HERE WE GO GUYS. A LITTLE FINAL CHAPTER AND EPILOGUE ROLLED INTO ONE. THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH THIS EVEN THOUGH I GOT LAZY HALFWAY THROUGH AND ALMOST ABANDONED SHIP (NOT LITERALLY THOUGH. I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS BECHLOE SHIP.).

Chapter 10

TWO MONTHS LATER-

Chloe was much further along in the pregnancy now. Her back was killing her, her feet were killing her, her contractions were happening more frequently, and she felt like a whale on legs. She knew little Arlan would be making his grand entrance any day now.

She and Beca felt like they were ready. They thought of everything. They set the speed dials in their cell phones... They called Anne and Susan to ask what to expect... They did a few WedMD searches to prepare for the worst case scenario (probably not their best decision)... They even packed overnight bags and set them in Chloe's trunk so they wouldn't waste time packing when the time came. They were prepared.

At least, they THOUGHT they were.

Chloe was in the last place she thought she'd be when it happened.

Her students were all busy with their final projects before the summer break: fingerpainting. A little girl raised her hand and Chloe rushed to her side, assuming she needed more help. As the teacher waddled closer to the girl, she bent over and waited for the girl to speak, but she didn't say anything. She only giggled glancing down at Chloe's oversized belly.

"What's going on, Susie?" Chloe asked, smiling confusedly at the giggling child.

The little girl shook her head and waved for Chloe to come closer. Chloe leaned in as the little girl cupped her ear and whispered through a giggle. "I think you had an accident."

Chloe looked at the girl and frowned slightly as she waited for an explanation. "An accident?"

"Yep," The little girl nodded, looking around the class to make sure none of her fellow students were looking when she pointed at Mrs. Beale's feet. "Like, a pee pee accident."

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked to her feet and noticed the growing puddle beneath her skirt.

Her first thought was that she really DID have a "pee pee accident", since little Arlan's head had been pushing on her bladder and sending her to the restroom nonstop. She was peeing A LOT, so that wouldn't have surprised her.

Chloe scurried out of the class and across the hall to ask the teacher next door to keep an eye on her class for a moment while she ran to the restroom again.

The plan was to pee and clean up, but before she could make it, she experienced one of the strongest contractions of her entire pregnancy.

Then another.

Her eyes widened even more as she realized what was happening.

She read about this. The frequent contractions...the discomfort...the water-dropping...

She was going into labor!

Whipping out her cell phone, Chloe dialed Beca's number and detoured for Aubrey's classroom. Waddling at full speed, Chloe raised the phone to her ear and prayed that Beca's phone wasn't dead for once.

As Chloe popped her head into the music room, Aubrey waved for the children to continue practicing solfege as she stepped out into the hall to speak with Chloe.

"He's coming!" Chloe hissed, waving her hands frantically.

Aubrey frowned for a second before she realized who HE was and what Chloe meant by COMING. In seconds she was panicking just as much, if not more than her redheaded friend.

"Ohhhhmygoddddd...what do we do? What should I do?" Aubrey rambled.

Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she heard Beca's voice on the phone.

"Babe?" Beca answered surprised by the call. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Well, this was certainly new. Chloe wouldn't complain though. She'd just remember to thank her lucky stars later.

"It's happening!"

"Wait...what, now?"

"Baby!" Chloe explained. "LABOR! THUNDERCATS ARE GO!"

"LABOR?" Beca squeaked into the phone. There was fumbling and a loud thud as Beca got her bearings. Chloe snickered, knowing Beca probably dropped the phone. "I mean...I'm- I'm on my way..."

Aubrey snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. She mouthed to Chloe that she would be right back, before turning on her heel and jogging down the hall.

There was more fumbling on Beca's end, followed by a door slam and Beca telling someone she was leaving them in charge.

"Awesome!" The lucky winner exclaimed. Chloe could hear that it was Jesse.

"Just don't burn the building down, yeah?" Beca said before turning her attention back to the phone call. "Are you and Bree at the hospital?"

Chloe grimaced as she felt another contraction. This one was slightly stronger than the last. She started towards the office behind Aubrey, figuring she could meet her on the way back.

"Not yet, but we'll be leaving soon. You can meet us there."

"Roger that. Tell little Arlo to wait for me, okay?" Beca chuckled nervously, starting her truck and pulling out of the parking lot to start towards the hospital.

"I'll try," Chloe laughed, groaning a little as another contraction came. "He seems to be a little impatient, though."

