Maybe college wasn't so bad after all. But the nightmares still came. Just like they did before.

/

"Hey you," Beca hears from behind her, an arm linking around her own. She's in the middle of campus, so it really could be anybody, but she knows that voice and it belongs to the only person who would come up to her out of nowhere, immediately initiating physical contact.

"Hey Chloe," she replies without even looking over at the person next to her.

"Where you headed?"

"Radio station. I have a shift before Bellas rehearsal."

"You about to pump up the jam on the campus airwaves?"

"Hardly," Beca snorts. "More like...the exact opposite of that."

"Well, I'm sure you will be soon enough."

"You're confidence in me is utterly, bizarre," she replies dryly.

"Why? There's greatness in all of us you know. Sometimes we need to be reminded of it," Chloe says in all seriousness.

"Ok thanks Maya Angelou."

Chloe giggles. "I'm serious! There's something about you, Beca Mitchell. Something special. You may not be able to see it, but I do."

"Could you kindly remind Aubrey of what's so great about me. I swear she's just looking for an excuse to kick me off the Bellas."

Chloe sighs, looking over at her sympathetically. "Don't worry about Aubrey. She can't deny that you have a killer voice so as much as she lets on, she wouldn't kick you off. We need you too much. I'm sure deep down, she's happy to have you on the team."

"Wow you managed to say that with a straight face. Impressive."

"Shut up! I mean it! You are an important part of the Bellas."

"Thanks, Chloe. It's nice to have someone in my corner for once."

"You're kinda special, so it's not too hard," Chloe says, adding in a light hip check.

"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Beca replies, feeling the blush on her cheeks.

"Beca Mitchell, are you blushing!?"

"No."

Chloe pulls her to a stop, a big grin on her face.

"What? My face always looks like this. I have naturally red cheeks."

Chloe just keeps on grinning. That damn smile is so infectious, Beca is fighting every muscle and nerve in her face to stop from making that same stupid grin. She bites down hard on her lip, and she's sure to draw blood pretty soon. Both girls hold their ground, Chloe grinning like the Cheshire Cat and Beca trying to remain unemotive. Her efforts proved futile though, because Beca cracks, not being able to hold her ground anymore, and a small smirk plays at the corner of her mouth. She tries to play it off, but it did not go unnoticed by Chloe, who raises one eyebrow up and down ever so slightly. She leans in close and whispers "gotcha." All Beca would have to do is lean in an inch and their lips would touch. And what the hell kind of thought was that? But before she can divulge into that any further, Chloe is giving her a peck on the cheek, turning on her heels and walking away.

"You play dirty, Beale!" she shouts after the redhead.

Chloe turns back around, walking backwards now. "You haven't seen anything yet, Mitchell!" she shouts back.

Beca shakes her head, as Chloe faces forward, leaving her behind, throwing up a hand in the air and waving bye.

/

She's outside, lying on her back, her mom beside her, looking like she did when Beca was just a little girl, but Beca is her current age. Her mom is healthy and happy, smiling over at Beca with a smile she nearly forgot existed. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Beca is taking in just how blue the sky is. It's fascinating how consistent the color is throughout the sky, only disrupted by an array of fluffy, white clouds. She's never just marveled at nature like this. She closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air around her, extending her arms out to grasp the plush grass around her. A breeze passes through and Beca can hear how it touches everything around them. She feels her mom take her hand and they lie there together, side by side, nothing hurting, nothing broken.

"Beca, I love you so much, you know that right?"

"Yeah Mom, of course. I love you too."

"I'm sorry that I have to go."

"What? What are you talking about? Go where?"

Suddenly she feels the grasp on her hand loosen, and there is a chill in the air that bites at her skin. She looks over and the sight she is met with is an all too familiar horror. Empty eyes and too much blood oozing out of a bullet hole wound.

At first, no sound comes out of her mouth. And she's not breathing. But finally a sharp gasp of breath breaks the silence. Then screaming and sobbing. And finally words. "MOM! MOM!"

She wakes up, gasping, her hands gripping the sheets. She quickly turns, burying her face in the pillow and biting down hard on the material, groaning. She doesn't want to wake her still sleeping roommate, knowing there will be no sympathy and only steely glares, probably a comment or two on Beca's inconvenient choices. When her breathing calms and she doesn't feel like screaming as much, she rolls on her back, staring up into the darkness. The clock reads 5:42 A.M. It's at least past 3 in the morning. That's an accomplishment.

