A/N: This fic is dedicated to Corinne and Stacey, my two biggest fans and best supporters. After countless hours of writing, the first chapter of this epic long fic is finally being posted. Thank you both so much for always believing in me and pushing me to step out of my comfort zone. I hope this fic makes you proud!

"I never had no one

I could count on

I've been let down so many times

I was tired of hurtin'

So tired of searchin'

'Til you walked into my life

It was a feelin'

I'd never known

And for the first time

I didn't feel alone"

Rebeca Elizabeth Mitchell, or Beca as she was known to her family and friends, was a music lover; always had been, always would be. It had been used to lull her to sleep from the time she was very, very little. Whenever she was upset or crying and beyond comfort, her dad could always get her to calm down by playing the piano. When she was about two years old, he would put her on his lap and let her pound on the keys of his prized baby grand piano.

Realizing their daughter had quite the gift, her parents decided to register her for dance classes. Beca was very active with boundless energy and needed an outlet. She was still a little too young for formal music lessons so dance would have to do for now. She loved ballet and jazz but tap was her favorite because she enjoyed the noise her tap shoes made on the marble floors and the way it irked her Mom when she jumped up and down the stairs while she was trying to work.

Every morning they went through the same routine. Beca would wake up and immediately put her on leotard, tutu and taps shoes and every morning her mother explained that she couldn't wear her dance things to school. This usually resulted in a meltdown and her mother giving in to Beca's need to wear at least one of her dance things to preschool. As a result, and in an effort to keep the peace, Beca and her mother agreed that on Tuesdays she could wear her tutu to school… no questions asked. From then on, Tuesdays were marked on the calendar with a ballerina sticker as a reminder and would be forever known as Tutu Tuesday. This lasted for a couple of years until Beca realized that no one else was doing the same thing so she stopped, in an effort to fit in.

Beca began formal piano lessons when she was four and by the time she was eight, she was performing in piano recitals regularly, although she protested against the formality of it all and refused to wear the outfits her mother picked out. They often compromised with only minutes to spare; most of Beca's time on stage was spent in pretty sun dresses, pigtails or braids and Chucks; something her mother hated.

When Beca was six, she met Amy Nichols at a dance class. Amy was a chunky little thing with an attitude to match but that wasn't the first thing Beca noticed about Amy. The first thing she noticed was that Amy sounded different when she spoke. It didn't take Beca long to realize that it wasn't just the way she talked that wasn't the same... it was the fact she used to pretend to be a mermaid. Beca really liked that Amy was different. Lucky for the girls, their moms hit it off as well and planned play dates for them that would lead to a lifelong friendship.

At ten, Beca began taking guitar lessons and could play just about any song by ear, nodding her head to a beat only she could hear. She very seldom, if ever, looked at sheet music; in fact, her dad wasn't entirely sure she could actually read a lick of music. She was extremely talented and it showed in everything she did.

At twelve, she decided she wanted to learn to play the drums... which irked her mother and ultimately made Beca all the more determined. In the end, her dad built her an over-sized, soundproof music and dance studio in the backyard. She was able to store all of her equipment, instruments and dance gear, and her dad even installed floor to ceiling mirrors and a ballet bar so she had the perfect place to rehearse.

In addition to ballet, jazz and tap, Beca began taking lyrical and hip hop lessons. While her mother supported her desire to expand her knowledge of dance she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of Beca taking hip hop lessons. She thought hip hop dance was something street thugs performed and terrorized old folks with and she didn't want Beca to have any part of it. It wasn't until she agreed to watch Beca dance one evening that she finally got it and understood Beca a little better.

Music and dance were the loves of Beca's young life. She lived and breathed for both. Her dad often joked that if he could hear Beca's heartbeat, it would sound like song. Many of her parents friends thought she was over scheduled but Beca disagreed. She was able to maintain all A's in school in addition to her innate ability to excel in both music and dance. As far as she was concerned, there wasn't enough time in the day. If she could skip school in favor of music and dance she would have done so in a heart beat.

