Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I so greatly appreciate each and every one of you.

Lots of Beca/Jesse interaction in this chapter. Please let me know if they're too out of character.


Beca had given in and called Jesse to meet up on Saturday. She was currently sitting on the couch fidgeting with her clothes—it had taken her an hour to decide on an outfit that wasn't too dressy (this was not a date), but not too casual (he should see what he's been missing)—and wondering if she should change. Again.

Jesse had texted 20 minutes ago to say that he was caught in traffic because of an accident on the freeway but would be there as soon as he could. The knock on the door sent her heart racing. She took some calming breaths to keep from hyperventilating and checked her appearance in the mirror by the door. She had a smile on her face that instantly died when she opened the door.

"Bumper?"

The former Treblemaker was just as surprised to see her if his wide eyes and half-open mouth were any indication. "Hey…"

Beca rolled her eyes. Of course he couldn't remember her name. "It's Beca."

Bumper nodded. "Beca, right." He looked at her as if just recognizing her. "You're Jesse's girlfriend, right?"

Beca leaned against the doorframe. "Ex."

Bumper's eyebrows were nearly lost in his shaggy hair. "You guys were together for, like, four years."

"Almost five." This small talk was killing her. "Why are you here?"

"Beca!" Amy's voice was an octave higher than usual. "You're supposed to be gone. Out. With Jesse."

Beca turned to the blonde with an arched brow. "He's running late." She jabbed a thumb at Bumper. "Is this your date tonight?"

"Yes."

Amy looked at Bumper angrily. "Go to the bedroom and wait for me." She turned back to Beca. "It's not a date." Beca raised her hands in surrender. "We're not back together. It's strictly sexual."

Beca crossed her arms and stepped into the room to let the door close behind her. "He didn't come all the way from Vegas just for sex." Her tone was skeptical; the man had a tattoo of her face on his ass, for Christ's sake.

"Yeah, I'm that good." With a wink, Amy headed after her boytoy. "I'll text you when the coast is clear."

"Not in my room!" Beca shouted to Amy's back. She sighed. She was definitely gonna need to put in a request to housekeeping for new sheets.

"I came at a weird time." Beca whirled around so fast she nearly lost her balance. "Sorry, the door was cracked."

"Jesse." His name came out as a sigh and Beca mentally smacked herself. When he opened his arms, she fell into them, all the stress of the last few weeks melting away against his body. After a moment, Beca released him, reluctantly.

"Ready to go?" Jesse's voice was gruff with emotion and Beca shivered. Not trusting her voice, she only nodded and retrieved her jacket and purse from the couch. She closed her eyes at the warm touch of Jesse's hand on her lower back as they headed out.


Jesse took her to a little hole-in-the-wall diner that played the top 40's of the late 80's and had the best milkshakes she'd ever tasted.

"It's my favorite place in the city." She could see why. It was exactly the kind of place Jesse would adore. It was bright and happy and looked like it belonged in one of those 80's movies he loved so much.

When they stopped outside of a bar with a neon sign flashing "Karaoke," Beca arched an eyebrow and let her incredulous look do the talking. Really?

Jesse just gave her his signature boyish grin and dragged her inside.

They found a table and Jesse left her to get drinks from the bar. When he returned, said drinks in hand, he was smiling much too widely for Beca's liking, considering the current establishment.

"So," she took a sip of the beer he'd handed her, "what are you gonna sing for me?" Her stomach clenched when his lips stretched impossibly wider.

"Oh, it's you who will sing for me." He looked way too sure of himself.

"And how exactly do you plan to make me?" She heard the flirtation in her own voice and ignored the sparkle in Jesse's eye that said he had too. He just kept smiling and nodded to the (barely touched) drink in her hand.

"Another?"

Beca glared at him. Yep, that would work. The one and only time he'd ever gotten her to sing karaoke had been fairly early in their relationship. The Bellas and Trebles—most of them half lit already—had decided that the best way to spend their Saturday night would be to hit up a karaoke bar. Beca had refused at first, but Jesse's breath in her ear, whispering "Come on, Bec, it'll be fun" and that damned smile had convinced her.

