Chapter 7

Grad school is hard and I just got a new job, BUT I have the next 3.5 weeks to relax and basically not work, so I apologize for the delay! I promise to make it up to all of you, and I even have a little AU Staubrey fic for Halloween in the works. But I thought this would be more important to post! Happy Halloween Everybody! Don't do anything I, or Stacie or Amy, wouldn't do! ;D

Even though it was late in the evening, the summer air in Southern California was delightfully warm. Chloe had managed to gather all of her luggage and find a cab, giving the driver Aubrey's address, another hour left in her voyage.

Chloe watched through the window, taking in all of the scenery. This was going to be a very different step for her, she knew. She and Aubrey were both 29 years old, their thirties only a blink away. Chloe was grateful that she had the experiences in teaching that she had, knowing without a doubt she wanted to work with children as a career. It definitely was not easy at times, but she loved doing it, and that's what mattered most.

Her life was finally set. She knew what she wanted to do, her career was set in motion and she would further herself academically before hopping back into it here in her homeland. Chloe Beale had some great things going for her, but there was a nagging deep down in her core. She couldn't avoid the feelings any longer, not with what was to come.

She sighed, massaging her temples before leaning back against the car window. All she had done while abroad was avoid thinking about the topic of Beca Mitchell. Now, it was too loud in her head, refusing to be ignored. She knew she would finally have to deal with this situation if she wanted to move on and be happy.

There was no doubt in Chloe's mind that she had been deeply in love with Beca, a fiery girl with a lot of attitude who Chloe found utterly adorable. She still couldn't believe she cornered Beca in a shower, naked, only upon their second meeting, and had it been anyone else, she probably would have never gotten so in their face. But still, there was something about Beca that pulled her in, from the very first time she saw her wandering about the student activities fair. Chloe was completely drawn to her.

Maybe it was that whole opposites attract thing, like Stacie and Aubrey had with one another. Chloe was overly perky, so loving and so non-judgmental. She was a light and happy person, vibrant and beautiful. Beca was far more reserved, didn't wear her heart on her sleeve. She was layered and complex, and took her time when getting to know people. Chloe was the perfect fit for her, the kind of girl that could make her comfortable letting loose a little bit.

Chloe remembered one night in particular during the end of summer between Beca's junior and senior years of school where she dragged Beca into another crazy act with Stacie and Amy, and where she thought they clearly had a moment, or another one, she should say.

The school year was about to pick up again, the Barden Bellas on a high of being champs for the last three years. School was due to resume, and Chloe, Stacie and Amy wanted to do something wild the weekend before classes began.

There were a ton of parties going on, but there would always be more. The girls wanted to do something a little spicier, with a chance of getting arrested, and leave it to Stacie to come up with the best plan ever.

Amy was currently driving the gang across town, Stacie in the front singing along and bopping away, Chloe and Beca thumb wrestling like toddlers in the back. Beca's phone went off again and she rolled her eyes, Jesse apparently begging her to join him at this party back on campus.

While Chloe had feelings for Beca, she never wanted to be manipulative and always tried to support her friend. She never told her to break it off with Jesse, never gave her misguided advice. She was a good friend, but tonight, Jesse really needed to take a hint and fuck off.

Chloe grabbed Beca's phone lightly, holding it up for the girl, who just looked at her amused. Chloe used the pointer finger of her free hand, pressing the power button on the younger girl's iPhone and shutting it off. Beca was about to protest when Chloe spoke.

"Live a little Becs. We're all here right now, he can deal for one night," Chloe said gently, handing the phone back to Beca and leaving it to her.

"You can turn it back on, I won't get mad, but he needs to lighten up," Chloe said, Stacie turning and eyeing the situation.

"Ugh, let drama boy sit for one night. You guys have no idea what Amy and I have in store," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, causing both girls to chuckle.

Beca just smiled, knowing they were right. Jesse had been monopolizing a lot of her time this summer as he kept stressing about their plans after college and the idea of them moving to LA together. Chloe tensed every time the subject was mentioned.

"Okay, okay, you weirdos. You have my undivided attention," she replied, sticking her phone in the pocket behind the driver's seat, and leaning back.

Before they knew it, Amy had turned all the music off, turning her car lights off as she parked across the street. When Chloe looked outside, she saw they were next to the President of the university's house, and Chloe's mouth dropped.

