#knope.we.can

[becabeale143]

hiii could you please recommend me some firefighter!beca fics~ thank youuuu!

Probably will miss some. Still, here are a few of my faves (title-author)

What Are You Afraid Of (FFN.net)-Knope.We.Can- Beca is a paramedic.

Burn (FFN.net)-idontknowmaybe-Beca is a firefighter in LA

There are more if you're interested in Chloe as a firefighter or paramedic.

Enjoy and thanks for the Ask

Have wonderful day😉

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 34

I know it's been a really long time. I'm sorry it's taken so long. I've had a pretty stressful few months and I've found writing really hard. I hope this was worth the wait and I hope you'll leave some comments or reviews or like or reblog

Fanfic.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 34

Beca: Hey Chlo'. Haven't heard from you in a few days. Give me a text or a call when you get this xx

Beca: Hey. Me again. I miss you xx

Beca: Can you please reply? I'm kinda going crazy here xx

Beca: Please, just tell me what's going on? It's been like two weeks. Did I do something? xx

Beca threw her phone to the end of her bed with a huff of frustration. She'd been texting Chloe at least once a day for the last two weeks but she hadn't had a single response. She hadn't heard from Chloe since the last time she'd seen her, after their fight or whatever it had been.

She was going crazy.

Chloe wasn't answering texts, Skype messages, facebook messages, phone calls. Beca knew she must seem desperate but she didn't care. She was worried. Worried that Chloe wasn't looking after herself. Worried… Worried that she didn't want her anymore.

She'd called and text Aubrey and Jesse a few times, but neither of them had seen much of Chloe over the past few weeks.

"She just comes back to the dorm to sleep," Aubrey had told her, sounding as stressed as she felt. "She's always either in the library, the gym, or at rehearsal. She hardly speaks to me anymore." Aubrey had sounded close to tears.

She'd even called Chloe's parents, just to see if they'd heard from her. They hadn't. They were worried too.

Beca was so stressed out by it all that she'd even turned to her Mom for advice.

"Why don't you just drive down there?" Her Mom had said, over the phone.

"Because what if she doesn't want to see me?" Beca had replied, her stomach hurting at the thought.

"Well, I hate to say it Becs, but if she doesn't want to see you maybe you shouldn't be together," her Mom said. "I mean, she isn't answering your texts or calls or anything."

Beca pulled a face. "Why am I not surprised that your advise is to end the relationship?"

"I didn't say that," her Mom said with a sigh. "I'm just saying that from everything you've told me, it doesn't seem like this relationship is working."

"Our relationship is fine, Mom," Beca said. "I love her."

"I know, sweetie. But does she love you?"

After the phone call ended, Beca relayed everything her Mom had said to her dad, in the hope that he would offer some better advice.

Instead he had glanced at Sheila and said, "I hate to admit it but I think your Mom is right."

Beca left the room and went back upstairs, closing the door behind her and dropping onto her bed. She checked her phone and was unsurprised to find no new texts or calls.

Tears began pricking at her eyes. She wiped them quickly when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened and Sheila entered. Jasper squeezed past her and jumped onto Beca's bed and then sat on her lap.

"Hi," Beca said.

Sheila took a seat on Beca's desk chair and studied her through her glasses. She seemed stern. As if Beca was one of her pupils who she was disappointed with.

Beca didn't know where to look or what to say, so she busied herself scratching Jasper behind the ear.

"When did you last work on your music, Beca?" Sheila asked, eventually.

"Uh… I dunno, a few days ago?" Beca asked, surprised by the question.

Sheila raised her eyebrows.

"Okay… A week ago I guess," Beca said. Sheila still didn't say anything. "Why are you asking?"

"You haven't worked on anything in about two weeks," Sheila said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I pay attention to what you do and you haven't even been in your den since you last saw Chloe," Sheila said.

"Okay… and this is bad because?"

"Because for the last two weeks you've shut yourself in your room every day. Whenever you join us for dinner you just sit and stare at your phone, waiting for Chloe to text you back. You're supposed to be making demos to send out to record labels, yes?"

"I'm just taking some time off," Beca said.

"Sitting and waiting for her to text you isn't healthy, Beca. None of this is good for you," Sheila said, softening slightly.

"I… I just… I miss her," Beca said, terrified she was going to start crying. "And I don't know what to do."

"Well… I think you need to go and see her. You need to know where you stand," Sheila said.

"What if she breaks up with me?" Beca asked.

"Then she breaks up with you," Sheila said. "I know you're going to hate me for saying this but you're only 19, Beca. And I know it'll hurt, but you'll come through it. You can't go on like this."

Beca nodded, but she could already feel her heart breaking. The idea of not being Chloe's girlfriend anymore was more than she could stand.

"I'll drive up tomorrow," she said.

Chloe was not coping well.

Since the incident with the subway sandwich, she'd found it harder and harder to eat, and easier and easier to skip meals.

Aubrey would leave before her every morning because her classes started at 8am. She would leave Chloe some fruit or a power bar or something for breakfast. And Chloe would throw it in the trash on her way to class. She felt guilty, but it was easier than actually eating it.

Lunch was also easy to skip. Aubrey would ask Chloe what she had, and Chloe would lie about grabbing a salad or a sandwich between classes. Even if Aubrey didn't believe her, how would she check?

Dinner was the trickiest, and Chloe would usually cave and eat it with Aubrey and Stacie and the boys. She'd get a salad or soup from the dining hall and try and eat as little as possible, without drawing Aubrey's attention to it. Jesse and Benji would shovel burgers and fries and whatever else they could find into their mouths, and Chloe would always feel a pang of jealousy at how much they seemed to enjoy it.

Apart from evening meals in the dining hall, she only saw Aubrey and Stacie at Bellas rehearsals. She spent every other moment either in classes, the library, or the gym. She'd work out until late at night before going back to hers and Aubrey's dorm. Most times Aubrey would be asleep. Sometimes she'd be up, sitting at her desk and frantically typing away at her laptop. She would always stop working whenever Chloe came in, and would try and make conversation with her. But Chloe would always make an excuse about being tired or needing a shower. She felt guilty every time she saw the look of hurt on her best friend's face, but she couldn't talk to her.

She couldn't let Aubrey know how bad it had gotten. She had to remain in control of this one portion of her life, while everything else seemed to be spiralling out of control.

Her classes had become more and more demanding, and since she didn't share classes with Aubrey anymore, she couldn't rely on her to help her study. She had to read a new book every week and a paper every two weeks.

Bellas' rehearsals had also kicked up a notch. They had to be ready for their Christmas shows, followed by the ICCAs in New York. Alice had them rehearsing every day, and every mistake they made meant the whole group had to do laps around the auditorium.

And looming on the horizon, was Christmas. Chloe didn't couldn't begin to imagine how she was going to cope with Christmas this year. Even if Carol wasn't there, the rest of her family would be. And they'd all have to watch her fail once again at eating Christmas dinner.

But all this was nothing to the guilt she felt over Beca.

God, she missed her.

But she knew she couldn't see her. Couldn't even speak to her. She knew the second she heard her voice she'd break down crying. She knew the second Beca saw her, she'd see just how much she was struggling. She'd see right through any lie she'd try to pull.

She couldn't even bring herself to text her back. Her phone lit up daily with new messages, each one sounding more desperate than the last. But it had gone on too long now. Chloe couldn't just text her that she was fine but busy. Any message she sent would open the floodgates. And Chloe needed to keep them shut.

Beca's thumbs drummed against her steering wheel as she drove. She couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous to see Chloe.

Her stomach was turning, her hands slick against the wheel. Ed Sheeran was playing from her iPod, but even he wasn't helping so she turned it off.

She pulled into the parking lot closest to Chloe's dorm room and got out of her truck before she could change her mind.

She pressed the buzzer for Chloe and Aubrey's dorm room but got no answer. It was after 4pm so she assumed they'd be done with their classes. She walked down to the auditorium. She knew Bellas' rehearsals usually started at 5pm, so maybe she'd be able to catch her before she went in. Even if she just got to see her or a few seconds it would all be worth it.

But when she saw the redheaded girl walking towards the auditorium, it took her a second to recognise her. She seemed smaller, much smaller, than she'd remembered. Her hair was tired up in a loose ponytail, but didn't have its usual shine. And when she walked she kept her head down, eyes fixed on the ground, as if scared she might meet somebody's eye.

"Chloe!" She called out, making her way over.

Chloe froze and she looked up, her eyes locking with Beca's. If she was happy to see her she certainly didn't look it.

"Beca," Chloe said. "What are you doing here?" She sounded surprised but not in a good way. Beca knew immediately that she'd made a mistake coming here.

"I came to see you," Beca said, as if that should have been obvious. "You haven't answered any of my texts or calls or anything. I missed you."

"Yeah, um, I missed you too," Chloe said, looking at the ground. "Sorry about the texts my, um, phone broke, so… Haven't had the chance to get a new one yet."

"Chlo', are you okay?" Beca asked, taking in Chloe's appearance. She was definitely thinner. And her eyes kept darting around, refusing to hold eye contact. Her hands were clenched together. Beca instinctively reached out for them, to hold them, rub them, like she always did when Chloe was stressed out, but Chloe pulled them back as if Beca had burned her. "Chloe?"

"I'm fine," Chloe said, not even bothering to sound convincing. "I just… I need to get to rehearsal. If I'm late they'll make us do laps and-"

"Hey, can you just talk to me for like 5 minutes?" Beca said. Chloe let out a puff of air that could have been frustration. "You can't even look at me. I haven't heard from you in two weeks-"

"My phone broke-"

"You could have facebooked me. Or borrowed Aubrey's phone. Or something. You could have done something," Beca said. Her chest and stomach were hurting and she could feel tears threatening to spill out. "I've been losing my mind, Chloe. You just disappeared. Have I done something?"

"No," Chloe said. "It's not you, it's just… I've been busy. And… And I have to go to rehearsal. I don't… I don't have time for this."

"You mean you don't have time for me," Beca said, feeling like she'd just been slapped.

"I didn't say that," Chloe said, still not looking at her.

"No but that's what you meant. Isn't it?" Beca said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked at Chloe, waiting for her to do something. Anything. Waiting for her to tell her she was wrong. That she loved her. Waiting for her to hug her and kiss her and say she was sorry. But Chloe didn't do anything. She just rubbed at her forehead, like she was trying to get rid of a headache, and sighed.

"I have to go," she said.

Beca looked up at the sky and laughed, shaking her head as tears poured down her cheeks. Her heart was breaking, but she needed to know. She needed an answer. "Do you still want to be with me?"

Chloe finally met her eyes, and Beca saw her own pain reflected back in them.

There was a moment when Beca thought Chloe might come to her, but it was shattered when her phone rang in her pocket.

The second it took Beca to look down at her phone was all Chloe needed to turn around and walk away.

[pitchslapped]

Bellas In Space

With the release of Anna Kendrick's new movie Stowaway, there was only one thing on my mind: Bellas in space. I take a look at your headcanons. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts with me.

You can listen to the episode here: Pitch Slapped - Bellas In Space

Space inspired fanfiction highlights include:

The Greater Share of Honor by Wheresthemuse aka @missingthemuse

You’re The Greatest Wonder in My Universe by @rejection-isnt-failure

Pitch Perfect Horror Week 2020: Chapter 3: ISS Immortal by @unholyhelbig

Pitch Perfect Prompts: Chapter 7: Area 51, Now in Barden by @lets-talk-appella

Until the End by Knope.We.Can aka @massivedrickhead

The First Time I Saw Jupiter by Jack E. Peace

A lover of things by sirrryesssirrr

Futuristic Lover by AnnaKendrick47

And of course here’s my Ko-fi if you wanted to support.

[chloexxxbeale]

Well hello there! Here's a few more fan fiction net bechloe stories for you, all of which are actually oneshots. Have the tissues ready for these gems, cause our girls are going through some serious shit in em. Thank you to everyone who liked my previous 'fan fiction' posts ❤. I really appreciate it!

Soo... Be prepared, cause these fics cannot be read on their own!

• Terrible Things~1lifeisbechloe

Link:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11349797/1/Terrible-Things

Summary:

Beca and her daughter are out walking the dogs in the park. When Beca gets asked about the topic love, she is forced to tell her daughter a story that didn't have a happy ending.

Genre(s): Hurt/Comfort & Drama

Rated: K

Oneshot

---

• Rock Climbing~Tattysecondhandbook

Link:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11459910/1/Rock-Climbing

Summary:

Bechloe oneshot. Beca and Chloe go Rock Climbing for Chloe's Birthday Activity.

Genre(s): Hurt/Comfort, Humor & Romance

Rated: T

Oneshot

---

• Burn Down These Bridges (Tear Down These Walls)~NationWide33

Link:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13362684/1/Burn-Down-These-Bridges-Tear-Down-These-Walls

Summary:

Beca tries to cut Chloe out of her life in attempts to get over her. In which Beca is asked to stop a wedding, refuses, and ends up doing it anyway. By accident, obviously. Angst with a happy ending. TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anorexia, depression, self-harm, suicide attempts, homophobia, gay slurs

Genre(s): Hurt/Comfort & Romance

Rated: M

Oneshot

---

• All My Love, Beca Mitchell~Knope.We.Can

Link:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10241331/1/All-My-Love-Beca-Mitchell

Summary:

Chloe left Aubrey strict instructions to look after Beca. Aubrey just wished the tiny DJ would make it easier for her. Mostly one sided BeChloe one-shot with some Beca & Aubrey friendship in there. Trigger warning: suicide. Rated M for language.

Genre(s): Hurt/Comfort & Friendship

Rated: M

Oneshot

---

• Haunted Nights~Taichi Takuya

Link:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12457012/1/Haunted-Nights

Summary:

Triple Treble story! Something is bothering Beca and her two girlfriends are there to hug her all better.

Genre(s): Hurt/Comfort & Romance

Rated: K

Oneshot

(I haven't come across many ABC- triple treble fan fics, so I'm not sure if you guys ship the 3 of them together. Of course bechloe will forever be my number one ship, but an alternative wouldn't hurt all that much, now would it😏?)

Till next time!

[aca-awesomenerd]

Can you list all of the bechloe high school au story’s you know? Doesn’t matter the lengths

From more to friends, from friends to more by wolfbloodfan12

It’s all about finding yourself (one of my favorites) by FluentInMovieQuotes

One more year by Knope.We.Can

The Detention Club by ThatWeirdAwkwardKid

The track star and the cheerleader (also really good one) by not-so-average-fangirl

To Leave It All Behind by BIggiewoods

[rhonan-k]

Omg yes thank you! I totally forgot that I follow the fanfic account Knope.We.Can!! Oopsie😅 Their fics are soooooo good thoo really I love them!!

Thanks again! @octobersky22 , @massivedrickhead & @bechloeficstuff

Hey can you help me out? I've been searching for this angsty bechloe fic for the past 2 weeks and I can't find it anywhere So basicly Chloe commited suicide and Beca was never the same and keeps mourning over Chloe and tries to get the feeling that Chloe is still there by sleeping with redheads but eventually that isn't enough anymore and when she goes to the cemmitary one day she decides to kill herself to be with Chloe again Aubrey figures this out and tries to save her but is too late Thnx!

Wow, that’s very romeo-and-juliet-y of them! I’m afraid I don’t know that fic, but my followers have proven themselves to be quite helpful so maybe they know something? Guys? :)

(Also, sorry for taking so long to answer this! I try to answer all the asks I get properly and in the order I got them, and that sometimes takes me a while ☺️ Thanks for the patience!)

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 36

A/N: Still a few chapters to go but we're definitely near the end. A lot of people had a lot of opinions about what should or shouldn't happen, but I've been planning this part of the story for a long time, and I hope you all agree with how I've handled it.

Please review/like/reblog, it really keeps me motivated :)

I hope you all like it.

Fanfiction.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 36

"Do you still want to be with me?" Beca had asked. Her voice breaking, her eyes full of tears.

Of course I do, Chloe thought, her heart breaking at the thought that Beca didn't know that. She wanted to pull Beca into her arms. To hold her and kiss her and promise never to hurt her again. But she stopped herself. Beca deserves better than you can give her, she thought.

Beca's phone started ringing, and Chloe used it as her opportunity to walk away. She couldn't tell Beca she didn't want her, because it wasn't true. But she also couldn't stay with her. She couldn't carry on putting Beca through this.