With some smooth talking from the of-age Trebles and some flirting from the Bellas—Stacie—everyone was allowed in. Beca had steadfastly refused all efforts to get her up on stage…until that fifth shot hit her. She and Chloe had sung a duet to Lady Gaga and Beyonce's Telephone and she distinctly remembered an extremely cringe-worthy rendition of R. Kelly's Ignition (Remix) as she stared at Jesse and thrust her hips repeatedly.

Beca made a show of slowly sliding the bottle away from her. "I'm good."

"All right, next up is…" The man standing on stage with a clipboard squinted at it. "Beca Mitchell."

A smattering of applause rose from the bar patrons as Beca gave Jesse a death glare. Unfortunately for her, much like Fat Amy, he'd become immune over the years. "Dude, what the hell?"

Jesse, to his credit, looked a bit sheepish. "Come on, Bec, please?" When she only continued to glare, he added, "For me?"

Damn him. Damn him and his smiles that did things to her stomach and pleading eyes that had her saying "Fine" instead of "Dude, no!"

"Beca, you out there?" The guy on stage put his hand to his forehead to mimic looking for someone in the crowd.

Beca pointed a finger and narrowed her eyes at Jesse as she rose. "If the Biebs starts playing through those speakers, I'm out." His grin gave her pause, but she heaved a mock put upon sigh and took the stage.

"Beca Mitchell, everyone!" Announcer Man, as Beca had now dubbed him, handed her the mic and stepped off the stage.

She stood, waiting for the words to appear on the little television screen in front of her when she heard the intro to a very familiar song. She froze. Finding Jesse in the crowd, she desperately tried to garner any information she could from his expression, missing the beginning lyrics of the song. Out of the three-inch binder full of song selections, he had chosen this song. Why? Did it mean something? Or was she just reading into it because it meant something to her? Jesse gave no indication of his intentions; he just smiled and shrugged. She took a deep breath and began the first verse to Simple Minds' Don't You (Forget About Me).

She stood center stage, eyes locked on Jesse's—she didn't need the lyrics on the screen, she knew this song in her soul—and sang.

In an act reminiscent of the very beginning of their romance, Jesse slowly raised his fist into the air as Beca sang the lyrics that were seared into both of their memories; their hearts. When I walk on by, will you call my name? It took every ounce of concentration she had to not falter.

As the music faded, Beca blindly handed the mic to Announcer Man and stumbled off stage in a daze. When she reached their table, she grabbed her nearly full beer and chugged. She set the empty bottle back on the table slowly and finally met Jesse's eyes. "You're up."

One group rendition of Beyoncé's Single Ladies (including dance routine) and two screechy Brittany Spears wannabes later, Beca disappeared. She returned just as the burly guy on stage was finishing his too-deep version of Justin Bieber's Love Yourself with two beers and a smirk.

Announcer Man was up on stage again, announcing, "Jesse 'The Nerd' Swanson."

Jesse set his beer down. "Any hints?"

Beca grinned and took a sip from her bottle. "Just a little flashback."

He shook his head and raised his hand. "The Nerd is coming!"

Beca watched him swagger to the stage. His confidence in all situations had always been a trait she admired (and was sexy as hell—mostly). Sure, when it came to music, she had that swagger—she was good and she knew it—but Jesse's confidence (cockiness, at times) never wavered. He never seemed unsure of himself, and, even when it annoyed the hell out of her, she still found it enviable.

She heard the beginning chords to Foreigner's It Feels Like the First Time and watched the recognition dawn on Jesse's face. Two could play at this game.

She could feel Jesse watching her as she sat at her desk in the brand new Bellas house.

"When did it start for you?" Beca turned to him, sitting on her bed. "This." He gestured between them.

She looked at him quizzically. "What brought that on?"

Jesse shrugged. "I knew from day one that this was the outcome I wanted. You seemed unconvinced of our inevitability."

Beca rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Why am I attracted to someone who is so weird? It's embarrassing."

Jesse grinned and hopped off her bed. He gave her a peck on the lips but pulled back when she tried to take advantage of the proximity of his mouth to hers. "Humor me."

