A/N: And here we go again! A few bits of housekeeping first. 1) Everything italicised is what is said in sign language. 2) I don't know sign language, so I don't know how possible these conversations are :P It's another case of suspension of disbelief with me again :) If I get something drastically wrong then please call me on it.

Also, check out my tumblr! massivedrickhead . tumblr . c om

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

"So, how have you been, Beca?" Gail, Beca Mitchell's social worker asked her one afternoon.

"Fine," Beca replied, fiddling with the cuffs of her shirt. "I mean, I'm a single mom, with a five-year-old son who also happens to be deaf and I work two jobs. But, you know, fine."

"How is Sam doing?" She asked, smiling at the little boy who was colouring in, kneeling up at the coffee table.

"He's great," Beca said, smiling now.

"The reports from his school say he's doing really well," Gail said.

"The kid's a genius," Beca said.

"Mama," he said, holding up his drawing.

Good job, buddy, she signed to him.

Mama, draw with me, he signed back.

Mama's talking, Sammy.

"So, I see you still haven't taken any lessons in sign language," Gail said, looking down at Beca's file.

"I don't need it," Beca said.

"Look, you're doing great with Sam."

"I know," Beca said, an edge to her voice.

"But because you're raising him alone, everything you do, or don't do, can be held against you," Gail said.

"So what are you saying? If I don't take sign language classes, I'll lose my son?"

"Of course not," Gail said, with a sigh. "But there are some people who are expecting you to fail at this, Beca. And the fact that your son is deaf, means they're going to be watching you a bit more closely."

"Who? Who are these people watching me in case I fail?" Beca's voice was slightly raised now. Sam was still colouring in, happily, unaware of the argument that was breaking out.

Gail sighed again. "Okay. I'll level with you. My boss has been following your case for a while. He's had doubts about you from the beginning, and I know he's looking for a reason to have you under stricter supervision."

"Why?" Beca's voice was quieter. "Is it because of what happened when he was born?" Sam seemed to sense a change of atmosphere and he looked up. He saw his mom with her head in her hands. She looked upset. He got up and toddled over, tugging at her shirt. She scooped him up and he kissed her on the cheek, before sitting down on her lap. He felt her kiss him on the top of the head.

"I know it was a long time ago, but it's still on your record. I'm fighting your corner, Beca, but all he has to do is make the argument that you're too busy working to find time to learn how to properly communicate with your son, and then things will start getting difficult," she said. She could feel Sam watching her. He had messy brown hair, the exact colour of Beca's, but beneath a pair of glasses, were dark brown eyes, totally different to her blue ones.

"So if I take these classes, your boss will get off my back?" Beca asked.

"For now, yes," she said. She handed Beca a card. "There's a class at the college run by a couple of really nice girls. You never know, you might actually enjoy it."

"Fine," Beca said with a sigh, resigned. "This still feels totally pointless."

"I know," Gail said. "Just look at it as an opportunity to spend some time that isn't here or your jobs."

"Or, I could see it as time that I could be working or spending with my son, wasted at a class for something I already know how to do," Beca said. Gail stood to leave, and Beca walked her to the door of her tiny apartment.

"I'll see you again next month," she said, waving goodbye to Sam, who waved back, grinning at her. "Also, you're looking a little thin. Make sure you're feeding yourself as well as Sam."

"See you Gail," Beca said, rolling her eyes before closing the door.

She picked up Sam again, and sat him on the edge of her kitchen counter.

Do you have to go to work again tonight? he asked her.

Yes. Sorry, buddy, she replied.

He frowned. She kissed his forehead.

I love you, she signed.

I love you too.

She arrived home at 2am after her shift at the bar.

Sam was tucked up in bed, sound asleep.

Her neighbour and best friend Stacie was asleep on the couch. She smiled and shook her head. She didn't know how many times she had told Stacie just to use her bed, but the tall brunette never did. Beca didn't want to wake her, so pulled the blanket that hung on the back of the couch so it was covering her.

She snuck into Sam's room and sat on the floor, her back resting against his bed as she watched him sleep. She fell asleep there, and didn't wake until she heard the sounds of Stacie making breakfast in the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that," Beca said, rubbing her eyes as she entered the kitchen/living room area of the apartment. "You already give up your Saturday nights so you can babysit Sam. You don't have to make breakfast for us too."

