Work Text:
GROWING PAINS
Meet The Parents
Bailey 16; Blake 4
Bailey was pacing back and forth in the living room after she spent two hours getting ready for the dinner tonight with her boyfriend and her parents. She had never been more nervous. Especially after Beca had a minor freakout when Chloe let it slip about the hickey Bailey hid. Beca took a little extra convincing by Chloe to not only be on board for this dinner, but behave herself at it. Beca came downstairs with a frown on her face and saw Bailey pacing.
"Oh, calm down, Bales. He's the one who should be nervous." She grumped.
"Mom, you have to be nice to Mason. You promised." Bailey spun on the spot to glare at her mom.
"This little twerp gave you a hickey." Beca glared right back. "I do not have to be nice to him."
"Yes, you do." Chloe came up behind her and gave her a light slap on the back of the head. "Remember how nervous you were when you had to meet my parents. And they were so nice to you even with all your awkwardness."
"Yeah, well I couldn't accidentally get you pregnant." Beca grumbled.
"Mom!" Bailey whined. "I swear I will never forgive you and move out if you embarrass me tonight."
"Okay." Chloe raised her hands in the air to stop the dramatics before they could escalate. "No one is moving out and no one will do anything embarrassing...on purpose." She looked back and forth between the grumpy brunettes. "We are going to have a nice dinner as a family. And we are going to get to know this young man who is dating our daughter. You will behave yourself like we discussed." She pointed at Beca. "And you will not be dramatic or disrespectful." She turned to point at Bailey. Before anything else could be said, the doorbell rang. Bailey and Beca both jumped to answer it first, but Chloe grabbed Beca by the neck of her shirt and pulled her back.
"Hi, Mason!" Bailey smiled as she swung the door open. She tried her best to not laugh at his appearance.
"Hey." Mason stood in the doorway nervously. He was dressed in khakis and a dark blue button down shirt rolled up to his elbows, literally the only button down shirt he owned. It was quite the contrast from his usual ripped jeans and v-necks. His hair was slightly gelled and combed back nicely as opposed to his typical fresh out of bed look. He had even shaved. Where there was usually patches of stubble was now smooth skin.
"These are for you." He handed Bailey a small bouquet of flowers. She gladly took them and stepped aside so he could come in. "And these are for your moms." He held the second bouquet out for Chloe.
"That's so sweet." Chloe snatched them and quickly took a sniff.
"Suck up." Beca mumbled under her breath.
"Mason, its so nice to meet you." Chloe smiled widely, picking up the slack from her wife.
"You too." Mason nodded shyly. "Bailey tells some great stories about her family."
"Well come on in, dinner's just about ready. I hope you like meatloaf." Chloe gestured for him to come further inside.
"Oh, yeah! Its my favorite!" Mason exclaimed, letting his nervous guard down for a moment before feeling a little embarrassed. "I mean, yes, meatloaf sounds good. Thanks Mrs. Beale."
Chloe nodded and then shot Bailey a wink as Mason walked by her. Bailey breathed a sigh of relief as she smiled at her mom. She had told her that meatloaf was Mason's favorite and was relieved Chloe was making a good effort.
"Hello." Blake stepped in front of Mason with a serious look on his face. Beca bit her lip to keep from laughing as the others in the room came to an abrupt halt.
"Hi. You must be Blake?" Mason kneeled down to shake little Blake's hand.
"Yep! I'm Bailey's bwother. I'm the best bwother in the wowrld. So if you hurt my sisterw…" He paused as if he was trying to remember what he wanted to say. "I will hunt you down and...make you dig a hole." He nodded firmly, satisfied with his speech. Beca tilted her head and winced slightly as if to say 'close enough.' Mason nodded seriously, forcing himself not to laugh at the serious little boy.
"I won't hurt your sister, I promise."
"Oh my God, ignore him." Bailey grabbed his arm and ushered him into the dining room. Blake looked up at Beca with a hopeful grin.
"I did good Mommy?"
"Very good job little dude." She gave him a high five and a quarter. Blake happily took his reward and scurried into the dining room. When Beca stood back up she was met with a disapproving look and slow shake of the head from Chloe.
"What? Blake said it. I'm behaving myself." Beca said with a cheeky grin.
"You are ridiculous." Chloe just rolled her eyes and followed everyone else into the kitchen.
Dinner went smoothly. Mostly, to Chloe's belief, due to Beca's quietness. Blake was very well behaved enjoying his mac and cheese that Chloe made special for him so he wouldn't throw a fit about food. Mason, although visibly nervous, was very chatty. He told them all about his own family and his two brothers. How he had plans to go to college at Cal or UCLA to get a degree in music or business. He's the lead singer in the band Bailey's in. That's how they met. Unfortunately, just as he was getting comfortable in the conversation, he put his foot in his mouth.
"Yeah, Bailey's the most talented and coolest girl in school. With the exception of the whole acapella thing, of course." He chuckled and then quickly stopped when he realized what he said. Chloe visibly stiffened. Beca paused before taking a bite, almost grinning to herself at the boy's feax pas. This was it. This is what would make Chloe hate him too.
"I mean, nothing against acapella. Its cool too. She's just in a real band, too, so she-" He quickly stopped talking when Bailey's leg collided violently with his under the table.