Beca finds her headphones and iPod, after throwing on jeans and a hoodie, deciding that going for a walk is the safest thing to do right now. It's Saturday so at least the campus should be quiet at this hour. Anger and frustration rise up inside her as she strolls aimlessly. She thought she had got some control over the nightmares. She hasn't had one about her mom in a long time, her other demons dominating them most of the time. She slumps against a tree, her phone in hand, finding the number she shouldn't be dialing. She stops herself before pressing down. Don't do it. Be strong. You don't need it. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. She dials a different number instead, feeling guilty for how early it is, but knowing the person on the other end is the only person she can think of who would welcome her with open arms right now. She feels the smile pull at the corner of her mouth as the groggy voice answers.

"Hey...it's me. Sorry it's so early, I just, um...can I come over?"

/

"Are you okay?" Chloe immediately asks, opening the door to let Beca in.

"Yeah I'm fine...couldn't sleep," she answers, shrugging her shoulders, trying to sound casual. Chloe leads her into her bedroom, and sits back down on the bed.

"You sure? Beca, you don't look so good."

"Yes. I just, um...wanted to see you too I guess." Did she just say that out loud? "Is that okay?"

Chloe smiles, grabbing Beca's hand. "Of course it's okay. I always love seeing you!"

Beca somehow manages to resist blushing, if that's even possible. "Can I sleep here for a bit?"

Chloe smiles and nods, pulling Beca down on the bed. She immediately curls up, closest to the wall, her back to Chloe. She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, as she feels the covers being pulled over her, cocooning her in warmth. She then feels an arm snake around her waist, the press of Chloe's body against hers, and warm breath on her neck. Her body instinctively tenses up, but Chloe holds her ground, pressing into her more.

"Relax."

"Sorry," Beca whispers back.

Chloe giggles softly, her lips grazing Beca's ear. "It's okay. Just try to relax."

Beca only nods, her voice and breath caught in her throat.

"Breathing is good too."

She exhales, not realizing she was even holding her breath, and lets her body relax, eventually being able to just melt into Chloe, her eyes growing heavy, and the last thing she hears before slumber takes her is Chloe humming a familiar tune.

/

"So are you going to do the whole parent's weekend thing?" Chloe asks, breaking Beca away from her wandering mind. They had been laying in silence for a while after they woke up, accompanied only by the sounds of whatever music was on Chloe's iPod.

"Oh, um...no I don't think so, I mean my dad is here already and we don't really...hang out or whatever. He's busy anyway..."

"What about your mom?"

"No. She can't make it either," Beca lies, her mind frantically searching for something to change the subject too that won't be blatantly obvious she's trying to talk about something else, which will no doubt elicit a million investigative questions from the redhead.

"Want to go grab some food?" Beca asks.

"Ooh yes please, I'm starving! Nik's?"

"Sounds good," she replies, internally sighing in relief.

Nik's is the local diner/coffeehouse on campus. It's been there forever, owned by this old couple from some tiny country in Europe with too many consonants. They still speak in thick accents and somewhat broken English, but they have the best stories and Chloe's been patronizing the place since her first year at Barden, so they know her very well and have taken a liking to Beca as well. She swears the place never closes either. It's always open when you need it.

"Mmm I want a milkshake," Chloe says. She looks like she's actually visualizing the treat right now, a goofy grin on her face. Beca chuckles, tossing a pillow at her, bringing her back to reality.

"Hey!" Chloe laughs.

"Well if you want it we actually have to leave the room. You can't just say it outloud, like The Secret, and expect it to happen. I'm sorry, but Oprah was on crack the day she endorsed that piece of advice."

"I don't know, she might have been onto something because I'm thinking about it real hard right now and I swear Bec, I can practically taste it," Chloe says, closing her eyes and licking her lips, making moaning sounds.

"Should I leave you and your imaginary milkshake alone, or...?"

Chloe keeps her eyes closed, scrunching her face up a little. "Mmhmm...we're going to need some privacy. Oh, hello beautiful! You're lookin good today. I think this might be love at first sip..."

She stares at the redhead, shaking her head, a smile creeping on her lips.

Chloe opens one eye, finding Beca, trying to keep in character, but Beca laughs first, and it's all over for Chloe, who bursts out laughing too.

"You're unbelievable."

"Oh no, Beca Mitchell," Chloe says seriously, moving close to her," I am 100% real. You better believe it."

They're inches apart. Beca swallows hard, her stomach doing flip flops, her mind getting hazy as she takes in their close proximity. Chloe is just smirking at her, eyes narrowed, her eyebrow twitches up and down for a moment like she's challenging her to something.

"I um...won't ever doubt it again."

"Good. You shouldn't." She's staring right into her eyes.

