Beca and Chloe were at the activities fair on the first day of classes. As luck would have it, their class schedules allowed them both to be there for the entire duration of the event.

"Chloe, why are we even here? We only have one spot open," complained Beca.

"Beca, everyone is a senior. We need exposure. That way, if other people audition and don't get a spot, they'll want to try again next year."

"Or they'll hate us and won't want to audition for the Bellas. Why do we only have seniors now?"

"Because Denise was the only one to graduate last year. I failed Russian Lit again so I could be a Bella."

"You did that on purpose?"

Chloe looked down at her feet. "Yes," she said quietly.

"Why?"

"I told you. I failed on purpose so I could continue to be a Bella. I guess I just wasn't ready to be finished."

"Chlo..." Beca began, but she stopped abruptly when a tall, fresh-faced girl with long brown hair approached the booth.

"Hi, Bellas! I was hoping I'd find you here. I'm Emily. Junk. I know it's weird. It's my mom's last name. My dad's last name is Hardon, so...ummmm...I'm a legacy. Junk. My mom was a Bella."

"Your mother is Katherine Junk?" asked Chloe.

"Who?" asked Beca.

"Only the top bitch of the 1981 Bellas. She pioneered the syncopated booty-shake, and word is she has a five-octave vocal range," said Chloe.

"Still does. You do not want to hear that woman doin' it with my dad," said Emily.

"I did not need to know that," said Beca.

"Hey, Emily, why don't you come by Beca's and my apartment tonight and we'll let you audition? I'm sure we can get the other Bellas to come over. Come by at 7 and sing for us."

"Tonight?" asked Emily.

"Totes. You're a legacy. You get a special audition," said Chloe.

Beca just looked over at Chloe in stunned silence. She didn't even know a legacy was a thing. Still, if Emily was any good, then she wouldn't have to sit through a cappella auditions. She figured it was best to go along with it.

"Yeah," said Beca. "What Chloe said. Oh, and I'm Beca."

"Oh, I know who you are," said Emily. "I am so excited to meet the woman who singlehandedly created the Bellas sound."

Beca stood still, just blinking, for a moment.

"My mom still keeps track of the Bellas. News spread fast among the alumnae when you guys started winning nationals."

"Right. Well, we'll see you at 7, okay?" Beca wrote their address down on the back of one of the flyers and handed it to Emily.

That night, the Bellas were all at Beca and Chloe's apartment at 6. Chloe had sent a group text, promising pizza and the possibility of getting out of a cappella auditions, and the whole group was able to attend. They all ate pizza, and several of them groaned when Beca told them they weren't drinking any alcoholic beverages. Beca reminded them that they needed to pay attention to the audition, and she wanted everyone sober. She purposely avoided looking in Chloe's direction when she said this, knowing her best friend was likely glaring at her.

While everyone was eating pizza and catching up, Beca took the opportunity to share her latest idea for the set list. Amy got all excited when she heard "Wrecking Ball" and begged to do some sort of aerial work. Both Beca and Chloe said, "No way!" in near perfect unison, making the rest of the group laugh.

Right at 7 on the dot, there was a knock at the apartment door. Emily Junk walked in and nervously greeted everyone.

"So, everybody," said Chloe. "This is Emily Junk. She's a legacy. Her mom is-"

"We know," said Fat Amy. "Syncopated booty-shake, blah blah blah."

"Anyway, she's here to audition. Show us what ya got."

"Right now? Right here, right here, right now." She took a deep breath. "I'd like to perform an original song that I've been working on. I'm not quite finished with it, though, so let's not be dicks about it. Sorry, that was crass, wasn't it?"

"Proceed," said Fat Amy.

When tomorrow comes, I'll be on my own, feeling frightened of the things that I don't know
When tomorrow comes, when tomorrow comes, when tomorrow comes
And though the road is long, I look up to the sky, darkness all around,

She stopped singing and said, "I'm still tinkering with that verse." She began to sing again.

I got all I need when I got you and I. I look around me and I see a sweet life
I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight, getting me, getting me through the night
You are my flashlight

Emily had an amazing voice, but she definitely needed improvement. She shut her eyes almost the entire time she sang. She seemed nervous, which was certainly expected.

Chloe smiled and said, "Would you excuse us for just one second?"

Chloe whispered to her fellow Bellas, "She's pretty good."

Fat Amy said, "What do you expect us to say? She's standing right there."

"If we take her, we don't have to sit through the auditions," whispered Beca.

