Title: This Can't Be
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Aubrey/Beca/Chloe
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After a month away from Aubrey and Chloe, Beca is eager to get home.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~2,240
A/N: For IDF 2013
Knowing she's late, Beca curses the fact that she dropped her cell phone off the balcony of her hotel room earlier this morning. She'd been trying to take a picture of the view to show Aubrey and Chloe and it had just slipped. Thankfully, since it's not the first phone she's broken, all the information stored on it is backed up. Aubrey somehow set up the phone to automatically back itself up every four hours and so Beca's certain that all the notes she put into her phone last night aren't lost. She's never been more grateful for her girlfriend's attention to detail.
The problem is that without the phone, Beca really has no way of telling time, which is why she's running late. She was supposed to be at the airport almost fifteen minutes ago, but traffic isn't really cooperating and it probably doesn't help that she frantically climbed into this cab a mere thirty minutes earlier when it usually takes almost forty to reach the airport. She's really going to have to run to catch her flight.
Beca knows she can just grab the next one, that is hopefully only a few hours later, but she hates the thought of having to wait any longer than she has to before she can see her girls; especially since it's been over a month since she's seen them. Being a successful music producer is everything she dreamed of, she just wishes it didn't drag her away from Chloe and Aubrey so often.
Besides, without her phone, contacting Chloe and Aubrey to tell them that she's running late will be that much more difficult. She should have probably brought the index card that Aubrey made and laminated with all their contact info on it, but she'd been in a hurry and never really saw the need for it in the first place. Even if Beca is the reason that Aubrey made the cards for each of them in the first place.
Beca groans at the thought of the lecture she's going to receive when she gets home. This is the second phone she's broken this year.
...
Aubrey is buried in work when Chloe calls. The blonde momentarily considers not answering, but knows that talking to Chloe will most likely cheer her up a bit.
"Hey Chloe, I'm kind of busy, is this like super important?"
"Um... where did you, uh, put that print out of Beca's flight info?"
Chloe sounds odd.
"Uh, it's somewhere on the counter," Aubrey replies as she motions her secretary into her office. "I'm sure it's under all of Beca's stuff like usual. Why?"
Chloe doesn't respond, but the sounds of her softly crying can be heard as Aubrey hands her secretary a brief that needs to be filed.
"Chloe? What's wrong?"
There's still no response, but Aubrey can hear the red head shuffling through papers and assumes that she's looking for Beca's flight information.
And then Chloe is really crying and if she's saying anything, Aubrey can't tell.
"Chloe. Chloe. Talk to me, baby. What's wrong?"
"B-Bec-she, oh god, Bree. I can't..."
Aubrey looks helpless at the pile of work in front of her, but Chloe obvioiusly needs her.
"I'm coming home, Chloe," Aubrey says, quickly closing down her computer and trying to organize her files. "Just hold on, okay?"
Even though she can't see her, Aubrey knows that Chloe is tearfully nodding.
"Do you want me to stay on the phone with you until I get home?" Aubrey asks, exiting her office. Standing in front of her secretary, she waits for Chloe's answer.
"I... no," Chloe sniffles. "You'll be able to get her faster if you're not."
"I'll see you soon, baby," Aubrey says, before hanging up and turning to her secretary. "Debra, I have a family emergency. I have no idea how long I'll be." Aubrey looks at her watch and sighs. "Take the rest of the day off."
"Are you sure, Ms. Posen?" Debra asks. "I don't mind staying."
"It's fine, Debra," Aubrey replies. "I'm pretty sure I won't be back today, anyway."
"Oh. Thank you, Ms. Posen," Debra says. "I hope everything works out okay."
"Thanks Debra."
...
Aubrey drives home faster than she thought possible. She's only seen Chloe this way one time, when her dad died and Aubrey prays that isn't the case this time.
...
When Aubrey arrives home the last thing she expects to find is Chloe in the bedroom, blasting one of Beca's mixes and bawling.
Turning down the music, Aubrey cautiously approaches the bed. "Chloe?"
The red head springs up, tears streaming down her cheeks and wraps herself tightly around Aubrey. Chloe is crying so hard that Aubrey doesn't even try to decipher her words. Instead Aubrey waits until she's slightly calmer to ask what's wrong. Chloe doesn't answer, just hands Aubrey a crumpled piece of paper.
It's the print out about Beca's flight. Chloe is supposed to pick her up from the airport in about two hours. Aubrey stares at it confused for a moment before remembering that the TV had been blaring when she'd burst into the apartment. The blonde hadn't really paid it that much attention when she's entered, being more concerned with Chloe, but now Aubrey strains to hear what the TV is saying because the pieces are beginning to fall into place.
"...Once again, flight 996 out of JFK has crashed near Warren, Pennsylvania. Though there has yet to be an official statement, witnesses say that the crash and explosion that followed likely left no survivors."
Aubrey looks at the very rumpled, tear stained piece of paper still clenched in her fist and can barely make out Beca's flight number. When her eyes confirm what her brain has already realized, she jumps off the bed and runs for the bathroom, half slamming herself onto the cold tile just in time to vomit in the toilet.
...
Laying in bed, curled up together, listening to Beca's mixes seems like a better idea than watching the TV. Because even though she doesn't want to, Chloe knows her need to watch the news coverage of the crash is too great. Because even if they turned to the TV to something else, the need to watch for info about the crash will over ride their good sense, so they opt to stay in the bedroom and away from the TV.
Aubrey hasn't said anything since she puked. Not that Chloe expects her to. There's nothing they can say to each other that will make this better. Chloe feels like part of her soul has been ripped from her.
All they can do is lay in bed and try to find comfort in each other's presence.
...
