Hey, guys and gals. Sorry about the posting and posting again of the last chapter. I had a couple of errors I fixed (thank you, Electronis Zappa) and was trying to replace/update and posted new instead. Sorry about the confusion.
A/N: There will be some slight time jumps coming up, so fasten your seat belts.
"God," Trish said shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous. Just kiss already."
Beca's faced turned red and Chloe looked down at her champagne glass.
"Come on," Trish said. "I'm giving you permission. Just do it already."
"Yeah, Beca," Stacie said. "The sexual tension is worse than when we were at Barden. You know, when you two were dating and hadn't done the nasty yet."
"Oh, my God," Beca said.
Trish and Aubrey both laughed at the looks on Beca and Chloe's faces.
"The moment has passed," Chloe said gulping down the rest of her champagne.
Chloe looked at Beca and found Beca looking at her. The two started laughing and the others joined in. When they all finally calmed down, they decided it was getting late and they all headed to bed.
The next morning, Beca woke up sore. She removed the bandage to check her stitches and noticed how bruised her cheek was. She took a shower and cleaned the cut. She put the medicine the doctor had give her on and put a clean bandage over it. She got dressed and headed downstairs.
Trish and Chloe were already up and sitting at the counter drinking coffee.
"Hey, Beca," Trish said. "Chloe and I were just talking about what to rename the studio."
"Yeah," Chloe said. "I think the name should represent all of us somehow."
Beca poured herself a cup of coffee and thought of what they could name it.
"How about 'Badass Records'?," Beca said.
Trish and Chloe looked at each and then back at Beca, nodding their heads.
"Or, how about, 'Triple Badass Records'?," Chloe said.
"I like it, Chlo," Trish said. "Oh, my gosh. We have a name already. We need to come up with a design for the logo."
"I'm good with 'Triple Badass Records'," Beca said. "But, you two get to figure out the logo. That's not my forte."
"Who's not your forte?," Stacie asked as she and Aubrey walked into the kitchen.
"We've decided on a name for the studio," Chloe said. "Now we have to figure out a new logo."
"What's the name?," Aubrey asked.
"Triple Badass Records," Trish said.
"Let me guess," Aubrey said. "Beca came up with that name."
"And, Chloe," Beca said. "But, we're going to we named it after me so when people say 'aww, isn't that cute?', I can say, "not cute, badass'."
Stacie and Beca laughed hard. The other girls just shook their heads at them.
"Oh, come on," Stacie said trying to calm herself down. "You have to admit, that was pretty clever."
"No, we don't," Trish says.
Beca put her hand up and Stacie high-fived her.
"We're dealing with children," Aubrey said shaking her head and smiling.
"I've got an idea," Chloe said. "What if the logo was a leather jacket with 'Triple Badass Records' written on the back. We could get some actual leather jackets and have some printed up. We can wear them when we do promotional tours or just at concerts featuring any of the artists that we produced."
"You're really getting into this," Trish said.
"I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time," Chloe admitted. "This is something that's mine, not the company's. I want to be involved in it one hundred percent."
"How about we get leather jackets made up with the logo," Trish said. "And then take a picture with the three of us wearing them. We can be standing with our backs to the camera, looking over our shoulder. We can even be wearing black skinny jeans and combat boots to look really badass, triple badass."
"I'm loving that idea," Stacie said. "You can have Chloe in the middle since she has red hair and you two are brunette. That would be so cool. Sorry, so badass!"
"And Triple Badass Records should be in pink," Chloe said.
"No," Beca said. "No way! Not pink."
"Beca," Chloe said. "It would represent the three women who are in a position that is usually held by men."
"I kind of agree with Chloe," Trish said. "And, the pink will really stand out on the black leather."
"Plus," Chloe said. "You told us to figure out the logo. So, it's two against one. Majority rules."
"Shit," Beca said.
Trish smiled and said, "I know someone who does graphics on tees. I'll give them a call and see if they can do something for us on leather."
"I can't believe how well this is all coming together," Chloe said.
One Month Later
"That's not your problem, dad," Chloe said into the phone. "The LA office is up and running at full strength. Everyone is totally invested in keeping the company running as smoothly as it did when we were in Tampa."
"I hear you're not fully invested in the running of the company like you used to be," Mr. Beale said. "I heard that you invested in some recording studio and have been spending a lot of time with that. What happened to the company woman I trained you to be?"
