#Sheila Barden

[bufffamouspeeps]

Sheila Sue Barden

[crossfitbullterriers]

[godzillachloe]

The Mix up- Merry Pitch Mas 

It wasn't unusual for Beca Mitchell to be alone. The senior spent plenty of time by herself. She enjoyed her own company, often finding it was just easier to be alone.  But there was something about being alone on Christmas that wasn't sitting right with her.

It was likely due to the redhead who was currently snuggled up next to her. After three long years, Beca and Chloe had finally crossed the line from friendship to becoming a real couple. It had better than Beca had ever imagined as the two just clicked.

Chloe had insisted that Beca watch its a wonderful life with her when she found that the smaller brunette had never seen it. But as the couple watched the film, Beca could help but feel anxious about her girlfriend going home for Christmas. The redhead head must have sensed It as she

"So, have you thought any more about coming home with me for Christmas?" Chloe asked.

"Chlo, I want to. I really do. I just feel like it's too soon," Beca said.

"Too soon? We've known each other for almost four years."

"I know, but we've only been dating for two months. And I just don't want to rush into anything."

"Fine," Chloe pouted.

"You wouldn't want to spend Christmas here with me?" Beca asked.

"Beca, you know how important Christmas is for my parents."

"I know.."

"And my they keep saying they would love to meet you."

"I know. And I love you, Chloe. I'm just not ready yet to meet your whole family. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Becs. There's no hurry."

****

Christmas Eve had been the longest day of Beca's life. The tiny brunette spent all day mopping around the empty Bellas house. She wanted to work on her mix, but all she could think about was how she had disappointed her girlfriend. Chloe's said blue eyes were burdened into her memory.

Eventually, Beca wandered over to her dad's house for dinner. There she was warmly greeted by her dad and the step-monster, Sheila, who had fixed a giant meal. Usually, it would have been great, but Beca wasn't in the family mood.

"Everything okay, Becs?" Dr. Mitchell asked after about 30 minutes of awkward silence.

"Yeah. It's just Chloe wanted me to spend Christmas with her family in Florida," Beca said, just staring at her plate. "And I said no because I felt uncomfortable."

"Well, do you love her?" Shelia asked.

"Yeah," Beca said.

"Then your going. To have to get out of your comfort zone." The older woman said in a sharp tone.

"I know. I feel terrible." Beca said.

"You know Becs. It's only a four-hour drive," Dr. Mitchell said. "And as much as we would love to have you here with us tomorrow, I think there is a bubbly redhead down in Florida who would love it more."

Beca looked over at her dad and gave him a soft smile.

"Thanks, dad."

****

After a hectic morning, Beca found herself only a few feet away from Chloe's childhood home. The senior's back was aching, and her feet were stiff after a four-hour car ride. Spending all of Christmas morning driving wasn't Beca's ideal Christmas. But if that was all it took to spend it with her soulmate, she'd take it.

Beca got out of her car and stretched. Once she got the feeling back in her legs, the smaller woman slowly made her way to the Beale front door. She rang the doorbell and was greeted by a younger redhead, who looked exactly like Beca.

"Hey, is Chloe here?" Beca asked.

"No," replied the younger woman replied.

"No?" Beca said in shock. "She said she was coming home for Christmas."

"She was, but she had to go somewhere and left," the younger redhead replied. "But you can wait here till she gets back."

Beca sheepishly wandered into the house where all the Beales greeted her.  Chloe had two younger sisters Cora and Kathy, who looked just like her. Her mom and dad also seemed like nice people. None of them were sure where exactly Chloe had gone, only that she had left at 6 in the morning.

After getting to know the family, Beca slipper out to call her girlfriend. The phone rang and rang before a familiar, overly happy voice greeted Beca.  

"Beca?" Choe asked as she answered the phone. "Chloe, where are you?" Beca asked in shock. "I'm at your parent's house. Where are you?" "I'm at your parents ' house," Beca replied. "Shit." "What happened to Christmas is really important to my family?" "It is but your important to Becs. Did you Really think that after three years, I wouldn't want to spend Christmas with my girlfriend?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "I wanted to surprise you. Why didn't you tell me?" "Same." "So. What do we do?" "Do you feel up to making the drive back?" Beca asked. "Yeah. Do you feel up to spending the day with my family?" Chloe replied. "If you can make the drive back, I can get out of my comfort zone for a few hours." "Awes. I'll see you soon." "Just drive safe." "Pitch, please." After hanging up, Beca explained the situation to Chloe's family. The tiny brunette then spent the rest of the day getting to know the Beale family. Eventually, a very tired and exhausted Chloe made it home where. She curled up into her girlfriend's arms and fell asleep.

****** Later that night, Beca and Chloe were granted some much-needed privacy in Chloe's room. "I can't believe you spent all day with y family." "I can't believe you drove to Barden and back in a single day." "Yeah, you should've seen the look on your dad's face." "Well, I'll make it up to you tomorrow." "Oh, you'll make it up to me tonight!" "Really? Beale" "Really." Chloe moved closer so that she could kiss her girlfriend.   "Chloe, I think we should stay together after college," Beca said as they broke their kiss. "Like get an apartment together." "Definitely. We should stick together."

-Fins  

Sorry if this is kinda short I ran out of time. Also I couldn’t figure out the gifts but I hope the memes make you smile :) 

For 

@bechloebeale

[justwritethatdown]

High school au set somewhere around 2009 - it’s gonna be a multichapter but I don’t have a title for it yet… Avril Lavigne is gonna be the soundtrack for this 💜

Beca is an introverted fifteen years old who loves music and is about to start high school. Chloe is The Popular Girl™ and they meet because their parents are friends. There’s a lot of Jesse but Bechloe is gonna be endgame (obviously) It’s supposed to be a slow burn but i’m an impatient idiot so we’ll see about that…

Words Count: 2K

Rating: T

Read it on AO3 or under the cut ↓ 

Please tell me what is taking place (‘cause I can’t seem to find a trace)

“Bec, can you please be nice tonight? It would mean a lot to Sheila and me" repeated her father for the millionth time. Beca just sighed heavily at that and crossed her arms around her chest. They’ve talked about that ad nauseam, there was no way for her to get out of this stupid dinner at Sheila’s friends.

Sheila – a.k.a. the step monster – was the most irritating being on the planet. Beca was sure she only acted nice to her to make a show for her father and actually hated Beca just as much as Beca hated her.

“Oh come on sweetie, they have a daughter your age, I’m sure you’ll become very fast friends” she promised in that annoying high pitched tone she had “I don’t want to make any friends” Beca grumbled and could swear she heard Sheila whisper something to her father about her being weird and having no friends, but decided to ignore that.

She didn’t need new friends, she had Amy and that was enough – more than enough sometimes – Amy was a lot, mostly to someone as introverted as Beca, her loudness and recklessness were pretty hard to handle, but they knew each other since forever and Amy stood by Beca’s side during her parents’ divorce, which meant the world to Beca.

“Come on kiddo, I’m sure you’ll like her. She goes to Barden high, so you can ask her advices for next year" said her father turning in his seat after parking the car “so she’s older than me!” stated Beca “oh for God’s sake what’s one year, specially at your age?” gasped Sheila, her nice facade starting to crack at Beca’s brattyness “never mind" spat out Beca under her breath getting out of the car.

Her father stopped her when he saw she was about to put her big headphones over her ears “don’t make me take these away from you" he warned her with a glare, so she just snorted and left them hanging around her neck.

__

Beca suffered immensely all through dinner, Chloe – the girl she was supposed to become best friends with to please Sheila – was hideous, she barely introduced herself without stopping pushing the buttons on her Blackberry, obviously more interested in her text than in Beca. Her parents were two pompous idiots – just how Beca imagined Sheila’s friends would be.

As soon as they finished eating, Chloe left the table without even excusing herself, focusing on her phone again.

“Chloe why don’t you show Becky your room, honey?” encouraged Chloe’s mother “sure" answered the redhead without any kind of emotion and left.

Beca gulped, she didn’t know what to do – was she supposed to just follow her? Did she had to wait there for Chloe to come back and invite her to her room? – it was clear that Chloe didn’t want her in her room.

“Beca? Go" pushed her Sheila and the girl found herself following Chloe’s path, she thought she heard someone whisper “that kid is so weird" but she shook it off, too focused on how weird she felt to intrude into a stranger’s room like that.

It turned out that Chloe didn’t mind her intrusion – one could say she didn’t even notice it, if not for the short nod she gave Beca along with a “this is it" before sitting in front of her computer and spending the night chatting on MSN.

After standing awkwardly in Chloe’s room for some moments, Beca decided to sit down on a pink fluffy bean bag sofa and finally put her headphones on. She spent the night with her iPod Classic, as she did most of the times.

Beca had the time to properly look at Chloe, to study her – something she liked to do with people.

The sixteen year old was definitely a popular girl in school – definitely someone Beca would have never wanted to be friends with – she seemed to be coming straight out of Mean Girls – that stupid Lindsey Lohan high school movie Amy made her watch once.

A shiver run down Beca’s spine. She didn’t love the idea of starting high school at all, with all those jocks and beautiful girls who thought they were better than anyone else – Beca could totally see Chloe being one of them.

Chloe was undeniably attractive, the computer light flashing on her face highlighted the perfect traits of her face and the sharp angle of her jawline, her red hair was coming down in large soft waves and her soft blue eyes made her look like a Disney princess. Her slender fingers flew quickly over the keyboard of her computer while she replied to the dozens of beeping notifications blowing up on her screen. Beca had to look away, feeling a weird grasp at her stomach she’d never felt before.

__

To Beca’s displeasure these stupid dinner dates became a thing, and she was forced to see that girl at least a couple of days per month, even if Chloe seemed to have the power to defect those events, since she never showed up when the dinners were at Beca’s father’s.

Beca wasn’t sorry about that, she was just upset she didn’t have the same luxury.

Chloe smiled at her once, greeting her with a soft “hi" when the brunette went to her house to yet another dinner, and Beca kept thinking about how warm that made her feel for a long time – because it caught her off guard obviously, she wasn’t expecting that, it’s not like she stopped thinking about how beautiful Chloe looked when she genuinely smiled or why she smiled at her anyway.

__

Months passed and it came the time for Beca to start high school. Amy was out of her mind excited about that and it only made Beca more nervous.

Her first day – the first month even – could have been described with one word, better yet a name: Jesse.

Jesse was in most of her classes and for some reason he was obsessed with her. He managed to learn more about her in only the first week than most people have ever tried to know in her life – he asked so many questions.

At first Beca was annoyed by him and tried to avoid the guy every time she spotted his stupid face in the hallway or at the cafeteria, but it was pointless because Jesse always managed to find her. Amy even started to tease her about her new boyfriend and Beca hated it.

She started to get used to his intrusive presence somewhere during week two, when he casually mentioned a concert of a Sum41 cover band he was sure she would have liked.

It opened up a crack in the big wall she spent so long building up – obviously what Jesse was trying to do since day one – but she didn’t push him away like she would have done with any other intruder trying to tear her defences apart, she instead decided to show him something she considered super intimate and private, something she had never shown to anyone before, she decided to show him one of her playlists.

She even agreed to go with him to the concert – telling herself she really wanted to see the band and couldn’t go without the fake ID Jesse had promised her.

Thinking about it, it didn’t take a genius to understand Beca would have liked such topic. After all, the girl always wore her headphones and from her style – heavy dark eyeliner, pierced ears, studded bracelet and dark boots – it wasn’t that hard to guess her musical tastes either.

“I knew you liked Avril Lavigne” was his first reaction scrolling through the titles in her iPod, Beca blushed at that; there were many other artists on there, such as Linkin Park, Green Day, Evanescence, Blink182… and he decided to point out the one that meant more to her.

“I love her, I think she’s great" he added pressing play on Sk8er Boi “you kinda remind me of her" he shouted over the sound filling his ears. Beca’s eyes widened for a moment and she looked around the schoolyard to check if he had drawn any attention towards them, she still couldn’t believe she was letting him use her headphones.

__

“It’s Be c a, with one c" she repeated to the guy who was paying very little attention to her anyway – Luke apparently.

“All right guys, it’s gonna be 50 bucks each and it’ll take a couple of days” he said looking at them with a charming smile “to pay now" he clarified clearing his throat and Jesse rushed to pay him “thanks Johnny. I’ll reach out to you when I got them" he said before leaving.

“It’s Jesse…” sighed Jesse when Luke already had left.

“Dude, I’m giving you the money first thing tomorrow, don’t think I’m letting you pay for my ID" “I could’ve never thought something like that" he joked smiling at her.

Okay so maybe Jesse became her friend and maybe Beca liked that – not that she would admit it.

__

After a month Beca thought she was starting to get used to the whole high school thing and she had to admit it wasn’t as bad as she thought, classes were boring and had nothing useful to form her regarding what she really wanted to do in life, but at least she had Amy and Jesse to lighten her mood.

The brunette was walking down the hallway, headphones on as usual, when she saw Chloe. Beca’s breath caught in her lungs at the sight of the redhead leaned against her locker animatedly chatting with a group of friends. She looked so different from the girl she was used to see at dinners; she looked radiant, like a ray of sunshine. Beca could tell all her friends were hypnotized by her energy and enthusiasm.

The sudden collision with a guy running in her opposite direction brought her back to reality “Dude! What the fuck?“ she hissed, but the guy didn’t bother stopping to check on her, so Beca shook her head and walked to her classroom. She didn’t notice Chloe looking at her.

From that moment Beca’s high school experience became a little different, she was always looking out for any signs of Chloe, she turned her head at any glimpse of red hair around a corner or every time she heard a particular kind of giggle – yes, she stopped wearing headphones in the hallways just to hear that – she’d even learned the faces of those she believed to be Chloe’s best friends and, obviously, her boyfriend – Tom, or something.

During the course of the first semester there had been almost zero dinners and her father told her she didn’t have to attend them because he was sure she was busy with homework, so the only occasions she had to see Chloe were those when she ran into her at school – not that she cared – they never interact and Beca understood, Chloe was a popular girl and with that role you have to maintain the appearances, she couldn’t risk to be seen interacting with some freshman alt girl just because they ate at the same table a couple of times, it wasn’t like they were friends anyway.

__

Beca was nervous. She would have never expected to open her front door to find Chloe Beale standing in front of her. She felt her ears heating up when the girl smiled at her “h-hi… you’re here too” she babbled hating herself immediately, but Sheila appearing behind her to greet the Beale family gave her enough time to disappear into the kitchen.

Now they were in Beca’s room after dinner. Chloe didn’t feel as awkward as Beca did entering her room all those months ago – or as awkward as she felt right now, for what is worth – she immediately made herself at home sitting on Beca’s bed, bounching on it a little while looking around.

Beca blushed at the amount of posters – mainly Avril posters – hanging on her walls. Her room was much darker than Chloe’s and she was sure the redhead must have thought she was a freak.