When Beca was fourteen, she and her parents were approached about her becoming a junior dance instructor. The position offered her the ability to make a small amount of money while doing something she loved and adored. She was thrilled and initially began helping with with the two year old "Mini Movers" class, eventually moving up to the classes filled with elementary school kids. Beca loved teaching; it gave her yet another outlet as well as the ability to share her gift in yet another way.

All in all, Beca was very outgoing, well rounded and friendly but could be surprisingly introverted as well. In situations where she felt out of place or had no desire to interact, she retreated into herself and her music; ear buds in, world out. This usually lead to her dancing and creating routines for recitals or for her students in dance class.

As she entered high school, a place where groups of kids became best friends for life, Beca sat on the fence about who to trust. She had been burned by several 'friends' before so kept just a few in her little circle. She wasn't really interested in swapping homemade, cotton friendship bracelets or hanging out at the mall to waste a Saturday afternoon.

She developed an impressive eye roll and used it when her mother so much as suggested she 'run along to play or have an afternoon dance party with Aubrey and the two other girls up the road'. She would instead call Amy to come over and the two would enjoy the private confines of her backyard tree house or her studio, making as much noise as possible although Beca did fear for her life on more than one occasion when Amy would insist on showing her a new dance move she labelled 'crushing it'.

Beca was an honors student throughout high school, earning several awards and merits along the way. She kept her head down and her grades up and while she wasn't one of the popular girls like her cousin Aubrey, who was a year ahead of her in school, Beca was respected and liked among her peers. While she loved and adored Aubrey, she couldn't stand the noise that she and her cheerleader friends made and the high pitched squeals they managed to produce when a new episode of Pretty Little Liars was aired. It was just weird and way too girly for Beca's liking.

Beca's home life was comfortable and the house she lived in was pleasant, large enough to get lost in for an hour or two but not so big that the family all lived separate lives. Every evening at six o'clock sharp, no matter what was going on, they all sat down for family dinner. Beca and her parents would take turns talking about their day and what was going on the next, it was very Leave It To Beaver but they didn't care; it was their life and they loved every minute of it.

On Sundays, they alternated between their house and Beca's Aunt Gail's house for their weekly family dinner. After dinner, they would play a board game or watch a movie, except during football season, in which case, Beca watched the Oakland Raiders games with her dad and Uncle John while Aubrey entertained their mothers by giving them manicures.

o~O~o

Beca's mom, Anne Abernathy-Mitchell, was a well known Los Angeles criminal prosecutor who ran for and won the very esteemed position of Criminal Court Judge with The Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County. Beca had never seen her mother cry before and while she wasn't a hard woman by any means, she kept her emotions in check and loved fiercely in private. The day the election results came in, Beca watched her mother sink into her favorite chaise lounge in the family room and weep as all of her hard work had finally paid off. Beca had rushed to her side and they hugged, silently, for what seemed like forever before Anne could tell her daughter the wonderful news.

William Mitchell was a Comparative Literature professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. In his spare time he sponsored the campus choir and gave private piano lessons to underprivileged children in the area. He was decent, kind and more than willing to stay behind at school to coach a student who was struggling. In turn, his undergraduates respected him and his classes were always full. William truly believed in teaching the arts and always encouraged his students to try new and exciting things. Believing in his subject, he also established contacts with London colleges and encouraged his students to travel there for a semester while graciously accepting foreign scholars on an exchange.

William and Anne doted on their daughter who wanted for nothing in life… except a brother or sister. Will and Anne wanted very badly to give her siblings but things just didn't work out. Anne had some infertility issues so they were lucky to have gotten pregnant with Beca, who they always considered to be their miracle baby.

