I am so sorry that this took so long, between work and getting caught up in Graying Out, it was difficult to make the switch back into this storyline, even though I have it all planned out. It's looking like each day will be its own chapter at this point, unless there's not enough in a stop to split by day, or if something happens to split a day into two chapters, so there's still plenty more coming and I promise to try keeping the wait down as much as possible.
And apologies to those who have requested more smut, there is not any in this chapter, though at this point in time I think chapter three might well start out that way unless another plotline occurs to me that I like better.
Beca is a little surprised that Chloe lets them sleep in the next morning rather than waking them up as soon as it's light, but she thinks it probably has more to do with exhaustion from their late night than any intentional plans. She doesn't remember when they'd finally fallen asleep, but knows they'd easily spent hours talking in the darkness when they were all finally too tired for another round.
It's Aubrey that wakes them just before ten, a surprisingly late time for the blonde, but still earlier than Beca prefers. Still, they do have to pack up what few items they've scattered around the room before checking out, and all three want to shower after the dual exertions of the day before.
Chloe reluctantly shuts down Beca's half joking suggestion that they shower together in the spacious bath as Aubrey rolls her eyes, pointing out that they'd slept too late and missed the chance. "But maybe tonight, if we don't get in too late" Chloe promises with a smirk, refusing to elaborate when Beca tries to ask why they'd be out late. The brunette finally gives up with a sigh when it becomes evident she won't get any answers, sharing a resigned look with Aubrey as they're willingly dragged along by Chloe's enthusiasm.
"You know, you can't really expect us to let you do all of the driving this trip" Beca points out when they're back on the road, turning in her seat to see Aubrey nod in agreement. "I don't know how far you're planning on driving for these five stops you have planned, but it's going to get tiring if you don't take a break all week."
"I'll be fine!" Chloe insists, waving the concern aside with a wave of her hand and a quick smile before focusing her attention back on the road. "Besides, if you two drive it'll give away the surprises, and I didn't spend weeks planning this to let a few hundred miles get in the way."
"Okay fine, but when Aubrey and I have hot road trip sex in the backseat, just remember it could have been you instead" Beca says nonchalantly, earning a loud laugh from Chloe and shocked gasp from Aubrey.
"What makes you think I wouldn't pull over and join you?" Chloe jokes in return, the tone of her voice turning the conversation from lighthearted joking to nearly melting Beca's brain with the images it conjures up in a heartbeat.
"No, we are not having sex on the side of the road" Aubrey insists from the backseat, though Beca can tell the tone has gotten to her as well. "We are not going to get arrested on this trip, and especially not for public indecency."
"Oh relax, I'd find a nice deserted country road" Chloe teases, smoothly checking the directions sheet as she takes an exit, scaring her soulmates as she smiles at them while merging, and reminding Beca that there's another reason to get Chloe from behind the wheel. She's a safe enough driver, but she drives like her personality, always hopping from lane to lane around slower drivers, accelerating to the beat or volume of the music, and it's not always the most comforting experience for her passengers. It definitely doesn't make for the most relaxing of trips either.
"Well, what if one of us drives, but you navigate?" Beca bargains, seeing Chloe actually consider it and trying to hold back a sigh of relief.
"Fine, but only in the middle of longer stretches" she finally concedes, and Beca leans over to place a quick kiss to her cheek, ignoring Aubrey's protest to stop distracting the driver. They stop for lunch at a roadside diner when Beca complains about having missed breakfast, both of her soulmates teasing her about her impatience as Chloe slows near the exit and while pulling into the lot, laughing as she threatens to jump out and meet them inside. Finally the fact that Chloe is just as hungry wins over the desire to tease and she parks, laughing as Beca is the first out of the car.
They're back on the road quickly, and the miles melt away as they talk, discussing plans for the summer while Beca is out of school and Chloe's music lessons have slowed and shifted times. Chloe and Beca won't let Aubrey claim she'll be busy with work late some nights, reassuring the blonde that she's already impressed her bosses enough without working all night. Chloe in particular keeps the conversation going, and Beca realizes once they pull into an almost familiar city that it was deliberate, keeping her soulmates from realizing where they were heading.