"I wonder which mom he gets that from," Beca teased, trying her best to keep her wife distracted. She could hear the pain in her voice. She could hear it in the little gasp every so often as the teacher tried to power through the pain.

"I'll let you go, so you can focus on the road. I know you like to forget that you're driving a pickup truck instead of a bulldozer sometimes."

"My driving is just fine, thank you." Beca snorted, honking for the cars in front of her to take off. "It's a green light. Jesus CHRIST..."

"Right," Chloe laughed, almost forgetting about the pain before she was so rudely reminded. She stopped and braced against the wall as she saw Aubrey running back towards her.

"Stay on the phone with me? At least until you get there?" Beca asked, hearing her wife's muffled grunt and the sniffle that followed.

"Okay," Chloe agreed, clutching her stomach as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Boss knows and they're getting subs now," Aubrey explained once she reached Chloe, panting and throwing an arm around the redhead's middle to support her as they rushed through the front doors of the school and started towards Chloe's car.

After quite the battle with traffic, Beca rushed into the ER and saw her parents-in-law chatting with a nurse as she made notes on a clipboard.

"Hey, little mama!" Susan waved the brunette over, grinning as she saw the state she was in. She looked like a wild woman. Her hair was disheveled and her button-up was stained with sweat. Susan just shook her head and decided not to ask. (They would later learn that Beca gave up on driving through Atlanta's "lunch break traffic". She parked at a gas station a mile a way and ended up running the rest of the way to the hospital.)

"Let's get you suited up," The nurse chuckled, leading Beca down the hall to get suited up into some scrubs before entering the Delivery Room.

Seven hours later, Arlan Mitchell-Beale was introduced to the world.

6 and half pounds of love.

Beca and Chloe only got to hold him for a moment, but it was long enough for them to fall in love with the little fellow. He was theirs and they couldn't wait to give him the world. They swooned together over his little fingers and toes and the little brown hairs on his head...his little everything.

THREE DAYS LATER-

Beca and Chloe were snuggled on the bed of an in-patient room as they watched Arlo drift to sleep on Chloe's chest. Beca scooted closer to rest her head on Chloe's shoulder, smiling as she watched tiny eyelids droop lower and lower over crystal blue eyes.

After spending the past two days with little Arlan, Beca and Chloe were starting to get used to their new responsibilities. It was all still so new and it felt surreal at times, but they were slowly getting the hang of it.

Keep baby clean. Keep baby fed. Keep baby happy.

It sounded easy enough, right? They could totally do this.

So far the hardest part had been "keeping baby clean". Diaper changes were always a battle between mommy's hands and Arlan's busy feet. Chloe found it most amusing when Arlan's feet won and Beca ended up getting sprayed.

Beca was less amused.

There was a knock on the door just as Arlan had fallen asleep. Beca hopped up, rushing to the door to open it before whoever it was knocked again and woke Arlan back up. As much as she loved the little guy, she needed a breather. Just ONE hour. Maybe two.

There was a chorus of greetings as the door swung open and Jesse, Aubrey, Anne, and Susan stepped into the room.

"Hey, guys." Beca greeted, raising a finger to her lips and pointed towards the bed where Chloe laid, rubbing Arlan's back as he slept on her chest.

Everyone was just getting settled when the door creaked open again. Assuming it was the nurse that had been in and out to check on them all day, Beca ignored it. It wasn't until all the chatter stopped and the room got completely quiet that Beca realized something was off. Everyone turned to face the older man as he nervously approached the brunette, a shopping bag in hand. Beca stopped, feeling the tension in the room.

She followed their gazes, turning around to see what they were looking at so uncomfortably.

Then she realized. The moment she turned around, she found herself face to face with the man who walked out on her and her mother ten years ago.

Once she'd gotten over the initial shock of how different he looked...how much older and grayer he was...how much thinner his hair was...

The realization of how much she missed him...

She remembered how much it actually hurt to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Beca asked, her voice low as she tried her best not to wake Arlan. She looked to her mother in confusion, but her mother looked more guilty than anything else. She told him. She had to.

Why else would he be here? NOW of all times?

"Beca, look...," Warren started, his eyes shined with a fond sadness and his face was drawn. "I know you probably don't want to see me right now, but I just wanted to apologize...for...'before'."

Chloe looked up from the bundle of joy on her chest to see the interaction between her wife and her father. She couldn't help but worry. It had been over 10 years and they didn't end things on the best terms. Seeing her wife's jaw tighten, Chloe stood, cradling Arlan to her chest as she moved to set him down in the basinet by the bed. She moved around the bed to approach the two stubborn Mitchells, knowing this could end badly.

