Life brought us here.
Beca had stayed up all night watching her five year old daughter sleep. Tomorrow was going t be a big day for both of them. She was afraid to let her go. It had been just the two of them since she was born. Charlie was Beca’s everything.
Charlie was the splitting image of Beca, there was no trace of her father Jessie in her. Which Beca was eternally grateful for? Jessie turned out to be an arsehole, taking off not long after she had told him she was pregnant. A baby wasn’t going to fit in with the life style that he wanted. How was he going to be able to go to LA and score movies if he had a child to support.
Beca had just graduated when she found out she was pregnant, it wasn’t meant to happen, she had other dreams too, but she knew that having one dream didn’t mean that there was no room for other dreams too. So after months of fighting with Jessie, she let him go. Good riddance to him and his dreams and she really hoped that he would fail miserably.
She was lucky, she had kept up with her music, and her internship had turned into a job. And after the royalties from Emily’s single came in, Beca had enough money for her to buy a house and raise Charlie without having to ask Jessie for help. She didn’t even ring to tell him that he had a daughter. Why should she, he had never once rang to find out what had happened with her.
The real lost she felt from her past life was how she fell out of contact with the Bella’s. They were her family, but she had been so embarrassed by what Jessie had done, not about being pregnant, but the way she had let Jessie treat her, she couldn’t face them. She had been their captain and they looked up to her. How was she to face them when she had been a fool for so long to not have seen Jessie for who he really was? She felt like she had disappointed them.
And even now as she watched her baby sleep, she thought of her friends and thought maybe it’s time to seek them out and see how their lives were going. She wonder if Fat Amy was still with Bumper, whether Cynthia Rose went to Maine to get married, was Aubrey still running her retreat. But most of all she wondered about Chloe.
Chloe was the Bella she missed the most, there was no doubt about that. They had been the best of friends, often people thought more than friends because of just how close they were. That never bothered Beca that people thought that about them, she was sort of stoked that people thought someone like her could get someone like Chloe. Chloe was like the sun to Beca, she made Beca feel alive back then, always believing in her, knowing to place her hand on Beca’s knee when it was bouncing to calm her and always being there right by her side in everything she did. And when Beca first held Charlie in her arms, she felt alive again and to always remember the only other person who had made her feel so alive, she gave Charlie four of the letters that were in Chloe’s name. This way she would have them both to love.
Beca closed her eyes just for a minute, and there they were, those big blue eyes sparkling at her, filled with love and that smile that made the rest of the world seem a little bit duller. Beca liked to take these moments and think of the people she loved. She was sorry for letting them slip away but they were always in her heart. Whenever she closed her eyes and thought of them it was always Chloe’s face that would appear first. God she missed her, it was definitely time to introduce her daughter to the family she didn’t know.
Now she was just going to have to work out how to do it. Fat Amy could be back in Australia for all she knew, but she would try. Not today though, today was about Charlie.
“Have you got your bag and hat?” Asks Beca
“Yes” replies Charlie
“Are you nervous baby?”
“Don’t call me baby, I am a big girl now.”
“You will always be my baby, how about I just don’t call you that in front of other people?”
“I guess that is ok.”
Beca just shakes her head and laughs, Charlie was so like her it was scary. They make the short drive to the school and Beca gets out of the car to get Charlie out.
“Do you want me to walk you in?” asks Beca
“No, I can do it.”
“Ok then, remember play nice and I hope you make heaps of friends.” Beca places a kiss on Charlie’s cheek and stops the tear from rolling down her face and she watches her daughter walk into her first day at school.
Beca is at home working on a new song when her phone rings. It’s the school and Charlie has gotten into trouble for hitting a boy and Beca was needed back at the school right away. Breaking every speed limit between her home and the school, Beca reaches the school in no time and runs into the school to make sure that Charlie is alright. The lady at the front desk asks her to take a seat and says that Charlie’s teacher would be out shortly to talk to her. Beca asked if Charlie was alright and the lady said she was and not to worry and that the teacher would not be long.
So Beca sits there waiting, bouncing her knee as a sign of anxiety. She has always done it, it was her tell, though only a few people ever picked up on it. As she waited she thought to herself, great way to start the year, I haven’t even had the chance to meet Charlie’s teacher yet and the first meeting I have with them will probably be them telling me that they are kicking Charlie out.
Beca heard the door open behind her. She jumped up and turned to greet the teacher and introduce herself, but no words came out.
“Ms Mitchell, this way please”
Beca was in shock and all she could do was follow. She was lead into an empty classroom and was directed to take a seat. Words were still had to come by, but as the teacher took their seat across from her she managed a small squeak “Chloe”
“I am Miss Beale here thank you” although there was a cheeky smile on her face.
