A/N: Hey folks, how's life with you? Personally, I'm rather conflicted about PP3 - or Pitch Imperfect, as I'm calling it these days. This story is basically me working through my issues, and I'm picking up some fan theories along the way. I'm glad you've joined me on this ride and I hope you like this new chapter.


It was later and though Beca had said that she was tired, she couldn't sleep. She just lay in her hotel bed and stared at the ceiling. It was too quiet.

At home, there were usually two people in the same room, breathing (and in Amy's case sometimes farting), talking in low tones when she pretended to already be asleep. And one of those voices had belonged to Chloe. Just as the body who'd pressed into her back each morning had belonged to her.

Beca had never said anything about Chloe's penchant to spoon her in her sleep. She'd just gotten up, carefully as not to wake Chloe. She'd told herself it would be awkward to own up to it, but maybe she'd just been afraid to face the fact that they'd been sleeping in the same bed together for almost three years. That sometimes things happened in the night...

A whimper escaped Beca. They'd never had sex, but they hadn't been far from it either. But it was dark, sometimes they were half-asleep, or half-drunk after a party. Sometimes they just couldn't keep their hands to themselves, their lips. And it was really Chloe's fault because she knew no physical boundaries.

So much for not reading the signs. If Chloe had been any more obvious, she'd belted her attraction from New York's rooftops...

It wasn't just Chloe, of course... but how was Beca to know what was... real? What was... just Chloe being Chloe? No, no! She had to own up to it at some point, to herself if to no one else! It had always been Chloe for her. From the moment, Beca had looked into those sweet baby blues sexing her up at the activities fair. Geez, she'd come on so strong Beca had wondered about Aubrey's ability to keep a straight face. And that had been before Chloe walked into her shower!

Everything after that... well, everything that happened between them after that had just confirmed that they were meant to be. But then, Chloe had gotten tired of her and now she was with - what had Amy said, Captain America? How very accurate.

Beca slammed her fist into the mattress. How was she supposed to compete with that guy? Even she herself enjoyed watching him walk, only, now she actually wanted him to leave. Forever!

A knock at the door pulled Beca out of her head. Who the hell... and at this hour? Beca pulled herself up on her elbow and looked at the bedside clock. 2.27.

"Beca? You awake?" A soft voice from behind the door just barely reached her. Was it Chloe? "Beca?" It was Emily.

Beca sighed, but got up and walked to the door. She opened it just an inch and looked out at Emily, still in her dress from the concert.

"Emily, it's the middle of the night."

"I know, I just... wanted to make sure, you were all right?" The look on her face already told Beca that she didn't believe she'd be all right. And she wasn't. It was just Emily being a diplomat.

"Sure, I'm good. Go to bed, Emily, it's late." Beca tried to close the door, but Emily pushed lightly against it and Beca didn't have the strength to shut her out. She simply left the door open and returned to bed, leaving Emily to make the decision if she wanted to follow her in.

She did but was left standing near the door as Beca lay down with her back to her. For a while, it was quiet and Beca wondered if Emily was going to leave if she wasn't going to talk to her.

"I know you're hurting, Beca. Please don't shut me out."

Beca sighed. "Emily, I'm not... good at this. Please, this will only become incredibly awkward and you'll wish you'd left this alone."

"I'm not leaving this alone. When Benji and I broke up, you were there for me. And I know you're not for all this mushy stuff, but you stayed with me that night, even though I cried all over you and basically slept on top of you. I don't even know how you were able to breathe."

A huff escaped Beca. "Please tell me, you weren't also giving me signs, 'cause... I'm such an idiot, Emily." And then the worst thing happened and Beca started crying. In front of another person. Goddamnit, what was it with her and not being able to keep it together anymore?

Her whole body shook with sobs she couldn't keep in. And then the mattress dipped at her back and Emily put her arm around her.

"Emily, please," Beca said and tried not very hard to escape the embrace.

"Shhh, Beca, it's okay. I got you," Emily whispered, pulling her tighter against her.

Beca struggled for another moment, then she turned and pretty much threw herself into Emily's arms. She couldn't help herself, she needed someone to hold her. Because everything was a mess, and everything hurt. And, for a change, Chloe wasn't here to make it all better.


It was morning. They'd partied all night and Chloe had left her friends in the lobby to get a few hours of sleep before they would have to leave France and return to New York. But then she'd witnessed something that had her turn on her heels and hurry back down the stairs.

Some of the other Bellas were still in the lobby, debating whether to follow Chloe's example or have a few more hours in Nizza. The discussion didn't seem to have progressed from when Chloe had left it, but she couldn't care less at this moment. She simply hurried by her surprised friends and outside.

