A/N: Hey guys! I feel like on a roll with this fic, let's hope it keeps going for a while. For now, here is chapter 7 featuring flashbacks, the brief mention of Cynthia Rose (she'll pop later on with our main crew) along with the introduction of Stacie and Lilly, and the end of summer piano competition begins!

I don't own pitch perfect.


The stuffy air in the auditorium never changed. Even the people started looking all familiar. Aubrey was used to it. If anything, only what they talked about was what did.

"Oh, hey, we know you two." Jesse had said as he settled down on one of the seats. Right next to him were Chloe's old friends, Ashley and Jessica.

"Yeah, we know a few people performing." Jessica replied. "Oh, Chloe! You're here too!"

"Yep, guess you guys aren't the only ones in a supporting role for today." Chloe then replied as she took her seat next to Jesse. Aubrey sat next to her herself with Amy to her other side.

"Huh, wait, you're not with Beca Mitchell right now…" Ashley noted.

"H-hang on… does that mean?!" Jessica then exclaimed.

"Yep, our little short stack's making her come back!" Amy then beamed, flipping open the pages of the program book they got to where Beca's name was on full display.

Aubrey settled down her seat, leaning on the back rest, as her friends chatted about. She was feeling nervous for Beca. Especially since the last time she watched Beca perform by herself on stage was the day the music died inside of her.

So how can she not be nervous?

Although she always was, looking back. For every competition she saw her participate in, even in recitals, she simply just did. Guess some things never change…

There was still about twenty minutes before the actual performances started. Chloe wanted them all to be early to not give Beca any way of escaping her promise of competing. That and to give her time to get acclimated to the atmosphere of the music contest again.

Beca for her most part looked like she was half a bundle of nerves and half her old self earlier. Aubrey stole a glance at Chloe for a brief moment, thinking back on the summer they've had so far.

All of this… it was because of her…

an angel of music…

Beca's angel of music.

All of them were had been hard at work. Jesse had renewed spirits leading the soccer team through their summer camp more spirited than ever, even she and Amy were as passionate as ever with soft ball.

There was simply no way she was going to let Beca get away with moving forward ahead of them, chasing after the music that had left her behind…

all because Chloe had set her on this path…

Aubrey took a deep breath, she supposed it was for the best. Beca needed closure, and this was the only way she could ever attain that. But, she couldn't help but resenting the piano even more.

It took Beca away when they were younger with her lessons, it took Beca away with desolation she felt after she stopped playing, and it was taking Beca away now.

But away from what? From who?

Aubrey was happy that Beca wasn't as gloomy as before, that she wasn't just wasting away. But there was still that ache in her heart, an ache that won't go away, all as she tried to run after her and reach her.

"Is the piano all I'm good for, Posen?" Beca had asked one afternoon. It was the last day of classes and still she found herself in the piano room during their break period.

"Nonsense, Beca." Aubrey had replied then, "You're pretty good at a lot of other things!"

"Like what?" she had asked as if to challenge her.

"Like… like… uh…" Aubrey had mumbled, looking for something to say.

But in the end, she had none.

She had been so upset by it that Cynthia Rose, one of her other classmates, friend, and usual library companion when studying for exams, had taken notice. She had always been quite observant about things, but Aubrey had quickly shrugged it off.

A few days later, the summer camps have started. Aubrey was drained, tired and sore all over when by some miracle she had heard it.

Music.

Coming just outside of her window.

The years of silence having been broken.

It was rusty, and rough, and it sounded all kinds of wrong but it was music.

And when Aubrey opened her windows that late afternoon she saw Chloe playing on the keys of the piano, helping Beca get it tuned. She watched them – day in and day out, her curiosity getting the best of her – all while they worked hard in the music room shaping Beca up for the competition, the competition that Beca didn't even bring up to Amy, Jesse, or Aubrey until three days after they had cleaned up the music room and she was about to start practicing.

They left her alone for it, with only Chloe ever being at her side checking in on her to make sure she wasn't neglecting practicing. If anything, Aubrey figured Beca would need the space.

But she didn't seem to mind sharing the space with Chloe.

Chloe who would lecture her, Chloe who would end up falling asleep on the cramp couch of the music room at Beca's house making Beca get her a blanket to make sure she doesn't get cold while she tries to play all through the night.

Chloe who Beca would complain about for being tough, unprecedented, and a total pain in the butt.