"You're really dedicated to this surprise thing" she says as Chloe takes the exit into Athens, getting only a sly smile and nod in return as she focuses on navigating the busy city streets. This time they stop at the hotel first, and even though it isn't as lavish as the one the night before Beca can still tell Chloe is going all out to make the trip special.
"What did she do for your first solo anniversary?" Beca asks Aubrey under her breath as they set their bags down on the bed while Chloe is across the room opening the curtains. She isn't prepared for the deep blush that creeps across Aubrey's cheeks, but it intrigues her as she waits for the answer.
"She kept me in bed for an entire weekend, even brought e foot so I didn't need to leave the room" Aubrey finally admit, obviously thinking back to those memories, and Beca tries not to feel jealous at the reminder that they have a shared history without her. She had asked after all, and it's not like she doesn't realize they'd dated for two years before even meeting her.
She'd even been the one to insist they still celebrate what she calls their solo anniversary after she'd joined the relationship, insisting it's still an important day for the even if they both insist the day all three of them got together is far more important now.
"I'm not sure whether to feel relieved or jealous" she admits eventually, trying to imagine what that would be like. She can't decide whether it would be hotter with Chloe focusing on both of them as they take turns helping the redhead for the whole weekend, or Chloe and Aubrey working together to keep her in bed, but both sets of images are definitely something she would be willing to experience. Though on the other hand, she's not sure she'd necessarily make it through either scenario alive.
"Why are we jealous?" Chloe asks suddenly from behind her, and Beca jumps as she's startled out of those thoughts, seeing Aubrey jump next to her at the same time. She turns almost guiltily to face the redhead, not sure why she's feeling guilty but unable to shake the emotion.
"I asked Aubrey how you two celebrated your first solo anniversary" she eventually mumbles, feeling Aubrey flush next to her as Chloe's gaze turns heated.
"And that was a great weekend" Chloe says huskily, and Beca knows she's flushing just as much as Aubrey is now. "But doing that again would require splitting my focus too much, so that's a plan for some other weekend, not an anniversary celebration. This trip is about all three of us together, no split focuses." Beca isn't sure how Chloe can manage to blend heat and care so effortlessly, but she's pretty sure she just managed to fall even more in love with the redhead. Although she admittedly wants to fall into the bed behind her as well, a fact Chloe seems to see in her face because she grins almost indecently before turning and walking back to her bag where it rests on the table.
"Now we've got reservations for dinner in a few hours and a stop to make before that, so get changed into one of your nicer outfits so we can go." The sudden shift from heated looks to innocently commenting on their plans throws the redhead's soulmates, and it takes a second of looking at each other in stunned silence to regain their footing. It's just so very Chloe, and no matter how many times she does something similar, it never fails to short circuit Beca's brain.
"So what's the stop?" Beca asks as she changes, deliberately asking so Chloe looks up just in time to see her pull an almost daringly low cut shirt over a black lace bra, hoping the visual will be enough to distract the redhead to the point she lets an answer slip, determinedly ignoring how awkward she feels at trying to be sexy even if just for her soulmate.
It almost works too, Chloe obviously not finding it awkward in the slightest, mouth opening silently as she takes in the sight of Beca in a shirt she'd bought the brunette over many protests and so far failed to get Beca to wear. But she manages to catch herself before answers can come tumbling out, shooting a look that promises she'll end up paying for the attempt.
"It's a surprise and you'll find out when we get there" she says, trying to sound authoritative, though her voice wavers when Beca adjust the shirt. This time she isn't trying to be alluring, though she'll take the effect the motion has on both of her soulmates, she just isn't used to wearing anything so revealing and wants to make sure it's hanging right. Judging from the looks being shot her way it is, so she leaves it where it is, tossing a practiced smirk their way in return despite the vague sense of not quite discomfort she feels wearing something so different from her usual wardrobe.