So she just walked away.

She heard Beca calling after her, but she kept on walking, tears building in her eyes.

She knew she was being cruel, but she also knew she couldn't give Beca what she needed. Not right now, when her life seemed to be spiralling. In the long run, this would be better.

When she saw Aubrey walk into the rehearsal space a few minutes later, she knew the blonde was mad at her.

"What did you do?" She asked. "Why does Beca think you guys have broken up? Have you?"

Chloe swallowed hard. Everything inside her hurt. "It's for the best. She deserves better."

Aubrey opened her mouth to argue but Alice called a start to rehearsal and Chloe moved away from her.

The days seemed to blend together after that.

She stayed away from her dorm room, only returning way after midnight when she knew Aubrey would be sleeping. She saw Aubrey and Stacie at rehearsals, but kept her distance, never giving them more than one word answers. Every time she thought about Beca, she felt like she was going to burst into tears.

She felt awful, in every way. She just wanted everything to stop. She wanted everyone to leave, just for a little while. Just so she could get herself back together. She felt like if she lost this last bit of control she had, she would lose everything.

The night before the last day of college before Christmas vacation, Chloe got back to her dorm room to find that Aubrey was still awake.

"Hey," Chloe said, avoiding eye contact.

"I called your Mom," Aubrey said without preamble.

Chloe froze and turned to look at her. "What? Why?"

"Because…" Aubrey cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. "Because you aren't eating. And you won't talk to me or anyone else. You need help."

"I'm fine," Chloe said, feeling panicked and angry. "I'm fine, I don't need babysitting. I don't need you running to my Mom." She picked up her phone from her desk and saw a missed call and a text from her Mom.

Mom: We're coming to get you tomorrow. No arguments.

"You aren't fine," Aubrey said, keeping her voice steady. "You are the opposite of fine right now."

"I can't believe you did this," Chloe said, pacing. "What if I end up back in that hospital again? I'll have to drop out of college, probably lose my scholarship. I'd have to leave the Bellas. Everything…" She forced herself to take a breath. She could feel her hands shaking as she clenched them together. "Everything I have worked for will be gone."

"You could die, Chloe," Aubrey said, failing to keep her tears at bay. "This, what you're doing, this could kill you. Will kill you if you don't let someone help. I can't stand by and watch my best friend kill herself. You can hate me if you want, but you're my best friend and I love you. And it hurts to watch you do this to yourself again."

We're coming to get you tomorrow.

Chloe felt trapped. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to throw up.

She sat on her bed and let her head fall into her hands.

"I didn't mean for it to go this far," she said, finally crying. "I'm sorry."

Aubrey crossed the room and sat beside her, pulling her into a hug.

"It's okay," she said, relieved that Chloe hadn't pulled away. "You're going to get help."

We're coming to get you tomorrow.

"I don't want to go back to hospital 'Bree," Chloe said, crying. "I don't want to lose everything."

"I know," Aubrey said. "But you can't go on like this."

The next morning, they had their final Bellas rehearsal before Christmas vacation. She managed to muster up the courage to call her Mom on the way, saying she wouldn't be ready to leave until after. Her Mom sounded like she was going to cry on the phone, but she also sounded relieved.

Near the end of the rehearsal, Alice had them do laps again. They had to run up the stairs of the auditorium, along the back row of chairs, down the stairs on the other side, and then past the front row. It was a punishing run, but the pain burning in her legs helped Chloe focus.

In a matter of hours she'd see her family again, and then she didn't know what was going to happen. She felt sick. She kept running.

Of course, she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, but she kept running. Her legs screaming in pain as she pushed up the stairs.

She started feeling light-headed once she'd reached the top. The other girls had started slowing down. Some of them had stopped and were drinking water, red-faced and exhausted. She knew she should stop too, but once she stopped it would be time to leave, and time to face her parents. She went for one more lap.

The light-headedness was worse now, and she started feeling dizzy. She was half way down the stairs, thinking she'd have to call it a day, when her vision went black and her legs gave out.

When she opened her eyes, Aubrey and the other Bellas were standing over her.

"Are you okay?" Aubrey asked, her face full of worry.

"Yeah," Chloe said, momentarily confused. She could taste blood from where she'd bitten her tongue and her wrist and ankle were throbbing. "What…"

"You fell," Aubrey said, helping her sit up. Stacie came over to her other side.

"You collapsed more like it," Stacie said. She gingerly held Chloe's wrist, shooting her an apologetic look when Chloe to a sharp breath in from the pain. "This is already swelling up, you'll have to get it checked out." Stacie was studying nursing and did some volunteering at the university free clinic. "You should have stopped running when you felt dizzy," she said.

"I'm fine," Chloe said, still feeling sick.

"No you aren't," Stacie replied.

"Alice called an ambulance," Aubrey said. "I'll call your Mom on the way to the hospital."

"Oh my god, I don't need to go to the hospital," Chloe said, feeling irritated and panicked all over again.

"University procedure is we call an ambulance if someone hurts themselves on school property," Alice said, in a tone that left no room for arguments. She looked frazzled in a way that Chloe had never seen before.

"I really don't need all this fuss," Chloe said.

"Chloe, it's okay," Aubrey said quietly.

"I said I'm fine," Chloe said, trying to stand. "I don't want to go to the hospital."

Standing proved to be a mistake as Chloe immediately felt dizzy again.

"Sit down," Stacie said, taking her uninjured arm. She sat her in a chair and handed her a bottle of water. "You need to drink this and calm down."

Chloe drank the water and then looked around at all the other Bellas watching her. She knew she must be coming across as a little crazy or irrational, but she couldn't go to the hospital. They'd take one look at her medical records and she'd end up back at the psych hospital, she knew she would. She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Okay!" Alice said, clapping her hands together. "Let's all stop staring at Chloe, I've got some stuff you all need to know before you leave for Christmas. Rehearsals start up again on January 11th. I want everyone here to know their music inside and out…"

She carried on talking but Chloe wasn't listening. She was grateful Alice had pulled away their attention, but it didn't stop the feeling of rising panic. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest and she felt like she couldn't breathe properly. She wanted to run away but she couldn't. She felt like she was drowning.

"Chlo', calm down, it'll be okay," Aubrey said, softly.

"I can't," Chloe said, breathing too fast. "Please don't make me go to hospital."

"Chloe you need to calm down," Stacie said, her voice quiet but firm, trying not to attract the attention of the other Bellas.

But Chloe couldn't calm down.

We're coming to get you tomorrow.

Everyone was coming to get her.

Her vision went black again.

Beca pulled on her shoes and climbed into her truck the second her phone call with Aubrey had ended. She hadn't even grabbed her jacket.

"I'll meet you out front," Aubrey had said, her voice on the verge of breaking.

She's okay, Beca told herself as she drove, tears burning her eyes. Aubrey said she's okay, she wouldn't lie about that.

But even if Chloe wasn't hurt bad, Beca knew she'd be far from okay.

She made it to the hospital in less than 20 minutes, and sent a quick text to her dad so he knew where she was. It had started snowing, and she was shivering by the time she made it from her truck to the front of the hospital.

Aubrey was there, pacing.

Beca broke out into a run. Aubrey seemed to relax when she saw her, and Beca didn't question it when she pulled her into a hug.

"Is she okay?" Beca asked, hugging her back.

"I think so," Aubrey said, ending their hug so they could walk inside. "She's with her parents and the doctor now. They won't let me see her, while she's speaking to the doctor. It's just family allowed."

"What happened?" Beca asked as they headed for the waiting room. Aubrey had explained briefly over the phone, but Beca needed to hear exactly what had happened.

"We were running laps at the end of rehearsal, and she collapsed running down the stairs. She's sprained her wrist I think and maybe her ankle. She had a panic attack just before the paramedics arrived and she passed out again," Aubrey said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. They arrived at the waiting room and took a seat on the uncomfortable plastic chairs. "I'm sorry, Beca."

"What for?"

"For not looking after her," Aubrey said, tears filling her eyes again. "I tried to make sure she was eating but I failed. I couldn't help her and now she's back here again."

"It isn't your fault," Beca said. "It isn't anyone's fault." She put her head in her hands and started to cry. "I just want her to be okay. I want her to be happy."

Aubrey put a hand on her back. "I know," she said.

They waited for what felt like hours when Chloe's Mom finally came to see them.

"How is she?" Beca asked, standing up.

"She's okay," Mrs Beale said, her eyes red from crying. "They're going to let us take her home in a few hours but she has to see her psychiatrist tomorrow, and he'll decide the next steps." She looked at Aubrey. "Thank you for calling me."

"Of course," Aubrey said. "Can we see her?"

She glanced over at Beca. "I'll go and ask her."

"She doesn't know you called me," Beca said. It wasn't a question.

"No," Aubrey replied. "But I couldn't not call you."

"She won't want to see me," Beca said, wiping her eyes. "I should go, I don't want to upset her more."

"Let her decide what she wants," Aubrey said.

Beca nodded and sat back down. She didn't know where she and Chloe stood, but she loved her. More than anything. And if Chloe didn't want to be with her anymore, she would accept it, but she wouldn't just walk away from her. Even if she was just there as a friend, she'd be there to support her.

"You guys can see her one at a time," Mrs Beale said, coming back into the waiting room. "Aubrey, do you want to come in first?" Aubrey glanced back at Beca who nodded.

Aubrey followed Mrs Beale out of the waiting room and Beca was alone again. She didn't know if she was ready to see Chloe yet, and the waiting was agony. What if Chloe didn't want her there? What if she looked at her again the way she looked before?

After about twenty minutes, Aubrey was back, and Beca had to stop pondering her 'what if?'s.

"She wants to see you," Aubrey said. "I'll show you where she is."

Beca swallowed and nodded before following Aubrey down a hallway and through a set of double doors. Chloe was in a room on the left, her dad sitting outside, his hands were clenched together. He gave her a weak smile, but tears had filled his eyes and the smile didn't stay long.

Beca gave a tentative knock on her door. Mrs Beale opened it and stepped aside to let her in. She left the room once Beca had entered and closed the door behind her.

"Hi," Beca said, standing near the end of the bed.

"Hi," Chloe replied. She was hugging her knees, one arm wrapped up, a drip in her other hand. She looked smaller and thinner than Beca had ever seen her. She was chewing on her lip and her eyes were full of unshed tears. "I didn't think you'd want to see me," she said, finally looking at Beca.

"Of course I'd want to see you," Beca replied, taking a cautious step closer.

Chloe gave a hollow laugh and looked away, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why?" She asked, her voice rough.

"Because I love you," Beca said.

Chloe's lip started quivering. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Beca said, moving so she was sitting in the chair beside her bed.

"I love you too," Chloe said, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry," she said, fully crying.

Beca started crying too. "Can I?" She opened her arms to hug her. Chloe nodded and Beca pulled her into a hug. Chloe gripped her shirt and buried her face in Beca's neck.

"I'm sorry," Chloe kept saying, still crying hard. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," Beca said, closing her eyes. "I know you are." She kissed her head. She wasn't going to tell Chloe that it was okay. Because she knew the way she had treated her wasn't okay, and Chloe knew it to.

"I don't want to break up," Chloe said.

"Neither do I," Beca said, holding her tighter. They knew they had a long way to go, but both Beca and Chloe felt relief flood through them as they held each other. "I love you," Beca said.

"I love you too," Chloe replied.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 33

I have no excuses other than I've been super tired and stressed and haven't had the time and energy to write.

I hope this was worth the wait. Please please please review/like/reblog

Fanfic.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 33

For the next few weeks things did get a little better between the two girls.

They texted and Skyped a lot more, and Chloe even made it home for a weekend. Beca had gone to pick her up on the Friday evening and didn't leave Chloe's house until the Sunday night when she took her back to college.

Things got better, and for the first time since Chloe had left for college, Beca felt like maybe they'd be okay. That she'd be okay.

That feeling lasted until a few weeks before Chloe's Christmas vacation.

The Barden Bellas and the Treblemakers and the other a cappella groups from Barden University were putting on a small show. It was a warm up to their bigger Christmas show, and Beca had agreed to go along and watch.

She stood with Fat Amy in a crowd of drunk students as the a cappella groups faced off.

Once again, Beca was blown away by the Trebles. Vocally they were no better than the other groups, but their choice of songs and their energy and choreography put them leaps ahead. Not that Beca would have admitted that to Chloe.

In comparison, the Bellas were good, solid even, but they felt safe. Beca felt like she was watching the exact same performance she had seen the year before. But she still felt a swell of pride when she saw Chloe up there singing with the rest in her pristine uniform, and her heart almost burst when Chloe sang her solo. She cheered louder than anyone when the Bellas took a bow.

"You were awesome!" Beca said, hugging Chloe when she came to join the group.

"I was terrible," Chloe replied with a huff of frustration.

"What?" Beca asked. "Babe, you were amazing." She looked around at the others, waiting for them to back her up.

"I thought you guys crushed it," Jesse said.

"You were fine Chloe," Aubrey said, looking equally despondent. "I was the one who screwed up."

"What are you guys talking about?" Beca asked.

"Alice gave us a post-show pep talk," Stacie said. "Only it wasn't very… peppy."

"What did she say?" Benji asked.

"She just told us where we went wrong," Aubrey said.

"Speak of the devil," Stacie muttered.

"Bellas!" Came Alice's too chirpy voice from behind them. They turned around and saw her staring at them, one hand on her hip with a way too bright smile. "I just wanted to let you know that there is an 8:30am rehearsal booked in tomorrow. And anyone hungover will be made to do laps. After that disastrous performance, we have a lot of work to do."

Stacie groaned but Chloe and Aubrey just nodded.

"Hey, what's your deal?" Beca asked as Alice turned away. "Why are you being such a dick to these guys?"

"Beca," Chloe said with a groan. "It's fine, leave it."

"Oh, you must be Chloe's girlfriend," Alice said, her smile growing. "What is it you're studying again?"

"I'm not," Beca replied.

"Oh yes I remember now, you're the one who decided to just work on their music all day instead of going to college," she said. "Chloe played us some of your stuff once. I'm sure if you like that sort of thing it's very good."

"Why are you being so hard on them?" Beca asked, ignoring the dig.

"Because, unlike you Beca, I'm a winner. And I want them to be winners too," she said. "I'll see you three bright and early tomorrow. And Chloe, maybe we should talk about who might be able to take over your solo. You know, since you feel I'm working you too hard." She gave another smile and wave. "Oh, and Beca? This is actually a college party, so, you know, maybe you should go."

Chloe turned and stormed away from the group, tears burning in her eyes.

"Chloe!" Beca called running to catch up to her. "Chloe, wait."

"I told you to leave it," Chloe said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"But she was being a jerk to you guys," Beca said. "I couldn't let her talk to you like that."

"Yes you could!" Chloe said. "You don't have to fight all my battles for me, Beca. I can take care of myself. I know how to handle Alice. You smile, you nod, you don't complain, and she gives you solos!"

"Look, I'm sorry she took your solo from you, but I'm not the type of girl who just stands by while her girlfriend gets treated like shit," Beca said, trying not to match Chloe's volume.

"She's just pushing us to be better. We aren't going to win any competitions with performances like that," Chloe said. "And thanks to you, I'll just be in the background while someone else does my solo."

"I said I was sorry! I was just trying to help you!"

"Well next time don't!" Chloe said, snapping.

"Right," Beca said. "Got it."

She turned and walked away before Chloe could see her crying.

"Where are you going?" Chloe said.

"I don't want to fight with you, Chloe," Beca replied. "I'm just gonna go home." She didn't get very far before she felt Chloe pulling her hand.

"Wait," she said, pulling her to a stop. "Don't… Don't leave."

"Chlo'," Beca said, her voice resigned, "I can't… I can't handle an argument right now. I'm so fucking… tired. I'm tired, and I'm lonely. And you're mad at me."

"We're not arguing," Chloe said, trying not to cry. "We're not fighting. We're just talking now. And I'm not mad at you." Beca looked at her like she didn't believe her. "I'm not mad," she said again. "I didn't mean to yell it's just everything is so hard at the minute. I have rehearsals every day and I have so many books to read and papers to write and it's all just piling up," she said. "And I shouldn't be lashing out at you."

Beca sighed. "It's okay," she said, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry if I overstepped a line or something. I'm sorry I upset you."