“I like your room, it’s pretty cool" “…you do?” asked Beca in shock “yes! And your bed is so much softer than mine" added Chloe lying down. Beca was silent for a while, her brain was filled with so many thoughts she couldn’t speak, she’s never been good with words anyway.

Beca gasped when she saw Chloe stretch to reach for the iPod and headphones resting on her bedside table but couldn’t stop her from taking them.

“What do you always listen to anyway?” asked Chloe sitting back up “beside Avril Lavigne” she added with a giggle that made Beca feel more attacked than she should have, the brunette moved to sit on her bed next to Chloe and took the device from her, holding it protectively against her chest “stuff… you wouldn’t like it" she scoffed “try me" said Chloe tilting her head, smile still in place.

Beca couldn’t find it in herself to say no.

They laid on her bed with her headphones placed between them, listening to Beca’s playlist until Chloe drifted off to sleep. Beca kept laying beside her, looking at the redhead sleep on her pillow and completely ignoring the weird feeling she had in the pit of her stomach that was starting to be something not unusual when it came to Chloe.

[bechloeislegit]

Summer Lovin’

Prompt from Tumblr User Anonymous: Bechloe High School AU One-Shot. (Full prompt is at the end of the story because I don't want to give everything away.)

Beca was laying on her bed with a smile on her face as the thought back to three days ago when she had to say goodbye to her new girlfriend

It was the last night before Beca was to leave Tampa to return home. She and Chloe sat on the beach watching the sunset. Beca was sitting behind Chloe; Chloe was sitting between Beca's legs, leaning against her.

"I don't want to go home," Beca said.

"I don't want you to go either," Chloe said.

Chloe turned to face Beca and was pulled into a hug.

Beca cleared her throat and whispered in Chloe's ear. "So, um, I was wondering if you would be my girlfriend."

Beca felt Chloe tense up and pulled back to look at her.

"I figure that Barden is only about a six-hour drive and that maybe I can drive down once a month or on holidays to see you. I mean, if you want to try the long-distance thing."

"Yes!" Chloe said. "I'd love to be your girlfriend. And I most definitely want to do the long-distance thing. You're it for me, Beca. No amount of distance will change that."

"I feel the same way," Beca said. She kissed Chloe and broke the kiss with a chuckle. "My friends at Barden High are going to freak when I tell them about you."

Chloe put her palm against Beca's cheek and looked into Beca's eyes.

"I love you, Beca," Chloe whispered just as her lips met Beca's.

Beca pressed forward and deepened the kiss.

"I love you, too," Beca said as the kiss came to an end.

Beca sent a text to Chloe wishing her goodnight and settled into bed. When she closed her eyes, a smile came to her face as visions of vibrant blue eyes and red hair ran through her head. She sighed as sleep overtook her.

The next morning, Beca woke to her alarm and jumped out of bed to get ready for the day. She checked her phone and saw that Chloe had already texted her a good morning.

Beca texted back, wishing Chloe a good morning as well as a good first day of school.

After a quick shower, Beca got dressed and made her way downstairs. She was smiling as she entered the dining room to find her father and stepmother.

"It's the first day of school, and you're smiling," Warren, Beca's father, commented. "What's going on?"

"It's the first day of Senior Year," Beca said, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table. "And I've missed my friends over the summer. Today will be the first time I've seen them since the last day of school. I have a lot to tell them."

"You mean you can't wait to brag about your new girlfriend," Sheila, Beca's stepmother, said.

"That too," Beca said with a laugh.

"I have to go," Warren said. "Have a good day at school."

"I have to go, too," Beca said. "I promised Jesse and Stacie I'd meet them early so we can catch up before classes start. See you later, Sheila."

"Have a good day," Sheila called out as Beca, and her father both left.

A short drive later, Beca pulled into the school's parking lot and parked next to Stacie's car.

"Hey, Stace," Beca called out as she turned off her engine.

"Hey, short shit," Stacie said. "Get out so I can hug you."

"Yuck," Beca said, making a face.

Beca got out, and Stacie pulled her into a hug.

"I missed you this summer," Stacie said. "It was so boring without you around."

"I missed you, too," Beca said, pulling out of the hug and grabbing her book bag from her car.

Beca hopped up onto the hood of Stacie's car. Stacie leaned against the front.

"Where's Jesse?" Beca asked, looking around.

"He's always late," Stacie said. "How was your summer?"

"Awesome!" Beca exclaimed.

"Oh, do tell," Stacie said, looking at Beca.

"I met a girl," Beca said, causing Stacie's eyes to widen.

"What?" Stacie asked. "Why is this the first I'm hearing of this? Where, when, and how?"

"She lives in Tampa, near my mom," Beca said. "I met her the second day I was there."

A car horn beeping stopped Beca. The two friends looked to see Jesse parking a few spaces away. They watched and waited for Jesse to join them.

"Hello, ladies," Jesse said, grinning at the two. "How's it going?"

"Beca met a girl," Stacie blurted out.

"Seriously?" Jesse asked wide-eyed.

"Yep," Stacie said. "She was just giving me the details."

"You started without me?" Jesse pouted.

"You didn't miss much," Beca said. "I just told Stacie I met her in Tampa on the second day I was there to visit my mom and grandmother."

"So, continue," Jesse said.

"She's the daughter of my mom's friend, Charlotte," Beca said. "My mom met her at the local community center, and they hit it off. My mom was going to the center for a wine and paint thing and asked me to go with her so we could spend time together. I went, and Chloe was there with her mom. That's when we met."

"What's she like?" Stacie asked. "Is she real?"

"Why would you ask that?" Beca asked, furrowing her brows.

"Well, is she?" Jesse asked.

"Of course, she's real," Beca said. "She's also gorgeous and probably the nicest person I ever met."

"Wait," Jesse said, looking skeptical. "You met a nice girl, and she liked you?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Beca asked.

"You don't do nice girls, Beca," Jesse said. "Plus, you usually scare them away with your dark and broody attitude. It's normal for us to be skeptical."

"Shut up," Beca said. "I did meet a nice girl, and she agreed to be my girlfriend before I left to come home."

"Come on, Beca," Jesse said. "I'm not buying it. Do you have a picture of her?"

"Well, no, but-"

"No picture, no proof," Jesse said just as a bell sounded. "There's the first bell. We should get inside."

Jesse walked away, and Beca frowned.

"She is a nice girl, and she did agree to be my girlfriend," Beca mumbled.

"I'm sure she did," Stacie said. "We'll talk about her at lunch."

"She is my girlfriend," Beca said.

Stacie smiled and grabbed Beca by the arm, leading her into the building.

~ Summer Lovin' ~

By lunchtime, Beca was even angrier at Jesse and Stacie. They kept giving her a hard time about her new "girlfriend." They used the finger quotes every time they talked about her.

Beca sat down with her lunch and waited for her friends. She pulled out her phone while she waited and texted her girlfriend. She smiled as she re-read the text to make sure it sounded okay before hitting send.

"Beca Effin' Mitchell!"

Beca looked up to see her friend Fat Amy stomping over to the table. She smiled as Amy plopped down her tray and grabbed Beca out of her seat and into a bear hug.

"Oh, my God, Amy," Beca squeaked out. "Put me down!"

"I missed you, skinny bitch," Fat Amy said as she let go and sat down. "I heard from Stacie that you have a fake girlfriend."

Beca scoffed. "She's not fake! I don't know why it's so hard to believe I have a girlfriend."

"Calm down, Beca," Fat Amy said. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Is she still trying to convince us she has a girlfriend?" Jesse asked as he sat next to Fat Amy.

"Yeah," Fat Amy said.

"Leave her alone, you two," Stacie said.

"Thank you, Stacie," Beca said.

"Let her pretend she has a girlfriend if she wants," Stacie said with a shrug. "It's not hurting anyone."

"I hate you all," Beca grumbled as she bit into her sandwich.

"Don't get mad at us, Beca," Jesse said. "You have to admit you don't have the best track record with getting the girl."

"Neither do you," Beca shot back.

"Ooh, girl fight," Fat Amy said.

"Shut up, Amy," Jesse said. "Yeah, I liked Beca when we first met, but I didn't know she was gay."

"You also liked Aubrey," Stacie said. "Who is bi and has a girlfriend. And what about Jessica and Ashley? Gay for each other."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jesse said. "I have no gaydar. But that doesn't mean that the girl Beca describes exists in her world."

"My word isn't good enough?" Beca asked, glaring at Jesse.

"In this instance, no," Jesse retorted. "You need to prove it."

"I don't have to prove anything to you," Beca said.

"Come on, Beca," Fat Amy said. "Just show him a picture. That should shut him up."

"I, uh, don't have one," Beca said. "I left my phone at home whenever we were together. I didn't want any distractions from the time we got to spend together."

"Oh," Fat Amy said. "In that case, I guess I have to side with the J-man."

"Thank you," Jesse said. "It's like I said before, no picture, no proof."

"Fine," Beca said. "I'll text her and ask her to send me a selfie."

"Go ahead," Stacie said, nudging Beca's shoulder. "Ask her."

"Yeah, Beca," Jesse said, smirking. "Do it."

"Fine," Beca said. "I will."

Beca pulled out her phone and opened her text thread. She typed the ask and hit send.

"I'm sure she'll be sending it any minute," Beca said, smirking at Jesse.

"We can give her twenty minutes," Jesse said. "That's how much time we have left for lunch. I, for one, can't wait to see her pic."

Jesse's sarcasm was not lost on Beca. Beca ignored him and continued eating her lunch.

Twenty minutes later, Beca was nervously looking at her phone. There was no response from either of the texts she had sent.

Beca jumped slightly when the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. Beca sighed because she knew what was coming.

"No pic yet, Beca?" Jesse asked. "I'm shocked. Not."

He started laughing as he walked away from the table.

"I'm sorry, Beca," Stacie said. "I want to be on your side, but Jesse's right. You do have a rep for falling easily for the wrong girl. And, maybe you did meet this person, but it sounds like she wasn't as into you as you thought. I'll see you later."

Beca huffed. "You believe me, don't you, Amy? That the girl I met is my girlfriend?"

"I believe that you believe it, Beca," Fat Amy said. "Come on, or we're going to be late."

Beca checked her phone one more time before rushing to catch up with Amy.

Beca and Fat Amy walked into class to see a group of four or five members of the football team gathered around talking.

"I'm telling you, this girl was hot," Tom said. "And she smiled at me when I saw her. I am so going to be all over that before the week is over."

"If you're talking about the new girl, stand in line," Chicago said. "I saw her when she was signing in at the office this morning. She gave me a smile that said, I want a piece of that. She is so going to be walking the halls on my arm before too long."

Beca and Fat Amy made their way to the back of the class and took their seats.

"I wonder who they're talking about," Fat Amy said.

"Who cares?" Beca said, laughing. "Once the new girl gets a look at them, she'll be running in the other direction."

Fat Amy snickered. Class started, and the two friends faced forward.

~ Summer Lovin' ~

Beca kept checking her phone, but there was no response to her text. She sighed as she stood to leave class.

Jesse and Stacie met up with Beca and Fat Amy for their next class. Jesse was all smiles when he walked in.

"I'm in love," Jesse said, collapsing onto his seat in a swoon.

"Here we go again," Stacie said. "He's been talking about this girl since I met up with him in the hall."

"She's gorgeous," Jesse said, sitting straight in his chair. "And probably the hottest girl I've ever seen."

"Who is she?" Beca asked.

"I don't know," Jesse said. "I've never seen her before. She must be new. But, we passed each other in the hall, and there was an instant connection."

"That's probably the same girl that Tom and the guys were talking about," Fat Amy said.

"Give it up, Swanson," Beca said with a laugh. "The jocks are already staking their claim. You don't stand a chance."

"Hey! I have a lot to offer a girl," Jesse said.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly, you have juice pouches and Rocky," Beca said, smirking. "That sure swept me off my feet."

"Leave him alone," Stacie said.

"Thanks, Stacie," Jesse said.

"If Jesse likes her, she's probably gay," Stacie added, causing Beca and Fat Amy to laugh.

"I hate you all," Jesse scoffed and turned away from them.

"He loves us," Stacie said. "We're the only girls that will allow him to be seen with us."

Beca and Fat Amy laughed again when Jesse flipped them all off without looking at them.

When class was over, Beca asked, "Do you guys want to go to the diner later?"

"I'm in," Stacie said. "Can we meet around five?"

"I can do five," Beca said.

"I'm in, too," Fat Amy said. "If Beca can give me a ride."

Beca nodded as Jesse said, "I'm in."

"Good," Beca said. "I'll see you all later."

Beca left and hurried to her last class. She was glad when it was finally over. She checked her phone as she hurried to her locker to put her books away.

Beca leaned against her locker and let out a sigh. Still nothing from Chloe. She was beginning to think that maybe Jesse and Stacie were right. Chloe only said she'd be her girlfriend and didn't mean it.

Beca sent a text to Fat Amy telling her she'd pick her up at four-forty-five. She got in her car and drove home.

~ Summer Lovin' ~

"Hey, Sheila," Beca said as she entered the house. "I won't be home for dinner. I'm meeting my friends at the diner."

"Okay," Sheila said. "I haven't started dinner yet. Maybe I'll make it a date night with your dad and have him take me to dinner."

"That sounds like a great idea," Beca said. "Better call him now. You know how he is. He'll go to his office and forget to come home."

"You're right about that," Sheila said, laughing. "I'm going to call him now."

"I'll be in my room until I have to pick up Fat Amy," Beca said as she walked toward the stairs.

Beca read a few chapters as part of her homework. By then, it was time to get Fat Amy and meet Jesse and Stacie.

Fat Amy greeted Beca as she got into Beca's car.

"I want to give you fair warning," Fat Amy said. "That new girl everyone's been talking about was in our last period class, and Jesse was swooning over her. She's going to be all he'll want to talk about."

"Gross," Beca said. "I hate when he has a new crush."

"I can't say that I blame him," Fat Amy said. "I'm not into the lady lovin', but there is a small chance that even I would turn for her."

"Is she really that hot?" Beca asked.

"She really is that hot," Fat Amy said. "And she seems nice. She sat near us, and Stacie and I talked to her a little. Darn, we should have invited her to the diner so she could get to know everyone."

"Maybe we can invite her next time," Beca said as she pulled into the diner's parking lot and parked.

"I see Stacie's car," Fat Amy said.

Beca was shaking her head. "I guess Jesse is late. Again."

"Let's go in," Fat Amy said.

The two friends walked in and immediately spotted Stacie. They joined Stacie, and a waitress was at the table.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waitress asked.

"Coke," Beca said.

"Same," Fat Amy responded.

"Did Amy tell you about Jesse's crush being in our last class?" Stacie asked Beca.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I can't believe everyone is fawning over this girl."

"You'd be fawning over her, too, if you saw her," Stacie said. "She's gorgeous, Beca."

"So, I've heard," Beca said.

"Hey!" Jesse called out, causing the girls to turn toward him.

Jesse stopped a waitress and asked for a Coke before joining the girls.

"I think the new girl likes me," Jesse said with a smile.

"Oh, God, here we go," Beca mumbled.

