"I'll be back, guys. I need to pee." Chloe excused herself from the bar, making her way to the bathroom.
"Sure, babe." Chicago grabbed Chloe's wrist, pulling her back roughly for a chaste kiss, all while staring Beca down. Once Chloe left, Chicago averted his full attention to the tiny brunette with the beer bottle clenched tightly in her hand.
"You're not subtle, you know." Chicago said as he took a swig of whiskey.
Beca choked slightly on the sip of beer she was taking, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, you need to stop checking out my girlfriend." Chicago slammed his drink on the table, turning his body to face Beca. "Chloe is mine. I don't need some desperate dyke checking her out. You might have been her best friend for, who knows how long, but at the end of the day, I'm the one who gets to call her mine and I'm the one who gets to have sex with her."
Beca gulped loudly, slightly afraid of the drunk veteran that sat only one chair away from her. "Relax, 'Cago." She was very fond of this nickname she came up with for the man. "Cago" is the conjugated form of "to shit" in Spanish, therefore Beca is always calling him "shit" each time she addresses the veteran. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't extremely proud of that.
"I'm not checking her out, she's been too good a friend for too long. Besides, I'm like kinda talking to Theo or whatever so you have nothing to worry about." Beca lied straight through her teeth. She and Theo had gone out on a couple of double dates with Chloe and Chicago, but there were too many platonic feelings she had for the music executive.
Just as Chicago was about to stand up and get into Beca's personal space, Chloe sauntered back over, completely oblivious to the newfound tension between her best friend and her boyfriend. "What'd I miss?"
"Not much, I'm getting tired though. So I think I'm going to head home. You guys have a good night." Beca said, downing the rest of her beer and giving a quick nod towards the couple.
"Wait, Becs. It's only eleven! Stick around for a little longer." Chloe didn't notice, but Beca saw Chicago's face drop and his eyes squint at the brunette, letting her know that she should decline Chloe's offer.
"I'm tired, Chlo. I'll see you later. Bye, 'Cago." Beca gave a tight-lipped smile, brushing past Chloe and leaving the bar.
When Beca got back to her apartment, the one she shared with Chloe, before she moved in with Chicago, and with Fat Amy, before she decided to embark on an impromptu cruise around the world on her own "Big Fat Dingo Bitch," she immediately shut the door and screamed loudly into her hands.
After coming down from the high she got once she released that anger, Beca changed into more comfortable clothes. Opting for blue shorts and a gray t-shirt, she put on Chloe's pink bunny slippers and paced back and forth between the fold-out bed and the kitchen.
"Bullshit. Absolute bullshit," Beca repeated to herself as she went between pulling her hair and clenching her fist so tight, her nails nearly broke the skin on her palm.
After nearly thirty minutes of pacing, Beca finally wore herself down and laid down. As soon as she hit the bed, laying on Chloe's side of the fold-out, she fell asleep.
"Beca? Are you awake?" Chloe whispered as she knocked on the door to the apartment, letting herself in. Chloe shook her head as she knew Beca always forgets to lock the door.
The redhead nudged Beca, trying to stir the brunette awake. But to no avail. Chloe rolled her eyes, amazed at how Beca was still such a heavy sleeper.
"OH MY GOD BECA HELP THERE'S A MAN WITH A GUN!" Chloe yelled into Beca's ear, shaking the sleeping beauty as roughly as she could.
Beca screamed and rolled off the bed, landing on the floor with a thud. She quickly sprawled to her feet, eyes barely open, and fists up ready to fight. It took a minute, but her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the room and her ears found the distinguished laugh of a particular redhead.
"Chloe, what the hell? You need to stop waking me up like that, I'm going to have a heart attack one of these days." She pushed Chloe lightly before falling back onto the bed, ready to go back to sleep.
"Becs, wake up. I love you."
"Chlo, I'm not listening to a word you're saying. It's probably not even morning yet and you're trying to have a conv- what did you just say?" Beca whipped her head from the pillow, making eye contact with the bright blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room.
"I love you, Beca." Chloe spoke clearly and steadily, her voice not wavering at all.
