No, I gets two. Mama says so."
"Mommy says one. Just one," Jessie argued back, holding up her index finger in Kate's face to prove her point. "Right Mommy?"
Beca was immediately transported back to when it was just her and Jessie in their tiny shared apartment in Los Feliz when it was an absolute treat to take Jessie out for a cupcake. There was a bakery a couple of blocks down from where they lived and it would take Beca ages to save up the four dollars to buy Jessie's beloved treat. Knowing she had some money in the bank and was able to get the girls a couple of cupcakes each had Beca's eyes filling with tears.
"It's okay Jessie, you can get two and save one for tomorrow. Will you each choose one for Alex to take home as well?"
Both Kate and Jessie nodded enthusiastically and turned back to the display counter to pick a cupcake for Alex. Beca looked up to the girl who was now back behind the counter who was watching and waiting patiently for their order.
"HI, can I please have two red velvet and two chococcino cupcakes to start with please?" Beca asked, shifting Alex's weight on her hip a little, thinking of what Chloe might like. It was late in the day and while there wasn't the biggest choice left, there was still enough to choose from for the unfussy moms.
"Of course," the polite answer came back as the girl stepped forward and collected one of the larger cake boxes from behind her before reaching for a set of tongs and beginning to fill their order.
"Kate, are you ready to order, or have you changed your mind?"
"No, I ready," Kate nodded, before looking up shyly at the girl and pointing timidly at what she wanted.
"It's okay Kate, you can ask the lady for what you want."
Kate shook her head and looked at Beca with wide eyes.
"She won't bite you Kate!" Beca reassured.
"My name is Katie," the girl behind the counter looked over the top of the glass display cabinet and spoke to Kate. "We have a similar name. I bet we like the same cupcakes too."
Kate looked up at her, her eyes wide but she pointed shyly at the first cupcake she wanted, "dis one please."
"Would you like one or two?" Katie asked Kate, reaching with her tongs for the pink vanilla cupcake as Kate held up one finger. "Hmm, let's make sure we get you one with the prettiest swirl on top, yeah?"
Kate nodded, feeling braver.
"And you wanted an Oreo cupcake too, right?" Katie asked her. Kate shot a look at Beca for reassurance before answering.
"Yes please."
"No problem," Katie quickly filled Kate's order before turning to Jessie and smiling. "Which ones would you like?"
"Can I has the peanut one for firsts please?" Jessie asked, indicating the peanut butter and jelly cupcake on the right hand side. "And a Oreo one."
"Of course you can," Katie quickly placed Jessie's choices in the box along with the others before smiling over at Beca. "Your children are so polite!"
"Most of the time," Beca grinned back pridefully, before speaking to Kate and Jessie. "Which ones have you picked for Alex?"
"Alex wants the yellow one," Kate nudged Jessie for her choice.
"And the one with the sprinkles please," Jessie chose the final one.
"Is that okay with you?" Beca whispered to Alex.
"Fank you," Alex mumbled back.
"Anything else for you?" Katie asked Beca, who shook her head in response. "That'll be forty four, twenty five when you are ready, thank you."
"Hey Jess, can you grab my wallet out of my pocket?" Beca asked the little girl, needing both arms to hold up Alex who was getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Jessie reached into Beca's back pocket and pulled out the small wallet and held it out to Beca. "Can you open it and get some money out?"
Jessie did as she was asked, "how much notes Mommy?"
"How many notes," Beca corrected her, peering into the wallet and seeing mostly receipts from their day of shopping. "You want to get the note at the back, the one with the five and the zero on it, okay?"
Jessie nodded and pulled out the large bill, trying to hand it off to Beca.
"It's okay, you can pay," Beca nodded towards Katie who was placing their box of treats into a paper bag.
"I do it," Kate said, pulling the note out of Jessie's hand, reaching up onto her tiptoes and thrusting the money towards Katie, who took it and rang it through the cash register before holding out the change towards the family.