Beca sighed. "The riff-off." She'd hoped to get away with just that, but Jesse's arched brow and complete silence told her it wasn't in the cards. She sighed again and closed her laptop, setting her headphones on top of it. Her mix would have to wait until she indulged her nerdier-than-thou boyfriend's whim.

"I liked you well enough before. You're attractive, you're not wholly unfunny," she ignored his mock offended look, "and I didn't hate your presence." Jesse put a hand to his chest and mouthed "Thank you." She punched him lightly. "But at the riff-off, when you sang to me—when you sang fucking Foreigner to me—" She stopped. How did she explain that epiphany moment? "Here was this sexy guy," she rolled her eyes when he waggled his eyebrows, "who I enjoyed hanging out with, who shared my passion for music, and he could sing. I was just watching you, and I thought, Yeah, I could see myself with this guy." She looked down at her hands. "It scared the shit out of me."

Jesse reached for her hand. Afraid the personal confession would cause her walls to shut him out, he changed the tone. "That's how you deal with fear? You just rap sexily in my face?"

"Duh," she deadpanned. She played with his fingers and smiled sadly. "Music has always been my preferred method of escape; parents fighting, feelings, fears." Jesse glanced at the headphones lying on top of her closed laptop.

Beca shook her head and cupped his cheek. "I don't want to escape from this." She tried to put everything she was feeling into her kiss. She didn't want to run from him; she wanted to stay right here in his arms forever. Life wasn't so bad in his arms.

She wasn't sure who initiated the stripping of clothing, but she really didn't care. Every new inch of skin revealed was another step in their journey together. And she wasn't afraid.

As they lie there, curled in each other's arms, their breathing slowly returning to normal, she heard Jesse humming. She hid her grin in his chest as she recognized the tune: It Feels Like the First Time.

Beca watched Jesse as he performed, pointing at her as he sang "It must be the woman in you, that brings out the man in me." She could feel her skin flush but refused to break eye contact. It was a battle that lasted through the song and only ended when he left the stage to applause.

He gave his adoring fans high fives on the way back to their table but was corralled by two women Beca recognized from an earlier (horrible) performance before he made it. The moves he'd perfected at Barden still attracted the groupies. In college, she'd have rescued him and let any female (and quite a few males) within a mile radius know that he was extremely taken. He was on his own now…except he was giving her that look, and she couldn't let him suffer.

Beca exaggerated the sway of her hips as she walked up to the group. Completely ignoring the women grabbing at Jesse, she ran her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck. She put on her best oblivious drunken girlfriend persona and told him, "Mmm, baby, you were sooooo good up there." She turned her head to the incredulous duo behind her. "Isn't my man just so sexy when he sings?" She had to keep herself from gasping when Jesse wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight to his chest.

One of the women—the blonde—nodded. "He is. We were just asking if Jesse here would be interested in singing with us." From the predatory gleam in her eye and the sultry look on her face, singing wasn't at all what she had in mind.

Beca put on the biggest fake smile she could muster. "Sorry, girls, Jesse has somewhere to be."

It was the redhead that spoke up this time. She was definitely seeing blurred figures already, so Beca couldn't bring herself to be too annoyed with her when she giggled out, "It's so early, where could you possibly be going?"

Jesse chose that exact moment to really get into their little act, burying his head in her neck and finding her pulse point to suck on. The moan that sprang from Beca's lips was not an act, however. Her eyes fell closed at the sensation and she had to swallow before she could answer, "My bed." She turned away from the pair and grabbed Jesse by the hair, slamming their lips together. She heard a giggle from the redhead and a "God, gross" from the blonde before they walked away.

At the pair's departure, Beca slowly pulled back, releasing Jesse's hair. He rested his forehead against hers and tried to slow his breathing.

"My tiny knight in skinny jeans."

Beca snorted. "You're such a damsel; always needing to be rescued." She stepped back out of his arms. "We should go." Jesse nodded and led the way back to their table. Beca didn't say anything about him holding her hand. They had to keep up the act, after all.

They'd barely made it out of the bar when Jesse burst into laughter, followed by Beca shortly after. When they'd calmed down, they began to walk.

"Nice approach. It's a bit different than I remember."