Despite the distractions, both intentional and unintentional, they're able to get out of the hotel and on the way to their first stop of the day quickly enough to keep Chloe from getting impatient. They even manage to miss the worst of the traffic, and pull up to a museum early enough to miss the evening rush.
"It's not a color museum, relax" Chloe says when they get out of the car, noticing the hesitant looks on Aubrey and Beca's faces. "It's got all sorts of art, both color and black and white, and even a whole section of sculptures and a section for ancient artifacts. I used to go to a smaller museum just like this one all the time."
"I'm sure it will be awesome" Aubrey says with a smile as Beca nods in agreement, each reaching out to take one of Chloe's hands. When the reach the entrance the blonde shoots Beca a look that she easily interprets, and without a word she pulls Chloe out of the main area and into a deep but still publically appropriate kiss that lasts just long enough for Aubrey to buy their tickets without Chloe noticing.
"I didn't know you liked museums so much" Chloe says breathlessly when the kiss ends, blinking rapidly as she attempts to regain her composure, and Beca can't help the smirk that rises at seeing how easily she can get to Chloe, especially when she notices Aubrey looks a little flustered as well despite the distraction of buying the tickets.
"Who said anything about a museum?" Beca teases, stepping back and reaching out for her ticket.
"Wha-but I was going to pay!" Chloe exclaims when she notices, pouting a little and crossing her arms.
"We know" Aubrey says, holding out the last ticket for Chloe. "But you don't need to pay for everything on this trip, the thought and care you've already put into planning it is amazing and more than enough. So let us win this one, and let's go enjoy this museum before wherever you're planning to take us to dinner, okay?" Chloe pouts for another moment, and Beca starts to wonder whether she'll need to kiss the redhead again to earn forgiveness for the trick. But eventually the pout fades, and Chloe takes the ticket with only a trace of reluctance.
"Fine, but I pick the exhibits" she says, a condition both Aubrey and Beca readily agree too. Art has always been more one of Chloe's things than theirs, so both women are happy to let their soulmate take the lead. The time spent wandering the museum is surprisingly enjoyable, Chloe's enthusiasm catching them up and pulling them along, turning every exhibit from merely pleasant to almost an adventure as they see things from the redhead's point of view.
All too soon for all of them Chloe reluctantly calls a halt to their explorations, checking the time on her phone and announcing they need to head for the restaurant before they miss their reservations. Beca and Aubrey are surprised to realize they've been exploring the museum for over two hours, and both readily agree when Chloe mentions possibly visiting a few museums when they get back to Barden. They spend the drive to the restaurant discussing their favorite pieces, and Beca notices Chloe smiling a few times as she and Aubrey debate or agree upon various exhibits.
The restaurant they pull up to is nicer than any Beca thinks she's been in before, but it's also warm and inviting enough that she doesn't feel out of place, at least not after a few minutes and the realization that she's here with the two most amazing women in the world, though she'll never admit to having such a cheesy and cliché thought.
But cliché or not, the presence of her soulmates at her side does settle her as they enter the main dining area, though she does have to hold back a little laugh as they debate who will sit where when the host directs them to a booth, no one wanting to feel left out on a side by themselves, but also not wanting either of the others to feel left out. Eventually they all squeeze into one side with Beca crammed into the corner and Chloe in the middle, all sitting closely enough together that Beca thinks actually eating their meals will be an interesting challenge.
Still, she isn't about to complain about having Chloe pressed into her side like this, strange looks and eating challenges be damned. "So, is it back to the hotel after this?" Beca asks innocently as Chloe and Aubrey reach for their menus, resting her hand on Chloe's thigh as she does, because tonight is already cliché enough that a little more won't hurt, and surely no one can judge a small lapse in self-control when she's this close to one of her gorgeous soulmates.