Feeling generous and also noting that Alex was almost asleep in her arms and she didn't want to deal with a handful of change, Beca asked Jessie to put the money into the local charity box that sat on the counter.
"Ready to go?" Beca asked the girls, who nodded back. "Jessie, can you grab the bag for me please?"
Beca thanked Katie, and swiftly turned towards the door, grateful to see that it opened both ways and she was able to nudge it with her hip. She held the door with her foot as Kate and Jessie ran to catch up with her, Jessie clutching the paper bag with their goodies tightly with both hands.
Reaching the car, Beca was grateful that it unlocked automatically, just needing the keys to be in her pocket, and she asked Kate to open the back door so she could put Alex into the nearest car seat.
"But dat's my seat," Kate noted, looking a bit grumpy before pointing to the middle seat. "Axie sits dere."
"I know she usually does but she's not feeling well and I'd like to get her home for some medicine. I don't think I can reach to put her in the middle one, so will you sit in her seat please?"
Kate folded her arms across her chest and looked like she was about to begin a protest but climbed into Alex's car seat instead, shooting side-eyed daggers at Beca. Knowing that they were all tired, having been out all day, Beca decided not to engage in further conversation that would start a meltdown, choosing instead to check all three girls were buckled in properly before shutting the door and picking up the cupcake bag that Jessie had set down on the ground, before she had clambered over all of them into the furthest seat.
Slipping into the front seat, Beca shrugged off her purse and laid it on the front seat with their bag of goodies as she started the car, quickly scrolling through to the contacts section on the dash screen. Pulling up Chloe's number, she placed the call.
"Hey baby," Chloe purred down the phone, answering it within a couple of rings. Beca was about to call out to say that she was on speaker phone and to mind the pet names when Kate answered in the back, thinking Chloe was talking to her.
"Hey, Mama!"
"Hi," Beca said, checking the mirrors before pulling out of the parking space. "We're just on our way home, should be about five minutes. Sorry, we should have been home hours ago."
"Yay, I've missed you all today," Chloe said, and Beca could tell she was smiling from ear to ear as she spoke to them all. "Have you had a good day?"
"It's been great, got lots of new things which we'll show you when we get home, but Miss Alex isn't feeling great, so I think it might be an idea to run a bath and for her to have an early night."
"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, instantly concerned.
"Think it's just a cold coming, temps a bit high, and she's super tired."
"Okay, a bath and bed sounds like a good idea. Did you have lunch out?"
"Yeah, we... umm, went to Fatburger," Beca winced a bit, knowing Chloe was more health conscious than she was and Beca was spend happy, with money in her account. "Sorry, I should have asked. I know you don't like the kids having july food and-"
"-Beca, it's okay. I was just asking! You don't need to worry or run everything past me," Chloe said, her tone light. "If you guys were hungry, I was going to organise some food."
"We's hungry!" Kate called out from the back of the car and Chloe's laugh filtered through the car's speakers.
"We're just pulling onto your road-"
"-Our road," Chloe corrected Beca.
"Our road now. Alex might be asleep... would you mind?"
"I'm on my way, see you in a second," Chloe cleared the call and hurried to the front door. She'd had a lovely day, getting in some much needed rest and catching up on some chores but she'd missed her family very much and was ready for them to come home.
Beca pulled onto the driveway, and gave a half wave to Chloe as she put the car into park. She took a minute or two to gather herself as Chloe was busy getting the children out of the car and into the house, listening eagerly to Jessie and Kate's animated conversation about how big their burgers were at lunch and just how many stores they'd been to that day.
Sliding down from the driver's seat, Beca hurried to fetch all of their bags from the trunk, needing to make two trips to take it all to the front door. Locking the car, she pocketed the keys and took the last of their purchases into the house, kicking the front door closed with her foot.
