DAY 21 - CHRISTMAS SECRETS
A/N: I don't want to give anything away, so the full prompt from Tumblr User rejection-isnt-failure is at the end of the story.
Christmas Eve
It was early afternoon, and the Bellas were getting ready for their Christmas Eve party when Beca came bounding down the stairs.
"Alright, you losers," Beca called out as she put her jacket on. "Try not to burn the house down while I'm gone."
"Becs, stay with us," Chloe whined, grabbing Beca's arm. "You always miss our Christmas Eve parties."
"I'm sorry, Chlo," Beca said. "You know I spend Christmas Eve with my dad. I'll be back in the morning. Knowing you girls I can be here around eleven and still not miss opening presents."
"Are you saying we'll all be drunk?" CR asked, sipping a beer.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Beca said with a laugh. "I promise I'll be back in the morning."
"Fine," Chloe said. "Tell your dad and Sheila Merry Christmas from all of us."
"Have a good time, Beca," Emily called out.
"Bring back some wine for breakfast," Fat Amy yelled from the kitchen.
"Don't do that," Chloe said, shaking her head.
"Wasn't planning on it," Beca said, opening the front door. "Save me some of your Christmas fudge, Stacie."
"Can't make any promises," Stacie called back.
Beca laughed as she walked out the door. Chloe sighed and went to help in the kitchen.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Beca checked her trunk to make sure all the gifts were secure. She got in the car and started it up.
"I love his song," Beca said, when Baby, Please Come Home came through the speakers.
Beca started singing along as she drove away from the Bellas House.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Chloe was rolling out the cookie dough while Stacie pulled another tray of them out of the oven.
"You know," Stacie said as she laid the cookie tray on the counter. "For someone who pretty much hated her father in Freshman Year, Beca always made sure she went to his house on Christmas Eve."
"I think the first year she was trying to make things better between them," Chloe said. "Now, things are better, and she wants to keep it that way."
"It just seems weird to me," Stacie said with a shrug.
"Stacie's right," CR said. "Beca even seems giddy when she leaves to go over there. And that's not a word I ever thought I'd use regarding Beca Mitchell."
The other girls chuckled. The laughter died down, and Emily looked around, furrowing her brow.
"How is it that all of you are staying at Barden for Christmas?" Emily asked. "Why aren't you with your families?"
"We always stay at Barden for Christmas," Ashley said.
"But how does that happen?" Emily asked. "I'm only staying because my folks are going to visit some of my mom's family in Europe. I'd normally go, but they're going to be gone for a month and will be all over the place. They don't know where they'll be on Christmas, so I couldn't really make any plans to meet up with them."
"I'm on a full-ride academic scholarship," Jessica said. "And neither my family or I could afford to buy me a ticket home."
"I live in Australia," Fat Amy said. "I can't afford to fly home for every holiday. So, I usually fly home for Spring Break each year."
"I grew up in foster care," Ashley said. "There isn't anywhere for me to go."
"I'm sorry, Ashley," Emily said.
"It's okay," Ashley said, smiling as she looked around. "I am with my family at Christmas. That's what it's all about, right?"
"Right," Chloe said, smiling at Ashley. "Emily, we all have our reasons for being here, but at the end of the day, we are still celebrating Christmas with family."
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Beca sang along to every song that played on the radio. She arrived and parked her car, hopping out and rushing to open the trunk. She grabbed a bag of gifts and made her way to the front entrance.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Chloe sat on the sofa, watching Fat Amy and Jessica singing their rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You. She let out a heavy sigh as she sipped her drink. She was jostled when Stacie plopped down next to her.
"Cheer up, Chloe," Stacie slurred. "This is a party. Drink and be merry."
"I'm sorry," Chloe said sadly. "I just wish Beca were here. It's our last Christmas together before we graduate."
"I get it," Stacie said. "I want Aubrey to be here, but she went home to North Carolina for Christmas."
"Beca hasn't spent one Christmas Eve with us since she started Barden," Chloe said. "I thought she might decide to spend this one with us. I thought maybe it would be the right time to tell her-" Chloe shook her head. "Never mind."
"You should tell her anyway," Stacie said. "She'll be here in the morning. Give her you as a Christmas present; even she couldn't be oblivious to what you mean by it."
Chloe sighed and said, "I wish it were that easy. I don't want her to reject me."
Chloe sniffled and wiped at a tear. Stacie felt bad for Chloe and what she thought was her unrequited love for Beca. She hated to see anyone cry, and wanted to do something to cheer up Chloe.
"Fat Amy and I had a bet that we could get Beca drunk and have her sing I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas," Stacie blurted out.
Chloe squinted her eyes at Stacie and then let out a laugh. "I would pay to see that!"
"There's the Chloe we all know and love," Stacie said, giving Chloe a side-hug.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Beca strummed the last note of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and everyone started cheering and clapping. She set her guitar down as the little boy next to her, threw himself into her arms. She hugged him, smiling as she thought, "This is what Christmas is all about."
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
"Oh, no," CR said. "Chloe's at the crying drunk stage. Who let her get this wasted?"
