AN: Part III of Supermarket Flowers.
Beca's eyes and smile softened as she looked at the picture of her mother sitting beside her ten-year-old self on the play structure, kissing her pain away. The photo her uncle took perfectly captured the love radiating from the both of them.
She suddenly felt a familiar presence approach her from behind and soon after, a chin settled itself comfortably onto her shoulder and warm arms wrapped around her.
"I love that picture," Chloe commented as she looked over the photo with her fiancée.
"Me too," Beca agreed, her voice shaky, "It's always been one of my favourites. It represents our relationship perfectly. She always took care of me with nothing but devotion and love exactly like that. I miss her so much."
"I know, baby," the redhead responded, her tender hold on her significant other tightening ever so slightly, "I'm sure she misses you just as much as you miss her."
"Knowing her, she probably does," the shorter woman said with a soft laugh.
Chloe leaned her head against her fiancée's and asked, "Where'd you find this?"
"In the drawer," Beca replied, "I think Uncle Mike missed it. I'll ask him about it later."
"Do you think there's anything else?" the older Bella asked as she reluctantly released her love.
"I don't know," Beca answered as she moved towards the closet and opened it.
Inside, right in the centre, was a dress cover hung up on the rod.
A sticky note was attached to the front of it, so the music producer took it off and read it out loud.
"Bec,
Didn't know what to do with this. Thought I'd leave it up to you.
Love, Uncle Mike"
Beca unzipped the cover and was instantly thrown into a memory when she saw the navy blue dress inside.
Beca weaved through the crowds in search of her mother. It didn't help that even in her high heels, she still couldn't see over many heads and shoulders.
Nevertheless, she was finally able to spot her in her navy blue dress and she instantly rushed over to her.
"Mom!"
Janice spun around and immediately caught her daughter in her arms.
"Oh, Bec! Look at you! You look absolutely beautiful!" the older woman praised the younger one as they shared a big hug, "Honey, I'm so proud of you! You finally did it! With all of the hard work you put in, you deserve this!"
"Thank you so much, Momma!" Beca responded, "Ah! I still can't believe I'm actually done!"
The two released each other and Janice immediately said, "Okay? Well? Come on! Don't keep me waiting! Show me the diploma!"
The aspiring music producer laughed and held up her Barden University graduate diploma so that her mother could see it up close.
Janice gasped. "I still can't believe my little girl is a college graduate now. It still feels like just yesterday, Uncle Mike was helping you make up your Father's Day barbecue plate because you couldn't reach anything on the table.
"Oh, so much has changed.
"Well…one thing hasn't."
"Okay! Really, Mom?" Beca exclaimed in exasperation, "Short jokes? Today?"
The accountant giggled and replied, "Sorry. Couldn't help it."
"Of course you couldn't—you never could," the small brunette said with a playful eye-roll, "Um, speaking of fathers…"
"Oh, God," Janice muttered, her smile disappearing, "Please don't tell me he's here."
"Mom, come on. Of course he's here," Beca responded, "Not only is he a professor to some of the other graduates, but he's also my dad."
Janice simply rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Like mother, like daughter.
"Come on, Mom," Beca urged, "You guys haven't seen each other for more than like five minutes since he left us and you guys separated. You can't keep avoiding him forever.
"In fact, he's kinda gonna be at the Bella party today."
The older woman arched an eyebrow suspiciously and questioned, "Was this planned?"
"I swear, it wasn't my idea!" the college graduate instantly asserted her innocence, which earned her a deadpan look.
She sighed and explained, "Look, you know that I eventually let Dad back into my life when I got here three years ago and you accepted it. I know you didn't like it, but you accepted it.
"It took a really long time for me to trust him again, but I actually do now and I believe him when he says that he regrets what he did. He knows that he fucked up, he knows that he was in the wrong, and he knows that if he wants a relationship with me, he needs to fix his with you too.
"He wants that, Mom. He wants to fix his mistakes. He started with me and now, he wants that with you."
Janice still looked hesitant, so Beca continued, "Just give him one chance. And if he blows it, you'll never have to see or hear about him again. I promise. I'll keep my relationship with him separate."
Her mother sighed and finally said, "Beca, I would never ask you to do that—"
"You're not asking, I'm promising," the Bellas' captain corrected.
"I know," Janice said, then sighed once more, "One chance."