Beca was still in shock and words were trying to come out of her mouth, but nothing was making any sense, her knee started bouncing again, because FUCK really what were the chances.
“I see you still do that” Miss Beale point to Beca’s knee.
Beca looks down and sees her knee bouncing and puts a hand on it to make it stop.
“Um, I sorry, uh what, ah um shit” Beca stutters
Chloe laughs at Beca’s reaction, she always knew that Beca was bad with words, well speaking them anyway. And she says “Calm down Beca.”
Beca takes a few deep breaths and says “Hey”
“Hey yourself, it’s been a long time”
“I’m sorry” Beca says looking small.
“Beca its ok, but I really need to talk about Charlie. “
That snaps Beca out of her stupor and says “Right. What happened?
“There was this boy making fun of Charlie because she said she doesn’t have a dad, and she told him to leave her alone and when he wouldn’t she punched him in the nose”
Beca laughed, and stopped when she seen the look Chloe was giving her. “Violence is not permitted in this school Ms Mitchell”.
“No of course not but the little punk sounds like he deserved it”
“Beca”
“Sorry your right, I will talk to Charlie. This won’t happen again.”
“So is it true?
“What?”
“That Charlie doesn’t have a father?”
“No she doesn’t.”
“Oh, ok um well ok” Chloe tries to get back to being professional,” As long as you talk to Charlie and she understands that she can’t do things like that, then hopefully we won’t have to have another discussion like this again.”
“So there will be no punishment, you’re not kicking her out?
“No, but this can’t happen again.”
“It won’t”
“Good, because it doesn’t matter how much she looks like her mother.”
Beca looks at Chloe and smiles. God it was good to see her and the relief she felt when she heard Charlie wasn’t being kicked out pretty much made Beca’s week.
Beca just sits there smiling at Chloe it hadn’t mattered how many times she had thought of those blue eyes, it never compared to how they really were in person. Chloe clears her throat and says “Maybe you should take Charlie home for the rest of the day and talk to her about what happened today.”
Beca stands up. She puts her hand out to shake Chloe’s hand and says “Thank you Ms Beale for your time” she holds on a little bit longer than necessary but she still can’t believe Chloe’s standing right in front of her. Finally she lets go and goes to collect Charlie.
Beca doesn’t say much to Charlie till they get home. She makes Charlie a sandwich and they sit at the dinner table.
“So how was school?”
“Fine.”
“Did you like school?”
“Yes”
“Did you hit a boy at school today?
“Ummm”
“Charlie?”
“Yes”
“Why?’
“Because he was being mean to me.”
“You know you’re not allowed to hit people”
“But he was being mean.”
“I don’t care, it doesn’t matter how mean someone is being, you are not allowed to hit people. And if you do, they may not let you back to school.”
“But I like school”
“What did you like about school?”
“I made some new friends and I really like my teacher, she’s really pretty.”
Beca smiled, her daughter had good taste.
“So if you want to keep your new friends and your pretty teacher, then you know you have to behave.”
“Yes mum”
“Good, then tomorrow you can go back to school ok”
Charlie smiles and says “ok”
Beca laid in bed later that night and was humming Titanium. God how long had it been since that song played in her head. What were the chances of Chloe ending up being Charlie’s teacher? Beca thought to herself that maybe, just maybe, she would get a chance to fix the friendship.
The next morning Beca decided to walk Charlie into school in hopes that she would get a chance to talk to Chloe. Luckily Chloe was in the playground watching the kids as they played before class. Chloe had spotted Beca before she had got to her. She watched her walk towards her. Chloe thinks to herself, how after all this time, does she stills has the same affect on me.
Beca reached Chloe and says “Good morning Miss Beale.”
“Good morning Ms Mitchell and good morning Miss Charlie” she says as she ruffles Charlie’s hair, which causes Charlie to break into giggles.
“You go off and play Charlie, I would like to talk to Miss Beale.” Beca says as she places a kiss on Charlie’s head. Charlie runs off to find her new friends.
“How can I help you Ms Mitchell?”
Sensing that Chloe wanted to keep things professional Beca says “I spoke to Charlie last night, and what happened yesterday won’t happen again.”
“I am glad, thank you Ms Mitchell.”
Beca couldn’t help herself she says “Yeah, Charlie said she really liked school and she thought her teacher was really pretty.”
That made Chloe smile despite herself.
The bell rings and Chloe has to go. “Thank you again Ms Mitchell” and Chloe starts to walk off.