Beca shrugged. "Different objective." Jesse raised his brows in question. "When we were together, the objective was to make sure she knew you were mine and that it was in her best interest to back off."

Jesse chuckled. "Claiming your territory."

Beca scoffed. "You weren't any better."

"Nope." They walked in silence for a minute. "So, how was tonight's objective different?" She could hear the smug smile in his voice.

Beca stopped walking and faced Jesse with raised brow. "Tonight was about helping a friend out of an uncomfortable situation."

Jesse grinned. "Ok." Beca bit her lip and continued walking.

They walked aimlessly for awhile, enjoying the night and each other's company. Neither realized the time until an electronic billboard kindly reminded them that it was 65 degrees and 11 p.m.

Beca quickly dug her phone out from her purse to check her texts.

"Oh, man, I didn't realize how late it was. Do you need to get back?" Jesse turned in half circles mumbling something about remembering where he'd parked.

Beca held up her phone in answer to his question. "Amy hasn't sent the all clear yet." She didn't bother explaining. He'd known Amy long enough to draw the right conclusions.

Jesse nodded. "Ok, well, did you wanna grab a drink somewhere, or," he hesitated. "We could go back to my place and watch a movie or something."

Beca swallowed and prayed it wasn't audible. "No, Jesse, you don't have to hang with me in exile. I can just chill in the hotel bar or something."

That smile sprang to his lips—the smile that had slowly (but oh, so surely) broken down every defense she'd clung to at 18. "You're just trying to get out of watching a movie with me." He pointed at her admonishingly. "I know you haven't been keeping up with your movication in New York."

She hadn't. Movies without his running commentary and "fun facts" were just as boring as they'd ever been. And she loved her roommates, but their chests didn't have that little nook that fit her head perfectly. She sighed in mock annoyance. "All right, Professor, I guess I can sit through one movie."

She couldn't. Halfway through La La Land, she was out cold. She vaguely registered the vibrating of her phone, signaling an incoming text and then Jesse's voice was in her ear. "Mmm, please, baby, just five more minutes," she mumbled and snuggled back into his chest. She smiled sleepily when she felt herself being carried. And then she was in a warm bed that smelled of Jesse and she was drifting back into dreamland again.


Beca woke up to the smell of coffee. She turned to snuggle into Jesse's chest for just five more minutes of sleep, but found an empty bed. Her eyes snapped open and she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing she remembered was Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone dancing on screen. It didn't take much effort to figure out what happened next.

She ran her fingers through her hair and took a breath before venturing towards the delicious smell of caffeine.

Jesse beamed upon seeing her. "Hey, you're up." He poured a cup and handed it over. "Black, like your soul."

Beca smirked and took a long sip, sighing in pleasure. Now that she was properly awake, she noticed the pillow and blanket folded neatly on one end of the couch. "Dude, you didn't have to sleep on the couch." Jesse shrugged, but it looked to Beca like there was something he wasn't saying.

"So, did you need to get back right away or can you stay for breakfast?" He looked so hopeful and his omelets were so good, but she really needed to get away from him before she did something stupid.

"I really should get back to the hotel. I promised Amy I'd go with her to scope out the acts on Hollywood Boulevard." Jesse raised a brow. "She wants to see if there's anything she can incorporate into her Fat Amy Winehouse act." The other brow rose as well. Beca sighed. "It's just better if you don't ask."

Jesse nodded. "Fair enough." He set his coffee down on the counter. "Let me get changed and I'll take you back."

Beca chuckled. "What, you don't think the greater Los Angeles area would appreciate your R2-D2 pajama bottoms?" She scoffed. "Their loss."

Jesse laughed on his way to the bedroom.


Beca walked into the hotel suite and dropped her things on the little table just inside the door. All she wanted was to soak in a long hot bath and listen to some music to take her mind off of the fact that she was definitely not over Jesse. But she'd promised Amy she'd tag along to Hollywood Boulevard, even if it was the most touristy spot in the city. Speaking of… "Amy?"