"We need new blood," said Chloe.

Lilly said something nobody understood, as usual. Everyone had learned it was best not to ever ask Lilly to repeat herself.

"Did anyone else think it was creepy that she never opened her eyes the whole time?" asked Stacie.

"Again, we're talking about her and she's standing right there," said Fat Amy. "But if we're going to talk negatives, let's start with the giraffe legs."

"Okay, let's take a vote on it," said Chloe. "Anyone who wants her in, sing G sharp. Anyone who doesn't, sing A flat." Beca was about to point out that they were the same note but thought better of it.

Chloe began with, "1, 2..." and the Bellas all sang the same note.

Chloe walked up to Emily and smiled. "Welcome to the Bellas!"

"O-M-Aca-G! Woo!" exclaimed Emily, who then broke out into a celebratory dance.

Cynthia Rose batted Emily's hands down. "Ooo, stop, girl, stop," she said. A few others murmured "Stop" along with her.

"Sorry," said Emily. "So...when does initiation start? Tell you what, I'll go back to my dorm and pretend to be surprised when you throw the hood over my head and make me solve a Rubik's cube while sucking vodka from a maxi pad. That's what my mom said happened."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," said Beca.

"All right, grab your guts, ladies, it's party time! We got a brand new Bella!" shouted Amy.

"Wait, what?" asked Beca.

"Come on, Becs, live a little," said Chloe. She grabbed some beer out of the fridge and began to open beer bottles for everyone.

Shit, thought Beca. I wasn't counting on Chloe drinking tonight. She must have bought beer today.

Beca grabbed a beer but sipped it slowly. Chloe had bought a case of beer, and it worried Beca a lot. She'd been trying to tell herself that Chloe was fine, but she'd rapidly begun to get apprehensive whenever Chloe had a drink in her hand.

Beca tried to relax. They were at their own apartment, so Chloe wasn't driving. Still, it was a school night, and she didn't want everyone going crazy all night either. "Quiet hours" in their apartment complex started at 11 pm, and Beca had been bothered when they'd gotten the noise complaint just before Spring Break of the previous school year. Luckily, they were within walking distance from campus, so at least she didn't have to worry about anyone else driving. The only other Bellas who lived off-campus were Jessica and Ashley, and their shared apartment was in the same complex.

She couldn't help watching Chloe like a hawk. She tried to mentally tally how much her friend was drinking, how she was behaving, whether or not she was slurring, and whether or not the Bellas had figured it out.

Ashley walked up to Beca. "Hey, is everything okay?" she asked gently.

"Oh, yes, of course. Just thinking is all."

"About what?"

"My internship."

"Right," said Ashley, raising an eyebrow. "So, how was it?"

"Eye-opening. They do not mess around."

"I see. How's Chloe been?"

"Oh, you know, working through her grief. It's tough, but I'm sure she'll come around."

"I'm sure. You know, if you need anything, you can call me, right?"

"Sure. Thanks." Beca wasn't entirely sure what Ashley meant, as the two hadn't really been close in the past. Before they could talk more, Jessica was pulling Ashley away, insisting she dance with her.

Beca went back to watching Chloe. She'd lost count of the woman's beer intake. Was the bottle in her hand number three or number four? Beca wasn't sure. Chloe's speech was slurred, and Beca felt her own jaw clench. She couldn't do anything without making a scene, so she just silently hoped Chloe wouldn't wake up with a hangover and miss her classes. There was a policy at Barden that you were automatically withdrawn from any class in which you missed the first two sessions. She didn't want Chloe missing any of her Tuesday classes that first week.

The clock hit 10 pm, and Beca shut off the stereo. "Okay, Bellas, everyone out!" The entire group groaned in response.

"Come on, you all need to be back to your rooms and sober up. I don't want to hear about anyone getting dropped from a Tuesday class for not attending!" exclaimed Beca, pointing at the door.

"Yes, Mom," said Stacie, rolling her eyes.

Once the group had cleared out, Beca began to clean up. The mess wasn't too bad, but there were a few beer bottles that hadn't made it into the trash. Beca tried to casually ask Chloe how drunk she was.

"So...Chloe...how much did you drink tonight?"

"Not much."

"How much is not much?" Beca sounded angrier than she'd intended.

"I don't know. Like three or four?"

"On a school night?"

"Beca, you're not my mother."

"Fine. Just don't come crying to me when you miss your classes tomorrow."