"Jesse, she barely looked at you during class," Fat Amy said.

"That may be true," Jesse said. "But, after class, she dropped her book, and I picked it up for her. She gave me this beautiful, blinding smile and said, Thanks. It was amazing."

Beca laughed and shook her head. "It sounds like she was just being nice."

"I'm sure she was," Stacie said. "She told us she has a girlfriend."

"What?" Jesse asked. "When did she tell us that?"

"When we talked at the beginning of class," Stacie said. "You weren't paying attention, except to make heart eyes at her."

"Are there any girls left at Barden who aren't gay?" Jesse asked with a sigh.

The girls were saved from answering when the waitress came by with their drinks.

"Did you all want to order some food?" the waitress asked.

They all nodded and gave the waitress their orders. Once the waitress left, Beca stood and excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Beca had been gone for a minute or two when Stacie looked up to see who had entered the diner.

"Hey," Stacie said. "There's Aubrey, and the new girl is with her. I don't remember her giving us her name, do you?"

Jesse and Amy both shook their heads. Fat Amy started waving at them and caught Aubrey's attention.

"Hey, Aubrey!" Fat Amy called across the diner. "Why don't you and the new girl join us?"

The two girls laughed and made their way over to the table.

"Hey, everyone," Aubrey said. "This is-"

"Chloe?"

The girls turned, and Chloe squealed, "Beca!"

Chloe and Beca ran to each other. Beca grabbed Chloe up and twirled her around before setting her back down. She kissed Chloe and Jesse's jaw dropped.

"No fucking way," Jesse mumbled.

"That's Beca's girlfriend?" Fat Amy asked.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Surprised me, too. I was asked to show her around and help her find her classes. After school, she was telling me how she had been trying to find her girlfriend to surprise her but hadn't had any luck. I asked who she was and when she told me it was Beca, I knew you guys would probably be here, so I brought Chloe."

The friends all turned to look at Beca and Chloe, standing in the middle of the diner, holding each other.

"How are you here?" Beca asked.

"My dad got a new job, and we were supposed to move next week," Chloe said. "But, my mom said I needed to be here for the first day of school, so she and I drove up over the weekend. We're staying in a hotel until the moving company delivers our furniture. I was going to tell you our plans, but when you mentioned that you attended Barden High School, I decided to surprise you instead."

"Best surprise ever," Beca said. "It was only a few days but, God, I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Chloe said.

Beca smiled and leaned in for another kiss. Chloe happily returned it. Beca pulled back and took Chloe's hand.

"Come on," Beca said. "I want you to meet my friends. They didn't believe you were real."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full prompt: Bechloe High School AU. Beca goes on vacation and meets Chloe. Beca comes back to school after summer vacation and tells everyone about her new girlfriend, but no one believes her. There's a new hot kid starting at school, and everyone is drooling over her. It turns out it's Chloe.

[chloebeale]

I was rewatching episodes of AF and the scene where Brittany tells Roxy she doesn’t want her there, that gave me major idea vibes of Chloe Beale having an argument with Beca’s father and kicking him out of their home at Thanksgiving for disapproving of their relationship and never supporting his daughter, spending much of Beca’s life absent from her life except to show up and pass judgement. Cause nobody belittles or upsets Beca and gets away with it.

TURNING TABLES

RATING: T.WARNINGS: Homophbia.PAIRING: Bechloe.WORDS: 3.3K.NOTES: Let’s pretend Beca’s father isn’t the same one from Barden pls. Thank you for this, I could totally see it too!

Chloe can count on one hand the amount of in-person interactions she has had with Warren Mitchell. (She’s willing to bet Beca could count hers on two.) Beca doesn’t really talk about him, and given the way he didn’t even walk Beca down the aisle at their wedding, and instead sat in the back with his wife and proceeded to leave before the reception, Chloe already has a pretty clear picture of the type of person he is.

So, Chloe understands why Beca is currently so jittery, why she’s seemingly lost in her own world as she rearranges the place settings at their Thanksgiving-ready table for what feels like the millionth time, and Chloe finds herself watching the other woman sympathetically from across the room.

“Bec, everything looks great,” Chloe states in a gentle tone—though not quite gentle enough apparently, because Beca jumps slightly along with the sound of her voice.

“Yeah,” Beca nods, clearing her throat somewhat awkwardly. Her gaze scans over the table, and while Chloe can’t actually read her mind, she knows she’s still questioning the seating arrangements. Almost like she’s forcing herself away, Beca slowly turns from the table, and Chloe catches sight of just how exhausted she looks. It’s worrisome, considering the day has barely begun yet, but again, Chloe understands it. “I just feel like I need to be doing something, you know? You won’t let me help with the food.” Her brow wrinkles in that familiar way Chloe can’t help but adore, and prompts a subtle smirk in return.

“You remember the green beans last year?” Chloe reminds her, auburn brow arching knowingly. “We were still finding them under the fridge at Christmas.”

“Fine,” Beca grumbles, turning back toward the table without missing a beat. Her hand outstretches to pick up Warren’s name label, though Chloe decides it’s time to intervene.

“Hey, stop,” she mumbles soothingly, pale arms wrapping delicately around Beca’s middle. While she hears a sigh fall from her lips, she also feels the way Beca’s body relaxes into the embrace. “It’s going to be fine,” Chloe continues, her chin resting gently against Beca’s shoulder. Her heartbeat drums gently, hopefully reassuringly, against Beca’s back. Slender fingers settle on top of her lightly freckled arm, and Chloe allows herself a brief glance down toward the wedding ring on Beca’s finger, painted lips tugging up into a contented smile.

Soft fingers squeeze delicately onto her arm, and Chloe tightens her hold slightly. “You just…” Beca’s shoulders slump, volume lowering some, “You don’t know my dad.”

READ THE REST BELOW OR ON AO3!

Given how genuinely wonderful her own parents are, Chloe really can’t relate. She does know she’s glad they’ll be there to act as some kind of buffer today, though. But that doesn’t help Beca’s situation, that doesn’t help to calm her nerves, so Chloe simply pulls her body closer to her own, pushing a gentle kiss into the crook of her neck. “I know,” she whispers softly, “But it’s going to be okay.”

If it were up to Chloe, Warren wouldn’t be joining them at all. But he’s in town for the first time since they moved into their new home, and when Beca had panicked and invited he and Sheila to Thanksgiving dinner, Chloe had been nothing but supportive. She’s very protective of her wife, but Warren is her father, and if Beca wants to try to salvage some kind of relationship with him, then Chloe isn’t going to stand in her way.

Over the years, Chloe has learned to read Beca Mitchell. She knows when she should try to coax something more from her, and when she should leave her to her own thoughts. Right now feels like the latter, and Chloe realizes she’s correct in thinking so when Beca finally releases another soft sigh of defeat, before twisting her body to face her again. Chloe’s arms loosen slightly, though they remain wrapped around Beca’s middle, while Beca’s rise to drape comfortably around Chloe’s neck.

“You look pretty, by the way,” Beca comments, the corner of her lips tugging up into a half smile. “Have I told you that yet?”

Chloe’s soft smirk returns, shoulder shrugging gently. “Mm, once or twice.”

Even after spending the better part of ten years together, it’s easy for them to become entirely wrapped up in one another, completely consumed by the other’s presence alone. And that’s fine when it’s just the two of them, though the sound of the front door opening promptly pulls them back to reality, with Beca freezing in Chloe’s arms.

“Knock knock!” Marie Beale chirps, bright grin plastered across her face as she comes into view. With her dark green dress and small bow holding back her red curls, she’s essentially just an older version of Chloe. “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Chloe’s arms unwrap from around her wife, and she can see the clear look of relief on Beca’s face. Still, even in the company of the most approving of people—Chloe’s parents very much fit that bill—Beca doesn’t love PDA, and tucks a chunk of hair almost shyly behind her ear as she steps out from Chloe’s embrace.

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Be—” Beca begins, though corrects herself upon seeing the warning glance shot her way. “Uh… Marie, Andrew.”

“That’s better,” Andrew grins, stepping forward to wrap his daughter into a welcoming hug. Marie quickly pulls Beca into her arms, too.

“Girls, everything smells great,” Chloe’s father comments, stealing himself away toward the kitchen to admire their work.

“Oh, that’s all Chloe,” Beca corrects, following dutifully behind.

Marie shoots Chloe a knowing look. “Green beans incident?”

Chloe nods her head in response, smirk settling onto her lips. “Green beans incident.”

For about ten minutes, there’s a very relaxed, cheerful atmosphere surrounding the four. The food is pretty much ready, and everyone takes the time to huddle on the couches, chatting casually amongst themselves. Beca isn’t a big wine drinker, but she accepts the glass Andrew pours for her, and drinks it perhaps a little too quickly, Chloe notices. However, she chooses not to comment; she knows Beca is stressed, and if a little liquid courage will help her to relax, then who is Chloe to stop her?

For a brief moment, that stress seems to leave her, though the sound of the doorbell almost has her dropping her empty glass, and Chloe quickly glances toward her, offering her a reassuring smile. “Want me to get it?”

Beca shakes her head, handing the wine glass over to Chloe. “No, it’s okay, I’ve got it.”

Chloe responds with a short nod, though exchanges a knowing glance with both of her parents, trying hard not to focus too intently on the sound of Beca greeting her father and step-mother. However, Warren’s first words (“That’s your Thanksgiving attire, Beca?”) are hard to ignore, but Chloe bites her tongue, and proceeds to stand in polite greeting, just in time for Beca to lead both Warren and Sheila into the living room.

“Mr. Mitchell,” Chloe beams, focus shifting to his wife momentarily, “Mrs. Mitchell. You look really nice. Can I take your coat?”

The energy shift between the arrivals of the Beale’s and the Mitchell’s is incredibly apparent, though true to their nature, Marie and Andrew make a point of welcoming the two newcomers warmly into their small party, and both swiftly ignore the judgmental looks they receive in return.

“What are you drinking?” Warren questions, blue-gray eyes moving between the two glasses in Chloe’s hands.

“Oh, just water,” she explains, shaking her glass gently.

“And the wine?”

“Chloe’s favorite!” Andrew responds for her, though Warren has already made his way over to the table, and proceeds to peer curiously at the almost empty bottle.

“This is what you’re serving?” Warren’s brow arches, head tilting as he studies the label, before quickly dismissing it. “Never mind, Sheila and I brought better stuff.”

It’s those comments, the ones that prove Warren Mitchell thinks he’s of a much higher class than everybody else in his vicinity, that cause Beca’s shoulders to sag and her cheeks to darken a shade, but Chloe knows how to play nice, and simply responds with a kind smile.

He doesn’t stop there, of course. He has comments to make about every little thing, it would seem. His chair is uncomfortable, the table is too small, the potatoes aren’t properly mashed. Fortunately, for every negative comment Warren has, both Marie and Andrew have something positive to say, and Chloe does well to bite her tongue. It’s a little upsetting, the way she feels Beca tense up whenever Chloe’s hand slides into her lap reassuringly throughout their meal, but yet again, Chloe understands the resistance. She knows Warren isn’t the biggest fan of their relationship, and while Chloe doesn’t care much for his comfort level, she doesn’t want to make Beca uncomfortable in her own home, too.

“I see you got your mother’s culinary skills,” Warren mumbles as he inspects a shred of turkey. Not for the first time, Beca looks entirely embarrassed, and turns to shoot Chloe an apologetic look, though she’s met with another kind smile, and Chloe gently shakes her head.

“Actually, Mr. Mitchell, the food was all on me this year. If it isn’t good, you don’t have to eat it. I can go whip up something else for you, if you’d like?”

Warren’s brows raise in what Chloe perceives as an entirely judgmental way, and a sickeningly smug look overtakes his weathered features. “Leaving the cooking for someone else? Even more like her mother,” he sneers, turning to shoot his wife a look. Sheila responds with a small snicker.

Again, not for the first time, Chloe bites her tongue, and it’s Beca’s turn to reach for Chloe’s hand under the table this time, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. The feeling of Beca’s wedding band, the way it sits so comfortably on her finger, only adds to the gentle reassurance.

Apparently, Mr. Beale senses the tension. “Hey, why don’t we do gratitudes?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea, Andrew,” Beca chimes in quickly, clearing her throat. Her father, meanwhile, practically chokes on his food.

“Mr. Beale,” Warren corrects, “Have some manners, Beca.”

“Oh, no, Andrew is fine,” Marie pipes up, her kind smile the same one Chloe wears. In many ways, Chloe and her mother are very much alike; their fiery red hair, their piercing blue eyes, both with gentle demeanors that will quickly switch when triggered. They both know how to play nice too, though—something Beca is incredibly thankful for. “We’re Beca’s in-laws. We like her to call us by our actual names.”

Warren simply picks up his wine glass, shoulder shrugging briefly, before taking a long swig from his glass. The bottle sits beside him, and he seems to notice the contents are not going down very quickly.

“You know, when someone brings wine to a meal, it’s polite to at least try it,” he says, glare pointed toward Chloe. It doesn’t surprise her that he isn’t her biggest fan, and if her reluctance to try his wine offering is the most he has to throw at her, that’s fine by her.

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure it’s great,” Chloe nods, though motions toward her glass. “I’m fine with water, though. Thank you.”

Her choice in beverage hasn’t been an issue until now, though unlike Beca, Chloe is a wine drinker, and the conversation seems to catch her parents’ attention.

“Is everything okay, honey?” Her mother questions, a look of concern filling her eyes.

“Just try the damn wine,” Warren urges, standing from his seat and picking up the bottle to hand it across the table.

“Dad, no,” Beca interjects, “Chloe…” She trails off, gaze moving toward the woman beside her. Chloe sees clear fear filling her eyes, and honestly, the sight is heartbreaking. Yet again, she shoots her a reassuring smile, hand reaching out to take ahold of Beca’s beneath the table.

“Chloe?” Marie pipes up, that same look of concern still filling her eyes. “Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

Now’s not the time, not with Beca’s very judgmental father seated at the same table, but all eyes are on both Chloe and Beca, and the two exchange an almost cautious glance, before Chloe gently nods her head.

“Uh, yeah,” Beca proceeds, fingers wrapping tightly around Chloe’s. She clears her throat, and Chloe swears she can feel Beca’s palm beginning to sweat. “Everything’s fine. Great, actually.” Blue eyes point downward toward the food, and something they’ve been so excited about for the last two months now suddenly feels like the most terrifying thing in the world. So much so that Beca can’t even continue, not with her father’s stare burning into her the way it is, so Chloe decides to take over.

“Okay, we weren’t going to say anything yet,” Chloe continues, strong gaze shifting between the four sets of eyes on the two of them. “I’m not drinking because,” she glances toward Beca, a softness filling her eyes. “Well, we’re going to have a baby. I’m pregnant.”

“What?” The response is one of shock for the briefest of moments, before Marie rises quickly from her seat, an excited yelp sounding from her throat. “Pregnant? Oh, Chloe! Andrew, we’re going to be grandparents!”