"Chloe?" It was Aubrey, calling after her. Chloe just kept walking and heard high-heeled footsteps following. "Chloe, stop. What's going on?"

"Nothing!"

A hand on her arm made her turn. No one could outrun Aubrey, especially not in heels.

"I thought you were going to bed? Did Chicago call? Are you going to meet him?"

"Chi... no, you know he's already back at base. He can't just up and leave, you should know that."

Aubrey nodded. Of course, she knew. She also knew the stories her father had sometimes told of him being a young recruit and stealing away from base to see a girl. He'd never exactly told her those stories, she'd just overheard them.

"What is it then? You look-"

"I'm fine."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow at her. "What happened?"

Stupid Aubrey and the way she could always make her spill her beans. She was such a stern interrogator, Chloe was surprised the CIA hadn't come knocking at her door yet.

"I just... I saw something, it's nothing."

"Nothing, and yet it upset you. Come on, Beale, don't make me beat it out of ya."

Chloe took a deep breath, opened her mouth, but no words came. She closed her mouth, then tried again. She shook her head and then started walking again.

"Okay," she heard Aubrey say behind her. In a few steps, she had caught up with her again and was just walking beside her, silently.

It wasn't far to the waterfront and Chloe headed there because it was simply beautiful. They'd taken a walk there just after arriving that first night, Beca and her. They'd joked about the other bands, nothing vicious, just little funny things they'd noticed. Beca had even imitated DJ Khaled for her really bad. But it had her in stitches.

Chloe sighed. Beca was so funny, not that she often tried to make people laugh. Only her...

"I just saw Emily slipping out of Beca's room," Chloe finally said. She stopped at the balustrade on the quay wall, leaning her hands on it and looking out to sea.

"So?" Aubrey asked after a moment.

"So? What is Emily doing in Beca's room at not even six in the morning, and why does she have to sneak out? What do you think?"

"Well, I think Emily probably looked in on Beca, that's why she left early. She was worried about her and probably stayed with her because... well, because you broke Beca's heart last night."

Chloe whipped her head around. "Do you think that was easy for me? Telling Beca no?"

"I don't know, Chloe. You seemed... a little unconcerned with how Beca was doing. You seemed to have a good time at the concert and then at the party."

Chloe pulled her eyes together. "Well, if so, I wasn't the only one, was I? That doesn't mean I don't care. I just couldn't... I..." Her look went back to the ocean, the early morning light that bathed the water in beautiful colors. It was soothing.

"It's not like I don't agree with you, Chloe. I think we all do, that's why we stayed. We didn't want you to think that we choose Beca's side, but... we can't really choose any side because we love you both. And you were both a little right and a little wrong, Chloe."

"How was I wrong? Beca kept me dangling for years, Aubrey."

Aubrey stepped next to Chloe, laying a hand on her arm. "I know, but... Beca is an idiot, she didn't do it on purpose. She was just clueless as to her feeling, or your feelings, or feelings on the whole. I'm not even sure she knows she has them... or what they're for."

Chloe shook her head. "That's no excuse. And I can't just give into her because she suddenly discovers she's actually got feelings for me. And who's to say she even wants to go there now? Do you know how many times I thought that... something happened, and I thought for sure, she wouldn't deny it anymore... but the next morning, she would just be gone."

"What exactly did happen on those occasions?"

Chloe felt heat crawl up her neck. The curse of every redhead, a blush. "I can't tell you."

"Hm," Aubrey made. "Just as well, fact remains, Beca is an idiot when it comes to feelings. Have you seen her fight against Bella's cuteness when we skyped with Stacie? She was in agony."

"It was so adorable," Chloe said, she couldn't help herself. The only time Beca totally lost her cool and didn't care who saw it was with dogs. She loved dogs. But she couldn't even face the cutest baby in the world and soften her tough shell a little.

"It was painful to watch," Aubrey disagreed. "But so was last night's drama. And I do understand you, Chloe. You have every right to move on from that mess of a... friendship... relationship, whatever it is. But you can't walk away from Beca, neither of us can. And Emily was worried about her. She probably just wanted to see if she was okay."

"For three hours?" Chloe huffed. "Emily worships Beca, she's had a crush on her pretty much from the start."

"And she's also not the woman Beca wants."

"Do you think that would've made a difference last night?" Chloe asked, lowering her head. She closed her eyes as they suddenly stung with unshed tears.

"It's always made a difference for Beca. You said it yourself, she's never slept with Jesse. Must be a reason for that."

Chloe shrugged. "Maybe."

"Come on, Chlo." Aubrey lay an arm around her and steered her away from the riverwalk. "Let's see if we can get some breakfast. I'm starving and you need energy, your brain isn't working properly. Beca and Emily, really!"