"Get over it, dad," Chloe said. "We continue to show profits in every department of the company. How I choose to run the company and what I do in my personal life is not your concern. I don't need to explain anything to you. Bye."
Chloe hung up the phone and ignored it when it immediately started ringing. She thought when she and the company headquarters moved to LA she wouldn't have to deal with her father as much. She was wrong.
Chloe ran her fingers through her hair. Her phone pinged and she looked at it, expecting to see a text from her father. Instead, it was from Beca.
Beca: Hey! Are we still on for dinner tonight?
Chloe: Yep. I'll see you guys at 6:30 at Bestia.
Beca: Great. Can't wait to see you. We have a surprise for you.
Friday night dinner with Beca and Trish. Her partners in the recording studio, her best friends, her heartbreak. She sighed and felt guilty every time she thought about them. Trish really was becoming one of her best friends. Chloe had told Beca she'd wait however long it took for them to be together. It's just seeing Beca and Trish be all coupley when they went out, was starting to get to her. She knew it was all a show, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She was actually starting to regret that she didn't kiss Beca last month. Hell, Trish gave them her blessing. But, then again, if she had let it happen, she would have wanted it to keep happening and she wasn't going to be that person, no matter how much it hurt.
At the end of the day, Chloe gathered her things and headed down to the lobby. She said good night to the receptionist and guards as she exited the building. Harry, her driver, was standing there holding the car door for her. She walked straight to the car and got in. Harry drove expertly through the LA traffic and she arrived at Bestia, Trish's favorite Italian restaurant, at 6:20. She walked in and the hostess led her to their table. As she approached she realized the Trish and Beca were not alone.
"Aubrey!," Chloe yelled and ran to the blonde engulfing her in a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here. You must be the surprise Beca mentioned."
"What am I, chopped liver?," Stacie said with a grin.
"Sorry," Chloe said giving the tall brunette a hug. "I didn't even know you were in town."
Chloe gave a quick hug to Trish and Beca before she sat down.
"I just got in last night," Stacie said. "When Beca found out they invited us to join you for dinner."
"Well," Chloe said with a smile. "It's a nice surprise."
The waiter came by and took their drink orders. They all started looking at the menu, talking about what they thought looked good. Everyone had decided and when the waiter brought their drinks, they placed their food order.
"I'm glad we're all her together," Trish said. "We're all very excited about the reopening of the studio. We've been hard at work remodeling, and reorganizing the staff."
"What that means is," Beca said with a smirk. "We fired everyone that was loyal to her father and hired mostly new people."
"Right," Trish said turning to Aubrey. "We're having a party to celebrate at our house a week from tomorrow. Plenty of food, booze, and celebrities. We want you and Stacie to be there. Now, I know you were planning to head back to Chicago but we were hoping you'd put it off until after the party. And, Stacie, we'll pay to fly you out here and back so you can attend. What do you say?"
Beca, Chloe, and Trish looked expectantly at Aubrey and Stacie. Aubrey leaned into Stacie and whispered something in her ear. Stacie laughed and whispered something back.
"Well?," Beca asked.
"Well," Aubrey said. "You don't have to pay for Stacie to fly back here. She's here to stay. With me."
The three women looked at Aubrey and then at each other.
"Wait. What?," Chloe said. "Are you saying you're not going back to Chicago?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Aubrey said with a grin. "My dad is opening an office here in LA and I'm going to run it."
Chloe squealed and jumped up and hugged Aubrey.
"And," Stacie said. "Since Aubrey asked me to marry her, I'm moving here."
Chloe and Trish both squealed and were up hugging Aubrey and Stacie.
"Dude," Beca said to Aubrey. "How did I not know about all this?"
"The new office wasn't actually a done deal until this morning," Aubrey said. "My father called me and told me they found a location and we can be in it in two weeks. I'll be staying here to run the office. And, I asked Stacie to marry me the night before she left after our little mini-vacation at your beach house."
Chloe smiled and hugged and congratulated her two good friends. She sat down and watched as Beca and Trish congratulated them as well. Chloe's smile stayed in place even as she thought about how she was going from being the third wheel with Beca and Trish to a fifth wheel when you added Aubrey and Stacie to the equation. Maybe Aubrey and Stacie being in LA will be distraction from Trish and Beca. She could only hope.
Beca orders a bottle of champagne to toast the engagement. The champagne is poured and congratulations start all over again. The champagne sits like lead in Chloe's stomach and her nerves are getting to her.
"Excuse me," Chloe said standing up. "I need to go to the restroom."