"No!" she said, earning a look from Beca.

Amy and Stacie only grinned in response, nodding their heads excitedly. Beca finally turned to look outside and frowned. It took her a minute before she finally picked up what the girl's were putting down.

"Guys!? We will get expelled for this!" Beca whispered frantically, realizing whose house they were outside of.

Known to the group, Chloe always had one thing on her bucket list she wanted to do at Barden, but never found the time, or the group crazy enough to do it with her. She always wanted to get a group of people, get everyone butt naked, and go skinny-dipping in the president of the university's pool. She loved being adventurous and reckless and foolish at times, and what better way to kick off the year than being the badasses who hopped nude into the President's pool?

"Seriously, guys? We will get in so much trouble if we are caught!"

"Then I guess we better not get caught," Stacie said with a wink, Amy high-fiving her.

"Come on short stack, live a little. I'm going to put the car on the next block over, I have a friend who said I could use the spot at his apartment building tonight while he's drinking downtown. All we have to do is make sure we run to the car and hide, and we'll be gone in the blink of an eye. They won't go check in every parked car they can find!"

Chloe started bouncing excitedly as Amy started the car back up; the girls knew the coast was clear as all of the lights were off in the house. Amy drove them over to an apartment building on the next block, taking out the tag her friend let her borrow and hanging it on her mirror. Stacie began unbuttoning her blouse, when Beca's eyes went wide.

"What are you doing!?" she whispered, trying to stop the girl's hands, Stacie laughing at her.

"Oh, we won't have time to strip and then pick up all our clothes. We're doing this mission in the nude girls," she replied, getting naked.

Amy just shrugged and began taking her clothes off, Beca's face beginning to turn beat red. She turned to face Chloe who was smiling sympathetically at her.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. This is my bucket list item, not yours," she said, taking Beca's hands and squeezing them gently.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Beca bit her lip, looking down. Chloe just smiled and began getting undressed, noticing Beca attempt to look anywhere but at her.

"Becs, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You sure you don't want to come?" Stacie asked, completely nude and putting her hair in a braid.

Beca just shook her head, incredibly quiet now.

The three crazies were finally stark naked, and ready to go.

"Alright ladies, so here's the plan. I scoped out the place, I have an inside with one of Barden's new security guards. It's got a high-rise fence, but I know the code to get in and out. We'll sneak through this car lot, around the building, enter the other street through someone else's yard. We'll have to check the street, make sure no one is coming, and then we will rush the gate. Once we're in, we'll leave it open for an easy exit and we'll sprint back the way we came," Amy explained, going to turn all the lights off on her car.

"Once we're in the car, we will need to be dead silent, depending on how fast the cops or campus security come and everything. Once our hair looks somewhat dry, we can cloth up and head back to campus."

"Actually, we could do it sooner," Stacie said, grabbing her bag.

"I brought Barden Bella baseball caps and headbands, so we can make it look like we just got out of a late rehearsal or that we're rocking the casual look.

Chloe began to bounce excitedly, high-fiving the girls in front.

"I just have to say, before anything crazy happens, that I love you aca-bitches. Thank you for doing this crazy shit with me."

"We got you girl," Stacie said jokingly, Amy chuckling.

They quietly exited the car, making sure no one was in the lot. Even though it was opening weekend on campus, most people were downtown or at parties in houses closer to campus, so the night was pretty dead on this side of town. Before Chloe exited the car, she looked at Beca, who seemed to be lost in thought.

Chloe leaned towards her and hugged her friend, the brunette a little surprised, but reciprocative.

"And thank you for putting up with my crazy side," Chloe whispered, pulling back and pecking Beca on the cheek, the girl smiling but looking away from Chloe's nude form.

Chloe headed out of the car, and before she closed the door, she heard Beca whisper.

"Please be careful."

Chloe just nodded, winked, and shut the door, the three stooges as Beca always called them, ready for their plan of attack.

"Shit," Stacie whispered, stepping on a rock, Amy leading the way as they tiptoed around the building, Chloe bringing up the rear.

They saw a window illuminated, and Amy motioned for them to duck, smelling the marijuana wafting out. Amy grinned and gave a thumbs up, the girls trying not to laugh. They finally made it around the apartment building and began pushing through trees that divided the apartment building and yard behind it. They looked around the building, and before Stacie could step forward, Amy grabbed her, shaking her head.

