Beca stares out the passenger window of Chloe's car without seeing. She kind of wishes Chloe would turn the radio on but doesn't have the energy to suggest it or to do it herself.

She wonders what Chloe's thinking.

Honey, with your looks, you should be able to get any cute boy you want.

Between you and me, they make them better out there than they do here.

That interaction should never have happened. The date was supposed to be just them, where they could be themselves. They weren't supposed to run into her dad and Sheila.

Beca clenches her jaw around the howl of anger trying to escape her chest. Is this some kind of sign? she wants to yell at the world. Are you trying to tell me that what we're doing really is wrong?

But no. Beca's never been one to believe in any higher power dictating her life. Those teenagers hadn't cared that she and Chloe were there as a couple.

Besides. Kissing Chloe had felt too perfect for Beca to really believe it was wrong.

Even if Sheila's comments had been some sort of sign, Beca fully intends to ignore it.

Chloe hasn't said a word since they'd left the roller rink. That scares Beca far more than Sheila does. Chloe deserves better than what happened. If that had been Chloe's family surprising them following a date, they could have kept holding hands – at least, that's the impression Beca gets from hearing about Chloe's parents. They wouldn't have minded.

It had hurt when Chloe had tugged her hand away, but not from the force of the pull. Pretending to be something they're not is becoming harder by the day. Beca knows that if Chloe were dating a "cute boy" or even a girl who was out to her own parents, she wouldn't have had to pull away like that.

Chloe deserves better, and Beca's sure she realizes it.

The car stops, jerking Beca from her thoughts. She blinks in surprise, seeing they're already back at the Bella house. Chloe puts the car in park and turns it off. She doesn't say anything, though, and she doesn't look at Beca. By the way a muscle in her cheek stands out, Beca can tell she's clenching her jaw. For a scary moment, Chloe's posture is so rigid that Beca's reminded forcefully of Aubrey.

They sit in silence. Beca can't even hear Chloe breathing.

She knows she has to say something.

"Chloe? Are you… do you still want to be with me?"

Even the mere thought of Chloe leaving sends a sick twist of pain to her gut.

"Yes."

Chloe's reply is instant and soothing. She looks at Beca for the first time since leaving the parking lot, and Beca's stunned to see the same pain and fear she feels reflected back at her.

"You still want to be with me?" Chloe whispers, eyes wide and scared.

"Oh, God, of course," Beca exhales in a rush. "That's – nothing changed."

Chloe gives her a shaky smile and closes her eyes briefly. "Good," she says, reopening them.

Just like that, Beca can breathe again. Most of the dense tension in the car is erased with those simple assurances, and Beca allows herself a moment to calm her racing heart.

Still. She knows she has to acknowledge what happened, or it will sit between them and fester like an open wound.

"I – I'm sorry," she says, knowing the words aren't really enough to fix it.

Chloe's eyebrows rise. "For what?"

Beca shrugs uncomfortably. "For… what happened back there. I – that shouldn't have happened. I'm so, so sorry."

Chloe turns to her fully, unbuckling her seatbelt so she can twist her upper body toward Beca.

"That wasn't your fault, Bec." Chloe's voice is more delicate, perhaps, than Beca has ever heard it. Somehow, that only makes things worse; it would be better if Chloe yelled.

"I should have told them about me," Beca replies, trying to make Chloe understand that yes, it is her fault. "About us. We shouldn't have to pretend like that."

Chloe reaches out, maybe to touch Beca's shoulder, but then changes her mind. She retracts her hand, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

"Would it have made a difference to tell them?" Chloe asks, her tone turning icy.

"Probably not," Beca winces at the harshness of Chloe's voice. "Are you angry?"

"Yeah. Furious."

Beca closes her eyes and raises a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Wait, no – I'm not angry at you, Bec," Chloe's quick amends brings Beca's attention back up to meet her earnest eyes.

