A/N: Alright, I can't look at this anymore or I'll never post it. BTW, I caught a couple typos in the last chapter after posting it and immediately wanted to rip my eyes out, so if anyone wants to beta hmu. (Just to catch the tiny stuff I'm blind to. I can edit on my own.)

Who needs a house up on a hill

When you can have one on four wheels

And take it anywhere the wind might blow

You don't ever have to mow the yard

Just hang a map and throw a dart

And pray to God the engine starts and go

Three days later the girls, sans Chloe and Denise, were all gathered, ready to leave. Denise had a last minute family thing, so she had to skip the trip and Chloe was just plain late. They were meant to have left at 6 a.m., but 6 came and went and now it was pushing 7:30. Beca, who had pulled an all-nighter just to make sure she was up in time, was more than a little miffed. Chloe, of all people, still wasn't there. She had texted the group to let them know that she was running behind due to "an unexpected surprise" but told them nothing else. It was nerve-wracking not knowing if something bad had happened. Beca had stepped away from the rest of the Bellas and was now practically vibrating. She told herself that it was due to the chilly morning. She had no explanation for the knots in her stomach and the way she kept snapping the hair tie around her wrist.

At least she was distracted from thinking about a certain revelation that she'd had a few days prior. That could wait until later or, more preferably, it could wait forever. Beca was so wrapped up in her music, anxiety, and ignoring multiple lines of thinking that she didn't notice the large, lumbering dog running at her until it had her pinned to the ground, licking her face.

Oh, god this is how I die! Beca screamed internally, and possibly externally as well. She didn't know. God, she was so tired maybe she was hallucinating all of this.

Instead of mauling her though, the dog simply barked in her face and then bounded over to the other girls, most of them cheering and showering it with far too much attention.

"Oh, no, don't mind me guys, I'm fine. I didn't almost get eaten by that thing," Beca called out. She started to push herself up to her feet when she saw a hand stick out to help her. Beca, of course, ignored it. She didn't need their pity.

"All right, fine, grumpy butt."

Oh. Chloe. Beautiful, amazing, sweet Chloe. No, wait, she was supposed to be in a bad mood. Awful, annoying, late Chloe who just let a rabid dog nearly kill her.

Beca glared at her, crossing her arms. "And exactly where have you been, Miss we-can't-be-late-or-Aubrey-will-kill-us?"

Chloe pouted and Beca had to turn her head so she wouldn't be immediately sucked in by it like some kind of lovesick fool. "Aw, don't be mad. I was trying to find somewhere for Dusty to stay," Chloe said, motioning at the dog.

Beca had about ten more questions than she did before, most of them having to do with that awful name, but before she could ask any of them, Aubrey's voice rang out, as shrill and as tense as the sun was bright – and it was near blinding today.

"Chloe, what the hell is this? I hope you don't plan on bringing Dusty with us because I am not living on a minibus with a dog!"

"Well…" Chloe at least had the decency to look a little guilty. "Look, Bree, my brother just dumped him on me. He said he won't keep him anymore and there's no one else to take him."

Beca frowned at that. What kind of person would just abandon an animal? He couldn't wait two weeks? Beca's opinion of Chloe's brother had never been good because Chloe avoiding talking about him to the point that Beca didn't even know his name. Beca figured he must be, like, a murderer or something. Now she thought even less of him.

"He can't come with us," Aubrey stated plainly. She looked like she was gearing up for an argument, all crossed arms and set jaw. Beca, despite already hating the fluffy monstrosity Chloe called a pet, knew she had to fix this as soon as possible. God, all she wanted was to get on the bus and nap, but no. She had to be "a good friend" and help resolve conflict or whatever. Stupid maturity. Stupid Chloe with her stupid dog. Neither of them were cute right now. They were both nuisances at best.

"Here's a thought," Beca started. "Why don't we put it to a vote?" Easy win since half of the girls looked like they were ready to sneak the damn dog on the bus if they had to. Aubrey looked around, met all of their eyes, and sighed.