"It wasn't your fault," Chloe said. "I'm sorry I yelled, you were just trying to help me."

Beca kept rubbing her hand up and down Chloe's back as the redhead clung to her. All the anger and frustration she had felt moments ago was draining away from her.

"I didn't mean what I said. I'm glad you're in my corner," Chloe said.

"I'm always gonna be in your corner, Chlo'. I've always got your back," Beca replied, ending their hug so she could kiss her on the head. "I love you. So, so much."

"I love you too," Chloe replied with a sniff. "Can you stay tonight? Please?"

"Of course," Beca said. "Do you want to go back to the others?"

Chloe shook her head. "Can we just go?"

"Sure," Beca said. She held Chloe's hand and the pair walked back to Chloe's room.

Beca sent a text to her dad saying she wouldn't be home until tomorrow before changing into a pair of Chloe's pyjamas. Chloe sent a text to Aubrey saying she'd gone back to their room and that Beca was staying with her.

They curled up together in Chloe's single bed and were content to just hold each other for a while.

Beca's hand brushed slowly up and down Chloe's side, while Chloe was tracing the outline of Beca's face, as if feeling each curve and line would help her remember it better.

Beca wasn't sure if she was imaging it, but she thought she could feel Chloe's ribs more prominently than she had before.

"That tickles," Chloe muttered, sleepily.

"Sorry," Beca replied, bringing her hand to a stop so it just rested on her hip. "I'm sorry I lost you your solo."

"It's okay," Chloe said, her hand came to a stop resting on Beca's neck, her thumb still brushing Beca's jawline. "To be honest, I kinda hated that song anyway. I mean Eternal Flame? Is this the 90's? Are we back in high school music class singing one of Ms Banks' approved school appropriate songs?" Beca laughed, relieved Chloe wasn't still mad at her.

"I think Eternal Flame came out in the 80's," Beca said, still laughing. "But point well made."

"I don't need your encyclopaedic knowledge of music right now," Chloe said, smiling at the sound of Beca's laugh.

"You love my encyclopaedic knowledge," Beca said. "It's the thing that you find sexiest about me."

"You know what you might be right," Chloe said, smirking. She moved her head closer to Beca's, resting their foreheads together. "I really am sorry I snapped at you."

"It's okay," Beca said, moving her hand from Chloe's hip to brush a strand of her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry I made it seem like I didn't think you could handle yourself."

"Are we just gonna keep saying sorry all night?" Chloe said, grinning. "I feel like we're wasting valuable make-out time."

"I feel like Aubrey would flay me alive if she walked in on that," Beca said.

"Good point," Chloe said. "But I'm pretty sure she'd knock first."

"Do you guys have a system?" Beca asked, smirking. "One of you puts a tie on the door when you've got company and the other knows to stay clear?"

"Totally," Chloe replied. "But considering this is the first time you're staying in my dorm room, and Aubrey is too scared to even stand close to Jesse in case she gets kicked out of the Bellas, we haven't had much call to use it."

"Well," Beca said, moving closer so their lips were practically touching, "I guess we should test it out."

A few hours later, Aubrey tentatively knocked on their door before putting the key in the lock and opening it.

Beca and Chloe were asleep on Chloe's bed, their limbs so tangled she wasn't sure which ones belonged to which girl.

Not wanting to disturb them, she quietly grabbed some pyjamas, her work-out clothes for the next day, and her toothbrush before leaving, texting Stacie as she went to say she was on her way. She wanted to give the two girls as much alone time as possible, because she knew how much they missed each other.

Beca woke with a start the next morning.

She felt Chloe pulling away from her quickly and heard a string of muttered swear words.

"Shit shit shit shit," Chloe cursed, rushing around the room.

Beca opened her eyes and saw it was 8:25am. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up, but her eyes struggled to stay open.

The bed dipped as Chloe sat on it, pulling on shoes.

She rubbed her eyes again. She didn't know if Chloe wanted her to leave the room. But then Chloe kissed her on the head.

"Go back to sleep Becs," she said. "Meet me for lunch, yeah? There's a Subway around the corner."

"Mmhmm," Beca replied, but Chloe had already left the room.

She slept for another couple of hours before showering in Chloe's tiny en-suite and pulling on her clothes. She borrowed some underwear and a hoody from Chloe and headed out to meet her for lunch.

She checked her phone as she reached Subway and frowned at the message she'd received.

Chloe: Can't make lunch, sorry. Stuck here for the rest of the day :( xxx

Beca: That sucks. You can't come and meet me for like 15 minutes? I'll bring you a sandwich xxx

Chloe: Okay, meet me outside the auditorium xxx

Beca got there to see Chloe already waiting outside. She looked exhausted, and gave her a weak smile when she spotted her walking over.

"Hey," Beca said, handing over her sandwich. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, taking the sandwich but not unwrapping it. "I was late so Alice made me do laps." Beca opened her mouth to express her outrage but Chloe cut her off. "It's fine, Becs. I'm fine."

"I just don't want you to get overworked," Beca said. "I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to worry," Chloe said, leaning across and kissing her on the cheek. "I'm fine. I can handle this. I have to get back in there. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Beca said, frowning slightly. "Promise me you'll eat that."

Chloe looked down at the sandwich as if she'd just realised she was holding it.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I'll eat it." She stood up. "Um, thank you for getting me this."

"It's fine'," Beca said, "but… promise me you'll eat it. You didn't eat breakfast."

"I promise," Chloe said. She gave Beca a quick kiss. "I'll text you."

"Okay," Beca said. "I love you."

"Love you too," Chloe said.

She headed back into the auditorium where the rest of the Bellas were eating their lunches. Aubrey was busy talking to Stacie and hadn't notice her come back in. No one had notice her come back in. And no one noticed her drop the sandwich into the trash.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 32

A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken so long, and I'm sorry that this is sort of another filler-ish chapter but I promise stuff will actually start happening soon. I don't really have any excuses other than I've been super tired and a little stressed lately.

I feel bad begging for reviews/likes/reblogs but I would really really appreciate it.

Fanfic.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 32

"So… how are you?" Beca asked Chloe after she'd made the rounds of all her friends, thanking them for coming.

"Good," Chloe said. "Tired but good. You?"

"Fine," Beca said. "I've been fine." She didn't know why she sounded so formal. Maybe it was because this was the first time she'd properly seen Chloe in weeks. She could think of a million things she wanted to say, but she couldn't quite get them out. She felt like everything she wanted to say was unimportant and pointless, so she didn't say anything. "I've missed you," she said eventually.

"Yeah, I've missed you too Becs," Chloe said. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. I'm sorry I haven't been home much. It's just been so crazy with the Bellas and all the classes and reading and stuff."

"But you're okay right?"

"I'm fine," Chloe said. Her voice sounded a little strained. As if she was tired of answering that question.

Beca nodded and looked down at her hands, watching as she absentmindedly picking the chipped black nail polish off her thumb. Have we really run out of things to say to each other already? she thought.

"Have you got any new mixes for me to listen to?" Chloe asked, trying to break the silence.

"Oh, sure," Beca said. "I'll put them on a USB for you." She stood up and went over to her desk and began rummaging through the drawers for a USB stick.

She didn't realise Chloe had followed her, and jumped slightly when she felt the hand on her back. She had started to forget what it was like being around Chloe in person. She'd forgotten all the little ways Chloe liked to show affection. And she missed them.

"You aren't going to play them?" She asked, watching as Beca loaded the stick with new songs.

Beca shook her head. "They're not… party songs."

Chloe's eyes roamed over Beca's desk, surprised at how organised it was. She smiled at the framed picture of her and Beca which sat beside her monitor.

"Here you go," Beca said, handing it over. "Let me know what you think."

"Have you sent any of your stuff out there yet?" Chloe asked.

"No," Beca said, "no they're not ready yet. They're nowhere near good enough."

"You're kidding right? Beca, your stuff is amazing," Chloe said in disbelief.

Beca smiled but shook her head. "They're not ready."

All too soon her friends were yawning and stretching and pulling on jackets.

They all exchanged hugs and "see you soon"s and started heading for their cars.

Chloe hung back.

"I really have missed you," she said, standing in front of Beca and holding both her hands.

"I've missed you too," Beca said, afraid she was about to cry.

"I haven't been a very good girlfriend lately," Chloe said. Beca opened her mouth to argue but Chloe shook her head. "I haven't. I… I want to do better. You deserve better."

"Baby, it's okay," Beca said, letting go of Chloe's hands so she could brush a strand of Chloe's hair from her face. "I get it. You've got, like, a million things going on right now. You don't have to worry about me."

"Yes I do," Chloe said. "Of course I do. You're my girlfriend and I love you."

"I love you too," Beca said. "I'm just saying you don't need to put so much pressure on yourself. Just, you know, give me a text every now and then and that'll be enough for me."

Chloe laughed but she still looked like she wanted to cry, so Beca pulled her into a hug.

"You could stay tonight, if you wanted. I could drive you back in the morning," she said.

"I can't," Chloe said. "I have a rehearsal at like 8:30 tomorrow morning, and then classes for the rest of the day."

"Okay," Beca said, trying to hide her disappointment. "You should probably go before Aubrey starts honking her horn."

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I probably should."

"Thank you for coming," Beca said. "It really means a lot that you guys came down to see me." She gave Chloe a quick kiss. "I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Of course."

They hugged and kissed one last time before Chloe left and climbed into Aubrey's car. They all waved out of the window and Beca watched them drive away, feeling the familiar sickness in her stomach return.

After they turned the corner and disappeared from view, Beca closed her front door.

She went back to the den and started to tidy up.

"We can do this," her dad said as she came into the kitchen with her arms full of glasses. "It's your birthday, you should go and have fun."

"It's fine," Beca said, loading glasses into the dishwasher. She didn't bother asking her dad who she was supposed to be having fun with.

"Did you have a nice time?" Sheila asked.

"Yeah," Beca said, though she wasn't really sure she had. She had been happy to see them all, and she'd liked listening to their college stories, and she had missed them all a lot. But there had been a lot of inside jokes, and whenever they'd asked her what she'd been up to she hadn't had anything to say. And Chloe… Things felt different with Chloe. She had seemed tired and stressed and not herself.

"Bec?"

"Yeah?" Beca said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"I said we'll tidy up," her dad said. "Go enjoy the rest of your birthday."

She opened her mouth to argue but her dad shook his head so she sighed and left. She trudged upstairs to her room and dropped down onto her bed.

How was she supposed to enjoy what was left of her birthday? She couldn't go anywhere or see anyone. She pulled out her phone and took a picture of herself wearing her new 'I love Chloe' t-shirt with a sad face.

She sent it to Chloe with the caption 'Miss you already xxx'

Chloe's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she smiled when she pulled it out.

Chloe: I miss you too xxx

She saved the picture, making a mental note to print it out at her next opportunity.

Her smile slipped as she thought about how quiet Beca had been. She wondered if anyone else had noticed

"So, did you think Beca seemed a little… off?" She asked as they drove down the highway.

"Off how?" Aubrey asked, frowning.

"She just seemed quieter," Chloe said.

"She's always been quiet," Stacie said from the back seat.

"Not like this," Chloe said. "She doesn't usually say much, but when she does it's always something funny or sarcastic. She just seemed sad."

"I'm sure she's fine Chlo'," Aubrey said, glancing away from the road to look at Chloe. "She probably just misses you."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I guess." But to Chloe it felt like something more. Beca had seemed like the Beca she'd first met. The Beca who didn't speak unless she was asked a question. Who sat by herself at parties. Who seemed… sad.

She reached into her pocket and held onto the USB Beca had given her. Whatever she had been feeling the past few months would be written in these songs.

As soon as they got back to their dorm room, Chloe grabbed her laptop and plugged the USB in, tapping a hand on her thigh impatiently as she waited for them to download.

"Stacie and the others are going to grab some food, do you wanna go?" Aubrey asked.

Chloe shook her head, plugging her headphones into her laptop. "I ate at Beca's."

"Okay," Aubrey said."Do you mind if I go?"

"Of course not," Chloe said, tearing her eyes away from her screen to smile at Aubrey. "I'm gonna have an early night anyway."

"I'll try not to wake you when I get back then," Aubrey said. She hesitated before leaving. "I know you're worried about Beca, but I'm sure she's fine."

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I know. Go on, you're gonna be late."

Aubrey left and Chloe changed into her pyjamas before climbing into bed and pressing play on the first new song.

She didn't move for the next hour and a half.

She had been right.

If her music was anything to go by, Beca was sad. And lonely. And Chloe couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. By the third song, tears had already reached Chloe's neck. When she heard Beca's cover of Heart's Don't Break Around Here by Ed Sheeran, she broke down completely. It was the first time she'd really heard Beca sing, and it was so beautiful and heartbreaking and so different to anything Beca had done before, that she couldn't hold it together.

She pulled out her phone and called her.

"Hello?" Beca's voice was raspy and Chloe realised she must have woken her up.

"Hey," Chloe said, forcing herself to keep her voice steady. "Did I wake you?"

"What time is it?" Beca said, clearing her throat. "Is it only 10? Jeez, that's embarrassing. No, you didn't wake me, I was up partying."

Chloe laughed and closed her eyes. She could picture Beca as clearly as if she was there. She would be sitting up in bed, her legs crossed. Her hair would be messy and her eyes would be half shut. Chloe felt an ache inside as she thought about how much she wished she was there.

She wanted to be able to rest her hand on Beca's back as she always did when Beca woke during the night. She wanted to ease her back down onto her pillow, and pull the blanket back around them. She wanted to brush the hair from her face, and lean in to kiss her. She wanted it so bad it was painful.

"Chlo'? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, wiping her eyes. "Yeah I'm fine. I just finished listening to your new stuff."

"And it was so bad it made you cry?"

Chloe laughed again. "No," she said. "No it was beautiful. It was so beautiful I had to tell you. And… And I'm sorry, Beca."

"Sorry for what?" Beca asked, clearly concerned now.

"I've not been there for you like I promised I would. But I'm going to do better. I promise I'm going to do better," she said.

"Hey," Beca said softly. "I told you, you're doing fine Chlo'. I'm not mad or upset with you or any of those things. I understand."

"But," Chloe said, her voice breaking, "you're sad."

She heard Beca sigh, and she knew she'd have her eyes closed and would be pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, I am," Beca said quietly. "But that isn't your fault. It's just… I got so used to you being here. And I just miss you. But it isn't your fault, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for calling and," she swallowed, unable to keep the tears back, "and… I'm going to do better."

"Chloe," Beca said, her voice firm. "Do you need me to come down there?"

Yes, Chloe thought. "No," she said. "No I'm fine, Becs. I just miss you. And I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to worry," Beca said. Chloe could hear the sheets rustling and she knew Beca would be lying back down. "I'll be okay, I promise. You just need to look after yourself, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said, lying down too.

"I'm sorry my songs made you cry," Beca said.

Chloe laughed and wiped her eyes. "They really were beautiful, Becs."

"I love you, you know?"

"I love you too," Chloe replied, closing her eyes again. "I don't want to hang up."

"Then don't," Beca said.

When Aubrey got back later that night, she saw Chloe fast asleep with her phone on the pillow beside her. She didn't know it, but an hour down the road Beca was lying in the same position, their phones still connected.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 31

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it means so much to me that you guys understand I need to take a break every now and then :)

Please keep reviewing/liking/reblogging, it really helps to keep me going.

Fanfic.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 31

Chloe's first month at Barden seemed to fly by. It felt like one minute she was unpacking her boxes into her dorm room, and the next she was having a hood pulled over her head and being dragged to one of the University's auditoriums. When it was ripped off she saw she was standing with a bunch of other confused girls. Both Aubrey and Stacie were amongst them.

Out of the shadows stepped a girl in a pristine Bellas uniform, and Chloe almost squealed with excitement.

They were each handed a blue and yellow Bellas scarf and asked to repeat some… weird things about Treblemakers and wolves. It was all very dramatic, but Chloe didn't care. She had made it into the Bellas with her best friends, just like they'd always planned.

"Okay ladies," Alice, their leader, said as they walked into their first hood night party. "Try not to act like sluts tonight. Anyone caught treble-boning will be kicked out."

"I guess that oath was serious," Aubrey said, as she, Chloe and Stacie made their way through the party, looking for someone they knew.

