Beca

Beca met the group at the empty pool where they'd done the riff-off. She'd chosen the place not only for its amazing acoustics, but it was also the place where she'd first felt like they'd become a group.

"All right, let's remix this business," said Beca as she led the group to the middle of the pool, part of her a little surprised that everyone, especially Aubrey, was following her. "Aubrey, would you pick a song for us, please?"

"Bruno Mars, 'Just the Way You Are.'"

"Okay," said Beca, taking just a beat to think of a song to layer in.

"I'll take the lead," said Chloe.

"What?" asked Beca. "Are you sure?"

"The song doesn't go high enough to bother me. I'm fine. I promise."

Beca knew there was no arguing with Chloe, so she cleared her throat and began to conduct and vocalize the opening piano notes. She was about four bars in when she nodded at each girl to begin her part. Once she had the instrumental and background parts in, she signaled Chloe to begin.

Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful and I tell her every day

She locked eyes with her girlfriend as she layered in "Just a Dream."

I was thinking bout her, thinkin' bout me
Thinkin' bout us, what we gon' be
Open my eyes yeah, it was only just a dream
It was only just a dream

The group continued, everyone's confidence increasing as they continued. Beca was surprised at how quickly Aubrey was able to switch from one song to the other.

So I traveled back, down that road
Will she come back, no one knows
I realize yeah, it was only just a dream

Beca even got the group going with some stamping and clapping to the beat as they sang. They'd even managed to end the mashup together. Every single Bella was smiling ear to ear when the song ended.

Aubrey simply said, "Hands in." The group got into a circle, and, finally, got the "aca-huddle" correct.

The biggest surprise, however, was the note that came out of Chloe's mouth. It was definitely a bass note. She clapped her hand over her mouth in surprise.

"What was that?" asked Fat Amy.

"I don't know. I've never made that sound before," said Chloe.

"With your messed up vocal cords, you can hit the bass notes!" exclaimed Cynthia Rose.

"Do you know what that means?" asked Aubrey.

Lilly raised her hand.

"Yes, Lilly," said Aubrey.

They all leaned in.

"I think I have something that can help us out," she said, the acoustics of the area making it possible for everyone to hear her.

"Excuse me, bitch. You don't need to shout," said Fat Amy while everyone laughed.

"Everyone, pizza party at our apartment!" called Aubrey.

"Great idea," said Beca.

"Should I call an Uber?" asked Stacie, pulling out her phone.

"Aubrey, do you and Chloe both have your cars here?" asked Beca.

"Yes."

"I think we can probably fit everyone in our cars. No Uber needed. Let's head over," said Beca.

They divided the group and headed over to Aubrey and Chloe's apartment. After a rather involved discussion regarding pizza toppings shortly after arriving at the apartment (Beca had to stop Aubrey from making a spreadsheet), they ordered a bunch of pizzas.

Beca brought over her laptop with some mixes and played them for the group over some Bluetooth speakers while they waited.

The group spent a good amount of time chatting and getting to know each other. They even managed to drag a few details out of Beca about her time on Broadway.

"So, you were the only child in the show?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah. I know my hours worked with whatever child labor laws were in place, but, other than that, and tutoring breaks, I didn't receive special treatment."

"Where did you live?" asked Jessica.

"With my grandmother," she said. "She lives in New York, and that's why I auditioned."

"What?" asked Fat Amy.

"Okay, brief history. My parents have been divorced since I was eight. I lived with my mom in Seattle most of the time. My dad lives here, but I didn't spend a ton of time here. Gram is from my dad's side, but she still gets along with my mom. My mom brought me to New York to see her as a birthday gift, and there had been an open audition. I'd done some community theater when I was little, but nothing else. I don't think my mom expected me to land the part, so she agreed to let me go. And, once I got the part, she wasn't exactly going to say no. So, I spent my seventh-grade year living with Gram. My parents came up to visit sometimes, and they even watched my show a few times. I don't think I understood the big deal about being nominated for a Tony at that age. I just thought I'd done a good job. My mom and grandmother even took me shopping for a new dress to wear. I wore my mom's wedding veil as a shawl to the awards."

Stacie already had her phone out. "Found it," she said. She showed the group a photo of a very young Beca on the red carpet.

The other Bellas all took turns looking at the picture and saying, "Awww…"

"Why didn't you tell any of us this?" asked Chloe. "Or, at least, me?"

"It's weird," she said. "I was twelve, and I didn't act after that. I didn't want it to seem like I was bragging. It doesn't really come up in conversation."

"I still can't believe you did that," said Stacie. "I never would have guessed."