The house smelt of baked goods, and laundry detergent. As Beca took the bags into the lounge to show Chloe all they had bought that day, she saw stacks of clothes piled high on the sofa and immediately felt a little guilty that Chloe had had to make a start on their vacation packing while she'd been enjoying a day out with the girls.
Placing the bags onto the lounge armchair, Beca sought out the cupcake bag and went to find everyone in the kitchen. In true Chloe style, the girls were seated at the kitchen table, tucking into half a sandwich and some fruit and she gave a random half wave as she laid the paper bag on the counter top.
"Hey," Chloe smiled her megawatt smile as soon as she came into the room. She approached Beca and pulled her into a side hug. "I've just been hearing about your day, you must be exhausted."
Shaking her head, Beca answered, "No, I'm good. Girls have been great and they wanted to get you a treat on the way home to say sorry that we've not been here to help you sort all the laundry out today."
"A treat, huh?" Chloe turned to the girls, before lowering her voice and turning back to Beca. "Is it one of your kisses?"
"Umm, not quite," Beca's eyes flew automatically to Chloe's lips despite her words.
"Shame," Chloe said playfully.
Beca pushed the cupcake bag towards Chloe, "Here."
"Oh, how lovely," Chloe opened the bag and pulled out the box, laying it on the kitchen counter and lifting the lid. "Oh God, they smell divine!"
Grinning, Beca sassed, "And what better way than to try to get three excitable girls to bed, than giving them sugar, huh?"
"I don't think one will have any trouble sleeping tonight," Chloe nodded towards Alex. "I think you are right with the idea of a bath and maybe I'll give her some Children's Tylenol. It's only an hour til bedtime, so it's not going to hurt them all having an early night."
"Nooooo!" Jessie immediately protested, her eyes drifting to the cupcake box.
"I think Mama is right," Beca backed Chloe up. "These will still be here tomorrow and you've all had a busy day. We can have a tea party tomorrow, when Alex is feeling a bit better. Who's up for a very bubbly bath?"
"Noooo! I not tired!" Kate pouted, rubbing her eyes despite her objection. "Want to show Mama what we buyeded."
"Bought," Beca corrected her. "Okay, tell you what. Think we'll let Big Al go to bed now, and you two can have fifteen minutes more but that's it, okay?"
"Yay!" Kate and Jessie called out together, before turning to each other and grinning, feeling like they'd won a battle, even if they didn't understand that they'd be going to be almost an hour earlier than they normally did.
"Smooth," Chloe whispered in Beca's ear, before walking over to the kitchen table and collecting the dirty plates. "Are you not hungry Alex?"
"No," Alex said softly, looking like she was about to fall asleep again.
"I'll take her up," Beca offered.
"It's okay, I got her," Chloe said, laying the plates back down and reaching out to pick Alex up.
"No, hers," Alex pointed to Beca.
"Mama hasn't seen you all day..." Beca started to say but Alex turned her head towards Beca and she saw tears starting to track down her cheeks.
"It's okay Bec, she's tired."
Beca wasn't sure what to make of the look on Chloe's face at that moment. She didn't look angry but it was the same expression that she's sported at the barbecue in the summer when Alex had picked Beca to help her with her sparkler.
Instead of discussing it further, knowing it wasn't going to help, Beca smiled and stepped forward to pick Alex up. Setting Alex onto her hip, just as she'd down in the cake shop. "Come on then buddy, let's get you ready for bed.
"The Children's Tylenol is in the bathroom cabinet, top shelf," Chloe said, leaning over and planting a kiss on Alex's cheek, stroking her hair. "Night night baby."
"Night Mama," Alex mumbled, burying her head into Beca's chest.
"See you in a minute," Beca said as she swept out of the kitchen, hurrying to the stairs.
Chloe watched them leave before she turned back to the two little redheads. "So, we have a busy day tomorrow too, girls."
"Why?" Kate looked up to her Mom.
"We're having haircuts with Mimi," Chloe explained, smiling.
