A/N: Are you guys ready? We're getting close to the end. Only a few chapters left, I can't believe it. This one is just a little shorter than usual, but it had to end where it does. Hold on to your hats!

Ch. 21

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Chloe banged on the door again, leaning in close to speak loudly through the barrier that separated her from Beca.

"Beca. Beca, please, open the door!"

She looked over at Aubrey, who stood by nervously wringing her hands, no doubt the worry and helplessness was evident in her eyes as she did. She took a breath and swallowed, toning down her voice a little as she turned back to the bathroom door to try again.

"Beca, listen, you don't have to unlock the door if you don't want to, just…just let me know you're all right. Please."

After a few terribly tense moments, she heard a quiet response come from inside.

"J-Just a second."

Chloe nodded to herself. It wasn't a confirmation that she was ok. Obviously, she wasn't ok; who would be? But the way she'd started panicking and ran to the bathroom, Chloe could only imagine the worst-case scenario until she could see Beca with her own eyes.

A few seconds later she heard the door unlock and stepped back in case Beca was aiming to come out. When she didn't, Chloe glanced once more to Aubrey. She gestured to the door, letting her know that she was going in. When Aubrey nodded in understanding, she shook out her hands and went in.

She entered quietly, closing the door behind her once more, and instantly saw Beca sitting on the closed toilet lid.

Her heart broke seeing her looking so slumped and small; as if the physical weight of what was happening was pressing down on her. Going to her quickly, Chloe fell to her knees. Her hands running up Beca's legs over her jeans as she searched for how she could help her.

"What can I do?" she asked, desperate to help in some way, "What can I do for you?"

Beca sniffled and shook her head, not moving to look at Chloe yet. She spoke while staring at her lap.

"I d-d-d-d…" she stopped and took a shaking breath before covering her face with her hand.

"Shh," Chloe voiced, "Take your time, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere."

Beca attempted to calm her breathing and get her emotions under control. She finally looked up at Chloe, her cheeks stained with already shed tears while fresh ones sat in her deep eyes.

"If-If-If it's t-t-true…" she sniffed again, struggling to speak as if she hadn't had a single therapy session, "Wh-Who am I?"

Chloe grabbed her hands and held them close to her chest.

"You are exactly who you've always been," she said with passion, "You are the most wonderful…loving, loyal, talented, smart, sarcastic person I've ever met. That's who you are. That's who you've always been and who you'll always be."

She turned her hands over and kissed her palms to emphasize her words.

"And I love that person," she swore, "Everything else, we can find out."

Beca let out a sob and dropped her head forward into Chloe. It was all too much to grab on to. It was too much. It couldn't be real. How could this madness be real?

If she wasn't Beca…who was she?

Were her parents even her parents?

She couldn't find purchase in all of it; letting her tears sweep over her again.

"Oh, Beca," Chloe breathed, leaning over to wrap herself around her as she continued to be overwhelmed. She held on tight and pressed a strong kiss into her hair. Her own voice beginning to break as her own emotions began to overtake her, "It's going to be ok. I promise. It's going to be ok. Do you hear me?"

She felt Beca nodding against her and closed her eyes while continuing to hold on. Soon, Beca's own arms lifted up and returned the embrace; gripping Chloe as if she were the rope keeping her from plummeting.

After some time had passed, Beca seemed to cry out all the tears she had and pulled back. She wiped at her face, trying to clean away the remains of her breakdown. Chloe ran a hand up and down her arm, offering whatever comfort she could.

"Do you want me to get you a glass of water?" Chloe offered, knowing that she could at the very least do that for her.

"That's ok," Beca said and stood up, prompting Chloe to do the same. She wiped her palms against her jeans, "c-can you g-give me a r-ride?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows, wondering where she would want to go right that minute.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed, "Where?"

"The hospital?" she answered though it sounded like a question as she requested the favor from Chloe, "I n-need to talk to Sh-Sheila."

"Of course," she agreed, "Whenever you're ready."

Beca took a second to splash some cool water on her face and gather herself before meeting Chloe in the hallway.

Chloe let Aubrey know where they were going and the two headed out without another word. She didn't try to press Beca to talk on the ride, simply hoping her presence would be some comfort as she mentally ran through what they would need to do to find out the truth about Beca's identity.

She was about to pull into the visitor's parking lot when Beca spoke.

"Act-Actually," she started, "I th-think I should g-go in alone."

"Oh."

"S-Sorry," she apologized, feeling like a jerk for disappointing Chloe and essentially just using her as a glorified taxi driver, "I j-just…"

"No, it's fine," she told her, "I'm sorry, I was just surprised. If you need to do this alone, of course you should. Do you want me to wait for you?"