“Chloe” Beca calls out. Chloe turns around. “It’s really good to see you Miss Beale.”
“You too” Chloe says and walks off.
Well that didn’t go badly thought Beca to herself.
She went into the Office today. When she got there got there she was humming, yes music was still in her life but something was different, it was like she felt it again on the inside, like it was flowing in her veins again.
This did not go unnoticed by Ashley the receptionist, who reminded Beca of Fat Amy, not by looks but by the way she’d say exactly what she thought. “Did you get some last night? Ashley asks.
“No.” Beca replies embarrassed
“You sure, I can’t remember the last time I seen you this happy.”
“I think I would remember if that happened” Beca laughed and headed into her office.
She sat down at her desk and smiled. It had been a long, long time since she felt so light. She picked up one of the pictures she kept on her desk there were many of Charlie but the one she picked up was the one of the Bella’s it was taken at Aubrey’s retreat. It had all the Bellas in it. They were covered in mud laughing. Chloe had her arms around Beca and Beca was smiling, it was one of the few photos where Beca was actually smiling. God they were good times, she missed those times. She really missed Chloe.
But Chloe is back, ok maybe Chloe didn’t leave, it was Beca who fled with her tail between her legs, it didn’t matter, somehow Chloe was back in her life.
Beca didn’t get much work done that day, she had spent most of the day thinking about her past. Thinking if she had of done things a little different or had made different choices, then her life could have been so much more than what she had now. Never once since she found out she was pregnant did she regret being, pregnant. She was sure from the moment she found out about the baby that she would keep it no matter what the future was held. And no matter what, her child was going to feel loved and wanted, something that she had grown up without.
Since she wasn’t achieving much she decided to leave early. She went home and thought about ways that she could make it up to Chloe for walking away from her all those years ago. She hoped it wouldn’t be hard because Chloe had been sort of happy to see her, she thinks. But Beca had hurt Chloe, probably more than she had hurt the other Bellas because of how close they had been. And even though Chloe has always been forgiving of Beca, Beca had never done anything this big to be forgiven for.
It was almost time to pick up Charlie, so on the way out Beca grabbed an apple. It was corny but hopefully Chloe would get it. She knocked on the door of the classroom after the final bell had rung. Chloe looked up and nodded for Beca to enter. Beca said “Good afternoon Miss Beale.”
“Good afternoon Miss Mitchell, Charlie your mother is here.”
Charlie looked up from where she was playing and saw her mum. She bounced up and ran over to her mother’s arms. Beca smothered her in kisses. Beca looked at Chloe and gave her a smile and Chloe returned the smile.
“Mama come and look what I did today?” Charlie starts dragging Beca off to her desk.
Chloe just watches, if it was possible, seeing Beca as a mum made her heart beat faster than it had in a long time. She could see Beca was a great mum, the love she had for her daughter was written all over her face. And Charlie’s face, a face so much like her mothers, lit up like a child at Christmas time when she seen her mother. Beca looked happy, and she was happy for her. Beca stayed looking at Charlie’s things and Chloe greeted other parents as they came to pick up their children.
There were only a few kids left by the time Charlie had finished showing Beca what she had done today. So Beca with Charlie in towed decided it was time to leave. Beca stopped at Chloe’s desk and said “Excuse me Miss Beale, I was just wondering if everything went ok today after what happened yesterday?”
“Yes it was, thank you for taking to Charlie.”
“No problem. Well we are going to head out now, thank you for your time. “
Beca started to leave and then she remembered, she walks back to Chloe’s desk and pull out the apple she had put in her handbag, she puts it on Chloe’s desk and says “An apple for the teacher” Beca smiles and walks away.
Chloe just sits there and stares at the apple. It was corny she knew, and the old Beca she knew didn’t do corny. But there it was, Beca doing something corny because she thought it would make Chloe smile, and she was right, it did.
Over the next few weeks, they had managed to make small conversation because it was always being interrupted by other parents coming in to get their children. But it felt like to Beca that they were making steps, small ones but steps anyway towards fixing things between them. The problem was now that Beca knew Chloe was so close and she was seeing her every day, it made her long for what they use to have even more. So on Friday afternoon while Charlie was packing up her things, Beca walked over to Chloe and says “Um Miss Beale I was wondering if you would like to grab a coffee or something this weekend?”
Chloe looked surprised. This was the second time that Beca had taken the first step. First was the apple and now asking to meet up after class. The old Beca just didn’t do this sort of things and that when it hit Chloe, she didn’t know this Beca. And the old Beca had broken her heart so badly, not that she ever knew just how badly. But did Chloe want to risk getting hurt all over again. No matter how she had tried over the years, Beca was her one true love. The one who broke her heart so badly, Chloe was never able to give it to anyone else.