No one except Aubrey apparently, who immediately knows what Beca is doing when Chloe tenses slightly next to her. "Beca Mitchell, you've been arrested while on an out of town trip once before, could you try to avoid turning it into a trip tradition?" Aubrey scolds quietly, leaning forward to glare around where Chloe sits almost frozen in place as Beca's hand unconsciously rubs innocent circles on Chloe's thigh. "We have an amazing hotel room waiting for us, surely you can hold off until we're back there?"
"I'm not doing anything" Beca says as she still her hand, leaving it on Chloe's thigh as she reaches for her glass of water with her other.
"Then why does Chloe look like she's about to spontaneously combust?" Aubrey asks, pointedly glancing between them at where their soulmate is still frozen despite the lack of movement from Beca.
"It's the red hair" Beca jokes, surprising Chloe out of her daze and causing Aubrey to sit back in exasperation.
"You know what happens when you get Chloe started" comes the muffled response as Aubrey covers her face for a second as she shakes her head. And Beca does know, has a few very clear memories of finding out exactly what happens when you tease Chloe and push too far. The memories aren't exactly the deterrent Aubrey had likely been hoping for, but the public setting definitely serves as a reminder that there will be a better time and place later.
So with only partly feigned reluctance and a smirk at Chloe's pout, Beca moves her hand to the tabletop and does her best to return to normal conversation. Or well, she will once she gets an answer to her earlier question. "You never did answer what the plans are after dinner" she says to Chloe, winking at Aubrey when the blonde shoots her a warning look. It's not like it's anything but an innocent question about their plans for this evening.
"The plans are still a surprise, but no we're not headed back to the hotel yet" Chloe says after a few deep breaths, visibly calming herself after Beca's teasing. She sounds almost disappointed, and Beca can't help the smile the tone brings to her face. Even after a year, it's still nice to have some validation about how she can affect her soulmates.
"So we don't even get a hint?" she tries, already knowing what the answer will be, but feeling playfully mischievous.
"No hints, and if you don't quit asking me I'll switch plans and we'll do Aubrey's night tonight instead of yours" Chloe threatens, and Beca mimes zipping her mouth, though she can't keep from smiling. "Now look at the menu before the waiter gets back so we don't have to wait on our food because you forgot how restaurants work." Chloe's tone is clearly teasing, but Beca is so much more used to exchanging barbs with Aubrey that it takes a minute to catch up to the fact it's Chloe teasing her like this.
"Dude, ouch" she hears herself say before she can think up any kind of matching retort. She debates trying to salvage the situation with a sarcastic answer to distract from the uncharacteristically flat response, but from the way her soulmates are already grinning she knows it won't do any good. So instead she gathers the remains of her badass image and picks up the menu, pointedly ignoring the laughs from the women next to her as she pretends to be deep in thought looking through the dinner options.
She tries to avoid looking at the prices, knowing Chloe will have planned well enough to cover any option she's likely to choose, but she does notice enough to prove correct the earlier feeling that this is the nicest restaurant she's ever been in. Chloe must sense the hesitation, because before Beca quite realizes what's happening the redhead is leaning somehow closer, leaning her head on Beca's shoulder comfortingly. "Pick whatever, I've got this" Chloe reassures her softly. "There was a chicken dish on page five that I think you'd like" she continues before lifting her head to press a kiss to Beca's cheek and turning back to her own menu.
Ad when Beca looks where Chloe had indicated, she has to admit the dish does sound appetizing, and the price is low enough that after Chloe's reassurance she feels only mildly uncomfortable ordering it.
The rest of the dinner passes smoothly, with Chloe and Aubrey both deciding against wine when Beca offers to drive afterwards. "You just want me to tell you where we're going, don't you?" Chloe asks with narrowed eyes, and Beca hurriedly denies it when she remembers the earlier threat.
So when they all get back into the car after finishing dessert, Beca and Aubrey still have no idea what to expect. It's Beca's night apparently, and that makes Beca think it's likely the plans have something to do with music, probably a club this late at night, but she isn't prepared for Chloe to pull up outside of a small and nondescript building with no signage she can see, a line stretching a short distance from the door. She wants to ask what the place is, but she's afraid Chloe will still change her mind about the night's plans and by now she's genuinely curious about what surprise the redhead has thought up for the first of "her" nights on this trip. So instead she waits patiently in the short line with her soulmates, sharing normal small talk as they wait.
