So this was unexpected. I'm loving writing in this universe, but as I work on With a Little Help (From My Friends) where Chloe and Beca begin their romantic relationship, I miss writing them as mothers. So I've been working on little snip-its here and there. I think you will enjoy.

Stacie, Human Reproduction, and Picture Books

Beca had been expecting to have the birds and bees talk with her girls – or, in fact, convincing Chloe to handle it – when they were eleven or twelve. She was not prepared then, when her eight-year-old daughter brought up the subject as she walked into the house after a long day of recording. "Where do babies come from?" Bella asked, inquisitive eyes staring up at her mother. Beca blinked as she took in the question, then her tongue played along her teeth as she thought about her options. She looked at Chloe, working at the stove, who shrugged and smiled. Beca looked back to study the seriousness of her daughter, tapped a few times on her phone, and handed it to the little girl.

"Here, ask Aunt Stacie."

"Rebecca!" Chloe hissed, from across the kitchen. Beca shrugged at her wife. They both watched as Bella squinted and waited through the rings. Finally, Stacie must have answered.

"Hi, Aunt Stacie!" The little girl said. "I'm good. But I asked Mama where babies come from. She told me to ask you." She listened for several minutes and then said, "Ok. Yep. I will. Love you too. Bye."

She hung up and handed the phone back to Beca. Chloe and Beca both stared at her. It hadn't been a long enough conversation for anything – let alone that topic. "What did she say?"

Bella shrugged. "Some stuff I didn't understand. Then she said she was coming over. She said she expects to be fed – and she wants the wine ready." Any other time, Stacie giving them orders about dinner and wine through their eight-year-old would have amused Beca. Now, she was just kind of astonished.

"What stuff didn't you understand?" Chloe asked curiously. "Was it about babies?"

"No, it was about Mama," Bella said. "What's a prude?"

Beca rolled her eyes and shook her head and spoke with a bit of exasperation. "Look it up. Go wash your hands for dinner and tell your sisters to do the same. Clearly, we're having company for dinner." Once Bella was gone, Beca made a face at Chloe. "I can't believe Stacie called me a prude – to our daughter."

"It's your fault," Chloe reminded her. "It was your brilliant idea to call her. You could have just made up something about the stork." She smiled slyly at her wife. "And, you are kind of a bit of a prude." Beca's jaw dropped and she glared at her wife. Chloe grinned teasingly in response. "You better go get the wine –" Beca grumbled but walked out to their garage where the white wines and champagnes were locked in a special refrigerator. The type of wine Stacie preferred was expensive – and she well knew it. Beca removed a bottle of the expensive Riesling – then thought better and took two - and went back into the kitchen to find her girls setting the table for six.

Once dinner was over, Stacie spoke to the three girls. "I brought new books – want to read them with me?" All three nodded. "Okay – let's go in the living room – and bring your moms."

Beca and Chloe exchanged panicked glances and then looked at Stacie.

"Oh, you're at least sitting through this," Stacie told them in a whisper. "I'm not doing all your dirty work." Vera grabbed Beca's hand and Poppy grabbed Chloe's, pulling them towards the living room. They curled up on the largest sofa, with Stacie in the middle, Vera in her lap, and a twin on each side. Beca and Chloe capped the ends. Stacie showed them the first book: It's NOT The Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends.

"Bella asked a really good question today," Stacie told them. "Where do babies come from? Do you know?"

"I'm guessing not from the stork," Poppy quipped. Stacie smiled.

"Indeed, no. Let's see what we find." She opened the book and began reading. The girls were enchanted – mostly because they simply loved being read to. And Stacie was one of their favorite readers, after Chloe. But they were also paying attention. Vera, of course, had the most questions.

After that book, they also read Beautiful Girl: Celebrating the Wonders of Your Body – a book that made Beca quite uncomfortable – and It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families. The brunette mother blushed through all three books but kept her squirming to a minimum. She commented on nothing - Stacie was handling it seamlessly.

They had asked questions along the way, but they still looked inquisitive as Stacie closed the last book. "So you need a boy and a girl to make a baby?" Bella asked, confirming what she already understood.

"You need sperm from a man and an egg from a woman, yes," Stacie told her, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Then how did we happen?"

Beca decided this was her cue. "Mommy and I couldn't both use our eggs – it doesn't work that way. So we found a very nice man who would give us his sperm – and we used my eggs – and my belly – and that's how you happened."

"We were in your uterus, not your belly," Vera informed her. Beca's eyebrows arched and she grimaced.

"Yes, you are correct, my dear little genius."

Poppy's eyebrows were knit together in concentration. She looked at Chloe, then at Beca, then back at Chloe. "Does that mean you're not our mommy?"

"Oh, dear lord," Beca said, cutting in loudly. "Of course that's not what it means. Sperm and eggs – that's all biology. What matters is who you love. And who your family is, that comes from your heart."

"Your heart is also part of your biology," Vera reminded her.

"Shush," Beca told her, "you know what I mean. Your mommy isn't just the person who carries you around in her b—uterus," she said, quickly changing to the correct term. "She's the person who loves you more than anything in the world – who takes care of you when you're sick, teaches you things, plays with you, and keeps you safe. Understand?" All three girls nodded.

Chloe wiped away tears, which Bella immediately saw. "I love having two mommies," she said softly, into the redhead's ear. Chloe smile got a bit brighter and she let out a sob she'd been holding back. Bella crawled into her lap and hugged her. The other two followed suit. Beca and Stacie exchanged glances. Stacie silently handed Beca another book. Beca smiled and shook her head at her friend. It was called The Great Big Book of Families. "Is there nothing you're not prepared for?"

"No," Stacie answered seriously. "I also have picture books about parents in jail for Therese and Bumper Jr. for whenever Amy and Bumper do something stupid. Just waiting for that call," she said dryly. Beca laughed and tried to hide it behind her hand.

"That's a terrible thing to say."

Stacie shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Always be prepared." After the girls were in bed - and dozens more questions were answered - Stacie enjoyed her well-deserved second bottle of wine, shared among friends.

I hope you liked it - just kind of fluffy. Not my usual fare. I think I'll add to this as I continue writing my other story, it's a nice counterweight. If you like this, please let me know. I might have another short one about Cynthia Rose, heart shaped pizzas, and a swear jar that could be ready as soon as tomorrow evening. Let me know your thoughts - favorite lines, things you'd like to see from this little family, etc.