"Fine." Oh. Well, that was easier than expected. Maybe Aubrey really was learning to be a team player. Huh. Beca was kind of proud of her. It was a strange feeling, though not wholly unpleasant.

Chloe cheered, bouncing in place. "Okay! Who votes for Dusty to come with us on the trip?" she asked, giving the group the most intense pout Beca had ever seen.

God, she would give Chloe anything to make her happy in that moment. A new car? Absolutely. Beca's first born child? Say no more! A pony? Well, that was pushing it, but Beca would make it happen. So, to the surprise of exactly no one, she was the first to raise her hand. She hadn't even meant to raise it. She was going to vote against the dog just to annoy Chloe, but it was as if her body couldn't resist giving in to the girl. Stupid love. Love that is definitely platonic, Beca reminded herself. God, she felt delirious. She needed sleep. At least most of the other girls raised their hands too. She could just say she was going with what the group wanted and steadfastly ignored the fact that she was the first to raise her hand.

"This is ridiculous, I can't believe we're bringing a dog on this trip. Chloe, I swear I'm not scheduling extra stops, so he better be more well-trained than the last time I saw him," Aubrey warned, eyeing Dusty with contempt, distrust, and… anxiety? Beca definitely wanted to know what that was about, but it could wait. She needed her damn nap.

While the rest of the Bellas encircled their new traveling companion, arguing over god knows what (hopefully what to rename the poor dog), Beca climbed onto the bus and collapsed into the first seat she saw, hoping she could fall asleep before the circus climbed on board.

"Beca!" No such luck. Chloe was squealing with untempered excitement, shaking Beca back to consciousness. That coupled with the stampede of Bellas charging into the bus cemented the fact that Beca wouldn't be taking her nap just yet. "You can't sleep yet; we haven't even left! And I haven't seen you all day! Didn't you miss me?"

Beca scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help feeling the happiness wash over her. She had missed her. "All day? It's not even eight in the morning, you lunatic."

"Exactly," Aubrey interrupted. "Which means we're almost two hours late. Chloe, sit down please." She then turned more fully to the rest of the bus, clapping her hands loudly to grab their attention. "Girls, please quiet down and take your seats. We're already late thanks to your irresponsible co-captain, so we really need to get going if you all still want to make it to Vegas."

Beca knew the Vegas thing was bullshit, but Aubrey always knew how to get her way and within the blink of an eye, all of the girls were seated and buckled in. Even Dusty sat down. Beca eyed him suspiciously. She didn't trust him already. Chloe giggled beside her and Beca turned to her, eyebrows raised in question.

"You keep looking at him like he ate your shoes."

"Yeah, well, there's no harm in preparing for the inevitable. I can see it in his eyes. He's wants to destroy. I'd feel the same if someone named me Dusty."

Chloe laughed harder, her hand finding purchase on Beca's arm, making Beca's heart nearly stop and then triple its speed. And, wow, when did that start happening?

"You're so weird, Beca. He's a good boy, I promise. And I didn't pick the name. You can blame my brother for that. It grows on you though."

Oh, so the brother was to blame? Just another reason to dislike him. "You know what else grows on you? Cancer. And moles... and cancerous moles." She let herself grin when Chloe laughed again. What a beautiful thing.

Beca was awoken some time later by the sounds of bickering.

"-no way we're stopping again!"

"We've stopped three times and we're still in freaking Alabama."

"Right mate, I'll just pee in the bottle then!"

"I think we should stop too. I'm kind of hungry."

"Oh my god, Amy, pull your pants back up!"

Beca glanced over at Chloe who had her face in her hands, shaking with either tears or laughter and Aubrey was so tense, her hands gripping the steering wheel were sinewy and stark white. Not a great sign. Beca decided now wasn't the time to wake up. She put her earbuds in and went back to sleep.