"It was a one-time thing," said Beca. "Anyway, can we please talk about something else?"

"So, Beca," said Aubrey. "We have a month until the finals. What do we do?"

Beca cleared her throat, still somewhat shocked that Aubrey had handed over the reins. "I think I'd like some input from everyone. If you have a pen and paper available, I'll write down a list of song ideas. I can see what mashes up together."

Aubrey went to her bedroom and quickly came back with a notepad and pen.

"Okay," said Beca. The others immediately tossed out suggestions of songs as Beca tried to write them down as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Aubrey?" asked Cynthia Rose.

"Yes?"

"Is it okay if we choose songs that aren't made famous by women?"

"I…" she mulled it over. "I guess anything is fine. Just, remember, though, no profanity allowed. ICCA rules."

"'Give Me Everything' by Pitbull," said Cynthia Rose. Beca wrote it down.

"I have another question," said Ashley.

"Okay."

"Can we change up the uniforms?" asked Ashley.

"We don't have the budget for new ones," said Aubrey. "I have just enough to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms for everyone. And that's with us squeezing into two hotel rooms. There's hardly any money left."

"What if we chose our own outfits?" asked Jessica. "We could keep it to the Bellas color scheme, and everyone would still wear the scarf. But, maybe, we could wear it however we want."

Beca could hear several members of the group murmur their agreement.

"Aubrey, I think Jessica and Ashley have a great idea. Everyone has to pick out their outfit beforehand, though. You and I would have final approval," said Chloe.

"I've worn that uniform for four years," said Aubrey.

"Which means it's time for a change!" exclaimed Chloe.

"I'm willing to see what everyone comes up with," said Aubrey. "I guess if we're changing our sound, we might as well change our look. So, yeah, okay. And you can do what you want with your hair, too."

"I think I found some shoes," said Ashley, who had been searching on her phone. "I think the Bella heels have to go."

Ashley pulled up a picture of some funky black sneakers with heels.

"No, no, no," said Fat Amy. "No more heels!"

Jessica pulled up a picture of black low-top Converse sneakers. "You could wear these."

"I can do that," said Fat Amy.

"Great," said Beca. "What about choreography? It's not really my strong suit. I'm much better at putting music together."

"I can help with that," said Stacie. "I took dance as a kid."

"So did I," said Chloe. "Would you like to work together?"

"Yeah," said Stacie.

"So, Lilly?" asked Beca. "What was your idea?"

Lilly mumbled something before demonstrating some rather intricate beatboxing.

"Where did you learn that?" asked Beca.

Lilly mumbled again. It sounded a lot like "Donald." Beca wasn't sure if Aubrey would get upset about anything involving a Treble, so she didn't ask her to repeat herself.

The group had a great time simply chatting and enjoying each other's company, something they hadn't done before.

"Hey Beca, how long will it take you to come up with a new arrangement?" asked Aubrey.

"I can probably have something preliminary by Friday," she said. "I'll let you know if I have something earlier."

"Okay," said Aubrey. "Everyone, take some time off. We'll start practice again on Saturday. 8 am sharp."

Beca found herself disappointed when it got late and they had to drive everyone back to their dorms.

Chloe

Chloe dropped her group of Bellas off at Barden, making sure to wait until they were safely inside Baker Hall before pulling away. She was glad to see Beca parking her car as she pulled into the lot at her apartment building.

"Hey," said Chloe.

"Hey."

"Do you want to stay over at my place tonight?"

"What about Aubrey?" she asked.

"Remember, it's my place, too. And she actually texted me to tell me she's staying with Stacie at her place tonight. Her roommate isn't back yet and they wanted a change of scenery."

"Okay," said Beca. "Let me just grab some things from mine and I'll walk right over."

Chloe walked into her apartment and opened up her suitcase to unpack. Her mom had washed everything, so she was glad to not have to do any laundry. She was just putting the last pair of socks in her drawer when she heard her doorbell.

She opened the door, pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss the minute she'd stepped over the threshold.

"Miss me?" asked Beca, pulling away.

"So much," said Chloe. She led her girlfriend into her bedroom.

"Where should I put this?" asked Beca, holding up her overnight bag.

"Over there," said Chloe, gesturing to a chair in the corner.

She sat on the bed once Beca had dropped her bag and pulled her girlfriend onto her lap. Beca immediately began kissing down her jawline. Chloe reached under Beca's shirt and pulled her close. She turned to reconnect their lips, deciding that the twenty seconds she'd spent without her lips on Beca's was way too long.

"You know what?" asked Chloe. "We've never made love in my bed."