"Really?" Beca asked, a hopeful glint crossing her eyes.
"Anything for you, love," the accountant confirmed, "Now, I wanna go find that amazing girlfriend of yours and congratulate her and the rest of the Bellas too."
The aspiring music producer grinned and eagerly led her mother towards her beloved second family.
Later that evening, a party at the Bellas' on-campus "sorority" house was in full swing as people chatted, ate snacks, and celebrated the girls' graduation.
Beca and her mother were talking with Chloe and her family, when the small brunette suddenly perked up and placed a hand onto her mom's forearm.
"Oh! Mom, Dad and Sheila just got here! Come on!" Beca announced as she led her mother over to her father and his wife, "Dad! Sheila!"
"Bec, hey!" William exclaimed enthusiastically as he and the blonde woman beside him hugged his daughter, "Congratulations, kiddo! We're both so proud of you!"
He then noticed his ex-wife and he carefully yet politely greeted her, "Hi, Janice."
"William. Sheila," Janice returned a greeting of her own.
"I'm glad you're here," the comparative literature professor said, his tone sincere, "I think we have a lot to talk about."
"I think we do," the accountant agreed with a single slow nod of her head.
Beca sensed that this would need to be a private discussion, so she turned to her step-mother and said, "Hey, Sheila. Chloe and her family's in the other room."
Taking the hint, the blonde woman followed her step-daughter and soon enough, the two exes were left alone.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, before William finally decided to begin, "Look, I know it's much too late and much too small, but let me just start off by saying I'm so sorry…"
From that day on, Janice and William had learnt how to civilly co-parent Beca, despite her already being an adult. Janice had then even begun to tolerate Sheila as well. Eventually, the three had formed a respectful friendship through their relationships with Beca.
She'd never admit it, but reuniting her parents, even just platonically, was one of Beca's proudest accomplishments in her entire life.
Sure, they weren't a typical happy family, but they were content and they all considered each other friends at least and that was good enough for them.
"So, what do you wanna do with it?" Chloe gently asked her fiancée, recognizing the dress as well.
"I'd like to keep it," Beca decided, "I mean, I know it would never fit me, but…it holds too important a memory for it to be in anyone's hands but mine."
"Of course, Becs," the redhead easily agreed as she watched the shorter woman carefully zip the cover back up, take it off of the rod, and gently lay it onto the bed, "Is there anything else you think they could've missed?"
The small brunette reflected for a moment, before she suddenly started moving around the room. She returned to the bedside table and moved it aside, revealing a small section of the seemingly solid bed frame that didn't quite line up with the rest of it.
"My mom told me she had asked my grandpa to hollow out a little space in the frame when she'd gotten the bed so that she could hide her most important things," Beca explained as she opened the secret compartment and pulled out a wooden, elegant-looking jewellery box, "I almost forgot about it."
"Wow. That's really clever…and kind of borderline Bond movie material," Chloe commented, watching her significant other place the case onto the bed next to the dress.
The other Bella chuckled softly and opened the box.
It was full of various, little objects. There were a couple of pictures of her and her family, including, of course, Janice's grandparents, parents, brother, and daughter, and of her and her closest friends. There were some little mementos that were presumably meaningful to the late woman.
However, as expected, it was mostly jewellery, but each piece looked special and maybe even one-of-a-kind. Most of them were probably family heirlooms, but there was one that caught Beca's eye.
It was a very simple, silver band ring, but it had engraved into it in a graceful cursive, "Endless love –B."
"She wasn't wearing it and I got so worried that it was lost and I'd never find it," the younger woman said, "But she put it in here."
"She always had it on whenever I saw her," Chloe commented in confusion.
There was literally not a single moment wherein the flame-haired singer saw Janice Cooke not wearing this ring. If she didn't know any better, it'd been her most prized material possession. She'd worn it with the same devotion as a wedding ring.
"I remember her talking to me about how worried she was because she felt like her finger was shrinking. She was terrified that it was gonna fall off and she'd lose it forever," Beca determined with a light smile, "So, she was telling me about how she was planning on getting it made into a necklace.
"She must've put it in here to keep it safe."
The ring was undoubtedly Janice's favourite and most valuable piece of jewellery. It was the very first gift her daughter had ever gotten her all by herself.
Beca had been twelve and had spent an entire summer saving up for this gift.