"I love Mimi!" Kate said excitedly.
"Can I has hair like Kate's?" Jessie asked, pointing to her twin.
"You want shorter hair?" Chloe asked and Jessie nodded back. "If Mommy says it's all right, then that's okay with me."
"We want to look the same," Kate announced happily, her little legs swinging up the table. Chloe was surprised that they'd come up with that between them but didn't say anything.
"Well, okay then, we can do that then," Chloe ruffled Jessie's hair, wondering if Beca wanted to keep it long for any reason.
"Mommy was funny today," Kate grinned.
"Was she?"
"Yeah!"
"What did she do?" Chloe asked, wanting to know what was behind the statement.
Kate shrugged her shoulders, "Dunno. Hers made us laugh."
"You love Mommy, huh?"
"Of course," Kate looked up, surprised that Chloe would even ask her that.
"That makes me happy baby," Chloe planted a kiss on top of Kate's head, and steadied herself as Kate launched herself into Chloe's arms, closely followed by Jessie doing the same thing. "I love you two so very, very much."
Coming back downstairs about twenty minutes later, having bathed Alex and put her to bed, Beca found her collection of redheads just hugging on the kitchen floor. "You okay down here?"
"We're just having some snuggle time," Chloe explained. "And I think we're just about ready for bed!"
Chloe lifted her head to prove her point that both Kate and Jessie were snuggled closely into her sides, both with droopy eyes and tired smiles. Beca nodded appreciatively.
"Need a hand?" Beca asked.
"I've got them, thanks," Chloe smiled sweetly. "Alex okay?"
"Yeah, she's out for the count. Quick bath, and I put her in her dinosaur onesie so she doesn't get a chill from the bath. Hopefully, the heat from that will break her fever overnight."
"Good idea. Okay, I'll be back down in a few minutes," Chloe nudged the girls and they stirred from their comfy spaces.
"Sure I can't help?"
"No, it's really okay," Chloe reassured.
"Okay, I'll go sort the mess in the lounge out."
"Perfect," Chloe said easily, rising up to her knees. Beca nodded and backed away, wondering if Chloe was okay, as she still seemed a little sad and different from when they first came home and it was unlike her to remain in a mood for longer than a few minutes.
Deciding to pick that up later, Beca left the kitchen and headed to the lounge and started to go through the many bags she'd brought in from the car. Looking at all the bags, she began to worry if she'd gone a little overboard at the various stores they'd been to today. She was just sorting out the girl's new backpacks, and pulling off the plastic tags when Chloe came into the lounge and perched on the arm of the sofa.
"Wow," she said, taking in all the discarded bags and piles of new clothes.
"I didn't mean to take over, I just got excited," Beca apologised.
"Not at all!" Chloe said, sliding down onto the floor to sit next to Beca, and looking over the colourful clothes.
"You okay?" Beca asked.
Chloe smiled, "of course. Thank you for taking them shopping today. You've saved me a massive job."
"Did I do something wrong?" Beca asked again.
"Why do you think that?"
"I've taken this..." Beca pointed to everything spread out in front of her. "... away from you."
"No, Beca, no. I swear to you that it's a joy to be able to hand the reins over like this to you and I know you'll look after our girls and take care of them. And I get it, I swear to you. I know you've wanted to do more for the girls than you've had the means to in the past, and it's really nice to see you being able to do that comfortably."
"Money is kinda burning a hole in my pocket at the moment," Beca grinned sheepishly. "You seem a little sad, that's all."
"Hmmm," Chloe said thoughtfully before answering honestly. "I guess Alex wanting you more than me just stings a bit. You've done nothing wrong though. It should be that way round."
"I sometimes feel like that with Jessie," Beca admitted. "I guess, I thought it was the same as if you were sharing parenting with another partner, you know, like their day or something. Some days, the kids just prefer one parent over another, and the next day it switches again."