She pointed ahead where the yard met pavement and a garage was attached to the house, a motion sensor light present. Amy pointed towards the back yard, the girls having to go around the back to the other side where they would pass without illuminating the property.

The girls tiptoed around a toy-scattered yard, and Amy stepped on a squeaky toy, making them all halt and look around frantically. After a few moments, it seemed the coast was clear, and they made their way to the edge of the side of the house, overlooking the street. This would be the trickiest part.

Amy motioned Chloe forward, her and Stacie looking around to make sure she was clear to sprint across and hide between the garbage cans of the President's mansion. The ginger felt incredibly comfortable naked, and tiptoed out, no one around past midnight. She made it to the sidewalk, not a body in sight, and then sprinted across the street to the cans, ducking in between them. She looked around and then motioned for the girls to come.

Stacie went first, sprinting across and hiding behind Chloe, watching her side of the street. Amy soon followed and ran straight to the side of the house to gate. The fact that they were all doing this in the nude was barely a thought to the very open and explicit women.

Amy punched in the key code, and with luck, it turned green, allowing her to push it open. A loud squeak from the rusty gate rang out, but the girls paused, letting silence come in. They waited a few more moments before moving forward. Amy pushed through, holding the gate open and motioning for the girls to find something for them to keep it open. Chloe was able to find a garden gnome that was off to the side and placed it there.

She and Amy tested it out while Stacie moved to the back of the house, the heated in ground pool looking clean and perfect. Amy and Chloe followed, and they found the small yard kept very tidy. There were no major lights on except inside of the pool, and the girls tiptoed to the edge, walking down the steps slowly and into the pool. Mission = success.

"I can't believe we made it!" Stacie whispered excitedly, the girls trying to be as stealthy as possible.

"This is insane guys, thank you so much for making this happen," Chloe said.

"Any time Red! This one is for the record books."

Amy swam to the edge of the pool to grab her phone, taking several snaps and pics of all the girls and the house for keepsakes and proof. They were swimming around for nearly 15 minutes when all of a sudden, they heard the gate squeak and then the worst happened; it slammed closed.

The girls all looked at each other, and immediately a light went on upstairs. They looked at each other and swam to the edge, frantically running to get out. They made it to the side of the house before the lights went on inside on the bottom floor, and as they rounded the corner, they found the gate shut.

Amy ran towards the gate to try and unlock it, but yelped when she saw a figure in her phone light.

"Beca! You closed the gate!"

There Beca stood, in all her naked glory, late to the party.

"No! I just saw freaking Bumper running away from here!"

"The code is 95462, get us out!" Amy said, the doors to the back being opened, Chloe and Stacie jumped hurriedly, as Beca went to punch it in, opening the gate quickly and getting all girls through before slamming it shut.

"Hey! Who's there!" they heard a voice yell behind them, but fortunately they closed the gate and the president was locked in and blocked for a moment, giving them a head start.

The girls sprinted to the sidewalk where they paused in their step, two Barden security guards down the block. They recognized one as Bumper.

"That fucking turd burger!" Amy whispered, and the two guards looked up, and pointed at them, beginning to run towards them.

"Split up!" Amy said, dragging Stacie and running off left while Beca and Chloe went straight back the way they came.

Chloe looked behind her and saw Bumper run after Amy, the other guard going towards them. Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and sprinted towards the left of the house they had snuck through earlier.

"Chloe! The lights!"

"Trust me," she replied, sprinting into the person's driveway, the lights going on as they dodged around cars and headed into the back.

Instead of continuing their path to the car, Chloe yanked Beca into the backyard where a small, plastic playhouse was, the one designed for kids under the age of five. The door was open and Chloe ducked before running in, pulling Beca to lie on top of her as she shut the door.

"Shh," she whispered into Beca's ear, holding her head and body down on top of her, trying to keep them calm and quiet. Beca buried her head in the crook of Chloe's neck, girls both listening intently.

They heard the guard run through the driveway. He paused, looking around, and both girls nearly had heart attacks until they heard him take off through the bushes to search elsewhere.

They both let out a collective sigh, Chloe rubbing Beca's neck and lower back with both hands reassuringly.

Beca pushed her face up to glare at Chloe.