"We'd better fix that," said Beca, hopping off of Chloe's lap.

Chloe pulled back the covers of the bed. She felt Beca begin to tug at the hem of her shirt as she turned around.

"Let's take this off," said Beca, removing Chloe's shirt. Chloe immediately pulled Beca's shirt over her head.

She pulled Beca close, peppering kisses down the girl's neck as she unhooked her bra. Beca reached around to unhook Chloe's bra, and the two pulled apart just long enough to remove their own bras the rest of the way.

Beca climbed back into her lap, her lips reattaching to Chloe's before she'd even sat down. Chloe loved the feeling of the smaller girl in her lap, chests touching without anything between them. She pulled Beca close to her and slowly moved her hand down to grab at her ass, causing the other girl to gasp before continuing to kiss her, somehow even deeper than before. Beca soon began to grind her hips into Chloe's.

She then got off of Chloe's lap and quickly yanked off her jeans and underwear before sitting back down. Chloe reached in between them and began to gently stroke at Beca's clit.

"Fuck," said Beca. "You feel so good."

Chloe felt through Beca's folds, noting how wet she already was. She easily slipped two fingers inside, and Beca took control, riding Chloe's fingers.

"That's so hot, baby," said Chloe. "I love you so much."

Chloe's words seemed to be just what was needed to push Beca over the edge. She put her head on Chloe's shoulder and held onto her for dear life as she came.

Once Beca appeared to have settled, Chloe whispered, "Beca, I need you."

Beca gently pressed her hands to Chloe's shoulders. "Lie down," she said.

Chloe lay down, and she felt Beca open her jeans. She lifted her hips so Beca could take them and her underwear off of her.

Beca then began to press kisses up one inner thigh, and then the other before putting her mouth where Chloe really wanted it. She lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows so she could watch Beca. Beca caught her eye and locked her gaze with hers as she licked and sucked until Chloe was a quivering mess. She threw her head back and screwed her eyes shut as she came.

Chloe smiled as she felt Beca snuggle up to her. She wrapped her arm around her girlfriend, feeling happier than she had in a while.

"Chloe?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Very funny," said Beca, and Chloe swore she could feel the girl's eye roll.

"You can ask me anything you want."

"That time I heard you and Tom in the shower, why did you tell him you'd get electrocuted?"

"You heard that," said Chloe.

"The walls in the building are paper-thin, and that's not exactly a word you hear people say very often," said Beca. "So?"

"He wanted to use one of my toys in the shower, but I didn't know whether or not it was waterproof."

Beca laughed. "So, did you ever figure that out?"

"No, I didn't."

"I've never actually used a toy," Beca said. "I don't even own any."

"We could try some of mine if you want," said Chloe.

"Maybe next time," said Beca, yawning. "For now, I just want to sleep."

"Okay, let's sleep," said Chloe, turning to face Beca. She pulled her closer and intertwined her legs with her girlfriend's. She felt Beca quickly succumb to sleep. She was still on West Coast time, so she simply lay there for a while, enjoying the feeling of holding Beca while she slept.

That morning, Chloe woke up in her own bed with Beca in her arms for the first time.

"Morning, baby," she said, pressing a kiss to her sleepy girlfriend's lips.

"Morning," Beca said before yawning.

"I love you," said Chloe. "And I love waking up here with you."

"Your bed is really comfy."

"Yeah, but we need to get up. Want to join me in the shower?"

"Something tells me you wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, anyway."

"You know I love showering with you," said Chloe. "But I would if you were serious."

"Thanks. But, yeah, that sounds like fun," said Beca.

They got into the shower, and Chloe thought she knew the perfect song.

I love Paris in the springtime
I love Paris in the fall

"No way!" exclaimed Beca.

Chloe continued anyway.

I love Paris in the winter
When it drizzles
I love Paris in the summer
When it sizzles

"Chloe, I swear to God if you sing one more word of that song, we are never having sex again!"

"You don't mean that."

"Guess we'll find out," said Beca.

Chloe didn't sing another word of it. She instead had another idea. She adopted her most irritating "eager child actor" voice and sang.

Let me entertain you
Let me make you smile
Let me do a few tricks
Some old and then some new tricks
I'm very versatile

"I guess you read the Playbill," said Beca. The song was her character's big number from the time she'd played Baby June in Gypsy in a community theater production.

Chloe nodded. "I'm sure you remember this song."

"I do."

Beca continued.

And if you're real good
I'll make you feel good
I'd want your spirit to climb
So let me entertain you
We'll have a real good time
Yes sir
We'll have
A real good time

"Does your mom have any of this on video?" asked Chloe.