"So acapella isn't real music?" Beca prodded, sensing Chloe's defensive demeanor.
"Oh, no that's not what I meant, not at all." Mason quickly backtracked.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to perform an entire song using only your mouth and hands to make it sound like 'real' music as you so eloquently put it? Add in complex dance routines, its one of the hardest things to do musically." Beca added, curious as to why Chloe hadn't jumped in to attack the boy yet.
"Beca, let it go." Chloe had relaxed and reached her hand over to put on top of Beca's.
"What?" Beca looked at her incredulously.
"You don't need to make a big deal out of a silly little comment."
"You once threatened one of Aubrey's boyfriends with a fork in the middle of a crowded restaurant for insulting acapella." Beca scoffed. "Who are you and what have you done with my wife?"
"Okay, that guy was being rude all night. And he kept insulting acapella and the bellas specifically. That was totally different." Chloe huffed, remembering that night and her disdain for that guy. "Can't believe he made it past two dates with Aubrey."
"I would never insult the bellas." Mason chimed in. "I know how important they are. Bailey wants to be one. And I think that's great."
"Oh, is that so?" Beca narrowed her eyes. "Even after you just insulted acapella?"
"I didn't mean it like that." Mason gulped and looked nervously at Bailey who was just closing her eyes, hoping this part of the conversation would be over.
"Beca, let it go." Chloe sighed. "You know, I remember you actually calling acapella lame and laughing in my face when I first asked you to join the bellas. And I ended up marrying you." Chloe gave a lighthearted shrug and Beca pouted, knowing her hopes of ganging up on Mason were for naught.
The rest of dinner went by nicely. Mason didn't stick his foot in his mouth and Beca couldn't find a reason to get annoyed with the boy. Once dinner came to an end and everyone had a serving of sherbert, Bailey's favorite dessert, Blake was begging Mason to go play catch with him while the sun was still out. Mason gave Bailey a questioning look and she just smiled back.
"Go play catch, I'll actually come out in a minute and join you."
"You can use Mommy's glove!" Blake exclaimed as he bolted for the stairs.
"What-" Beca's voice squeaked as she was about to protest someone else using her glove. Especially if that someone else was a teenage boy dating her daughter.
"Here, Becs, have a beer." Chloe pulled one of their light beers from the fridge and set it down in front of Beca before she could do any whining. Blake came running back down the stairs, sounding like a stampede for such a small body.
"Let's go!" He shoved Beca's glove into Mason's chest and struggled to get the sliding door open. Mason followed the excited boy outside as Bailey turned to face her mothers.
"Aside from the little acapella hiccup…" She glanced at Beca. "What did you guys think of him?"
"I think he's very sweet. He was respectful and I can tell he cares about you a lot." Chloe's smile was soothing for Bailey. She might not have been as nervous as Mason, but she was still extra jittery throughout that day.
"He does. I'm glad you like him." Bailey gave Chloe a quick hug.
"I didn't give my opinion." Beca quirked an eyebrow at Bailey's relief.
"Well I can work on your opinion." Chloe gave her a wink. "Go keep an eye on that boy of yours. Blake might make him dig that hole." Bailey just scoffed and skipped outside to join the boys.
"I don't like him." Beca said with a pout as she sipped her beer. Chloe made a sympathetic aww sound which was more patronizing than anything as she slid into Beca's lap.
"Would you be happier if she were dating a girl?"
"No." Beca said unconvincingly.
"Becs." Chloe, able to read Beca like a book, turned her cheek to look her in the eye. "Remember how your dad wasn't happy with you dating a girl?"
"Please don't compare me with my dad." Beca closed her eyes and groaned.
"I'm not. I'm just saying. He would've been happier with you dating a boy. Don't make that same mistake with our daughter."
"I know. I know." Beca sighed. "Its not that I want her to be dating a girl instead. Its just...boys can get her pregnant. And boys are gross. And boys like to think with one body part at his age. But...I guess if I were forced by physical threat upon me or my family to tell the truth...he's not the worst boy I could pick out for her."
"He's actually a very nice boy. I think we should be happy. And give our daughter a little credit to be responsible and trustworthy." Chloe smiled as she wrapped her arms around Beca's neck and gave her a quick kiss.
"Fine. But if he hurts her or makes her a teen mom? I'll kill him." Beca wrapped her hand around Chloe's waist, still holding her ground.
"Okay." Chloe giggled as she leaned down for another kiss. "And I'll help you bury the body."
it was time for Mason to say goodbye and his thank you's and was being walked to the front door by Bailey, Beca and Chloe following a little behind. But then his eyes caught something that grabbed his attention.
"Is that a Nintendo 64?" Mason paused as they were making their way to the door, spotting the old gaming console under the TV.
"Yeah. Have you played it?" Beca eyed him skeptically.
"Oh yeah. Its part of my collection. I just don't see many people who have one." Mason nodded his head enthusiastically. "On my classic gaming systems its ranked second to my Sega Genesis."
"You have a Sega Genesis?!" Beca's eyes widened and she nearly squealed with excitement.
"With all the Sonic the Hedgehog games too." Mason said proudly.