"Yeah...'sorry for abandoning you during a vulnerable time in your life and not even caring to call or write you,'...Now it's all okay, right?"

"Honey," Chloe scolded, taking the brunette's hand as she reached her side. "Just hear him out."

Warren nodded to the redhead, thanking her before he continued. "I've always cared, Beca. I haven't always been the best about showing it, but I've always loved you and I have ALWAYS cared about you. I've kept up with you, over the years. I'd call Anne occasionally and ask. I was even good friends with your old Commander for a while before we fell out. He kept me updated... I ALWAYS knew when you deployed. And I made sure I was at the airport everytime you set foot on American soil again. I knew you were okay. Better than you've ever been..." He added with a teary smile.

Beca blinked, unable to respond. She watched as her father wiped a tear and offered her the bag in his hand.

What was he saying? Was he actually saying he was proud of her?

"I'll see myself out. I know how exciting it is to have a newborn. You won't want to miss a thing. He'll be grown up before you know it..." With that, Warren turned to leave.

Beca glanced down at the bag and realized it was a bag of baby essentials... brand new bottles, a pack of diapers, a pacifier and a little plush dinosaur...

Chloe squeezed Beca's hand. "Stop him, Beca."

Beca met her wife's gaze. "He was the one who walked out on me. I can't just let him walk back in-"

"You can't just let him walk back out." Chloe challenged, quirking an eyebrow at Beca's silence. She knew she was right and she knew that Beca knew she was right. Beca missed her father and he missed her, but they were one in the same. Too much alike in some ways. Never willing to be the one to back down or admit defeat...

"Dad," Beca called out as he reached for the door knob. He stopped, surprised to be called that again. "I'd like you to stay...you know, if...if you want to."

He turned to face her, seeming to catch the double meaning. He smiled tearily. "I'll stay as long as you want."

"Well, alright." Beca nodded, too choked up with emotion to say more.

Chloe, sensing wife's fragile state, cleared her throat. "Would you like to see your grandson?"

Anne smiled, winking at Chloe.

Conversations resumed as the air got lighter in the room.

TWO YEARS LATER-

The Mitchell-Beale's were celebrating Arlan's second birthday with a party in their backyard. It turned out to be a full hous. Cap showed up, Stacie from high school (who joked that she always knew Chloe and Beca would end up making babies), Benji, Jesse, Aubrey, Anne, Susan, some kids from Arlan's daycare, and Warren.

Warren thought it would be a good idea to buy Arlan a mini playgrounf for his birthday, and roped his daughter into setting it up with him. He chuckled as his daughter fumbled over a ladder rung for the slide, "You mean to tell me you can assemble and dissemble a computer and tell me what every part is but you can't read an instruction manual for a plastic playground?" He teased.

"Hey, now. That's easy for you too say. Swings are pretty self explanatory," She defended, playfully swatting the allen wrench from Warren's hand, making one end of the swing fall.

Warren shook his head as his daughter snickered at his expense. "Man, you're a little bully. Aren't you?"

Hearing Beca's laughter, Chloe looked away from her game of tag with Arlan and his friends. She smiled as she saw Beca and Warren laughing as they alternated between trying to put the set together and trying to mess up the other. She was glad to see them happy in each other's company. It had been almost 15 years since she last saw them this happy.

"You it!" Arlan tagged his mother's thigh than toddled off with the rest of his friends, running around the backyard as Chloe took off after them.

"Oh, no! Arlo? I thought we had a deal?" Chloe whined playfully, causing her son to giggle mischievously.

Later that day, the sun was setting and the playset was up. All the guests had been long gone. But Beca and Chloe allowed the birthday boy to play for a little while longer before they went inside to wash him up, feed him, and put him to bed.

Sitting on the steps to the back porch, they watched their little boy climb up the ladder and come down the slide, giggling as he took of running towards them. His wavy brown hair flopping over his ears and his bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Mama! Mommy! Play?" Arlan asked, tugging on their hands.

"Aw, baby...I wish I could, but Mama's not going to fit," Chloe explained, a playful pout on her lips. "Play for a little bit longer, then we can go in and eat some dinner and get some more cake, okay?"

"'Kay!" And with that, little Arlo took off for the playground again.

Beca smiled, throwing an arm over Chloe's shoulder and pulling her close.

"What are you thinking?" Chloe asked softly, seeing the smirk on her wife's face.

"That this parenting business is even better than I dreamed it would be."