Prompt from RJRMovieFan: So the idea is, post PP3, Beca has signed with DJ Khaled and heads to LA. She continues to work with Theo who hasn't given up on the idea of getting with our favorite DJ. With Beca in LA, Jesse comes a calling, wanting to rekindle their movie worthy romance. Of course, Jesse and Theo don't like each other. At the same time, Chloe realizes she made a huge mistake letting Beca leave her life and follows. Suddenly Beca has three suitors vying for her attention.
Beca stood at the window looking out over the L.A. landscape. She took a deep breath and let it out.
"So, I take it you like your office," she heard Theo say from behind her.
She turned to respond only to bump into him as he stood directly behind her. "Dude, personal space," she said pushing him away from her. "And, who let you in here anyway?"
"Um, that would be me," a voice calls out near Beca's new desk.
Beca looks around Theo and sees a girl with light brown hair standing there looking at the two of them.
"Who is this?," Beca asked Theo.
"This is your new Assistant," Theo said. "Beca Mitchell meet Danielle Matthews."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Mitchell," Danielle said. "Please call me Dani."
"It's Beca," Beca said. "Nice to meet you, Dani. Next time this one here wants to come into my office, make sure he has an appointment."
"Yes, ma'am," Dani said trying to hide her smile at the look of hurt on Theo's face.
"Beca, come on," Theo said. "You're going to have Dani thinking you don't like me."
Beca just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't," is all she said. "Plus, I'm your boss, remember?" She moves past him and shifts her focus on Dani.
"So, is there anything I need to do today?," Beca asked.
"You're scheduled to be recording in the studio most of the day," Dani said looking at her notes. "And, you do have a lunch meeting at Noon."
"Who with?," Beca said.
"Me," Theo responded and smiled at her. "I thought we could go to lunch and talk about a few things."
"Isn't that why I have an office?," Beca asked.
"Yes," Theo said. "But, at lunch, we can be more relaxed and casual."
"Fine," Beca said. "Whatever." She walks behind her desk and looks at Dani. "Dani, in the future if anyone wants to get on my schedule for a lunch meeting, run it by me first before accepting it. That's my only free time during the day and I'll need some alone time."
"Got it," Dani said. "Do you need anything else?"
"Am I allowed to ask you to bring me some coffee?," Beca asked.
"That's part of my job, yes," Dani said.
"Great," Beca said. "Black, two sugars. Thank you."
Dani smiles and left the office.
"Why do I have an Assistant?," Beca said. "And, why do I get this fancy office? I thought DJ Khaled wanted me to be a recording artist. Do all your recording artists get an office and an Assistant?"
"Not really," Theo said. "But, DJ Khaled took you seriously when you said you also wanted to produce music. So, he decided to let you help produce your first album."
"Wait. Seriously?," Beca asked. "I get to produce my own album?"
"Help produce your first album," Theo corrected.
"Whatever," Beca said with a small smile. "I'm your boss and that means that what I say goes. I did tell you I was going to be a handful."
There is a knock on the door and Dani walks in with a coffee. She hands it to Beca and waits.
"Thank you," Beca said and took a sip. "Ahh, perfect."
Dani smiled and bounced out of the office. Beca smiled because if reminded her of Chloe. At that thought, she pulled out her phone.
"Are we done here?," Beca asked Theo.
"For now," Theo responded. "You're due in the studio at ten. Don't be late."
"Fine, see you later," Beca said dismissively.
Theo turned and left Beca's office as Beca was dialing the phone.
"Beca!," Chloe answered. "I was just thinking about you. How's L.A.?"
"I've only been here a little over a week," Beca said and chuckled. "Not much time to know how L.A. is yet."
"Are you all settled in your fancy new apartment?," Chloe asked.
"Yeah," Beca said. "Clothes all unpacked and put away. What are you doing? Can you FaceTime?"
"Just finishing up lunch," Chloe said. "I'll hang up and FaceTime you."
"Cool," Beca said and ended the call to have a FaceTime request come in seconds later. She answered.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe said with a big smile.
"Hey," Beca said. "So, I just wanted to show you my new office."
"Show me!," Chloe said, radiating excitement.
"Okay, here goes," Beca said.
She turned her phone around and panned around her office. After making a complete circle Beca turned the phone back to her.
