A/N: Thank you for following and reviewing the story. Here's chapter 9, aka reconciliation. Reviews make me extremely happy. ;)

Chapter 9.

One full day passed in silence between Beca and Chloe. Chloe had the next morning free since the session with Beca was now cancelled.

Chloe used her rare free time to do a similar workout she'd had Beca try the day before. She had to admit it was a tough workout but nothing the DJ couldn't have survived if she had only set her mind to it.

Chloe had her phone on silent during the workout and so after the workout she noticed that there were two missed calls from Beca. Chloe was weighing whether she should call back when her phone rang again. This time it was Cynthia Rose who asked her to cover for a dance instructor who had reported sick only an hour before she was supposed to have the class. Chloe told CR she would cover for the class and so she abandoned the thought of calling Beca as she hopped into her car and drove to the gym.

Chloe finished the dance class just before eleven. Chloe got her things together and thanked the participants for coming. It had been a successful class despite the last-minute instructor change. She heard a knock on the door and saw smiling Cynthia Rose step in to the room.

"It sounded like Donald should be sick more often. Everyone seemed to love your class. Most of them came to thank me individually. You sure you wouldn't like take more classes to teach?"

"I'm honored Cynthia but you know how my schedule is like. The bad thing about working with celebrities is that you need to be on standby almost 24 hours a day. I was only able to take this class because one of the training sessions got cancelled."

Cynthia Rose nodded. She knew how hard Chloe worked for her clients.

"Speaking about your clients I ran into Beca the day before after you guys finished your session." Cynthia Rose observed Chloe's face when she mentioned Beca. Chloe's expression was unreadable. Chloe's voice was calm when she replied:

"Did you? Where?"

"Outside the gym when she was ambushed by an army of paparazzi. I helped her to get to her car."

"That was nice of you." Chloe kept her voice even but she didn't look at Cynthia Rose.

"Did something happen?" Cynthia Rose asked carefully. The day before she had heard raised voices and then an angry-looking Beca Mitchell had stormed out of the gym.

"We had a disagreement and as a result she walked out on me," Chloe huffed as she didn't really care to talk about what happened the day before.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that Chloe."

"Well she should be the one who's sorry," Chloe sighed.

She felt her phone vibrate in her bag and reached for it pressing 'talk' without even checking the screen for who was calling.

Before the trainer could even say hello she was met with a frantic rant on the other end of the line.

"Chloe? Please don't hang up. I've been trying to call you all morning. Just listen for a second, okay? "

It took Chloe a few seconds to piece it all together.

"Beca?"

Chloe waved goodbye to Cynthia Rose as she left the room.

"Of course Beca. You do have my number don't you…? Oh my god did you delete my number already? I must've really messed up. I knew you were mad. I thought you'd never pick up."

Chloe removed her phone from her ear and checked missed calls. 7 of them to be exact.

"I see."

"Please don't hang up Chloe. I will only take a minute of your time I promise!"

Chloe couldn't help smiling at the DJ's franticness. It was actually kind of endearing. She tried not to sound too excited. Beca should work a bit more for her forgiveness.

"I'll consider but only if you calm down first."

Beca took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. Chloe wasn't going to hang up at least straight away.

"Okay I'm calm now."

"Go on then."

Beca bit her lip nervously as she prepared her next words.

"I called to say I'm really sorry about what happened the day before. I acted like a jerk."

Well this was unexpected, Chloe thought. She hadn't expected Beca to come clean so fast.

"That is pretty close to the definition of walking out on your trainer," Chloe stated coolly.

She heard the DJ sigh in the other end.

"I shouldn't have done it. I was in a bad place emotionally. It just escalated. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"I could see that. It was about more than just the night out wasn't it?"

Beca hesitated with her next words. She thought back to her conversation with Jesse. The only way to make Chloe really understand was to tell her. That also meant trusting her. Beca didn't know if Chloe was still there as she cleared her throat.

