A/N: TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains mentions of eating disorders and suicide, both in quite a lot of detail.

Hey Guys!

We're really sorry this chapter has taken so long! Both of us have been crazy busy with all that life bullshit and I'm in the middle of revising for exams which SUCKS. But we hope you enjoy and we promise we'll try and get the next one to you faster!

Thanks again for all your amazing feedback, we really do appreciate every word!

Until next time!

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If watching the progression of both Beca and Chloe's conditions had been heart warming and a joy to see, then the regression of their illnesses since being split was simply heart wrenching and cruel.

Nurse Kay knew that in a normal situation, she would be considered too emotionally attached to provide proper care for her patients but there was something about the two girls that affected everyone around them in a similar fashion.

While it had only been 4 days since being torn apart, the girls had reverted back into their old habits with horrifying ease.

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Beca's eyes flickered open, the images from her nightmare burnt into the back of her eyelids. Each blink caused a horrific scene of violence to flood her vision for just a slight moment before the world around her came into view again.

Tilting her head to the left, Beca's eyes landed on the empty bed at the other side of the room. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she felt tears beginning to form. Closing her eyes tightly, Beca decided that she would rather face the demons lurking behind her eyes than face the reality of Chloe's absence.

Watching the horrific sight of her mother rearing back her arm, kitchen knife in hand, she looked on horrified, as she brought it down into her father's chest repeatedly, over and over again.

With her eyes snapping open, Beca realised that it was useless. No matter what she did, her efforts were in vain. Chloe was gone and that was that. There would be no one there to catch her as she tumbled through the horror of her nightmares. No one to hold her tight and whisper words of comfort into her hair. No one who, with just their mere presence, could pull Beca out of herself and make her want to find her voice. All that remained was the shell of a girl who had been clawing her way out and into a brighter future. With Chloe's light now gone, Beca had never felt herself in such a dark place before in her life.

With a heaving sigh and a quick swipe to remove the tears from her eyes, Beca hoisted herself up out of the bed and began to get ready for another hopeless day.

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With a groan, Chloe let herself fall backwards to sit on the floor of the bathroom stall. Wiping her mouth, the redhead felt the tears build in her eyes as the guilt overwhelmed her. Since being torn away from Beca, Chloe had fallen back into bad habits. While she couldn't control how much she ate, she could control bringing it back up.

Knowing that she had to be quick to avoid suspicion from the nurses, Chloe slowly stood and exited the stall. Grabbing a paper towel, she ran it under the water from the tap before wiping it over her face and mouth.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, all Chloe could see was the same face that had haunted her for years before Beca appeared in her life. The same face that, with the brunette by her side, she had begun to hate a little less everyday.

With Beca gone, the reflection staring back at Chloe was one she could barely look at. It was of a girl who had no control over her life. A girl who couldn't stand up to her parents or anyone who spoke in her place. The eyes looking back at her held a pain that resonated so deep, it was impossible to tell where the anguish ended and she began. The cheeks hanging under the eyes taking a sunken appearance and the lips below that dried and cracked.

Quite simply, the reflection staring back at Chloe was of a broken girl, clinging desperately to the remaining strands of a potential future.

Heaving a great sigh, Chloe threw the paper towel aside and walked out of the bathroom, intent on going for a walk to the lake.

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Dr Nicks closed the door gently as Beca took a seat. It was unusual for the older man to hold sessions in his office but after recent events, he had decided that it was most likely for the best to give the young woman a change of scenery by bringing her to a more personal surrounding.

Turning to the brunette, Dr Nicks took in her appearance. It was clear to see that the last few days had taken a toll on Beca. With her knees pulled up tightly to her chest and head resting upon them as she took in her surroundings, the girl had clearly withdrawn completely into herself once more.

Treading carefully across the room, Dr Nicks gently eased himself into his seat before casting a careful look over the girl in front of him.

"Beca—" Dr Nicks paused as the before him flinched upon hearing his voice. Sighing, he continued. "—I'm not going to try and make you talk again. We both know that it's unlikely you'll find a reason to do so without Chloe here."

Watching sadly as the averted eyes before him filled with tears, Dr Nicks continued with his speech. "I've brought you in here today because I want you to know that I am doing everything in my power to get the two of you back together. The way you were torn apart was barbaric and only set the both of you back in your conditions."

Seeing Beca frown at the small tidbit of information concerning Chloe's condition, Dr Nicks took a deep breath before continuing, choosing his words carefully. "Beca, Chloe is fine for now. Like yourself, she seems to have regressed slightly in her condition but unlike you, her problems have a direct affect on her physical health."