"What do you think?," Beca asked with a smile.
"Wow," Chloe said. "It's really cool, Becs. You need to put up some pictures. The walls are a little bare."
"I've got some I'm going to bring in to hang," Beca said. Just then there was a knock on the door. "Hang on a sec, Chlo. Come in."
Dani comes in and stops when she sees Beca is on the phone. Beca waves her over.
"Chloe, this is my Assistant Dani," Beca said and turns the phone to show Dani.
Dani gives a little wave and Chloe smiles at her. "Hi, Dani. I'm Chloe Beale. Beca's best friend."
"Nice to meet you, Chloe," Dani said.
"Dani, take note," Beca said. "Chloe is more than just my best friend, she's family to me. If she ever calls here, make sure you find me. She is a VIP. Got it?"
"Aw, Becs," Chloe coos from the phone. "You love me."
"No, I don't," Beca said. "I just tolerate you a lot more than everyone else."
Dani giggled causing Beca's focus to turn back to her. "I'm sorry, Dani. Did you need something?"
"Oh, yeah," Dani said. "You're supposed to be in the studio in like ten minutes."
"Oh, right," Beca said. She looks at the phone. "I'm sorry, Chlo. I have to go. But, I'll call you later if you're free."
"Please do," Chloe said. "I don't have anything planned for tonight."
"Okay," Beca said. "I'll talk to you later. Love ya, Chlo."
"Bye, Becs," Chloe said and the call ended. "Love you, too."
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
In New York, Chloe put her phone in her pocket and sighed. She missed Beca. It's only been ten days since Beca flew off to L.A. and she missed her so much. Missed seeing her every day, missed talking to her face-to-face, just missed her. Don't get her wrong, Chloe was so proud that DJ Khaled had seen Beca's talent. A talent that she's been witness to for several years. She was proud of Beca for jumping right in and moving to L.A. without overthinking everything. She just wished she could be there to show her support. This long-distance friendship was already causing her so much anxiety.
Chloe thought back to the USO Tour. Specifically, to the night of Beca's solo performance.
Beca had been so nervous and Chloe was there to help calm her down. She was saying all the right things and Beca became calmer and was ready to take the stage. Chloe had given her a quick hug and went to find the rest of the Bellas so they could take their seats.
Chloe had been excited when Chicago let Zeke go ahead of him so he could sit next to her. She smiled at him as they sat down. She couldn't help but think how lucky she was that he was as attracted to her as she was to him.
When Beca took the stage she was so excited she grabbed Chicago's hand and squealed. As Beca started singing, she sat there enthralled. She was extremely surprised when Beca pulled the Bellas on stage with her. Chloe loved being able to sing with the Bellas, with Beca, one last time before they all separated and went on their way. She loved how happy Beca looked and couldn't help the smile she gave her as she pulled her into the hug at the end of the song.
Then, things took a weird turn. At least for Chloe they did. Chicago told her he'd meet her at the back of the Citadel when she was done. She loved that he knew she needed to spend some time with her Bellas. They separated with plans to meet back up in a bit to celebrate. She made her way to find Chicago and when she saw him she smiled. He looked so handsome in his dress uniform and she rushed over to him, grabbed him by his tie, and pulled him into a kiss. He grabbed her around the waist and into a sort of 'dip' while kissing her. It was...nice. But, it didn't feel right.
It was in that moment, a moment when she was kissing Chicago and should have been thinking about him and what this meant, that Beca was on her mind. She had a sudden realization that she didn't just like Beca as more than a friend, she was in love with Beca and had been for quite some time. She was shaken to the core. She realized that she was in love with her best friend as she was kissing a great guy who, without Beca around, would have been perfect for her.
She remembers pulling out of the kiss and smiling at Chicago and it was as if her senses knew Beca was there. She turned in time to see Beca look away from her. She knew Beca saw her kissing Chicago. She saw a look come across Beca's face that she hadn't recalled seeing before. Beca would not look back at her and kept her eyes down as she followed Theo. She turned back to Chicago and it was as if he knew her thoughts.
"I'm guessing by that look," Chicago said. "The kiss didn't really do anything for you."
"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "I, I'm-"
"You're in love with someone else," Chicago finished for her. "I get that. I just hope whoever they are, they realize what a treasure you really are."