"Yes. But I'd prefer to talk in person. There are some other things we should also discuss before the next session."

"I agree."

"So could we meet?"

There was a pause. Beca silently prayed Chloe was still there. She let out a relieved sigh when she heard Chloe's voice.

"How's tomorrow evening working for you?"

xxx

Beca's hands were sweaty. She checked her appearance on her bedroom mirror for the fifth time in the last-minute and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. She couldn't believe how nervous she felt to meet Chloe tonight.

She's just coming here to talk about training, Beca told herself for the thousandth time. You don't have to say anything you don't want to say. Beca sighed as she took one last glance at the mirror. She was wearing her favorite dark red jeans and a white checkered shirt. She wore her hair down and her usual dark eye makeup was in place.

Beca heard the doorbell ring exactly at seven. That woman was like clockwork, Beca thought as she reached the front door of her house. She wiped her hands at the back of her jeans and took a deep breath. When Beca was ready she swung the door open and opened her mouth for a greeting but her words died in her lips. Beca had to blink to believe what she was seeing.

Chloe stood at the door dressed in an identical outfit to Beca's. She wore the same shade of red jeans as Beca and her shirt was most likely a different brand than Beca's but it was close enough for them to look like matching twins. It didn't help either that Chloe wore her red hair down or that she wore darker eye makeup than usually. Beca realized that this was the first time she'd seen her trainer in other than her training clothes. Beca loved the way how the red hair framed Chloe's graceful facial features. Her hair must smell really good too, Beca thought as she admired the look of Chloe's soft locks.

Chloe smiled uneasily as she took in the DJ's outfit and shrugged.

"Great minds and all that."

"Yeah. Hi, come on in," Beca remembered her manners and she let the redhead past her.

Beca closed the door and looked at Chloe who now turned to Beca as she wasn't sure of what to do next.

Beca fiddled with her shirt as she eyed the redhead.

"Well this is a bit awkward. Should I go and change?"

Chloe offered her a small smile as she shrugged.

"Oh no, not on my account. We're a team anyway, right?"

"Right. So would you like something to drink?" Beca mentally told herself to loosen up. This was Chloe, her personal trainer, not the President of the United States. There was no reason to feel nervous.

Chloe observed the somewhat panic-stricken looking brunette before her and thought that the DJ was actually quite adorable when she tried so hard to act like she wasn't nervous about their meeting.

Chloe offered the brunette another small smile.

"I'm okay thanks."

Another awkward silence followed that Chloe decided to break.

"Should we just get to it then?"

"Aha, mhhmm. I mean yes. Follow me," Beca spun on her heel and led the way to the living room. They took a seat on the luxurious leather couch. Chloe thought that it must've been the most comfortable couch she had ever sat on. Unconscious of her actions she trailed her hand longingly on the smooth surface as she admired the exquisite piece of furniture.

Beca tried not to stare as Chloe expressed her obvious comfort towards the couch. As Chloe finally placed both of her hands in her lap and smiled encouragingly at the brunette Beca realized Chloe expected her to start the conversation.

"So how are you?" Beca asked as she thought it was best to start off casually.

Chloe leaned her head on her elbow and tilted her head as she took in the woman in front of her.

"Not too bad. And yourself?"

Beca shrugged.

"I'm okay I guess. Better than the day before anyway," she sighed. Beca looked somewhere over Chloe's shoulder as she searched for words. Chloe let the brunette take her time.

"So, the reason I asked you to come over today is that I think I should tell you a few things. We haven't really had a chance to actually discuss after our very first meeting."

Chloe nodded in agreement.

"True. How does it feel so far? We've been working together for almost three weeks now."

Beca paused for a bit before meeting Chloe's blue eyes.

"That's the thing. I didn't really know what I should've expected coming into this. And it's been hard. I've never been so sore and tired in my entire life."

Chloe just nodded to let Beca continue. She could believe that.

"I've been struggling. As you know, I started from zero. When you consider it, that's a huge change to go exercising five times a week and do it with the intensity we're doing it."