"Are you serious?" Beca was dumbfounded; Chloe-freaking-Beale woke her up at some ungodly hour, scaring her half to death in the process, only to tell her the three words Beca had been waiting to hear ever since they moved in together.
"I'm serious about you, Beca. I'm sorry it took so long to get here, but I finally see it. It's you. It's always been you." Chloe slowly moved closer to Beca as the brunette sat up on the bed.
"Chlo…" Beca could barely breathe, but she could feel Chloe's breath, hot on her lips.
Their faces were less than an inch apart, their lips almost touching. Beca brought one hand to cup Chloe's cheek as Chloe put her hand on the back of Beca's neck, pulling their lips closer and closer until finally…
"Oh my god." Beca groaned loudly, angry that her dream ended where it did. Her phone buzzed with a text, interrupting one of the best dreams she's ever had.
Just as Beca was about to close her eyes and ignore the text, another one came through. Fuck's sake, Beca thought.
Chloe [3:43am]: Beca, I need you.
Chloe [3:44am]: Please come get me.
Beca was wide awake now. She quickly jumped out of bed, putting back on Chloe's pink bunny slippers and grabbing her keys, she ran out of the apartment and down to her car.
What was normally a twenty-five minute drive from her apartment to Chicago's became a twelve minute drive. Beca sped through the streets, not even worrying about speed limits or sharp turns or getting pulled over. She was usually drowsy for hours once she woke up, but tonight she was wide awake with one thing on her mind: Chloe.
She didn't even bother to get her car into a parking spot. Instead, she stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot, barely remembering to take the keys out as she jumped out of the car and ran up six flights of stairs as fast as her little legs could carry.
She hesitated once she stood near the door to their apartment: does she knock and risk Chicago hearing her, or does she kick open the door and risk Chicago pressing charges for breaking and entering? Before she had time to think about it, the door was whipped open and Chloe pulled Beca in tight for a hug.
Beca's shoulder was immediately soaked in Chloe's tears, their embrace never feeling more intimate than it does right now: Chloe felt safe. Chloe felt at home in Beca's small arms.
"Chloe, what happened? Are you okay?" They stayed standing in the doorway; Chloe never wanting to let go and Beca continuing to rub her back soothingly.
Chloe simply shook her head, and that was enough for something to snap inside of Beca. She grabbed Chloe's shoulders and pushed her away from her body, holding her tight to look in her eyes. Beca quickly scanned Chloe's body for any sign of physical abuse, and upon finding nothing, Beca visibly relaxed a bit more. "What did he do?"
"He was just yelling about how I can never see you again because-it doesn't matter why. But he said if I even text you again, he'll make me regret it. He just kept yelling and throwing things and when I tried to break up with him, he hit the wall by my head and Beca, I need you." Chloe jumped back into Beca's arms, attempting for another soothing embrace, but Beca moved past Chloe and into the apartment.
"Beca, don't-" Chloe tried to stop her, but Beca was already in the bedroom, ready to stand up to Chicago.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Chicago jumped from the bed, standing immediately in front of Beca, towering over the small brunette.
But Beca didn't back down. She knew she was small and she knew Chicago could easily hurt her, but any sense of fear was thrown away when she glanced over her shoulder and saw Chloe still in tears.
"Do not ever talk to Chloe like that again." Beca's voice was rough, but unwavering. She was more confident in this moment than Chloe has ever seen her before; even more-so than when she was performing Freedom '90.
"You have no place in our relationship, Beca. Chloe doesn't love you and she never will. She and I are in love." Chicago spat in Beca's face. Normally, Beca would fall back behind her walls, forcing away any emotion she had for the redhead and maintaining a respectful distance from intruding on the relationship.
But tonight, Beca had enough. Chloe deserves someone who treats her right.
"You are not in love with her. If yelling at her during an argument doesn't make your throat burn like you just downed an entire bottle of Vodka, you are not in love with her." Beca took a step closer to Chicago.
