A/N: I have a thing with travelling AUs. And post-graduation. Enjoy.

Chapter One; Rekindling Old Emotions

"I was tangled in all the wires, tied down and I felt the fire, there was nothing for me to do, I was searching but not for you, I am caught up in your desire, it's flush in the face desire, I wanna trade in the old for new, I was searching but not for you, I've been looking for a new emotion, I've been taken with a new emotion, I've been walking backwards." – Walking Backwards, Leagues

It's been three months since the Bellas graduated. Everyone's gone their separate ways; Beca and Jesse have moved to LA together. They're happy together; Jesse is currently working on his dream, scoring movie soundtracks and he loves it. Beca is producing music in LA, and is living her dream, signing record labels and producing music that she now hears on the radio 24/7. She's never been happier.

But she still feels like there's something missing. She doesn't know what it is, and she doesn't think that she'll ever really know how to work it out.

Then there's Chloe. She did in fact graduate from Barden with Russian Literature, and she pursued her career of teaching underprivileged children how to sing across in Africa. She's happy; she's helping those who are less fortunate than her to have a dream. She's always been so charitable, and she's found so much joy in giving to those who need it the most. She's almost forgotten about the Bellas, but she'll never completely forget.

She's been on dates with countless people, wealthy South-Africans, well-mannered, well-spoken and handsome, but after the second or third date when things started getting intimate, she couldn't quite handle it. It was almost like a post-traumatic stress disorder for her, but she didn't understand. What was wrong? She didn't know what it was that was eating at her mind for so long, but she hated it. Every time it happened, it came back to the Bellas. No, she wasn't homesick for the Bellas. She was happy with her job now.

There's something missing.

oO0Oo

Almost a year later, Chloe finds herself back in California. Everything seems a blur as she steps off the plane and someone next to her asks her if she's okay, at which she nods but all she can thing is I'm not okay, I'm not okay. She had to come back because they were holding her father's funeral. She has to walk through and ocean of so many people, all giving her odd looks as her frustration lay under a pit of despair. She just wanted it to be over.

oO0Oo

Some days later, after the funeral, she's in her hotel room and she receives a Facebook message. It's from Beca. Her eyes light up, sparking in a way that could only be described as relief. She's relieved that her old best friend hasn't forgotten her. Beca asks how she is, and she replies that she's in California, because it was her father's funeral. Beca replies with some sympathy, but asks why didn't you tell me? Chloe says she didn't think it was worth bothering you with. The younger girl tells Chloe that you can tell me whatever the fuck you want. I'm here for you.

The redhead smiles and she can't help but feel a pulling at her heart for the other girl. She misses Beca so much, oh so much, but she doesn't want to say. She doesn't want to bring up old memories between them, and she might start feeling things again, like she did when they were best friends. Chloe didn't want to risk anything.

But Beca asks if she wants to meet up with her and Jesse. Chloe sit there for a while, on the bed of her hotel room and she sighs. If she says no, she may have to never see Beca Mitchell again. Her old friend, who was with her with everything. If she says yes, there would be the risk of Chloe becoming too close. The redhead shuts her eyes and opened them again, before sending a reply to Beca.

Beca sends back a smiley emoji. Great, can't wait to see her old friend again. The older girl sends back a heart and switches her phone off. She brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them, her head in her hands. She runs her hands through her soft red hair and looks across the room at the plain wall, her clear blue eyes searching for an answer. The past few days have been too stressful for her, and she doesn't know if she's able to do this. But she forces a laugh from herself, shaky but with the hint of confidence.

"You always enjoy a little risk, Beale."

oO0Oo

"Hey, Chlo!"

The redhead turns to see Beca sprinting towards her, her own arms outstretched in a hug. The smaller girl collided with Chloe with such force that she nearly fell over, but for a moment the redhead felt a wave of happiness from seeing her old friend.