"You're a really great guy, Chicago," Chloe told him as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."
She left him after that and went to celebrate with the Bellas. She got drunk and slept in the next morning, actually missing Beca leaving France. She was sad that she didn't get to fly back to New York with Beca. She was even sadder when a few days later she had to say goodbye in their tiny little apartment. There was so much she wanted to say to Beca but didn't. She didn't tell her how she felt about her. She didn't tell her she and Chicago didn't work out. Because, if she had said anything to Beca, she knew that Beca wouldn't have wanted to leave Chloe alone. She didn't want to complicate things for Beca so she hugged her and told her how proud she was of her and watched her leave. Just moments later she regretted letting Beca talk her out of going to the airport with her. Beca's rationale was that saying their goodbyes in a crowded airport would have been harder. So she sat on their shared pullout bed and held Beca's pillow to her and cried.
Ten days without waking up to Beca every morning. Ten days of coming home and Beca not being there to hear all about Chloe's day. Ten days of missing Beca more than she thought she ever would. Chloe knew that her feelings were only going to get worse.
Chloe sighed again and saw that she needed to get back to work.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Jesse Swanson sat in his apartment saddened at the fact that he was sitting there alone. It's only been two days since Claire, his girlfriend of just over a year, left him and took their cat. He couldn't really blame her. He heard about DJ Khaled signing Beca and had spent the better part of a week talking about her to his girlfriend. Claire finally told him to shut up about her. He defended his actions and talked more about the relationship he had with Beca. That's when things took a turn he did not see coming.
"Oh, my God," Claire said as she sat with her head in her hands. "You're still in love with her!"
"What?," Jesse all but yelled. "Are you crazy? I love you. I broke up with her for you."
"That's only because I was here and she wasn't," Claire said. "Now she's going to be in L.A. and you can't stop thinking about her."
"Claire, it's not like that," Jesse said.
"It's okay, Jesse," Claire said. "Really. I get it. She's the love of your life and you're angry at yourself for losing her."
"I love you, Claire," Jesse said.
"I know," Claire said sadly. "But, you're not in love with me like you are with her. So, I think you should go get her back."
"No, Claire," Jesse said. "That's not what I want."
"Yes, it is," Claire said. "And, like I said, it's okay. I'll just get my things and go stay with my sister. I love you enough to let you go."
Jesse had sat there as Claire called her sister and made arrangements to stay with her. Claire gathered her things and packed them in boxes. She packed a suitcase with clothes and things she would need immediately. Jesse helped her stack the boxes by the door.
"I'll make arrangements to come and get these later," Claire said pointing to the boxes.
There was a knock on the door and Jesse opened it to see Claire's sister, Jenny. "Hey, Jenny," Jesse greeted her. "Come on in."
Jenny entered. "I brought my boyfriend's truck. I thought you might want to take all your stuff now."
"That'd be great," Claire said with a sad smile. She turned to Jesse and pulled him into a hug. "Go get your happy ending," she whispered to him before letting him go.
"I'll take these boxes down for you," Jesse said clearing his throat when it caught a little near the end.
That was two days ago. And now he sat alone in his apartment wondering what he could do to get Beca back.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca is sitting across from Theo at their lunch meeting. He looks at her and smiles.
"So," Beca said. "You wanted to talk about a few things. That's good because I have an idea about my album."
"We can discuss that in the office," Theo said. "This," he uses his hand to point back and forth between the two, "is about us."
"Us?," Beca scoffed. "Dude, there is no us."
"Of course there is," Theo said as if speaking to a small child. Beca narrows his eyes at him. "I've felt it since the day we met."
"Stop, just stop now," Beca said with a humorless laugh. "I'm not interested in that kind of a relationship with you. So, this," she uses her hand to point back and forth between the two, "is not a thing and won't be a thing."
Theo just smiles at her and picks up his menu. He looks at it and then back at her and smiles again while shaking his head. Beca doesn't know what to make of this so decides to just order some food and get back to the studio as fast as possible.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Jesse moped around for about a day or two before he got his act together. He found out that Beca had just moved to L.A. and he decided to man up and go for what he really wanted, and he really wanted Beca. He got the address of DJ Khaled's studio and spent several hours searching for coffee shops nearby. He knew that no matter where Beca was she was going to find someplace to get a decent cup of coffee. He spent the next Saturday visiting several of the coffee shops before he found one that had really good coffee and was the closest to the studio.