"Never at you," Chloe continues. "I'm… I didn't think they'd be like that. I really didn't."

"It's just Sheila," Beca growls in frustration. "My dad… he doesn't say anything, but he doesn't stop her, either."

"Has this kind of thing happened before?"

Beca nods, pursing her lips. "Just. She's said things. About gay people. And how she hates seeing it, thinks it's disgusting. If she'd seen us holding hands..."

Beca lets her voice trail off, not liking to think about it. If Beca's mom were still alive, she wouldn't have cared. She'd have wanted to meet Chloe.

I'll always love you. No matter what.

Beca sighs heavily, running a hand through her hair as she shuts down the memories of her mom. "It's... this isn't fair to you."

Chloe shifts in her seat, but Beca keeps going.

"I'm sorry. I understand if you'd rather – you know, go find all those 'cute boys,' or –"

Beca cuts herself off with a dark laugh, only half-joking. A lance of pain shoots through her chest, making her wince, and Chloe does reach out and touch her arm then.

"Beca, stop," she says. "I don't want that. I want this. I want… what we have."

"I want this, too."

Chloe looks at her strangely and she drops her hand from Beca's arm.

"So… you don't want Jesse back?" she asks in a tight voice, speaking to the steering wheel.

"Ugh! God, no!" Beca blurts, feeling her face twist in disgust. "Absolutely not!"

It makes Chloe laugh and grin at her, eyes sparkling.

"I mean, he's fine," Beca backpedals with a huff, feeling the need to defend him after that. "But I don't... he's not you," she finishes, not knowing what else to say besides the truth.

Chloe's expression softens until she's looking at Beca in a way that makes her stomach flutter and insides warm with happiness.

"We okay?" Chloe asks gently.

"Yeah," Beca sighs, relieved. "We're okay."

It's a little alarming, how much better that knowledge makes her feel despite what Sheila had said to them both. She knows she probably loves Chloe. She's probably loved Chloe this whole time, and in the way Jesse had always wanted her to love him. She'd feel guilty about it if it didn't make her so happy.

They haven't labeled what they have, and with a thrill of nerves she knows probably aren't needed, Beca thinks it might be time to do so.

"We haven't really, um, talked about it, but, uh, are we… girlfriends?" she asks tentatively, the word feeling foreign in her mouth.

Chloe looks at her, startled, as if she hadn't expected Beca to bring it up. A small but pleased-looking smile grows on her face, and Beca's hands twitch in her lap.

"I'd like that," Chloe nods.

"Right," Beca breathes. "Then… Chloe, will you be my girlfriend?"

The wattage of Chloe's smile would probably be enough to light the whole block.

"Yes," she says, bouncing a little in her seat in excitement. Then, her expression turns serious, but by the way her eyes brighten and cheeks twitch, Beca can tell she's holding back a smile.

"Wait, I gotta... Beca, will you be my girlfriend?" she asks in an outrageously pompous voice.

"No."

The shock on Chloe's face snaps Beca out of her act, making her laugh loudly. "Sorry," she grins. "That was mean. But I had to get you back for when I asked you out!"

"That was mean!" Chloe hits her lightly on the shoulder, but there's no real force behind it. "I deserved it, though," she admits with a smile.

"Yeah, you kinda did," Beca agrees, but then tries to school her face into a more serious one. "And to answer your question… yes, I'll be your girlfriend. Duh."

"Awes," Chloe smiles. "In that case…"

She's already unbuckled her seatbelt, so Beca doesn't get much warning when Chloe starts to lift herself from her seat, swinging a leg over the center console. With an excited thrill to her center, Beca realizes what she's trying to do. She unbuckles her own seatbelt and hastily shoves her seat as far back as it can go in time for Chloe to straddle her, settling astride her lap with a knee on either side of her hips.

"Oh, wow, hi," Beca breathes, her hands resting on Chloe's hips without her conscious command.