"The original Sonic the Hedgehog?!" Beca's jaw dropped and she was like a fangirl being told someone knew some boyband heartthrob that she had a crush on as a kid.
"I think your mom might be developing a little crush on your boyfriend." Chloe whispered in Bailey's ear.
"We should've introduced the Nintendo before dinner." Bailey let out a little snort.
"Yeah, you should see my game room." Mason lit up talking about his video game collection.
"Literally filled with old and new consoles with almost every game ever made. My mom hopes I'll lose interest someday and sell it all to make a down payment on a house." Mason laughed as if that would ever happen.
"Dude that's-" Beca's eyes were wide with glee when she saw the amused looks on Chloe and Bailey's faces. She immediately settled down. "That's cool. You know. Or whatever. If you're into that sort of thing." She shrugged as if suddenly she didn't really care.
"I'll walk you out, Mason." Bailey quickly grabbed him by the arm and led him outside.
"Looks like you made a friend?" Chloe smirked proudly.
"Oh shush. I was interested in his collection, not him. I still think he's a little twerp." Beca folded her arms obstinately and walked to the door before Bailey could close it behind her. Bailey spun her head around to look questioningly at Beca.
"You're just saying goodbye right? You can do that with the door open." Beca shrugged as if she were being rational.
"Five minutes." Chloe interceded and gently closed the door and pulled Beca to the couch.
Beca let out a frustrated hmph sound as she plopped onto the couch beside Chloe. After setting a timer on her phone, she tried to stealthily tilt the curtains so she could see Bailey and Mason. But Beca and stealthy just didn't mesh. Chloe simply reached behind Beca's back and pushed her arm down.
"I knew you'd be a mess once our kids started to date." Chloe sighed as she wrapped Beca into a hug/cuddle on the couch.
"Can I huggle?" Blake appeared beside the couch, looking expectantly at Chloe. The redhead just put a hand to her chest, unable to contain her overwhelming affection and reached down to pull Blake onto the couch in between them. She nearly melted every time he used his combo of the words hug and cuddle. She feared she might burst into tears the day she realizes he won't say it again.
While Chloe was grabbing their son, Beca went back to try and peek out the curtains. Without hardly giving her a glance, Chloe quickly said, "Leave the curtains alone."
Beca sighed and scooted closer as she gave Blake a little tickle and wrapped an arm around him over Chloe's.
"Don't grow up, kid." Beca sighed.
"I won't, Mommy." Blake nodded as he wiggled between them, getting comfy.
"Don't get too comfy down there. You only have about 3 minutes left." Beca quipped and Chloe just rolled her eyes, enjoying their little huggle for the moment. Chloe was dozing off into peacefulness as Blake rested his head against her chest when Beca's obnoxious alarm went off. Beca nearly flew off the couch and swung the door open.
"Time's up." She smirked when Mason jumped nearly a foot backward away from Bailey. Bailey didn't move an inch but just leveled Beca with a very Beca-like glare. "Say goodnight, Mason."
"Night, Bailey. I'll um...call you...tomorrow." He inched forward and gave her a tentative peck on the cheek before walking to his car.
"Toodles." Beca waved sarcastically before returning inside.
"Goodnight, mother." Bailey brushed past Beca, but wasn't too annoyed, as she went up the stairs to probably text the boy who just left. Beca smiled as she watched Bailey disappear into her room. She knew Bailey wasn't mad at her, but it still stunk that she was growing up and Beca knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"I never agreed to her growing up." Beca pouted slightly as she turned to Chloe.
"I know." Chloe nodded patronizingly as she wrapped her arms around Beca's waist. "But it comes with the territory."
"I need something to cheer me up." Beca mused as she rested her cheek on Chloe's shoulder.
"Well, I did promise you a reward for good behavior. And you did very good tonight. Aside from trying to get me mad at Mason for the acapella thing."
"Yeah, yeah. And what's my reward?" Beca's eyebrows raised with excitement.
"Give Blake his bath and put him to bed. Then come find me and find out." Chloe winked as she gave Beca a kiss before sauntering upstairs with an extra sway to her hips.
"I'll let you have an extra thirty minutes on the iPad tomorrow if you behave and take a quick bath and get to bed." Beca immediately turned to Blake who was still curled up on the couch.
"Can I get an extra bedtime stowy tonight too?" Blake looked up with his puppy dog brown eyes.
"Deal." Beca held out her hand as his little one took it and shook firmly. "Let's get you washed up." Beca tried not to be too enthusiastic and actually drag him up the stairs but she did hurry him along.
"Can we play battleship in the bath?" Blake asked excitedly, confused as to where his mother's excited energy was coming from.
"Sure, as long as the bath doesn't take more than 15 minutes, okay?"
"Yay! I love you, Mommy." Blake bounced happily as they neared the bathroom door. Beca paused and had to stop her eyes from tearing up. She knelt down and gave Blake a hug.
"I love you too, kiddo." She breathed in his little boy scent, soaking in the time she had with him before he got older. She leaned back and saw her bedroom door closed, knowing what was waiting for her on the other side. And then she was back in efficiency mode. "Alright, let's take that bath."