Taking a moment before continuing, Dr Nicks watched Beca's eyes rise up to look at the pen in his hands. It was obviously a sign that she was listening closely to him. This was the closest to direct communication that Beca had ever expressed toward him.

"I need you to stay strong Beca, for Chloe. She's going to need you when we get you access to her. I won't sugarcoat it for you Beca, in the past few days, Chloe has set herself on a self-destructive path." Straightening up in his chair, Dr Nicks rested his elbows on his desk as his voice lowered slightly.

"I understand that you probably don't trust any of the staff here after what has happened, but please believe me when I say that we are all doing our best to reunite the two of you. You have touched the hearts of so many people here and I, for one, would like to thank you for that."

Clearing his throat, Dr Nicks turned slightly in his chair to look out the window, his eyes on a fixed location somewhere in the distance. After approximately 20 seconds of silence, he turned back to Beca and slowly stood.

"I'll let you go now Beca, feel free to go about your day." Watching the silent girl rise from her seat, Dr Nicks called her name once more as she reached the door. Seeing her freeze with her hand on the door handle, he spoke quickly before Beca left.

"If I were you, I'd take a nice walk around the grounds. Perhaps along the lakeside."

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Dumping herself down by the tree where she had been when Beca had first spoken, Chloe looked longingly out over the lake. In the distance, she could see a bird dipping low, its path causing a stream through the water in its wake.

In that moment, Chloe wished with everything within her that she could be that bird. Free from all her troubles and happy.

As she watched the sun dip lower behind the lake, Chloe suddenly became highly aware that there was someone stood in her peripheral vision watching her. Snapping her head round, she couldn't stop the squeak as she took in the sight before her. The soft brown curls resting around the shoulders, the dark blue eyes.

Beca.

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It was strange seeing Chloe sat there. Being away from her for four days had really clouded the brunette's mind. Opening her mouth, Beca felt her breath get trapped in her mouth as she fought to make her voice heard. Gradually, Beca could feel the haze in her mind thicken and struggled her keep her eyes on the girl before her.

Watching as Chloe suddenly realised she was there, Beca found herself fighting the panicked urge to run as she watched Chloe scramble to her feet. Bracing herself as the redhead flung herself into her arms and wrapped herself around her body, Beca suddenly felt the mist in her mind shatter and clear with astounding speed.

Unable to stop the tears from falling, Beca wrapped her arms tightly around the girl in them and allowed herself feel the full force of her emotions as they hit her.

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Feeling the tears on her neck, Chloe clutched Beca closer as she let her own fall.

"Beca…" She croaked. "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry."

Letting more tears fall as she felt Beca's shoulders shake with each silent sob, Chloe continued to hold onto the brunette.

"I couldn't stop him! He wouldn't listen to me! I'm so sorry Beca." Chloe continued to sob as she felt Beca's arms tighten around her.

The feel of Beca pressed up against her brought Chloe a sense of peace. It was as though no one could harm her as long as she was with Beca. She didn't have to pretend to be someone she wasn't. With Beca, she could be herself. That reason alone was enough to make her heart swell as she finally pulled away from their embrace and made eye contact with the girl.

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Suddenly finding Chloe's bright blue eyes locked onto her own, Beca felt the world around her drop away. Unable to break her gaze, Beca watched as a range of emotion passed through Chloe's stare. First relief, replaced by concern as Chloe swept her eyes around Beca's face to assess her wellbeing, her eyes suddenly took on a misty appearance as another emotion floated into them. Adoration?

Dropping her arms from Chloe's shoulders, Beca rested them on the taller girl's hips before opening her mouth to speak.

Nothing.

Feeling a sudden urge of panic when her voice failed her, Beca felt an overwhelming shame enter her body as she broke both eye and body contact with Chloe to step back slightly and stare intently at the floor, tears gathering in her eyes once more.

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Chloe watched carefully as Beca's mouth opened and felt her heart break as she saw the brunette's face contort into an expression of devastation.

Feeling Beca step away from her after breaking all physical contact, it took Chloe no longer than 2 seconds to step close to Beca once more, slipping her arms around the smaller girl's neck.

Still seeing Beca's stare averted away from her towards the ground, Chloe slid her right hand from the back of Beca's neck, round to her face as she cupped the brunette's jaw and pulled her face up to capture Beca's eyes with her own once more. As she felt Beca's arms encircle her waist once more, Chloe looked deeply into her eyes.