Chloe must not have realized how much time she had taken to answer because her thoughts were interrupted by Beca saying “Ah sorry don’t worry about it, sorry for asking.” Beca starts to walk off with Charlie.
“No Beca wait.” Chloe jumps up. “Sure I would like that.”
Beca can’t help but smile and neither can Chloe. They set up a date for Saturday afternoon. Beca gives Chloe her address and arranges a time. Beca is so excited she spends the whole day cleaning her house, organizing the foods she remembered that Chloe liked, and hoped she still liked them. Then she sat Charlie down and told her that Miss Beale was coming over to the house today.
“Why, am I in trouble?”
“No not at all baby, it is just mummy and Miss Beale used to be friends a long time ago and mummy wants to be her friend again. Is that ok?”
“Sure, I think Miss Beale is really nice and I still think she is really pretty. I love the color of her hair. It is better that Ariel’s.”
“Yes it is.” Beca laughs.
Chloe’s standing at the front door, she not sure if she should really being doing this. Does she really want to open this can of worms again and take the chance of getting her heart broken all over again? It was hard to be Beca’s “FRIEND” last time around, how will it feel this time. She told herself, she was older, she knew better now and it can’t hurt to at least try and be Beca’s friend.
She had missed her so much. When Beca left and cut off contact it had felt like half of Chloe had died. But she kept going because she knew she had too, not for anyone else but for her. But when that child walked into her classroom, there was this sense, like she knew her. Those eyes she would know them anywhere because they were the exact eyes that Chloe had fell in love with all those years ago and she looked so much like a little version of Beca that Chloe couldn’t quite believe it. So she looked up the child’s name and seen it was Charlie Mitchell. At first she thought to herself no it couldn’t be but when Charlie hit that boy for being mean to her, it brought back the memory of when Beca did the same thing to Bumper when he was picking on Chloe. She knew this had to be Beca‘s daughter.
In a really unprofessional way, Chloe was glad that Charlie had hit that boy because he did deserve it and it would also give her the chance to see if she was right, she would have to call Charlie’s mother in to talk about what happened. It would give her the chance to see if she was right. Chloe was so nervous about that first meeting, it took her a whole fifteen minutes to work up the courage to open the door to call Charlie’s mother in. She had been nervous because she knew, she knew in her heart that Charlie was Beca’s daughter and seeing Beca after all these years was something that she had spent many nights dreaming of but never really expecting it to happen.
And then she was there, standing right in front of her, Beca’s mouth open from the surprise of seeing me, and she still was beautiful, a little older around the eyes but every bit as beautiful as Chloe remembered. Get yourself together Beale she had told herself under her breath. This was a professional meeting. Although during the meeting she had slipped and asked about Charlie’s dad. And when Beca had replied that Charlie didn’t have a father, Chloe had felt her heart give a little leap.
Chloe finally knock. Charlie had raced her mother to the door and swung it open. Chloe had been excepting to see Beca standing there but lowered her eyes to greet Charlie. “Hello Miss Charlie” Chloe said.
“Hello Miss Beale. Would you like to come in?”
Chloe looked back up and seen Beca standing a bit behind her daughter laughing. “I would love to thank you Miss Charlie.”
“Hi.” Beca says, not sure whether to greet Chloe with a hug or not, so she just stands there.
Chloe raises her hand to give Beca a bunch of Daffodils that she had brought with her. “I didn’t know what to bring.” Chloe offers lamely.
“You didn’t need to bring anything, and I thought daffodils were your favorite flowers.”
“They are.” Chloe looks surprised that Beca had remembered that.
“Well good because they are mine too.” Beca takes the flowers and motions for Chloe to follow her.
They sit at the kitchen table while Beca makes some tea. The conversation was strained because neither of them knew where to start. But thankfully it was Charlie who broke the silence by asking could they go to the park. “Why don’t you ask Miss Beale if she would mind going to the park.” suggest Beca.
“Miss Beale would you like to go to the park?”
“I would love to Miss Charlie.”
It was a beautiful day and so they decided to walk. As they walked the talking became easier, it wasn’t like they were now stuck in a room where they would be forced to make conversation. Once they reached the playground Charlie ran off to play on the gym. “Make sure you stay where I can see you?” she calls out after Charlie.
Beca finds a bench for them to sit where they could see Charlie.
“So teaching” Beca starts off lamely.
“I have been teaching now full time for the last three years. I love it.”
