Fairy Lights, Forts, and Harry Potter

The day had been difficult enough, but getting home was a nightmare. A huge storm had rolled in late in the afternoon, downing trees and shutting down traffic lights. The rain, at a quantity unusual for their area, was over, but it was going to take quite some time for the utility companies and public works to clean up the problems. After spending two hours – with a headache – making a drive that usually took forty minutes with traffic, Beca was relieved to make it home and pull into her own driveway. She parked next to Chloe's car and entered through the front door, grabbing the mail along the way.

The living room was unusually dark, considering it was only seven in the evening. It was then that Beca realized their power was out. But there was light shining from within a blanket fort that covered 60% of the living room. Twinkle lights were strung under the blankets, creating soft, pretty light. Beca smiled and kicked off her shoes, locking the front door after setting aside her bag and the mail.

Giggles sounded from the structure as she approached. She leaned down into the makeshift entrance and saw that all of her girls were there. In their pajamas, surrounded by possibly every pillow they owned, flashlights, lanterns, and – from what Beca could smell – mugs of hot cocoa.

"What am I looking at?" She asked, meeting Chloe's eye with a smirk.

"Hi, Mama!" Vera said happily. "We made a fort."

"Very cool!" Beca said, returning her happy smile as she sat on the ground and then crawled inside to sit next to Chloe. Her wife was sitting with her back against the sofa, giving her some kind of support – and Beca thought that was a phenomenal idea, so she sat next to her.

"What is the special occasion?" Beca asked. "On a school night?" She added, looking at Chloe with a teasing side-eye. Her wife elbowed her.

"The storm was scary," Bella told her. "And then the lights went out. And it was really dark. So Mommy helped us make a fort. And she found lots of lights that don't have to be plugged in."

"Your mommy is very resourceful," Beca said, smiling over at Chloe. "I didn't know fairy lights came in the battery-powered variety."

"Oh, totes," Chloe assured her. "In just about every color."

"Good to know." She looked around at the little girls. "And what are we doing, in our fort?"

"Mommy was reading to us," Poppy said, holding up a book. Beca saw the cover and gasped. She looked at her wife, a faux expression of deep betrayal flitting across her face. "You started Harry Potter without me?" Beca asked, aghast.

Chloe giggled at her response. "We were totally going to reread the first chapter when you got home. But yes, I think the time for Harry Potter has come." Beca looked at her daughters, feigning disappointment.

"I can't believe you read Harry Potter without me."

"It was only one chapter," Poppy said.

"We can read it again," Bella offered.

"No," Beca said. "It won't be the same. Just continue. I'll try to keep up."

Chloe hit her with a pillow, which Beca gladly returned. After a few minutes of flying pillows and giggling girls, they had to make some minor repairs to the fort. Then they settled in to read, Beca leaning against Chloe and all three girls curled up with them.

They had finished the first hundred pages when the grandfather clock struck eight. As if on cue, Poppy yawned and Bella rubbed her eyes. Vera was very active all the sudden, which meant she was trying to keep herself awake. "I think it's bedtime," Chloe said softly, marking her page and setting the book aside. A chorus of "one more chapter, please" and "I'm not tired" followed.

"Mommy's right. It's time for bed. No arguing."

Bella's bottom lip was trembling. "It's too dark, Mama."

"Love, the lights came on twenty minutes ago," Beca told her, smiling as she pointed to the light outside the fort. "Your nightlight is going to work just fine."

"What if it goes out again?"

"They just fixed it," Beca told her. "It will be okay. Promise." Grumbling slightly, they allowed themselves to be shepherded upstairs and into their beds. Their story had already been read, but they wanted songs and to talk. It took Beca and Chloe almost forty-five minutes to get all three of them sleeping.

"Sorry for the mess," Chloe said as they walked back into the living room.

"The fort was ingenious," Beca told her. "They loved it. Worth the clean up." They folded what Beca was sure was every blanket they owned, turned off the battery-operated lights, and put them away. They dimmed the living room lights, lit the fireplace, and curled onto the sofa together. Beca closed her eyes as Chloe ran fingers through her hair, lulling her into a calmer place. "Were they upset about the storm?"

"Bella was the worst. She was so nervous," Chloe said. "Vera and Poppy were scared. But Bells was beside herself. I didn't know what to do."