"I don't know. Probably."

They finished their shower, and Chloe was somehow ready before Beca. She walked into the kitchen to see her girlfriend making omelettes for them.

"I'll have to cook for you soon," said Beca. "Did I tell you my mom gave me some cooking lessons over the break?"

"No, you didn't," said Chloe, bringing two plates to the table.

"Yeah, although she started by showing me how to use a toaster," said Beca. "I seriously don't know why she thought I needed a lesson on that."

"That's funny."

"Yeah. She taught me a few basics. It was pretty fun. It's a shame you didn't get to meet her. Maybe this summer. Will you be in Portland?"

"I don't know," said Chloe. "I still haven't figured out what happens. Our lease is up at the end of June. Aubrey and I need to discuss that."

"You probably should," said Beca. "So, what happened over your break?" They'd texted over the break, but with Beca working the night shift and Chloe having surgery, they hadn't actually talked all that much.

"My dad has a new girlfriend. I like her, but she's so much like my mom. She even looks like her."

"Some people have a type."

"Yeah," said Chloe. "I mostly spent my break in a haze from painkillers after the surgery. Before that, though, I spent a little time visiting my brothers and their families. The kids are getting so big."

"That sounds like fun," said Beca. "What about the surgery? Were you scared?"

"A little. I was mostly afraid I wouldn't be able to sing. I can't believe I can hit the bass notes now."

"It makes things easier on my part," said Beca.

"I would bet it does."

"So, I still don't know what to do about Jesse. I hate that he won't talk to me. I know I was a jerk. I talked to my dad about things. I shut him out after he left. It just seemed easier to me, and I guess a part of me carried that. Jesse had only been trying to help me, and I pushed him away. Do you know my mom and I spent a lot of the break watching movies?"

"You watched movies?" asked Chloe.

"Yeah," said Beca. "I can kind of see why Jesse likes them. I went to his place to return his DVD of The Breakfast Club yesterday, and he told me he was done with our friendship until I figured out why I push people away who care about me. But now I don't even know how to tell him."

"You didn't push me away," said Chloe.

"Hard to push someone away who comes barreling in, knocking down all of my walls."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Can you throw something into our finale?"

"That's a thought," said Beca.

They finished breakfast and headed to campus in their respective cars.

Beca

Beca was at the radio station, alone with the stacks of music. Luke had come out of the booth briefly when she'd arrived to praise her good job with the night shift on Spring Break. She'd hoped this would result in an offer to work the booth again, but that didn't happen.

Beca slipped her headphones onto her ears and searched through Spotify for a playlist of movie music. She finally found one and set it to play on shuffle while she stacked the music.

As the track "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds began to play, an idea formed in Beca's head. This just might be the right song to insert into the finale. Beca had told Jesse she'd watched the movie and had gotten the point of it, but this song just might show him that she'd meant what she'd said. The title of the song itself would also send a message. The last thing Beca wanted was for Jesse to forget about their friendship. He'd been such a great support system for her, and she'd made a huge mistake pushing him away. When she'd had time to think about it, she was glad he'd pointed out the fact that she'd been pushing him away. It was better than the silent treatment, and she'd finally been able to talk through things with her dad. He'd been somewhat wrong, though. Beca didn't push away everyone. Chloe was the exception, but the redhead seemed to have that effect on every aspect of Beca's life.

Beca continued to think as she stacked the music. She wondered if part of the reason she and Alex hadn't tried to pursue their relationship long-distance may have been her pushing Alex away.

Seven months ago

Beca snuggled up to Alex on her bed. Her girlfriend brought their lips together for a soft kiss.

"How long until your mom gets home?" asked Alex.

"Maybe an hour," Beca replied as she glanced at the clock in her bedroom.

"Nice." Alex pulled Beca closer. "That felt so good."

"Yeah?"

Alex hummed affirmatively.

"Why didn't anyone tell me how great sex is?"

"I don't know," said Alex. "It sucks that I leave for Michigan tomorrow."

"Well, yeah, but I'll be leaving for Atlanta next week, so it's not like I'm around either."

"Will you be home for Thanksgiving?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure my dad and stepmonster are having me over."

"Is Sheila really that bad?"

"She just always seems to be… 'on' when I'm there. Like she's trying so hard. Maybe she feels guilty for splitting my parents up. I never feel 'at home' when I'm at my dad's."

"That sucks. Christmas?"

"Yeah, I'll be here for Christmas."

"We can spend time together. Maybe I can spring for a flight to Atlanta if you have some time."

Beca let go of Alex and sat up. "What?"