"It's not gonna be easy to follow that rule," Stacie said, before gesturing to her junk. "He's a hunter."

"It creeps me out when you call it a dude," Aubrey said, with a shudder.

They saw Jesse frantically waving them over. "Bellas!" He yelled.

"How much has he had to drink?" Chloe asked, laughing as he stumbled over the benches to get to them.

"Guess who's in Treble?!" He said. "I'm one of those a cappella boys your mothers warned you about."

"Actually you're one of those Treblemaker's we're not allowed to talk to," Chloe said, laughing. "We just swore an oath."

"Well that's lame," he said, frowning. "Did you swear this oath too Aubrey?"

"I'm afraid so," she said.

"Well I'm gonna go find Benji. He didn't swear an oath not to hang out with me," Jesse said, before he stormed off dramatically.

"I guess Benji's a Treble too," Aubrey said, spotting him in the crowd.

"So… No Treble-boning allowed, huh? How do you feel about that?" Chloe asked as they made themselves drinks. She hadn't drunk much since she'd been at college, but she had discovered that she hated beer and loved vodka with cranberry juice.

"What do you mean?" Aubrey asked, sticking with just soda. She hadn't taken to the whole drunken part of college. She had far too much work to do, and someone had to keep an eye on Chloe.

"Come on," Chloe said, grinning. "I know you and Jesse like each other."

Aubrey blushed. She looked behind her to make sure he wasn't in ear-shot. "I just think he's nice," she said.

"Ah ha," Stacie replied. "Sure. And Chloe and Beca are just good friends."

"Shut up," Aubrey said, laughing.

"Have you guys even talked about it?" Chloe asked.

Aubrey bit her lip and grinned. "We… We've discussed it. Before college started."

"And?" Stacie asked.

"We may be going on a date," she said, blushing furiously again. Chloe and Stacie both squealed in excitement. "A secret date!" She added, looking around in case Alice was nearby. "A very low key secret date that is no where near this campus."

"Oh my god this is so exciting!" Chloe said, clapping her hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well you and Beca were in your little bubble before college," Aubrey said. "Which is fine. I just didn't want to… interrupt it."

"You'd never be interrupting," she said, feeling guilty. She'd promised herself she wouldn't neglect their friendship after the last time, and she hated thinking she'd done it again.

"It's okay," Aubrey said. "We didn't want to make it a big deal."

"So what will you guys do now?" Stacie asked. "Alice looked pretty serious about the oath."

"I guess we'll just keep it a secret," Aubrey said. "I'll talk to him about it. He isn't the best at being subtle."

The girls carried on talking and drinking and soon found themselves dancing and singing with all the other a cappella people. Chloe was happy. She was having fun. She was having the college experience she'd dreamed about. And she didn't feel the vibrating of her phone in her pocket.

"Hi! Sorry I can't come to the phone right now! Leave a message!"

Chloe's chirpy answerphone message rang out of Beca's phone.

"Hey Chlo', I just wanted to say that I hope you're okay and that you're having fun. I saw Jesse's picture of all of you on Instagram so I wanted to say well done for getting into the Bellas. Just give me a call or text when you get this. Love you."

Beca ended the call and lay back down in bed. She looked back at the picture Jesse had posted. Aubrey, Stacie, and Chloe were all in front, grinning broadly. Jesse and Benji were behind them. They were all squashed together, trying to fit into the photo. All laughing at something one of them had said. The caption read 'a cappella nerds know how to party! #bardenbellas #treblemakers #acapellanewbies'

She scrolled through some more of his photos. There was one of him and Benji, posing in front of their Star Wars themed dorm room. Another of the two boys eating enormous burgers at a diner. A lot of the whole group either at diners or at parties or just hanging out together on campus. She was glad to see Chloe looking happily on all of them. She put her phone down on her chest and closed her eyes.

She missed them. Not just Chloe, but all her friends. Even before she'd gotten close to Chloe, Jesse and Benji were always there to drag her places. Now it was just her.

Chloe had been home to visit two weekends out of the four she'd been away, but she'd been busy catching up with her parents that Beca had only seen her for a night each time. She looked well. Tired but happy.

In the beginning they'd Skyped every night and had texted constantly, but once Chloe started getting busier with work and preparing for her Bellas audition, the texts and skype sessions became less frequent. And Beca wasn't angry, she just missed her. Chloe had spent most of her teenage life dreaming of going to Barden and joining the Bellas, and now she was there Beca didn't want to interrupt it.

So for now, she was content with the sporadic texts she got and the pictures they posted on social media.

She tried to keep herself busy. She had set up her desk and mixing equipment in the den and spent most of her day in there making music. Her plan was to work for a few months really perfecting her music and finding her sound before she started applying for jobs at record labels.

The trouble was, there was only one in Barden, and it happened to be the hardest one to get into. Residual Heat had produced some of Beca's favourite albums, and she was desperate to go and work there.

She wasn't sure when her dream of moving to L.A. to work had changed to staying in Barden and working at Residual Heat, but she assumes it had something to do with Chloe.

She didn't even remember making the decision not the move this year, but when she was researching record labels, she had all but skimmed past the ones in L.A.

Her phone buzzed on her chest and her heart leapt, thinking it might be Chloe.

Dad: Sheila and I forgot our keys can you come let us in?

Oh yeah, that had happened too. Sheila had moved in about a week ago, and Beca was glad. She liked Sheila, and it meant her dad wasn't away for days or weeks at a time.

She went downstairs to let them in.

"Thanks Becs, we didn't want to knock because Jasper would wake the whole neighbourhood up," he said.

"How was the movie?" Beca asked.

"Pretty good," her Dad said, helping Sheila out of her coat before taking his own off. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," she said.

"Did you Skype Chloe?" Sheila asked.

"She, um, she had her Bellas initiation party tonight so we didn't get to," Beca said. "We're gonna try tomorrow." In truth, Beca had had no idea Chloe was at a party until she saw Jesse's picture. She had sent her a few texts asking if they were still on for Skype, but hand't gotten a reply. "I'm gonna head back to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They both said goodnight and Beca headed back to bed.

It was only 10pm, and she felt lame pulling on her pyjamas at this time. But there was nothing else for her to do, so she crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep. She put one of her mellow playlists on her phone, and tried not to cry as every song made her think about Chloe.

The rest of the month carried on like that. Chloe's texts became more and more infrequent, and she hadn't been home for weeks. Beca wondered if Chloe would be home for her birthday on Halloween, but she assumed she wouldn't.

She knew there was a big University Halloween party happening the Saturday before Halloween on campus, and that Chloe and the others would probably want to go to it. She knew they'd all be too tired and hungover to want to travel all the way home for a few hours the day after. She didn't mind. She had never liked having a big fuss on her birthday.

She was right.

She woke up at around 11am on her birthday to a phone full of text messages.

She smiled as she replied to them all, spending a little longer replying to Chloe's.

Chloe: I hate that I'm missing your birthday xxx

Beca: I know you do, but it's okay. You've got a lot of stuff on and from what I've seen on Facebook last night was a crazy party xxx

Chloe: God, I'm so hungover I never want to go to a party again. You should have come, Beca. I missed you xxx

A few days before they had finally managed to Skype each other. Chloe had begged her to come to the party the university was throwing, but Beca hadn't wanted to.

Beca: I'm sorry I wasn't there, but you know I'm not big on crowds and stuff. I miss you too xxx

Her dad knocked on her door before opening it.

"Hey Becs, Sheila and I are gonna take you out for lunch," he said.

"Why?"

"It's your birthday," he said.

"Sheila still hasn't gotten used to our low-key vibe has she?"

"No," he said. "She's determined to make us a proper family. Happy Birthday by the way."

"Thanks," she said. "I should probably get dressed then." She looked down at her phone once her dad had left and saw that Chloe had text her again.

Chloe: Did you get your present? xxx

Beca: Nope. I guess it will arrive tomorrow since there's no mail on Sundays? xxx

Chloe: Damn, I paid extra to make sure it would reach you by today xxx

Beca: I told you not to get anything for my birthday. You're a poor student, you need to save your cash. I gotta go, I need to get dressed my dad and Sheila are taking me out for lunch xxx

Chloe: Yeah I gotta go too. I need a nap before rehearsal. Love you xxx

Beca: Love you too xxx

Beca got dressed and headed downstairs. Her dad and Sheila were sitting at the kitchen table, a couple of cards and a present were waiting for her.

"Happy Birthday!" Sheila said before squeezing Beca into a hug.

"Thanks," Beca said, still not used to Sheila's happy, loving, personality.

"You wanna open these now or wait?" Her dad asked.

"I guess I'll open them now," she said. She opened the first card and a $50 note slid out.

'To Beca, Happy Birthday! Love Mom xx'

Beca had to re-read it to make sure it was real. Her thumb brushed over the hand-written 'Mom'. They had similar handwriting.

"Bec?"

"It's from my…" She cleared her throat. "It's from my Mom."

"Oh," her dad said, sitting back in his chair. "Well, good. It's about time you got some birthday cards from her."

"Yeah," Beca said, closing it and putting it back on the table. "I guess."

She opened another one from Chloe's parents which made her smile. Robbie and Aliza had clearly written their own names at the bottom. She'd have to remember to tell Chloe to thank them for her.

The third card was from her dad and Sheila.

She felt a small pang when she realised none of her friends had sent her a card, but then she figured that's what texting and Facebook was for, so she pushed it out of her mind.

She opened the present, which was a new mixing board from her dad and Sheila.

"Oh cool!" She said looking it over.

"It's the right one right?" Her dad asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "This is awesome, thank you guys so much."

"You're welcome," her dad said, smiling. He checked his watch. "Ooh, we should get going."

They piled into her dad's car who drove them to Beca's favourite restaurant.

She tried to be happy as they ate and talked, but she was aware that her smile kept slipping. She missed Chloe. Really missed her. She had hoped that she'd see her today, since it had been a few weeks since she'd been home.

She noticed her dad kept checking his phone throughout the lunch, and seemed distracted when he was asked if they wanted a dessert menu.

"Huh? Dessert?" He checked his watch again. "Sure."

He kept ordering more drinks for them, even after Beca insisted she was full to bursting, and eventually paid the bill and left, a whole two and a half hours later.

When they got back to the house, Beca was so full and tired she wanted to take a nap, but her dad sent her into the den to grab a dvd.

"But I don't want to watch a movie," Beca moaned.

"Just get it please," he said.

She walked into the den and was hit by a shout of "Surprise!"

"Holy shit!" She shouted, jumping three feet in the air. "What the hell guys?!"

Chloe, Aubrey, Jesse, Stacie, Benji, and Fat Amy were all standing there, laughing at Beca's reaction. There were balloons everywhere and a Happy Birthday banner.

"Happy Birthday!" They shouted before she was pulled into an enormous group hug.

"You guys gave me a heart attack," she said, when they pulled away. "What are you all doing here?"

"Well we filled your house with balloons and shouted surprise, so I guess we're here for a root canal," Fat Amy said, rolling her eyes. "Why do you think we're here birthday girl?"

"No but you all have class tomorrow," Beca said, looking at them, still in shock.

"We can drive back up tonight," Jesse said.

"I… I don't know what to say," Beca said, laughing.

"Do you really think we would have missed your birthday?" Chloe asked, speaking for the first time. She sounded quieter than usual. And she looked a little tired. "Since you wouldn't come to the party last night, we brought it to you."

"But with much less alcohol and fewer costumes," Stacie said. "And less," she gestured to her chest, "cleavage on display."

"The afternoon is young," Jesse said with a wink. "This party could get wild."

They all laughed but for now, Beca only had eyes for Chloe.

"Told you I'd get your present to you on time," Chloe said, handing her a small package. Beca opened it and laughed when an t-shirt with 'I love Chloe' written on it fell out. Chloe unzipped her jacket and Beca saw she was wearing her 'I love Beca' t-shirt. "I also got you this," she said, before pulling her into a kiss.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 30

I am so immensely sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have had a really stressful month, and I spent a large part of it pretty unwell. I'm better now, but my life is still a bit stressful at the minute so I can't promise updates will be more frequent. I'm also not really happy with how this chapter turned out, but I needed to move the time forward so I hope you all don't hate it.

I have no right to beg for reviews but if you can find it in you to leave me one/like/reblog, I'll be super grateful.

fanfiction.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.

Chapter 30

Beca watched nervously as her dad looked at the sheet of paper that had her final grades on it.

High school was effectively over, they just had prom and then graduation. Then a final summer together before everyone went off to college.

Everyone except Beca that is.

Her dad sighed quietly before he smiled.

"You passed," he said, looking up from the paper. "Good job, Becs."

Beca let out a shaky sigh of relief and hugged him. A few months ago, he would have chewed her out for grades like this, but now he was just happy she'd passed. Her grades weren't strong enough to go to Barden, but she didn't care about that. She was just relieved she'd get to graduate with all her friends next week.

"So, now we should talk about what happens next," he said. "I'm gonna give you a year to figure out what you want to do. You don't have to get a job, but you can if you want to. You can work on your music or try and get an internship, or whatever you want. But don't waste it. At the end of the year, you'll either have a job, or you'll be applying for college." Beca opened her mouth to protest but her dad cut her off. "I know you don't want to go to college, but I don't want you to miss out on this opportunity. Deal?"

"Okay," Beca said. "Deal."

"I'm proud of you," he said, hugging her again.

"Thanks," she said, looking down at her grades again. She had worked hard for this. They all had. And tonight they were going to celebrate.

"Are you gonna tell your Mom?" He asked.

"Um, yeah I guess so," she said. It still felt weird hearing him talk about her.

"You guys are still talking?"

"We text every now and then, yeah," Beca said.

"Good," he said with a smile. "So, what time do you want me out of the house for tonight?" Her dad asked, returning to his coffee and newspaper.

"You don't have to leave the house," she said, "but people are gonna start arriving by seven."

"No, no, I know when I'm not wanted," he said with a wink.

"You're still going to Sheila's for a few days?" She asked.

"That's the plan," he said.

"Aren't you tired of doing the long distance thing?" She asked, after a small silence.

He shrugged. "It won't be forever. And she's worth all the effort it takes." He looked at her. "Why?"

"No reason," she said. "You're not worried she's gonna meet someone else? Someone better?"

"I'm shocked that you'd think there is a better man alive than me," he said, acting offended.

Beca laughed and shook her head.

"I trust her," he said. "And she trusts me. And you should trust Chloe."

Beca looked up and he gave her a knowing smile. "I do trust her," she said. "I know she'd never cheat or anything. But she's going to college. She's going to meet so many new people. What if she meets someone she likes better than me?" She'd never planned on voicing these worries to her dad, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. As soon as she'd gotten the text that morning from Chloe telling her she had gotten into Barden, she'd started worrying.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you that that isn't a possibility, because it is. She's going to a new place with a lot of new people. She's going to make a lot of new friends and have a lot of new experiences," he said.

"You aren't helping," Beca said with a groan.

"But I know Chloe loves you," he said, ignoring her interruption. "She really loves you, and I know you love her. I have absolute faith that you will both be fine. And remember, she's going to the college I work at, so I can always convince her professors to set her so much work that she won't have time to socialise," he added with another wink.

Beca laughed again. "That would be great, thanks."

Later that night, all her friends were gathered in her den talking excitedly about the future.

Beca's music was playing low in the background as they all just sat and talked.

"This summer is going to have to be awesome," Jesse said, taking a drink of beer he'd gotten his older brother to buy him. "It's our last summer of freedom. Our last one together."

"Jeez, Jess, you make it sound like we're dying," Aubrey said.

"I'm just saying, it's all gonna change when we go to college," he said.

"I mean, we're all going to Barden, apart from Beca. It's not like we're all spread across the country," Stacie said.

"Or maybe you're just lamenting that you won't be able to drink your shitty beer in my den?" Beca asked.

"Well if it's so shitty then I'll have that bottle back," he said, reaching to take it away from her.

"No," Beca said, drinking. "It's mine now."

The others laughed before they fell quiet again, all of them thinking about what was coming.

"You really don't think anything will change?" Jesse asked, looking around the room.

Chloe, who had been relatively quiet all night, squeezed Beca's hand a little tighter. She was sitting with her head on Beca's shoulder, one hand holding Beca's, the other stroking up and down Beca's arm.