Chloe who would make her smile, make her want to push herself harder, run faster to get back what she had lost… to take flight once more with music as her wings.

And Beca played, played with great uncertainty and a heavy heart at first, but she played. She pushed herself, she fought hard.

She wanted to…

Aubrey wanted to…

She didn't want to be the only one left behind. Jesse didn't either. Amy too.

So they started showing up, supporting Beca while they dragged her out in the day to school and hung out in between practices. The sessions were then spent in the school music room and Beca's home. They would cheer on each other.

When Beca would stop, frightened and terrified, Chloe would pick up her violin and play the piece for her. Amy would play a recording they had.

And she would pick herself up again.

Jesse was in charge of lightening up the mood.

And Aubrey would bring her snacks if she got hungry, especially during the late night practices.

Aubrey took a deep breath and calmed herself, her eyes focused on the stage.

She wasn't sure what would happen next, how Beca would do. She looked ready the other day, being able to complete the piece without a problem.

"She'll be okay." she then heard Chloe say, placing a hand on Aubrey's own that was resting on the arm piece. "And if she totally bombs, we'll still be here to cheer her own."

Aubrey smiled.

She hated the damned piano.

But she knew it made Beca happy.

And if this would help bring her back to life, then she had to have faith in Chloe's words.


Beca took a deep breath.

So far so good.

She was trying to keep her mind blank, trying not to think about it much.

She's been doing better with the piano. Not that she's magically solved her problems. She just figured she could find ways to not focus on that dreadful feeling of losing the sound of the notes that have abandoned her.

She would focus on the notes in front of her in the music sheets, trust muscle memory on which keys to strike next, if not then try and focus on the memory of Chloe playing the piece on the piano or transposing it on the violin for her to hear.

Beca would practice playing on the keys from memory, she would practice playing the piece on any surface she could find until she knew it by heart. That was all she could do.

Especially since she found that she couldn't exactly say no to the manic, stubborn, unpredictable, gale storm of a girl that was Chloe Beale.

Yes, the very same patient and kind girl who stuck by her through the mess she signed her up for in the first place.

Beca couldn't really understand what Chloe was playing at here. Did she think it was some kind of charitable act to get her back to the world of music?

Why would she spend so much time on her? Make sure she finds her footing back, make her feel alive again?

Why would she relentlessly push her out of her comfort zone all so she could play again?

She could have spent all that time with Jesse instead, get to know him more.

But every time Beca asked herself those questions she would find her way back to Chloe's simple words.

A world without music for people like them was death itself.

And all that Beca could think of when that happens is how she craved to be alive again.

Impossible task or not, she was about to find out.


She was here.

After years of absence, Beca Mitchell finally showed her face again.

As soon as Stacie heard it from her music teacher, she knew she had to decline the invitation for the international competition she received months ago. Her one and only goal was to beat Beca Mitchell.

After all the years of coming second to the inhuman prowess of the so called child prodigy, finally, finally she had the chance to upstage her, prove to the world that she was the better of the two, that it was her name that had to be immortalized on people's lips, synonymous to Mozart and Beethoven and even Chopin.

Stacie took a deep breath. She patiently waited the entire summer for this, for this chance.

And when she saw Beca going into the backstage waiting rooms she knew she was finally going to have it. The wait had been over.

Nothing much changed since they were younger. Beca Mitchell, ever aloof to the presence of other young musicians with her backstage, awaiting their turn. But Stacie figured, this was the time to break that pattern. This was her moment.

Beca had always been one step away, always close enough but just out of reach.

This time, this time it was her time to shine.

She was going to make the human metronome listen to her notes, feel her music come to life.

And beat the accuracy and precision to which the world had come to associate with Beca.

Stacie was the first to perform. She doesn't get stage fright anymore, not much at least. If anything she looked forward to it, the chance to shine brighter than any star, to have all eyes on her as she performed.

This time however, she started to feel something akin to nerves but she chucked it up to excitement. She's been dying to have a proper competition for so long and with only Lilly to compete against, it wasn't really that fun.

The stage was bright, the crowd waited with baited breath. Stacie could feel it, the anticipation in the air for her to strike that first note, for her to start the piece.

And when her fingers had hit the key she knew she was home.

This was what she worked so hard for. She lived and breathed only for the music. Only to play like her, no, better than her.

Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No. 4. The "Torrent" Etude.

The notes came in a flash, fast-paced and tenacious like herself.