“That’s good, I knew you would make a great teacher, I mean you managed to teach me how to dance.”
“You knew how to dance, you just like me putting my hands on you.”
Chloe couldn’t believe how easy it was to get back into flirting with Beca. She didn’t mean to. This is not what she meant to happen. But when she seen Beca laugh she stopped chastising herself for it.
There was a comfortable silence then, like things were going to be ok.
“She is just like you Becs, except she smiles a lot more.”
Beca smiles at the use of her old nickname. Beca laughs, “She is, poor kid. But I try to the best I can. She is a great kid, I couldn’t have wanted anything more.”
“What about you Chlo, do you have a family.”
“No.” Chloe sighs “Never meet anybody I wanted to start a family with.”
“I’m sorry.” Beca says.
This annoyed Chloe, she didn’t want Beca’s pity, and it was Beca’s fault. Beca had taken her heart and nobody since her ever meant half of what Beca had. She was never going to be able to settle for less than what she thought she deserved and she deserved to be happy. Chloe stood up. Beca sensing she did something wrong put her hand on Chloe’s arm? “Chlo did I do something wrong?”
“No, this was just a mistake. I have to go.”
“Don’t go Chloe, talk to me.”
“Talk to you, did you think that maybe five years ago you could have talked to me. Or at any time in the last five years for that matter.”
Beca looked down at her feet. “I didn’t know how too.”
Chloe seeing Beca look so small again made her lose some of her anger. She sat back down. “Beca, when have I ever given you a reason to think that you couldn’t talk to me?”
“You never have Chlo. It is just you had been right about Jessie and I never listened. I should have listened and I was ashamed because I had been so stupid.”
“I have seen you do plenty of stupid things over the years, but thinking I wouldn’t be there for you is probably the most stupid of them all.”
“I know. I just didn’t or couldn’t think about anything except that I was having a baby. I knew Jessie wouldn’t stick around, I knew that from the moment I told him I was pregnant, but you and all the Bellas looked up to me like some sort of superhero, and I wasn’t and I didn’t know how to admit that. Especially to you.
Charlie runs back up to them and sees her mum in tears. “Are you ok mama?
“Yeah baby, I’m ok. I just got something in my eye.”
“I am hungry can we go home for dinner?”
“Sure do you want to see if Miss Beale would like to join us?”
“Miss Beale would you like to have dinner with me and mama?”
Chloe looked from Charlie to Beca, her heart melting a little bit more and sees Beca mouth the word please, and Chloe says “Sure I would love too.”
Back at the house Beca asks Charlie if she wants pizza, Charlie starts jumping up and down. “I take it that’s her favorite food?” asks Chloe
“Yep, how can you tell?
“I told you, she just like you.”
Beca rings and orders the Pizza, Chloe smile because she knew that Beca would order her favorite but she surprises Chloe by ordering her favorite as well. “Oh god Chloe, I should asked, is that still your favorite.”
Chloe laughs, “Yes it is. I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I remember everything Chlo.”
A silence settles over them as they look at each other. They know the other one has changed but then nothing has really changed at all.
Charlie comes barreling in and jumps in Beca’s arms. “Did you order yet”?
“Yep and there is an enough time for me to give you your bath. Chloe just make yourself at home, this won’t take too long.”
Chloe does, she gets up and turns the sound system and plays some soft music. As she listens to the music, she thinks to herself that two months ago, she had no idea a five year old was going to walk into her life and turn everything upside down. She was glad. She was happy. She had Beca back. Yes they had things to work through, but she knew they would, knew they could because they were Beca and Chloe.
Chloe could here talking so she turned down the radio to listen. “Mama will you sing for me?”
“Will you sing with me?
“Yes”.
“Ok “
They start to sing, and it was the same for Chloe as it was the first time she heard Beca sing. She was drawn to the sound of her voice. But this time she chooses not to barge in but listen to the sound of Beca and her daughter sing together. It was more beautiful than she could have imagined.
“It’s not like you to stay outside a bathroom when someone is singing.” Beca laughs when she heard Chloe approach.
Chloe pops her head around the corner and smile apologetically, “I didn’t want to intrude.”
“Well that’s a first. Come in.”
Charlie looks at Chloe and smiles.
“Did you know Charlie, that mama use to sing with Miss Beale?”
“No, I don’t believe you. “
“You should, Miss Beale has the sweetest voice that mama has ever heard.” Beca says looking over her shoulder at Chloe.
Chloe beams.
“Will you sing for me Miss Beale?
“Only if your mama sings with me.”
“Go on mama, sing with Miss Beale.”