Despite the prior atmosphere, despite the presence of Beca’s father, Chloe can’t help the wide grin that spreads across her lips as both of her parents pull both she and Beca into their arms in congratulatory hugs. She can even hear Beca chuckling softly from the middle of Andrew’s bear hug, and for just a moment, it’s easy to forget that there are two other people in the room, neither of whom has said anything thus far.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Warren suddenly pipes up, the newly stern tone to his voice catching everybody off guard.

Even Sheila reaches out a hand to settle gently on his arm. “Warren, don’t,” she warns quietly, though he promptly shakes her off, clear anger written across his face.

“No, Sheila. It’s bad enough that she insisted on marrying a woman, but now they’re going to bring a kid into this? Mess up your own life all you want, Beca, but a child’s, too? Really?”

For a second or two, it would seem everybody is in shock. Beca opens her mouth to speak, but swiftly closes it again, and Chloe can just tell how hard her wife feels like she has just been punched in the gut. She doesn’t like what Warren says, but it’s that look on Beca’s face, that sheer, undiluted pain, that has Chloe finally seeing red.

“Excuse me?” Apparently, Chloe is done biting her tongue.

“Chlo, leave it,” Beca whispers, hand reaching out to settle on her arm the same way Sheila’s had on her father’s only seconds prior.

“No,” Chloe shakes her head, brows tugging together. Both Marie and Andrew have taken their seats again, and it’s clear that nobody else is going to try to stop her, so Chloe continues. “Mr. Mitchell, we invited you into our home to spend this holiday with us, something Beca won’t admit, but that she has wanted to do for the past only God knows how many years. Her whole life, probably.”—Beca doesn’t correct her, so Chloe proceeds—“We invited you to our wedding, because Beca wanted you to be apart of one of the most special days of her life, and you didn’t even have the decency to stay and actually celebrate with us. You’ve come into our home and basically insulted your own daughter any chance you’ve gotten, and now you think it’s acceptable to talk that way about our unborn child?”

As taken aback as Warren looks, he evidently still has his own strong—and in Chloe’s mind, wrong—opinions, and continues with the same conviction. “A child is supposed to have a mother and a father. You realize it’s going to be bullied, right?”

There’s a rage deep within Chloe that she hasn’t felt before, not like this. While she’s normally the epitome of respect for her elders, Warren Mitchell has lost his right to that by now, so Chloe chooses not to hold back.

“Right, the same way Beca had a mother and a father? I don’t know you, Mr. Mitchell, but I do know that I have spent more holidays, more celebrations, more time with your daughter than you ever have. And the way Beca has been so terrified of you showing up here today, so desperate for your approval, I can guarantee that our baby will never feel that way. Our baby will never have to fight for our affection, because we are going to be incredible parents. Beca especially, and you want to know how I know that?” By now, Chloe has risen from her seat, and again, nobody has tried to hold her back. She hasn’t exactly lunged toward Warren, she’s still in her place, but she towers above him as he glares up at her from his seat, and it’s clear who has the dominance in the situation. “Because you’ve given her the perfect example of what not to do.”

There’s a surge of venom behind Chloe’s words that is almost unrecognizable even to her, and it has Warren glaring back at her, red-faced. “How dare you—” He begins, though Chloe cuts him off abruptly.

“No, Mr. Mitchell, how dare you? This is our home, and I’m sorry, but you’re just not welcome here anymore. I think you should leave,” Chloe states firmly, never breaking eye contact. “That’s not a request.”

It’s not often that Chloe loses her temper, not really. But this is an exception, and honestly, she feels like she’s well within her rights. However, her blinders are up, her pointed glare on Warren and his wife as they rise from their seats, so much so that Chloe doesn’t even think to check on Beca, to make sure that this is okay. Instead, she pushes back her chair and quickly escorts the two toward the front door, ignoring the grunts and grumbles sent her way. It’s only once the door is closed on their unwanted guests that Chloe finally comes back to her senses, back pressed up against the hard wood of the door.

And suddenly, she wonders if perhaps she went too far.

Even more so when the sight of her wife, wide-eyed and almost disbelieving, comes into view.

“Bec, I’m so—”

“Do you know how much I love you?”

The words catch Chloe off guard, stop her in her tracks. It’s not like she doesn’t know it, but a part of her had been expecting a hysterical Beca, or at the very least for her to yell. But she doesn’t. Instead, Beca takes a few steps forward, until small hands are rising to delicately cup Chloe’s blush-covered cheeks, blue eyes meeting blue.

“Of course I do,” Chloe nods, finally finding her words. “I’m sorry, I know he’s your dad, I just—”

“No, you don’t have to apologize.” Beca’s voice is gentle, kind. It’s like all of the fear, all of the hesitation built up inside her has suddenly dissipated, and Chloe suddenly recognizes her again. She’s her Beca again.

“He doesn’t get to talk to us like that, he doesn’t get to talk about our baby like that. And everything you said, it’s all true. You’re going to be the most amazing mother, Chlo. Our baby is so loved already.” She pauses, one hand falling from Chloe’s cheek to rest feather lightly against the small, barely visible swell of her stomach hidden beneath the loose fabric of her dress. “We’re both in the best hands possible.” Beca stretches up slightly, soft lips brushing against her wife’s.

“Seriously, Chloe,” Beca whispers, closing the gap between them. She doesn’t care that Chloe’s parents can see, doesn’t care that there’s anybody else in the room with them. It’s just the two of them in Beca’s mind—or three—and she chooses not to hold back, the same way Chloe hadn’t only moments before. “Thank you.”

[aesthetic-uwus]

Movies/tvshow recommendations

1. Scott pilgrim (2010)

As bass guitarist for a garage‑rock band, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. As Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) skates into his heart

2. Growing op (2008)

A teenager tries to live a normal life while his parents run an operation growing weed out of their home

3. 10 things I hate about you (1999)

Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is beautiful, smart and quite abrasive to most of her fellow teens, meaning that she doesn't attract many boys. Unfortunately for her younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), house rules say that she can't date until Kat has a boyfriend

4. Juno (2007)

When precocious teen Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) becomes pregnant, she chooses a failed rock star and his wife (Jennifer Garner) to adopt her unborn child. Complications occur

5. Easy A (2010)

Prompted by her popular best friend to spill details of her boring weekend, Olive (Emma Stone), a clean‑cut teen, decides to spice things up by telling a little lie about losing her virginity. When the high‑school busybody (Amanda Bynes) overhears the conversation...

6. Warehouse 13 (2009-2014)

Plot. The series follows U.S. Secret Service Agents Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) when they are assigned to the secretive Warehouse 13 for supernatural artifacts. It is located in a barren landscape in South Dakota, and they initially regard the assignment as punishment.

7. ferris buellers day off (1986)

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last duck‑out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one‑day journey through the streets of Chicago.

8. Perks of being a wallflower (2012)

Socially awkward teen Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two charismatic students become his mentors. Free‑spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller) while overcoming the problem from his past

9. Sex education (2019-?)

Socially awkward high school student Otis may not have much experience in the lovemaking department, but he gets good guidance on the topic in his personal sex ed course -- living with mom Jean, who is a sex therapist. Being surrounded by manuals, videos and tediously open conversations about sex

10. Anne with an E (2017-?)

In the late 19th century, brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, both past their prime, decide to take on an orphan boy to help out around their ancestral farm of Green Gables, on the outskirts of the town of Avonlea, on Prince Edward Island.

11. Santa Clarita diet (2017-2019)

Joel and Sheila Hammond are everyday suburban real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California. The couple face a series of obstacles when Sheila undergoes a metamorphosis, becomes undead and starts craving human flesh.

12. Atypical (2017-?)

This heartfelt comedy follows Sam, a teenager on the autism spectrum, who has decided he is ready for romance. In order to start dating -- and hopefully find love -- Sam will need to be more independent, which also sends his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) on her own life-changing path.

13. That 70s show (1998-2006)

A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin. Eric Forman is a typical high school student growing up in Wisconsin in 1976 with his family and his friends. ... The head of the group is Eric Forman who lives under the authority of parents Red and Kitty.

14. Tuca and Bertie (2019)

Premise. Tuca & Bertie follows "the friendship between two 30-year-old bird-women who live in the same apartment building, Tuca, a cocky, care-free toucan, and Bertie, an anxious, daydreaming songbird."

15. The end of the fucking world (2017-2019?)

James (Alex Lawther), a 17-year-old who believes himself to be a psychopath, and Alyssa (Jessica Barden), a rebellious classmate who sees in James a chance to escape from her tumultuous home life. ... 

16 Derry girls (2018-?)

Derry Girls is a Northern Irish sitcom created by Lisa McGee. Set in 1990s Derry, Northern Ireland the show follows five teens as they live through political conflict while going through the challenges of being teenagers.

17. Grease (1978)

Plot. In the summer of 1958, local boy Danny Zuko and vacationing Sandy Olsson meet at the beach and fall in love. When the summer comes to an end, Sandy—who is going back to Australia—frets that they may never meet again, but Danny tells her that their love is "only the beginning"

18. Love simon (2018)

Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17‑year‑old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying

19. Legally blond (2001)

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But there is one thing stopping him (Matthew Davis) from proposing: She is too blond. Elle rallies all of her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win

20. Legally blonde 2 (2003)

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) journeys to Washington, D.C., to have her say about animal rights, but is ignored by every politician she encounters and quickly learns that the White House can be even tougher to navigate than the Ivy League

21. shameless us (2011-?)

Shameless is the story of a family of six kids and their drunk and selfish father. The eldest daughter Fiona has to raise the rest of the family on her own. They need to steal food and steal money to live while their father takes everything and offers nothing. Meet the fabulously dysfunctional Gallagher family.

22. Dead like me (2003)

Georgia Lass is aloof and emotionally distant from her family and shies away from her life. After dropping out of college, she takes a temp job through Happy Time Temporary Services. During her lunch break on her first day, she is hit and killed by a toilet seat falling from the deorbiting Mir space station.

23. Daria (1997-2002)

A smart and cynical girl goes through teenage life as a proud outsider in a world of mainly idiotic adolescents and condescending adults. Daria Morgendorffer is an intelligent, unpopular, and quite sarcastic teenager tolerating life among the idiots at Lawndale High.

24. IT (2017)

Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare ‑‑ an ancient, shape‑shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town's children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer

25. IT chapter 2 (2019)

Defeated by members of the Losers' Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults, the childhood friends have long since gone their separate ways. But then people start disappearing....

26. Stranger things (2016-?)

A young boy, Will Byers, goes missing near a top-secret government laboratory. On the same night, a strange young girl appears at a diner in the town. ... A love letter to the '80s classics that captivated a generation, 'Stranger things' is set in 1983 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air.

27. Ginger snaps (2000)

The story of two outcast sisters, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins), in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger's wounds miraculously heal 

28. Arrietty (2010)

Arrietty, a tiny teenager, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban home, unbeknown to the homeowner and housekeeper. Like others of her kind, Arrietty remains hidden from her human hosts, but occasionally ventures forth 

29. F is for family (2015-?)

Set in the 1970s, this animated raunchy comedy is inspired by the life of stand-up comic Bill Burr, who is a co-creator and executive producer of the series. Burr also voices the character of Frank Murphy, a short-tempered veteran who lives in the suburbs with his wife, Sue (Laura Dern) and their three children

[beca-mitchell]

I think Beca's parents divorced when she was in her preteens. I have a headcannon that Beca's dad was cheating on her mom with Sheila (Beca's reason to resent her so much) which caused their divorce. Beca was born in Seattle, so maybe she was living there but around the time of the divorce her dad was getting a job offer at Barden (Georgia) so he moved there with Sheila and Beca stayed with her mom. A few years later her mom dies (illness, car accident, idk), and Beca has to go live with her dad

Pt 2 of my earlier ask: Beca I'm guessing, was living with her father (I think it's kind of implied in the first movie, or at least that's how I interpreted it) despite having resentment towards her father and clearly not getting along with Sheila, which I think shows that her mom isn't there. I feel like Beca and her mom would've really gotten along so he'd mother's death hit her hard and having to move in with her dad made it worse, causing her teen years to be not so great mental health wise

I don’t think she was living with her dad, it sounds like she took a cab from the airport based on the conversation she has with her dad in her dorm and he asks her how she got there and she mentioned not wanting to inconvenience him or sheila (this is just how i interpreted it). ALSO she like...knocked to get into his house. she wouldn’t knock to get into her own house.

i’m all for tragic backstory though haha (re: the rest of your point). i think beca definitely resents her dad for making life difficult for her and her mother

[lastchildofkryptn]

Hey guys! While everyone is quarantined, you may be looking for some good Bechloe fics to get you through. I am not in quarantine and still working full time but I will try my best to get some new content out this week. But for now here are some I have already up:

Days of Plenty (in-progress):

When Daniel and Sheila Mitchell die in an accident Beca and Chloe are thrown into parenthood, raising Beca's half-sister. (Established Bechloe)

I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You (periodic updates):

A collection of domestic Bechloe (and family) one shots.

When You Learn to Sing (on hiatus):

A prequel to I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You. This focuses on Hanna and how she and Beca mended their relationship. It's not necessary to read IWSMWLLY to read this:

Hanna Mitchell starts attending Barden University where she is reunited with her sister after years apart. Add in some meddling Bellas and some sexual confusion and we have a party.

[bufffamouspeeps]

Sheila Sue Barden

[becasbelt]

Chapters: 1/12 Fandom: Pitch Perfect (Movies) Rating: T Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell Characters: Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale, Dr. Mitchell (Pitch Perfect), Beca Mitchell's Mother, Aubrey Posen, Jesse Swanson Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, skateboarder!beca, Romance, Angst

Summary:

Beca’s rough past has taught her to despise music, but when a bubbly ginger recruits her to join the Barden Bellas, she will be forced to come face to face with some harsh memories that she’s spent years trying to forget. And maybe – just maybe – she will learn to love music (and possibly something else) once again.

A retelling of Pitch Perfect in which Beca hates music, Chloe loves a cappella, and somewhere along the way they fall in love.

* * *

Beca opens her eyes as she feels the cab come to a stop. She lifts her head from its slumped position and looks out the window of the vehicle, squinting in distaste at what she sees.

It wasn’t Beca’s plan to go to college. She wasn’t one of those teenagers that fantasized about living in a dorm, earning their degree, and meeting some cute boy to have babies with. That just wasn’t Beca.

Her father, however, had different plans for her. As soon as Dr. Mitchell learned that his only child had no plans of pursuing higher education, he’d thrown a fit. Well, it was a very grown-up, professional fit, Beca would give him that, but a fit nonetheless.

At least, that’s what Beca told herself to make herself feel better about this whole situation.

So as Beca looked out the cab window at all the bright-eyed freshman running around Barden University’s campus, it was safe to say that she was less than thrilled to be there.

The cab driver unbuckles his seatbelt and starts to get out of the car, so Beca hurries to do the same. She makes her way to the trunk of the car, which the driver pops with a press of a button on his keys. A nearby housing attendant immediately rushes over to help unload her stuff. He reaches for the skateboard resting on top of all Beca’s luggage, but Beca holds out a hand to stop him.

