A.N: I've had this idea for a while, so I'm glad I've finally been able to put it together. In January I have exams, so I may be occupied for a week or two, but my new year's resolution is to update more frequently. Chapters may be of varying length, so I apologise if they seem short at times, but I figure it's better to update a little than not update at all! I hope you enjoy this story, and please rate and review because if I see that people are reviewing I know that there's an interest, and so I'm more inclined to update.
Finally, I hope you all had a merry Christmas and have a happy new year! Jen x

The first time that Beca noticed something wrong with her daughters hearing, she was telling her to watch out for the table. Despite her calling out several times for the little girl to stop running, she kept moving as fast as her tiny legs would carry her and went head first into the table. One hospital trip, three stitches, and many tears later, Beca was sat on the sofa consoling her two and a half year old daughter with a candy bar and her favourite teddy bear. She remembered how whenever she was hurt her mom would sit her on her lap and put on a Disney film to distract her, but that was all in the past. Everything had changed now.

For one thing, Beca didn't need her mom to console her for anything now. Also, she wasn't able to put on a Disney film for her daughter as they didn't have a TV. They were lucky enough to have a roof over their heads to be honest, especially after Mrs Mitchell had thrown her only daughter out onto the streets when she found out that her sixteen year old was pregnant. Her parents had been divorced for many years now, but even her dad wouldn't let his daughter and bastard grandchild stay in his house with his new family. The best he could offer was free accommodation on the campus of Barden University when Beca turned eighteen, provided that she agreed to study what he wanted.

At the end of the day, she was getting an education for free and she could live somewhere warm with her daughter. It was a drastic improvement from sleeping on friend's sofa with a new-born baby for the past two years, although there was barely any room for them with the child's bed squeezed in next to Beca's own bed and her work desk. It was the first week of college and her daughter had run head first into that desk, something that Beca saw as a bad sign. It raised a few questions in her mind about her hearing, but a knock at the door postponed her worries for a few minutes.

"Campus police, hide your wine coolers!" After the incredibly lame joke, her father's head poked around the door and saw his daughter sitting with an upset toddler on her lap. Choosing to ignore it and not get too involved, he merely handed Beca her timetable for her Philosophy classes and didn't look at the young infant once. "Anyway… I hope you both settle in okay," he said with a sharp nod, not caring that Beca hadn't spoken one word to him, instead just letting him ramble on about the importance of education.

By the time he left, Beca noticed the little girl on her lap had stopped snivelling and had turned her attention to the small dreadlock on the left side of her momma's hair. It was the only one that she had, but she liked to keep it, even if just for the amusement of her daughter. There had been a couple of incidences before that had raised Beca's suspicion about the young girl's hearing, but she'd passed it off as a stubborn toddler choosing not to listen to her mom. This time however, there was something different. The way that she didn't even flinch at Beca's voice wasn't normal, so she waited until her daughter was completely fixated on her hair and then clicked behind the toddler's head.

She didn't move. Wanting to try something bigger, she reluctantly moved the young girl onto the floor with her toy and made sure she couldn't see Beca. Then, she clicked. Nothing. She shouted. Nothing. She clapped loudly, and her daughter turned around. There – she could hear, Beca thought. She was just being a paranoid mother. But then she noticed her shadow on the floor right where her daughter was playing, and her heart sank again. She had merely seen her shadow move on the floor and turned round to see what she was doing.

At a loss of what to do, she rang the doctor and booked an appointment for two days time. How had she not noticed this before? As Beca buckled the young girl into her pram, she went over the past two years in her head. She had always kept her daughter close to her chest, always made sure that they could both see each other, and she usually used her hands to direct what she wanted as she said it. Trying to convince herself that this must just be a phase, it's just a small ear infection that can be cured with a few sterile drops, Beca pushed the pram out the door and took her daughter for a walk across campus.

The activities fair was running, but Beca tried her best to avoid it. She didn't think that it left people with the best impression if she walked with a toddler through the first day of college – everyone always seemed to assume the worst. Not really wanting to handle all the questions, she wandered out of the campus and went up the street to scope out the local grocery store. Thankfully there was a Walmart only about a ten minute walk away, and she'd be able to buy all her supplies from there.

On her way back she lost track completely of where she was going, and ended up driving the pram straight into a person. "Sorry," she began to apologise whilst containing her anger at the other person for not moving out the way, but her voice soon quietened when she saw her victim. A tall redhead stood in front of her and quickly brushed off the mark left behind on her shin. "It's no problem," she said with a radiant smile. "Hey little one," she began cooing at the little girl in the pram, who was currently finding the crash hilarious.

Beca prepared herself for the question of, "Is she yours?" but instead she was met with a leaflet being shoved into her hand. "You do go to Barden, don't you?" the redhead asked.
"Err sure, but I don't really have much free time on my hands," Beca said, gesturing towards the pram. She didn't feel resentment at all that her daughter took up a lot of her time, but she knew that other people sometimes found it hard to understand. "I know you've got a lot on your plate, but this might do you good to get out for a bit? And I'm sure we might be able to come to some arrangement if you want to bring the little one along?"

The stranger was being strangely kind, something that Beca wasn't used to. It was refreshing, so she found herself accepting the flyer and agreeing to consider it. "I'm Chloe, by the way."
"Beca."
"So what are you doing at Barden, Beca?"
"Philosophy. Not my choice, but my dad is one of the lecturers here and can get me access to free accommodation and education. I wouldn't have accepted if I realised that every move I made would be on his terms…"
"Philosophy's not so bad. I'm studying medicine, but my roommate majors in philosophy," Chloe said with a hint of pride in her voice.
"I'm still not so sure… Anyway, I better get home. It was nice meeting you though."
"See you at auditions!" Chloe said before bouncing off.

On hearing the word "auditions", Beca actually looked at the flyer in her hand. It was for the Barden Bellas, an all-girls acapella singing group for the university. Singing was totally her thing, but being in an all-girls group wasn't. Her previous school had been girls only, and so she knew the bitchiness that went on when there was no testosterone to break the tension. Nevertheless, she tucked the piece of paper in her back pocket and took the long, quiet route back to her dorm.