Chloe only scoffed in response.

The next morning, Beca and Chloe ate breakfast in silence. Beca wasn't sure if it was because Chloe was hungover, angry with her, or both. She strongly suspected both, but she held her tongue. She really didn't have the mental strength for another argument. She had classes and an internship to attend before Bellas practice that evening.

She grabbed her bookbag, double-checked her schedule, and said "Bye, Chloe! See you at practice!" as she left, trying her best to sound chipper. She really didn't want to argue, especially not on such a busy day. Chloe didn't respond, and Beca swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat as she walked to campus. She hated the idea that Chloe was upset with her.

After Beca's third class in a row, she headed back to the apartment for a quick lunch and to get her car. She walked in, finding it empty. Good, she thought. At least Chloe probably got to her classes. She dropped her bookbag in her bedroom, had a quick lunch, and headed straight to the internship.

The internship was tough. Her boss didn't even know her name. He kept calling her "Reggie." She'd corrected him the first three times, but then she'd given up and just started answering to "Reggie." She mostly spent her time bringing everyone coffee and burritos. Her boss did make sure she and the other interns were involved in meetings. Thus far, she'd been too intimidated to come up with any ideas, much less share them with the group. The only person who ever spoke up was this weird hipster guy named Dax, and Beca was certain she'd heard her boss mumble something about how Dax was his nephew. He'd made the guy run laps around the room in skinny jeans when he'd had a particularly bad idea. Beca had to agree that Dax had had a terrible idea, but at least he'd said something.

Beca was all set to leave when several people at once asked her to get "one more thing." She glanced at her phone and saw she had five minutes to get to Bellas practice and a fifteen-minute drive. She sent Chloe a quick text as she walked to her car. There was no response, so Beca assumed Chloe was still mad.

Beca ran into the auditorium to find Chloe rapidly pacing and several Bellas trying to calm her down.

"Chloe, what's wrong?"

"Beca!" she screamed, running up to engulf the smaller girl in a tight bear hug.

"Stop! Oxygen is becoming an issue." Chloe let go, and Beca could see she'd been crying. She was almost positive she could smell alcohol on Chloe's breath, but this wasn't the time to bring it up.

"Where were you?"

"My internship ran late. I texted you."

"No, you didn't!"

Ashley grabbed Chloe's phone, which was sitting on the piano, and glanced at the lock screen. "It's right here, Chloe," she said as she handed it to her.

"Oh," said Chloe. "I see it now. Right."

"Why don't you take a walk for a couple of minutes to get yourself together? We can start practice once you're back," said Beca.

"Yeah," said Chloe. "I'll do that." Chloe left the auditorium.

"I'll follow her if you don't mind," said Jessica. Beca nodded. Jessica had been Chloe's roommate in the dorms before she'd moved into an apartment with Beca. The two of them were still close.

Beca was about to go over the music they'd be singing at their next show but decided not to. The group, save for Emily, had already heard it at their apartment, and Chloe might get upset if she'd been talking Bellas business without her.

The girls were asking Beca about her internship, but Beca really didn't have much to say. She was relieved to hear that a few others with internships had also mostly been spending time getting things for others, making copies, etc.

Chloe walked back in with Jessica a few minutes later looking much more relaxed.

"Okay, I'm not up for dancing or cardio tonight. So, I think we'll just work on singing tonight, okay?"

Beca looked at Chloe incredulously. Usually, Chloe was the one insisting they run laps and work on dancing first. She noticed Jessica looking at her with pleading eyes, so she took the hint and grabbed the sheet music out of her bag.

"Right, singing. Here's the arrangement. Take a quick look, and let's see what you can do cold."

After everyone had had a moment to look at the arrangement, Beca counted the Bellas in.

They were able to get to the end, and, it was sloppy, but it was really good for a first try. Beca was able to work with the group on the singing, and, by the end of practice, they sounded pretty good. There was definitely work to do, but they'd gotten off to a solid start. Beca made notes of a few changes that would improve things so that she could make those changes when she found the time.

Beca drove herself and Chloe back to the apartment since she'd had to park on campus due to running late. Beca could definitely smell alcohol on Chloe's breath, and she just wasn't sure what to do. Chloe had been awfully upset when she'd missed Beca's text, but that was to be expected after the sudden death of her father. However, this had all happened ten minutes before practice, so Chloe had to have been drinking beforehand. She'd never shown up to a Bellas practice drunk, or even tipsy before. Beca was really trying to weigh whether or not to say something. Chloe was talking fine by now, but Beca had already begun to walk on eggshells around Chloe whenever alcohol was the subject of the discussion.