"I like that way of thinking," Chloe nodded. "It makes sense."
"I wonder if she feels a bit left out sometimes? It was her and Kate for so long and then Jessie came along and the bond they have is undeniable."
"You might be right, I guess I didn't see it in that way before."
"So, I honestly just think I'm just new to her right now, I mean, we look alike, whereas you three look alike, so I think it's just that," Beca reached out her hand and patted Chloe on the knee, "I'm sorry you were left doing all the chores today. I would have stayed and helped if I'd known today was laundry day."
"No, not at all," Chloe shook her head. "I just realised that we go on vacation in ten days time but next weekend is Aubrey's annual early Christmas party and there won't be much time to pack."
"Okay?" Beca looked confused.
"So I thought I'd make a start while you were out with the girls."
"There's so much stuff, for just a week though," Beca looked around at the stacks of clothes piled on the sofa.
"Hmmm," Chloe smirked, brushing off the comment. "Want to show me everything you bought today?"
.oOo.
*Travel Day*
"What time are we leaving?" Beca asked, for the umpteenth time, as she sat on her borrowed suitcase, trying to zip it closed on the floor of the kitchen. It was very early, and she hadn't had her morning coffee, but her nervous excitement was apparent.
The small family had enjoyed a lovely few days in the run up to Christmas, Alex feeling well enough to go with Kate and Jessie to David and Holly's for a few days. It had given Chloe and Beca the opportunity to wrap up the girls holiday gifts and finalise the packing. Beca had borrowed a suitcase from Luke and had finally packed the night before, brushing off Chloe's offer to help, suggesting she take a relaxing bath instead, which the redhead had done.
Their flight was due to leave LAX airport just after six and Beca had booked an airport transfer for around three. They put the girls to bed extremely early that night, deciding not to tell them it was travel day the next morning to avoid too much giddiness. Both Beca and Chloe had slept surprisingly well considering their own level of excitement, both actually getting about five hours sleep.
"In about half an hour," Chloe called back from the lounge. She was busy brushing Jessie's hair, running her fingers through the now shorter style the little girl had chosen. "We need to get the girls dressed in a few minutes though... and I haven't picked out what they are wearing yet."
"I can help with that," Beca remarked, causing Chloe to look up as the brunette leaned up against the door jamb.
"Yeah? You want to go pick something out for them?"
"I actually bought something for us all to wear," Beca pulled a large bag out from behind her back.
"What did you get?" Chloe asked brightly, pushing herself off of the arm of the sofa she was perched on.
"I got us some Christmas sweaters to wear."
"You did?" Chloe's eyes brightened immediately.
"Yeah, got the girls matching ones," Beca said as she pushed the bag into Chloe's hands. Opening the top of the bag, Beca pulled out a fluffy pink sweater. She shook it out and held it up for the other woman to see. Chloe's face lit up as she took in the cute snowman with a glittery scarf that decorated the front.
"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed, "these are so darn cute!" Chloe took the article of clothing from Beca and examined it closer, her smile growing wider.
"Did I do okay?" Beca asked shyly, her voice soft, just above a whisper.
"Perfect!" Chloe grinned, "just a shame they don't come in my size too."
With a sly grin Beca cleared her throat, and indicated the bottom of the bag. "Have a look."
Chloe opened the bag and pulled out a blue sweater, squealing excitedly when she saw that the front of it matched the same as the girls. "What about yours?"
Beca grinned, "Yeah, I'm not so much into pale pinks and blues, but because I knew it would make you happy, I got myself a black one."
"Thank you, Beca" Chloe leaned forward and kissed Beca's cheek. "Come on, let's go and get changed and then we can head off."
"Sounds like a plan," Beca said, "oh, and Chloe..."
"Yeah?"
"Just in case I forgot to say it, thank you for this trip. I'm really... thank you," Beca finished with a nod, feeling a little overwhelmed.