Ever since their first date, Beca's been noticing that more and more: her hands moving automatically to find Chloe. Touching Chloe, and being touched by Chloe, has become like a drug shooting through her system until it's all she craves in life.

"Hi," Chloe whispers back. "This okay?"

"Totes," Beca replies, a little ironically.

Chloe rolls her eyes, leans down while Beca tilts her chin up, and then they're kissing.

Kissing Chloe is like nothing Beca has ever experienced. The way their lips fit together, all warm and soft and perfectly aligned as if they're matching pieces in a puzzle, sends fire racing down Beca's spine. Chloe's lips, careful and slow, meet hers movement for movement, pressing and insistent, but never rushed or demanding.

Chloe's hands land on her shoulders, occasionally venturing up to stroke lightly down the sides of her neck in time with a slow song only she seems to be able to hear. Beca can tell she's holding back, keeping things under control, maybe trying to protect Beca still, despite her position on her lap.

It ignites a spark of frustration deep within Beca – she's not fragile, she's not some porcelain doll waiting to be shattered – and so Beca slides her hands around to Chloe's lower back, pulling her closer and drawing a surprised gasp from Chloe's throat. Beca draws Chloe's lower lip between her own lips, tracing her tongue over it slowly, carefully, until, with a sigh, Chloe opens her mouth.

And that's definitely Chloe's tongue now, meeting hers and slipping into her mouth. It makes Beca moan, and Chloe presses even closer. The hands on Beca's neck rise, following the form of it until they slip into her hair. They don't tug, but they guide, until Beca's head is tilted back further and the angle on their kiss deepens, Chloe's tongue dipping into Beca's mouth before retreating.

At the loss, Beca experimentally nips gently at Chloe's lip. Chloe makes a sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper and the sound of it sends heat shooting through Beca's body. Her hands shift, seeking out the hem of Chloe's shirt and pushing past it as if it's not there, until her touch finds the soft and smooth skin of Chloe's lower back.

Chloe whimpers properly then, moving her hands from Beca's hair and pulling back to drop her lips to the side of Beca's neck. It makes Beca choke on air and forces her head back further against the headrest as Chloe presses light, feathery kisses to her throat, careful not to use too much force as to avoid leaving marks. It tickles a little, and Beca squirms under her as she kisses her way down. She reaches the base of Beca's neck and seems to hesitate, but then a warm wetness is dragging its way up her skin, and Beca's mind is thrown back to the body shots at the unmistakable feel of Chloe's tongue on her neck.

Beca hears herself groan and her hips lift automatically; it's a little embarrassing, but Chloe only whimpers again and sits more firmly on Beca's lap. Beca's hands continue their exploration of Chloe's back, sliding upward but purposely staying away from her bra strap. Instead, when Chloe reunites their lips in another tongue-filled kiss, Beca digs her nails lightly into the skin on either side of Chloe's spine and drags them down toward the waistline of her jeans.

Chloe moans unrestrainedly into her mouth, the sound ricocheting around Beca's brain and causing something hot to coil and pool low in her stomach. The feeling is both familiar and unfamiliar; familiar because Beca knows what it is and why it's there, but unfamiliar because it's Chloe causing it. It's Chloe making her toes curl in her shoes and kissing her like her life depends on it; it's Chloe surrounding her, pressing ever closer, turning her on.

It makes Beca groan and change the angle of the kiss, wanting to learn Chloe the way she deserves. As she does, though, the back of her neck prickles and she instinctively opens her eyes just a crack to make immediate and direct eye contact with Lilly, standing outside the passenger window and looking in to watch them.

Beca shrieks and jolts in surprise; she startles Chloe, who jerks up and smacks her head on the ceiling of the car with a squeak of pain.

"Shit, are you okay?" Beca asks, her voice raspy and not her own.

"Yeah…" Chloe says through gritted teeth, rubbing the top of her head.