"I am NEVER doing something with you three again!" she whispered, Chloe feeling how serious she was.

She tried to hold back, she really did, but after clamping her mouth shut, Chloe couldn't handle it and began to giggle.

"It's not funny!" Beca whispered, but Chloe's body was moving against her in laughter as she tried to stifle the hilarity bubbling from within.

Beca rolled her eyes in the dark, but quickly clamped Chloe's mouth shut as she heard footsteps come back through the bushes.

"Tim to Bumper," they heard the other guard whisper into a radio, standing the backyard of the house.

"Bumper here, ow!" the walkie-talkie sounded out.

"What's your status?"

"I'm walking back down the block to the president's house, over."

"You find the girls?"

"Negative. I got hit with a bag of trash, thrown into a dumpster."

"Damn, I lost the other two, too. I'll meet you back at the car."

"Roger that," Bumper replied, Chloe and Beca listening as the guard went back down the drive.

The two girls lay there in silence, making sure it was absolutely quiet. Chloe gently grabbed Beca's hand, pulling it from her mouth.

"I think we should wait till the light is off, make sure the coast is clear," Chloe whispered, Beca nodding.

"Agreed."

They sat in the dark listening for any sounds or movements.

"What changed your mind?" Chloe whispered, curious as to how Beca came to their rescue.

The brunette shifted slightly on top of her, and Chloe finally realized just what sort of position they were in, something Beca had been adamantly denying the entire time she lie on top of her equally nude best friend.

"I don't know… I didn't want to miss out on your big bucket list thing, or whatever," the DJ replied, and Chloe could feel Beca's face heating up next to her.

As much as Chloe wanted to tease her and add to her discomfort like she usually did, she just brushed some hair out of Beca's face, smiling to herself.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, the tone in her voice, making Beca turn to her.

They looked at each other in the dark, and Chloe's hand moved to cup Beca's face. She wanted to kiss her so badly, their position awkward but also incredibly hot, the moment quiet and surreal. Chloe leaned up and kissed her forehead, leaving her face there as she whispered against the smaller girl's skin.

"I'm so happy you're in my life."

Beca gulped rather loudly, and Chloe pulled back. She wanted to lean in, but noticed the light by the garage go off. She let Beca stay there, wanting her to make the move, to confirm what Chloe was feeling, but Beca was paralyzed. Chloe never wanted to force her or make her do something, especially while she was with someone else, and even though they were naked and cramped in the backyard of a stranger's playhouse, she didn't want to force it. She chose to break the spell.

"The light's off, we should go," she whispered.

It took Beca a moment to realize what Chloe was saying, but she eventually nodded, staying silent as she pushed the little plastic door open and began crawling out.

As she stood and helped Chloe stand, the pair began brushing the dirt and grass off of them as they made their way back around the apartment building. They approached Amy's Land Rover slowly. They were about to reach it when a door opened and startled them.

"Get in!" Stacie whispered, shutting her door, Beca and Chloe climbing in.

They shut the door and locked it, all girls taking a collective breath, Stacie and Amy fully clothed.

"Where did you two end up?" Stacie asked, Amy still holding her heart and breathing hard from all that vertical running.

"We ran back through that yard, I remembered a little plastic play house when we went by. We ran in and waited it out. The guy would have found us, but he went right by."

"That must have been a tight fit," Stacie commented, trying not to make it sound overly dirty, knowing both girls had some feelings to deal with.

"You could say that," Beca muttered, getting her shirt back on.

"We heard the guy talk to Bumper on the radio. You threw him in a dumpster?!" Chloe asked, chuckling, making Stacie cackle out loud and Amy glare off elsewhere.

"That little bitch, Imma kill him the next time I see him," Amy said, grabbing a baseball cap to put on.

Stacie patted her lightly.

"Bumper chased after us, and we made it three blocks before we came to one of the cafes nearby. Amy and I saw an overflowing trashcan next to a dumpster, so we each grabbed a bag and hid behind the dumpster. As soon as he ran towards us, we both hit him with the bags, stunning the idiot, before each grabbing a leg and throwing him in with the bags, closing the lid on top. It was AMAZING!" Stacie explained, laughing the whole time and getting the other girls to laugh.

"How did he even know we were there?" Chloe asked, making Amy grunt.