"Oh shoot, I almost forgot" Chloe says when they're about halfway tot eh entry, chewing her lip and looking worried. "Beca, you have your ID on you, right?" she asks, looking between her soulmate and the door, lowering her voice to keep anyone in line around them from overhearing.
"What, Chloe no! We aren't risking a fake ID in another city hours from home" Aubrey exclaims before Beca can answer, though she also keeps her voice quiet to avoid attracting attention. "What are we supposed to do if they catch it? It's not like we can pretend we didn't know, and then we'll all be in jail hours from anyone to bail us out."
"Bree, calm down, okay?" Chloe says with a forced smile, reaching out to place a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder as they move another step closer to the door. "You've watched Beca use it before and haven't said much, why is this time a big deal?"
"Did you not hear the part about jail?" Aubrey snaps, immediately softening when Chloe winces. "Sorry, I'm just worried. You know I don't even like Beca risking it at home, but we're out of town now, so there's added risk. It's not the drinking, you know that, it's the possible outcomes for all three of us this time."
"Okay, calm down you two" Beca breaks in, stepping between the two and looking between them for a moment. "Chloe, yes I have it, so quit worrying about your plans being ruined. Aubrey, I promise I will only use it to get through the door and leave the drinking to you guys tonight. You know they only really check at the bar, so it's not going to be a problem and no one is going to jail. I'll just be the designated driver this trip." It sounds like a good compromise to Beca, and she's proud she was able to come up with it, even when she sees both her soulmates frowning slightly.
"But you'll miss out on the full experience with us" Chloe says with a pout, and Beca has to fight to keep a smile from her face at how cute her soulmate is when she's disappointed.
""Chloe, I know you and your plans, I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun without the alcohol tonight. Now Aubrey, what's your hesitation this time about?"
"I just don't want to risk anything going wrong on this trip" Aubrey admits, shaking her head when she finishes. "But I guess you're right, the bar is where they watch, so we should be okay." She still sounds slightly reluctant, but Beca will take the compromise, sure that as time passes without police swarming the building Aubrey will relax.
"It's settled then" Chloe says with a smile as Beca leans up to kiss Aubrey softly as they reach the doorway, the redhead holding out her ID and enough to cover the three of them. "We're all going to have a great time tonight." Her enthusiasm is catching, and even Aubrey smiles as she enters, holding out her own license. She manages to keep from flinching as Beca presents her fake, but the brunette had been right and the bouncer gives it only a cursory look before waving her inside.
The interior is more spacious than it had seemed from outside, but it's still a fairly small space and Beca is relieved to see it's barely half full, most people either gathered at the bar along the left wall or scattered across the dance floor dancing to what sounds like a fairly simple top 40's playlist. It's an interesting club, but Beca isn't sure what's so special about it that had Chloe freaking out at the possibility of not getting inside. But she has faith in her soulmate's knowledge of her interests, so she's happy to slide into a small booth across from the bar to hold their seats while Chloe and Aubrey get their drinks before joining her.
"You sure you're okay with us drinking while you're not?" Chloe asks when they rejoin her, obviously holding off on taking a sip of her drink in favor of waiting for Beca's answer. Aubrey also hasn't touched her drink, and Beca has to smile at the honest concern on their faces. She knows if it really did bother her or make her feel left out they'd both immediately dump their drinks to make her feel better, and knowing they care that much about her reminds her just how lucky she is to have them.
"I'm fine, I promise" she says to reassure them, taking a pointed sip of the water Aubrey had brought her. "Besides, being sober means I might actually keep from embarrassing myself on the dance floor when Chloe drags me out there."
"You know I'm dragging you out there anyways?" Chloe asks with a smirk as they settle into the round booth and look out over the dance floor, apparently content to sit and drink for a while before dancing despite her words.