"Want me to go with you?," Aubrey asked.
"No," Chloe said. "I'm fine."
Chloe makes her way to the bathroom. She enters and stands at the sink looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"I thought buying the studio would be so fulfilling," Chloe thought as she stood there. "But, I still have to run my company and haven't been involved in the studio as much as I'd hoped. Trish and Beca seem to be getting even closer while Beca and I seem to be drifting apart. We haven't had time to spend together since the beach house. I don't know if I can keep doing this."
Chloe leans her head against the cool mirror and sighs. She jerks back when she hears someone enter. She looks over and sees Beca at the door.
"Are you okay?," Beca asked letting the door close as she walks over to Chloe.
"No, yes, I don't know," Chloe said. "I'm just, I don't know."
"You looked deep in thought when I came in," Beca said. "Care to share."
Beca is now standing next to Chloe at the sink.
"It's silly," Chloe said.
"Tell me anyway," Beca said.
"I feel like we're losing the connection we just got back," Chloe said quietly. "I feel like, no matter what happens with Trish, we won't be together."
Chloe wipes a tear from her cheek. Beca reaches for her and pulls her into a hug.
"I love you, Chloe," Beca said quietly in Chloe's ear. "I'm sorry we haven't had time to really spend together the past few weeks. It's just with you working and all of us trying to revamp the studio, there's no time for just us."
"I know," Chloe said her voice muffled. "I told you it was silly."
"It's not silly," Beca said. "It's just a lot to take in right now. How about this? You and I are going to hang out tomorrow, just the two of us. I'll come to yours and we'll order pizza and watch movies. We can do whatever you want."
"What about Trish?," Chloe asked pulling out of the hug.
"She'll figure out something to do," Beca said with a grin.
"That's not what I meant," Chloe laughed and slapped Beca on the arm. "Is it okay for her to be left alone?"
"She'll be fine," Beca said. "We have a cook and a housekeeper now, so she won't be alone."
Chloe looks at Beca. Beca looks at Chloe. If asked later, neither could tell you who leaned in first. But, the next thing they knew they were kissing. It was tentative at first, but then all the pent up frustration of the past five years was put into the kiss and it became heated. Beca pulled Chloe closer and Chloe melted into her.
"About fucking time," Trish said causing the couple to jump apart.
Chloe's face turned bright red. Beca let out a laugh.
"Oh, my God," Chloe said embarrassed by what just happened. "I'm so, so sorry, Trish. That shouldn't have happened."
Chloe looked down at the ground, wiping a tear from her face, with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Chloe," Trish said. "Please look at me."
Chloe lifted her head.
"Don't apologize," Trish told her. "Beca and I have talked about this. I know how much Beca loves you and how much you love Beca. I would never deny you guys your happiness. I'm not heartless. I really want to see you guys happy and together while I'm still alive."
"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Chloe said a little confused. She looked at Beca. "I thought you didn't want to be a cheater? That's why we agreed we wouldn't do anything while you were married to Trish. This is just becoming too much."
Before Beca could respond, the door opened and two women walked into the restroom.
"We can talk it about later," Beca said. "Let's get back to the table. Aubrey and Stacie are probably wondering where we are."
The three girls go back to the table. Chloe is stuck inside her own head and is having confusing thoughts. Trish's reaction to finding her and Beca kissing was to give them permission to be together while she and Beca were still married? Why would she do that? She said it was because she wanted to see us happy. Would Beca and I being together, be considered fulfilling Trish's dying wish? If so, could she live with herself if she let Beca cheat on Trish with her? She knows the marriage isn't what would be called a 'real marriage,' but it's still a marriage.
"I''ve got a headache," Chloe said. "I think I'm going to head home."
"Do you still want to hang out tomorrow?," Beca asked.
"I'm not sure," Chloe said hesitantly. "I'll text you."
"Um, okay," Beca said.
"Good night, Chloe," Stacie said giving her a hug. "Hope you feel better."
"Take it easy," Aubrey said, also giving her a hug.
"I will," Chloe said as she starts walking away. "I'll talk to you all later."
"Is she okay?," Aubrey asks Beca.
"I don't know," Beca responds. "I think we may have pushed her too far tonight."
Beca and Trish tell Stacie and Aubrey about their conversation in the bathroom.
"I guess it's hard for Chloe to fathom that I really want to see her and Beca happy," Trish said. "And that it really doesn't bother me if they kiss and stuff."