"I think everything will change," Beca said, looking down at hers and Chloe's hands. She could feel a lump forming in her throat but she ignored it. "And…" she cleared her throat. "I'm gonna miss you guys. I'm gonna miss this."

"That's why we make this summer count," Jesse said. "Right?"

"Right," Benji said, nodding his head in agreement.

The others started talking about what they should do over the summer, and Beca squeezed Chloe's hand.

"We'll have to take a lot more pictures. I'm gonna need to create a whole new photo wall in my dorm room," Chloe said.

"Then we should start right now," Beca said, pulling out her phone and taking a quick selfie of the two of them. "I'm gonna need you to fill every inch of your walls with photographs of me. Just so everyone who goes in your room knows the score."

Chloe laughed. "Do you want me to wear an 'I love Beca' t-shirt too?"

"I mean I assumed those were the only t-shirts you owned." Beca said, causing Chloe to laugh more. "At least I know what to get you for a going away present now."

"You're such a weirdo," Chloe said laughing. The pair were unaware that the rest of the room had gone quiet to listen to them. "I want to spend every day of the next few weeks with you," Chloe said.

"Then that's what we'll do," Beca replied.

And so they did.

They spent a lot of time as a big group, but at the end of every hangout Beca and Chloe would go home together. Sometimes they'd go back to Beca's, sometimes to Chloe's, but they never slept alone that whole summer.

They would spend all day with their friends, and all night with each other.

"Do you think we're making it harder by doing this?" Chloe asked one night as they lay together, half tangled in their sheets.

"What do you mean?" Beca asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Chloe's ear.

"We're so used to being together all the time, isn't it going to make it harder when we have to be apart?"

"Maybe," Beca said, feeling the familiar gut-punch she got whenever she thought of Chloe not being there. "But I'd definitely regret not spending every second I could with you."

"Me too," Chloe said, leaning in to kiss her.

Beca could honestly say that that summer with Chloe and her friends was the best time of her life. If she hadn't had the black cloud of everyone leaving looming over her, she would have described it as perfect.

But every happy moment was tinged with sadness that it was all about to change. That they were all about to leave her.

On their last night together, Beca had cried quietly, staring up at the ceiling while Chloe slept next to her.

All of Chloe's clothes and the things she was taking with her were packed in boxes in her room. Even some of the photos from her wall had gone. Placed in some box for Chloe to put up in her new room.

"Please don't cry," Chloe whispered, reaching up to brush a tear from her cheek.

"I don't want you to leave me," Beca replied, choking on her words.

Chloe closed her eyes and forced herself to keep it together. "I'm scared too," she said. "I'm scared that I won't be able to handle the work load. I'm scared I won't get into the Bellas. I'm scared my eating will fall apart again. But I'm most afraid that I'll have to do it all without you." A tear slid down her cheek. "But I know you'll still be there for me. I know I can call you at anytime, and I know I'll still see you most weekends."

"Of course I'll be there for you," Beca said, wiping her eyes. "I'll be there anytime, day or night."

"And I'll be there for you too. I promise. You're not going to lose me," Chloe said.

"I just… I'm going to miss seeing you everyday," Beca said. "I'm going to miss sleeping next to you, and I'm going to miss waking up with you. I love you so much."

"I'm going to miss you too," Chloe said. She pulled Beca into a hug and held her tightly, fighting back her own tears as she felt Beca sob against her. "I love you more than I can say." She kissed Beca on the top of the head. "We can do this. I know we can."

The next morning, both Beca and Chloe did their best not to cry.

Beca managed to make it through breakfast, but Chloe started halfway through her cereal at the same time as her Mom.

"She isn't moving to France," Johnny said, trying desperately to lighten the mood as his Mom's and Chloe's crying had set the twins off.

Beca kept it together as she loaded up the last of Chloe's boxes into her truck. She would be driving Chloe while Chloe's Mom and dad would follow them.

She almost lost it when they were driving down the highway and Ed Sheeran's 'Castle on the Hill' started playing, but Chloe had managed to regain her composure by then, and she didn't want to set her off.

"I can't show up to my first day of college looking like I've spent the last 24 hours crying all the liquid out of me," she said, fixing her makeup.

"You remembered to pack your 'I love Beca' t-shirt right?"

"All ten of them," Chloe replied.

Beca had actually gotten her one as a joke, but she was planning to wear it anyway, even if it was just to sleep in.

All too soon, they arrived at the University and Beca and Chloe's parents helped her find her dorm and get all her stuff moved in.

Aubrey arrived not long after, her parents gave her a quick goodbye hug and left her to it. Beca wasn't sure what she expected from the Posens, but considering Chloe's Mom and dad were currently squeezing Chloe into the tightest hug she'd ever seen, it wasn't that.

"We're gonna meet up with Jesse and Benji outside their dorm and Stacie is coming later," Aubrey said, checking her phone. "Are you gonna come Beca?"

Beca looked at Chloe before shaking her head. "No, I'm gonna head back. It's high time you college kids started doing… college stuff."

"Beca," Chloe said softly. "You can still come hang out with us you know."

"I know," Beca said. "But not today. Someone might mistake me for a student and ask me a difficult question."

The people staying across the hall from them poked their heads in to say hello and both Beca and Chloe's parents decided this would be a good time to leave.

"I love you," Beca said as she hugged Chloe. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Chloe replied, her voice cracking.

"I'm a phone call away, okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said, trying to force the tears back. She let out a shaky breath. "Okay." Beca took that as her cue to let go.

As Chloe hugged her parents again, Beca gave Aubrey a hug goodbye.

"I'll look after her," Aubrey said, quietly.

"I know you will."

Beca made the drive home in silence. She couldn't bring herself to listen to any music, because she knew every song would remind her of Chloe. And she didn't want to start crying in the middle of the highway.

She got home and was greeted with more silence. Her dad would be at work for the rest of the day.

There was something painfully familiar about it all.

She clipped Jasper's leash onto his collar, and they walked together into the woods, down towards her clearing.

It had started getting colder, and she pulled her jacket tighter.

She reached her clearing and took a seat where she always did.

The silence settled around her like an old comfortable blanket.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 29

Once again I apologise for my lack of updates, life is a bit crazy for me at the minute. I hope this was worth the wait.

Please review/like/reblog

Fanfiction.net

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 29

"I'll be right over there, okay? Just a few tables away," Chloe said, giving Beca's hand a squeeze before she moved to an empty table in the cafe.

Beca had spent five days convincing herself that she didn't want to meet her mother. Five days convincing herself she didn't need her. She'd made it this long without her, why would she need her now?

Just when she'd made her decision to throw the email address in the trash and never think of her again, Beca received a Facebook message.

Lauren Burns: Just meet me for coffee.

Beca Mitchell: Why?

They went back and forward for hours until Beca finally agreed to meet her for a coffee.

Now, however, as she watched her mother enter the cafe, she was starting to regret that decision.

Chloe squeezed her hand and moved away. Beca saw her Mom's eyes follow Chloe across the room.

"Friend of yours?" She asked, taking a seat opposite.

"Girlfriend," Beca replied, watching her warily, as if she was about to transform into something else.

Her Mom's eyebrows raised slightly but she didn't comment.

Beca just kept staring, her hands gripping the mug in front of her. Her knuckles were still slightly bruised.

Chloe had been beside herself when they'd woken up the morning after she'd gotten home and she'd seen them.

"What if you'd broken your hands?!"

"So are you just going to sit there staring at me?" She asked, with a nervous laugh. She ran a hand through her hair the way Beca sometimes did when she was stressed.

"I figured I'd leave all the hard work to you," Beca said.

"Wow, you're really not gonna make this easy on me, huh?"

"Can you blame me?" Beca asked. "Why are you even here anyway?"

"I just… I wanted to see you. I want to get to know you. I want to at least try and make up for the last twelve years," her Mom said.

"Well, you can't. You can't make up for that kind of thing. And you've had twelve years to get to know me, why now?"

"My… um… my therapist thought it was a good idea. My husband agrees," she said, looking awkward.

Beca shouldn't have been surprised that her Mom had remarried, but she was.

"Do you have kids?"

"No," she said. "I meant it when I said I wasn't the Mom type."

They were silent again, and Beca drank some of her now cold coffee.

"How did you find me on Facebook?" Beca asked, feeling the need to break the silence.

"You were the only Beca who spelled their name with one C," her Mom said. "Do you want another coffee?"

"No thanks," Beca said.

More silence followed.

All the questions Beca had wanted to ask over the years were sitting on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring herself to ask.

"So," her Mom said, looking around for something to say, "your dad said you make music?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Mash-ups mostly. But I wanna be a music producer one day."

"Oh, that's really great! Are you gonna go to college for that?"

"I'm not going to college," Beca said, with a huff of annoyance.

"You aren't? Why not? You've got to go to college Becs, you'll love-"

"You don't get to lecture me about this," Beca said, cutting her off. "My dad can get on my case about college, but not you. And don't call me Becs."

"You don't like it? I used to call you it when you were a little girl."

"I don't like it when you call me it," Beca said.

"Okay," her Mom said with a sigh. "No college talk, and no nicknames. So I guess I should call you Rebeca then?"

Beca winced, and her Mom chuckled softly. "I'll take that as a no. So... come on, give me something to work with here. What can we talk about?"

"We can talk about you walking out," Beca said.

Her Mom sighed again. "Okay. If that's what you want."

"It is," Beca said.

"So… Um… I guess the first thing to understand is how young I was. I was 18 when you were born. The same age you are now. I'd never… Never planned on having kids. Your dad always wanted them, and he was a little older than me. A little more mature maybe. He wanted-"

"A big family," Beca said, cutting her off. "I know this part. I know I wasn't planned, and I know you didn't… want me." Beca cleared her throat. "You can skip ahead."

"You were wanted," her Mom said. She sounded sad. "If I didn't want you, I wouldn't have had you. You weren't planned but you were wanted. And then when you were born I felt this overwhelming… fear. And love. They were always battling each other. I loved you so, so much, but I was terrified. I kept thinking I'd accidentally hurt you. I didn't know what I was doing and you looked at me with these big blue eyes and it was like you knew." Her Mom ran a hand through her hair again.

"So why did you wait until I was six before you left? Why not just go straight away? Why wait until I was old enough to remember you?" Beca asked, clutching the empty mug in front of her.

"I never planned on leaving," her Mom said, tears sparkling in her eyes now. "But I had all these plans. All these things I wanted to do. And then one day I got a call from a friend who was living in Paris. She invited me to come and stay. I'd always wanted to go, and your dad and I were basically over at this point. So… I said yes. I thought I'd only be gone for a few weeks. But I just… couldn't come back."

"So you left me because you wanted to go to Paris? And that couldn't have waited until I was older? I grew up without a Mom because you wanted a vacation?" Tears burned Beca's eyes, but she refused to look away from the woman in front of her.

"I wasn't a good Mom," she said. "I told myself you'd be better off without me. But you're right, it was selfish and childish. But I was practically a child-"

"You were twenty-four. You aren't a child at twenty-four. I was a child. I was six," Beca said, furious. "I get you were young when you had me, and you had all these dreams, but I… I needed you and you just," her voice cracked but she carried on, "you left and you didn't come back."

"I'm sorry Becs, I never meant-"

"Don't," Beca said, her voice harsh. "Don't give me sorry. You know I used to stay up all night and beg and pray for you to come home? I used to promise God, or whoever, that I'd be a good girl if you came back. I used to think about what an awful kid I must have been for you to leave. The other kids used to say my Mom didn't love me, and I used to fight them, but deep down I knew they were right. I mean… You didn't even write to me! You just vanished." Beca was fighting to keep it together. Her Mom reached across the table to take her hand and Beca jerked it back as if she'd been burned, nearly knocking her mug from the table.

"You weren't a bad kid, Beca," her Mom said. "I promise you, you weren't the reason I left. I loved you with every bit of my heart. And I thought about you everyday."

"What good is that to me now? I can't go back and tell that little girl that her Mom really did love her. You can't just come back into my life now that I don't need you."

"I can't change what happened," her Mom said. "I can't fix what I've done. And I wish I'd done things differently. I should have kept in touch, but I thought it would be easier if I didn't."

"Easier for you," Beca said. "I just don't know what you want from me now."

"I want to get to know my daughter," she said, looking desperate. "Please, Beca. I know I fucked up. I know you hate me, and you have every right to. But I want a relationship with you. I've wanted this for so long, but I've been too afraid to take that leap."

"I thought you didn't want to be a Mom," Beca said.

"I don't. I don't want anymore kids. But I want to be your Mom."

"For how long this time? A week? A month? A couple of years? When will you decide you can't do it and run away?" Beca asked. She was so close to breaking, she didn't think she'd be able to sit there any longer.

"Just give me a chance, Beca. I go back to Maine next week, but I want us to keep in touch. Just say you'll think about it," she added when Beca didn't say anything. "Give me something here."

"Fine, I'll think about it," Beca said. "But if I decide I don't want to, then you need to accept that. Don't message me or turn up at my house."

"Sure, that's fair. For the record, I am sorry for just turning up at your home like that. That was wrong of me. And asking you for a hug like that was… It was stupid. I was just so nervous," she said. "Anyway, just… let me know when you decide."

"Okay," Beca said. She glanced over at Chloe's table who was reading. As if she'd been waiting for her, Chloe looked up from her book and gave her a smile. Beca couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay?" Chloe mouthed.

Beca started nodding but then shook her head. She wasn't okay.

Chloe frowned and closed her book. She could see tears in Beca's eyes and it broke her heart. She had overheard a few heated things Beca had said, but she hadn't wanted to eavesdrop.

She wanted to go over there. To put an arm around Beca and let her cry. But she didn't want to interrupt, so she waited.

"You can invite her over here you know?" Beca's Mom said, smiling at the way Beca and Chloe were looking at each other. "If she's your girlfriend, I'd like to meet her."

Beca hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted her Mom to meet Chloe. She hadn't decided if she wanted a relationship with her Mom yet, but introducing her to Chloe would be taking a step in that direction. On the other hand, she wanted Chloe. And in the end, that won out.

She gestured for Chloe to come over and the redhead was at her side in seconds.

"Chloe, this is… my Mom Lauren," Beca said. "Mom, this is my girlfriend Chloe." It had taken a lot for her to call Lauren Mom. It felt strange coming out of her mouth. It felt alien. She hadn't called her that in twelve years.

"Nice to meet you Chloe," her Mom said.

"You too," Chloe said, her smile slightly forced. It was hard to sit in front of the woman who'd abandoned Beca at the age of six, and say it was nice to meet her.

Beca took her hand and squeezed it, holding onto her as if Chloe was her life line.

Beca's Mom checked her watch.

"I have to go," she said. "It was really great to see you Beca. I hope we can talk again soon."

"Yeah, I'll, uh, think about it," Beca said.

"It's probably too soon for me to ask for a hug, right?"

"Um… Yeah, I think so. Sorry," she said.

"You don't have to say sorry," her Mom said. "You don't owe me anything. I just thought I'd ask since I don't know if I'll see you again. And that sounded like a guilt trip but I promise it wasn't."

"It's okay," she said. "I'll message you when I've thought it over."

"Okay Becs. Sorry. Beca," she said, correcting herself. She stood up and gave them both an awkward wave goodbye.

Watching her walk out of the cafe, Beca felt something tugging at her chest.

What if she didn't see her again?

Her Mom said it was her decision, but what if she did decide she wanted a relationship with her, but her Mom abandoned her again?

Or what if she thought it over and decided she didn't want her Mom in her life?

This could be her last chance.

So why wasn't she doing anything about it?

"Becs, take a breath," Chloe said, softly. "What's going on?"

Beca just shook her head, the tightness in her chest getting worse.

Without warning she stood up from the table and ran out of the cafe into the parking lot.

She looked for her Mom's car but, of course, didn't know what it looked like.

I should have hugged her. She's going to leave again.

Chloe was at her side in seconds. "Becs, look at me," she said. "Talk to me."

"She's going to leave again," Beca said, running a hand through her hair and pacing back and forth. "I shouldn't have met with her. I shouldn't have done any of this. She's going to leave me again and I'm gonna get hurt."

Chloe put her hands on Beca's shoulders and stopped her pacing.

"Hey," she said. "Stop. Just breathe for now, okay?"

Beca nodded and tried to slow her breathing.