"I love her soooooo much," Chloe said through her tears. "She's so bootiful. And hooootttt!"
"Chloe, sweetie," Stacie said, taking the drink out of Chloe's hand. "Let's get you to bed."
"But, I want Becaaaaaa," Chloe whined.
"We know," Stacie said.
Chloe slumped over and was now leaning half-on and half-off Stacie.
"What should we do?" Emily asked.
"I know," Stacie said, giving Chloe a shake. "Chloe. Chloe. CHLOE!"
"Hmm," Chloe mumbled into Stacie's chest.
"Beca's in your room waiting for you," Stacie said.
"Stacie!" Emily cried out. "That's not nice. She's going to think Beca's really waiting for her."
"Beca's my room?" Chloe mumbled.
"Yeah," Stacie said. "Beca's in your room."
"M'kay," Chloe said and tried to stand.
"Emily, help me," Stacie said, holding Chloe up as she also stood.
Emily jumped up and grabbed Chloe on one side while Stacie held her on the other. "We'll take her to her room and put her to bed," Stacie said.
"Wif Beca?" Chloe asked, trying to look at Stacie.
"Yes," Emily said. "With Beca."
Chloe stood a little straighter and tried to walk. Emily and Stacie managed to keep her from falling and got her to her room.
"Beca?" Chloe said as they entered her room.
"She, um, she's in the bathroom," Stacie said. "Let's get you into bed, and she'll be back in a few minutes."
Stacie and Emily managed to change Chloe into a t-shirt and sleep shorts before putting her into the bed. Chloe grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her, mumbling, "Cuddle me, Becs."
Seconds later, Chloe was out like a light, and both brunettes heaved a sigh of relief.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Beca's dad's house was quiet when she finally slipped into bed. She smiled, thinking back over the night and how much fun she had. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Christmas Morning at the Mitchells' House
Beca woke and stretched. She pulled out her phone and checked the time; it was just nine o'clock. She got up and dressed and made her way downstairs to find her father, Warren, and stepmother, Sheila, sitting at the kitchen table.
"Merry Christmas," Beca said, as she made her way to the coffee pot.
"Merry Christmas," Warren said. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did," Beca said, smiling as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Are you hungry?" Sheila asked. "I could make you something."
"No, thanks," Beca said. "I promised I'd be back at the Bellas House to have brunch with them. Knowing how they partied, I have about an hour before I have to leave. I have presents for you both, so I thought we could open them now if you'd like."
"We have a few for you as well," Warren said.
"Then let's do this," Beca said and hurried to the living room.
"She's still five years old when it comes to Christmas presents," Warren said, laughing as he and Sheila followed Beca to the living room.
Christmas Morning at the Bellas' House
Jessica, being less drunk than the other Bellas after their Christmas Eve Party, woke up around nine-thirty. She could tell by how quiet it was that none of the other girls were up yet. She decided to stay in her bed, going through YouTube videos until the other girls woke up. She put her earbuds in so as not to wake Ashely, and opened her laptop. She watched a few Christmas videos and came upon another under the heading "recommended for you." It looked interesting, so she clicked it and started watching.
"Oh, my God!" Jessica exclaimed after a few seconds.
Ashley sat straight up in her bed with a hand to her head. "No shouting," she whined.
"Look at this!"
"What is it?" Ashley asked, slowly making her way over to Jessica's bed.
All Jessica could do was stare open-mouthed and point at her laptop screen. Ashley looked over to the screen, and her eyes widened.
"Is that-?" Ashley asked, pulling the earbuds out of the computer so she could hear. "Wait! Is this from last night?"
Jessica nodded her head as they continued to watch the video that was playing.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Beca made it back to the Bellas House around ten-thirty that morning, not expecting anyone to be up yet. She entered the house, softly singing Here Comes Santa Claus.
"Beca Mitchell!"
Beca jumped and turned toward Jessica's voice to find all the Bellas, sitting in the living room in various stages of hangovers. She saw a laptop on the coffee table with several water bottles and pain relievers spread out around it.
Chloe was on the sofa, sitting forward with her head in her hands. Next to her was Stacie, who was leaning back with her head resting on the back of the sofa.
Looking much less worse were Jessica and Ashely, who took up the rest of the sofa.
CR was hanging over the arm of the chair with a bucket on the floor.
Emily was in the opposite chair and seemed less hungover than the others, but she did look a bit paler than usual.
Flo and Lily were lying on their backs on the floor, groaning and not much else.
Beca took two steps in, gently stepping over Flo and Lily. She stopped and looked around the room.
"I wasn't expecting to see anyone up," Beca said.
"You have some explaining to do, Miss Mitchell," Chloe said, without looking up at Beca. "Oh, God, my head hurts."
"Are you okay, Chlo?" Beca asked.
Stacie was slapping her hand at Chloe, "Be quiet," she whispered.
"They're all hungover," Jessica told Beca.
"Then why are they up already?"
"Because of this," Jessica said, turning her laptop toward Beca and hitting play. "I found it while surfing around YouTube. I had to wake them so they could see it, too."