"We should probably call Beca's mom and dad," Chloe mumbles a few hours later.
Aubrey shakes her head. "I can't. Not yet."
"Bree..."
"Don't make me, Chloe," Aubrey pleads. "Not yet. The moment we tell someone else..."
"Is the moment it becomes real," Chloe finishes. "I know, Bree."
"Besides," Aubrey says quietly. "Might as well let them have one more night thinking she's..." The blonde can't finish and buries her head against Chloe's shoulder.
"Anything you want, Bree," Chloe murmurs, the words setting off her own tears since neither of them can ever have what they really want again.
...
It's late when Beca finally arrives home. Despite her sprint across the airport, she'd missed her flight and had to wait for the next one. Unfortunately, it hadn't been for hours. So after sending Chloe an email apologizing from one of the public use computers, Beca had put on her headphones and turned up her iPod, hoping that the shuffle of her music would give her some new ideas.
She must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing she knew, she was being woken up by one of the airport staff.
"We're boarding, miss."
Beca removed her headphones. "Oh. Thanks." She stood and stretched before grabbing her carry on and following her to counter. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Beca handed over her ticket and boarded the plane.
When she'd landed, it had been far too late to call Chloe or Aubrey, so Beca had just hailed a cab. She tries to be as quiet as possible as she enters the apartment. Unlike Beca, both her girlfriends have to work early in the morning and Beca feels guilty every single time she wakes them up with her late night entrances. She leaves her luggage in the living room and prays that Aubrey doesn't get too angry that it's sitting out as she slips silently into the bedroom. As usual, Aubrey and Chloe are a tangled mess in the bed, so Beca strips and slides into bed. She wraps her arms around Chloe and settles in. The red head recognizes Beca even in her sleep and her body presses itself into Beca's. Tightening her hold around Chloe, Beca's hand finds Aubrey's and the blonde automatically grabs hold. Feeling at peace, Beca lets out a sigh of relief and drifts asleep.
...
Chloe wakes up feeling warm and content. Except her head hurts and her eyes feel dry from crying. And just like that reality hits Chloe, reminding her how she spent the night before. She doesn't want to open her eyes and face a world without Beca, but now that Chloe remembers that she has every reason to stay in bed forever, her brain can't seem to stop taunting her. And so taking a deep breath, Chloe opens her eyes, prepared to face the first day of the rest of her life.
Aubrey is still asleep, tense in her sleep and her hand clenching Chloe's tightly. Except that both of Chloe's arms are wrapped around Aubrey. Plus, Chloe's being spooned and since she's facing Bree, the red head has no idea what to think. As her heart begins pounding, Chloe carefully turns over.
The shriek of joy that Chloe lets out at the sight of a sleeping Beca probably wakes all the neighbors, but the red head doesn't care. The only thing she cares about is that her Beca is alive and in bed with them.
"What the hell, Chloe?" Beca sits up, looking thoroughly annoyed at being woken up. "I missed you too, but jeez, could you wait until I get some coffee?" She looks around. "And shouldn't you be at work?"
The shock seems to have worn off and Chloe pulls Beca into a hug that is quickly joined by Aubrey.
"And I was worried that you guys were mad at me," Beca says, a bit breathless, once they let her go. "Owe!"
"What the hell, Beca?" Aubrey exclaims. "We thought you were dead."
Beca's eyes get huge. "Say what?"
"Where were you?" Chloe asks.
"I missed my flight," Beca tells them. "And I broke my phone, so I couldn't call you guys."
"I know there aren't that many payphones anymore, but there must have been some way for you to call us," Aubrey says.
"I, uh, forgot the note card with your phone numbers," Beca sheepishly admits.
Aubrey rolls her eyes.
"I emailed you guys," Beca protests.
"Yeah, well we haven't really looked at our phones since we heard about the crash yesterday," Chloe explains.
"Sorry," Beca mumbles. "So you guys really thought I was dead?"
"Uh, yeah," Chloe replies. "Your flight crashed. How did you not know that?"
Beca becomes even more embarrassed. "I, uh, fell asleep, waiting for my flight. And there weren't that many people on it. Plus, it was late when I got back..."
Chloe can only shake her head at the typical Beca behavior.
Aubrey, on the other hand, hits Beca again.
"Owe! What was that for?"
"Because you broke your phone again," Aubrey replies. "And I can't even be mad at you because I've never been so glad to see anyone in my entire life."
"I'm sorry?"
"You should be."
"And I really am," Beca says, taking Aubrey's hands in hers. "I am very, very sorry that I dropped my phone off the balcony. It won't happen again."
"Because you're going to stop breaking your phones?" Chloe asks.
Beca shakes her head. "Because I won't try to take a picture of my incredible view anymore."
"You dropped it off the balcony," Aubrey states. "Why am I not surprised?"
"It's the reason I missed my flight," Beca tells them. "I, uh, lost track of time."
"Then Bree's not allowed to mock you about breaking them anymore," Chloe pronounces.
"If I don't, Chloe," Aubrey replies. "How is she going to learn?
"Maybe one of those shock collars," Chloe says, grinning.
"I'm sitting right here," Beca says. "And there is nothing that either of you could do that would make me wear a collar."
"Is that a challenge, Mitchell?" Aubrey questions with a growing smirk.
"Definitely not."
"I can answer for myself, thank you very much," Beca tells Chloe.
"I know," Chloe replies. "That's why I'm worried."
"Hey."
Since neither Aubrey or Chloe's job is expecting them today, they decide to spend the day in bed. Not only do Chloe and Aubrey need to be as physically near to Beca as possible to reassure themselves that she is in fact alive, but it's also been over a month since the three of them have seen each other and they have a lot of catching up to do.