Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

2023

At twenty-nine years old, Rob Shapiro lived a fairly basic life. Since graduating from Hollywood Arts over eleven years ago he had worked his way up for a tech company and was enjoying a reasonably pleasant career. It wasn't much, but it paid the bills. He wasn't living in the spotlight and he had long given up trying to make a name for himself in the creative industries his friends from school were still invested in.

Rob lived alone in a small but cosy apartment on the outskirts of Hollywood. He'd never really been big into drinking or partying - unlike the rest of his friends - so living this far out of the city didn't bother him at all. At the weekends, he preferred to chill in his apartment and marathon old TV shows than get involved in the Hollywood party scene. Tori had warned him he was letting life pass him by and on some days, it kind of felt like it did. But he made peace with the fact that he was never destined to be as outgoing or confident or successful as his friends.

The pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for Rob's social life. In fact, he hadn't been on a single night out in over three years. He still kept in touch with his friends from school - he was in more than one HA group chat - but he rarely saw any of them in person. Everyone was so busy and almost all of them were in relationships. Rob on the other hand was permanently single and he couldn't see that changing any time soon. The last social event he attended was a launch party for Cat's third album and he was back home and in his pajamas by 10pm. Since then, his friends had stopped asking him to go out.

Which is partly the reason why he was so taken by surprise - after already being tucked up in bed - that none other than Beck Oliver was banging on his front door, at one o'clock in the morning, on a Saturday night. He opened his apartment door in complete shock.

"Hi," Beck greeted him apologetically. "Can I crash here tonight?"

"Uh, yes?" Rob replied, frowning back at him. Beck had clearly had a couple of drinks but he was nowhere close to wasted.

"Thanks," Beck replied, stepping inside the apartment and dragging a large suitcase and duffel bag along with him - he had packed for a lot longer than just one night. Rob stood back and watched him with suspicion. Something was clearly wrong.

"Bud, not that I'm not happy to have you here but you have a wife and a two-year-old daughter on the other side of Hollywood." Rob reminded him. Beck looked back at him, his eyes glassy and seeming upset.

"Actually, you know what? Just forget I asked," Rob changed the subject quickly. "Let's just find you some sheets,"

"I'll be fine on the couch," Beck insisted with a deep sigh. "Just do me a favor and don't mention this to Cat. Or Tori. Or Andre.." He shook his head.

"Does Jade know you're here?" Rob asked seriously. He would keep this impromptu sleepover a secret from the rest of their friends but it wasn't his place to keep this from his wife and the mother of his child.

But Beck didn't reply. Which translated to no, she did not.

Rob fetched a couple of spare pillows and a blanket from the closet for his longtime friend but when he returned, Beck had already settled down on the couch for the night. His eyes were closed but Rob did not believe for a second that he was actually asleep.

Rob headed to his bedroom and got straight back into bed. He laid his head on the pillow and tried to sleep but he didn't feel tired anymore. He couldn't shake the gut feeling he had that he needed to let Jade know that Beck was here. This wasn't about loyalties. He loved both his friends equally and Beck had come through for him more times in life than Jade ever had. But still, he didn't like the thought of the young mother back at home, worrying about the whereabouts of her husband. No matter what fight they were clearly in the middle of.

I just thought you should know, that your husband is sleeping on my couch.

Rob hit send on the message before he had the chance to regret it. He had learned over the years, that it never paid off to get involved in one of Beck and Jade's arguments. Jade read and replied to the message almost instantly.

Tell him to go fuck himself.

Rob rolled his eyes, pulling his glasses off his face. Somehow, he didn't think he had the option to stay out of this one.

Chapter Text

2020

Jade lay on her back - in the center of her bed - in her wedding dress. 

Nothing about today felt real. When they originally planned their wedding day, they organized a lively and entertaining event with music and three course wedding breakfast. But there were two major things that they hadn't taken into consideration. Firstly, that they were getting married in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and secondly, that she would be nine weeks pregnant.

The whole thing had almost been called off - multiple times. But with lockdown restrictions easing, they had compromised and agreed to a much smaller, backyard twelve-person ceremony. As well as the thirteenth guest - who hadn't been invited - but who was making themselves comfortable in Jade's womb.

Tori bustled into her bedroom in her mahogany bridesmaids dress and frowned at her.

"Why are you back in bed?" she asked with hands on her hips.

"Because I'm exhausted," she replied snappily.

"Come on, be excited! You're getting married today!" Tori shook her arm enthusiastically, Jade shrugged her off.

"Yeah to the idiot who knocked me up," Jade rolled her eyes. "Why am I going through with this again?"

"Shut up, you've loved each other since you were about twelve so don't even try to pretend you're not happy today."

"I might be happier if I could actually enjoy the drinks package we've spent a fortune on," she pointed out.

"Well maybe if you and Beck had thought about doing anything other than each other while you were in quarantine you wouldn't be in this position," Tori said with hands on her hips.