Unhinged
Bailey 17; Blake 5
It was a Monday afternoon, Chloe was upstairs putting away her kids' laundry when she stumbled upon a box in Bailey's underwear drawer that made her heart sink. It was an open package of condoms. She sank to Bailey's bed, just staring at the purple box in disbelief. She wasn't sure what she was more upset about. The fact that Bailey was most likely having sex with her boyfriend or the fact that she didn't come talk to her or Beca about it. Bailey never kept things from her parents. Chloe understood not wanting to talk to Beca, but Chloe? Chloe had prepared for this. She was ready to have the talk with Bailey when she was ready and help her navigate a new and scary chapter of her life. She felt like something had suddenly been stolen from her and she was losing her daughter.
And, oh God. Beca was going to flip her shit.
"Mom!" Bailey nearly jumped out of her skin as she entered her room and saw Chloe sitting on her bed with that purple box.
"Want to explain this?" Chloe said firmly, keeping her anger at bay.
"I-" Bailey had no idea what to say to her mother.
"Why would you not talk to us about this?" Chloe set the box down aggressively on the bed and stood to her feet. Bailey quickly shut the door so Beca wouldn't overhear.
"I was embarrassed." She said quietly.
"We talk in this family." Chloe said through nearly gritted teeth. "We love you and you are supposed to come to us with anything. We may be mad or disappointed but we will always love you." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "How long?"
Bailey stayed frozen, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
"I asked how long, Bailey." Chloe said, her voice showing her lack of patience.
"About a month. It first happened that Saturday I told you I was at Naomi's." Bailey had her arms wrapped around her waist protectively. "His parents were out of town and his little brother was at a sleepover."
Chloe nearly burst into tears at the thought that her baby girl had lost her virginity and didn't come to her to talk about it. She wanted to be the mom her kids would talk to about anything, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward. But she held it together. She needed to be rational. Clearly Bailey was scared too and she didn't want to make that worse. And she didn't want to make her daughter feel ashamed. Chloe took a deep breath and sat back on the bed, patting the space beside her for Bailey to join her. She knew Beca wouldn't be able to control her emotions, so Chloe knew she had to keep it together so Bailey could feel safe to talk.
"Did he pressure you?" Chloe asked nervously, not sure even she would be able to control her emotions if she found out Bailey was pressured into something she didn't want.
"No!" Bailey shook her head quickly. "No, he didn't. He was more nervous than I was."
"Was he nice to you?" Chloe's voice was so soft as she slid an arm around Bailey's shoulder. Her daughter just nodded in response. "And clearly you two were safe?"
"Yes, mom." Bailey blushed furiously at the line of questioning. "He was very nice. And respectful. He asked multiple times if I wanted to stop or if I was uncomfortable."
"Good. Good...Do you love him?"
"Yeah." Bailey nodded. "We've been dating for over a year and...yeah, I love him."
"Does he love you?"
"Yeah. He made me dinner that Saturday." Bailey couldn't help but smile. "He made homemade pizzas. And on one of them he spelt out 'I love you' in olives." Chloe smiled forcefully at that statement, because clearly Bailey thought it was super romantic. Chloe thought it was one of the more lame ways to confess your love to someone. But he's a teenager, she had to cut him some slack.
"And are you okay?"
"Yeah, mom. I'm okay. He was nice about everything. He made sure to check that I was okay...you know...each step. And he's been kind every time since. One night I was just tired and his parents were out, but I still said I didn't feel like it and he didn't get frustrated or anything."
"Good." Chloe nodded quickly, not wanting or needing too many details.
"I'm sorry, Mom." Bailey suddenly leaned heavily against Chloe and started crying. Chloe just wrapped both arms around her as she felt her own tears finally coming through.
"Its okay, baby girl. Its okay." She rocked Bailey back and forth, reminding her of how it felt to rock her as an infant to soothe her. "I love you. I'll always love you."
"I love you, too." Bailey's voice was muffled as she rested her head against Chloe's shoulder. They sat on Bailey's bed and cried for a few minutes before Bailey sat up and wiped her eyes.
"I'm going to make you a gynecological appointment." Chloe said quickly, her mood turning logical over emotional.
"Mom." Bailey whined, feeling the rush of embarrassment again.
"If you want to act like an adult you need to take care of yourself like one." Chloe raised an eyebrow. "And I want you to go on the pill. But still use condoms. You can never-"
"Oh my God. Okay, Mom." Bailey buried her head in her hands, afraid she might die from embarrassment.
"You know…" Chloe rubbed Bailey's back. "I was younger than you when I lost my virginity. I'm proud you were able to wait longer than I did. And to wait for someone who's special."
"He really is." Bailey peeked back up at Chloe. "I really do love him."
"Good." Chloe nodded. "That's good. Just...give me and your mom some time to take this in, okay? Its not exactly the most thrilling news a parent can find out."
"Promise you're not mad?" Bailey leaned into Chloe wiping her eyes that were still teary.
"I promise, sweetie." Chloe kissed the top of her head. "Just a little sad that you're growing up."
"Was it that emotional with your mom? You know...when she found out." She let out a watery laugh.
"Way more so." Chloe shook her head at the memory. "But my dad was worse."
Bailey froze at the statement. She knew she didn't have a dad, but she had a second parent. Beca. She felt panic seeping into her chest at the thought of telling her other mom.
