When The Stars Align

Chapter 12: Bright Lights, Big City

Running away always sounds appealing, movies makes it look like its so easy and safe and fun. But Beca should've realized that life is not a movie.

You can't just knock on a strangers door and tell them of your troubles and expect them to let you in, Beca tried that and she almost got herself into jail. Staying at Central Park wasn't safe at all, other homeless people get into turf wars and the brunette got her first big punch at the Big City because of it, she lost her sleeping bag too. Tunnels aren't safe for her too, even inside her car, drifters stay there everynight and Beca almost lost her car and other belongings.

She hated movies for that. For making her think that life was full of hope and that good will come after loads of bullshit.

After a week in New York, Beca found herself penniless. She had to look for a way to eat and her car was getting too smelly.

It went to the point where she had to scrap for food in dumpster at the back of food establishments. She started wearing heavy coats and sadly, she was getting smelly despite getting to take a bath in comfort rooms of public  pools.

It was three months later before the sun had shown up in Beca's life. Three months. Three months since she left her broken life in Barden. Three months since her mother's funeral; Since she left her sister; their home and since she left the first love she ever had.

She got to think a lot in those three months. She got to think of how her life was too perfect to be true. How everything went well in her life and this was just the debt she's paying for it. She realized that whatever she knew before were lies and that it was never easy. She realized most of all that not everything goes as you want it to.

How her parent's perfect romance was just an illusion. How her sister's support was on a thin line and how love doesn't really exist.

Through those three months, Beca grew bitter and unbelieving. Her trust withered and her light faded. Her smile never returned and her scowl made a permanent mark on her features. Time went by and whatever happiness she once had, had  completely banished.

Three months ago she was a different girl from the bitter woman she is now.

She was scrapping for food on this particular day, starving and trying to find something still edible and clean behind "Isle's Diner", a dumpster she frequents since the left over fries were still delicious.

She just found a half eaten burger when one of the co-owner of the diner, Maura, came out the back door, dragging a bag of trash. Upon coming face to face with Beca, who had her mouth open and about to shove the patty-goodness inside her mouth, the thirty-something year old woman had a deer-caught-on-headlights look on her face.

The brunette had completely given up on humanity; and even when Jane and Maura had let her into their home that very day, letting her stay in their spare bedroom, lending her spare clothes and letting her eat home cooked meals for the first time in three months. It was so overwhelming that Beca had to cry to herself in the bath when she felt how great it was to be able to have a hot bath again. Despite all this, she still doesn't know how to trust.

And when she woke that morning, Beca thought that she woke up from her first dream, because she hadn't had a soft bed under her for months and hadn't smell the delicious scent of bacon for so long. It was so impossible for her that if it weren't for Maura knocking on her door and telling her that breakfast was ready she wouldn't believe it.

"So... Tell us Beca,"Jane, a curly-haired woman, somehow also in her thirty's, had started the conversation,"What brought you to New York?"

Beca looked up, chewing her egg slowly as she tried to think of an answer, trying to remember what it was like for people to ask questions and trying her hardest not to panic from a single question.

Swallowing her food, her eyes darted from a quizzical Jane to a not-so subtle Maura, she softly put down her cutleries, realizing that it won't be a short discussion.

"I run away..." That was not entirely true, but still partially true.

She did ran away, but she was also driven away. She ran away from her problems and drove away by those who were the only ones that could help her.

Jane realized that she was not telling the entire truth and Maura noticed that she was a bit defensive of the topic, so the woman decided to try and ask a lot more subtle questions, avoiding asking anything about the girls past.

After all of their questions, Beca had one of her own,"Do you usually take homeless people in, feed them and act like you're interested about what happened to us?"

Maura and Jane were silent for a moment, turning to each other and seemingly speaking in a language only the two of them knew. They reminded her of when she was like that with Chloe. How they'd just think the same thing, turn to each other and burst out laughing.

She felt her heart seize. She felt her eyes burn. She felt her breath become shallow. Even just a reminder of the past hurts her chest. It was all too fresh and it was hard to forget, even when its been too long.

But Beca didn't have time to further dwell with her thoughts because Jane had turned to her and smiled politely.

"We usually don't, Beca..." The woman trailed, playing her fork,"But there's something about you that made us want to help you."

"You don't know me." Beca replied without thought, she could barely think of a reason why she should even help herself.

"Perhaps," Beca turned to Maura, watched as the woman took her wife's hand and squeezed it softly,"But that's an easy problem to solve."

Maura and Jane spoke to her, each taking over after the other is done. Beca spoke so rarely, but neither mind since she still responded. And when time came that they had to come in to manage the diner, they had invited Beca.

"From what I've observed and heard from you, Beca," Maura thoughtfully trailed as she put on her coat and shoal,"You're not the one to just rely on anybody and laze around."

"We figured,"Jane continued, putting on her shoes,"That you'd want a job so you can get a place of your own." Beca was surprised and had caught on the fact that the two were asking her to work for them,"Meanwhile, as you're still trying to help yourself up, you can stay here."

"Eat, sleep and have a place to stay... When you get the hang of it today at the diner, we'll assign you to a single job and tomorrow you can stay here and do whatever laundry or anything you want to clean..." Maura said, motioning to the car outside.

Beca was silent for a moment, watching them get ready to leave and when both had shown some expecting face, Beca looked down on her boots and she slowly nodded.

Following them out, Maura smiled at her wife as the teen got into the car and looked out the window.

There really was something that made them want to take Beca in. It was the fact that she looked so young and empty that made Maura think that something about Beca had been left behind and forgotten. It reminded her of Jane's past.

Somehow, she wishes, that the world would stop being so against the young girl at the backseat of their car.

To be continued...

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A/N: I really really really really like someone. LIKE SERIOUSLY LIKE SOMEONE. She's my own Chloe. Literally like Chloe. Kind, goofy, generous, great singer, gorgeous. So help me God, a great person. Just my fuxkin' type. Unfortunately, she's taken.

Okay... I do realize that The Mitchell's and After Ever After is still some fics I haven't updated yet... In a while. Okay, fine, in a long while. But I swear I will, just need to find the perfect time. Practice is taking my spare times and can't really write cause laptop is not in my possession. Unfortunately.

The good news is... HERE'S ANOTHER UPDATE FOR WHEN THE STAR'S ALIGN!