Some might have thought it was stalkerish but he knew none of the Bellas would tell him where she lived, not after the way he broke it off with her. So, he spent two days going to the one place he knew she would eventually show up. And, his perseverance finally paid off. He walked into the coffee shop one morning and smiled.
"Well, hello stranger," Jesse said when he saw her standing by the counter.
"Jesse?," Beca said, not sure if she was happy to see him. She had hoped she'd be able to spend more time in L.A. before she would have to face him.
"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?," Jesse asked with his boyish grin in place.
"Um, no thanks," Beca said. "I'm good."
"C'mon, Becs," Jesse said. "Don't be like that. We were friends once."
The barista called her name and she grabbed her cup. She turned to Jesse. "As you can see I already have my coffee. Now, I really have to get to work. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."
With that, she walked past him and out the door.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Chloe was washing up after assisting the Vet with a sick puppy. She was sad when the poor thing was brought in, but now the puppy was feeling much better. She heard her phone ring and quickly dried her hands. She saw it was Beca and smiled.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe said answering the call.
"You'll never guess who I just ran into?," Beca said by way of greeting.
"Who?," Chloe asked. "Beyonce? Adam Levine? Kelly Clarkson?"
"No," Beca said. "Jesse."
"Jessie J?," Chloe asked.
"What?," Beca said. "Seriously, Chlo? Jesse Jesse."
"Oh, that Jesse," Chloe said. "What did he say?"
"He asked if he could buy me a cup of coffee," Beca responded. Beca entered her building and managed to show her ID while holding her coffee cup in one hand and the phone to her ear in the other.
"So, you, like, just bumped into him?," Chloe asked.
"Yeah," Beca said. "I've been in L.A. for three weeks and I bump into my ex-boyfriend. Plus, Theo still seems to think we're going to be a thing even though I've told him we aren't. Arggh!"
"Calm down, Becs," Chloe said. "Just ignore Theo and Jesse. Focus on you and your album."
"You're right," Beca said. "I desperately need you to be here right now. Or Amy, who lives with me but is never around especially when I need her. You guys could always talk me down when I get agitated. And, trust me, I'm agitated."
"I can tell through the phone," Chloe said trying not to show the amusement in her voice. "I get a break in a few weeks. Maybe I can figure out a way to come visit."
"Really?," Beca said as she stopped at Dani's desk. "I can help with your ticket and you can stay with me so that'll save you some money."
"Sounds like a plan," Chloe said. "I have to go so we'll talk later. Love you, bye."
"Love you, too," Beca said and ended the call. She saw Dani looking at her questioningly. "What?"
"You said love you," Dani said. "Someone I should know about?"
"What?," Beca said. "No. That was just Chloe."
"The best friend?," Dani asked.
"Yeah," Beca said and did a double take when saw the way Dani was staring at her. "Stop looking at me like that. We always say 'love you' before we hang up. It's just our thing."
"If you say so," Dani said not sounding at all convinced. "Here are your messages and your schedule. Oh, and Theo is looking for you."
"Great," Beca said. "Call Theo and tell him I'll see him in the studio at, um," she glances at her schedule, "at 10:00. If he bugs you, tell him I'm busy until then."
"Got it," Dani said as Beca's phone pinged a text notification.
Dani stood and watched as Beca checked her phone and smile.
"Aww, she's so cute," Beca gushed.
"Chloe?," Dani asked with a smirk.
"Not just Chloe. It's Chloe and a puppy," Beca said ignoring Dani's look. "She's got a job in a veterinary clinic and got to help make this puppy better this morning. Isn't she adorable?" Beca turned the phone to show Dani.
"Definitely adorable," Dani said looking at the picture of a beaming Chloe holding a puppy.
"Yeah, she is," Beca said wistfully looking back down at the picture on her phone.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca walked into the recording studio a little before ten and found Theo waiting for her.
"Good morning, Beca," Theo said as she entered.
"It's morning," Beca said. "Don't know how good it is."
"Rough night?," Theo asked.
"Can we just get started?," Beca asked. "I had an idea last night that I want to run by you."