"Don't." She whispered softly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Pulling the Beca's face closer to her own once more, Chloe rested their foreheads together, keeping eye contact the whole time before whispering again.

"Nothing."

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It was almost too much for Beca to bear. Being away from Chloe had created a great void within her that had threatened to swallow her whole from the inside, out. Suddenly having her here now had caused the emptiness in her to abruptly fill, leaving her slightly dizzy.

As Chloe's eyes continued to bore into her own, Beca felt the tension lift from her chest and, as she opened her mouth once more, Beca knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"I still think you're beautiful."

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Hearing Beca's echo of her first spoken statement, Chloe found her heart swelling with utter adoration once more.

Tilting her head slightly and closing her eyes, Chloe let their noses brush softly along one another's as she replayed the statement over and over in her mind, each time eliciting stronger feelings within the redhead.

Opening her eyes once more, Chloe felt her stomach flip as she met Beca's soft, loving gaze. Not being able to control herself any longer, Chloe made a bold choice.

"Beca?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't freak out."

Brushing their noses together once more, Chloe watched Beca's eyes shut at the sensation before sliding her own shut and moving her hands to the back of Beca's neck. Pulling softly, Chloe finally sealed her lips over Beca's.

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Not knowing how to react as Chloe kissed her, the brunette kept her arms completely still as the redhead in them began to move her lips gently against her own.

With her initial shock fading, Beca could feel a sense of panic rising from the bottom of her stomach. Fisting the back of Chloe's shirt in her hand, Beca remained frozen in position as she willed her body not to shut down on her now.

Feeling a different, deeper pressure emerge in her chest, Beca's arms tensed suddenly around Chloe, causing the redhead to suddenly pull away from the kiss.

"I'm so sorry Beca, I should never have assumed that it was okay to do that." Chloe babbled.

Keeping her eyes clenched shut, Beca remained still as she felt the new, unfamiliar sensation in her chest continue to build. Feeling the pressure take over the panic rising from her stomach, the mute girl stood in amazement as it filled her entire being. With every muscle in Beca's body seemingly on full alert, it was as though she was waiting to burst.

Feeling a cool hand ghost across her forehead and face, Beca stood unmoving while it came to a rest on her cheek.

"Beca?"

Abruptly feeling the pressure within her explode at Chloe's soft whisper, Beca's eyes flew open to meet Chloe's concerned gaze. Taking a deep breath, Beca considered what just happened within her before realizing with sudden clarity that there was no hesitation within her. No panic, no feelings of shame, no embarrassment, no nothing. Instead she felt relaxed, happy even.

She felt free.

With that sudden realisation, Beca's mouth stretched into a wide grin before she pulled Chloe by the waist towards her and kissed her hard.

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The view of Beca's smile caused an uncontrollable sensation to flood through Chloe. As Beca's mouth hit her own once again, Chloe couldn't help but be completely drawn in by the woman in her arms.

With their lips firmly pressed together, Chloe moved her hands up into Beca's hair, tangling her fingers into the dark locks. Moving her head slightly to the right, Chloe captured Beca's bottom lip between her own, giving it a teasing bite before coaxing Beca's mouth open with her tongue.

As Beca hesitantly traced her hands up and down the redhead's back, Chloe tugged on her hair, pulling the brunette even closer as their tongues met for the first time.

After a few teasing flicks, Chloe gracefully slid her tongue over Beca's and, as a longing moan erupted from the brunette's throat, proceeded to explore her mouth.

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As far as first kisses go, Beca was certain that this was perfect. As the redhead pressed against her prolonged this kiss, Beca could feel her heart singing with joy. This wonderful woman in her arms had freed her. It was in that moment Beca knew that, as long as she had Chloe, she would be capable of everything she had ever dreamed of.

Feeling their kiss begin to slow, Beca's heart fluttered as Chloe slowly moved her mouth from her lips, pressing kisses to her cheeks, eyelids and nose before completely pulling back and opening her eyes.

Seeing those blue eyes ablaze with passion, Beca could only form one thought in her mind.

"Chloe." Beca whispered softly. "I think I lo—"

"CHLOE! GET INSIDE THE CENTRE THIS INSTANT!"

Suddenly being cut off by the scream in the distance, Beca watched as the momentary joy between them drained and the terror flooded into Chloe's eyes as the voice carried across the grounds to them.

Turning her eyes towards the source of the scream, Beca felt her body go numb as she watched the enormous figure race towards them.

Mr Beale. Fuck.