“I got it,” she says, then pulls the board out of the trunk.

The dude just shrugs before beginning to unload the rest of her stuff.

Beca holds her board loosely by the truck and takes a moment to look around the campus before a perky blonde girl comes rushing over to her.

“Hi there! Welcome to Barden University,” she greets chirpily. “What dorm?”

Beca fights to urge to snicker at the excitement in her voice. “Uh, Baker Hall, I think,” she answers.

“Okay,” blondie says, turning around to point in the opposite direction. “So what you’re gonna do is you’re gonna go down this way, then you’re gonna take a right…”

The girl continues on with her directions and Beca quickly loses interest, glancing off to the side. A car pulls up beside her with the back windows rolled down. The guy singing along to the radio in the back seat notices Beca looking and props himself up to see her better. “Don’t you cry no more, no!” He points at Beca and starts air guitaring along with the music.

Beca watches him, unimpressed. He raises his eyebrows and grins at her, clearly impressed with his own skills. Beca humors him with an amused look before his car drives away.

Blondie is still talking, and Beca focuses on her again when she holds out a map towards Beca. “Your campus map,” she’s saying, “and your official BU rape whistle. Don’t blow it unless it’s actually happening,” Blondie advises seriously.

Beca ignores the map but takes the whistle from her hands and places it between her teeth without breaking eye contact. The girl lets out a small “hm” as Beca side-eyes her and walks away.

* * *

After Beca’s met her psychotic roommate, she decides to procrastinate the unpacking process and flops down on her unmade bed to scroll aimlessly through social media.

A few of her friends from high school had made posts about her leaving, most of them teasing her in some way. The majority of her friends were still all together in Seattle, opting not to go to college, so she was really one of the only ones that had had to say goodbye to everyone. Beca was envious of them.

Soft music starts playing from the other side of the room, some generic pop ballad that she’s vaguely heard playing on the radio before. She ignores it for the time being, focusing instead on commenting on her friend Derek’s photo of her on Instagram.

A few more minutes pass by with the songs changing every so often before Beca feels a headache coming on. She turns her head to glare at her roommate.

“If you’re going to play music, can you at least use headphones?” she asks irritably.

The other girl turns towards her and the two of them engage in a brief glaring war before Kimmy Jin reaches behind her and presses the space bar on her laptop. The room fills with silence once more.

Beca flashes a sarcastic smile in fake gratitude and turns her attention back on her phone. She’s watching a silent video of one of her friends doing a kickflip off a rail when there’s a knock on the door.

“Campus police, hide your wine coolers,” a muffled voice says from the other side. Beca glances up from her phone as the door opens and her dad’s head pokes in. He laughs and Beca rolls her eyes. “Just your old man, making a funny,” he says, stepping fully into the room.

Beca looks back down at her phone. “Chris Rock, everybody,” she mutters sarcastically.

Her dad ignores her, focusing instead on Kimmy Jin. “Hey, uh, you must be Beca’s roommate,” he starts awkwardly. “I’m Dr. Mitchell, Beca’s dad. I teach comparative literature here.”

Beca watches the exchange from her bed with slight amusement. When all he gets is an icy stare in return, her dad turns back to Beca. The humor immediately drops from her face.

“So, when did you get here? How did you get here?” he questions.

Beca stands up from the bed and busies herself with taking random things out of her bags, placing them on the desk. “Took a cab. Didn’t want to inconvenience you and Sheila,” she replies breezily. “How is the Step-Monster?” Beca adds as an afterthought.

Her dad scoffs. “She’s fine, actually. She’s actually in Vegas at a conference for-”

“Oh, I don’t actually care,” Beca interrupts, turning towards him. “I just wanted to say Step-Monster.”

He sighs. “So have you been down to the quad yet?” he asks, trying desperately to salvage this interaction. “In the summer the students like to lay around in the grass and-”

“I don’t want to lay around in the grass, Dad,” Beca cuts him off again. “I want go back to Seattle and start looking for a job, not take classes and waste my time here.”

Her dad rolls her eyes. “Oh, so you mean you want to goof around with those druggie skateboarders you spend all your time with and work at a McDonald’s for the rest of your life?” Beca scoffs and turns away to pull things out of her bag again. “Face it, Beca. You don’t know what you want to do with your life.”

“I know what I don’t want to do,” Beca mumbles under breath.

“We’ve been over this before. College is the best way to find some direction in your life, Beca,” her dad lectures. “So before you go try to ruin your life, you’re going to get a college education. For free, I might add.”

Before Beca can come up with a sarcastic reply, Kimmy Jin turns in her chair. “I’m going to the activities fair,” she deadpans and stands up to leave.

Beca seizes the chance to escape. “Me too,” she quickly says, following Kimmy Jin to the door. “I’m going to the activities fair with my super good friend Kimmy Jin.”

She thinks that her dad might protest, but by the time he starts she’s already half way down the hallway.

* * *

Beca knows Kimmy Jin was just at her side. They walked down to the quad together, albeit in silence, but they were definitely together. The only problem now is that Beca can’t find the damn girl.

She takes some time searching the crowd for her frightening roommate, and spots her over by the Asian Student Union booth. Kimmy Jin is smiling, and seems to have completely forgotten about Beca.

Huffing out a breath, Beca rolls her eyes and begins to wander aimlessly among the booths. She lazily looks to read signs and posters advertising various on-campus groups, but doesn’t take time to consider anything. Nothing here was of interest to her, and she was planning on getting away from Barden University as soon as possible, so there was no point in actually paying attention to anything going on around her.

She was away from her dad, and that was the important thing.

Still, there were a few eye-catching booths here and there. Beca spotted a DJ stand, and upon further observation discovered it was actually for Deaf Jews. There were a bunch of people running around in circles, though Beca didn’t know if that was an organization or just people doing it for fun. All around, Beca was pretty unimpressed.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Beca finally sees something worthwhile. There was a simple booth near the end of the line with the words “Barden Skate Shop” at display. Beca saw a bored looking blonde dude sitting behind the table handing out fliers and immediately begins to make her way over.

Before she can get very far, a white piece of paper appears under her nose and a voice cuts through the noise around her.

“Hi! Any interest in joining our a cappella group?”

Beca stops short and looks down at the paper before hesitantly taking it and turning to face the girl who stopped her. The girl has wavy ginger hair and the bluest eyes Beca has ever seen. There’s a tall blonde standing next to her who seems like she’s trying to force a smile onto her face.

Turning her eyes back towards the paper in her hands, Beca takes a moment to actually see what’s on it. It’s very amateur-looking, with cut out pictures of girls singing glued over blue shapes and hand drawn music notes decorating the page. The name Barden Bellas is written elegantly at the top.

“Oh, right,” Beca says, holding back a laugh as she looks back at the two girls. “This is like, a thing now.”

“Oh, totes,” the ginger says seriously, nodding her head. “We sing covers of songs but we do it without any instruments,” she goes on to explain. “It’s all from our mouths.”

Beca can’t help the small “yikes” that slips out of her own mouth at the words. She sees the blonde girl’s smile become a little more strained.

Seemingly undeterred, the redhead continues on. “There are four groups on campus. The Bellas,” she says, gesturing between herself and her companion. “That’s us; we’re the tits.”

She goes on to name all the other groups and Beca zones out, chancing a glance over at the Skate Shop booth. The one guy sitting at it doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere anytime soon, but Beca still wished that she could get out of this conversation to go check it out.

Two hums from in front of her bring her attention back on the a cappella girls. “So, are you interested?” ginger asks.

Beca fights the instinct to roll her eyes and tries for a smile instead. She’ll let them down fast and easy so that she can get the hell out of there.

“Sorry, it’s just… it’s pretty lame.”

Or she’ll go with that. That’s cool, too.

Ginger’s bright smile slides off her face and she looks downward. The blonde, who’s been silent so far, looks like she’s been struck. “Aca-scuse me?” she says indignantly, anger flashing in her eyes. “Synchronized lady dancing to a Mariah Carey chart-topper is not lame.”

Beca stares at the girl in confusion, wondering how she didn’t think the words coming out of her mouth were, in fact, lame.

“We sing all over the world and compete in national competitions,” the redhead tries again. Beca’s eyes flicker to hers.

“On purpose?” Beca asks before she can stop herself.

“We played the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, you bitch,” the blonde says sweetly, an over polite smile on her face and murder in her eyes.

Beca raises her eyebrows and fights off a grin, suddenly very impressed with the tall blonde. Her eyes switch back over to ginger as she speaks again.

“What Aubrey means to say,” the ginger cuts in, glancing at her friend, “is that we are a close-knit, talented group of ladies who’s dream is to return to the national finals at Lincoln Center this year.” Beca glances to the side exasperatedly, suddenly very tired of this interaction. When she looks back, sincere blue eyes are locked onto her own. “Help us turn our dreams into a reality?” the girl asks, hesitance in her voice and a small smile playing at the edge of her lips.

Beca looks at her for a moment before deciding to show them some mercy and not reply with any more biting comments. “Sorry, I don’t even sing, and I’m not really that big into music in general, but it was really nice to meet you guys.”

She begins to walk away and spares one last glance at the ginger’s crestfallen expression before heading in the direction of the skating booth, determined to not let the interaction get in the way of what she wants to do.

It was just a cappella. It was just music.

And Beca had promised herself that she would never let herself get sucked into music again.

[charmingcentry]

Bechloe - Enough

the one where Chloe doesn’t feel like enough

Post-PP3 (but established Bechloe)

—

It was a New Years dinner spent at the Beale’s, Chloe had flown in from L.A. to Tampa to spend the week with her family. Beca, her girlfriend (When the brunette kissed Chloe passionately after her DJ Khaled’s opening, the two finally gave in for their feelings for one another), had tagged along with Chloe since her father was out of town with Sheila. Throughout the entire flight, it was Chloe who seemed to be in a panic this time rather than Beca.

“You okay babe?” Beca would ask, immediately holding her hand. The brunette was only met with the same shaking response from the redhead.

“I’m good.”

Don’t get me wrong, Chloe absolutely loves her family but visits can be nerve-wracking. No, not nerve-wracking, dreadful. Chloe’s family would be what any non-relative would expect, tall redheads who always had a smile on their face who gave the best hugs. Yet underneath that, no one would see the glooming cloud of pressure that hung above the Beale children’s heads, more specifically, the cloud that hung above Chloe. It was a cloud that constantly tormented her, no matter where she went. It’s a cliche stereotype but of course, being the youngest child would result in unreachable expectations from parents. No matter what Chloe seemed to do, her parents never seemed to be pleased. It was a race that never finished, a staircase that never ended, a hole that never had another end, a fairytale with no happy ending. Chloe never felt like enough.

She stepped out of the taxi, saying goodbye to their talkative driver who apparently starred on Broadway at one point. Beca got their luggage out of the trunk and almost immediately Chloe hears a deep gruff voice beckon her, the oldest child of the Beale family, Robert. Without a doubt, he was the favorite clearly because he has a Ph.D. in nursing AND runs his own clinic… I mean, Chloe could’ve done that, she just went down a different path. Chloe gives a faint smile at Robert as she takes the carry-ons from her girlfriend, walking up the stone path that led into their suburban home. Robert opens the door for the two and yells for their parents.

“Chloe, sweetie!” The redhead’s mother yells from the dining room. Chloe gulps loudly before masking another smile on her face yet again. The couple lays their belongings in the wide hallway and makes their way to the table which is already set up. Chloe’s mother envelopes the two in a great big bear hug.

“Glad you’re home sweetie!” Her dad exclaims as he continues setting up the table. He notices Beca and smiles. “This must be the famous Beca Mitchell.” Chloe grits her teeth at the word “famous.” She knew he was being nice but it made her stomach churn.

“Oh please, I’m hardly someone famous Mr. Beale.” Chloe’s father waves his hand dismissively.

“Please, call me Arthur.”

Chloe pecks her mother on the cheek and hugs her father. Beca follows after the redhead up the staircase to the redhead’s childhood bedroom, the brunette is sure that this could be some milestone in their relationship. The room is filled with clean trophies and medals, Chloe assumes her parents dusted and cleaned her room before their arrival. The redhead’s bed was small but big enough to fit the two. I mean surely after sharing a crappy fold-out during their days in Brooklyn they could share Chloe’s childhood bed. Beca unzips their luggage, passing Chloe their clothing as she neatly organizes her clothes into the dresser. Right after, the redhead collapses onto the bed, back first and Beca sits next to Chloe, helping her sit back up.

“What’s wrong?” Beca asks, interlacing their fingers together

“Just nervous…” 

“You wanna talk about it?” Beca asks softly, a reminder that Chloe doesn’t have to talk about it if she doesn’t want to.

“Maybe after…” The minute Chloe says that her mother calls the two down for dinner and hears an abrupt cheer emerge from below when the front door opens, Chloe assumes Elijah has made it. Elijah is the second oldest Beale, his accomplishments being owning a Real Estate business in Seattle and getting married at age 22. Chloe didn’t feel happy at all for his accomplishments, not when her parents made it feel like a competition between the three - one’s success meant the other’s failure… usually Chloe was the only one who was considered a failure. The couple gets up and Chloe plants a kiss on Beca’s cheek before heading downstairs to the table. They sit next to each other, immediately saying grace and then stuffing food down their faces.

Chloe passes the salad to her father who turns his head towards his oldest son. “Robert, how’s the business going?”

“Awesome! Patients coming in left and right.” He swallows a piece of tri-tip. “One even bought me a fruit basket. I would’ve brought it but… I would only bring an empty basket!” The table breaks out into laughter except for Beca and Chloe who let out a fake laugh. If there was one thing Chloe was better at it was definitely being humorous, Beca could even vouch for her.

“Oh hey Chlo.” Chloe knows that tone from Elijah, Elijah is about to ask a dumb question. “How did that USO thing go? Y’all win?” 

Chloe grits her teeth and Beca places her hand gently on top of Chloe’s thigh under the table, lightly squeezing it to calm the redhead down a bit. “I told you guys already… DJ Khaled only chose Beca.”

“How’s that going Beca?” The brunette darts her eyes to a frustrated looking Chloe and immediately back towards her mother who asked the question. Beca keeps it short and sweet.

“Good, pretty busy all the time.”

Chloe decides to fill the dead air. “Oh yeah, Vet school i-

“Have you two gotten married yet?”