"I know, but I also remember the crazy dance off you somehow got me to agree to three months ago with the help of far too much tequila, so I'm hoping for a calmer night" Beca explains, trying not to blush as she remembers just how crazy the competition had gotten, a mix of ridiculousness and sexy (admittedly the sexy had been mostly on Chloe's side) that went on until Aubrey finally pulled them off the floor, lecturing the entire time. It hadn't been a very effective lecture, the blonde had been matching them almost shot for shot and between Chloe's drunken explanations and Beca's mortification, she'd had to fight down her smiles to deliver every stern word, something she'd been only half successful at managing. Still, between the lingering embarrassment and what Aubrey had managed to get across, Beca now approaches dance floors a little more cautiously when in the presence of Chloe and alcohol.
"You'll have plenty of fun out there without alcohol" Chloe says with a wink, leaning into Beca's side flirtatiously and tossing Aubrey a wink and blown kiss when the blonde rolls her eyes. But any retort Aubrey might have thrown back her way ends up drowned out by Beca's gasp as five familiar figures climb to the stage, turning to Chloe in near shock as she recognizes them.
"Dude, how did you know I love these guys?" she asks, eyes wide as Chloe smiles in satisfaction. "I've never mentioned them to you, have I?" she adds as she thinks back over the past two years, trying to remember if she'd ever admitted to what had been a guilty pleasure until she'd grown confident enough to like them without reservation.
"Nope, but you used a few of their songs in the first mixes you let me listen to, and every once in a while you still slip them in, so I guessed" Chloe explained, still looking extremely satisfied with Beca's reaction. "And Aubrey has one of their CDs so I know she likes them too, so when I saw them on the club's website it was just perfect for tonight."
"You're amazing" Beca says quietly, leaning forward to kiss Chloe quickly, touched at how well her soulmate pays attention to even small details like what bands she uses for her mixes, and is able to figure her out so well from those random facts. "And Aubrey, we'll have to have a talk about how I didn't know you liked these guys, especially after we went through your entire iTunes trying to find songs you'd be okay with singing at Nationals" she says when she pulls back, leaning around Chloe as best she can to grab Aubrey's hand, wishing she could kiss her from this position as well.
She gets a few kisses in as the band plays, the three of them dancing together to songs Beca knows by heart, beats from her teenage years ringing out and surrounding them, the familiar lyrics seeming somehow new and more exciting now that she's sharing them with her soulmates. And while she manages to keep from making a total fool out of herself, Chloe's enthusiasm again drags her and Aubrey along for the ride, all three moving together on the dance floor as the night continues.
They stay through two sets, using the band's twenty minute break in between to catch their breath and take a break from the dancing, and by the time the band is packing up and they stumble out of the club Beca is surprised at how tired she feels. Aubrey and Chloe are even more exhausted, falling into the backseat of the car together as Beca laughs at the sight.
She has to wake them once she manages to find her way back to their hotel, holding back a smile as they grumble sleepily and follow her inside, each leaning their head on one of Beca's shoulders as they hold on to the brunette's arms. When she finally manages to free her arms to open their door, all three fall into bed almost immediately, pausing only to remove the outfits they'd worn to the club before crawling into bed and passing out.
"Love you" Beca whispers just before she nods off, smiling as she hears the words echoed back at her.
I'll admit I don't like this chapter as much, so if you feel the same or otherwise, I'd love to hear from you on what to improve or what to keep doing. As I mentioned in the first notes, it was difficult to switch tones from serious to lighthearted, and I think it comes through a little at times, though I've tried to keep this story as fluff filled as possible, because it's an anniversary trip and those should be happy times.
If you have any prompts for the trip, feel free to send them my way, I always write faster when a prompt captures my attention and I can work it in. While I have the stops planned, there's always room for detours or changes.
Thank you all for your patience and the fact that you've read and enjoyed this story, your comments and favorites and even just your views mean a lot.