The next time Beca woke up, it was just past noon. Dusty had somehow managed to fit his entire body on her lap which had started to make her legs go numb. She pushed him off, ignoring the indignant "hey!" she received from Chloe, and, upon noticing that the bus was stopped, got up to stretch.

"Where are we?" Beca asked.

"Nebraska."

"A diner."

"On a bus."

"O…kay. Chloe," Beca turned to the girl in question. "Where are we?"

Chloe had been staring at Jessica, trying to figure out if her geography was really that bad, but directed her attention back to Beca. "We're in Jackson."

"Specifically, we're in the Frondren district of Jackson, Mississippi," Aubrey corrected as the girls descended the bus. Beca stumbled down the stairs and, once she got a better look around, almost gasped. She didn't though. Beca was too cool to gasp.

Whoa. It was like stepping on to a movie set. Not only was the diner 50's inspired, but it seemed like half of the buildings around them had been perfectly preserved for nearly 70 years. There was a movie theater, a burger place, and a bowling all within eyesight. They were all 50s inspired. Beca could even hear blues music playing somewhere down the street. It was kind of freaking amazing.

"Huh. Cool," Beca muttered.

"Cool? That's all you have to say? Beca, this place is amazing!" Chloe beamed, eyes dancing around the diner and other buildings. Beca shrugged. Chloe was right of course, but Beca didn't have the energy to get all that excited. She was still tired. And ravenous. She felt like she hadn't eaten in days.

"The Help actually had a few scenes filmed here. The grocery store is supposed to be almost the exact same as it was in the movie," Stacie stated casually, walking past them into the diner.

How does she even know that? Whatever. Beca didn't care. She needed food.

After their meal (where they had to sneak Dusty into the outdoor seating area), a bit of sightseeing (Dusty leading them the whole way), and way too many photos for Beca to be comfortable with (all with Dusty in them), the group got back on the bus and started off for Dallas.

About two hours in, an argument broke out between Cynthia Rose and Stacie. Beca missed most of it due to having her headphones on at a deafening level, but she did catch the last sentence from Stacie.

"God, just because all you see is a dumb, hot blonde, that doesn't mean that's all she is! Paris Hilton deserves more respect!" With that, Stacie stormed to the front of the buss and dropped down next to Aubrey who could only manage to stare at the girl next to her, bewildered. Beca could seriously relate.

What the fuck? Even Lilly, who was taking a turn at driving, glanced at Stacie in confusion. Or maybe it was bloodlust. It was hard to tell with Lilly.

Aubrey quickly collected herself, whispered something to Stacie, and then was cast stricken as Stacie laid her head on her shoulder. Aubrey blushed, caught Beca watching, and turned away scowling.

What. The. Fuck. God, she must be having a stroke. That was the only explanation for the sequence of events Beca thought she had just witnessed.

"What the hell was all of that?" Chloe whispered, not wanting to get the attention of the other girls who seemed to be discussing the merits, or lack thereof, of Paris Hilton still.

"Don't ask me. She's your freak, not mine."

"Which one?"

"Which one do you think, dingus?"

Chloe giggled. "Dingus? Really?"

"Whatever," Beca said in lieu of an actual response and put her headphones back on. Chloe, being a pest as usual, unplugged the headphones and replaced them with her earbuds. She kept one and gave the other to Beca, smiling at her teasingly. Annoying. Not cute. Very Annoying.

The group made it to Chloe's uncle's house sometime close to eleven at night, several hours later than they were meant to. Most of the girls had assumed he actually lived in Dallas, but Chloe drove past Dallas altogether and, soon after, they arrived in a town called Waxahachie.

"Oh, we're in the country country," Cynthia Rose muttered, seeming to be unhappy at that fact. Beca understood completely. This was how horror movies started. What if Chloe had been playing the long-con for four years just to get this moment where she could lure a group of unsuspecting victims into the arms of a serial killer cannibal?