"Please don't tell mom." Bailey immediately begged. "Please don't tell her. At least not until after I've gone to college."
"No." Chloe shook her head firmly and stood up. "I'm not keeping this from her. If you're mature enough to do the deed, you're mature enough to tell both of your mothers."
"She's going to kill him." Bailey looked up pleadingly. Chloe couldn't exactly argue. That's exactly what Beca's first instinct would be.
"I'll make pot roast." Chloe said as she devised a plan. "And you can make her favorite peach cobbler. I'll set up a sleepover for Blake. And we'll tell her. Together."
"Do you think she'll hate me?" Bailey asked timidly.
"Absolutely not." Chloe said confidently as she gave Bailey's shoulder a stiff shake. "She might hate your boyfriend. But she will never, ever hate you. I promise."
The next day, the plan was set up. Chloe had called a friend to cover her shift so she could have the day off. She picked Bailey up from school at lunch to take her to her favorite Chinese place. They talked over the plan and Chloe did her best to settle Bailey's nerves. Poor thing was so nervous, she barely touched her mongolian beef.
Chloe started getting the pot roast ready after lunch. She really hoped this was the right tactic. She didn't want to ruin Beca's favorite meal after all. After school, she took Blake to his friend's house for a sleepover. Beca would be getting home at 5 or 6; pot roast would be ready or almost ready; Bailey's cobbler would be in the oven; and then they could break Beca's heart after feeding her a delicious meal. Chloe might have been just as nervous as Bailey if she really thought about it.
Bailey was outside walking up and down the length of their backyard, which was no small feat. She was a ball of nerves and had to keep moving or else she felt she might spontaneously combust.
"Bailey! Come inside!" Chloe finally opened the sliding glass doors and called for her daughter. "You know your mom will be suspicious if she sees you out here pacing."
"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Bailey whined as she re-entered the house.
"Sweetie, you need to calm down." Chloe gave Bailey's neck a little squeeze. "Yes, your mom won't be thrilled. But she won't do anything crazy. She loves you more than life itself. Nothing, and I mean nothing will change that. And if she gets a little over-dramatic? Well, I can handle your mom." Chloe waved it off, knowing she was the one and only Beca tamer.
And as if on cue, Beca came walking in the front door at that moment. Chloe looked at the crockpot and then to Bailey.
"We still have almost an hour. She's early." Chloe whispered. Bailey moved on autopilot and hurried to the door to greet Beca excitedly. A sight Beca hadn't seen for a few years now.
"Hey, kid." Beca returned the hug happily. She wasn't going to ask questions, but just enjoy the rare affection from her daughter.
"I was thinking." Bailey chewed on her lip, one of her nervous ticks. "We haven't played Nintendo together for awhile. Maybe we could have a race or two until the pot roast is ready?"
"Pot roast?" Beca's eyes widened even further. "Pot roast and nintendo with my firstborn? Hell yes! I mean heck yes." She quickly scanned the room but Bailey assured her Blake was at a sleepover so she wouldn't be able to corrupt him any further at least for the night. Bailey smiled at how happy Beca was just to play a simple game with her. It made her feel even more guilty for what tonight was going to bring. She made a mental note to try and set aside some time to play video games with her dork of a mom at least once a week.
Chloe watched from the kitchen as Beca enjoyed talking trash with their daughter over a silly cartoon video game. Her observation was interrupted with the sound of the kitchen timer going off.
"Alright, let's eat!" Beca paused the game and jumped up to head to the kitchen. Bailey's game time seemed to settle her nerves, but they all came rushing back as she walked to the dining room table.
"Want some wine, babe?" Chloe pulled a fresh bottle out of the fridge with glasses in her other hand.
"Wine on a weeknight?" Beca grinned even wider. "Yes! Man, this day keeps getting better."
"Good day at work?" Chloe asked as she carefully poured two glasses.
"Oh, yeah. That new band I've been working with finished their album. They left me a really nice credit. I think I might be able to pull some strings and even get them on a tour as an opening act for a well known band or artist."
"That's awesome." Bailey nodded quickly. "Hey, mom, think I could have some wine too?" Her grin was a mixture of jovial and anxiety as she looked at Chloe.
"Yeah, let her have some." Beca waved her hand as she took her seat at the table. "Its a good day. And she's almost technically an adult after all. One glass won't kill her."
"I suppose you're right." Chloe shrugged as she grabbed another glass for Bailey. Bailey gladly took the offered wine with a childlike eagerness and sat across from Beca.
They spent dinner chatting amiably. Bailey was enjoying her tentative sips of wine as Chloe did her best to put Beca in the best mood possible for the inevitable bomb they would drop.
"And now for desert, Bailey made peach cobbler!" Chloe announced like she was a gameshow host as she grabbed some smaller plates from the cabinet.
"Pot roast and peach cobbler? You'd think it was my birthday or something." Beca happily took the plate from Chloe and dug in. She let out a satisfied moan which only made Chloe roll her eyes, only slightly annoyed, feeling like that moan should be reserved just for her.
"Seriously." Beca said with a mouth full of cobbler. "This is amazing. There's gotta be a special occasion." She glanced between Chloe and Bailey, starting to get a funny feeling.