"Okay," Theo said. "Let's get started. What did you have in mind?"
Beca and Theo spent the next two hours working on some of the ideas Beca had for the album. She had recorded a few vocals for one song but was still not satisfied.
"Ugh," Beca said and flopped back in the chair. "Why can't I get this? I know in my head what I want but I just can't seem to vocalize it."
"Why don't we take a break?," Theo said. "Go to lunch, relax for a bit. Just you and me."
Before Beca could say anything there is a knock at the door and Dani walks in.
"Hey, Beca," Dani said. "I got a call from Chloe and she asked me to get you lunch since you forget to eat sometimes."
"Great," Beca said and jumped up to grab the bag Dani was holding out for her. "Thanks, Dani." She turned to Theo. "Enjoy your lunch. I'll see you back here in an hour."
Beca and Dani walked out and Theo leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~
Beca finished her lunch and walked out of her office to Dani's desk.
"Thanks again for getting me lunch," Beca said. "From now on I'll tell you in the morning if I need you to order me something. Other days I'll probably walk out on my own. Here's my credit card. Write down the number and use it. And make sure you get yourself something as well."
"That's not necessary, Beca," Dani said in protest.
"I know it's not," Beca said. "It's just a small way of saying thank you for looking out for me."
"I'm sorry I hadn't thought of it until Chloe called," Dani said. "She's the one who's looking out for you."
"She always has," Beca said with a smile.
"Can I ask you a personal question?," Dani asked hesitantly.
"Let's go to the coffee shop," Beca said. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee and we can talk there."
"Um, okay," Dani said not expecting the invite for coffee.
She gets up and walks out with Beca. They don't say anything until they are in the coffee shop. Beca asks Dani what she wants and then asks her to get them a table. Beca gets their orders and goes over to sit down across from Dani.
"Okay," Beca said. "Um, so you had a question for me. I'm guessing it's of a personal nature, so go for it."
"Is that why you brought me here?," Dani asked. "Away from the office? Because it was personal."
"Yeah," Beca said. "I don't want people I work with knowing about my private life. You're my assistant and there are some things you should probably know about me."
"Makes sense," Dani said sipping her coffee. "So, my question is about Chloe. And you. Forgive me for being so blunt, but are you two a thing?"
Beca takes a gulp of her coffee. The age-old question of her and Chloe. The Bellas stopped asking after a while because they really did seem to think they were a thing no matter how much she and Chloe denied it. Beca knew she had some not so best friend feelings for the redhead but didn't do anything about it for fear of losing Chloe as a friend.
"It's complicated," Beca said finally answering Dani. "I mean she's my best friend and she's just a really friendly girl by nature. She cares a lot about her friends, her family. And, we, the Bellas, are all family."
"Really?," Dani asked somewhat skeptical. "Do you have feelings for her?"
"That's kind of the million dollar question," Beca said with a half laugh. "I love her but I'm not sure if it's the love for a really good friend or something more."
Dani smiled. "I am married to my best friend," she told Beca. "I know that's cliche and all but we really were best friends before we realized we had feelings for each other. Jane and I have been married for three years now."
Beca raised an eyebrow. "You're gay?," Beca asked. "No, never mind, don't answer. I shouldn't be asking you that. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Beca," Dani said. "I don't really label myself as gay. Neither of us does. We just happen to fall in love with each other and we just happen to both be women. Neither one of us was ever attracted to a woman before so it scared the Hell out of us when we found ourselves falling for each other. We figured it out together."
"Wow," Beca said. "That, uh, sounds a lot like me with Chloe. She identifies as bisexual and I don't know if I really have a label. So far, I've only ever dated men. And Chloe met this army guy when we were in Europe so I'm pretty sure she's not thinking about me like that."
"I'm sorry," Dani said. "If she ever breaks up with him, I think you should talk to her. I know you can't see it, but you obviously care more about her than just as a friend."
Beca doesn't say anything. She sits there for a minute sipping her coffee before she stands. "I should probably get back to the studio. Theo will be waiting for me."
Dani gets up and they return to the studio without another word being spoken between them. It's not uncomfortable. Dani knows that Beca is just thinking things through in her mind. She remembers all too well what it felt like when she realized she had fallen in love with her best friend.