"You got to admit," Stacie said. "It is a little weird that you gave Beca your permission to cheat on you. If the paparazzi or someone else finds out about it, it will not look good for Beca or Chloe. They both have their careers to think about."
"Plus," Aubrey said. "You all have the new studio to think about. If it gets out the Beca's cheating on you with Chloe, could affect your business."
"You're right," Trish said.
"I'll talk to Chloe tomorrow," Beca said. "Let her know that we will be together when the time is right. We'll just go back to the way things were and hopefully find more time to spend together as friends."
Chloe downs the last of her wine and puts the glass in the sink. She looks around and sees a numer of boxes that she still hasn't upacked. She is too tired to worry about it or to think anymore and decides to go to bed. She puts on her pajamas and brushes her teeth. She climbs into bed and pulls the covers up to her chin. As she falls asleep, the last thing she thinks about is the kiss she shared with Beca.
Chloe wakes up to a pounding headache. She gets up and takes a pain reliever and goes back to bed. She is woken up a little bit later by the pinging of her phone. She looks at it and sees that Beca has texted.
Beca: How's the headache?
Chloe: Bad.
Beca: Feel up to talking?
Chloe: No.
Beca: Okay. Text me later?
Fifteen minutes later and Beca still hadn't received a response from Chloe.
"Shit, this is bad," Beca thinks.
Trish can tell Beca is in a funk. She's been hiding out in her in-home studio most of the day. Trish tries to cheer Beca up by having Mrs. Newman, their cook, bake up a batch of Beca's favorite chocolate chip cookies.
The cookies work for the most part. The smell of them baking brought her into the kitchen. Trish was sitting at the counter drinking a bottle of water when Beca walked in.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the smell," Trish said with a smile.
"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I feel bad and just want to make things right with Chloe and she's ignoring me. Walking away from her five years ago, no matter how right it seemed at the time, was the biggest mistake of my life. I can't lose her again."
"I know," Trish said. "Maybe you should just go over there. She'll have to talk to you if you're standing right in front of her."
"I don't know," Beca said. "I think I'll send her a text and tell her we'll go back to the way things were before we kissed."
Beca pulled out her phone and sent a text to Chloe. She and Trish ate cookies and talked about the party for the re-opening of their studio. Beca checked her phone. Chloe still hadn't texted her back.
Beca sighed and went back to her studio. Trish called Aubrey and asked if she and Stacie could come over. The couple arrived about twenty minutes later.
"I don't know what to do," Trish said. "Chloe isn't responding to any of Beca's texts. Beca is in a funk like I've never seen her before. I feel so guilty."
"I'll go talk to Chloe," Aubrey said. "She's truly come to care about you Trish and she wouldn't want to do anything that might hurt you. It's already eating her up that the only way she and Beca can be together, is when, um, if you. . .um, die."
"I think she's just a little overwhelmed right now," Stacie said. "She kisses Beca for the first time in over five years after promising she wouldn't do anything while you were married, and you act like it's no big deal. She considers kissing Beca as cheating. Her ex-husband cheated on her. It hurt her, even though she didn't love him and was ready to end the marriage as soon as she could. His cheating really bothered her."
"Hey," Beca says walking into the living room. "I didn't know you guys were coming over."
"Trish called," Aubrey said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Beca said.
Aubrey gets up and goes over to Beca. She pulls her into a hug.
"No, you're not," Aubrey says.
Aubrey and Stacie stay for a little while longer. When they leave they make their way to Chloe's. There is no answer when they knock on the door.
"She's probably thinks it's Beca out here," Aubrey said. "Let me text her and tell her that's it's us."
Aubrey sends the text.
Chloe: I'm not home. I'll be back tomorrow night.
Aubrey: Where are you?
Chloe: I'll be back tomorrow night.
"Shit," Aubrey says. "She's gone and won't tell me where she is."
"I can't blame her," Stacie says. "Everything's got to be weighing heavy on her mind. Let's just let her be until tomorrow."
"You're right," Aubrey said.
Aubrey and Stacie had just settled in at the condo when Aubrey's phone rings. She checks the caller ID and sees it's Beca.
"Beca," Aubrey said as she answered. "Chloe wasn't-"
Aubrey's face pales.
"We're on our way," Aubrey says and hangs up the phone.
Aubrey grabs Stacie's hand and hurries out of the condo. Once in the car, Aubrey sends one more text to Chloe before she drives off.
Aubrey: Beca is taking Trish to the hospital.