She had spent years chasing after her.

And Stacie knew this was the culmination of her passion, of all those years of hard work and effort.

Yes, she would make her listen, make her feel, the music that came forth within Stacie herself.

She would reach her. Surpass her.

She won't be ignored any longer.

I'll make you listen. I'll make you see me.

Your eyes better be on me, your ears tuned to my music.

Beca Mitchell, you better hear me.


There was thunderous applause just as Stacie Conrad, ever the brilliant pianist, finished her piece. Lilly had been waiting on the sidelines eyeing her competition on stage, being the third one up.

Stacie seemed to be more fired up than ever, bearing it all, stroking the brush that was the notes of the piece in one continuous swoop as she painted herself in history. Her hands were shivering as she took her bow, excitement still coursing through her veins, the rush and the thrill of the performance evident on the self-satisfied smirk on her face.

She quirked an eyebrow at Lilly as she passed her by on her way back, a gesture paid back in kind by the usually stoic girl.

It was an unspoken challenge, she knew that much. The challenge that had been going on for years between the two of them.

A challenge on who would dethrone Beca Mitchell.

It's always been the three of them after all, with Beca always coming up on top and the two of them fighting for the scrapes of acknowledgement in the form of second or third place.

But no, she won't let Stacie be the one to do it.

No, definitely not.

That prestige was reserved only for her, Lilly Okanakamura.

She still remembers it. The first time she heard Beca Mitchell play.

She had always been a quiet and shy girl. But then, all of a sudden, she saw it. A world coming to life thanks to the music created by one unfeeling girl her age.

Ever since then Lilly wanted to play the piano. Learn it. Master it.

Until the day she reaches Beca Mitchell.

Until the day she surpasses the human metronome.

This time it would be her painting Beca a picture. Her making a mark with her sound.

Before Lilly knew it, it was her turn.

She could feel it, the same kind of nervous excitement that Stacie must have undoubtedly felt. The stuffy old auditorium had grown to be dull and gray all throughout the years of Beca's absence. But now that the prodigy had returned home, Lilly could see the color bursting into life ready to welcome her.

Ready to reignite the fire in all of them.

Chopin's "Winter Wind". Etude No. 25 Op. 11.

From the first key that Lilly had hit, she poured every emotion welling up inside of her, the melodic lines breathing life into the auditorium, making the audience feel the same thing. Her anger, her sadness, for being cast aside and abandoned.

Why did you leave us Mitchell? Were we not good enough?

Did you hunger for better competitors?

Did you grow tired of winning?

The last few years had grown too tiring and boring for her, with nothing to motivate her to play other than wiping the smirk off of Stacie's face every now and then.

But this time, this time she will shine.

She will live up to her potentials.

She would make the human metronome of the music world tear up just like she did the first time she played.

I want you to feel it, every note I play is for you to hear.

Let it ring, Mitchell. Let it echo.

Let it ring.


Beca expected the competition to be tough, especially with her current state.

She expected her peers to be quite good too.

But listening to each one play, she had to admit, they all surpassed what she had expected.

Beca kept impatiently tapping her foot, shaking off the nerves as best she could. "Beca Mitchell, you're on standby." one of the stage assistants had said after the intermission.

After the next one… after the next contestant… it would be her turn.

It wasn't the first time since her breakdown that she graced the stage, she did accompany Chloe after all.

But this would be the first time she'll have to face the music alone.

Beca took a deep breath and stood up.

Chloe was right.

They were on a journey.

And no matter how long it takes for her, no matter how bumpy the ride, she would see this one to the end.

Or at least try.


A/N Pt 2: The next chapter is a bit long but it should be up in a few days' time (okay, maybe a week). As for ongoing fics, I'm planning to finish the Ouran AU over the weekend then my Supergirl epilogue of a sequel fic the first half of next week before refocusing on this one. I've missed writing and I'm currently re-watching the anime so hopefully that should be enough to get me through to finishing this fic. I have a lot of feels for it. That said, advanced trigger warnings for the next chapter as we're for sure delving into Beca's head and there'll be some pretty bad memories along with it. It's mostly her chapter with snippets of a few character's POV of her performance. Oh, and Luke. We'll finally get Luke. CR will make a full participation in the coming chapters after that ;)

Again, sorry for the hiatus and thanks for bearing patience. Grad school's buried me deep in work but I'm slowly resurfacing ;)