"You're welcome Beca," Chloe smiled. "Thank you for agreeing to come with me."
"I'll run up and get the girls' clothes, 'kay?"
"Perfect, thank you," Chloe nodded, tipping the rest of the sweaters out from the bag onto the sofa.
Returning with the clothes a couple of minutes later, Beca tossed the bundle onto the arm of the couch and pulled Jessie towards her, slipping off her pyjama top in one easy, practised move.
"Got to hurry, Bug, we've got to get on an aeroplane soon!"
"I scared," Jessie answered, ducking her head in the right direction as Beca slipped an undershirt over her head, closely followed by a pale pink tee shirt.
"Of the aeroplane?" Beca asked, picking up a pair of leggings and stretching them out for Jessie to step into.
"Yeah," Jessie nodded, laying a hand on Beca's shoulder to steady herself while she stood on one leg. Chloe mouthed an 'is she okay' over Jessie's shoulder.
"We've never flown before," Beca offered as a response. In truth, she was apprehensive about the flight as well but was trying not to show it in front of the little girl.
"Well then, it's the first part of a huge adventure!" Chloe clapped her hands together happily, checking that Alex was dressed before catching Kate in mid twirl, and pulling the little girls towards her to begin slipping her clothes over her head.
Checking her watch, Beca nodded, smiling broadly for Jessie's sake, "We've got about two minutes before the car gets here," she announced. "Has everyone been for a safety wee?"
"What's dat?" Alex asked, eyeballing her mom in such a familiar way that Chloe let out a particularly loud snort.
"Umm, just go to the bathroom if you need to," Beca lamely explained. She looked over her shoulder, and mouthed 'safety wee?' at Chloe who shrugged back. "Thought everyone called it that."
"Clearly just you," Chloe reached over and gave Beca the quickest kiss to her cheek before clapping her hands together again to get everyone's attention. "Right girls, does everyone have their clothes on?"
"Yes!" Three little voices chorused, surprisingly chipper for three in the morning.
"Does everyone have their shoes on?" Chloe asked.
"Yes!"
"And on the right feet?" Beca pointed directly to Alex's feet, and her little winter boots being on the wrong way around. "Looking at you Big Al!"
"Mama's fault!" Alex ran towards Beca, throwing herself onto the thick carpet and thrusting a pink boot in Beca's general direction for her to help sort it out.
"Does everyone have their coat?" Chloe continued.
"Yes!"
"No!" Beca called out, stopping when Chloe looked at her confused. "I don't own one."
"Take one of mine."
"Don't need one." Beca shrugged.
"You will want one on the way home. Closet," Chloe instructed, nodding her head in the direction of the hallway.
"So bossy!" Beca whispered to the girls, causing them to giggle, just as she hoped they would.
"Does everyone have their backpacks?" Chloe continued, ignoring Beca's sass.
"Ye... noooo!"
"What backing packs Mama?" Kate asked, looking at Jessie to see if she knew. Chloe grinned at Beca over the top of the girls' heads. Beca nodded back, understanding the assignment and left the lounge to retrieve one of Chloe's coats, and the three backpacks she'd left in the hallway closet, filled with toys, colouring books, crayons, stuffed animals and candy for their long travel day.
"What's in there Mommy?" Jessie asked, her eyes widening when she saw Beca return with three colourful bags in her hands.
"These are for you," Beca said, handing Jessie the red one, swelling with pride that she was able to do a simple but lovely gesture for her daughters.
"Thank you," Jessie grabbed the bag from Beca.
"Don't open it yet," Beca smiled kindly. "We need to save these for the plane."
"Okay," Jessie agreeably nodded, turning slightly as Chloe came up behind her to zip up her coat.
"This one's for you," Beca handed Kate an illuminous pink bag that Beca swore she could hear hum, it was that bright. Kate's backpack had the head of a giraffe poking out of the top and the little girl immediately reached out to stroke the soft fur.