"I d-don't know how l-long I'll be," she said honestly, "Y-You can go home."

"Only if you're sure."

Beca nodded.

"Ok. Call me when you're ready and I'll come get you."

"Promise," Beca nodded with a slight smirk.

"You better," Chloe smiled back and leaned over the console; the two sharing a kiss before Beca got.

She waited until she saw her go through the doors before driving down the street to wait at a nearby coffee shop. She wanted to be close when Beca needed her, having no idea how the conversation could go or if Sheila could even offer her any insight.

Upon entering, Beca automatically began the familiar path to the room she'd previously visited. She tried to mentally prepare herself for the conversation she was about to have. As she was trying to build her confidence, she came to the doorway and froze.

Empty?

She walked in and took in the sight before her.

Sheila was gone; only a vacant bed staring back at her.

Panicking, Beca returned to the lobby and went to the nurse's desk.

"W-W-Where- "

The woman behind the desk raised her hands as she stood up.

"Easy honey," she said calmly at the frenzied girl before her, "Calm down. What's wrong?"

Beca swallowed and grabbed a visible stack of post-its and a pen; quickly scribbling her question down. After reading it, the woman returned to her seat and began typing into her computer until she found what she was searching for.

"Ok, it looks like Ms. Barnes was moved to a new room this morning after her assessment," she informed, "Room 112. Oh, but I'm sorry, she's not able to have visitors right now."

"Wh-Why?"

"Some officers are here to talk to her now that she's out of the woods. They asked not to be disturbed."

"Oh," she supposed that made sense. Beca drummed her fingers awkwardly on the desk before putting her hands in her pockets, "Th-Thank you."

She turned around and headed back to the entrance. Once outside she took out her phone to call Chloe to come get her but stopped. Chloe had only just left her there; probably barely gotten home, if she'd even gotten out of the car yet. She couldn't call her back so soon; not when she was already causing so much drama for her and Aubrey with her mess. Chloe deserved to relax, if only for a little while.

So Beca put the phone away and thought until she had a different idea. Checking the time, she noted that by the time she caught the bus to campus her father – God was he even her father? – would be finished up his office hours.

If she couldn't talk to Sheila, she would go straight to the source. Chloe wouldn't want her going to him alone, but Beca needed to know and she refused to put her girlfriend in the middle of it if she didn't have to. Making a plan to bus back to the hospital when she was done and call Chloe from there, Beca made up her mind and went to the stop.

It turned out Beca was pretty good with her estimate. By the time she approached the literature building her dad had already left and was heading towards the faculty lot. She ran, trying to meet him as he as he entered the parking lot.

"Dad!" she shouted just as he got to his car.

He looked up in surprise, his face hardening at the sight of her. She came to a stop, breathing heavy and placing a hand to her chest. They stood with the car between them as she swallowed enough air to replace what she'd spent during her sprint.

"What do you want now?" he asked; opening the door and throwing his briefcase in the car. He leaned an arm on the open door and looked at her.

"I n-need to t-talk to- "

"I don't have time for this," he commented, moving to get in the car.

With a strength she didn't know she had, especially in his presence, Beca asked in loud, clear perfection.

"Who's Rebecca Mitchell?"

She saw him freeze a moment before slowly standing up straight. He recovered his composure as he looked at her over the roof of the car.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I saw…" she swallowed and willed her strength to continue, "I saw the … death certificate. My name and my birthday. But…it's not me, is it?"

The words hung heavy in the air between them for a few silent moments. To her surprise, she thought she saw his eyes soften before he ran a palm over his bearded jaw.

"Not here," he answered simply and got in the car without another word.

Beca stood by the vehicle awkwardly for a second until the passenger window rolled down. He leaned down to speak to her from within the car.

"Get in," he suggested, "We'll talk at home."

The window rolled back up. Beca looked around briefly as the sun was beginning to set on the campus. She couldn't deny how uncertain she was to do as he asked, but the need for answered was too great. She took a breath and got in.

As soon as she closed the door, she took out her phone. Even if it would upset Chloe to know she was doing this, Beca knew she should tell her where she was going now. She typed out the test to tell her just that, her thumb moving to the send button as she spoke without looking up.

"You p-promise you'll – "

Before she could finish, Warren's arm flew out; his large hand gripping her by the hair, giving her no time to react before he slammed her face first into the dashboard. Beca, instantly made unconscious by the hard impact, slumped over; the phone falling to the floor of the car.

Once satisfied that she was truly out, he easily pulled her back up to lean against the window as if she were just a sleeping passenger.

He adjusted his suit jacket before starting the car and leaving campus.

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