She had secretly gotten a job as a dog-walker for an older couple a block over. They'd given her $4 a day, $2 per walk. She had gone over twice every single day of her summer vacation and had hidden away the money she'd earned, then she had gone with her uncle to the jewellery store and had gotten the custom-made ring for her mom for her birthday.
Yes, it had been a really big gift, especially as a starting point, but that wasn't what had mattered to Janice and it wasn't like she'd expected anything more like that from then on.
What had mattered was the work and the genuine thought and care that her daughter had put into getting it for her, and at that young an age.
That was what made it so special to her—to the both of them.
Looking at her mother's most precious piece of jewellery, made Beca remember when she'd shown her her most precious piece of jewellery for the first time.
Just a couple months ago, Beca and her parents were visiting with Chloe and her family in the redhead's hometown of Tampa, Florida.
The couple had arranged a little Mitchell-Beale family reunion as they had something very important to tell them.
Luckily, both women's parents and Chloe's older brother Jonathan had been able to get a couple of days off of work and Chloe's younger brother, Thomas, was already staying with their parents while he worked during his summer vacation from college.
Both families were sitting at the big Beale dining table the first evening of the trip when Thomas somewhat suspiciously questioned, "So, what's with the big family reunion, you two?"
"Couldn't even make it through one full dinner, huh, Tommy?" his older sister teased him for his inquisitive nature.
"Nope, so spill before I start guessing," the youngest Beale sibling playfully threatened.
"Been at college for two years now and still haven't learnt the virtue of patience," Jonathan commented jokingly.
"When will I ever? Way too much conflict with my otherwise flawless personality," Thomas retorted.
This was one of Beca's favourite things about Chloe's family, the banter between the three. They all had such good friendships with each other, which wasn't always common with siblings.
"Well, patience can be key because I waited until both Beca and I were definitely ready before I proposed to her," Chloe nonchalantly argued, which earned her six sets of wide, shocked eyes and one amused smirk from her new fiancée.
Thomas, however, continued on, the previous statement completely going over his head, "Okay, but not everyone has that level of patience. I mean, I—"
"Tom. Tom! TOM! Shut! Up!" Jonathan distractedly ordered his brother, before addressing the two younger women, "Okay, you two…repeat?"
"Well, I guess we could 'repeat,'" Beca spoke this time, "or I could just show you instead."
She then casually raised her left hand, revealing the engagement ring for the first time.
"HOLY SHIT! OH MY GOD!" everyone exclaimed as they all jumped to their feet to congratulate and embrace the newly engaged couple, who were just laughing at their reactions.
Janice held her daughter's hand in her own as she looked at the ring in awe and demanded, "What—when did this happen?"
"Two months ago," Beca answered, grinning at the pure joy on her mother's face, "Yeah, I was literally about to phone you, like, right away after it'd happened. I even dialled you and everything.
"But then I realized I, and Chloe too, wanted to tell you all in-person. So, we kept it a secret from everyone, even the Bellas, which was hard as fuck 'cause you know how nosy they all are. And then we organized this whole thing to make a big, dramatic, movie-like announcement."
"Oh my god! Congratulations, honey!" the accountant enthused as she hugged her daughter and then her future daughter-in-law too, "Oh, I'm so happy for you both!"
The couple thanked everyone and continued their dinner once the excitement had settled down a little.
Afterwards, the Beale brothers were bantering with their sister's new fiancée as they cleared the table, while William, Sheila, and Chloe's parents conversed and washed and put away dishes. This left Janice and Chloe to pack up and store away the leftovers together.
"Thank you, Chloe. Really," the older woman suddenly said in one of the most sincere tones Chloe had ever heard.
The redhead furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and asked, "For what?"
"For making my girl so happy," Janice replied with a warm and admiring smile, "Ever since I first heard your name come out of my daughter's mouth, I suspected you were gonna be someone special to her. I knew it when I saw you two together for the first time. And now, I'm proven right time and time again every single moment you're with each other.
"I've never seen anyone make Beca happier in my entire life. I've never seen anyone treat her as amazingly as you do. And that's all a mother could ask for from her child's partner.
"I could not imagine a better future daughter-in-law."
Chloe gave the other woman a teary smile and she responded, "Thank you so much, Janice. You have no idea how happy hearing you say this makes me.
"I admire you so so much and your acceptance means the world to me and I know it does to Beca too.