"Kate..." Chloe cleared her throat, giving Kate a look which the little girl understood.
"Fank you Mommy."
"And this one is for you," Beca smiled down at Alex who was waiting patiently for her turn. Her bag was blue, having changed allegiance from her favourite colour when she found out it was the same as Jessie's, and had a small musical border around the zip.
"Thank you!" Alex almost snatched the bag from Beca and hugged it to her chest, just as the doorbell chimed through the downstairs area.
"Car's here!" Chloe announced.
"Right, everyone ready?" Beca called out happily, knowing that Chloe and the girls had been packed for a couple of days and Stacie had done a spot check to make sure they had everything.
"Yes!" Four people chorused together.
"Come on then!" Beca ushered everyone towards the door, glancing around the room before quickly backtracking and swiping up three sets of discarded pyjamas. Bundling them up in her hands, she bypassed the mountain of luggage in the hallway and hurried to the laundry room, tossing the garments into the nearest laundry bin.
Hurrying back to the hallway, she watched Chloe act as mother duck and lead the children out towards the waiting car, urging them not to make too much noise. Beca began wrestling with two of the suitcases, noting hers was adorned with the same luggage tag as Chloe's and wondered when Chloe had snuck away to do that.
Feeling her cheeks pink up a little at the thought of being part of a family now, Beca busies herself through the door with the heaviest of the suitcases, colliding heavily with the uniformed driver.
"Oooof," she breathed out. "I'm so sorry."
"No ma'am, it's my fault. I do apologise," the driver said sincerely. "Please let me take these from you."
"It's okay, no harm done and I can manage these bags. Be quicker if I run these down to the car and help," Beca nodded towards the vehicle, quietly idling in the road. She could see Chloe strapping the girls into the car.
Not waiting for an answer, Beca hurried down the driveway, feeling a burst of energy as she carried the suitcases over the stones, not wanting to make any noise and announce their imminent departure.
"Steady on Bec," Chloe laughed quietly, seeing Beca's bright red face as she set the cases down by the trunk.
"Did you check the back door was locked?" Beca asked.
"Yes."
"And all the windows are closed?"
"Yes. It's winter, they haven't been open for a few months."
"Did you switch off the-"
"-Bec, relax! Stacie always comes by a few hours after we leave and checks the house for me," Chloe laid a reassuring hand on Beca's shoulder. She was enjoying Beca's nervous but obviously happy demeanour.
"Okay, okay..." Beca nodded in response. "I'm pretty sure I locked the pool house. Do you want me to go and check?"
"No, I want you to get in the car," Chloe laughed.
"I need to help with the bags," Beca protested.
"You don't. That's the job of the car service. Get in, and I'll go and lock the front door, okay?"
Looking nervously back towards the house, Beca sighed and climbed into the middle seat of the large Chrysler Pacifica as Chloe ran back to the house to lock the front door. The driver had just finished loading the last of the bags when Chloe bundled herself through the door, pulling to behind her with such vigour that she ended up in Beca's lap.
"You okay there?" Beca laughed, helping to push her upright.
"Honestly, I think I may have overdone the coffee," Chloe mused, settling into the seat and adjusting the seat belt. She glanced in the back to check on the girls; they were busy gazing out of the window and watching the driver.
"No more for you then!" Beca quipped.
"If you want to deal with the kids on the plane by yourself..." Chloe started to say, stopping when the driver popped open his door and climbed into the seat.
"Everybody ready?" He asked.
"We sure are," Chloe confirmed, settling in for the half an hour drive to the airport.
.oOo.
"Are we nearly there yet?"
"Ten minutes," Beca lied, looking at her watch to see just how much longer they had to go, pleased to know there was just under an hour before the plane was due to land. She was thoroughly enjoying her first plane ride, and was so proud of the girls for their behaviour.