"We just love you." Chloe shrugged before Bailey could open her mouth and say something full of nerves. "We don't need a reason to show that."
"No." Beca started chewing slower, keeping her gaze fixed on her wife who was suddenly avoiding eye contact. "But this is the sort of meal you'd give someone before an announcement." She remembered back to the time Chloe made her pot roast and announced she had got the job at the big hospital in L.A. She also remembered when they made pot roast to tell Bailey that Mr. Snuggles had eaten the goldfish Bailey desperately wanted to have. "Good or bad." Beca added at the end glancing at Bailey who was now also avoiding eye contact and taking another small sip of wine.
"Or maybe we just wanted to have a good meal. And you know Blake doesn't really like pot roast - I know how heartbreaking that was for you - so since its just us three, we can enjoy it." Chloe glanced up quickly before taking another bite of the cobbler.
"Bailey?" Beca asked pointedly when her daughter continued to avoid her gaze.
"Hm? What?" Bailey looked up quickly with a look of feigned innocence.
"Okay, what's going on?" Beca set her fork down and looked between Chloe and Bailey. Chloe was massively disappointed with her and her daughter's performance. Beca was known to be unobservant. For Beca to be able to figure out that they were hiding something meant that they did a spectacularly poor job of acting.
"Ok, honey, just try to stay calm." Chloe put her fork down too, preparing to hit Beca with the news.
"Is someone sick? Is it Mr. Snuggles? Oh, my God, did something happen to Mr. Snuggles?" Beca rattled off the questions doing the exact opposite of remaining calm.
"Mr. Snuggles is fine." Bailey spoke up. "He's in my room sleeping."
"Are you pregnant?" Beca's head swiveled to face Chloe, eyes wide with panic.
"No, Beca, if I were pregnant you would know." Chloe sighed at the ridiculous question, knowing how invasive and long the process of IVF was with their two previous kids. It would leave very little room for surprise. That and the fact they had decided to stop at two.
"Is it one of the bellas?" Beca continued her panicked questioning when Bailey finally had enough.
"Mom! Stop talking for one second, please!" The three of them all sat in shocked silence for a moment before Bailey continued. "I need to tell you something. And...its hard for me and I'm scared."
"Bailey." Beca's heart broke hearing the fear in her daughter's voice. "You can tell me anything. I love you."
"I…" Bailey glanced tentatively at Chloe who gave her a subtle nod of encouragement. "I'm...I'm not a virgin anymore."
Beca felt like her heart stopped for literally five seconds. It felt like her brain was short-circuiting. Each thought she had was interrupted by a new thought leaving her unable to have one single clear thought in the span of about thirty seconds. And then she felt her eye twitching as if her body wasn't able to comprehend the overload happening in her brain.
"Sorry, what?" Beca finally spoke after what felt like hours of silence. "When? Why? When did-what?" And then Beca's brain started malfunctioning again. Bailey quickly chimed in, knowing Chloe would talk if necessary.
"I was with Mason. About a month ago. We had his house to ourselves. We said I love you for the first time."
"You've been dating for a year and he only just now said I love you?" Beca scoffed.
"Beca, they're teenagers." Chloe sighed heavily.
"Exactly! They're teenagers. They shouldn't be-doing-they-" Beca started stuttering yet again. "I don't want you seeing that boy anymore." She said quickly and firmly.
"But, Mom!" Bailey's eyes widened with surprise and quickly filled up with tears.
"No buts! I don't want him around you anymore. At all." Beca folded her arms angrily across her chest. "The nerve of that kid taking advantage of my daughter."
"He didn't take advantage of me." Bailey swallowed hard, feeling her own anger bubble to the surface.
"Beca, calm down." Chloe said quietly, hoping to get her wife to just take a deep breath.
"No, this boy has made our daughter lie to us and sneak around and hide things. I don't want him around anymore."
"I didn't lie. And I'm sure you just ran to tell your parents the moment you had sex right? God, you're such a hypocrite!" Bailey shook her head angrily, fighting off the tears that were filling her eyes.
"Don't talk to me like that!" Beca shouted. She knew she was being a little too much. She had flashbacks of her father yelling at her when he caught her high school boyfriend sneaking in through her window and she never wanted to be that parent. But something inside of her had snapped and she couldn't control it right now.
"Beca, she's 17, the boy loves her, just calm down and be rational. She can't stay a kid forever." Chloe said a little more firmly.
"Love." Beca scoffed again. "They're teenagers, they don't know what love is. You're going to college, Bailey. You better not let this little punk change your mind and screw up your future."
"Don't talk about him like that!" Bailey glared at Beca. "We've already talked about the future. We have a plan."
"Oh, yeah the plans of a 17 year old. Those always work out the way you imagine." Beca shook her head, remembering when she was a hard-headed 17 year old herself.
"I'm sorry I'm growing up but you can't stop that, Mom. I love him and there's nothing you can do to change that." Bailey sniffed and spoke with conviction.
"Well while you live under my roof…" Beca spoke slowly, not once looking anywhere other than Bailey. "You are not going to be seeing that boy. And if I find out you see him other than passing him in the halls at school, you're grounded till you go to college! Do you understand?"