Anne's sister Gail and brother-in-law, John had a daughter named Aubrey who was only 18 months older than Beca and from the time they were both very small, the two were as thick as thieves. Both only children, the girls created a bond early on and while their interests in life were very different; Aubrey preferring cute boys, short shorts and new lip glosses whereas Beca was all about dancing, music, her studies and keeping out of the way of anything being painted on her face. The two girls shared a love of music and singing and were often found writing lyrics and performing for their parents after Sunday dinner. As hard as Beca tried, she couldn't teach Aubrey to dance though, the girl was tall and lanky and had two left feet.

Life with the Mitchell's and the McKadden's was always interesting since Beca and Aubrey were never at a loss for things that kept their parents on their toes. There was the one time that Beca got curious and decided to try her Mom's favorite Godiva chocolate liqueur and fell asleep in front of the TV. After falling asleep, Aubrey 'painted' Beca's face with too many layers of makeup. When Beca woke up she screamed that she looked like an 'effin' clown' and as she scrubbed the paint off her face, she vowed to get Aubrey back.

Within a few weeks, it was finally Beca's chance to retaliate. With some urging from Amy, she stole Aubrey's wig from her part as Rizzo in the high school production of Grease. Standing on Amy's shoulders, Beca stuck the wig on a statue in school courtyard. It was hung in such a fashion that suggested he needed to be manscaped. With a pair of dog clippers, Beca proceeded to shave it while Aubrey watched on with a sheer look of horror on her face.

Everything was always done in fun and always with the next target and joke in mind. No one and nothing was ever safe with those two around. They kept things interesting and fun.

o~O~o

Beca wasn't lonely, despite the misconception that only children didn't play well in the sandbox with others. She had been able to entertain herself, whether it was beheading innocent dolls, playing music, dancing or reading books, her ability to entertain not only herself but others ran the gamut from a very young age.

She and Luke Donovan were best friends and had been since childhood. There was nothing that either one of them wouldn't do for each other. Due to his father's work, Luke and his family moved to the United States from London, England when he was almost eight. The Donovan family moved into a very comfortable home next door to the Mitchell's on Silverado Springs Drive in Beverly Hills. While Luke's father, Spencer Donovan, instructed and supervised the movers, Luke's mother, Claire, took him and his younger brother Jake to the neighborhood park to burn off the excess energy they had from travelling the entire day.

Luke wasn't a shy boy, but was quite reserved at times and liked to watch from the safety of the sidelines before joining in any type of activity. He had a cheeky smile, beautiful blue eyes and so many of his older relatives would love to pinch his cherubic cheeks but his sweet nature kept him from worrying about it. He just rolled with it.

Luke was excited to see so many kids at the park on the first Saturday in June and hoped he would make at least one new friend before school began. As he scanned the park, he spotted the cutest girl he'd ever seen. She wasn't playing with the others but instead was sitting on a bench listening to her iPod and reading a Harry Potter book. He noticed that she seemed perfectly happy doing what she was doing as she swung her feet back and forth and as she fervently read her book. Her hair was in a cute braid and she had a pair of drum sticks poking out of her back pocket. Even though he hadn't yet met her, Luke thought she was the coolest girl he'd ever seen in his young life.

His attention was momentarily diverted to a tussle that broke out near the jungle gym. Two boys were really going at it and the name calling was getting louder and louder. He could hear the larger, curly brown haired boy shouting insults at the smaller ginger boy. Luke watched as they threw down and wrestled on the ground as the crowd of children gathered around them chanting 'fight, fight, fight!'. As Luke turned back toward the little girl on the bench, he felt something brush by him. It was her and he watched as she stomped her way over towards the boys who were fighting. Luke decided to follow at a safe distance. He wanted to see what was going to happen.

"Problem boys?" she asked, as she put her hands on her hips and sassily cantered her hip.

"Hey moron!" one of the boys said to her.

"Cole, who do you think you're callin' moron?"

"You! If you weren't a girl, I'd beat your face in." Cole said to her.

