A/N: Okay, this is a short chapter because it's the last one before the epilogue - you know, there's gonna be one of those and I have it all planned out. I hope I can post later today, so, you guys won't have to wait for it.

Kissing Chloe felt different, Beca couldn't help but know. It was intense. Beca was very aware of each touch, each shift, each little nip and lick and tug at her lips and tongue. It all went straight to her core. She's never been so incredibly turned on by a mere make-out session. And she's never wanted more of everything like she did right now.

Chloe was happy to comply, careful not to overwhelm Beca but still able to give what she wanted. It felt almost lazy the way they were simply kissing and touching each other, but then there was a certain amount of eagerness and excitement. Chloe could almost believe it was the first time she did this because she was sure that it was the first time Beca felt so intensely. The brunette elicited little moans and sounds of pleasure, her touch lingering on every fresh patch of skin she discovered. It drove Chloe wild but at the same time it made her more sensitive to Beca's inexperience and she mirrored Beca's action rather than exploring things on her own.

Beca's right hand was carressing the warm, soft skin just over Chloe's navel having pushed the redhead's shirt up under her breasts. Chloe's own hand was carressing Beca's back under her top, her left hand held Beca's face close to her, their legs were entwined. And that's how Aubrey and Amy found them that afternoon.

"Upsi-daisy," Amy said when she entered the living room infront of her friend. Beca practically jumped off the couch but found herself unable to stand and sank back onto the cushions.

"Whoa, there, you okay?" Chloe sat up and touched Beca's arm

"Yeah, just a little dizzy," the brunette offered.

"No wonder, all your blood just went from down under to your head in like a second," Amy volunteered and grinned. Beca blushed an even darker shade and had to admit that Amy had a point.

"I get you some water," Aubrey volunteered while Chloe busied herself with setting her clothes back in order. Then she pushed herself from her stretched out position and sat next to Beca instead of behind her. Amy came over and sat down in an armchair.

"So, you guys... that looked like someone's finally over their douchebag ex-boyfriend," she started a conversation.

"I guess you could say that," Beca admitted. "I talked to Jesse earlier and told him... about us." She said to Chloe.

"You talked to him?"

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you earlier but... I got kinda sidetracked."

"Can't imagine why," Amy murmured when Aubrey appeared with some glasses and a water bottle. She put them on the table and filled them for everybody. Her friends thanked her and Beca drank her whole glass. She felt instantly better.

"What did he say?" Chloe asked.

"He wasn't happy, as you can imagine. I guess he was hoping that... we could get back together. But I pretty much shot him down," Beca told her friends.

"Good for you," Aubrey said. "After what he's done, he can be happy that you're still talking to him at all."

"I've made mistakes, too, you know. Actually I made the biggest mistake when I got together with him... because I had feelings for Chloe and was too chicken to admit to them - or too stupid to even see that I had them," Beca disagreed.

"That's all over now, you can't really blame yourself for that," Chloe told her girlfriend.

"Yeah, but I also can't blame Jesse... I treated him badly and he simply reacted the only way he felt he could," Beca kept defending her ex.

"Like a douchebag? Because that's how he behaved," Amy stated and Aubrey nodded. Beca sighed, this conversation wasn't going anywhere, they talked in circles.

"It doesn't matter now, it's all over with him."

"And Chloe's in. That's much better, too, I always thought you were cute together," Amy volunteered.

"You always thought that? Did everyone know but me?"

"Pretty much," the Tasmanian said and nodded enthusiastically. Chloe grinned, Aubrey laughed outright.

"I'm such an idiot. Why do you even like me?"

"Must be your looks," Chloe joked. "And, of course, that cleavage of yours pretty much had me mesmerized from the start." She was laughing now while Beca blushed again. She hid her face in one hand.

"Which isn't that much of an accomplishment. Even I hardly knew where else to look at your audition," Aubrey threw in and Beca stared at her open-mouthed.

"Oh, not you too, 'Brey? Am I the only fairly straight one with the Bellas?"

"Fairly straight, Amy? What does that mean, fairly straight?" Chloe asked grinning.

"I might have had one or two indiscretions when I was really young," came the answer in Amy's costumary mumble as she looked anywhere around the room but at her friends.

"Then I'm the straightest one in the room, because I've never even kissed a girl," Aubrey informed them.

"If all girls kiss like Chloe that's not exactly something to brag about, though," Beca contemplated which earned her a peck from the redhead.