Beca chuckles, feeling awkward and looks away briefly. Her whole body freezes when she looks back at Chloe, who has an intensity in her eyes that makes Beca skin turn bright red and she just wants to crawl in a hole right now because she knows Chloe can tell she's making her blush and is loving every second of it. Chloe giggles and Beca tries to look annoyed.

"You love doing that don't you?"

"You know, I really do."

/

"Blueberry pancakes and coffee for you Beca, and one milkshake for you Chloe," Inna, Nik's wife, says placing their orders in front of them.

"Thanks Inna! I've been craving this all day!" Chloe chirps, rolling her eyes slowly at the word "all."

"You won't be disappointed. I make it perfect just for you my ginger love," Inna coos, smiling at Chloe, who beams back at her. "Enjoy!" she chimes, walking away.

Chloe pulls the milkshake closer to her, keeping her eyes on Beca, who isn't paying attention. She's buttering up her pancakes, glancing over to find the syrup, and sipping her coffee. Beca feels the gaze on her, and stops what she's doing, moving her eyes to look at Chloe. Chloe takes the straw in her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it, and slowly closes her eyes. She takes a sip and swallows, throwing her head back and letting out a really big "Mmmmmmmm!"

She keeps this up for a good minute, Beca just staring at her. She hears Inna yell, "I tell you! I make perfect!"

"Oh Inna you weren't lying! Ooohhh!"

Inna chuckles, a satisfied smile on her face. Beca goes back to her pancakes and coffee, ignoring the dramatic moans coming from across the table. Chloe seems to go silent for a moment, then calls Beca's name. She looks up to find Chloe staring at her mischievously, a glob of milkshake on her nose.

"Do I have anything on my face?" Chloe asks innocently.

"This is me ignoring you," Beca says, turning her attention back to her food.

"I just feel like I may have gotten some milkshake on my face. Can you tell me?"

"All good," Beca responds, still not looking up.

She hears some shifting in the seat across from her, lifting her eyes up to investigate what Chloe is up to now, and she's greeted with Chloe's face inches from hers, a glob of milkshake still dripping off her nose.

"Beca...are you sure there's nothing on my face?"

Two can play at this game.

"I'm sure...oh you know, actually I do see something." She picks up her fork with blueberry topping all over it and presses it to Chloe's cheek. "Yep...you got a little blueberry on your cheek," she says smoothly, smirking.

Chloe keeps her cool. She opens her mouth to say something when suddenly someone else is joining Chloe on her side of the booth.

Shower guy.

"Hey babe. Why do you have food all over your face? And how do you make it look so cute?" Barf. Beca rolls her eyes. Oh Jeremy don't you just say the darndest things. Chloe sits back down in her seat, turning to him, a smile on her face to humor him.

"Here I'll get it," he says, taking his finger and wiping off the blueberries first, licking his finger clean, then doing the same with the milkshake. "There ya go...mmm that's good! Maybe I'll order one! Oh hey Beca!"

She returns his greeting with half-smile.

"Jeremy," Chloe says in an even tone, his attention turning back to her.

"Chloe," he mimics back.

"We're kind of in the middle of something," she tells him sweetly.

He looks at her like he thinks she's joking, but quickly realizes she's saying that in all seriousness.

"Oh...ok. I will just let you be then." He slides out of the booth, giving Chloe a quick kiss on the cheek. Beca gets a sudden urge to reach across the table and push him away.

"Text me later?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

Chloe smiles and nods, and he leaves, Chloe watching him walk out. Once he's out of sight, she turns her attention back to Beca.

"Sorry about that."

"So you and shower guy huh?"

"He should be so lucky," Chloe teases with a smirk on her face. "No, he's just...around sometimes. No big deal.

"Oh, ok."

"Does it bother you that he's around?"

"I just think you could do better."

"And who's better?"

"I don't know, Chloe! Just someone else, I guess."

She smiles at Beca, reaching her hand out and placing it on top of hers.

"Well you don't have to worry about him. Okay?"

Beca offers back a small smile in response, and a slight nod of her head.

The knot in her stomach eases a little bit, and she can't help but notice that she really doesn't like that "he's around." But she just shakes it off and they finish their food - Chloe talking, Beca listening.

Nik appears at their table, a big smile on his face. "Ah my favorite ladies! How is everything today?"

"Oh Nik, you sure know how to make a girl feel special," Chloe teases.

"Well it's easy when it's the two of you. I see you had the milkshake, Inna makes the best you know."

"I sure do. Just ask Beca," she says smirking, throwing her a quick wink.

Beca rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't get her started."