Suddenly, Fat Amy’s “whomp there it is” from the Bellas Confession held during Chloe’s first senior year appears in her mind. “No mom, we just started dating…”

She waves her fork with a crouton at her brother Elijah. “Your brother was married at the end of college y’know?” Chloe’s jaw clenches as she swallows down water. “Such a beautiful wedding, it wasn’t a surprise to see him pay for it all by himself.” The redhead tightens her grip on the fork she was holding. “I mean, I don’t expect the same from you Chlo-

That was it. Chloe had enough. She slowly puts her fork down and storms out of the dining room and up the stairs, the cloud weighing down on her more than ever. The room is silent, Elijah and Robert exchanging weird looks to their parents. Beca finally decides to follow her girlfriend up the stairs,

There’s a piece of Chloe that she feels as if it’s missing… little did she know it’s actually there, her parents just convinced her she was always missing it. Her mind races through the overlooked accomplishments by Chloe, starting from her early school days. Her A’s would be met with “you can do better” or a story of how Elijah and Robert achieved an A+ on their assignments. When Chloe was valedictorian of her class, she wasn’t held a party for that like her brother Robert was, oh no. She was met with a surprise party FOR Robert for getting accepted into Stanford. The redhead being accepted in Barden University, of course, was ignored, her parents simply saying “why didn’t you go to Stanford and Yale like your brothers.” Hell, when Chloe got into the Barden Bellas, they didn’t even care, along with the dozens of ICCA championships their collegiate group has won. Of course, the only one they acknowledged was where Aubrey barfed all over the third row… typical of them to only point out a mistake on Chloe’s behalf. What really set Chloe off was her parents choosing to fly out to Seattle for her brother’s Real Estate grand opening rather than her own graduation… not even saying congratulations! She was met with a picture of the grand opening ceremony sent during her own graduation ceremony. Hell, they didn’t even give a single fuck when she was held hostage overseas south of Paris… they never did care. All they did was point out Chloe’s mistakes and never acknowledge her accomplishments… Chloe has never felt good enough.

The redhead hears a soft knock at the door, knowing it was Beca. She lets her in and the brunette immediately closes the door behind her and sits next to Chloe who is sobbing into a pillow. Beca slowly tears the pillow away from her and glides her fingers down Chloe’s temple all the way to her jawline. “Is that what was wrong? Us not being married?”

Chloe shakes her head and sits up. “Not only that but…” She takes an inhale. “All they ever do is overlook my accomplishments. All they ever do is point out my mistakes. Never in my life have I ever heard an ‘I’m proud of you’ or ever felt enough for them. I’m always losing to my brothers… I always am.”

Beca pulls Chloe in for an embrace. “Oh,Chloe… I know your parent’s approval means a lot. But look… at the end of the day, you’re doing this for you. You’re not doing what you’re doing for anyone else. It’s your opinion that matters, not your shitty parents’ opinions. Okay?”

The brunette feels relieved to feel a smile form against her chest. “What did I ever do to deserve you Becs?” Chloe mumbles against the brunette’s shirt. 

“I ask myself the same thing, Chloe…” The redhead pulls away and immediately plants a deep kiss against Beca’s lips, pressing their foreheads together after they pull away.

“I love you so much Beca.” 

“I love you too Chloe.”

They share another hug and that’s when Beca has a light bulb moment. “For what it’s worth Chlo… I’m so fucking proud of you.” She feels Chloe tense up. “From leading the Bellas with Aubrey then me to getting into Vet school… that is such an amazing thing, Chloe.” Chloe begins to sob gently. “To me, you are always enough Chloe. Never a day in my life I have ever thought the opposite… you are enough Chloe. And you always will be.” 

Chloe sobs and kisses Beca one more time, letting the tears run down her face. They pull away and immediately the redhead curls into Beca’s side as she mutters a thank you, cuddling on top of Chloe’s old bedroom. Suddenly, that cloud above her begins to evaporate. For once in her life, she begins to feel good enough. Not for her parents, not for anyone else… for herself. And it means the world to her that she is always enough to the love of her life. Chloe has finally heard the words she’s always wanted to hear and that makes her so so happy.

[bechloeislegit]

2020 BeChloe (Mini)Fic Month - Chapter 3

AFTERLIFE

The Afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is the belief that the essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of consciousness continues after the death of the physical body.

Warning: Due to the nature of the prompt, there will be a character's death in this Chapter. Don't hate me.

{This picks up from Week 2's prompt "Quarantine."}

The BAs were having a full rehearsal one week before the State Acapella Championship when they were interrupted by Beca's dad.

"Dad?" Beca said upon seeing him enter the Auditorium. "What are you doing here?"

"Beca, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Beca nodded and turned to the group.

"Great job today, everyone," Beca said. "I'm calling it. Get out of here and have a great weekend."

The girls started gathering their belongings, and Beca walked over to her dad. Chloe stood watching because something seemed off with Mr. Mitchell.

"Dad, are you okay?" Beca asked, seeing her father's red-rimmed eyes. "Did something happen?"

"There's no easy way to say this," Warren said. "Beca, your grandmother passed away in her sleep last night."

"Grandma Mitchell?" Beca choked out. Warren nodded his head and wiped a tear from his cheek.

Chloe jumped when she heard a heart-wrenching sob echo around the Auditorium. Her head jerked toward the sound in time to see Beca collapse into her father's arms. Chloe put a hand to her mouth as she watched Beca sob against her father's chest. If Beca was crying, something bad happened, and Chloe's heart broke for Beca.

"What's going on?" Stacie asked, also watching Beca and her father.

"I don't know," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to go check on Beca."

Chloe slowly made her way over to the father and daughter.

"Mr. Mitchell, is everything okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"My mother passed away in her sleep last night," Warren said with a catch in his voice.

Chloe let out a gasp as tears filled her eyes. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Warren said as he gently pulled Beca back so he could look at her. "I'm going to take you home, okay?" Beca nodded. "We'll stop by the office and have you excused for next week since we have to fly to New York for the, uh, the fu-funeral."

Hearing the catch in his voice, Beca pulled her father toward her and hugged him tightly.

"Mr. Mitchell, if there's anything my family or I can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Chloe," Warren said. "I appreciate your kind offer. I don't know what we need right now. We're still trying to wrap our heads around it."

"Beca?" Chloe said softly, causing the girl to look at her.

"Anything you need, call me, okay?" Chloe said.

Beca nodded her head and wiped the tears from her face. "Thanks," she mumbled. "Could you tell the girls?"

"Absolutely," Chloe responded immediately. She pulled Beca into a hug and whispered, "I'm really sorry about Grandma Mitchell. I'm going to miss her so much."

Beca nodded into Chloe's shoulder. "Me, too," Beca whispered as fresh tears fell.

~~ Afterlife ~~

Later that night, Beca had managed to get her emotions under control. Picking up her phone, she saw a few texts of condolences from the team, and it warmed her heart. She pulled up her text thread with Chloe and sent her a text asking the redhead to give her a call. It felt like only seconds before her phone was ringing and the caller ID popped up with Chloe's name. Beca answered.

"Hey, thanks for calling," Beca said.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked softly.

"No," Beca responded honestly. "But, I will be."

"Is there something I can do?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, that's why I wanted you to call," Beca said. "I won't be flying back to Barden until next Saturday."

"That's the day of the State Acapella Championships," Chloe said.

"I know," Beca said. "Everything has been taken care of to get you guys to Atlanta, and that's where I'll be flying into. Once I land, I'll meet you guys at the Conference Center. I just wanted to let you know."

"I"m glad you're going to be able to make it," Chloe said. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

"Don't worry," Beca said. "I'll be there." There was a brief moment of silence before Beca spoke again.

"Hey, Beale?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let this go to your head, but I'm glad we're friends again."

Chloe let out a small gasp and tears came to her eyes. "We are?"

"Of course, we are," Beca responded with a light chuckle. "I don't cry in front of just anybody."

Chloe chuckled. "I'm glad we're friends again, too. So, um, I was going to hold rehearsals while you're gone. Is that okay?"

"I think we're more than ready," Beca said, smiling when she heard a somewhat frustrated sigh on the other end of the phone. "But, I trust you, and if you think more rehearsals are needed, go for it."

"Really?" Chloe squealed.

"Yes, really," Beca said. "I have to go. We have an early flight tomorrow. I'll try and call later."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Be safe and call me if you need anything. Oh, and send me the information on the funeral arrangements once you know them. We want to send flowers."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said, ending the call.

~~ Afterlife ~~

Before turning in for the night, Beca set her alarm and sent a few thank you texts to her team. She laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and wiping the tears that started to fall again.

At some point, sleep took her into the world of her dreams, and her Grandmother Mitchell was the headliner.

"Beca," a voice called entering the murky depths of Beca's sleep. "Beca, wake up, sweetie." Beca's eyes fluttered as her brain caught on to the sound of the intrusion. "Beca, I need you to open your eyes." Beca opened her eyes to close them immediately. They opened again and closed just as quickly as she was not ready to wake up. "BECA!" Beca sat straight up in the bed, her heart pounding. She swallowed and looked around. Her eyes widened, and she scrabbled back until her back hit the headboard.

"Who-who are you?" Beca asked the figure standing at the foot of her bed.

"It's me, sweetie," the figure said. "Grandma."

Beca got on her hands and knees and slowly crawled closer to the figure. Suddenly, the figure transformed and was now a human form. A human form that Beca knew well. Tears came to Beca's eyes as she whispered, "Grandma?"

"Yes, sweetie, it's me," Sophie replied.

"But how can it be you? You're de-" Beca stopped and swallowed.

"Dead?" Sophie finished. "I know. I am."

"Then, how are you here?" Beca asked.

"I could feel your sadness and came to comfort you," Sophie said. "It's what we Grandmas do."

Beca let out a watery chuckle because it was something her grandmother always used to say to her.

Beca let out a small sob and looked at her grandmother with tears streaming down her face.

"I don't know how I'm going to feel when I walk into your house, and you're not there."

"Oh, my sweet baby," Sophie cooed. She spread her arms wide and said, "Come here."

Beca closed the distance between them and fell into her grandmother's arms.

Grandma Mitchell held Beca until her sobs turned into hiccoughs, and she calmed down. Beca pulled back and looked at her grandmother.

"How can you be hugging me?" Beca asked. "In the movies, when someone tries to hug a ghost, there's nothing there."

Sophie laughed, and Beca's heart warmed. Beca loved her grandmother's laugh.

"The Afterlife is quite surprising," Sophie said. "My body is no longer alive, but my stream of consciousness, or spirit as some call it, is alive. I can show myself in my true physical form so you can see and touch me."

"Thank you for coming to visit me,' Beca mumbled against her grandmother's shoulder.

"Don't worry, my sweet girl," Sophie said. "I'm always around and will visit you when I feel you need me to be there for you."

"I love you, grandma," Beca said, squeezing Sophie tighter.

"I love you, too," Sophie said.

~~ Afterlife ~~

Beca woke the next morning with a smile on her face, remembering the dream she had where her grandmother had visited her. She got up and took a quick shower before dressing and heading downstairs. Her dad and Sheila were drinking coffee when she walked into the kitchen. Her dad stood by the center island, staring down into his cup. He looked sad, so Beca walked over and hugged him.

"You okay, dad?" Beca asked as her father returned the hug.

"I am," Warren said. "We need to leave in about an hour for the airport. Are you packed?"

"Yeah, I packed last night," Beca said.

Warren opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it when his phone rang. He let Beca go and answered the call.

"Hey, Matt," Warren said, answering the call from his brother.

Beca and Sheila could only hear Warren's side of the call.

"That all sounds good, Matt. Thanks for taking care of everything."

"Could you send that to me, Beca, and Sheila? We have folks here we need to share it with."

"Hm-mm," Warren said. "Hold on, I'll ask her."

Warren turned to Beca. "Matt wants to know if you'll pick out a dress for mom to be, um, buried in."

Beca nodded, and Warren got back on the phone. "She said she would do it."

"Got it. We'll see you at the airport in a few hours. I love you, too, Matt."

Warren ended the call and looked at his wife and daughter.

"Matt finalized the arrangements and is going to send them to all of us."

"That's good," Beca said. "I promised Chloe I'd send them to her."

"I have a few more things to pack," Sheila said as she stood. "I'd better get to it."

Sheila left Beca and Warren in the dining room.

"I had a dream about grandma last night," Beca said, causing Warren to look at her.

"It seemed real," Beca continued. "I hugged her and could smell her perfume."

"Jean Naté," Warren said with a chuckle. "Matt and I used to get her a bottle for every birthday and Mother's Day."

"It is her signature scent," Beca said with a soft smile.

~~ Afterlife ~~

"Uncle Matt!" Beca called out as soon as she saw the man.

Matt hurried over and grabbed his brother, Warren, in a hug. The two men stood unashamed as they held onto each other in the middle of JFK Airport. Matt pulled back from the embrace, sniffling, and wiping his nose.

"You okay, Matt?" Warren asked. "I'm sorry you had to handle everything on your own."

"Don't be," Matt said. "You know how mom is, was. She had everything planned out down to the music and flowers.

Warren chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"Come on, let's get your luggage and get you to the house," Matt said. "Before I forget, we have an appointment with her lawyer on Wednesday for the reading of the will."

"That's good," Warren said.

"How are your kids holding up?" Sheila asked Matt.

"They're doing okay," Matt responded. "I don't think they're really old enough to understand." He turned to Beca. "How are you doing, sprout?"

"I'm good," Beca said. "It won't hit me until we get to grandma's house, and she's not there."

The three older adults became quiet as they nodded, having the same feeling.

~~ Afterlife ~~

The ride to Sophie's house was quiet. Warren, Matt, and Sheila exited the car while Beca remained in her seat.

"Are you planning on sitting out here all day?" Sophie's voice startled Beca.

"Jesus!" Beca blurted out.

"Nope," Sophie said. "Just grandma is fine."

"You're scared the daylights out of me," Beca said, looking to her left to see her grandmother sitting there.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said. "Maybe I can wear a bell around my neck, so you know I'm here."

"Are you planning on popping in on me on the regular?" Beca asked.

"Maybe," Sophie said, causing Beca to grin. "I felt how anxious you were, so I thought I'd walk into the house with you."

"Is anyone else going to see you?" Beca asked. "Or will I look like I'm talking to myself?"

"They'll see me if I want them to," Sophie said. "But they don't need me as much as you do."

"Can you promise me that you'll always be there if I need you?"

"I always was and always will be," Sophie said.

Beca looked down, nodding her head. "I think I'm ready to go in."

"Let's go then," Sophie said.

Beca opened the car door and stepped out. She was surprised to see her father, Sheila, and Matt waiting for her.

"We thought we'd all go in together," Warren said as Beca joined them.

Beca smiled, and when she looked back over her shoulder, her grandmother was no longer there.

~~ Afterlife ~~

"Beca, I don't want to push you, but we need to pick out a dress so we can get it to the funeral home."

"I'll go do that now," Beca said and slowly made her way up the steps.

Beca entered her grandmother's bedroom and went to her closet. She looked through the clothes hung there and pulled out a sky blue dress. Beca smiled because it reminded her of Chloe's eyes.

"Rebecca Cooke Mitchell," Sophie's voice called out from outside the closet. "You are not having me wear that for all eternity. It makes me look like an old lady."

"You are an old lady," Beca said with a smile.

"Don't be cheeky," Sophie said. Beca could tell by her voice she was smiling. "Just because I am an old lady, doesn't mean I have to look like one."

