A/N: Exams week is over! Yay! Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy it :) As always R&R.

Thursday, December 8th, 2016

In six months of working in New York, Beca hadn't missed a single day of work. However, that day, she called in sick. She was too worried about Jesse's mysterious disappearance and didn't think she would be able to concentrate.

At 11:00 a.m. she called Fat Amy in L.A., following Chloe's advice.

"Hey Shawshank!" Her friend greeted her from the other side of the line. "It's so good to hear you, you have forgotten me since you went to New York!"

"Hi, Amy. I'm sorry I haven't called you, I've been very busy these past few months. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Here to there, living life to the fullest; you know me."

"That's nice." Beca said, a little desperate to cut to the chase. "Amy, I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course, Beca! For you, anything."

"I need you to go and check on Jesse's house."

"Why? What's the matter?"

"I haven't heard from him in a week and I'm afraid something bad happened to him."

"Okay." Amy knew when to stop asking questions. "I'll be on my way as soon as you send me his address."

"Thank you, Amy. I wouldn't bother you if it weren't important."

"I know, BM. I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Beca thought she was lucky to have such good friends by her side.

"Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Bye."

A couple of hours later, Fat Amy called Beca back. She quickly answered her phone, anxious for news.

"Talk to me, Amy."

"I have bad news for you, girl. Apparently, no one has seen Jesse in a week."

"What?!"

"I went to his house, I rang a few times without answer. I noticed his car wasn't parked, so I talked to two of his neighbors. The last time they saw him was last Thursday, when he came back from work."

The last time we talked.

"This can't be happening." Beca said, trying to remain calm.

"One of his neighbors told me Jesse gave her a key to his house a few weeks ago, for her to check on it when he moved to New York."

"Yes, Mrs. Park. Did you have a chance to get in?"

"Naturally. I don't know him as well as you do, but I didn't see anything odd or out of place. All of his stuff was there: his clothes, his movies, some photos…"

Beca wasn't listening to Fat Amy anymore. Instead, she was trying to think in a good reason to not fall into despair.

"I see." She simply said, trying not to sound too mortified.

"What are you gonna do next, Beca?" Her friend asked, preoccupied.

"Well, I'll call the police. Do I have another option?"

"No, I guess not. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"You have done enough already, Amy. Thank you for your help." She said, as honest as she could.

"I hope everything ends up well, Beca."

"I know you do. I'll call you as soon as I have any news, okay?"

"Please do."

After hanging up, Beca was determined to fill a missing person report. However, just when she was about to turn on her computer, her phone started ringing again. She thought about not answering it (she had more important things in mind) but did it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Beca, it's me!"

It was Jesse. Beca's heart skipped a beat.

"Jesse?" Is that really you?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes!"

He sounded okay, at least the four words he had said until then. Beca's initial relief was quickly replaced with rage.

"Oh my God, where the hell have you been?" She yelled at him, with anger. "I've been looking for you like crazy! You better have a very good explanation for this!"

"I know, and before you say anything else, I actually do have a very good one."

"Well, I'm waiting."

"My grandmother died last week."

The news caught Beca off guard.

"I'm very sorry to hear that." She said, with true sorrow.

"Yeah. We knew it was a matter of time, her lungs were very weak. I got a call from my mom right after our last conversation, and I took the next plane to Minnesota. My phone ran out of battery and I tried to call you from my mother's house, but it went straight to voice mail—"

"No, no, no." Beca interrupted him. "I tried to call you and it went straight to voice mail!"

"I swear I did. It was on Friday."

"But how could I not…" She suddenly remembered. "Wait. At what time did you call?"

"Early in the morning."

"Oh. Well, I accidentally dropped my phone on Friday and it didn't work for a while. I took it to a technician to get it fixed, so I didn't have it with me for most of the day."

"That's why you couldn't pick it up."

"But you could have texted me or send me an email."

"I tried to, but I had no time. As soon as I got to my mom's, we went to my grandmother's house. We did Shiva for her." Jesse was Jewish, and so was his mother's family. "I couldn't leave the house, I had to be with my mother. I couldn't use a computer or ask for a cellphone, either."

Suddenly, everything started to fit.

"That's why your mom didn't answer my calls, right?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes." He made a small pause. "I wanted to call you, because I assumed the lack of news would make you worried."

"Well, you assumed right."

"It was never my intention to worry you, Beca, I'm very sorry." He made a pause again. "Do you think you can forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. It's all water under the bridge now." She said, with complete honesty.

"I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise."

"You don't have to, Jesse." She said, more relaxed than before. "I'm relieved nothing bad happened to you. You are safe, and that's enough for me." And it was true. She was finally feeling at ease for the first time in days.

"Are you sure? Because I have a little surprise for you."

"You do?"

"Do me a favor and look out your window." Immediately, he hung up. Beca looked at her phone screen, estranged. She thought Jesse was playing her a joke, and couldn't understand why he had asked her to do such a thing. She did it anyway, although she didn't know what the hell it was all about.

She almost felt out the window when she saw Jesse standing on the sidewalk. He was looking at her with a big smile on his face. A tremendous joy filled Beca's body.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, barely hiding her excitement.

"Since I was already out of L.A., I figured I could pay you a quick visit!" He yelled from his spot in the street. "Would you mind if I get in? It's a little cold out here!"

Beca quickly took her keys from her purse and threw them to Jesse.