One Small Step

Beca walked away from the Bellas like she couldn't care less about them. Sure, she and Aubrey just got into a heated argument, and she didn't want to be around her. At all. She went and found Jesse, who has somehow managed to become one of her best friends along with Chloe. He was sitting on the bench staring into oblivion, not noticing the world around him.

"You okay, weirdo?" Beca asked casually.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Why does everyone think we are hooking up, Becs?"

"Because not everyone knows I like lady parts more than guy parts." She laughed coolly.

He laughed half-heartedly and shook his head at her witty comment. "You have quite a way with words, Mitchell."

"Speaking of words, when are you going to actually talk to the spawn of satan?"

Jesse shot Beca a glare, and she just smirked at the expected response. "When it's right. You know I'm not going to do anything that may seem like an inconvenience."

"I know, Jess. But you don't want to lose your slim opportunity."

"I know. I just need a little bit more time."

"Don't take too much time though." Beca warned.

This was Aubrey's last chance to redeem herself from last year's accident. She had so much to prove. She had worked her butt off the past year, and she had made sure the Bellas were at the top of the game. Well, as much as they could be given their…uniqueness. Beca. Everything always came back to Beca. Her bad attitude and annoying remarks irked Aubrey. But she had gone too far this time. The only job she had was to stick to the set list and perfect the choreography. They could have moved on. They were good enough. But of course, Beca has to jump in, thinking she's there to save the day. Wrong.

Aubrey didn't get to redeem herself from last year's puking accident, but most of all, she never got to prove to her father that she wasn't a failure before it was too late. He would never get to see her win that title. She'd never get another opportunity again. All she wanted to do was to show that she was a Posen, and a Posen always wins. Unless they're battling cancer, that is.

Tears piled in the corners of Aubrey's eyes. She tried to hold it together for the Bellas, but she had to get out of there. She couldn't stand it anymore. Her heart was breaking from disappointment and shame. She felt herself slipping into a dark place, and she had to get away from everyone.

She pushed her way through the crowd of singers and out the door, brushing the tears out of her eyes so she could see where she was going. She heard Chloe call her name from inside, but she didn't stop. She just kept running. She didn't know where yet, but she'd know once she got there. She always knew.

Chloe looked around the crowd for the familiar blonde hair of Aubrey's. She wasn't there. It's not like you could miss her. She's pretty tall and beautiful. She always sticks out in the crowd. But she wasn't anywhere to be seen. She called her name some more before taking notice of Beca and Jesse sitting out front.

"Hey Beca, Jesse, have you seen Aubrey?" Chloe asked with panic in her voice. "I haven't seen her anywhere. I'm scared."

"What did Satan get herself into this time?" Beca joked.

"Look Beca. I know you don't get along, but I need you to understand this. Aubrey is one of the strongest girls I know. She separates her feelings from her social life so she doesn't have to deal with them around others. She keeps it together usually, but she's been pushed too far lately, and I think she finally cracked. If something happens to Aubrey, I will personally hold you responsible because you were too narcissistic to do what was best for everyone."

"Wow, you've got fire, Red." Beca smirked.

"I'll help you look, Chloe." Jesse interjected, noticing the tension between the two friends.

Chloe nodded and left them alone.

"Come on Beca." Jesse said, pulling Beca's arm so she'd stand up.

"Why would I help find the girl who hates me the most?" Beca stopped.

"Because…Because I love her." He stumbled over his words.

"You what?!" Beca yelled. "I knew you had this weird crush on her, Jess, but come on!"

"I'll owe you big time if you do this for me."

"Fine. Whatever." Beca sighed, following Jesse down the road.

"Alright, you head down there, and I'll check up here. She couldn't have gotten too far yet." He said, trying to sound hopeful, mostly for himself.

Aubrey kicked her heels off at the edge of the road. She felt the rain occasionally fall on her, but she continued anyways. She needed to clear her head, and she had some serious thinking to do. She followed the path to Low Key Bridge. She loved being able to see the stars from the middle of the bridge. She loved to lie down and just look up. It was a sense of security. She couldn't explain it really.

She heard the stream running underneath her. It was calming her down, and she didn't want to leave. She knew Chloe would be looking for her soon, but she didn't know what to do anymore. Tears rolled down her puffy cheeks as she looked across the stream. She gripped the railing with her hands and closed her eyes. She listened to the running water and the animals settling in for the night. They were all happy and content with everything. They weren't losers like she was. At least, that's what she thought. She took in a deep breath and felt the cold, brisk air overtake her lungs. It didn't feel suffocating like it did back with everyone. Everything was quiet and clear.

Jesse called Aubrey's phone, but it constantly went to voicemail. That started to really scare him but not as much as seeing a pair of heels on the edge of the road. He yelled her name, hoping he'd somehow get a reply. If she wanted to be found, he would have gotten one, but he didn't.

He looked around him to see what the surroundings were. He could hear a low hum of water, but he was looking for more of a landmark of something. That's when he saw it. It was faint behind the bushes. But under the moonlight, blonde sticks out from green and black.

Jesse pushed his way through the brush and stumbled upon the bridge. His heart stopped as he saw Aubrey standing there, leaning against the railing with her head in her hands. She was sniffling, indicating the tears she had been shedding lately. He slowly walked towards her, not wanting to scare her.

"Aubrey, are you okay?" he asked calmly.

Aubrey spun around and looked at Jesse. "What are you doing here?" she spat.

"We were worried about you, and we split up to find you."