"If looking into those beautiful blue eyes can't make you stop in your tracks and think about what you're about to say next, you are not in love with her." Beca took another step closer, pushing Chicago farther away from Chloe.
"If her laugh, god her laugh, doesn't make your entire body tense up thinking about never being able to hear it again, you are not in love with her." Beca placed one hand on his chest, pushing slightly to emphasize the passion in her words.
"If her voice can't calm your worst anxiety attacks or flashes of anger and make you want to listen to every single word that rolls off her tongue, you are not in love with her." Beca pushed her hand a little harder, forcing him farther away from Chloe.
"If her smile doesn't make your chest quake and your lungs shrink, all while making you feel completely refreshed at the same time, you are not in love with her." Beca pushed him until his knees hit the back of the bed.
"If taking off her clothes is when you pay the most attention to her, you are not in love with her." Beca pushes him to sit on the bed, forcing him to be nearly eye-level with her now.
"If looking at her right now, like that, with tears streaming down her face and that sparkle in her eyes gone and you just can't see the happiness that she so often radiates doesn't make your heart drop to your stomach, you. Are. Not. In. Love. With. Her." Beca pointed her finger to his chest, poking his heart with every last word.
Chicago sat speechless. He knew he wasn't in love with her, but he was in love with the idea of her. He was in love with the idea of having someone so beautiful as his girlfriend. He knew he wasn't stable with the PTSD he carried from war, yet he still drinks and puts Chloe in danger every second she's with him.
As much as he knows Beca is right, he's determined not to let the brunette win. He stood up from the bed, forcing Beca to take a couple steps back. "You're just making up bullshit because you're mad that she can never love you."
Beca was furious. Her hands were in fists at her side and she was incapable of controlling her own body now. Without thinking, her left hand hooked upwards and came in hard contact with Chicago's chin.
Immediately, Chicago started spitting blood out of his mouth. Beca's uppercut caused Chicago to bite down harshly on his tongue, immediately breaking the skin. "Do not speak for her. Don't even talk to her anymore."
Chicago sat on his knees on the floor, cupping his mouth as blood seeped through his fingers. Beca quickly turned around, grabbed Chloe by the hand, and pulled her out of the bedroom.
The two worked quickly without thinking, grabbing as much of Chloe's belongings as they could find, then sprinting out of the apartment. They worked silently and didn't speak until they were both sat in Beca's car.
Chloe was no longer crying, too much in shock with what just happened. When she looked over, Beca was on the phone. "There's been an incident on Meryl Street. My friend texted me to come get her. Her boyfriend was being abusive and I acted on instinct. I punched him and now he's bleeding. Yes, he bit his tongue. My friend and I are sitting in my car. Okay, we'll wait here. Thank you."
"Why did you call the police? Beca, you could get in so much trouble because you technically weren't acting on self-defense and you've already been arrested before and-" Beca threw her hand over Chloe's mouth. Closing her eyes, Beca begged Chloe not to talk anymore.
"Beale. Just stop talking." Beca smiled at Chloe, letting her know that they were now safe. Chloe smiled back, finally feeling at home now that she was with Beca.
Beca emerged from the bathroom with pink bunny slippers on and her hair tied up in a messy bun. It was early on Saturday morning, Chloe had just woken Beca up by kicking her off the bed.
"Morning, babe." Chloe attempted to place a chaste kiss on Beca's lips, but the brunette dodged it.
"Morning breath, more like. Go brush your teeth, nasty." Beca scrunched up her nose and laughed at Chloe's eyes widening.
"You can't say things like that to me! You know what happened with Alice!" Chloe slapped Beca's arm, but Beca could not stop laughing.
"You're lucky you're that pretty." Beca smiled at Chloe before pulling her in for a kiss.
"Can we go to your studio today? I want to hear you play me some music. Ooh, maybe you can play me something on the piano and I can sing and we can create a quick little track like we did last weekend. And maybe, if there's time, we can call Emily and see if she has any new music she'd want you to work on and-" Beca threw her hand over Chloe's mouth, closing her eyes to beg Chloe to not talk anymore.
"Beale. Just stop talking."