"I can't wait to become a part of your family."
Janice returned a similar smile and agreed as they shared a hug, "And I, yours."
Tears began to fill Chloe's eyes too this time as she shared the beautiful memory of their engagement announcement and watched the love of her life slip the ring onto her left thumb. A perfect fit.
"You should keep it," the redhead recommended as she hugged the younger woman from the side and planted a kiss on her temple.
"I agree," Beca answered simply, tracing the piece of jewellery with her index finger, "Let's take this with us and go through it later."
"Of course," Chloe acceded, then glanced around the bedroom, "Do you think there's anything else in here that was missed?"
"I don't think so, but let's check the dresser just in case, then move on to a different room," the small brunette suggested.
The flame-haired singer nodded in agreement.
The two cleared the dresser, then exited the room. They brought the dress and jewellery box back downstairs and carefully added them to the pile of things to keep.
They then returned upstairs and continued checking the second floor. The bathroom and the guest room had already been completely emptied and Beca's old room really just had a couple of her things, which she added to her pile downstairs, so they were all easy.
Finally, the couple reached Janice's office and they both froze in the doorway.
Absolutely everything was gone except for a vase with a beautiful bouquet of carnations, most of which were pink.
They immediately recognized the flowers as they'd ordered them online together on the website of the town's local supermarket's floral shop specially for the late woman merely a week and a half ago for her birthday.
Beca had customized the bouquet herself. Carnations had been her mother's favourites, especially the pink ones. She was always practically drawn to them.
Beca and Chloe slowly entered the room and noticed another sticky note.
This time, the redhead bent down, picked up the piece of paper, and read the written words out loud.
"Bec,
We found them when we were emptying the office. They've still got a couple days left at least.
Love, Uncle Mike"
The redhead looked up from the note and noticed the fresh tears running down her fiancée's face, so she immediately wrapped the younger woman into a hug and let her cry in her arms for a moment.
"Hey," Chloe spoke softly as she leaned back and looked directly into watery and unfocused yet deep, navy blue eyes, "What're you thinking?"
"Can we please go back?" Beca requested, "I-I need to go back. I need to say goodbye to her again, Chloe. Properly this time. Please?"
"Of course we can, Becs," the slightly taller Bella easily agreed, then gently put her hand on her cheek and wiped the tears on the side of her face, "I'll drive."
The music producer thanked her significant other, then carefully picked up the vase. They descended the stairs and passed by Beca's father and step-mother, briefly letting them know where they were going.
As promised, Chloe drove, while Beca sat in the passenger seat, holding the vase on her lap and absentmindedly watching the town of her childhood pass her by. Her eyes then moved down to the beautiful flowers.
Beca kept her eyes locked on her lap as she listened to her father's voice but not to his words. She couldn't seem to focus on his speech when she was trying to build up the strength to deliver her own.
She then looked to her side when she suddenly felt a soft, warm hand cover hers.
Chloe, with tears in her own eyes as well, stared back at her with love and sympathy. She then gave a little nod towards the podium and it was then that Beca noticed everyone was watching her, waiting for her.
The small brunette took a deep breath, before standing up and approaching the front to face the crowd of fellow mourners, her movements stiff.
Her father stayed there for her as she turned towards the group, for which she was silently yet very thankful.
Her eyes had been glued to the podium until she finally managed to tear them away and sweep over the many familiar faces full of grief and sadness and loss.
Beca parted her lips…
But no sound came out.
She closed her mouth again.
And then her eyes because she could feel another wave of fresh tears approaching. All of these years and she still hated crying in front of people.
"You're okay. You're okay. You're okay."
The voice inside her head reminding her of this was not her own. It was her mother's. It always had been whenever she needed a pep talk and it always would be. That would never change.
After a moment that felt like hours, Beca finally reopened her eyes and tried again.
"She…she was my best friend…"
That was all Beca had been able to get out.
The next thing she knew, she was standing somewhere away from everyone else, wrapped up in Chloe's arms and both of them wrapped up in Aubrey's, Stacie's, Emily's, and Amy's arms, not a single one of them dry-eyed.
Janice Cooke deserved a better goodbye than that from the person to whom she'd devoted her entire life.
Beca Mitchell owed a better goodbye than that to the person who'd always been there for her. To love her, to care for her, to just be there for her.