“Ok, ok, what should we sing?”
“How about that old mash up we did in the pool, it was always my favorite.”
“Sure, you start.”
Chloe does, she sings like she hasn’t sung in a long time. She really hasn’t sung since the day Beca left because when Beca left, she took the music with her too. But now, as she stood in another bathroom with Beca, she could feel it again. How funny that all though years ago it had started in a bathroom and now all these years later, it felt like it was starting again.
Beca almost forgot to join in singing, she was taken aback when she heard Chloe sing. It really was the most beautiful sound in the world apart from all the ones Charlie made of course. But here Chloe was singing in her bathroom, and when she joined in she was taken back. The still sounded fantastic together, they were staring at each, like they did that night, singing to each other. If Beca had of only had the guts to say to Chloe that night what she was feeling, then things could have been so different.
But she was glad in a way that she hadn’t because if she had, maybe there would be no Charlie and Charlie is something that Beca could never regret.
When they stopped singing, Charlie started clapping which made Beca and Chloe to turn their eyes away from each other and towards Charlie. “You can sing Miss Beale, you sing better than Ariel but not better than mama.”
Chloe laughed “Your right, your mama has always had the loveliest voice I had ever heard.”
Beca just rolls her eyes.
The door bell ring to indicate that the Pizza had arrived and Chloe says “I’ll get this, you just finish up here.”
Beca and Charlie come out and Chloe has managed to find plates and cups and has set the dinner table. “How much do I owe you for the pizza? Beca asks
“You can just get it next time.” Chloe replies
“Next time?" Getting a bit ahead of yourself aren’t you? Beca stirs Chloe.
“Yeah, but I still know I am right.”
They eat dinner and watch a movie with Charlie. Beca excuses herself to put Charlie to bed. “Goodnight Miss Charlie. Sweet Dreams.”
Charlie runs over to Chloe and gives her a hug. “Can you come over again, it’s fun when you are here and mama smiles a lot?”
“Does she now?” Chloe winks at Beca. Beca just rolls her eyes.
“Please mama can she come over again?
“I guess that would be ok.” Beca makes out like it’s a chore. Chloe throws a pillow at her.
“Good night Miss Beale.”
“I won’t be long” Beca says to Chloe.
Chloe puts the radio back on and looks over the photos on the mantle. There are loads of Beca and Charlie and one of the Bellas and one of her and Chloe. It was on graduation day, Chloe was laughing into the camera with an arm slung around Beca and Beca looking surly into the camera.
“Red or white?” Beca asks from the kitchen.
“Red” replies Chloe.
When Beca walks into the lounge room she sees Chloe holding the photo of the two of them.
“You still have this up?” Chloe asks
Beca looks embarrassed “Yeah, it’s one of my favorite shots of the two of us.”
“But you are not smiling.”
“No but you were laughing so hard you almost wet yourself. Do you remember why, because I do?”
Chloe thinks, yes she does. “Fat Amy asked us if we were finally going to get a room.”
“Yep, she sure had a way with words. Do you still keep n contact with any of them?”
“Yes all of them actually. For a while we all decided to play a find Wally game, which we called Finding Beca game. If anyone was to hear from you, they needed to let the other know that you were alive and well.”
“I am sorry about that.”
“Tell me what happened. You just dropped off the face of the earth. No one knew anything. You got up and left in the middle of the night. You didn’t leave a note or anything.” Chloe says sounding wounded.
“I am so sorry Chlo. I didn’t know what to do. I had just found out I was pregnant, me and Jessie were fighting all the time because he didn’t want to have a baby, and there was no way I was giving it up. But I couldn’t burden all of you because of my mistake. I knew I had to do what I needed to make sure that when Charlie got here, I was in a place that I would be able to look after her. I had told my boss what had happened and he let me stay at a condo that the company owned.
When the royalties came in from Emily song, it was enough for me to buy this house. And since then, I have been working and raising Charlie.”
“I rang Residual Heat and they told me that you had left, and left without giving a forwarding address.”
“I had asked them to do that.”
“Why? I was so scared for you. I didn’t know anything and I didn’t and couldn’t understand why you had run.”
“I can’t excuse what I did Chlo, but I am asking you to forgive me.”
“You broke me Beca”
“What do you mean?”
“I was lost without you. You were a part of me and then you were just gone.”
“I know Chlo, I was lost without you too, but I didn’t have any idea what was going to happen to me and the last person in the world I wanted to bring down with me was you.”
“I would have been there, all you needed to do was ask.”
“I know and that’s why I couldn’t.”