"Chloe, you knew exactly what to do," Beca argued. "They were calm and happy when they went to bed. Not everyone could turn things around like that." They lay quietly for a long time after that – and Beca had almost fallen asleep when Chloe spoke again.

"How was your day? You sounded stressed when you called earlier."

Beca looked up at her. "It was a stressful day," she admitted. "The new artist I'm working with doesn't like my interpretations. Or me, actually. Or possibly women in general. And for some reason, the studio is coddling him."

"Can you hand him off to someone else?"

Beca made a face indicating her displeasure with the idea. "I don't know. I guess. But it just pisses me off, you know? I'm good at my job – and just because some guy is a misogynist, suddenly I can't do my job?"

"It was that bad?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He was clearly surprised when he was assigned to a female producer. And he's been difficult every step of the way. Now we have an album worth of recordings – and he doesn't like them. He had a freaking hissy fit in the studio."

"What are you going to do?"

"I honestly don't know," Beca responded. "I feel like I've moved up far enough that I shouldn't have to put up with this kind of crap. But at the same time, it's my job."

"I'm sorry you're having to deal with that," Chloe said, softly.

"Thank you," Beca said, kissing her gently. "And how are the third graders at St. Anne's?"

Before Chloe could respond, Beca's phone rang from her pocket. She groaned. After five, there were only a few numbers that she allowed to ring through. All of them had to be answered. She looked and saw that it was Theo. "Hi Theo," she said. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened today with Charles."

Beca groaned. "Dude, can we not?"

"We're letting him go from the label, Beca."

"What? Hey, can I put you on speaker? Chloe's here. I was just telling her about this douche."

"Beca," Chloe hissed. "Little ears."

"They're sleeping," Beca reminded her. "Go ahead Theo, explain."

"There's not much to explain. Khaled found out how he spoke to you and about you and decided we didn't need that type of person representing the label."

"About me?"

"He was quite inappropriate," Theo said. "And I don't think it's necessary to get into the details. Two of your assistant producers lodged a complaint as soon as he left the building, they were so dismayed by his behavior. I apologize you had to put up with it for as long as you did."

"Dude, it's fine," Beca said.

"No, it's not," Theo responded. "You know the culture we try to create at the label. That is not part of it." He sighed. "Listen, we don't have to talk about this now. I just knew after I read the incident reports that you were probably stressing out. So I wanted you to know he's not your problem – nor ours."

"Are you sure that's cool? What about the contract?"

"It was a short-term contract. We are able to break it for any reason in the first thirty days. This is why short-term contracts exist."

"Thanks, dude."

"Thank you, Theo," Chloe said.

"You are both ever so welcome. No one should be treated that way. Certainly not at this label. Chloe, how are those beautiful girls of yours?"

"They're mine too!" Beca objected.

"I was using the plural."

"They're great," Chloe promised. "You and Bea should come over for dinner soon. I know the girls would love to see you."

"Uggh. I see him enough," Beca said.

"Love you too, Beca. Have a good night, both of you."

"Goodnight," they both said.

Once the phone was hung up, Beca threw it aside and curled up again with Chloe. Chloe stroked her hair and had almost lulled Beca to sleep when her eyes popped open and she sat up. "That seems too easy," she said.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Chloe said, tugging her back down.

"I never understood that phrase," her wife responded. They both giggled and cuddled back together. "Can we just stay here forever?" Beca whispered.

Chloe dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "As long as you like, sweetheart."

Beca was right; it was too easy. The artist filed a lawsuit against her and the label. Luckily, both she and the label had lawyers. And being a misogynist wasn't a protected class. The lawsuit was swiftly dropped, but the repercussions were still felt.

"What a little troll." Beca said, staring at her laptop screen, late one night several months later. Chloe had joined her in the kitchen and was making tea. The girls were in bed and the house was quiet. Beca was supposed to be paying bills.

"Am I supposed to know who you're talking about?" Chloe asked, moving to stand against the counter while she waited for the kettle to heat.

"Charles. The misogynist," she added, for reference.

"I thought the lawsuit was dropped."

"It was," she responded, glaring harder at the screen. "So he went on to far right-wing media to find other misogynistic trolls to agree with him and badmouth me and the label."

"Is that going to cause problems?" Chloe asked, brows drawn together in concern.

Beca shrugged. "I don't think it'll be too bad. My fans are already annihilating him online."

Chloe smiled. "Normally, I wouldn't approve of such behavior. But he totally deserves it."