"Okay," Beca said, hanging the dress back on the pole. She pulled out another and stepped out of the closet, holding it up for Sophie to see. "How about this one?"

Sophie smiled when she saw the dress. It was one of her favorites.

"That's the one," Sophie said.

Beca stepped out of the closet and gently laid the dress on the bed. She then chose whatever else she thought was needed and placed everything in a small bag.

"I guess that's it," Beca said, looking around at the same time realizing that she couldn't see Sophie.

It was late when Beca and her family got back from the viewing for her grandmother. She was in her room when her phone's text notification pinged. She looked to see that Chloe had texted her, asking her if she could call.

Beca placed the call the Chloe instead; Chloe immediately answered.

"I wasn't expecting you to call me," Chloe said, answering the call.

"I thought I'd save time," Beca said. "Is everything okay?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Chloe said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "It's been a little weird, but my grandma is helping me get through it."

"What?" Chloe asked.

"Okay, so don't be freaked out, but I've seen my grandmother. And can talk to her."

"What do you mean?" Chloe said, sounding confused. "You can feel her around you?"

"No," Beca said and let out a sigh. "That night, after I found out my grandmother had passed away, I had what I thought was a dream. My grandmother was calling my name and woke me up. When I did wake up, she was standing at the foot of my bed."

Chloe listened intently as Beca told of talking to and hugging her grandmother. And how her grandmother helped her pick out the dress she would wear for her funeral.

"I swear I'm not making this up, Chloe," Beca said.

"I believe you, Beca," Chloe said. "The next time she shows herself, tell her I said hi and that I'm going to miss her."

"You're making fun of me," Beca said, pouting.

"No, I'm not. I swear," Chloe said. "I believe that you believe your grandmother has visited you. I just don't believe in ghosts."

"She's not a ghost," Beca said. "I hugged her and didn't go through her like in the movies."

Chloe let out a small scream. "Are you okay, Chloe?" Beca asked.

"I, uh, take back everything I just said," Chloe whispered to Beca.

"Hello, Chloe," Sophie said, causing Chloe's eyes to widen.

"Grandma Mitchell?" Chloe squeaked out.

"Is my grandmother there?" Beca asked through the phone.

"Uh-huh," Chloe said, nodding her head as if Beca could see her.

"Ask why she's visiting you?"

"Wh-why are you visiting me?" Chloe asked Sophie.

"I'm not sure," Sophie said. "I can sense when Beca needs me, and I sensed it just now, only I ended up here with you instead of with Beca."

"I was, um, Beca was telling me about seeing you," Chloe said. "Only I, I didn't believe her."

"Oh," Sophie said. "Do you believe her now?"

"Yes!" Chloe said, nodding her head.

"Good," Sophie said and disappeared.

"Grandma Mitchell?" Chloe called out, reaching for the empty space where Sophie was just standing. Chloe shook her head, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"What's going on, Chloe?" Beca asked.

"She was here, but now she's...gone," Chloe said.

Beca chuckled. "Yeah, she does that. Here one minute, and gone the next. I think she knows when I need to see her and then gets pulled back once the need passes for the moment."

"My heart is racing," Chloe said with her hand on her heart. She let out a small laugh.

"Beca!" Warren's voice called from downstairs.

"Chloe, I have to go," Beca said. "My dad's calling me."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll talk to you later."

~~ Afterlife ~~

Beca saw Sophie several times over the next few days. Her grandmother seemed to know when Beca needed her. Either to talk, or just get a Grandma Mitchell hug.

Beca was packing on Friday night when Sophie appeared again.

"Did you come to say goodbye?" Beca asked with a smile.

"I sensed your sadness," Sophie said.

"I'm going to miss you and this place," Beca said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Don't worry," Sophie said. "I'll still be around."

"I just wish," Beca started and stopped. She ran a hand through her hair. "I just wish you had seen me perform with my group. We have the State Championships tomorrow, and I wish you could be there."

Sophie pulled Beca into a hug. "I'm sorry I haven't gotten to see you perform, too."

Beca sniffled, and Sophie hugged her tighter. Suddenly, Beca fell back onto the bed as her grandmother disappeared.

"Grandma?" Beca said. She frowned when her grandmother didn't reappear as she had expected she would.

~~ Afterlife ~~

The next morning, Beca's plane landed, and she texted Chloe to let her know. Chloe texted back to tell Beca their rehearsal time had been moved to two o'clock, and the girls were having lunch at the hotel.

Beca read Chloe's text and decided to head to the hotel and join the girls for lunch.

"Beca!" Chloe called out when she saw Beca walk into the hotel's restaurant.

"Hey!" Beca said as the other girls welcomed her.

Amy grabbed Beca in a bear hug, whispering, "I'm sorry about your grandma."

"Thanks, Amy," Beca said.

Beca seemed sad and looked around, hoping to see her grandmother. She got sadder when she didn't appear.

"Beca, are you okay?" Chloe asked, having seen Beca looking around.

"I don't know," Beca said softly. "I haven't seen my grandma since last night. She usually shows when I'm sad, or anxious and I've been both today. I, I think she might be gone forever."

Chloe put her arms around Beca and laid her cheek on the top of Beca's head. "I'm sorry, Beca."

"It's okay," Beca said sadly. "She said she'd always be here when I needed her." Beca let out a small sob, and tears ran down her face. "And I really need her."

Tears came to Chloe's eyes as she continued to hold Beca. After a moment or two, they separated, and Beca wiped her eyes. Chloe was grateful that the other girls didn't say anything about seeing Beca cry.

~~ Afterlife ~~

After lunch, the girls made their way to the Conference Center for their final rehearsal. Chloe stayed close to Beca, in case Beca needed her.

The rehearsal was a bit lackluster—Beca's sadness casting a shadow over the team's enthusiasm.

Chloe spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting with Beca until it was time to return for the competition.

Chloe wanted to do something to cheer Beca up but didn't know what to do.

The Barden BAs were waiting backstage for their turn to take the stage. Beca looked around, the sadness oozing out of her when her eyes suddenly widened, and she grabbed Chloe's arm.

"She's here!" Beca said excitedly.

"Who?" Chloe said, looking around.

"My grandma," Beca said. "She's really here!"

"I don't understand," Chloe said.

"Don't you see her?" Beca asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

Chloe shook her head but couldn't help the smile that came to her face when Beca started bouncing up and down. The rest of the team looked at Beca with furrowed brows. Worried about this sudden change in Beca's demeanor.

"Barden BAs, you're up next," the stage manager told them.

The girls got excited, spurred on by Beca's sudden enthusiasm.

"Let's do this," Beca exclaimed as the emcee announced them.

Beca literally bounced out onto the stage, followed by her team. They got into position, and Beca counted down.

By the time the Barden BAs finished their set, the entire place was on their feet, clapping and cheering. Beca grabbed Chloe and spun her around.

"What has gotten into you?" Chloe asked, laughing.

"I was sad earlier because my grandma was gone," Beca said, trying to catch her breath. "But she's here. Chloe," Beca said and took a breath. "This is the first time my grandmother got to see me perform."

Chloe looked around and smiled when she saw Sophie give her a small wave from the side of the stage. Chloe waved back, and Sophie disappeared.

Chloe wiped a tear from Beca's face and softly said, "I'm so happy for you."

[lets-talk-appella]

i’m nobody’s but yours

Chapter 15/25 - Beca

Summary: Beca is straight as an arrow. 100%, totally, completely straight. Except for one problem that 100%, totally, completely changes everything: Chloe Beale.

Title borrowed from Calum Scott’s “If Our Love Is Wrong.”

Word Count: 4k

Rating: M (for dark themes, homophobia, masturbation, and eventual smut in later chapters)

TW: This chapter depicts homophobia, hate language, and slurs. Please be prepared for that.

AO3, FFN, and below.

The sound of her phone buzzing incessantly shatters Beca’s concentration. She reluctantly drags her eyes from her laptop screen and reaches for her phone, seeing several texts from Jesse.

J: How’s it going?

J: Becaw!

J: Are u with Chloe?

J: I bet ur with Chloe

J: Did u guys do it yet?

Beca cringes and rolls her eyes. There’s just something that seems so very wrong about her ex-boyfriend asking about her current girlfriend (even thinking the word still makes butterflies flutter in Beca’s stomach). She types back the only thing she can think to say to that.

B: Gross.

His reply is almost instantaneous.

J: If u think it’s gross u might have to reexamine

J: Again, I mean

Beca sighs, giving her laptop a last regretful look, mourning the loss of her productivity. She pushes her chair away from the desk so she can prop her feet up on it while she types up her reply.

B: I mean you asking about it is gross. It’s weird, dude.

J: It’s been like forever tho

Beca scowls. It most certainly has not been “forever,” and besides, it’s really none of his business in the first place.

B: It’s been 3 weeks.

J: Forever

B: You’re weirdly invested in this. Stop.

J: Just trying to be ur lesbro. If I were gay for Max, I’d expect u to support me

Beca snorts; if Jesse were, in fact, “gay for” his new roommate, she supposes she’d be asking him just as many questions about it.

But not those kinds of questions.

B: Supportive is different than asking if we’ve done it. Are you gay for Max?

J: Don’t think so

B: Great. Bye, Jesse.

J: Bye!

Beca sighs in relief, placing her phone face-down on the desk. She returns to her laptop, lowering her feet from her desk and scooting her chair back in place. Just as she moves her hands to the keyboard, though, a light knock sounds on her closed bedroom door. Unlike Jesse’s intrusion, this one is welcome; she smiles, the familiar sound filling her chest with warmth, and calls, “It’s open!”

A second later, the door opens and she hears light footsteps on the stairs leading up to the room. Beca looks over and catches Chloe’s eye, peeking over the railing.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Beca greets her, grinning happily when Chloe walks toward her with purpose.

Instead of answering, Chloe rests one hand on the back of Beca’s chair, pushes it away from the desk, and, with practiced ease, swings a leg over to settle into Beca’s lap with a contented sigh.

“Oh, hi,” Beca manages, her hands rising automatically to Chloe’s hips to steady her and keep her from falling backward.

“Hi,” Chloe grins down at her. “Have a second?”

Beca nods, already tilting her face up, and Chloe leans forward until their lips meet.

They exchange kisses for several minutes, Beca losing herself in the feel of Chloe’s body warm and solid against hers, and of her lips and tongue moving languidly against her own. No matter how often they kiss, Beca doesn’t think she’ll ever tire of the way it makes her entire body light up and hum in response. She’s starting to think that any minute not spent kissing Chloe is a minute wasted.

Her hands slip up the back of Chloe’s shirt, fingers idly drawing patterns against the warm skin of her back. Her touch grows bolder, sliding up to trace over Chloe’s bra strap teasingly and back down. Chloe hums and presses even closer, her hands letting go of the back of the chair in favor of sliding into Beca’s hair, cradling the back of her head and holding her close.

After several minutes of this, their kissing comes to a natural end. Chloe pulls back somewhat reluctantly and turns around to sit in the chair so that her hips rest between Beca’s legs. Beca leans forward to wrap her arms around Chloe’s waist, drawing their bodies even closer together, and rests her chin on Chloe’s shoulder, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

“Feels nice,” Chloe whispers, leaning into Beca.

Beca hums in contentment, watching Chloe examine her open laptop.

“What’re you working on?” Chloe asks, reading the screen.

“Applying for a couple of jobs,” Beca replies, pressing a kiss to the side of Chloe’s neck and smiling when it makes Chloe squeak a little. “Um, New York, mostly. Chicago, too, and Nashville.”

“All over, huh?”

“I want to keep my options open.”

“Right,” Chloe says faintly, leaning her head into Beca’s temple momentarily. Her fingers trace idly over Beca’s arms around her waist, leaving Beca’s skin twitching in response. Chloe takes a deep breath that Beca can feel, then asks, her tone a little off, “Do you wanna go on a walk or something? Take a break from this?”

“I’d love to,” Beca replies, now pressing a kiss to Chloe’s cheek, “but I’m meeting my dad and Sheila for dinner in, like, half an hour.” She glances at the time on her laptop. “Or, like, in twenty-three minutes.”

“Oh, that’ll be nice,” Chloe replies, her tone a little too bright to be natural. Her hands still against Beca’s arms.

Beca raises an eyebrow and looks at her as best she can from their position.

“Okay, yeah,” Chloe concedes, “I know, but they’re paying for dinner at least.”

“That is a good thing,” Beca agrees, leaning her cheek against Chloe’s shoulder. “I don’t know, my dad has just been on my ass about getting together since we saw them.”

The temperature in the room seems to drop at the reminder of their last encounter. Beca squeezes Chloe gently, trying to bring her back to the present.

“Well,” Chloe says bracingly after a moment. “Good luck, and tell them I say hi.”

“Okay, thanks,” Beca sighs. “I’ll need it.”

Chloe taps on her arms lightly once, asking without speaking to be let up. A little begrudgingly, Beca releases her hold around Chloe’s waist, allowing Chloe to rise from the chair. As soon as she stands, Beca misses her warmth.

“I’ll let you get some work done, then, before you go,” Chloe says, making her way back across the room. “Come find me later?” she asks.

“Definitely,” Beca promises. “Got something planned?”

“Maybe.”

Chloe makes a show of walking away, swaying her hips more than totally necessary, and consequently, Beca finds herself more focused on them than totally necessary. At the top of the stairs, she pauses, turning with a smirk, and Beca knows she’s been caught.

“Um, ah –”

Chloe grins wickedly, but before she can comment, the bedroom door reopens and Amy’s voice drifts up from the foot of the short staircase.

“Oh, hi, what were you two aca-lesbos up to? Better not have been on my bed.”

“No promises,” Chloe quips back, her tone less than innocent.

Beca closes her eyes, leans forward, and groans into her hands.

She’s totally whipped.

Beca parks Chloe’s car (they pretty much have an unspoken agreement that Beca can borrow it whenever she needs) in the lot of Platter o’ Peaches, her father’s favorite family-style restaurant in Barden. She turns off the car but doesn’t get out yet. She feels twitchy, electric, almost, as if some sort of storm is coming in the distance. The last time she’d seen Sheila and her dad echoes unpleasantly in her mind, setting her teeth on edge.

Well. I’m sure if you asked, maybe he’d be willing to be more than friends again. He’s good for you, Beca.

Honey, with your looks, you should be able to get any cute boy you want.

She hasn’t unbuckled her seatbelt yet, and for a moment she debates the merit of just driving away again. She could always claim she forgot about meeting them and try to reschedule. She has a feeling that won’t fly, though, and takes a steadying breath, resigning herself to her fate.  She unbuckles her seat belt with a grumbled swear word and steps out of the car.

She’d parked close to the entrance, so the walk is short. She hauls open the annoyingly heavy door, knowing she’s running almost five minutes late. Sure enough, when she steps inside and greets the expectant-looking host, she hears her name being called.

Glancing to her left, she sees her dad and Sheila already have secured a table toward the center of the restaurant. They both wave at her, her dad looking happy to see her, and Sheila appearing almost disappointed, as if she’d been hoping Beca wouldn’t show.