They look at each other, then simultaneously turn to stare out the window. Outside, Lilly sucks her cheeks in and makes her fish face at them, pulsing her lips.

Beca sighs, her face warming.

"I guess we need to tell them."

The DSM leader is hot.

The female leader. Not the tall, dark-haired guy, but the tall, blonde woman. Kommissar.

She's hot and it's confusing.

Beca hears the words fall from her lips with a mild sense of horror; she's never called anyone "physically flawless" before. And she's not lying when she drops the "sexually confused" bomb, either.

She can't help it; Kommissar is stunning, and at this point, there's no question in Beca's mind that she's attracted to her. That's all it is, though, a surface-level physical attraction. There's nothing weird about it, and it has absolutely no potential of going anywhere. It's not like she's gay, for god's sake. She simply recognizes attractive people.

She can't stop complimenting Kommissar.

She likes the way it makes Chloe look at her.

(Kommissar is hot, but even she has nothing on Chloe Beale.)

"Beca and I are together," Chloe tells the room at large.

Beca half-glances in her direction, not expecting her to be that blunt about it. But then again, it is Chloe, and she's not sure what else she thought would happen.

The announcement is met with nine blank stares; eight in person, the ninth being Aubrey, Skyping in on the Emergency Bellas Meeting Chloe had called fewer than five minutes ago.

Beca holds her breath, waiting for a reaction. She expects Aubrey, at least, to be outraged. Beside her, Chloe stands stock-still, eyes wide. Beca squeezes her hand once, trying to reassure her.

Stacie laughs, loudly and openly. "Dear god, finally!" she groans, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation.

"Whoomp, there it is," Amy says, then returns to texting on her phone.

Cynthia Rose smiles and huffs. "About damn time."

In the back of the room, Beca spots Emily handing a $20 bill to Jessica with a pout, with Lilly and Ashley consulting some sort of log book.

"Hey, did you just –"

Beca's cut off by Aubrey's voice, annoyed and slightly tinny through Chloe's laptop speakers.

"Gremlin, if you hurt her, I will drive over and cut out your tongue."

"Aubrey," Chloe admonishes, "don't do that. I'm becoming fond of her tongue."

"Gross," Aubrey says, closing her eyes in disgust.

"I'm not gonna hurt her," Beca says, trying hard to ignore the warmth creeping up her neck.

"Yeah, yeah," Flo cuts in, waving them aside. "We know. She's precious and your intentions are pure. Great. You're blocking the TV."

"So… is this okay?" Chloe asks, ever the concerned captain. "If you guys are worried about anything, just tell us."

"Hey, no sex on my bed," Amy says with a glare. "Other than that, it's fine. Now, go, resume licking each other's faces or whatever."

The rest of the Bellas nod, seemingly uninterested. Lilly stares, making her fish face again.

Dumbfounded, Beca and Chloe move off to the side, escaping into the kitchen with an awkward shuffle. Beca leaves a seemingly shell-shocked Chloe at the counter in favor of reaching for the bag of tortilla chips on top of the refrigerator.

"That's… it?" Chloe asks when Beca returns, chips in hand with one already on the way to her mouth.

Beca shrugs. "Now you know how I felt when I came out."

"Hmm. Disappointing."

"A little, yeah."

Beca crunches on her chips for a moment, thinking, while Chloe pouts in front of her. It could have been worse, she supposes. At least they know they're being supported by the Bellas. Then, something occurs to her and she pauses mid-crunch.

"Was Aubrey serious about cutting out my tongue?"

Chloe looks at her thoughtfully for a minute, then grins. "Let's just say… don't test her." she says and leans forward to peck Beca on the lips. "Wanna go upstairs and make out some more?" she asks with a wink so casual that it makes Beca want to explode.

In a rush, Beca swallows the remnants of her chip, then tosses the rest of the bag down onto the counter before grabbing Chloe's hand and making a beeline to the stairs, Chloe's bright laughter echoing in her ears.