"Girls are great kissers. You should try it, 'Brey. I'm pretty sure there would be plenty of Bellas who'd volunteer," Chloe told her friend.

"You'd better not be among them," Beca said in mock jealousy.

"I'm not a Bella anymore," Chloe gave back and the DJ smiled at her.

"Sad but true," Amy said. "I mean, not because of the kissing business but... you know, because of the Bellas. I miss you at practice, and I'm pretty sure the short stuff here misses you... and all the others, too." Chloe reached her hand out and patted Amy's knee.

"I miss you guys, too. And that's why I have decided to take a job in Atlanta so that I can visit more often. How does that sound?"

"That sounds aca-awesome, red," Amy smiled and looked over at Aubrey who didn't look happy about this revelation. "Or not?"

"I thought you would talk to her about this?" Aubrey snapped at Beca.

"We did, and I've come to see Chloe's point, 'Brey," the brunette answered calmly.

"Was that before or after she slipped her tongue into your mouth?" Aubrey asked sarcastically.

"Aubrey! Damn! Could you please stop that?" Chloe turned to her friend, looking at her angrily. "This is my decision, and I've decided not to go."

"If you stay here just to make Beca happy, it isn't exactly your decision, though, is it?"

"I'm not doing this for Beca, 'Brey, I'm doing this for me. I want to be close to you, to all of you because... you guys are my friends and I need you," Chloe tried to reason with her friend.

"What you need is a reality check. That job in Chicago is your dream, you worked too hard for that to just give up on it," Aubrey told her.

"It was my dream and... that's probably the problem. Dreams don't come true..."

"But this one could come true for you. You could just call Davidson and tell him that you reconsidered and then you could go, live your dream, Chloe. What are you afraid of?" The tall blonde asked.

"I'm afraid of losing myself, of losing my friends, and yes, of losing Beca when I've just found her." Chloe pleaded. She got off the couch and came over to Aubrey, kneeling infront of her and taking her hand in hers. "I know you think I'm a child..."

"I don't thnk you're a child. You're a strong, capable woman," Aubrey disagreed.

"Then respect my decision, 'Brey. I know I will be happier here than in Chicago. And I'll be having a good job but what's more important to me - I'll still have all of you in my life."

"It's not like I want you gone, I just want for you to be... the best you can possibly be," her friend told Chloe.

"And I was never better than when I was a Bella," Chloe smiled. "And I was never happier than when you all became my friends," she added. She saw Aubrey's eyes fill with tears and she knew that this was exactly how their former captain felt, too. Aubrey could have found another job easily, she had said that she would take the job with the university and would keep looking for something better. But Chloe knew that Aubrey hadn't looked, that she was happy to still be near her friends. Part of Aubrey's hope had been that Chloe would fulfill her dream because she felt that she was abandoning hers. It was now so clear to the redhead, and she pulled her friend out of her seat and hugged her tightly because she understood now.

"I love you so much, 'Brey," Chloe said.

"There's really no need to become this sentimental," her friend admonished but she couldn't help the blush nor the smile that spread over her face.

"Awww, group hug," Amy gushed, jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around the two former Bellas. Beca laughed and joined in a moment later.

"No touching of sensitive parts, Mitchell, I'm watching you," Aubrey stated.

"Don't worry, yours aren't the parts I'll have my hands on," Beca gave back.

"Uhhh," Chloe made and they all laughed together.

When they parted, Aubrey said:

"I'm happy for you two, you know? Just... with the semis coming up and all, could you please not make the Bellas performance about your newfound love? I think we should all agree that nothing good comes out of that."

"Well, we won the finals with a performance like that," Beca argued.

"Yeah, and it broke Chloe's heart, too, so..."

"Point taken," the Bellas captain agreed as she sat down next to her girlfriend.

Her girlfriend. That was a pleasant thought, new but very pleasant. And so was the sight of the beautiful redhead. It filled Beca with wonder and happiness and other stuff she had yet to get used to. She hoped it would take awhile. She wanted to experience this thing slowly and deliberately. She wanted to enjoy it and leave all the confusion and denial behind her. They had lost time, she knew, because she had been blind. Now that she could see her feelings clearly, that she could see Chloe clearly and was able to look without fear, she wanted to do little else. Beca grinned at her thoughts, they were so sappy. Who knew love would feel like this?

"Hey," Chloe roused her from her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You're staring," she told Beca but smiled at her.

"Get used to it."