The car came to a stop and Beca looked around, blinking rapidly a few times. They'd arrived and she hadn't even noticed.
"You can do this, Becs," Chloe reassured her full-heartedly, "I'm right here with you. Forever."
"I love you so much, Chloe," the younger woman declared with the utmost sincerity.
"I love you so much, Beca," the redhead returned in the exact same manner, "You can do this."
Beca nodded. She carefully removed the bouquet from the vase and the two women climbed out of the car.
Their destination was easy to spot as the dirt was still freshly disturbed.
She was more than satisfied with how the headstone had turned out.
"Janice Anne Cooke
August 23rd 1966 – September 2nd 2017
Friend, Daughter, Sister,
Mother"
The couple stood in front of the grave and read and reread the passage in silence for a moment, allowing Beca to gather her thoughts.
Finally, she began to speak.
"Hey, Mom. I…I know it's kinda lame, but…I came back," the music producer said, "I came back because…"
Beca looked up and right then and there, she saw her. She saw her mother. It was an angel in the shape of her mom. She was standing right in front of her with that everlasting, warm, loving smile of hers.
The young woman's eyes watered, but she forced herself to continue on, only now directly addressing the angel of her beloved mother.
"I came back because I messed up with my speech earlier…and you deserve so much better than that…and I'm so sorry, Mom."
Chloe gently grabbed her fiancée's hand, reaffirming her support and comfort.
"I meant what I said, but I wanted to say so much more. I didn't know why I wasn't able to say it before, but I do now.
"It was because…I needed to do it like this. I needed to do it this way. Not…in front of a group of people. Just you and me, like it had always been. So, here's what I'd really wanted to say.
"I wanna thank you…for everything you did for me. You dedicated your entire life to me. You…worked extra hours so that we could live a comfortable life…'cause you were doing it alone. And then…you came home afterwards and still found the energy to take care of me and of the house. You helped me with my homework whenever I needed it, explaining and reexplaining things as many times as I needed it until I fully understood the work. You kept me fed…and clothed…and sheltered. You supported my dreams 100%…and never doubted me. You always picked me up when I fell down…and you held me up…until I was okay to keep going again. You cared for me always…and loved me endlessly. You made me your whole world and…I will never be able to fully express…how grateful I am to you…and for you…and how lucky I am…to have been your daughter.
"I wanna tell you that…I wish…more than anything…that you were still here. I wish you were still here…with me. I wish you could've been here…to see me become the best musician and producer that I could possibly be, just like you always knew I could. I wish you could've been here…to witness the day I marry the love of my life. I wish you could've been here to…to be able to call Chloe your daughter-in-law, no 'future' needed. I wish you could've been the amazing grandmother that I know you would've been…to our future kids. All that I can hope…is that I'll be even just half the mother that you were.
"And finally, I just wanna tell you…how much I love and miss you. I really meant it…when I said that you were my best friend. You…were one of the closest and most important people…in my life and no one will ever…fill the void I now feel without you. I treasure every single memory with you…more than any material possession. I will wear this ring every second of the rest of my life…in honour of you. I will never stop missing you. I will never stop cherishing you. And I will never stop loving you. I love you endlessly, Mom."
Both women were openly crying at this point, but neither could bring themselves to worry about it.
Beca kept all of her focus on her mother of an angel.
Janice had tears accumulating in her eyes as well. Her smile had grown into the most loving one Beca had ever witnessed.
Her lips moved.
"I love you endlessly," she mouthed in return, before she slowly started to fade until she was gone.
Forever.
Beca smiled too, despite her feelings of loss and heartache. She then turned towards her fiancée and hugged her with all of the love she could convey, sensing the emotion returned full-heartedly.
After a few more minutes spent at the final resting place of Janice Cooke, the young couple finally walked back towards the car, their hands clasped and interlaced, leaving the grave with a beautiful, new bouquet of supermarket flowers.
AN: That's the actual ending. Interesting (possibly) little fact: I actually used this for my 12th Grade Writers' Craft magnum opus. I got a good grade :)
Also, I've been having some serious writers' block/lack of inspiration with I Have Been Waiting For You, so I think it's pretty safe to say at this point that my two Pitch Perfect fics will now officially be on an indefinite hiatus. My sincerest apologies for those who are enjoying them. I just can't seem to be productive with them. Hopefully, I will soon, but I just don't know for now.
Anyway, thanks for reading.