A/N: And now for part 2 of the short program!

I don't own pitch perfect.


The crowd was going wild.

The one contestant Aubrey did not have the pleasure – or in the case of Luisa, great displeasure – of knowing, yet another one of the perfectly crafted Russian prodigies, had just finished her short program.

Including her, Aubrey knew that the competition wasn't an easy one, even without Chloe competing against them. But Aubrey didn't let that get the best of her. She wouldn't think about Chloe now, or that munchkin who fumbled her short program. She's not even going to think about that arrogant, self-absorbed Kommissar who was going to skate to the music of her own composed theme song for her short program.

Her thoughts were solely on her grandmother. The one who cooked her favorite meal before her flight to Barcelona, the one who skyped her the night before to wish her luck. The one who supported her with each and every step of the way, and who helped Aubrey discover her passion and love for skating,

This one is for you, Aubrey thought to herself as she took her place at the center of the ice.

And as soon as her music started, she was off.

Aubrey felt completely lost to the music, clearing her thoughts of anything else. She was skating to the piece with every movement she made coming from her heart. Chloe and Beca and the competition became a distant memory. The only thing that consumed both her heart and mind was her love for skating. The sense of freedom and the happiness being on the ice brought her. Something she had long forgotten and thankfully rediscovered.

She never skated like that before. She's never felt a kind of peace and tranquility settle within her while she skated before.

Before she knew it, she was already taking her final position on ice, her music dying out. The applause and cheers coming from the audience broke through her thoughts as she found herself surprised to be in the middle of the rink, her short program over.

But the even greater surprise came when Aubrey heard her scores. She was in disbelief.

It was a personal best for sure.

But it also shattered the previous record for the highest short program score for ladies figure skating, one held by Chloe for years.

It was then that Aubrey briefly thought about her best friend. She wondered about what Chloe felt about it, about whether or not she was happy for her – of course she was – or if she was surprised herself.

More than that, the thought had finally sunk in that finally, she had caught up to her.

She didn't live in Chloe's shadow any more.

Aubrey jumped up, fist pumping before being escorted by coach away from the kiss and cry, a new kind of confidence simmering beneath her skin.

I can do this, I can really do this, Aubrey thought to herself. It's no longer just a dream.

I can actually, truly win.


The rest of the competition went by smoothly. Beca felt happy for Aubrey for finally finding her agape, and putting on a short program of a lifetime, breaking the record Chloe held for the highest score in the ladies' short. A few unexpected things happened, with Kommissar bottling up her short program, her quads turning into singles, and a performance littered with shaky transitions had landed her on sixth place.

By the end of the event, Beca was in fourth. It wasn't a bad place to be, but she had her work cut out for her if she wanted to reach the podium, much less the gold medal she swore to win. Somehow, Chloe's absence had awakened something in her fellow competitors, especially with Stacie and Aubrey who had years of chasing after her propelling them to their current levels.

After the event, Beca felt a shift inside of her. Chloe remained silent as she watched the performances after her turn, and she remained silent still, looking deep at thought, on their way back to their hotel. There was look in her eyes that Beca couldn't quite shake off when she heard Aubrey's score, as if there was filled with fire and the desire to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Once again, Beca wondered if Chloe ever missed the thrill of the competition. If she yearned to return to the ice as one of them, to fight for her title and live out the prime of her career as a venerated skater.

Beca did her best to fight off the thoughts of self-doubt, and for the most part she did, but a new feeling had settled dep inside of her, the feeling of guilt.

She wanted to win, make Chloe proud. And she will. She would fight like hell for it, to make the most of the year Chloe had sacrificed for her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered the words of those around her, she felt the guilt more and more.

And the feeling was crushing her.

Because she loved Chloe, and Chloe loved skating, and it didn't sit well with Beca that she might be taking her away from that.

And for what?

And that night, Beca thought she was doing the right thing. With brave face on, she looked Chloe in the eyes and told her of her decision. "After tomorrow, whatever happens, let's end this and you can stop being my coach. I'll retire as a skater, and you can go back."

But her decision brought about a kind of reaction she wasn't expecting from Chloe. The redhead had been completely caught off-guard that tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I mean, you can reclaim your titles and…" Beca tried to explain, doing her best to lighten the mood.

"That's not just your decision to make, Beca!" Chloe replied fiercely as the silent stream of tears turned into full burst of hurt and anger for her sudden decision to retire once more.

To Beca, it was only natural. She had a hell of a run.

It was time to end it. Her pursuit of skating glory.

But she might have been wrong.

In that moment, she realized how many things she was wrong about.

It wasn't just skating she loved, it was skating with Chloe.

And it wasn't retiring and giving up her blades that was the hardest, most painful thing to do.

It was seeing Chloe Beale cry.