"Let me look at you. " Beca held her at arm's length and grinned. "You look great. Sorry, I haven't given you a chance to talk, I'll shut up now."

Chloe laughed. "Hey, Becs. You look amazing yourself. No more flannel shirts though?" The older girl teased her, pushing Beca's shoulder back a little.

The brunette smirked. "I have to wear professional clothing now. By professional, I mean I had to do a lot of persuading to my boss about him letting me wear trousers. No way in hell am I wearing a skirt again. I had a bad phase."

The redhead's eyes sparked as she felt the old connection between them grow again. Jesse came up behind Beca and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, Chloe!" He said, grinning at her.

Chloe felt an odd pang at her chest as she saw Jesse, but her happiness died a little bit. "Oh, hey Jesse. Life good?"

He nodded, smiling at her. "So, let's go get lunch then? I'm starving. I could eat a person."

Beca giggled. "You already have."

Jesse grinned and nipped Beca's neck, which made her squeal. "Let's go, c'mon Chlo!"

Chloe obliged.

oO0Oo

"Chlo, you listening?"

Chloe snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, sorry. Was thinking." She laughs at Beca.

Beca rolls her eyes. "So, I get invited to the Grammy's, and I walk down the front, and Beyoncé is there, and she's there with Jay-Z. So I'm just standing, chatting to Beyonce and inside I'm legit dying. She told me she liked my music. Beyonce liked my music!"

Jesse shakes his head at Chloe. "She's been on about this for about a month. A month. Beca, you need to stop."

The redhead smiles. "It's okay, I like hearing Beca's stories."

Jesse shakes his head again as Beca looks at him triumphantly. "You're the first, I'm pretty sure."

Chloe feels her phone buzz and checks it. Looks at the time. "I think I need to go. I have my flight later."

The redhead didn't miss the disappointment that flowed through Beca's eyes. "Shit, Chlo, you're going already? You can't stay around for a few days?"

The older girl shruggs unhappily. "I had to book the cheapest flights. Charity work isn't as beneficial to me."

Beca grins. "Cancel your flight. I'll pay for you to go back in a few days."

"No, I can't ask that from you!"

The brunette leans across the table and takes Chloe's hands in her own. "Yes you can. You're my old best friend. We've done a lot together. Let me do this for you, Chlo. I wanna spend more time with you."

Chloe's hands were warm in Beca's and she felt herself looking into Beca's eyes which are filled with such meaning and yet filled with such feelings that Chloe couldn't read.

The redhead smiles. "Okay, okay. But I'm paying you back when I can."

"Yes! Alright, you're gonna stay with me and Jesse. We have a great apartment near Long Beach. I can't wait to show you!"

oO0Oo

"Holy shit."

Chloe's eyes widened as she walked into Beca and Jesse's apartment. It was expensive, very expensive. More than Chloe would ever afford or hope to afford.

Beca felt her friend's awkwardness and she diverted herself to the kitchen. "I'm getting you a drink. We need to celebrate." Chloe wasn't listening too much, she was just walking around in awe.

"So you can afford all of this?" She asked in a voice filled with curiousity.

"Yeah. Jesse brings in the money for long term when he scores for a movie, and then when the movie is released the money comes rolling in. I made money on a more regular routine since my boss pays me weekly." Beca called as she came through, holding a couple of beer bottles in her hands. She handed one to Chloe, who gripped the bottle over Beca's fingers as it slid out of her grasp.

"Been a long time since we've drunk together, Mitchell." Chloe took a sip of beer.

Beca blushed a little. Blushed? Chloe thought. "Yeah, I know. I remember when you used to call me Mitchell, Beale."

The redhead smiled, so genuinely and so innocently that Beca felt as though she was back in college again. "Shit, I've missed you." Beca whispered before hugging the other girl tightly. Chloe wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, closing her eyes and breathing in the brunette's scent. It's so sweet, almost like vanilla but she also smells like Chloe remembers, and it makes her weak at the knees to be this close to her friend again.