The family was seated across three rows in business class, Kate and Jessie asking to sit next to each other with Chloe just across the aisle. She luckily had no one in the seat next to her so it was less bothersome for the cabin when one of the girls came to 'visit' her for a few moments, to show their Mom their latest colouring page or to point at something out of the window.
After the express breakfast service had been cleared away, both Kate and Jessie fell asleep, slumped down in their seats, both with mouths open wide and snoring lightly. Beca had checked on them a couple of times, tucking the thin blankets around them to keep them warm. She's also done the same to Chloe who, as hinted at in the car, had fallen asleep about forty five minutes into the journey and only woke up when the girls did when there was an hour to land.
Feeling like she got the easier deal, Beca was next to Alex who had stayed awake most of the flight so far, happily playing with a couple of her new toys and doing some colouring. She hadn't managed to settle with the television in front but Beca hadn't found her a problem. As the dawn broke over the horizon, they'd both stared out of the window for several minutes, Alex in childlike wonder at the view, and Beca feeling quite emotional at where she was and what she was seeing.
The airport had been busy but Chloe's status had seen them furnished with a private escort through the terminal and directly onto the plane. As the rest of the passengers embarked, Beca saw a couple of heads turn as people funnelled past their seats, and heard more than one person whisper Chloe's name. Chloe had turned to look out of the window in the end and Beca had been more than prepared to swap seats with her if she'd ended up next to an over zealous fan.
Their cabin had been quiet; the early flight seemingly a prime time to score an extra nap. Beca had been offered more juice, coffee and snacks than she could possibly manage but took a few extras for the girls in case they had woken up hungry. While Alex had quietly played with her toys, she'd managed to sneak an hour on her laptop and write a couple of emails, but did restrain herself from getting too involved with work. She had a small project she needed to complete before going back to the office but knew she'd find a couple of hours at some point over the next few days to finish it off.
"You doing okay back there?" Chloe twisted in her seat to speak to Beca, glancing over at Kate and Jessie to check they weren't too boisterous.
"All good. Big Al is okay too," Beca grinned.
"We're landing soon," Chloe added.
"We are?" Beca looked confused, she thought there was another half an hour at least to go.
"Landing a little early," Chloe confirmed.
"How do you know?"
"Flight attendant just told me. They offered to let off the plane first and hold the other passengers for a little while but I asked them not to."
"Okay," Beca nodded, knowing Chloe's preference to mix with everyone else whenever she could safely.
"Have you enjoyed the flight?"
"It's been so much fun!" Beca grinned and Chloe could see she was more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. "Thank you for this."
Sending a wink in her direction, Chloe nodded brightly. "Thank you for allowing me to have a nap."
"Is it far to the cruise place?"
"From the airport, it's probably twenty minutes."
"Are we going to make it?" Beca asked, rapidly working out the times in her head.
"Should be fine. Our luggage will come off first and there'll be someone to meet us off the plane anyway. There'll be a shortcut and the only reason I'm using it now is because of the short turn around time to get to the cruise terminal. Otherwise..."
"I get it," Beca confirmed. "Your perks come in handy sometimes!"
Chloe grinned, turning around quickly as the flight attendant came up to her seat, crouching down low to speak to the redhead. Beca turned her attention back to Alex for a few minutes, noticing that the little girl was getting sleepy just at the wrong time. She was about to say something to her, when the pilot began speaking over the tannoy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you."
The gentle flurry of activity in the cabin kept them all busy for the next few minutes and Beca was almost disappointed that the flight had come to an end. She held Alex's hand as the plane came into land and embarrassingly let out quite a loud squeak when the wheels came into contact with the runway, much to Alex's delight.
.oOo.
"Jack Preston."
"Hi Jack, it's Sam again."
"Yeah?"
"My contact in Miami just spotted her walking through the airport. Kids and that other woman with her."
"Do we know where she's going?"
"No, do you want her followed?"
"Of course!"
"Okay, we're on it."
"Yeah, see ya."
.oOo.