"Beca, why so grumpy? You always smile when you're with Chloe!"

Beca knows her face is about 30 shades redder right now and Chloe is beaming at her.

"I do not," she mutters under her breath.

"Ok whatever you say," he says, smiling. "Well I have to get back to business. Keep this one out of trouble, Beca!" he says, chuckling, and pointing at Chloe.

"Who, me?!" Chloe gasps.

Beca snorts out a laugh. "She'd actually have to listen to me for that to work."

"I'm a very good listener!"

"You're a selective listener."

"Funny, that's what Inna says to me."

"And it's true!" Inna says from out of nowhere as she passes by their booth.

"Oh Inna my love, I always listen to you!" he says playfully, following behind her, giving the girls a wink as he walks away. He catches up to her, giving her puppy dog eyes and she smiles back at him. He kisses her on the nose, and the cuteness is overwhelming. Beca has to look away. She sees Chloe is also transfixed by the daily love story that is Nik and Inna. Her hand is under her chin as she longingly stares at the older couple. She sighs, tilting her head to the side, keeping her gaze fixed on them.

"Do you think I'll ever find someone to fall in love with the way Nik & Inna are in love? Sometimes I think I'll never get that. That I won't find someone to love me...really love me."

"Of course you will. Anybody would be stupid not to fall in love with you," Beca replies, but it comes out a little harsh for some reason.

"Wow that was romantic," Chloe teases.

"Well look at you, you're beautiful, smart, funny, kind, cheery, and all the other things people generally like in a person." She hears her tone becoming more annoyed and frustrated, and she doesn't really mean it to be. Well, maybe she does. It's just hard to hear people like Chloe talk about things that, in her opinion, they are clearly going to obtain in their lives. Meanwhile, people like Beca can't sustain human interaction for very long and will probably just die alone and miserable. "You'll find someone. Okay?"

Chloe looks taken aback. "It's funny because those words were all complimentary yet your tone would suggest otherwise."

She knows she should just shut up. She knows this.

"Come on, Chloe. You really think you're not going to find somebody to love you? Guys are always tripping over themselves to be with you. I've seen it. Look at Jeremy. Don't ask questions you know the answer too. Self-deprecation isn't attractive. There's a lot of people out there who don't have what you have and won't ever get what you're definitely going to get." She opens her mouth to say more, but closes it quickly when she sees Chloe's expression.

"No, please, go on."

Beca sighs. Foot, this is mouth. Oh you've met before? Shocking.

"I'm done," Beca replies sheepishly.

"For the record, I'm not interested in any of those guys who are apparently tripping over themselves to be with me. Just because I have options doesn't mean they are the options I want."

"At least you have options!" Beca says, knowing she needs to stop, that this is one of those arguments you get into that mean nothing and you're just arguing for the sake of it.

Chloe doesn't have a retort, thankfully because Beca really doesn't need to be egged on right now. She pulls out some money to leave on the table, puts her wallet back in her bag and zips it up.

"I think we should go, continue this discussion somewhere else. Or not at all, I wouldn't hate that idea either."

Beca's feeling ashamed of herself already. She sighs an "okay" and grabs her things. They bid adieu to Nik and Inna, and leave.

They walk for several minutes in silence. Beca grabs Chloe's arm, stopping them.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I snapped at you. Can we not do this awkward, weird silence anymore? I don't say things very well, and it was just like...word vomit. Stupid stuff. I'm feeling much better now though. No more nausea."

Chloe thinks it over, painstakingly long, which she's probably doing on purpose. But suddenly she's pulled into a hug, which she knows to interpret at forgiveness. She returns the pressure, melting into her friend's warmth, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I suck that this. I'll work on not sucking so much," she mumbles into Chloe.

Chloe laughs. "Please do," she teases.

They break apart, but there's this energy between them that Beca feels and it's freaking the hell out of her even though she's keeping her cool on the outside. Chloe fidgets, seemingly sensing something too.

"Chloe!" they both hear, making them both jump a little. Aubrey appears at their side, giving Beca the fakest smile ever, before quickly turning her attention back to Chloe. "Hey, there you are, I've been looking for you. We have a bunch of Bella stuff to go over. Do you have time...or...were you guys in the middle of something?" she asks, her eyes going back and forth between the two of them.

"No, it's fine. I was just leaving. See ya Chloe."

"Oh...ok. Bye Beca."

She turns and walks away. Hanging with Chloe is cool, but hanging with Aubrey is not, and she knows the Bellas leader doesn't want her around more than she has to stand her anyway. She'll use the distraction-free time to work on some mixes...