"I just need to be alone."

"Aubrey, it's okay. We can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about." He assured her, taking a small step towards her.

Aubrey took a small step back from him. "This is something I need to deal with alone." Her voice cracked as tears built back up.

"Aubrey, please. Don't do this." He begged.

"Why not? My father died before I could prove myself to him. What else is there for me to do?" she choked.

Jesse was stunned. He never knew about her dad. In fact, he didn't know a lot about her. Not as much as he wanted to, at least. "Aubrey I'm so"

"Don't." she cut him off. "I don't want you to feel sorry for my screwed up life. You should go off and be happy. You're the kind of guy a girl needs. Go be with Beca. I don't care about that stupid oath anymore. No one really needs me anyways." She said, with no self-pity in her voice.

Jesse stopped. That got to him. His stomach knotted as he came to the realization that even if no one needed her, he'd be the only one damaged beyond repair if anything happened to Aubrey.

"I do." He said. "I need you."

This took Aubrey by surprise, and she slowly started to lean back against the railing. But the rain had made the bridge slippery, and she didn't have any shoes on. She felt her world stop as her foot slipped out from underneath her. She tried to grab ahold of the railing, but couldn't seem to find it. She thought that was it. She knew it was her time. All she could do was close her eyes, and a small scream escaped her mouth.

Thank God Jesse was there. He lunged forward and grabbed her shirt tightly. He pulled her back up before either of them could come to their senses as to what happened. It was his first instinct, to save her.

Jesse grabbed her and pulled her to the middle of the bridge. He refused to let her go as she screamed and cried. Her whole body was shaking, so he held her close to him. He rocked her gently, trying to calm her down. He gently kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"It's okay. I'm here, Aubrey." He soothed.

Aubrey clutched his jacket and let out all of her tears. She had seen her life flash before her, and it terrified her beyond comprehension. But he caught her. He didn't let her fall.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Jesse whispered, picking Aubrey up and carrying her back to the road.

By now, the rain was picking up, sending chills down their spines. Jesse wasn't worried about himself, but he was deathly worried about Aubrey.

He set her down and took off his jacket. She still hadn't said anything to him. She was in shock still. Her mind wasn't functioning properly yet. He tried to hand her his jacket, but she just stared into the dark abyss of the night.

Jesse walked around in front of Aubrey. He slipped his hoodie over her head. It sort of distracted her from her trance, and she turned and looked over at him. He managed to get his jacket on her so she wouldn't freeze to death. All she managed to do was smile slightly. When he saw her apologetic grin, he couldn't help but flash his dorky smile. He kissed her forehead gently and picked her back up. They headed back down the road, but this time, Aubrey wrapped her arms around Jesse and hung on to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he felt the warmness of her forehead against his cheek as they came into view of the center.

Beca was the first to spot them. "Chloe! He's got her!" she yelled loud enough for the redhead to hear. Chloe ran up to them with tears in her eyes.

"Aubrey what happened? I was worried sick!" She cried.

Jesse furrowed his brow. "Call a cab, Chloe. It's been a long night." He told her.

Chloe sniffled and nodded, pulling out her phone to call the cab to take her back to the hotel.

Jesse and Chloe crawled in on either side of Aubrey into the cab. Chloe told him the hotel they were at, and they were off. Chloe kept looking over at Jesse, who was focusing on Aubrey. She still hadn't said a word, and it worried Chloe to bits and pieces.

Jesse carried Aubrey into her room and set her down on the bed.

"Don't bother her about it, Chloe. She'll tell you if she wants to." He told Chloe before walking back into the hall. "I'll be right across the hall if you need anything."

Chloe nodded and looked over at Aubrey. She was huddled in a ball on the bed. It broke Chloe's heart to see her best friend like that.

"Why don't we get you into some dry clothes?" Chloe said, grabbing some pajamas from Aubrey's bag.

Chloe helped Aubrey get out of her sopping wet clothes and into dry clothes, yet she still hadn't said a word.

Aubrey crawled under the covers and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Chloe's heart sank at her actions.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Bree?" she tried.

Aubrey didn't move. She sighed a deep sigh.

"I want Jesse."

Chloe's heart shattered into a million pieces. She didn't know what happened that night, but she knew it was enough to silence her best friend and want Jesse instead of her. She got up and walked across the hall. She knocked lightly on Jesse's door. It took a minute or two for him to answer, and his appearance explained why. He had taken a quick shower.

"Sorry, I was showering. Is she alright?" he asked curiously.

Chloe sighed, "She wants you."

Jesse practically ran into her room and saw her lying under the covers. Her cheeks were still puffy, and her eyes were red, but at least she was in warm clothes.

"Aubrey?" he asked quietly.

She turned over and looked at him. She saw the way he was looking at her, his eyes filled with worry. Something came over her, and she lifted up the blankets and moved back, creating a space big enough for another person.

Jesse stood there dumbfounded. First she wasn't acknowledging anyone, and now she was wanting him to lay next to her.

"I'm not going to sit like this forever." She told him.

His face lit up at the sound of her voice. A small grin appeared on his face, and he crawled into the bed with her.

"I'll just go stay with Beca tonight." Chloe said aloud. They weren't paying attention anyways.

"How are you feeling?" Jesse asked, running his thumb across her cheek.

"Awful." She admitted.

Jesse wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. He kissed her forehead gently. "I'm sorry sweetheart." He said calmly.

"Why are you being so kind?"

"I love you Aubrey. I don't care if you don't love me back, but I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you."