"I know you're freaked out. But you're in control of what's happening right now. If you want to see her again, you can see her again. If you don't, you don't," Chloe said, in a calm voice. "I can't promise she won't leave again, but from what I saw she seems pretty eager to be in your life. Just remember that you're in control."

Beca nodded again and Chloe pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want her to hurt me again," Beca said, her voice strained.

"I know," Chloe said, kissing the top of her head.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 28

All I can do is apologise 9 billion times. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. I've had some bad writer's block and a few busy weekends. I'll try and make things more regular from now on but I can't promise that.

Even though I don't deserve it, please review/like/reblog

Fanfic.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters.

Chapter 28

After Christmas, time seemed to speed up.

For Beca, the days all to blurred together, but she spent 99% of them with Chloe. Sometimes it was in big groups, but most of the time it was just the two of them. They would study. They would watch movies. They would make out in her truck. They would just be together, and do nothing.

That's why, when spring break came along, Beca suddenly found herself at a loss.

Chloe and Aubrey were spending four days at Barden University. They were going to be living on campus and getting a chance to see what their classes would be like.

"I'll miss you," Chloe had said to Beca when she went to see them off the morning they left.

"It's just four days, weirdo," Beca had replied. "I'll miss you too," she'd added, in a much softer voice as she hugged her.

Beca was at a loss for what to do without her. She spent most of her time in the woods, in her clearing, watching Jasper chase various birds and squirrels and failing to catch a single one.

Beca stood up from her spot under the tree and stretched. She'd been there all day, listening to an audiobook of one of the books they were studying for English. She paused her iPod, and the voice reading Of Mice and Men stopped mid-sentence. She pulled off her headphones and looked around. The leaves had started returning to the trees and the sunlight broke through the canopy in different places. She took a deep breath and felt content. Chloe would be home tomorrow night, and they were going to spend the whole weekend together.

Jasper barked and attempted to once again catch a squirrel.

She whistled and he came running up to her. She attached his leash and the pair walked back home. Her stomach rumbled and she hoped her Dad had started making dinner.

If she had've been paying attention, she would have noticed the strange car parked outside her house. But she wasn't paying attention, so she didn't.

"I'm back, dad," she called into the kitchen once she'd closed the door. She unclipped Jasper and he ran ahead, barking happily as he always did.

If she had've been paying attention, she would have noticed he was making that over excited yappy bark he always did when he met someone new. But she wasn't paying attention, so she didn't.

When she walked into the kitchen, it took her a moment to realise why the stranger sitting at the table with her dad made her stomach flip fifty times.

She even had time to wonder if her dad was having an affair before it clicked.

The woman was almost a complete stranger.

Almost.

A complete stranger, but with Beca's eyes and nose. With Beca's hair. Hair which had once been brightly coloured.

It was like looking at a ghost.

Beca felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Hi Beca," the woman said.

Beca turned and looked wide-eyed and furious at her dad.

"I tried to call," he said, his voice apologetic.

"Are you not gonna come give your mom a hug?"

A cacophony of emotions exploded inside of Beca. She felt like her skull was going to cave in. Whatever was going on inside of her was too much for her to comprehend, so she spun around and left the house, slamming the front door behind her. She climbed into her truck and drove off.

It felt like her head was full of static and white noise. She couldn't breathe. It was coming in small, sharp, gasps, and it felt like someone was sitting on her chest. She could hardly see the road through the tears filling her eyes.

Suddenly, she broke so hard she could smell the burning rubber from the tires. The seatbelt jammed against her shoulder.

Somehow, she found herself parked outside Chloe's house. But, of course, Chloe wasn't in there.

And then she started screaming.

It was a horrible scream. Full of nothing but pain and anger.

She had just looked at the face of the woman who'd abandoned her 12 years ago.

She had heard her speak.

Her voice was achingly familiar, yet completely alien.

She remembered being in her bedroom, on her knees, praying. Praying so hard. Her fingers interlocked so tightly that her nails had dug into her knuckles.

"Please bring my Mommy back. Please. I'll do anything."

Then she started punching her steering wheel.

"Please. Please, I won't be loud anymore. I promise. I promise I'll be good."

She knew she'd punched the car horn a few times but she didn't care. She didn't stop.

"I just want my Mommy to come home."

She was still screaming, still crying, still trying to punching the wheel, when the car door opened and someone took her hands.

"Beca," a familiar voice said. "Stop."

And she listened.

She fell silent and her whoever had her hands was holding them tight enough so she couldn't hit the wheel anymore.

She became aware of her own breathing, which was still fast and shallow, and she tried to calm down. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe slower, but she was still crying hard.

"It's okay," the voice said.

She opened her eyes and saw a redheaded woman reach into her car and remove the keys from the ignition.

Her heart leapt for a second, thinking maybe Chloe had gotten home early, but when she blinked away more tears, she saw it was Chloe's Mom.

"Come on," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and taking her hand.

Beca let Chloe's Mom lead her from the car and towards the house. When she got closer to the front door her steps faltered slightly.

"It's okay," she said, "no one else is home."

Beca soon found herself at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee and a box of tissues in front of her.

At no point did Mrs. Beale pressure her to talk, or ask her what was wrong. She just carried on ironing and folding clothes until Beca was ready to speak.

Beca took a sip of the coffee which was so strong and sweet she almost winced. It did seem to clear her head though, so she took a second drink.

"Where is everyone?" Beca asked. Her throat hurt from all the screaming.

"The twins are at their grandparents. Lucy is in town with some friends. David and Johnny are both still at work. And obviously Chloe is at college," she said. "So, are you going to tell me why you were fighting your car outside my house?"

Beca looked back down at her coffee, and watched the steam rise.

"I didn't mean to come here. I just drove. I didn't know where I was going," Beca said. She clenched her hand and felt pain shoot through it. "My… Mom came back. She was just sitting there in my kitchen."

"Oh," Mrs. Beale said. She abandoned the shirt she was folding so she could sit down next to Beca. "You didn't know she was coming back?"

"No," Beca said. "I didn't even know she was back in America." She clenched her fist again. "Who does that? Who leaves their six-year-old kid and then comes back twelve years later without so much as a letter?" She wiped her eyes impatiently on her sleeve. "What am I supposed to do?"

"What do you want to do?" She asked.

"I don't know," Beca said. "I want her to go away and never come back. But I also want to ask her why she… why she left me."

Mrs. Beale was hugging her before she even realised she was crying again.

"I hate her," Beca said through tears. Mrs. Beale held her tighter. "I begged her not to leave, but she just did it anyway. Why should I let her back into my life now?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Mrs. Beale said, ending their hug. "You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve what she did to you."

"What if I did?" Beca asked. Her voice was small and sad and suddenly all Mrs. Beale could see was a confused and frightened six-year-old sitting across from her. "What if I did deserve it?"

"Of course you didn't," she said. "You could have been the most misbehaving six-year-old on the planet, and you still wouldn't have deserved it. I promise you."

Beca opened her mouth to speak but her phone started ringing in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw her dad was calling. She put it on the table without answering. She wasn't ready to speak to him yet.

"Can I?" Mrs. Beale asked, gesturing at the phone. Beca nodded so she picked it up. "Hello, Beca's phone?" Beca could just about make out her Dad's voice on the other end. "I'm Maggie Beale, Chloe's Mom." Beca wiped her eyes again and drank more coffee. "She's here with me now but I'll be honest she's a bit upset." Beca wished more than anything that Chloe was with her. "Okay. I'll pass the message on. Goodbye Mr. Mitchell." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Beca. "He said she left."

"Oh," Beca said, feeling a mixture of relief and anger. "Of course she did. That's what she does."

"Did you want her to stay?"

"No," Beca said. "I just… I don't know. I don't know what I want." Beca finished the last of her coffee. "I should go. Thank you for… Everything."

"Anytime," she said. "Are you going to text Chloe about it?"

Beca thought for a second before shaking her head. "She's having fun. I don't want to ruin it for her. I can tell her tomorrow when she comes home." Beca stood up from her chair. She was about to leave but she hesitated. "If I could pick who my Mom was," she said, "I'd have picked a Mom like you."

"So she wants to meet me?" Beca asked her dad that evening. They were both sitting eating pizza in the kitchen.

"That's what she said," he said. He looked tired and unhappy. "She turns up on our doorstep after 12 years and just expects us to welcome her in with open arms."

"So why did you?"

"I thought maybe you'd want to see her," he said.

"Well, I don't," Beca said. "She's had 12 years to get to know me."

"I know," he said, sighing. "But you should sleep on it. Don't make any decisions tonight."

"I'm not gonna change my mind," she said.

He stood up and kissed her on the head. "You might," he said. "Goodnight."

"I grew up without a Mom because she couldn't hack it," Beca said.

Her dad paused at the doorway, and turned around with a sigh. "I know, Bec."

"I don't owe her anything."

"I know," he said again. "All I'm asking you to do is consider it."

Beca did consider it.

She considered it all night.

She stayed up until the sun came up, sitting cross-legged on her bed, considering it.

Her fists were throbbing from where she'd hit the steering wheel, and her eyes were tired and itchy.

But how was she supposed to sleep?

Not for the first time, she wished Chloe was with her. Chloe always knew the right thing to say.

She thought about texting her, but talked herself out of it. She was having fun with Aubrey at college. She didn't want to ruin it for her.

So instead she lay on her bed and watched her room grow steadily lighter around her. She could hear birds chirping.

She thought about her Grandmother, and just how much she missed her. She wished she could ask her for advice.

She thought about her dad, sleeping a few rooms away, and how he must have felt opening the door to see his ex-wife standing there.

She thought about Chloe, and how desperately she wanted her.

But most of all, she thought about her Mom. About how much she'd hurt her. And how much Beca had missed her.

She tried to find some happy memories with her, but she was struggling to pick them out. Her birthday's had once been fun, but she couldn't really remember. She assumes Christmases would have been too. Had there been bedtime stories? Trips to the park? Vacations? She couldn't remember anything like that.

All she could remember was the feeling of her Mom trying to pry Beca's tiny hands off her leg.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she was jerked awake at 3pm by her phone ringing.

It was Chloe.

Beca cleared her throat and tried to sound normal.

"Hey you," she said when she answered.

"Hi Becs," Chloe replied, practically squealing with excitement. Beca felt herself smile at the sound of her voice. "I've missed you! I'm gonna be home in a couple of hours, can I come over?"

"Of course," Beca said. "I thought you weren't getting back until tonight?"

"Change of plans," Chloe said. "Are you okay? You sound weird."

"Um, I'll tell you about it when you get back," Beca said, knowing there was no way she could lie about what had happened.

"Becs?"

"Don't worry about me, okay? Just enjoy the rest of your day and I'll fill you in when you're here," Beca said, worried she was about to start crying again. She flexed her fist and felt pain shoot through it again.

She showered and dressed and then sat in her room waiting for Chloe. She knew she still had a few hours yet, but she didn't feel up to going downstairs and seeing her dad.

Not that that mattered, because her dad came and knocked on her door anyway.

"Hey," he said, sitting on her desk chair.

"Hi."

He put a scrap of paper on her desk. "If you do decide you want to see her-"

"I don't."

"If you do decide," he said, ignoring her interruption, "her email address is on there. She's gonna be in town for another few weeks."

"Okay," she said, looking at the scrap of paper like it was a cockroach that had just walked across her table.

"I'll leave you to it then," he said, standing up. When he opened the door this time, Jasper came running in and leapt onto her bed.

"Hey buddy," Beca said, ruffling his fur before lying down beside him. He snuggled close to her, sensing that she needed comforting. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

She didn't know how long she slept for, but her room was almost dark when she heard a quiet knock at her door.

"Come in," she mumbled, sleepily.

She heard her door open and close and then felt the bed dip. She then felt someone climb over her, and then wrap their arms around her waist, pulling her back into their front.

"Hey baby," Chloe said softly.

"Hey," Beca replied. She wiggled around so she could see Chloe.

"My Mom told me," she said. She had tears in her eyes.

"Oh," Beca said.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you," Chloe said.

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"You should have told me."

"I didn't want to ruin your trip," Beca said.

"You're more important. And what happened yesterday was a really big deal."

"Can we… Can we just not talk about it tonight? I'm so tired, and I've missed you so much. I just want to forget about her," Beca said. "Can we just lie here and talk about something else?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, kissing her forehead. "We can do that."

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 27

A shorter chapter than usual I'm afraid, and I'm so so so so so so so sorry it has taken this long to post it. May was a crazy busy month for me, but I promise I'll try and make updates more regular from now on. I'm not sure how much longer this fic will be, there are still a few more things I have planned, but we're definitely in the final third I'd say.

Please review/like/reblog and let me know what you think :)

Fanfic.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 27

"How long can you stay?" Chloe asked, finishing her soup. She felt much better, and was hoping she'd be able to relax and enjoy what was left of Christmas with Beca.

"I can stay a little longer," Beca said, checking her watch. "I just need to let my dad know. Hey," she had a thought, "do you wanna come back with me? A little later on I mean. You could stay at my place tonight and then you don't have to worry about her."

"That would be awesome," Chloe said. She looked at her Mom who was loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. "Can I Mom?"

Her Mom frowned. "If that's what you want, then of course you can. But don't feel like you have to just because of Carol."

"I want to," Chloe said. "And it'll make it easier, since the twins won't share a room with me anymore."

Beca's hand tightened involuntarily around Chloe's, and Chloe squeezed it back.

"This is your house," her Mom said, furious at the situation. "I don't want you to leave just to make it easier for them. I'd rather kick them out."

"It's Christmas," Chloe said. "You can't kick them out on Christmas. I want to go to Beca's, honestly."

"I can get Sheila to make you the best hot chocolate you've ever tasted," Beca said.

"Well then now I have to come over," Chloe said. "Shall we go and make Carol uncomfortable by existing in her presence?"

"Sure," Beca said. Chloe gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Dude, keep it PG, there are children in this house." Chloe giggled and the pair walked, hand-in-hand, into the living room.

"Cool sweater, Beca," Johnny said as they went into the living room.

"Thanks," Beca replied.

"So there is at least one movie you like?" Chloe asked, sitting on the floor in front of one of the packed sofas. Everyone bar Chloe's Mom was crammed into the living room, watching the kids take it in turns playing video games.

"Everyone likes Home Alone," Beca said, sitting beside her. "It's a classic."

"Do you guys wanna sit up here?" Julie's husband Frank said, offering to move from the sofa.

"Oh no, we're fine," Beca said. Chloe sat closer to her, and Beca's arm automatically went around her shoulder. Beca turned her attention back to Chloe and Johnny. "I once woke up on Christmas morning and the house was so quiet and empty I thought I'd been Home Aloned It turns out my dad was still in bed and had forgotten it was Christmas."

"Babe, that's the most depressing Christmas story I've ever head," Chloe said.

"Oh I've got a tonne more much worse than that one," Beca said, laughing.

"Save them for later, we don't want to depress the children," Chloe said, resting her head on Beca's shoulder, truly thankful that Beca was there with her. She ignored the looks of disgust she was getting from Carol and her twins.

At one point, Robbie came over and sat beside Beca on the floor.

"What did you get from Santa?" Beca asked him.

He told her all about his new toys, and Beca told him they all sounded very cool.

"Are you staying here all night?" He asked her.

"Not tonight," she said. "But maybe sometime soon."

He smiled and returned his attention to the TV, where Johnny was currently getting whooped at Mario Kart by Max. Eventually he rested his head on her arm, and Beca felt a balloon of happiness fill up inside her. She'd never felt more accepted by a family before.

Chloe noticed the grin on Beca's face and glanced over at Robbie, who was practically falling asleep.

"I told you he liked you," Chloe said quietly. She reached up and held the hand that was draped across her shoulders. Beca smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Chloe's Mom came into the living room, the cleaning finally finished, and perched on the edge of one of the sofas.

"Who's winning?" She asked the room.

"Max," Aliza said. "He'th really good at Mario Kart. But I beat Robbie."

"Did not!" Robbie replied, indignantly.

"Did too!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I asked," she said, raising her hands up in surrender.

The room fell into a comfortable silence once again, and Beca soon found herself yawning.

"Tired?" Chloe asked.

"Ah ha," she said, stifling a second yawn. "My girlfriend text me at 6:30 this morning."

"It was 6:45," Chloe said.