"I totally agree with you Beca. It's the hardest thing to change your habits. But you're doing it. You might not see it yet but I guarantee you that in couple of months you will start to feel like a whole new person. Just wait and see."

"Yeah I guess the problem is the last thing you said. I might get a little impatient sometimes," Beca grinned as she tried to shake the nervousness off her. Little humor usually helped.

Chloe rolled her eyes at the comment the DJ.

"Only a little?"

"Only a little," Beca confirmed as she offered Chloe an innocent smile. Chloe reminded herself again why she had come here in the first place.

"So what happened on Thursday?"

Beca thought twice how she should go about Chloe's question. She still argued with herself whether she should really do this. Chloe saw the hesitation and guessed that the DJ was engaging in a mental tell-or-not-to-tell battle at the moment. The brunette set her jaw and her eyes seemed almost steely as she stared particularly nowhere. Chloe got the same feeling again that beneath all that sulking there was something else that she needed to get in touch with. Chloe reached out to Beca. Her voice was soft as she spoke.

"It's okay to let your guard down and feel weak sometimes. We all do. It makes us human. You don't have to be the strong one all the time."

It was Chloe's voice full of empathy and her fingers massaging gently Beca's shoulder that finally forced a crack in her walls. This was the first time someone had verbalized the thought Beca had lived by for years after her mother's death. Beca the entertainer, who was trying so hard to get people to like and accept her, was momentarily stripped off and what was left was Beca, a young woman feeling insecure and scared to show just that.

When Beca caught a glimpse of Chloe's compassionate expression her carefully built defenses seemed to shatter. No one had ever been able to see through her like this. The thought scared her more than anything else as she wasn't sure what Chloe would think of her after telling about the one thing she had mastered hiding all these years.

Beca faltered under Chloe's intense gaze as she searched for the right words. She started from the events of October 15th. Her voice didn't crack once when she went through the story but halfway through the story without any warning she tasted something salty on her cheek.

It was the first time she'd cried in front of someone else in ten years. She looked at Chloe who hadn't removed her hand from her shoulder the entire time, waiting for judgment but there was no such a thing. Chloe didn't say a word when Beca finished speaking but instead closed her arms around the shorter woman and pulled her in for a tight hug. Beca pressed her head on Chloe's shoulder and smelled the familiar scent of Chloe's perfume again. She felt so comforted in Chloe's warm embrace. It felt natural.

Then she heard Chloe whisper:

"I'm so sorry. I wish I knew. I would've never said those things on Thursday."

Beca only hugged her tighter as she still refused to sob uncontrollably. She sniffled and buried her head deeper into Chloe's shoulder. Then she heard Chloe's voice again.

"You've come so far Beca. Everything's going to be okay."

That did it. Beca couldn't control herself anymore. Chloe had barged in, not by force but with sympathy and compassion. Beca was laid bare. How did Chloe manage to break something in one hour that Beca had built for 10 years?

It felt like several hours later even though it was only minutes later when Beca finally broke away from their embrace. Chloe hadn't moved an inch the entire time and now she only shifted as she felt Beca's warm body leave her arms.

Suddenly Beca felt an overriding feeling of shame. She was so weak. How had she let it come to this? Beca moved to rise from the couch but Chloe's gentle grip on her arm stopped her half way.

"Don't," Chloe simply said as she pleaded Beca with her eyes. When Beca still hesitated between detaching herself from the grip Chloe stood up as well and stepped closer to the DJ. Beca felt Chloe take a deep breath as the redhead raised her hand on Beca's cheek and wiped away the tear stains. Miraculously most of Beca's eye makeup was still in place. Beca sniffled again as she gazed into Chloe's eyes. She had nothing on Chloe Chloe had stripped her guard.

Chloe was speechless at the change in the DJ's expression. Her mind went blank as she delved into Beca's deep blue eyes. Chloe's hand lingered on Beca's cheek even though she finished wiping away the tears. She was lost in Beca's eyes for a while until finally her brain switched on again and she was able to speak.