“I missed you. I have never hurt that much in my life Beca.”
“I hurt too Chlo, I was upset that Jessie had left me, and even though that had upset me, it didn’t hurt as much as it did when I decided to leave you. I just couldn’t do that to you. I knew you would give up everything to help me and I didn’t want you to give up on your dreams because of me.”
Chloe wants to say more, she wants to tell Beca that she was Chloe’s dream, but it was too soon. They had just found each other and she didn’t want to fight anymore. “How does Jessie feel about Charlie now?”
“I wouldn’t know, I never told him about her.”
“Why?” Chloe asks as she walks over to the sofa and takes a seat.
Beca decides to join her now that she feels that things have calmed down. “He made it perfectly clear that he didn’t want this baby and so I felt he has no right to know anything about her.”
“Fair enough. Does Charlie ask about him?”
“She use too, I just told her that one night God decided that I get to be the lucky one who gets to have her for a daughter.”
“That’s really sweet.”
“She doesn’t need to know what happened. Maybe when she is older, I will tell her and it can be up to her if she wants to find him. But for me, he doesn’t exist.”
“And has there been anyone else since Jessie?”
“Yes, Charlie. She’s all that matters to me. I haven’t needed anyone one else. What about you, you must have had them lining up, Oh god I haven’t even asked Are you seeing anyone?”
“No I am not seeing anyone and there hasn’t been anyone that has caught my interest for a long time.”
“So tell me, have you won the Finding Beca game yet?”
“No I haven’t told them that I found you.”
“Why not?”
Chloe looks a little flustered and says “I am not ready to share you yet.”
Beca smiles “I’m ok with that.”
Chloe smiles back.
“So do you want to watch a movie or have I taken up to much of your day already?”
“A movie, really, you hate movies.”
“Ah having a child changes things. You pick.”
It had been a very emotional day and with the empty bottle of red wine in front of them, the doze off. Beca is the first one to stir and sees that she is laying on the sofa with a certain red head sleeping on her chest. She lays there for a moment and thinks god how I have missed this Chloe feels Beca stir and raises her head. “Oh my god Beca, I’m sorry.”
“Why it’s not like this hasn’t happened before.”
“Yeah but that was a long time ago.”
“Some things never change. So are you making pancakes or am I?”
“You make pancakes?”
“Told you, having a child changes things.”
“Well I suppose I better taste yours then so I can see if they are as good as mine.”
“Well it’s your recipe, so I am pretty sure you are going to like them.”
Chloe gets up off Beca. “How will Charlie be about finding me here this morning?”
“Well, she hasn’t ever had to wake up with someone else in the house but I think it will be ok. I mean she likes you and she thinks you’re pretty.”
“Your daughter has good taste.”
“Like you said, she’s just like me.”
“Have you got something for me to change into? I don’t want Charlie to see me in the same clothes as last night. I am still her teacher.”
“Oh yeah, forgot about that. Just go into my room and grab something. I’ll wake Charlie.”
“Are you sure you just want me to go into your room?”
“You have never needed and invite before?”
“But that was before.”
“Chlo, we are ok, aren’t we?”
“There’s work to be done, but yeah, we will be. No more secrets, no more running.”
“Ii promise, no more secrets and no more running.”
“Good, then I am going to have a shower.”
They sit there over breakfast and it feels right. The three of them together. “Charlie” Beca starts. “How would you feel is Miss Beale spends some more time hanging around our house with us?”
Chloe looks at Beca with surprise. And then looks at Charlie for her answer. Charlie says “I’m ok with that.”
Chloe laughs “Just like her mother.”
Two more months had past and nearly every spare minute that Chloe has, she spends with Beca and Charlie. Her life had never felt so complete, Charlie no longer calls her Miss Beale at home, but she knows that while they are at school she still has too. Charlie has started to call Chloe mama C, which surprised Chloe at first but she felt that it was the best name she had ever been called.
Beca has one more secret that she hasn’t told Chloe, she worries that Chloe might take it badly but with the way things had been going, She didn’t think so and anyway she had made a promise, no more secrets and no more running.
So one night after dinner as they were lounging on the sofa Beca grabs Chloe’s hand. Chloe looks at Beca she sees Beca’s knee bouncing and puts her hand on it to calm Beca down. “Beca what’s wrong?”
Beca starts “There is something I need to tell you. I think (the knee starts bouncing again) you need to know something that I have been hiding from you for a very long time.”
Chloe sits straight up and moves backwards on the sofa away from Beca. Beca continues “Chloe I am in love with you. I have been for years, even when I was with Jessie. All I wanted was you. I never told you because I was scared that I would lose you as a friend and I couldn’t take the thought of not having you in my life. And now, somehow, we found each other again and I don’t want to waste another moment of me not telling you how I feel.”