"He's the one that gave me the code, the little dick. He knew I was going to do something, but of course he wanted to get us in trouble, the little ass," Amy mumbled, Stacie giving her a knowing and amused look, but saying nothing.

"Well, it was a good thing you showed up when you did Beca," Stacie said, passing her a ball cap and Chloe a headband, like her own.

"Yea, Becs, you saved our asses. It would have taken double the time to get that thing unlocked through the bars."

Chloe grabbed Beca's hands and squeezed them appreciatively. Beca looked down at the hands in her lap, confusion on her face.

"You okay shortie?" Stacie asked.

"Yea… yea I'm good. Can we just get back to the house? I've had enough excitement for one night," she said, looking out the window, clearly tired.

The girls would laugh it all off tomorrow, but it was definitely a scary situation. Chloe smiled and nodded, Amy starting up her car and pulling out onto the road, taking them back towards the house. Chloe went to pull her hand away, knowing the younger girl was frazzled and disappointed in them. She was surprised, however, when Beca's one hand kept a grip on hers, lacing their fingers together. She kept looking out the window, not acknowledging what was happening, letting it slide and Chloe just watched her.

She smiled, and looked down, taking one more look back up at Beca before turning to look out the window, fatigue and exhaustion settling in the group. Chloe didn't know what would happen this year, but she hoped that their little encounter hadn't just been a moment for her. She hoped it was the spark they needed to finally start something together.

Chloe remembered that entire night so vividly, though it was truly a night to never forget. She and Beca had shared many moments together, but that was one where she felt they were both incredibly vulnerable with one another. It was one of her favorite nights at Barden.

Chloe wasn't sure how things would play out. Part of her hoped that when she and Beca saw each other once again, they could just become friends and heal, letting the situation go. Aubrey kept insisting Beca felt the same as she had all those years ago, but Chloe found it hard to believe. The redhead had dropped so many hints over the years, even Jesse noticed it and would at times get protective over his relationship with Beca. If Beca did feel the same, then why didn't she tell Chloe? What had held her back?

There were too many questions to answer, but Chloe hoped her time with Aubrey and Stacie would give her a clearer picture of what to expect.

"Miss? We're hear," the driver said.

Chloe gathered herself and looked out the window at the large white building, Aubrey's two-bedroom condo on the left side, her neighbors in the unit on the right. She threw her bag over the shoulder, the driver handing her the suitcases and she trudged up the stairs. She noticed a bunch of cars in the driveway, but thought nothing of it. As she approached the door, she heard cackling on the inside. Amy's voice was still as loud as ever, she thought with a smile.

Chloe placed her suitcases to the side as she rang the doorbell, the group inside going silent. She heard heels on the floor, and only just realized that they may be having an actual party tonight, though Aubrey had told her she would be up to nothing this weekend, which was part of the reason why Chloe chose to come a day early.

The door opened, and a long and glamorous body was in front of her, surprising her. Chloe looked up into Stacie's eyes, the girl towering over her in heels. She saw Stacie open the door with a downright predatory look on her face, but as soon as she recognized Chloe, that smug smile dropped. Her jaw went slack, and she noticed Stacie reposition her body to block Chloe's view, Amy yelling out at her.

"Stace, who is it?"

Chloe heard Aubrey before she saw her, the tall blonde coming to stand next to her girlfriend and gasping at the sight of Chloe. This was already not going as Chloe expected, and she realized she must have just walked into a group event of some sort.

"Wh-What are you doing here?"

Chloe just smiled.

"Nice to see you too, Bree."

Oh, and some questions to answer…

REVIEW: Guest:Are you using the entire Adele 21 album for this? If so, I can't wait to see how you fit all the songs in, Don't You Remember goes perfectly to this storyline!

To answer this reviewer, which I apologize for not addressing in the prior chapter's notes, I plan to use many of the songs, but I may not use the whole album. Especially with Adele's newest album coming out in a few weeks, and her song Hello literally being such a perfect fit for this story, I may take songs from all three of her albums and make one big make believe Beca Mitchell album. :)

Any other questions or concerns or just plain comments, please leave a review! Again, I apologize for the delay, it's just been a hectic time, but life is finally about to calm down some! Hope you all enjoyed this little moment of fun, getting to see the great friendship the four shared back at Barden. Things are going to get even more interesting now!

Until next time.