Wow. Okay. Clearly, the Texas heat was getting to Beca. Chill out, Freak.

"Calm down, guys," Chloe said to the group as if she could see the tension in many of their faces even though she couldn't se any of them. She probably could feel it. The girl was magic. A witch. A witch trying to sacrifice them in Middle of Nowhere, Texas.

Beca's paranoid delusions were refusing to abate.

"I know it seems like we're in the boonies, but I promise this town is mostly full of suburbs. They're totally normal, just like us," Chloe continued. Her words seemed to have an effect on a few of the girls. Shifting eyes settled and shaking legs stilled. Beca was endlessly impressed by Chloe's ability to emotionally control potentially disastrous situations.

Soon, the tree line faded and all they could see was empty land and a couple buildings growing larger. The bus came to a stop and the girls stumbled off, Amy, Ashley, and Lilly tripping over each other in their sleep-deprived haste and all three ending up with their faces in the dirt. Dusty trampled over them and ran straight to the middle-aged couple who had just stepped out the front door.

"Uncle Luke! Aunt Claire!" Chloe yelled, her energy unaffected by the late hour. She ran to the couple and hugged them both in turn. Beca eyed the couple over. They were cute. They looked like they belonged in a 3-star romantic comedy. Beca could tell they were above average in looks despite the low lighting but couldn't make out much else. Luke was broad and tall, but not oppressively so and Claire was close to Chloe's size.

"These are my friends!" Chloe then waved her arm towards the girls as if she were presenting a prize on Wheel of Fortune. Chloe made a point of introducing all of them individually. Beca was a little thrown by that. She had never seen Chloe behave with such manners before. It was kind of charming…

"Right, well, pleased to make your acquaintances. Let's head inside before the mosquitoes eat y'all up," Luke said. "Chloe, your room is ready, and we have a couple air mattresses, a loveseat, and a pull-out couch for your friends. It should be enough, so y'all can figure out the sleeping arrangements amongst yourselves. I recommend y'all go ahead and hit the hay 'cause we got an early day tomorrow. Goodnight."

Luke and Claire then headed up the stairs, leaving the girls to crash where they pleased. It was bold to leave a gaggle of weirdo college girls alone in their living room. Beca could respect that.

"Hey, come on. Let's go to bed." Chloe beckoned Beca to follow and lead the way to her bedroom, Dusty just a few paces behind.

The room was… simple. Not like Chloe's dorm room at all. Her dorm was neatly cluttered and colorful to a barely tolerable level. This room was almost the antithesis of that. It held on a couple photos and no other personal touches. Even the white walls seemed incorrect. Beca wouldn't have imagined any room of Chloe's looking like this. Why did Chloe have a room here at all? Beca considered all of this as she changed in the closet and, upon getting into bed, she decided to just ask about it.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Why do you have a room here? And why is it so… not you?" Beca cringed at her inability to articulate her thoughts. Stupid anxiety.

"Um… Well, it's kind of a long story. Plus, it's sorta sad and I don't really wanna be sad right now." Chloe was mumbling, eyes not meeting Beca's. It had to be serious if Chloe didn't want to talk about it. She never wanted to talk about serious issues in her life. Beca nodded, mindlessly petting Dusty who was somehow laying on both of them simultaneously.

"Oh, yeah, I get that. I'm basically president of the angst club. No need to elaborate further."

"I just… I lived here one summer. There were… issues at home." Chloe's words came out slow and stilted. Beca felt like an asshole for bringing the subject up in the first place.

"Family sucks, dude." Ugh, really? Beca could not be worse at this. She was opening her mouth to say something equally as useless, but then Chloe giggled – soft and relieved – so Beca decided to let it go. At least she managed to make Chloe smile again.

"Goodnight, Becs."

"Night, Chloe."

It don't matter where we go

We'll never be alone

Anywhere besides you, is a place that I'll call home