"I stand corrected," Beca said, resting her head on top of Chloe's, "it was 6:45. Much more reasonable."

"I'm sorry, but is no one else going to say anything?" Carol suddenly blurted out.

"Say what, Carol?" Chloe's Mom said, her voice hard and angry.

"It's just… They're sitting there all over each other and it's just not natural. It's totally inappropriate to be doing that in front of children!"

"My Mom and Dad sit like that all the time," Lucy said.

"So do mine," Max joined in.

"This is different! It's-"

"Enough!" Tommy said, finally losing his temper with his wife. "Leave them alone, Carol."

An awful silence fell over the room.

"Come on," Chloe said, quietly to Beca. "Let's go get my stuff ready."

"Okay," Beca said with a sigh. She stood up and made a point of helping Chloe to her feet and holding her hand as they climbed the stairs.

When they reached Chloe's room, Beca realised she was crying again.

"Hey, hey, hey, none of that," she said softly, sitting Chloe on the bed. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You aren't allowed to cry anymore because of her, understand?"

Chloe let out a teary laugh and nodded, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Come here," Beca said, wrapping her arms around her for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "She isn't worth a single one of these tears." She heard Chloe sniff and felt her nod against her. "Do you want me to fight her? I think I could take her."

Chloe laughed and ended their hug. "I'm so glad you're here," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Beca replied before leaning in and kissing her.

Chloe's door flew open with a bang, and the two girls jumped and broke apart.

"Whoops," one of Carol's twins said, with a smile on her face. "I thought this was the bathroom."

She walked away without closing the door and they heard her walk down stairs.

Chloe sighed and put her head in her hands. "Let's just go," she said.

Chloe quickly packed some things into a bag and they walked downstairs hand in hand.

"It's just disgusting," they could hear Carol ranting. "I mean doing… that with their door wide open! What if one of the younger kids had seen it."

"Shut up, Carol," Tommy groaned.

"The door was shut, actually," Beca said when they entered the living room. "Your daughter opened it without knocking." Chloe squeezed her hand.

"It's okay, let's just go," she said softly.

"It isn't okay! She came into your house on Christmas Day and has done nothing but bully you," Beca said. She faced Carol again. "I'm sorry that the sight of me kissing and hugging my girlfriend was enough to traumatise your sixteen-year-old daughter. I can only assume that while living with you, she's never seen any kind of intimacy or affection between two people."

"How dare you!" Carol yelled. She looked around the room for support but no one was coming to her defence. Beca and Chloe were already walking out of the room. "How dare you speak to me like that! Don't you have any respect?!"

"Carol," Chloe said, so quietly that no one else but Carol and Beca picked it up. "Why don't you just fuck off?"

They could still hear her shouting as they climbed into Beca's truck.

"I should have said that years ago," Chloe said, laughing at the impressed look on Beca's face.

"That was awesome," Beca said. "You should have stayed for a victory lap and a round of high-fives."

"Maybe next time," Chloe said, still grinning.

It didn't take them long to reach Beca's home, and soon they were walking through the front door. Jasper was barking happily, and not long after, Sheila emerged from the living room with open arms.

"You must be Chloe!" She said happily, pulling her into a hug. "Lovely to meet you!"

"Hi," Chloe said, slightly taken aback. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Sheila asked.

"Um," Chloe glanced at Beca, "it was okay thanks."

"We're just gonna dump Chloe's stuff in my room," Beca said.

"Shall I make you girls a hot chocolate?"

"That would be awesome," Beca said, taking Chloe's hand again.

"She seems nice," Chloe said when they were in Beca's room. Chloe was sitting on Beca's bed, enjoying the calm and quiet.

"She's great," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

Chloe nodded and smiled.

"Are you ready to go back down?"

"Can we have a few more minutes?" Chloe asked.

"Of course," Beca sat down beside her and took her hand. "As long as you need."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Chloe's head resting on Beca's shoulder, Beca's head resting on Chloe's, their hands entwined.

They could hear a quiet a muffled conversation downstairs, but other than that, the house was silent. No yelling kids. No shouting adults. No chaos.

"I'm sorry she ruined your Christmas," Beca said, softly.

"You made up for it," Chloe said. "You're like my knight in shining armour."

"Does that make you my princess?" Beca asked.

"More like your damsel in distress," Chloe said. She laughed but there was no humour in it.

"You're not a damsel in distress," Beca said. She squeezed Chloe's hand tighter. "You're the strongest, bravest person I know. You're a fighter. And you're tough. But you're still so kind and gentle. You didn't let what you went through turn you cold and un-caring. You didn't do what I did. You're my hero."

Chloe was crying again, but this time they weren't sad tears.

"Chloe," Beca said, her voice a little less certain than it had been before. "What's going to happen when you go off to college?"

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"What's going to happen with us?" Beca swallowed, trying not to cry. "I don't want to lose you."

Chloe lifted her head from Beca's shoulder so she could look at her properly.

"You're not going to lose me," Chloe said. "Barden University is only like an hour away. I'll be coming home all the time and you can come and see me. We can text and Skype and we can make it work."

"And that's definitely what you want? People always say you should go to college single so you don't miss out and-"

Chloe cut her off with a kiss.

"I want you. No one else. Whether it's here, or Barden, or outer space," Beca laughed, "I only want you."

Beca kissed her again, relief spreading through her.

This time it was cut off by a tentative knock at the door.

"Um, Sheila said your hot chocolate is getting cold," Beca's dad said from the other side of the closed door.

Beca laughed. "We'll be right down," she said. "Ready?" She asked Chloe.

"Ready."

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 26

The response to the last chapter was really great, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :)

I have a busy weekend ahead so I'm posting this early.

Please please please keep reviewing/liking/reblogging

Fanfic.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 26

Beca managed to fall back to sleep for a couple of hours after her early morning text from Chloe. She was woken up again at 8:30am by her dad throwing a Santa hat at her and telling her to wake up.

"What the hell?!" Beca asked, getting such a fright she nearly fell out of bed.

"Merry Christmas to you too," he said, looking as tired as she felt.

"What's this?" Beca asked, holding up the hat. "Are we doing Santa hats now?"

"We're being festive," he said. "Come on, Sheila's doing some kind of ridiculous hot chocolate with marshmallows and she told me to wake you up."

"Well, sugar is my favourite breakfast food," she pulled on her Santa hat. "Okay, let's go be a normal family."

He left the room, and she got dressed. She dug out her Christmas sweater from last year that had 'Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animals' on the front, and pulled on a pair of jeans. She checked her phone to see if Chloe had text. She hadn't, but she did have a text from Jesse which was a photo of him in his ironically ugly Christmas sweater. She replied with a photo of her in hers, scowling in her Santa hat.

Jesse: You wore that one last year!

Beca: Still relevant though.

She went downstairs to see Sheila creating her elaborate hot chocolate, and her dad chopping potatoes.

"Merry Christmas!" Sheila said, cheerfully. Beca wished her a merry Christmas in return before being pulled into a hug.

"Beca, grab a knife and start peeling those carrots," her dad said.

Beca took a seat and a knife, and started peeling.

Sheila gave her her hot chocolate before checking on the turkey.

"Oh my god this is amazing," Beca said, abandoning the carrots and drinking half of the hot chocolate in one. "Forget turkey, I want this for dinner."

Sheila chuckled, she met John's eyes across the table and the two smiled at each other.

This was what he had wanted for so long.

Christmas with just him and Beca had always been a quiet affair. When she was still a kid it was fun, yet always tinged with sadness that she didn't have her mother there. As time went on, Christmas became less and less of a big deal. This time last year, Beca had slept until noon. When she woke up they both said the obligatory Merry Christmas, exchanged gifts which, in Beca's case, was a card with money inside, and then went into their own living rooms. At dinner time, he made them mac and cheese.

John couldn't be happier that this year it was completely different.

Once the dinner was prepped and cooking, they went into the living room and exchanged gifts.

Her dad and Sheila had gotten Beca a new pair of over-the-ear bluetooth headphones, and a pair of purple Doc Marten boots.

She'd gotten her dad some books he'd wanted, and had asked him to get Sheila whatever alcohol she liked best.

Then she found the present that Chloe had hidden under the tree.

"How did she even get it here, she's never been in this room," Beca said, confused.

"I may have helped," her dad said.

Beca opened the gift, and inside was a simple silver bracelet with the word 'Titanium' engraved on the inside.

"Oh Beca, that's beautiful," Sheila said, as Beca admired it.

"Yeah," Beca said, smiling, slipping it onto her wrist. "It really is."

The rest of the day went on, with Beca feeling more and more happy and content.

Dinner was amazing, even if there had been far too much food, and soon they were all lounging in the living room, having a lazy conversation between yawns.

Beca was on the verge of falling asleep when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Chloe: I need you.

Beca's heart sank as she sat up straight.

Beca: I'm on my way xxx

"I'm gonna go see Chloe for a bit," Beca said shoving her phone in her pocket and pulling on her new shoes. She tried to keep her voice sounding casual, but her dad could hear the urgency in her voice.

"Okay," he said. "Text me if you're going to be gone awhile."

"Will do," she said, patting her jeans pocket to make sure her keys were still there. She'd slipped them in that morning in case she had to leave quickly.

"Wish her a Merry Christmas from us," Sheila said. She didn't understand why Beca suddenly had to leave, but it seemed important so she didn't question it.

"I will, thanks," Beca said, rushing for the door.

She drove to Chloe's in record time, and when she pulled up outside she saw Chloe was already out there, sitting on the garden wall.

Her hands were clenched tighter than Beca had ever seen them, and tears had left tracks down her face.

She rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug before she'd even said hello.

Chloe buried her face in Beca's chest and gripped her tightly, willing herself not to cry more.

Beca didn't speak for a while, she just sat beside her on the wall and held her.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said eventually.

"What on Earth do you have to be sorry for?" Beca asked, ending their hug so she could look at her.

"I pulled you away from your Christmas so you could come and sit with me in the cold," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She then looked up and noticed Beca's Santa hat, and started laughing and crying at the same time.

"Okay, well I don't think me in a Santa hat deserves that kind of reaction," Beca said, causing Chloe to laugh more. She took off her hat and put it on Chloe's head. "To keep your ears warm," she said.

"Speaking of warm, you must be freezing," Chloe said, realising Beca wasn't wearing a coat.

"Just a little," Beca admitted. "Do you wanna go and sit in the truck?" Chloe glanced back towards the house before nodding.

"I have to go back in soon. Mom is keeping my dinner warm," she said, and tears crept into her eyes again.

"Come on," Beca took her hand, "just five minutes."

They climbed in and Beca turned on the hot air, shivering slightly. She rubbed her hands together and held them up to the heater, waiting for them to warm up.

Chloe took her hand and noticed the silver bracelet she was wearing.

"You're wearing it," Chloe said, smiling.

"Of course I'm wearing it," Beca said. "I'm never taking it off. Now," Beca said, linking her hand with Chloe's, "do you wanna tell me what happened?"

Chloe's Mom watched through the window as Beca had rushed out of the car towards her daughter.

She watched as Beca held her tightly. How she kissed the top of her head. How she pulled her hat over Chloe's ears and finally got her to laugh. How she helped her into her car. How she sat there, listening. Looking at Chloe as if she never wanted to look at anything else.

She heard Carol's cackle of a laugh from the living room and felt herself tense up again.

She couldn't stand having this woman in her house and she knew that her husband felt the same.

He was currently in the greenhouse with Max, his nephew. He had to get away from Carol. He knew as long as he lived he'd never forget the sight of Chloe in that bathtub, fistfuls of hair surrounding her. The scissors in her hand. He couldn't listen to his sister-in-law make snide comments about his daughter. Not when she didn't know. Not when she hadn't seen her like that.

"Uncle David?" Max asked, bringing his attention back.

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with Chloe?"

"She's… She's just a bit upset. She finds eating dinner a bit hard sometimes. And there was a lot of people there today and that makes it harder for her. She'll be okay," he said.

"Oh," he said. "Aunt Carol said she was just doing it for attention. But I don't think she was. She didn't look like she wanted anyone's attention."

"No," he said, trying to push away his anger. "No she wasn't doing it for attention. I think your aunt Carol has just had too much to drink."

"Aunt Carol always has too much to drink," Max said.

"So, ready to head back in there?" Beca asked. Chloe had explained it all, and Beca had listened, and eventually, Chloe calmed down.

"Are you sure you want to come in with me?" Chloe asked. "I'm telling you she's a real bitch, and her daughters are awful."

"I'm coming with you," Beca said, squeezing her hand.

They walked back into Chloe's house hand-in-hand and Chloe sat back down at the table. Beca sat beside her and put a comforting hand on her thigh.

At this point, Aliza and Robbie came running in, doing laps around the table. Daniel was doing his best to keep up.

"Okay, okay no running around in here," Chloe's Mom called as she put Chloe's reheated dinner down again.

"Beca!" Robbie called before running up and hugging her.

"Hey dude," Beca replied, surprised. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas!" He said.

The sound of a new voice in the kitchen soon drew all of Chloe's relatives to it, including Carol and her twins.

Beca was suddenly being hugged and having her hand shaken by Lizzy, Tommy, Julie and then Chloe's grandparents. Carol and her twins hung back, watching.

"Back into the living room everyone," Chloe's Mom said after introductions had been made. "I know Beca is very exciting but I can't tidy up with all of you in here. Sorry about that," she added squeezing Beca's shoulder.

Beca turned her attention back to Chloe who had still yet to take another mouthful.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't do it."

"Yes you can," Beca replied, her right hand resting on Chloe's left. "I'm right here."

Beca looked up and saw that Carol and her twins hadn't left with everyone else and were still standing there, watching them.

"I don't think we got introduced before," Beca said. "I'm Beca, Chloe's girlfriend."

"I gathered," Carol said, looking pointedly at their hands.

Beca rolled her eyes slightly before focusing her attention back on Chloe, who was already starting to get upset again.

"Hey," Beca said, softly. "It's okay. Please don't cry." She gave Chloe a quick kiss on the side of the head.

"Can I just say," Carol said, pulling Beca's attention back. "I'd actually prefer it if you didn't do that in front of my children."

"Excuse me?" Beca asked. "Do what?"

"There are children running around," she said, arms folded.

"Okay?" Beca asked. "And why does that have anything to do with me comforting my girlfriend?"

"I just think it's inappropriate. My son is only four, okay? I don't want him seeing that," Carol said. "I mean, how would I explain it? It would confuse him."

Beca opened her mouth to argue, but Chloe's Mom beat her to it.

"Robbie!" She called. "Aliza! Can you come in here and bring Daniel please?"

The three children came running in.

"Robbie," she said. "Do you know who this is?" She pointed at Beca.

He giggled. "That's Beca!" He said, laughing. "Did you forget her name?"

"Aliza, who's Beca?" She asked.

"Chloe'th girlfriend," Aliza said, giggling herself, her lisp still prominent. "Mommy you thee her all the time, how did you forget?"

"Daniel, do you understand who Beca is?"

Daniel nodded.

"You don't think it's confusing?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, thank you kids, off you run," she said before looking at Carol. "See? Easy as that. Now, please, stop upsetting my daughter and let her eat."

Carol looked like she'd just been slapped.

Beca's attention was already back on Chloe, as if Carol and her daughters weren't even there. She was whispering quiet encouragement while squeezing Chloe's hand.

"Mom, I don't think I can share a room with Chloe," Bethany said, suddenly.

"No, me neither," Lindsey agreed. "Like, no offence, but I just don't like trust you to be in the same room with us."

"Are you serious right now?" Beca said, in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how offensive that is? I mean, you can say no offence all you like, but that doesn't mean you aren't being offensive!"

"Beca, it's okay," Chloe said, not wanting her to get dragged into it.

"It isn't okay, they can't just say stuff like that to you," Beca said.

"Beca's right," Chloe's Mom said. "If you or your daughters say one more snide, bitchy thing at my daughter then you won't be welcome in this house any longer. Girls, if you don't want to share a room with Chloe, then you can share with your parents or you can sleep on the sofas. Now, please, get out of my kitchen."

Carol and her twins left the room with a huff of annoyance. They could already hear her complaining to her husband about it.

"I can't eat this," Chloe said, dropping her fork onto her plate. "Mom, I'm sorry, it's not because it doesn't taste good, I just can't." She started crying again. "I'm sorry."