"Oh yeah! If you were a boy, I'd kick you in the balls." she told him. She was tiny in comparison to the boys but she wasn't backing down. In fact, she walked closer to the punk and raised herself up on her tiptoes.

Luke was more than interested now. This girl was tough as nails and as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, she defiantly stared at the boy identified as Cole. Luke looked around for his mother but saw her off to the side talking with another Mom who was animatedly explaining how to get to the local Wal-Mart and told her not to go to the deli counter on Wednesdays because the girl working apparently only showered every other week. His brother was busy hanging upside from a large tree merrily making new friends.

"What do you mean 'if I was a boy'?" He asked.

"Did I stutter?" She deadpanned.

"Aww… you asked for it." The boy reared back and swung at her. She ducked just in time for his fist met a pretty ugly fate. As it hit the wooden post, the loud crack could be heard around the playground.

"Shit!" the boy yelled as he began shaking his hand before looking down to see the damage.

Little Beca Mitchell took the opportunity to kick Cole Williams in the shin before she slugged him right square in the mouth, causing him to fall backwards onto the asphalt. "Now, get out of here!" she yelled as Cole tried to pick himself up off the ground and hide the fact that he'd wet his pants.

Beca immediately went over to check on Tyler Gibson, the ginger boy who, Luke noted with horror, was sucking the souls out of the other children on the playground left, right and center. He had always heard his grandmother say that about gingers but never truly understood what that meant until that day. There was a real sense of evil emanating from that kid.

"Forget Cole. He's a buttface." Beca told him as she offered her hand to help him up. "He's jealous because you're smart and funny. Girls really like that."

Tyler wiped his nose on his sleeve before standing up on his own. "What girls?"

"Lots of girls." Beca kicked at the rocks with the tip of her sneaker. "I mean… I like you."

"Well, I don't like you! Now everybody thinks I need a girl to fight for me! Cole was right... you really are a moron!"

With tears in her eyes and the humiliation gremlin on her back, Beca reared back and punched Tyler. Right in the nose.

Tyler grabbed his face, "Owww… my nose!" He cried out as he ran away.

"WIMP!" Beca yelled in Tyler's direction. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and straightened upright before heading back to her bench to wait for Amy. As she picked up her book, she glared at the crowd of children who stood watching her. They dispersed quickly and she was close to smiling until she saw one tall, blonde boy still staring at her.

"Wow! I'm gonna marry that girl one day!" Luke muttered to himself as he winked and put a thumb up in Beca's direction in a show of solidarity. His heart jumped a little as she grinned back at him.

From that day forward, Luke and Beca were inseparable. They were like peanut butter and jelly, peas and carrots, milk and cookies. Luke figured that there was no way he ever wanted to be on the receiving end of Beca's fist, no matter how small it was. The best way to ensure that never happened was to make sure she had his back if anything ever happened.

And she did.

Life had a funny way of throwing a few curve balls.

When Luke was 12, he and his dad were in a car wreck and he was in the hospital for a week. Beca insisted that her parents drive her over to visit Luke every single day. She took comic books and English candy that she had procured from one of her Dad's British exchange students when she came to their house to work on a difficult part of her course work one Saturday afternoon.

In turn, when Beca was 13 and was suffering in bed with monthly stomach cramps, Luke would bring over ice cream and would sit quietly writing out Beca's ingenious musical numbers that she had no energy or inclination to write herself.

Beca and Luke attended every school dance together, including prom. They sat next to each other in every class they had together and would only attend a party if the other one was going. They studied together and would stay over at each others houses so much, that they kept a set of pajamas and a toothbrush there. They both knew where the hide-a-key was kept, they knew the alarm codes for the security system and would turn up and wait even if the rest of the family was not home.

Beca would sneak out late into the night and call for Luke, whose bedroom was conveniently located directly across from hers. She'd toss acorns at the window and persuade him to lay out on the roof and look at the stars with her. They'd talk endlessly about everything and nothing and didn't care that none of it made any sense. That was the point, after all.