"I hate you!" Bailey shouted as she rose violently from the table and tossed the wine glass into the sink making it shatter. Beca flinched and felt a sharp pang in her chest from the words. She was so shocked, she couldn't respond in any way. Bailey was about to move to storm up the stairs, but Chloe jumped up first.
"Sit back down!" She raised her voice louder than what was common. Chloe might have been the enforcer between her and Beca but she rarely needed to raise her voice to do it. Bailey froze and slowly turned back around. She wiped her eyes and sniffled a few times before she sat back in her chair.
"You stay quiet." Chloe gave a warning look at Beca. "And you apologize right now." She quickly turned back to Bailey. "We do not say that we hate each other in this family."
"Sorry." Bailey mumbled under her breath with a lack of sincerity.
"Couldn't hear you." Chloe flattened her palm on the table and leaned down so she could look Bailey directly in the eyes. Her voice had gotten quiet. The scary quiet.
"I'm sorry." Bailey looked up and met Beca's sad expression. "I don't hate you." Chloe, satisfied for the moment, stood back up straight.
"I know there are a lot of emotions flying around this room tonight. But what I will not have either of you forget, is that we love each other. Understood?"
Bailey and Beca both nodded silently.
"Bailey, you can go to your room, let me and your mom talk for a bit." Chloe waited until Bailey was out of sight before sitting back down at the table and facing Beca.
"Are you happy with how you handled this evening?" Chloe finally asked quietly, resting her folded hands against her chin.
"No." Beca's voice was so soft if it hadn't been for the intense silence, Chloe wouldn't have been able to hear her.
"I don't want to pour salt on the wound." Chloe said as she reached across the table to rest a hand over Beca's forearm. "But you acted like your father tonight. And you owe our daughter an apology."
"I can't believe I made her hate me." Her shoulders sunk down and her posture was one of defeat.
"She doesn't hate you, I promise. She was actually worried about telling you because she was afraid you would hate her."
"I would never hate our daughter." Beca finally looked up to meet Chloe's eyes, with tears filling her own.
"Well, you weren't very convincing tonight." Chloe tilted her head, not wanting to hurt Beca's feelings, but also trying to give her a measure of tough love.
"Its that boy I hate. I want to kill him." Beca felt a flash of anger rise and fizzle quickly inside of her at the thought of Mason.
"I know you do. But you won't. And you can't keep them apart no matter how much you try or how much you want to. It'll only push your daughter further away. And you don't want that."
"Do you really think I'm like my dad?" Beca looked down in shame at the table.
"No." Chloe shook her head and stood up to sit by Beca and wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You are not like your father. You support Bailey in her interests and her life. You have been and will continue to be an amazing mother. You overreacted tonight. And yes, a little of your dad came out, but you know how you're different? You're going to apologize. And you're not going to ruin years of a future relationship with your daughter because you're too stubborn to do so. I won't let that happen." Chloe let out a little smile as she rested her head against Beca's temple.
"I hate thinking about our daughter with...that boy." Beca said the last two words with such disdain.
"I know its hard." Chloe rubbed her hand along Beca's back. "And I'm not exactly ready to throw her a party by any means. But there are a lot worse boys out there than Mason. We both like him, as much as you might try to say you don't, you do. And me and Bailey had a chat. They are safe. And I'm taking her for a gynecologist appointment next week."
"Okay." Beca held her hand up. "I don't need to know anything more for the moment."
"We have a very smart and very responsible daughter. And I'd rather her feel safe enough to come to us if she has questions or worries so we can help her instead of the internet or some immature teenage friend. She waited longer than either of us did to lose her virginity. Just take tonight and calm down. Think about things. Think about how much you love your daughter. And then tomorrow, I suggest you talk to her. Let her know that you still love her and are here for her. If she feels supported, she's more likely to come to us with things in the future."
"I love her more than anything. I just...I don't want anything bad to happen to her."
"I know. And let's say something does happen and she gets pregnant and she doesn't want to keep it. Do you really want her going through that without us? Can you imagine her at a clinic with a friend or someone who's not us being scared and emotional? I don't want her to ever have to make that decision, but if she does, she should have her moms there to comfort her."
"I don't want that to ever happen to her." Beca hung her head, almost nauseous at the thought of Bailey going through that scenario.
"I don't either." Chloe wiped her eyes, the image of her pregnant daughter, scared and confused was making her emotional. "But I'll be damned if we aren't there to wrap our arms around her and walk through hell and back with her if we need to."
"I know. I know. You're right." Beca nodded. Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder and took a deep breath in and a slow breath out. They sat for a moment just taking in the past few hours and decompressing. Beca disrupted their peaceful down time with a little chuckle.
"Who knew I'd ever be the overly emotional parent?"
"Oh, I always knew." Chloe smiled as she patted Beca on the thigh. "You're the biggest softie I've ever known."
The next day, Bailey had just got home from school and was actually glad to see Beca's car was gone. They might have apologized the previous night but she was still a little mad. She was annoyed with how dramatic her mom was being about the whole situation. Chloe was out in the backyard playing wiffle ball with Blake, so she was happy to have a little time to herself in the living room. Just as she turned the TV on she heard Beca's car enter the garage.