Her Mom sat beside her and pulled her into her arms.

"Please don't apologise, sweetie. I don't know why she singled you out, but I promise she won't be back next year," her Mom said. "I'm never having that woman in my house again. I'm so sorry she ruined your Christmas."

Beca let go of Chloe's hand so she could hug her Mom properly. She looked down at Chloe's still full plate and felt her insides burn with anger. Chloe couldn't afford to miss a meal.

She stood up, and grabbed a tin of soup from the cupboard. At the sound of the microwave, Chloe's Mom looked up, surprised to see what was happening.

When the microwave stopped, Beca pulled the mug of soup out.

"Careful," she said, placing it in front of Chloe, "it's hot."

Chloe blinked a few times, before realising what Beca had done. She'd removed the obstacle of actually having to eat something, and replaced it with something she could drink. She wouldn't be skipping a meal.

Chloe took a tentative sip, and she knew she'd be able to finish it. It wasn't Christmas dinner, but it would do.

Beca glanced over at Chloe's Mom who was looking at Beca with an un-readable expression.

"I didn't mean to just go through your cupboards and make myself at home," Beca said, worried that she might have offended her. "I just thought, if she can't eat the dinner then she needs something, and soup is her usual go-to."

But Chloe's Mom shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

Instead she stood up and gave Beca the biggest hug Beca had ever received from a grown woman.

"Thank you," she said.

[massivedrickhead]

One More Year: Chapter 25

Longer chapter than I'd planned but I got a bit carried away :P

Please review, it would make me super happy :)

Fanfic.net link

I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters

Chapter 25

Merry Christmas Chloe thought to herself, gloomily, at 6:30am on Christmas morning. She looked down at her bedroom floor which now had two camp-beds set up, ready for her sixteen year old twin girl cousins. Twins ran in her family.

She could hear both Aliza and Robbie talking quietly outside her door. She could hear Johnny moving around upstairs in his attic bedroom. She could hear a muffled conversation between her parents happening downstairs, mixed with the sound of her mother chopping vegetables.

"Chloe?" Aliza whispered from outside her door. "Are you awake?"

Chloe smiled, and braced herself before replying. She knew that this was likely to be her last quiet moment until tomorrow afternoon.

"Yes," Chloe replied. "You guys can come in."

The door opened and Aliza and Robbie ran into her room, both talking loudly and rapidly.

"Okay, okay," Chloe said, holding her hands up. "Not so loud, it's still very early."

"But Chloe, it's Christmas!" Robbie said, jumping up and down.

Chloe laughed and shook her head.

"You'd better go and wake Lucy up then," Chloe said, and they both ran giggling out of her room.

She picked up her phone and sent Beca a text.

Chloe: Merry Christmas! :) xxxxx

She knew Beca probably wouldn't be up for hours yet, and she was a little jealous that she couldn't just lie back down and sleep for a few more hours.

To her surprise, her phone buzzed with a reply almost instantly.

Beca: What in God's name are you doing awake at this time of the morning? P.S. Merry Christmas xxx

Chloe: I have younger siblings, so Christmas starts the second they wake up. The real question is what are you doing awake? xxx

Beca: Some weirdo text me at 6:45am saying Merry Christmas xxx

Chloe: Well that weirdo sounds awesome and very pretty xxx

Beca: She's okay I guess. Can I go back to sleep now? xxx

Chloe: You're so lucky that that's even an option. Enjoy your nap, love you :) xxx

Beca: Love you too xxx

Once everyone was up and dressed, the five Beale kids made their way downstairs.

Their Mom was in the kitchen, cooking Christmas dinner, and their dad had fallen asleep in the armchair in the living room. He had to leave in a few hours to pick up his sister and her family. Her dad didn't drink so he was perfectly happy to make the 45 minute trip to pick them up and drop them off so they didn't have to worry.

They all piled into the living room and exchanged hugs and Merry Christmases and then gifts.

Being a large family, there was never many to open, but none of them minded. Once everything was handed out and unwrapped, Chloe's Mom spotted an extra present under the tree.

"Oh, Chloe this ones for you," she said, reading the tag.

Chloe frowned, puzzled, before taking it and looking at the tag. She recognised Beca's sloppy handwriting and she smiled. They had both agreed not to get each other a present, but that hadn't stopped either of them from sneaking the gift under the other's tree when they weren't looking.

Chloe unwrapped in and found an envelope inside with a USB taped to it.

Inside the envelope was a note, and a small stack of photographs.

'Some photos for your wall, and some new mixes.

Merry Christmas.

I love you.

Beca xx'

As everyone entertained themselves with their new gifts, Chloe looked through the pictures and with each one her smile got bigger.

There was the selfie Beca had taken when they were hanging out in the den. Chloe had been trying to hide behind Beca, but you could still see her and the smile that had spread across her face.

There was the one when she'd surprised Beca by kissing her on the cheek at the last second.

There was one of her playing with Jasper that she hadn't even known Beca had took.

One of the whole group of them at the Christmas party they'd had. Beca was absent from this one, having been the one who took the photo.

A candid one of her and Aubrey, laughing at something.

A posed one that Beca had asked Jesse to take when they went to see the Bellas perform.

"Mommy Beca and Chloe are kissing on this one!" Robbie squealed as he peered over her shoulder.

Chloe blushed and quickly turned it over. On the back, Beca had written 'Your friend Aubrey is a real creep.' Chloe turned it over again and saw it had been taken on one of the occasions they'd all hung out. Beca and Chloe were separate from the group and had been caught by Aubrey sharing a quick kiss.

"Maybe I'll look at the rest later," Chloe said, embarrassed but happy. The rest of her family were still laughing at the scandalised look on Robbie's face.

"Well, I'd best go pick up Julie," her dad said, looking at his watch.

"And I'd best carry on with dinner," her Mom said. "If everyone could take their stuff upstairs that would be super helpful. Your uncle Tommy and aunt Carol will be here soon with the kids, and aunt Lizzy won't be far behind."

Chloe felt her stomach turn slightly. She loved her uncle Tommy and aunt Lizzy. They were her Mom's brother and sister and they were a lot like her Mom. Funny and kind and understanding. Lizzy was a little older than her Mom, and had never married or had kids, but didn't seem to care.

But she didn't like aunt Carol. None of them really liked aunt Carol. Carol was… a bit of a bitch. And so were her sixteen year old daughters, if Chloe was being honest. All three of them thought they were better than the rest of them, with their big house and fancy car. Tommy told her secretly one year that he comes over for Christmas dinner because Carol is such an awful cook that he would rather travel for six hours on Christmas morning than eat her food.

But because it took so long to get there, they always stayed the night. Carol, Tommy, and their young son would stay in Lucy's room because it was the biggest. Lucy would share with the Robbie and Aliza, and Chloe had the twin cousins.

Their son Daniel was now only four, and very sweet, and Chloe hoped that his bright blue eyes and ginger hair meant he would take after his dad. The blonde twins definitely took after their Mom.

"When are grandma and grandpa coming?" Lucy asked.

"Noon, I think," her Mom said, looking at her watch.

"Mom," Chloe asked quietly, "do they know? About Beca, I mean."

"They do," her Mom said. "I told them when you guys first started dating. They're both totally fine with it."

"Okay," Chloe said, relieved.

"The same with Julie, and Lizzy and Tommy. They all know and no one has any issue," her Mom said. Chloe couldn't help but notice the way she hadn't included Carol's name in that list.

She knew Julie, her husband Frank and their fourteen-year-old Max wouldn't have an issue. She knew Lizzy and Tommy wouldn't have an issue. But Carol…

"If she says anything," her Mom said, reading her mind, "just ignore her. I know that that's not a great solution. I know today is going to be tough for you, and she isn't going to make it any easier. But just ignore her. I would kick her out if I could, but it's Christmas so," her Mom shrugged, "I'm stuck with her." She kissed Chloe on the forehead. "Go and take your stuff upstairs and enjoy the quiet while you have it, okay?"

Chloe nodded and took her gifts up to her room. She sat on her bed and text Beca.

Chloe: Your gift was the cutest thing ever. I loved it, thank you so much. Although next time, maybe warn me if there's a picture of us kissing so I can open it in private. I've probably traumatised Robbie. xxx

Once again, Chloe was surprised when Beca replied immediately.

Beca: Ooops! Tell him I'm sorry and that I'll pay for his therapy when he's older. Also, dude, thank you so much for my present. I love it, it's beautiful. But also way more expensive than printing off a bunch of photographs, so you'll have to let me make up for that xxx

Chloe: If you recall, that was your second Christmas present to me. You took me to see the Bellas, remember? I know the tickets were free but the gas to drive us there wasn't. xxx

Beca: I'm still going to make up for it xxx

Beca: How's it going? xxx

Chloe: They're all on their way. I'm just savouring the silence. xxx

Beca: Remember, I'm only a text or a phone call away. xxx

Initially, Chloe thought that maybe she'd be able to handle it all. Once all the family had arrived, they all crammed into the living room and caught up with each other. It had been a long time since Chloe had seen most of them, considering that they hadn't come for Christmas last year. Chloe found that, with regular trips to the kitchen to help her Mom and aunt Lizzy with dinner, she was able to handle the seemingly constant questions fine.

That was, until, her grandma brought up Beca.

"Your Mom said she's a lovely young girl," her grandma said, smiling, "how did you meet?"

She was aware that a few other conversations had fallen quiet. Carol was watching, and her two twins had stopped texting and looked up, clearly interested.

"Just at school. She gave me a ride home once and we sort of just hit it off," Chloe said.

Aunt Carol had pursed her lips and taken another drink of her mimosa. She was already on her second.

"So, like, are you guys like, out at school and everything? Like do you hold hands and stuff?" Bethany, one of the twins said.

"Um yeah pretty much," Chloe said.

"Wow," Lindsey, the other twin, said. "Like, no offence, but if that happened at our school, then those girls would be like, totally shunned."

"Why?" Chloe asked.

"Because, like, I mean you're just asking to get bullied aren't you?" She said. "Like aren't your friends totally weirded out by you being a lesbian? Aren't they like, scared to change in front of you and stuff?"

"No," Chloe replied. "And I'm not a lesbian, I'm bi."

"What's that dear?" Her grandma asked, leaning forward so she could hear better.

"I said I was bi. It's short for bisexual. It means I like boys and girls," Chloe said, embarrassed that she was having to have this conversation with her grandma.

"Ohh, like your Mom!" Her grandpa said, happily.

Chloe smiled, relieved.

"Well there's hope for you yet then," Carol said, with a cackle of a laugh. "Still time to get yourself a nice husband."

Chloe winced.

"So your friends really don't care?" Lindsey asked, not willing to drop it.

"No."

"Oh my god, I totally would," she said.

"Me too," Bethany replied. "Like, they don't let boys in the girls' locker room so like, why would they let lesbians? It's like really weird. No offence."

"I guess my friends are just a bit more mature than you," Chloe said. At some point, Johnny had put his hand on her back.

"Excuse me, my daughter's are very mature," Carol said.

"They really seem it," Johnny muttered.

"What was that?"

"God, leave it Carol will you?" Tommy said, rolling his eyes. "And girls, leave Chloe alone. She was trying to tell Grandma about her girlfriend, she doesn't need you two trying to make her feel bad."

A silence followed, and just as Chloe was about to excuse herself, Aliza piped up.

"I like Beca," she said.

"Me too," said Robbie.

"Come on Luce," one of the twins said, expecting Lucy to join them, "you must feel embarrassed about it. Like, no offence, but if like Bethany was suddenly a lesbian and had a girlfriend, I'd feel so embarrassed I'd be like, oh my god, my sister is a social outcast."

"Oh my god, no offence, me too," Bethany said.

"Actually, Beca's really cool. And I don't care what kids at school say. I'm really proud of Chloe for having the courage to be who she is," Lucy said, clearly having enough.

"Me too," Johnny said.

"Well said Lucy," Julie said, quietly.

"Right, are we done grilling Chloe about her girlfriend now?" Tommy asked, clearly annoyed by his wife and daughter's behaviour.

"Who's been grilling Chloe?" Her dad asked, walking in from the garden where he'd been with his brother in law, showing off his new greenhouse. "I don't think she'll taste very nice."

The younger kids giggled, and the older ones groaned and rolled their eyes.

"Well there isn't a lot of meat on her, that's for sure," Carol said.

"Carol," Tommy said, in a warning voice.

"What?" Carol said with another cackle. "Jeez it was just a joke."

"Oh don't make jokes like that," Chloe's grandma said. "It isn't nice."

Chloe felt her face burning, and all she wanted to do was disappear. She felt pressure on her hand and looked down to see Lucy holding it. None of the Beale kids thought this was funny. They remembered last Christmas too painfully for any of this to be funny.

"Dinner's ready!" Chloe's mom called from into the kitchen, and Chloe felt her heart sink further.

She tried to sit as far away from Carol and her twins as she could, but she ended up opposite them. Carol was on her fourth drink by the time they sat down.

"Maybe make that your last," Tommy said.

"Oh lighten up Tommy, it's Christmas after all!"

As the rest of the family helped themselves, to meet and vegetables and the several different kids of potatoes, Chloe's Mom filled Chloe's plate for her.

"Can't she do it herself?" Carol asked.

Chloe wondered what it was she'd done to deserve being Carol's target this year. Usually, Carol just made snide comments about her Mom's cooking, or told Johnny he needed a hair cut, or berated her husband. This year, Chloe was getting the brunt of it. She wondered if it was that, because of her, Carol was forced to cook her own Christmas dinner last year.

Chloe's Mom ignored her, and put down Chloe's plate in front of her.

Chloe looked down and saw that she had considerably less than everyone else, except probably her grandmother, Aliza, Robbie, and four-year-old Daniel. But it still looked like too much.

Soon everyone was tucking in, and the conversations soon turned to just how delicious the food was. Carol's comment about the turkey being a bit dry was drowned out by everyone else praising it.

Chloe wasn't listening to any of them. She was just trying to make her way through as much of it as she could. But she knew before she'd even sat down that she wasn't going to be able to do it. The conversations from earlier had rattled her, and it felt like every mouthful was sticking in her throat.

Soon, almost every plate was clean except for Chloe's.

"Not hungry, Chloe?" Carol asked.

Chloe felt tears in her eyes.

"Why don't we head back into the living room?" Her dad said.

"Unless you want to help me clean up," Chloe's mom added.

Chloe heard some of them laugh and then the sound of scraping chairs. Her eyes didn't leave her plate. Her knife and fork were still clenched tightly in her hand.

She heard her Mom sigh behind her. "I need you to eat more than that, sweetie."

Chloe nodded and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "I know," she said.

"Why is aunt Carol being such a bitch?" Lucy asked. Chloe looked up, surprised that Lucy hadn't left. Neither had her aunt Lizzy who was helping her Mom clean up.

"Has she been saying stuff?" Her Mom asked.

"She and her moronic daughters have been giving Chloe shit for having a girlfriend," Johnny said, walking into the kitchen and sitting down at the table. "Now she's complaining that Chloe didn't eat anything. 'I thought that was why they didn't do Christmas last year, because she wouldn't eat.'" Johnny said, doing a perfect impression. "'Well it didn't work, she still isn't eating!' Dad looks like he wants to throw her out."

Her Mom sighed and sat beside Chloe. "Don't listen to anything she says," she said, wiping the tears off Chloe's cheeks.

"Listen, anyone who has a 'Women for Trump' bumper sticker shouldn't be given the power to make you cry, okay?" Lizzy said. "Come on you two," she added to Johnny and Lucy, "let's let the girl finish her dinner without an audience."

Chloe sat for another half an hour, but had still hardly made a dent in her now cold dinner.

"Oh my god, are you still working on that?" Carol asked, walking into the kitchen with her empty glass. "Anymore wine Maggie?" She added, handing her glass to Chloe's Mom.

"Mom, can I text Beca please?" Chloe said.

Her Mom sighed slightly. "Sure sweetie," she said.

Carol made a noise.

"Something wrong Carol?" Chloe's Mom asked, a harsh edge to her voice.

"Oh, it's just that my girls aren't allowed on their phones during dinner," she said.

"Good for you," her Mom said, wishing she could just throw this woman out of her house.

Chloe had already pulled out her phone and texted Beca.

Chloe: I need you.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

Beca: I'm on my way xx