Beca can already tell this won’t be pleasant.

With a closed-lipped smile at the host, Beca walks over to their table, weaving through other customers. It’s a Wednesday just before dinnertime, so the place isn’t super crowded, but it’s far from empty. While no one sits at the tables directly next to Warren and Sheila, a group of what looks like businessmen sits at an adjacent table, and an elderly couple sits near the windows on the opposite side of the room. The back wall is lined with booths, only two of which hold small groups of people, already digging into their gravy-covered meals.

Beca reaches her dad and Sheila’s table, forcing a smile onto her face that probably looks just as painful as it feels.

“Hi, Beca,” Warren greets. “You’re looking well.”

She hates how formal he is. He never used to talk like that when it was just him and her mom.

“Thanks,” she replies, pulling out her chair.

“Cutting it a little close on time, though,” Sheila notes, taking a sip of her water.

Beca’s teeth clench together as she takes her seat. “Yeah, well, my hair took a while.”

She’d pulled it into a messy bun 30 seconds before leaving the house.

Sheila raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment any further.

“So… how’s it going?” Beca asks, trying for at least some civility. She knows she’s probably being harsher than they deserve, but they had almost ruined her second date with Chloe.

“Really well, thanks,” Sheila answers, then follows with, “No Chloe?”

Beca’s back tenses against her chair. Sheila’s tone is neutral, and if Beca didn’t know better, she’d almost think Sheila’s asking out of polite interest. However, the way Sheila looks at her, as if waiting for her to stumble and give something away, is unnerving. Warren merely peruses the menu in front of him, seemingly oblivious.

“Oh, no, no Chloe,” Beca tries to laugh it off, moving her chair back closer to the table. “Why do you ask?”

“You two seem to spend a lot of time together,” Sheila replies with a shrug that’s probably meant to be casual. “I think you’re with her more than with just about anyone else, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well,” Beca stalls, hiding her nerves by unfolding her napkin and arranging it in her lap. “Just, we were co-captains. So, Dad, what’s good here?” She knows it’s a blatant deflection, but it’s the only thing she can think to do.

Warren looks up, blinking, as if surprised to be addressed directly. “Oh, you know,” he says mildly, though Beca most certainly does not know. “The burgers are always my go-to.”

“Awes, well, I’ll look,” Beca replies, hiding her faint blush at the use of Chloe’s word behind the menu as she starts to search for a decent lunch.

Thankfully, silence falls as all three of them examine the menus. Beca’s almost positive her dad and Sheila don’t really need the menu; they probably eat here often enough, since neither of them can really cook. Beca uses the time to try to calm herself down, reading each menu item through carefully. It’s mildly concerning that the only items that seem to come without some form of gravy are the salads and club sandwiches.

When the waitress comes to take their order, Warren selects a regular hamburger and Sheila orders a salad and soup, with a loud and unnecessary comment about watching her weight. When the waitress turns to her, pen and pad in hand, Beca panics a little and ends up ordering the turkey club sandwich, even though she doesn’t really like turkey.

As soon as the waitress leaves with their orders, Sheila opens her mouth, probably to ask about Beca’s personal dating life or something equally invasive, but Warren cuts her off.

“So, you’re applying for jobs, then?” he asks, leaning forward.

Relieved, Beca takes the opportunity to tell them about the various producer positions she’s uncovered all across the country. He seems genuinely interested, as does Sheila, and that topic of conversation lasts well after their food comes and they start to eat. She’s careful to avoid mentioning Chloe and her own job search.

The lunch is actually going surprisingly well, and Beca feels herself relaxing as their meal continues without incident. She’s already more than halfway done with her club – the bacon on it helps cover the turkey – when two women, slightly older than her and holding hands, enter the restaurant.

They’re very clearly a couple; not only are they holding hands, but they’re looking at each other in a way Beca recognizes from how Chloe looks at her now. Beca immediately tenses, her eyes flicking to Sheila, who appears too enthralled by her limp salad to have noticed the couple’s entrance.

Beca watches closely as the host greets the women with a friendly smile and – no, no, no – leads them toward the table Beca shares with Sheila and Warren. Beca’s shoulders tense and she stares down at her club sandwich, desperate to keep Sheila’s attention down and away from the couple. The host leads them so close to their table that it Beca can feel the air stirring as they pass, but she still doesn’t look up.

Beca wonders why the women aren’t more careful in public. A small, snide part of her thinks they should know better than to act like that around potentially hostile strangers.

It’s not until the host returns to his stand that Beca risks a glance over her shoulder to see where the women ended up. To her alarm, she sees there are only a few tables between them, the women sitting at a booth along the wall directly behind Beca.

If Sheila were to look up, they’d be almost directly in her line of sight.

“Are there usually tomatoes in this salad?” Sheila asks the table at large, poking at a leaf of lettuce with her fork.

“Um –”

“You know, I’m going to ask,” Sheila twists around, looking for their waitress, even though she’s almost done with the salad anyway.

Her eyes scan the restaurant, and Beca can tell the instant she sees the couple. Her eyes lock onto them and her jaw goes slack.

Beca winces, dropping her attention to her plate.

“It’s getting worse,” Sheila says in an undertone, her voice full of disgust.

“What is?” Warren asks.

“That,” Sheila emphasizes, and without looking up, Beca knows she’s either pointing or nodding at the women so Warren can spot them.

Beca’s stomach rolls. She doesn’t think she can finish her sandwich.

“Maybe they’re friends,” Warren sighs, sounding so tired that it makes Beca look up. “Or sisters.”

“Not with the way they’re looking at each other.”

Knowing that she can’t feign deafness any longer, Beca glances over at where the women talk over their menus, smiling at one another with clear affection and happiness.

“Ugh, as if anyone wants to see that,” Sheila spits out. “I have half a mind to ask to switch tables.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Warren admonishes, rolling his eyes.

It doesn’t have any impact on Sheila.

“It’s in public now, everywhere,” she continues. “You know, ever since they passed that ridiculous marriage equality garbage, the whole country has gone downhill.”

“Sheila…”

“What? I’m just stating facts. That law has everyone in a tizzy. It’s rude, you know, forcing themselves on us, like –”

“I’m dating Chloe.”

The words come out before Beca can stop them, totally beyond her control and likely in response to the disgust in Sheila’s voice. As soon as they’re out, she wants to take them back, to rewind, to pretend it hadn’t happened, but she can’t.

Immediately, panic rises in Beca’s throat like bile; she’d never intended to come out like this, with just some throwaway comment that doesn’t even come close to describing the most important relationship in her life.

Warren stares at her, his expression blank and surprised. She can’t tell what he’s feeling, has no idea what he thinks of her. Sheila, cut off mid-sentence, only stares at her, mouth open. It makes her look very foolish.

Beca takes a bite of her sandwich in an attempt to settle her stomach. Her entire body is numb.

“What did you say?” Sheila asks quietly.

Beca can’t answer.

“You’re a dyke?”

The instant Sheila asks, Beca stiffens and grips her sandwich tightly, the word impaling her stomach like a knife.

Beca’s dad puts down his hamburger and turns to Sheila, his expression serious. “Hey, that’s not –”

“That’s what she said, Warren, not me. She said she’s a dyke.”

Beca’s ears are ringing and she struggles to catch her breath. This is all her fault. She’d messed up. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

“No, I said I’m dating Chloe,” she manages.

Sheila laughs, a cold scoff of a noise. “Same thing! Either way, it’s not natural,” she insists, then turns to Beca’s dad. “See, Warren, I told you they were too close, I told you it wasn’t right –”

Warren speaks over her, ignoring her scandalized expression. “While this is a, uh, surprise… we would love to get to know Chloe more, Beca,” he says kindly. “Why don’t you invite her over for dinner sometime?”

“Oh, sure, just encourage her!” Sheila throws her hands into the air, shutting down the idea before Beca can respond.

Beca puts down her sandwich, setting it back onto her plate. Her hands have started to shake.

A few people at the tables around them have tuned to stare, while simultaneously pretending they don’t notice anything amiss. Beca can only hope that the lesbian couple sitting behind her haven’t heard Sheila’s carrying voice.

“How long have you two been… how long has this been going on?” Warren asks carefully, compensating for Sheila by keeping the volume of his voice so low that Beca has to lean in to hear it.

“Um. Like three weeks,” Beca replies, not looking at him.

“Three weeks?!” Sheila gasps. “That’s – we saw you! Warren, I told you they’d been holding hands. I saw it!”

Beca knows she can’t lie.

“That was a date,” she whispers. On her plate, her food stares sadly back up at her.

There’s a beat of silence while Sheila and Warren absorb and process what she said. Beca’s eyes flick from the table to the door, mentally calculating how long it would take to for her to cross the distance.

“Beca, you’re confused,” Sheila begins in a sickly-sweet voice. “You’re not – what makes you think – how do you know you’re – like that?”

“How do you know you’re straight?” Beca fires back, meeting her in the eye for the first time in several minutes.

Sheila gapes at her in shock, while beside her, Warren seems to be trying to hide a smile. Beca shifts in her chair.

“You know what, I never liked this Chloe girl,” Sheila says pompously after a second, lifting her water glass to take a leisurely sip. “Suspicious type, and loud. Too friendly, like she wants something.”

“Sheila –”

“No, no, let me finish,” Sheila stops Warren and leans forward, extending a hand across the table to Beca, as if asking her to link their hands. Beca doesn’t touch it.

“Listen, Beca, honey,” she says quietly, adopting what is probably supposed to be a motherly tone. Beca hands curl into fists in her lap. “Did she persuade you? Is the threatening you with something if you don’t go along with her sick game? Has she touched you... inappropriately? We can bring her up on charges for that kind of thing.”

“Sheila!”

“It’s – that’s – no!” Beca argues back desperately, her eyes starting to sting. “I asked her out! I’ve wanted to date her for a long time!”

“I’m sure that’s what she let you believe –”

“No, that’s how I feel! I’m in love with her!”

“She’s brainwashed you into feeling something you don’t! You aren’t in love with her!”

Silence follows Sheila’s shout. Around them, the restaurant stills and heads turn in their direction. Warren shifts, looking awkward and uncomfortable, and reaches for his hamburger as if his wife and daughter aren’t engaged in a heated argument.

Gradually, the other diners around them return to their own business, and the soft hum of conversation around them resumes.

Beca breathes hard, staring at her plate again, trying to calm herself down. Yelling isn’t getting her anywhere. She needs to get out.

Before she can, though, Sheila says, much more softly, “Is that why you broke up with Jesse?”

“Oh my god!” Beca stares at her, incredulous. “Is that all you care about?”

“You broke up with him to be with – with Chloe?” Sheila presses, closing her eyes briefly as if Chloe’s name is a disgusting swear word.

“No, I – well, yeah, but it’s not –” Beca doesn’t even know what she’s saying anymore. She can barely hear her own voice over the pounding in her ears.

“You said you like women now.”

“I –”

Sheila leans forward again, glancing around to see whether she still has an audience. Satisfied that no one seems to be watching them, she says grimly, “You know what, I knew it was wrong to leave you with your mother for so long.”

“What?” Beca gasps, bewildered.

Warren looks up from his burger sharply, his eyes flicking between Sheila and Beca.

“Beca, I need you to be honest with me now,” Sheila continues. “Were you ever molested as a child? Did that turn you away from men?”

Beca’s jaw falls open. She can’t think of a single thing to say.

“Oh my god,” Warren hisses, angry for the first time. “You can’t honestly believe that!”

“She hasn’t answered, Warren.”

He turns to Beca, looking exasperated. With a sick pang, Beca realizes he actually expects her to answer the question.

She’s never despised him more than she does in that moment.

“Of course I wasn’t molested,” she spits out through gritted teeth, her face warming with rage. “That’s just – that’s disgusting.”

Sheila sits back in her chair, annoyed. “No, honey, that’s us trying to get to the root of this problem. I know the marriage equality passing must be confusing, and I’m so sorry about that. You aren’t – you’re not gay, Beca. I think, if you try to get back with Jesse, or just even if you find the right guy –”

Beca rises abruptly from the table, her hands slammed flat against its surface. Her entire body trembles with rage and she knows she’s about a second away from crying in anger, but she refuses to give Sheila the satisfaction.

“You know what?” she spits, taking petty satisfaction in how her father flinches away from her. “I’m done. I’m in love with Chloe, and that’s all it is. What you’re saying is – it’s –” Beca growls in rage, furious her words are failing her now. She takes a breath, then says with as much poise as she can muster, “You have to get used to it, or this is the last time we see each other.”

“Beca…”

Beca doesn’t even glance at her father. She reaches down, snatches her purse off the floor, and digs in it until she finds her wallet. Snapping it open, she fishes out a ten-dollar bill and throws it on the table, paying for her own meal.

Without another look at Warren and Sheila – and with a silent apology to everyone else in the restaurant, and especially to the lesbian couple – she walks away from the table, head held high.

“Beca!” Warren calls again, but she ignores him as completely as he’d ignored her when he’d walked out on her and her mom all those years ago.

She flings open the restaurant door, storms to Chloe’s car, fingers fumbling with the fob to unlock it. She has to try twice, but she eventually gets it, wrenches open the driver’s door, and throws herself in before slamming it.

Resting her forehead against the steering wheel, she draws desperate gulps of air into her lungs, trying to calm down so she can drive. She’s still trembling head to foot, and her throat and eyes burn with unshed tears. Squeezing her eyes closed, she imagines what’s happening inside the restaurant, wondering how long it will take her dad to come after her.

She imagines she has time to kill before that happens.

She yells out wordlessly in frustration; her heart still pounds and she wonders if she’s about to be sick. She knows she shouldn’t drive yet, but she needs to run, to escape from the mess she’d left behind.

Gritting her teeth, she starts Chloe’s car, turns the stereo up as loud as it can go, and, after fumbling with the seat belt until it clicks into place, tears out of the parking lot at top speed. It’s risky, and it’s stupid, and it’s impulsive, but she presses the accelerator down even further, her only thoughts of escape and of the home she has in Chloe’s arms.

[profitnesswomen]

buffyshot: Sheila Barden https://ift.tt/2Jfcjs1

[beca-mitchell]

I also have the headcanon that Beca’s parents probably struggled financially especially after the divorce. Her dad initially worked a crummy paying job as an English teacher, then met Sheila who comes form wealth, got a job as professor in Atlanta, married her, moved into her giant home while Beca and her mother were left to struggle. Beca’s mother wasn’t with Beca when she arrived at Barden because she couldn’t afford the plane ticket and new Beca’s dad would be there anyways.

i don’t think beca’s parents struggled financially...mostly because she seems to have a lot of leeway and tech which probably wouldn’t be the case for somebody who struggled financially.

i do think that beca’s dad probably moved because of work (maybe he was offered a higher-paying job as a professor at Barden) so that much I agree with. I mean, I think I also subscribe to the idea that Beca’s dad might have cheated on her mom. I know that might be unpopular, but I think it’s what could’ve happened.