They walked into the apartment, and Chloe mumbled something about taking a shower. Once Beca heard the water running and Chloe singing "Titanium," she knew her friend would be in there for a while. She hated herself for doing it, but Beca began to snoop in Chloe's drawers. She found a bottle of vodka tucked in the drawer with her socks and a bottle of whiskey in the drawer with her pants. Both were about half full. Beca took them out and dumped the contents down the drain. She tossed the bottles in a box in her room with the intent to take them out with the recycling later. It had arrived recently from her aunt. She'd left some things at her place when she'd stayed with her that summer, and she had been kind enough to ship them to her. She knew Chloe would likely get mad if/when she found out, but Beca couldn't help herself. She had to try and help Chloe. Maybe if she couldn't get to the booze, she couldn't drink it. She decided she'd better hide the box in her closet. She didn't want Chloe finding out what she'd done.

When Chloe was in her room changing her clothes, Beca could hear drawers opening and closing and Chloe muttering something. Beca really hoped Chloe wouldn't figure out what she'd done. She told herself it was tough love. Chloe needed more help to control the drinking, and, as her best friend, Beca felt that she was the one who should do that.

Beca was in pajamas, trying to act casual, watching TV when Chloe padded into the living room. "Hey, Chloe," Beca said, keeping her eyes focused on the television.

"Hey," said Chloe. "What are you watching?"

"Oh, I was just flipping channels while you were in the shower. What should we watch?"

"Project Runway?"

"Yeah, we can watch that," said Beca. Fashion wasn't her thing, but she didn't mind the hot models. "Did you eat dinner?"

"Not yet. You?"

"No. I swear all I do is get coffee and burritos for people. I probably should have gotten one for myself."

"Want to order something? I don't feel like cooking."

"Sure, but, maybe not burritos. I think I've had enough of being around them today."

"But you just said you should have gotten a burrito for yourself."

"Only because if I had I wouldn't be hungry right now. Chinese?"

"Sure."

Beca ordered the food online through her phone. She didn't have to ask Chloe what she wanted. They always ordered the same thing and split both orders.

They weren't far into the episode they'd recorded when the food was delivered. Beca paid for it and took it to the living room. She grabbed two plates and two bottles of water for them and set everything down on the coffee table.

They ate their dinner and continued to watch the show, laughing at some of the ridiculous clothing, and commenting on the ones they liked.

"You know, Becs, you seem to prefer the outfits that show the most cleavage."

"What can I say? I'm a boob man. You know that."

Chloe laughed. "You're a teenage boy."

"You're the one who wanted to watch this, you know."

"I like the clothes."

"So there's stuff in there that we both like," said Beca. "Hey, I'm sorry I made you worry about me. I'm new there, and I wanted to make a good impression. I'll try to keep a better eye on the time from now on."

"Thanks, Becs. I'm just so on edge because of my dad. He was fine, and then he just collapsed at work and he was gone."

"I'm sure that was scary. I'll try harder to keep you informed if I'm going to be late."

"Thanks," said Chloe.

Once they were done eating, Chloe curled up to Beca. Beca put her arm around her friend, just like they usually had done since they'd started living together. Chloe was the only one allowed to curl up to Beca like this, something Beca rarely even thought about anymore. Once the episode was over, they cleaned up the takeout containers and headed to bed.

As Beca lay in bed, she hoped she'd gotten all the alcohol out of Chloe's room. Since Chloe hadn't said anything, she hoped she hadn't realized what had really happened to the booze. She finally drifted off to sleep, the long day having caught up with her.

In the middle of the night, Beca woke up to Chloe climbing into her bed. Chloe was sniffling, but she didn't say anything. Beca scooted over to make some room for her friend, wrapping her arms around her once Chloe had settled. Beca figured she'd gotten all of the alcohol out of the bedroom because Chloe wasn't using it to sleep. She smiled to herself, thinking about how helpful she was being and how Chloe was going to be just fine. She thought about leaving and heading to Chloe's bed once the girl had fallen asleep, but she decided to just stay in her own bed for the night. She wasn't sure how well Chloe would stay asleep without her.

A/N: This is set in Pitch Perfect 2 time but is an AU. Muffgate never happened, and it will not happen in this fic. I think Chloe's going through enough right now.