Listening for a response was when she finally heard the noises coming from the Aussie's bedroom. Shit. She hadn't even looked at the text Amy had sent last night, stupidly assuming that 14 hours would be enough. She'd completely forgotten about all the weekends she'd spent at the Treble house for reasons that had nothing to do with Jesse and his amazing omelets.

Grabbing her phone and sprinting to her room, Beca quickly found Jesse's number.

"Forget something or do you just miss me already?"

Beca put her phone on speaker so she could change her clothes. "Where are you?"

"Just a few blocks away. What's wrong?" All amusement was gone from his voice, replaced by a worry Beca would let herself feel guilty about later.

"The coast is not clear." Jesse let out a belly laugh that made her pause and frown at her phone. "Not funny! You gonna help me out or not?"

The laughter lingered in his voice when he answered. "I guess one good rescue deserves another. Be there in a few." Beca finished changing and ran for her sanity.

Jesse was waiting when she exited the hotel. "There is not enough brain bleach on earth to erase that from my memory." She shuddered. "Thank you for rescuing me."

Jesse grinned. "Anytime, m'lady." They pulled away from the hotel and into traffic. "I know this great diner if you're hungry. Their omelets aren't quite as amazing as mine, but they're still pretty tasty."

"Yes, please. I'm starving."


They spent most of the day doing touristy things because "You have to do it once, Beca!" and despite the absolute cliché of it all, she enjoyed herself.

"There's one more place you have to see." Beca groaned. "I promise you'll love it."

"Fine, but you're buying me dinner after this."

Jesse grinned. "Deal."

When they entered the Grammy Museum, Beca knew Jesse was right. She was definitely gonna love it.

They wandered around for an hour, though most of their time was spent in the recording booths mixing their own off-key tracks.

"You're gonna be in there someday," Jesse told her as they left. "Your voice, your face, your music, it's all gonna be in there." He was so confident and sincere in his declaration that Beca had to take a breath to keep the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes from falling.

Her "Thank you" was only just above a whisper.


After dinner, Beca had texted Amy to make sure the coast was indeed clear this time.

As they neared the hotel, Beca bit her lip and before she could change her mind, asked, "Do you wanna come up? I can't promise Amy left anything in the mini-bar, but…"

Jesse smiled but didn't take his eyes off the road. "I'd love to."

The elevator ride up was silent and gave Beca time to second guess herself. Why had she asked him up? Did she want something to happen? Was he expecting something to happen? Why was she so nervous? This was Jesse.

When they entered the room, Beca made a beeline for the mini-bar. "We have vodka!" She grabbed two of the tiny bottles and two glasses from the kitchenette. She poured the glasses and handed one to Jesse.

"Thank you for today. These last few weeks have been really stressful. I mean, it's amazing, don't get me wrong, but…I just really needed today. So, thank you."

Jesse set his glass down and took hers to do the same. He rested his hands on her shoulders. "You are going to be amazing at this. I mean, I've always known you'd do amazing things with music, but this, it's kind of the perfect fit."

"It is." She swallowed when he tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"And whenever you need some time to just be you, I'm your guy." He cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned in.

Beca knew what was coming; he'd given her plenty of time to stop it. Her eyes closed and when their lips met, it was like coming home. It wasn't the rough kiss they'd shared at the karaoke bar; it was gentle, almost hesitant. Or it was until Jesse grabbed her by the waist with his free hand and licked her bottom lip, demanding access. And she granted it eagerly.

It was only when his hand found its way beneath her shirt that coherent thought returned to her. "Jesse," she mumbled against his lips. When he only continued to caress her lips with his own, she tried again. "Jesse." She placed her hands on his chest. "Jesse, what are we doing?" she eventually managed to get out between kisses.

He moved from her lips to trail open mouthed kisses down her jaw and neck. "We've been doing this for years." Beca let out a moan when he nipped just below her ear. "You're very good at it."

That was exactly the dose of reality she needed. They'd done this for years, but they hadn't been for over a year. Because he'd moved on. She said his name again and pushed him away. "What the hell are we doing?" She ran her hands through her mussed hair and, remembering the vodka, downed her glass.