She looked up and greeted Beca with a cold look before returning her attention back to the TV. Beca paused, not missing the little scowl from her daughter, and decided to attempt to be mature about this. She still loved her kid after all.
"Have a good day at school, Bailey?" She asked as she set her bag down on the couch. Bailey responded with a simple affirmative hum. "Any fun plans for tonight?" Beca kept trying.
"You don't have to act interested in my life. Don't waste your energy." Bailey didn't take her eyes off the TV and Beca felt herself getting more annoyed.
"I'm not acting, I am interested in your life."
"No you're not." Bailey scoffed. "The thing I'm most happy with in my life is my boyfriend and you didn't even want me to keep seeing him."
"I overreacted last night. And as I said last night, I'm sorry." Beca took a deep breath, trying not to get upset. "I'm happy that you're happy. And I will...learn to accept you and Mason again."
"Good. Because Mason's coming over." Bailey said with a shrug of one of her shoulders. She knew that sentence was going to get under Beca's skin but she didn't really care. "I asked mom already."
"Fine." Beca clenched her jaw. "But he leaves by 10."
"Fine. As long as I can be around him without you skulking around like an overprotective psycho I'll be perfectly happy." Bailey shot back, keeping her gaze fixed on the TV. Beca bit her lip in frustration, watching how Bailey wouldn't even look at her. She could be mature and sit and talk with her as Chloe encouraged her to do. Or she could choose something to provoke her daughter. She chose the latter.
With a huff she turned around and re-entered the garage. Bailey couldn't help but look up in curiosity, being surprised that Beca didn't have anything else to say in that conversation. Her confusion quickly increased when she saw Beca return from the garage with a power drill. She watched as Beca breezed by her and started walking up the stairs.
"What are you doing?" Bailey asked as she hopped off the couch and followed her.
"You can keep seeing Mason. And he can keep coming over here. But you won't have a door when he is." Beca said as she marched to Bailey's room.
"Are you kidding me?" Bailey jogged to catch up with her. "You can't take my door away."
"Actually its my door. I bought the house. And I feel like removing it." Beca shrugged as she turned on the power drill to test the battery, giving Bailey a fake smile.
"Oh my GOD!" Bailey shouted and slapped her hands against her thighs before running back downstairs. Beca watched her leave and shrugged as she started unscrewing the screws on the hinges.
"Mom!" Bailey slid open the back door with a force that very easily could have shattered the glass. Chloe jumped when she heard the yell and turned to face a very angry looking daughter marching her way.
"What's wrong?"
"Your wife is taking off my bedroom door!" Bailey growled, overcome with frustration with her brunette mother. Every time she went to Chloe with an angry grievance against Beca or Blake she would say "your wife" or "your son" and that's how Chloe knew Bailey was really upset.
"What?" Chloe shook her head in confusion. "How is she even- you know what? Never mind. Just take my place playing with Blake. Calm down. And I'll go talk to your mother."
"Maybe admit her into the psych ward of your hospital while you're at it." Bailey mumbled, taking the ball from Chloe. Chloe tried to hold back a giggle at Bailey's comment as she returned inside, worried about what she was going to find Beca doing.
"Babe, what are you doing?" Chloe asked as she reached the upstairs hall and saw Beca unscrewing the last screw of Bailey's door and nearly toppling over, trying to hold it upright.
"My daughter thinks she can just have sex under my roof? I think not. She doesn't get to have her privacy with her boyfriend while she lives in my house." Beca huffed as she struggled to hold the door.
"I thought we talked last night about you being more understanding with Bailey." Chloe put her hands on her hips, not out of anger or frustration, but more so sympathy for her wife, who was clearly having a hard time coping with the news she'd heard not even 24 hours ago.
"I know. And I tried." Beca sighed, as she held the door up. "Its just...she was so snarky with her little attitude and I was just trying to be nice."
"Hm...snarky? Attitude? Like mother like daughter." Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"Very funny." Beca rolled her eyes, her tone lacking humor.
"Taking her door away won't prevent them from...being physical." Chloe herself felt a little sick thinking about it too. "Just like forbidding them from dating wouldn't keep them apart."
Beca just shifted awkwardly, still struggling to hold up the door, knowing she didn't really have an argument against Chloe.
"How about you put the door back on and give your daughter a little bit of trust?" Chloe asked.
"Fine. But when Mason is over, they can't be in her room." Beca said obstinately.
"Or they can be in her room, but the door stays open."
"Door stays open, and we check on them every ten minutes." Beca countered.
"Agreed." Chloe nodded easily.
Chloe took a moment to look at her small statured wife holding up the whole door and giggled to herself.
"What?" Beca gave her a look that said she wasn't in the mood to be mocked.
"Nothing. Its just...my dad took the door off my bedroom when he found my birth control pills." She smiled fondly at the memory now. Of course, back then she was as furious as Bailey.
"Oh my God." Beca hung her head in shame. Then she looked back up at the door as if she couldn't believe she had actually taken Bailey's door off.
"Do you want some help putting it back on?" Chloe gave her a sympathetic smile as she brushed a strand of Beca's hair behind her ear and gave her a comforting kiss to the cheek.
"Yes, please." Beca mumbled as she struggled to line the door back up to the hinges.