Stacie just shrugged, smiling. Secretly, she knew if she didn't make breakfast, that Beca wouldn't make herself any. She had a habit of only cooking Sam meals, and neglecting herself.

"How was your shift?" Stacie asked, handing her a coffee.

"Same old," Beca replied. "How was Sam?"

"Good as gold, as always," Stacie said.

Beca hadn't been able to believe her luck when she moved into the apartment building, and discovered that the girl living across the hall from her could do flawless sign language. She had had an almost instant connection with Stacie, and they had been close friends from day one. She was like a sister to Beca, and Stacie felt the same.

One week later, Beca was running from her day job as a waitress in a coffee shop, to the community college for her first sign language class.

She burst through the door out of breath.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, leaning against the door, trying to get her breath back.

"I think you may have the wrong class," a blonde woman standing at the head of the class said. Her arms were folded disapprovingly across her chest. "Tattooing for beginners is down the hall."

"Aubrey!" the redheaded woman next to her said, chastising her. "Are you hear for the sign language class?"

Beca nodded, thinking of one sign she'd like to show the blonde.

"Awesome," the redhead said. "I'm Chloe, this is Aubrey. Take a seat, everyone was just introducing themselves."

Beca sat in one of the empty seats towards the back of the room. She couldn't help but notice how pretty Chloe was, and how gross she must look, still wearing her work uniform.

"So, yeah, like I was saying," an Australian girl near the front said, "my name is Fat Amy, and I wanna learn sign language because I think it would be a good addition to my interpretive dance. So far it's just some mermaid dancing but I wanna expand on that."

She was met with a confused silence.

"Okay..." Aubrey said. "You, with the ear monstrosities, what's your name, and why are you here?" She gestured to Beca. Chloe shot Aubrey an angry look before her attention fell on Beca again.

"Uh, I'm Beca," she said. "And I'm 21."

"And why do you want to learn sign language, Beca?" Aubrey asked, her tone clipped.

"So I can pick up a wider range of guys," Beca said, rolling her eyes. She didn't like the way Aubrey spoke to her, and wasn't about to start telling her her life story. A few of the girls in the class laughed and Chloe looked like she was suppressing a grin.

After that, Chloe and Aubrey showed them some basic greetings, and they were all asked to stand up and demonstrate them.

Aubrey, who thought it looked like Beca wasn't paying any attention, picked on her first.

Beca stood up, and signed:

Hello, my name is Beca. And you're kind of a dick.

Aubrey looked like she was about to puke.

Chloe looked like she might crack a rib from trying not to laugh.

"Everyone... Into pairs... Practice the greeting..." She said, barely containing her anger.

Chloe made a bee-line for Beca.

"There's an odd number of you," she said, pulling up a seat in front of Beca's desk. "So I figured we could partner up." She was oddly drawn to the small brunette, and she couldn't quite explain it.

Sounds good to me, Beca signed, wanting to demonstrate how pointless this all seemed to her.

"You're good," Chloe said.

I know.

"But you're not perfect," Chloe said, grinning at her. "You're a little sloppy."

"Sloppy?" Beca said.

"Yeah. It'd be like someone talking to you with a really thick accent. You can kind of get what they're saying, but it's difficult," Chloe said. Beca sat back in her chair, surprised.

"Can you help me get better?" She asked, the cockiness from her voice gone, replaced by concern. She was staring down at the desk, her hands fiddling with her pen.

"Of course I can," Chloe said. "If you tell me why you're really here," she added with a smirk. Beca's eyes flicked up. "I'm kidding," she said. Beca gave her a small smile. "I have a feeling this class may be too easy for you." Beca looked disappointed at her words.

"The advanced class costs more money," she said, her voice full of quiet embarrassment.

"Then how about I just teach you? I mean, you would still come to class and everything, but while everyone else does the basics, I help you tidy up a bit?"

"Uh, yeah. That'd be good. Thanks," she said.

"I think we're gonna be really fast friends, Beca," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Beca said, smiling. "Me too."