"Don't feel ashamed. You're beautiful. Just the way you are now."

Beca looked in Chloe's eyes as she took a deep breath to steady herself. Her down turned lips curled into a small smile.

"Only because I wore waterproof mascara," It was more like a whisper but Chloe heard it regardless and it made her burst into giggle. The redhead shook her head; smiling as she finally removed her hand from Beca's cheek.

Oh Beca. I thought we almost had a moment there.

"I was being serious Beca."

"So was I, Chloe."

The moment passed. They sat back down on the couch, a bit further apart from each other this time but they could both feel a new feeling of closeness that settled between them. They had taken a big step tonight.

"Thanks for telling me. It means a lot to me," Chloe nodded at Beca who returned the gesture.

"I don't know how you've managed all these years. It must've been so consuming. How is your father doing these days?"

Beca shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. The last time I saw him was when he stood by my hospital bed four weeks ago. We're not very good at staying at the same room for long. He was out of there in about five minutes."

Chloe looked thoughtful as she examined the brunette carefully. She sensed it wouldn't be wise to try and go too deep into Beca's relationship with her father right now. She had already gotten the DJ to open up to her more than she could've hoped for. That would do for now.

Beca seemed to think the same as she changed the subject.

"Let's move on to more fun things. When's the next session?"

Chloe smiled at the DJ's newly found enthusiasm.

"Look who's excited now! I thought we originally scheduled it for Monday afternoon. You still okay with that?"

Beca grabbed her phone from the table and went through her calendar. She gave Chloe an apologetic smile.

"I'm supposed to spend the entire Monday at the studio. I have someone coming in who I'm collaborating with on my album and Monday was the only date we could agree on next week."

Chloe felt a bit disappointed that the DJ had to reschedule their meeting but she didn't let it show.

"Well I guess we have to reschedule then if-"

She was cut short by Beca who realized Chloe had misunderstood her.

"We can still meet on Monday but you'd have to come down for our session. There are a couple of meeting rooms we can use if you just bring the equipment with you. I have to be there for the day but it doesn't mean I can't take a 30 minute break in between," Beca explained and was relieved to hear Chloe agree with the plan.

Then Beca remembered she had something for Chloe. She asked the redhead to wait in the living room while she went to get it. Chloe felt curious when she saw the DJ return with an envelope in her hand.

Beca sat down and looked at Chloe who was now eyeing the envelope.

"I'm really sorry for what happened on Thursday. I still think I owe you more than an apology so I got you these."

As Beca spoke she handed Chloe the envelope which the redhead eagerly took and opened. There were two V.I.P. tickets to Beca's next gig. Opening act would be delivered by Fat Amy, one of the best up and coming stand-up comedians in Hollywood. She was also one of Chloe's favorite comedians.

"It's not much but I figured it might be good for you to see with your own eyes how my life is like. Gives you a better idea of my lifestyle choices. Bring Aubrey with you. It will be fun."

"Shut the front door! I thought this gig was sold out months ago!" Chloe squealed in excitement as she looked incredulously at Beca.

Beca smiled full-heartedly at the ginger's excitement.

"It was but I managed to talk them into giving me some free tickets to give out. It's my gig anyway," she chuckled.

"Thank you so much. I'll ask Aubrey but I'm pretty sure she's free."

Beca smiled widely as it sunk in that Chloe had accepted.

"So that's a yes?"

"It's a yes."

Chloe grinned back in excitement as she looked at the tickets in her hand again. She would've never thought in a million years that one day she would be going to a gig of the famous DJ Beca Mitchell. Working for a recording artist clearly had its perks.

Beca fiddled with her shirt sleeve as she inquired carefully:

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

Chloe pursed her lips thoughtfully before she grinned at the cautious looking brunette.

"It's a start. We'll keep working on it on Monday."