In the background, they can hear Jesse on the phone. He sounds agitated, but not angry. A while later, he emerges from the bedroom.

"What is it, babe?" Beca turns to him, her beer bottle in hand.

Jesse sighs. "I've got to go out to New York. Want me at a meeting for scoring the new DC movie coming out."

The brunette raises her eyebrows. "So? That's amazing that they've chosen you!"

He looks at her sadly. "Thing is, is that I've got to go for two weeks. And then if they want me, I have to stay for a month after that."

Beca lowers her beer bottle in her hand. "Oh. Jesse, I'm not going to stop you if you want to go, and I will support you. I know it's a long time, but it's not forever."

Jesse smiles. "Okay. Thanks, Becs. That means a lot. I'll have to think about it though, I don't know if I could just leave you."

The younger girl smiles and walks over to him, and kisses him on the lips. "It's alright babe. I can handle myself. And I have Chloe now!" She winks across at Chloe, who is twiddling with her beer awkwardly but she manages a smile anyway.

oO0Oo

A day later, Jesse is packing up the taxi to go to the airport. He took the meeting advantage, and Beca was hugging him repeatedly. "I'll call you when I get there," He promised, kissing her several times as Chloe helped put some of his cases in the trunk.

Beca and Chloe stood on the edge of the walkway, waving their hands until he was no longer in sight.

"Must be hard." Chloe murmured half to herself, half to Beca.

"What is?" Beca turned to Chloe, her eyes inquisitive.

"To love someone. It must be hard."

The brunette tilted her head. "Haven't you ever loved someone before?"

The older girl looked across at the sea and sighed before looking back to Beca.

"I've only ever been in love with one person, but I had to let them go because I couldn't tell them I loved them."

Beca grimaced. "Sorry about that, Chlo. They obviously weren't good enough for you then. Let's go inside, I have a surprise for you."

Chloe let Beca go first.

"No, they were too good for me." She whispered gently to herself.

oO0Oo

"Huh?"

"We take my car and drive up to San Francisco. And drive back. I mean, Jesse is away for ages and since I can pay for your flight, we can just mess around for a week. Like we used to. Remember the trip we did with the Bellas to Vegas?"

Chloe grinned. She did remember, and she remembered well.

"Damn, that was a fun trip."

"So, what do you say? We can just stay wherever on the way up. Drive by the sea. It would be fun."

The older girl rolled her eyes. "You literally sound like me, last year. When I said that the trip to the zoo would be fun, and Emily nearly got her hand bitten off by a giraffe."

Beca almost spat out her water she'd been drinking. "Oh my god, her face. I was pissing myself."

The redhead looked across at Beca, laughing together. This is what she missed. To feel like this again. It felt so fucking good.

Chloe smiled out the corner of her mouth. "Sure, Becs. Let's go on vacation."

"It's a trip."

"Definitely a vacation."

Beca threw her water bottle cap at the redhead who opened her mouth in mock offense and proceeded to leap up and chase the younger girl around the room. When Chloe eventually caught the smaller girl, she tackled her to the floor and they lay over each other laughing.

The redhead got herself up. "Well, when are we going?"

Beca looked at the clock. "We can go when we pack the car up."

Chloe felt her subconscious tell her that she shouldn't do this, she really, really shouldn't, but what is there to stop her? Nothing. She knows how this trip, sorry, vacation is going to end. She knows, deep down, but she wants something to happen. And she doesn't know what's going to happen, but she knows it's better than nothing. And now she knows what she was feeling back in Africa. She knows so well that there was a piece of her missing, a piece of her heart that belonged to her old best friend, Beca Mitchell.

The older girl looked over at Beca and smiled, a most genuine, heartfelt smile that made her crystal eyes glint in the daylight and made Beca smile almost involuntarily.

"Well, we better get started then."

A/N: Let me know what you think, please. 3