"Dammit," Beca muttered. "Um, so, it's, um."
Beca stepped closer and hit the button to stop the video. She looked down and saw what the person who posted the video said about it.
"The only thing I know about his young woman is that her name is Beca, and a nurse told me she comes to the hospital every year to bring presents to the children and sing to them. She is truly the embodiment of Santa Claus. My son hasn't smiled like this since he was admitted three months ago."
"Oh, um, interesting," Beca said.
"Is this why you never spend Christmas Eve with us?" Jessica asked.
The rest of the Bellas looked up at Beca to hear her answer.
Beca let out a sigh before breathing out a "Yes."
"We need a little more than that, Becs," Chloe said, sipping some water.
"Why don't I fix you all some eggs and toast," Beca suggested. "Then I'll tell you everything."
"Please don't mention food," CR whined before throwing up in the bucket.
Beca scrunched her nose. Emily slapped a hand across her mouth before jumping up and running toward the bathroom. Soon all the Bellas ran off to be sick.
Beca swallowed and hurried to the kitchen. She let out her breath and pulled out the eggs and bread to make breakfast.
Beca hurried to get the eggs and toast done while listening to the girls make their way back into the living room. Many of the moaning and groaning.
"Do you need some help?" Jessica asked as she entered the kitchen.
"Could you get the paper plates out of the party closet?" Beca asked.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
After breakfast and a few more pain relievers, the Bellas were doing a bit better.
"Anyone else want these eggs?" Fat Amy asked as she reached for the bowl. "No? Cool."
Fat Amy dug into the eggs, and Chloe grimaced as her stomach rolled a bit. She had to look away from Amy. When she did, her eyes fell on Beca.
"So spill it, Mitchell," Chloe said. "Why didn't you tell us you went to the hospital on Christmas Eve to play Santa Claus?"
Beca chewed her lip and looked around at the expectant faces of her sister Bellas.
"I was afraid if you knew what I was doing," Beca said quietly. "You'd want to do it with me."
The girls started speaking at once.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Why wouldn't we want to come with you?"
"It's a nice thing to do."
"We could have given them a Christmas concert."
Beca held up her hands and shook her head. "Stop, please."
The girls quieted down, and Chloe spoke up. "Why didn't you want us to go with you, Becs?"
"My grandmother used to disappear every year on Christmas Eve, without telling anyone where she was going," Beca said. "When I was eleven, my mother was working, and there wasn't anyone to look after me, so Grams took me with her. I didn't know what we were doing at first, but the kids, no matter how sick they were, all lit up when we walked in. It was magical." Chloe smiled at the way Beca's eye lit up when she talked about visiting the hospital with her Grams. "No one else in my family knew about it, and it became our thing. And every Christmas Eve after that, Grams and I would take presents to the hospital for the kids and spend the entire afternoon with them, singing Christmas songs and handing out presents."
Beca cleared her throat and looked down at the table. She played with her fingers before she spoke again.
"My Grams died just before I came to Barden," Beca said. "I decided to keep up the tradition to honor my Grams, so I looked around for a hospital near Campus and went on Christmas Eve. It helps me keep her memory alive. And I swear I could feel her sitting right next to me every time I did it."
Beca sniffled and wiped at the tears in her eyes. Chloe got up and stood by Beca, putting her arms around her.
"It's okay, Becs," Chloe said. "Thank you for sharing that with us."
"That's beautiful, Beca," Emily said, wiping her tears.
"I'm sorry I told everyone about the video, Beca," Jessica said.
"It's okay, Jessica," Beca said. "I'm surprised no one found out before now."
"So, do you think the hospital would mind if we just showed up and walked around singing Christmas songs to the patients?" Fat Amy asked.
The Bellas looked at Amy in surprise before turning to Beca.
"That's a great idea, Beca," Stacie said. "I'm in; who else wants to do it?"
"I"m in," CR said.
The rest of the Bellas agreed.
"What do you say, Beca?" Chloe asked, looking down at her.
"I think they'd love it," Beca said, smiling up at Chloe.
"Let's get dressed," Flo said.
~ Day 21 of 2019's 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases ~
Much later that night, after having a lovely Christmas dinner and opening presents, the girls sat around talking as It's a Wonderful Life played in the background.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe whispered to Beca. "Can I talk to you in the kitchen?"
"Sure, Chlo," Beca said. "Excuse us. We'll be right back."
The girls ignored them as Beca and Chloe went to the kitchen.
"So, what's-" Beca was cut off as Chloe grabbed the front of Beca's shirt and pulled her into a kiss.
Beca was surprised but fell into the kiss. She continued to kiss Chloe, and when the kiss came to its natural end, Beca muttered, "Merry Christmas to me."
Prompt from Tumblr rejection-isnt-failure: I'd love to read a fic of Chloe (and the Bellas) finding out on Christmas Day, that the reason no one could find Beca anywhere on Christmas Eve wasn't because she was with her dad (like she said), but because she was visiting sick children in different hospitals giving presents to them (something she'd been doing for years)… And they found out through a video someone posted having recorded the whole thing…