"Hey, I couldn't get the pill because of fucking pandemic restrictions!" Jade said defensively. "And apparently Beck doesn't know how condoms work."

Tori snorted.

"I'm excited. It was only a matter of time until you two made a mini Beck and Jade."

"Ugh, I'm going to puke," Jade groaned.

"Jade, it's cute! You need to let us be happy for you two!" Tori insisted.

"No seriously, I'm going to puke," Jade lurched forward running towards the bathroom as fast as she could in a wedding dress.

Jade leaned over the toilet and immediately found herself retching. She was extremely grateful when she felt Tori behind her gathering hold of the skirt of her wedding dress and holding it out of the firing line.

"Are you going to make it through the ceremony?" Tori asked her worriedly once she'd finished.

"Honestly, it's fifty-fifty at this point." Jade coughed, sitting down on the floor next to the toilet and resting her head back against the cool bathroom tiles with her eyes closed. "This is not how I imagined my wedding day."

"You can do this," Tori reassured her. "I have crackers, water, and an emergency puke bag in my purse so let's just make up a code word and if you need one you can just say... doorknob."

"Doorknob," Jade replied, gesturing toward the water. Tori passed it to her.

"See it works!"

Jade unscrewed the cap and gulped down the water. It wasn't that she wasn't happy. She wouldn't be going through with the pregnancy if she wasn't. But had she planned on becoming a mother at twenty-six? No, she had not. And did she think for a second that her or Beck were ready to parents? Absolutely, categorically not.

"I'm heeeeere!" Cat announced her arrival loudly, singing her way into the ensuite. "Why are you guys on the floor? You're going to get your outfit all dirty!" 

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" Jade replied sarcastically.

Deep down, she knew she would need to put her career on hold to take care of this baby. Covid had already delayed all her projects and she felt like she was running out of time. Cat and Tori, her two bridesmaids, both had successful singing careers already and she was ready for hers. But this situation threw a major spanner into the works.

Chapter Text

2023

Robbie woke up the next morning to the smell of burning. He pulled on his glasses and got out of bed nervously following the smoke wafting throughout his apartment. The smoke alarm started blaring just in time for Rob to witness Beck, in the kitchen, standing at the stove and rinsing a burning frying pan in the sink.

"Oh shit," Beck grabbed a dishcloth and began wafting the smoke away from the smoke alarm and coughing.

Rob opened the window to help them both breathe again and as the smoke dissipated, took in the bombsite which was now his kitchenette.

"Sorry about the mess," Beck smiled apologetically. "I thought I'd make you some breakfast as a thank you for letting me stay here."

"So you thought you'd make.. eggs?" Rob raised an eyebrow, observing the lumpy yellow paste he had apparently made for him.

"It's actually oatmeal," Beck explained with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm not usually on breakfast duty. Jade only has coffee first thing and Sienna is more of a rice crispies kind of kid."

Rob noticed his expression warm slightly as he talked about his wife and daughter. He grabbed a pair of bowls from the kitchen cupboard and started pouring the burned oats into them.

"Thanks," Rob sat down at the breakfast bar, reluctantly accepting his debt of gratitude."You know you're one of my best pals so obviously you can stay here as long as you need to - but I really think you should talk to Jade."

"Talk to her?" Beck repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Have you met my wife?"

Rob had met his wife. In fact, he had known his wife since they were both eight years old and she still terrified him to this day. But as much as she scared him, he didn't like seeing one of his oldest friends hurt. And the only person who ever seemed capable of causing any kind of hurt to Jade West was leaning against his kitchen counter.

"What exactly did you do?" Rob grimaced, forcing a spoonful of burned oatmeal down his throat.

Beck pushed his own oats frustratedly around the bowl with his spoon, clearly avoiding the question.

"It doesn't matter. So, anyway, what are you doing today?"

"Nothing," Rob replied automatically. It was the truth. He never did anything at the weekend these days.

"It's Sunday," Beck said pointedly. "You're not in work. We should go out. I'll message Tori - let's get a 'lil group thing going."

"Uh, I don't know.." honestly he had been looking forward to spending his Sunday afternoon relaxing in front of the tv.

"Come on Rob, live a little!" Beck insisted.

"Alright fine! But only if you tell me what's going on with you and Jade."

"I signed a new contract," Beck explained with a frustrated sigh. "I've been cast in a movie!"

"Congratulations?" Rob replied confused.

"This is huge break for me, Rob. It's way more money. It's a much bigger part and it gets me off that shitty TV show. And Jade can't just be happy for me - obviously!" Beck seethed.

Rob sensed there was more to this story than Beck was letting on.

"If we go out with Tori today, how much is that going to wazz her off?" he asked nervously.

A small smirk crossed Beck's features as he took a swig of his coffee.

"All hell may break loose."