Jesse looked sexy as hell with his messed up hair, flushed face, and confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I thought—" He ran a hand down his face and followed her lead, slamming the vodka shot. "Did I read into it? That kiss at the bar—and you had me sing that Foreigner song—"

"You made me sing our song!" Jesse took a step back at her outburst and the pain in his eyes broke her heart.

"I thought it meant something." His voice sounded so much like a lost little boy, and she needed to fix it. She took two steps and smashed her lips to his again because it did mean something.

It ended as quick as it began and she put distance between them again.

"Beca?" He reached for her and she couldn't take it. She would love to just fall into his arms and never let go, but—

"You moved on!" His shocked bewilderment at her outburst would have been adorable at any other moment.

"No, I didn't." It was so matter of fact that she felt the need to remind him of the past few months.

"You were living with your girlfriend and your cat," she spit the word out, "until a few weeks ago."

Jesse took a step forward and she took one back. He sighed. "First of all, we were never living together, and it was her cat. Second, just because I was dating someone," his voice softened, "doesn't mean I was ever over you."

"You sure moved fast for someone who 'wasn't over me.'" She used air quotes for the last.

"Too fast for someone who was actually over you." Beca cocked a brow and didn't move when he took a tentative step towards her. "Beca, our breakup killed me." Another step. "I was sad all the time; I hurt all the time. So, I jumped at the first girl I found a little bit interesting to try and drown some of that out." Another step and he was invading her personal space. "It wasn't fair to either of us."

Beca didn't move but she didn't react when he cupped her cheek either. "You remember you broke up with me, right?"

Jesse sighed and dropped his hand. "You were scared, Bec. I waited over a year for you, but the strain of the distance was getting to both of us, and it definitely wasn't helping with your doubts."

Beca looked into the eyes she'd been studiously avoiding since that second kiss. "You knew I was scared?"

Jesse smiled gently and used both of his hands to cradle her face, assuring she could see the absolute truth in his eyes. "Beca, I know you better than anyone." He paused for emphasis. "Even the Bellas."

She leaned into his hands, enjoying the comfort of his touch for a minute before realizing that none of that really meant anything. She threw her hands in the air, breaking Jesse's hold. "So, what does that mean? I'm not over you, you're not over me, but what does that change, Jesse?"

Jesse blew out a breath and smiled. "You know, until you said it, I wasn't completely sure."

Beca rolled her eyes, but smiled back. "I think it's pretty obvious after the last couple days that I am completely, one hundred percent not over you." She dropped her eyes and her voice was fragile. "But I'm still scared."

Jesse grabbed her hips and pulled her against his chest. "What if we take it slow? No pressure. You're just starting a new career, and I've still got a couple of months of school left." He kissed the top of her head. "I've got a break coming up soon, why don't I come visit you in New York and we'll see where we are after that?"

"No pressure?" Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"No pressure, no labels, no obligations until we decide otherwise—together." He loosened his grip on her when she pulled away, but refused to let her go completely.

"How is that different from where we were a week ago?" Her fingers played with the fabric of his shirt and her eyes looked anywhere but into his.

Jesse took her fiddling hands in his. "Because we're going to try." He dropped one of her hands to lift her face. "You're not going to ignore my calls." She opened her mouth to refute that but, as it was the truth, closed it quickly. "We're going to make time for each other; we'll talk and text and Skype."

"Oh, my." His grin looked absolutely painful.

"And we will definitely be continuing your movication. It's obviously working." Beca didn't say anything, just continued to stare at him, contemplating. He took a step back from her and she missed the feel of his touch already. "Beca, please say something. Do you want this?" He gestured between them.

Beca took a cautious step forward and took his hands. "I can't promise you that I won't freak out, ok? And I know you can't promise that everything will work out, so please don't." She sighed. "But I can promise to make an effort. Because I want this, Jesse. I want us; I want you." She fought every instinct she had to not look away from his eager eyes as she bared her soul to him. "So, we will talk and we will text and we will Skype."

"Oh my," he whispered.

"And you will visit me in New York, and we'll go from there."

Beca squealed when he picked her up and spun her around.


I have a little bit more written after this - not enough for a full chapter - so, the update may take a bit longer this time. The reviews have been a huge motivator so far, so keep 'em coming!