Chloe mouth moves to form the biggest smile that Beca has ever seen. And she thought she knew all of Chloe’s smiles. Chloe just lunges forward to press her lips against Beca. After the need for air Chloe pulls back “Do you know how long I have wanted to hear those words from you?
It was Beca’s turn to smile. “It was my idea for Charlie to start calling you mama C, I was hoping that you could get used to the idea?”
“What idea?”
“Of being Charlie’s mum?”
“What are you saying Beca?”
“Chloe I have wasted so much time, running out of fear and out of pain. But what I should have been doing was running too was you. It has always been you and I don’t want to waste anymore of my time. I love you Chloe and I would like you to be my wife?”
“Oh my god YES” Chloe squeals and she jumps right on top of Beca to show her how much she means yes.
In the morning although they hadn’t been to sleep, Chloe looks up at Beca and said “Have you talked to Charlie about this yet?”
“I talked to her at the park the other day. I said Charlie, how would you feel if Mama C lived with us?” and she said “Doesn’t she live with us now?” I said “No but I want her too, will you be ok with that?” and she said “ she’s pretty, and I like the way she sings and she make you smile all the time and it will be like I have two mums. I said “It will be just like that you will have two mums, who will love you very much, because you know mama C loves you just as much as I do.” “I know” she says “and I love her very much too. And anyway that stupid boy at school who was being mean to me because I didn’t have a dad, well I am better than him because I’ve got two mums”
“So in answer to your question you have Charlie’s stamp of approval.”
“Well this is really happening?”
“Yes, don’t tell me you want to back out now?”
“God no, I just realized that it’s time for me to win the Where’s Beca game?”
“Well how about we do this the right way. You tell everyone you found me and invite them all around for a BBQ. But it won’t just be a BBQ, it can be our wedding. We will have everyone one there that we care about and we can introduce our daughter to them.”
Chloe just squeals and takes Beca’s mouth with her own. “Who would have known that you would turn out to be such romantic Mitchell?”
“I keep telling you, having a child changes things.”
So a month later, everyone turns up, Aubrey with her new husband, Cynthia Rose and her wife, Emily and Benji, Jessica and Ashley who apparently had hid their relationship really well, Lily, Fat Amy and this really hot looking Australian guy saying about him that you can’t go past home grown beef, Flo, Denise and Stacie. They were so happy to see that Beca was alive and well, and to meet her beautiful daughter Charlie that when Chloe announced that not only were they here for a BBQ but also for Beca’s and her wedding, you could have knocked them down with a feather.
Cynthia sings out “Who won the bet”
“Was there a bet?”
“God yes” Cynthia Rose replies “but I am pretty sure no one excepted it to take this long.”
So in front of their friends who were much more that, Chloe and Beca vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives. And nobody who was there doubted a word of it.
Beca full of happiness declared that every year on this date, their anniversary would be Bellas annual BBQ day at their home. And she hoped that every year they would make this trip because her home, her, Chloe’s and Charlie’s home was their home too.
After the celebrations which actually took a few days to wind down, Chloe and Beca laid in bed. Beca hugs Chloe to her “It’s good to have our family back together.”
“Yeah it is. I mean where would we be without all those nut jobs. I just love them to bits.” Chloe laughs
“I really liked how we surprised them.”
“So did I, I am glad they were so happy for us.”
“It seems they apparently had been waiting a really long time for it.”
“So was I” Chloe pokes her finger into Beca’s side
“I think we should surprise them again next year.”
“How are we going to do that? We are already married.”
“Well I was thinking maybe there could be another Mitchell-Beale member of this family.”
“What?” Chloe jumps up from her hug.
“Well I was thinking about what you said at the park.”
“Do you listen to everything I say?”
“Yes but let get back on point, you said that you hadn’t met anyone you wanted to start a family with. And I know I came with a readymade family but that doesn’t mean that our family complete.”
“Are you saying you want to have a child with me?”
“Chloe Mitchell-Beale, I would love to have a child with you. We already have a little Beca running around, I love for there to be a little Chloe as well. And I think Charlie would be a great big sister.”
“God Beca, how do you keep managing to do things that make me fall more in love with you? Just when I think that there is no way I could love you more, you go and say something like that.”
“So I think we should start trying straight away, like right now.”
“You know you can’t get me pregnant right?”
Doesn’t mean we can’t try anyway.”
Beca rolls over hand flicks the light off.
The end