Luke encouraged Beca to write music and sing more. He loved nothing more than to listen to her delicate tones, as they dipped their toes into the pool while drinking Dr Pepper and eating Doritos on Saturday afternoons. Sometimes Aubrey would grace them with her presence, and if the mood took her, one of Aubrey's many boyfriends would join them as well.

Naturally, when Beca and Luke were deciding what college to attend, they applied to all of the same colleges. Beca's dad was a Comparative Literature professor at UCLA and wanted nothing more than for Beca to attend but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't dictate where she went.

To Beca's surprise, she received acceptance letters to UCLA, University of Texas at Austin, Berklee College of Music and Vanderbilt University. Ultimately, the Golden State won out though. Beca couldn't imagine leaving California to go across the country and William Mitchell was over the moon with excitement.

Luke made his decision the same day, having received acceptance letters from UCLA, Berklee and Vanderbilt. They were bummed that they couldn't room together but were excited to find out that there were coed dorms, which meant they could at least be in the same building. Their parents promised that if they did well Freshman year, then they would consider getting them an on-campus apartment together. Instead, Beca roomed with Amy who had also followed them both to college. Beca often woke up to find Amy, a sleepwalker since she was in third grade, hovering over her while whispering something sinister sounding about butt confidence.

While in college, Beca and Luke spent their free time working at the campus radio station, and while they both tried dating other people; Luke being quite the eye candy, they could never quite find the right person to be with and always taking comfort in the company of each other.

After a football game they decided to put their fake ID's to good use. They went to Dr. Feel-Good's tattoo parlor just off campus to get their first tattoos, which landed them in very hot water with their parents. They decided to choose each other's inking. Beca was surprised at Luke's choice of a flower for her shoulder. He explained that, while she was his best friend, he did also see her as a beautiful, talented young woman and said that she should always wear something pretty. Beca chose a tribal piece that included a cross and wings for Luke, which he had tattooed on his left bicep. Luke's Mom fussed about it for exactly 11 months but he loved it and said that he felt like he had a little piece of Beca with him all the time.

As studying began to take up more and more of their time, they began to live more independently of each other, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They made a pact that no matter what was going on it their lives, they'd meet up once a week and head out on the back of Luke's motorcycle to nowhere in particular only stopping when they saw something that sparked their interest.

As the years went by, boyfriends and girlfriends came and went, new challenges were presented and they both started working but they always stayed true to their pact. Beca and Luke never lost touch and were always there for each other, a hidden message in a text was always spotted and the tone of a voice was often scrutinized. If either of them needed a date somewhere, they both knew they could rely on each other.

After four years at UCLA, Beca graduated with honors with a degree in Music Engineering and Production. Beca was a producer and talent scout for Warner Brothers Records. She had been lucky enough to land an internship the summer between her freshman and sophomore year of college and had been there ever since. She had been hardworking from the very beginning, throwing herself into her work and the executives took notice right away. She had a work ethic that most college kids her age didn't possess. The summer after her junior year, she was offered a full time, paid position with the label. It wasn't long before she worked her way through the ranks and was doing exactly what she had set out to do.

Luke had also done very well for himself. He also graduated with honors with a degree in Music Production and Business Management. He too was lucky enough to have found an internship, however it wasn't at Warner. His long hours at Universal Music Group paid off when he received a full time offer about a month before graduation.

Work often got in the way of their personal life but they still spoke several times a week while they found their way in the world, and finding their way often times took them far from home. Beca hated traveling alone and always asked Luke to join her as she scouted the country for new talent. If his schedule allowed, they'd meet up and it was as if no time had passed at all.

Life was changing for Beca, so it didn't take very long for Luke to notice the difference in his best friend when they met up for beers after a particularly busy week. It took him exactly 3 minutes and 14 seconds to weedle the truth out of Beca and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about it.

She'd fallen for a guy named Jesse.