"I don't want to wait four months to see you. I think I have a Fall break, so maybe I can fly down or have you fly up to Michigan."

"Alex, I care a lot about you."

"I care about you too, Beca."

"But, I don't really know if this is going to work when we both go away to college. Long-distance relationships are hard."

"Are you saying you don't want to try?" asked Alex, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I…" said Beca.

"I guess that's my answer."

"Alex!"

"So, after six months of dating, we sleep together and then you dump me. Thanks a lot, Beca," she said, getting off of the bed and putting her clothes on. "I guess you just wanted to cash in your V card. Glad to be of service."

"That's not what I wanted! I wasn't even planning on sleeping together tonight. It just happened."

"Doesn't make me feel any less shitty," said Alex.

"I just...I don't know what I want. Everything's changing."

"Then you've made your choice."

"I guess I have. Besides, what if you meet a great girl out there? I want you to go for it if you do. I don't know what is going to happen to me. I'll go to college long enough to appease my dad, and then I'm off to LA. If we're meant to work out, we'll find each other," said Beca. She moved closer to Alex and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Do you think so?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry you feel used. I just wanted to be close to you tonight since you're going away."

"Were you planning on dumping me when I went off to school?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to hold you back. We're both going somewhere new and we are going to meet so many people," said Beca. "But I'd still like to be your friend."

"I'd like that," said Alex.

As if the girl had read her mind, a text came in from Alex. She had simply asked how the break went, and she'd surprised Beca by telling her she'd listened to her show a few times online. Beca replied that she missed the booth already and she asked Alex to call her that evening after her shift.

"Hi, Alex."

"Hey, Beca. What's up?"

"Do I push people away?" Beca asked.

"Well…"

"You remember I told you about my friend Jesse, don't you?"

"The movie nut, yes."

"Well, he said I push away anyone who cares about me. Is that what I did to you?"

Beca heard Alex sigh. "I think you did. You knew how much I cared about you, and you didn't even want to try and make things work long-distance. Were you pushing me away? Or did you simply not think it was going to work?"

"Both, I think. I had a long talk with my dad yesterday. He left when I was eight, and I just shut him out. I think that maybe that's what I was doing to you, even though I didn't realize it."

"I can see that, and, for the record, I'm not mad. It hurt at the time, especially because we'd just slept together-"

"I can never apologize to you enough for that. That was awful timing."

"It's okay, Beca. It's in the past. I suppose I would have fought harder if there hadn't been a part of me that felt the same way."

"Thanks."

"So, tell me about your girl. Do I get to meet her sometime?" asked Alex.

"Chloe is...amazing. She might be the only person, besides my mom, who I don't push away. And, I hope you can meet her sometime too. How are things with your girl?"

"Leah's great. I think she's going to spend a couple of weeks with me in Seattle this summer. Maybe we can double?"

"Assuming Chloe is in Portland for the summer, I'm sure we can make that work. We could double-date. She's graduating, though, so I don't know what her plans are. She and I really need to talk about that."

"Okay, well, let me know. It's really good to talk to you again."

"It's good to talk to you. See you this summer!"

"See you then."

Aubrey

Chloe was in the kitchen, cooking dinner when Aubrey got back from her classes.

"Smells good," said Aubrey.

"Thank you," said Chloe, flipping the chicken burritos.

They sat down to eat and shared how their day's classes had gone.

"Russian Lit is so tough," said Chloe. "The group project is falling apart."

"Sorry, Chloe," said Aubrey. "I got an A on my Statistics midterm. Stacie helped me study for it."

"Oh, did she?" asked Chloe, wagging her eyebrows.

"She's a math whiz. Did you know she's double majoring in math and chemical engineering?"

"Seriously?" asked Chloe.

"She was valedictorian of her graduating class in high school."

"That's great," said Chloe. After a beat, she said, "So, I have to ask. What would you have done about the minimum number of performers if Beca hadn't come back?"

"What?"

"We wouldn't have had the minimum number of performers for the ICCA's with Beca out."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," said Aubrey. "But, I have no idea. I actually had forgotten. I was so upset with Beca for her improvisation, and then I was so excited to get another chance…"

"Well, I'm glad she's back."

"Me too," said Aubrey.

Chloe smiled and shook her head. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I meant what I said yesterday. I have been hard on everyone, but Beca definitely got the brunt of it. And I really do feel bad for not listening to you. You're my co-captain, and I really should have listened to your ideas and opinions."

"Well, you're listening now. And I'm sure Beca is going to come up with something great."

"I think so too," said Aubrey. "And you and Stacie are going to rock the choreography."