A/N - Thanks to my beta for the read through and the catching of my mistakes. And thank you for all the reviews and feedback I've received so far, including the negative. It simply serves to push me to be better at my storytelling. I may not be 'everyone's cuppa tea', and that's perfectly okay.

Stay safe everyone xx

.oOo. Chapter Eight .oOo.

Luke Bryant stepped out of the small Starbucks, juggling his treasured hot tea and a large Americano, as he tucked a bag of pastries under his arm.

He took a shortcut down Cloverfield Boulevard and a left onto Colorado Avenue towards Universal's main office in Santa Monica. He liked the short walk in the morning, usually asking his taxi driver to drop him off at that particular Starbucks. Jeff, the barista, somehow always made his English Breakfast tea just right, didn't raise an eyebrow at Luke's request for cold milk and he'd vowed never to go anywhere else.

Arriving at the office, he swiped his badge at the scanner, joked with Henry, the security officer, about the freshly spilled coffee on the front of his otherwise pristine white security shirt and took the elevator down to the basement level. Walking along the corridor, he pushed open his office door and was not surprised to find his friend, Beca, staring intently at his laptop screen.

"Early start?" He said, by way of greeting, as he set both cups down on his desk, pushing one towards her.

"Yeah, gotta leave by twelve today." She said, her voice quiet and strained.

"Today is the day, huh?"

"Yup." Beca said, pushing herself back from the desk and spinning around on the chair to face Luke as he placed his bags down on the small sofa he had in his office. She wouldn't meet his eye, a look Luke knew well. It meant Beca was really uncomfortable and probably hasn't slept.

"These are for you." Luke said, handing over the bag of pastries.

"Why?"

"Because I know you. I know you won't have eaten this morning. And you've got a stressful day ahead of you and you need some sugar to get through it. So drink up and eat up and get out of my seat." He said, playfully giving her a shove.

"Shove it up your ass Bryant." She said, opening the bag and reaching for her favourite Danish.

"Oh, you wish." Luke said, grinning as Beca shuffled over towards the couch. He could see how tired she looked and how much the last few days had caught up with her.

"Thank you." She said, in a small voice, nibbling on the edge of the pastry. "I'll pay you back for this."

"You are welcome. And no, you won't." Luke said, turning to the screen. "What are you working on?"

"Something Shawn sent over a few weeks ago. A side project he's working on, for that summer charity event he got involved in."

"Mendes?"

"No, Connery. He's wanting to do one last Bond movie at nearly ninety years old and is singing the cover song."

"Quite the joker this morning, aren't we?" Luke mirthed, reaching over for his tea and not taking his eyes off the screen. "This looks good."

"Yeah, I played with the bass a bit. It sounded squeaky. I tightened up the echo band and runner number four."

Luke nodded approvingly and continued looking through the virtual deck on his screen for a couple of minutes. He'd worked at Universal Music Group for over three years, after he'd finished college, instead of heading back to England to enrol in the Royal Air Force. His uncle Tom had offered him Jesse's place on the intern program and while Luke had initially rejected the suggestion out of respect for his friend, he'd soon come around to the idea that he'd be honouring his friend.

He'd worked hard in the program, refusing any special favours from his uncle so he could get the job on his own merit and was now currently one of the most up and coming producers. He had months of work lined up and had gotten permission to add two assistants to his roster because he was so in demand.

He'd met Beca by chance two and a half years previously.

Luke had been walking by the Santa Monica Pier, taking a slow stroll back to his apartment in Ocean Park when he happened upon a group of street performers, who were just finishing packing up early as the light rain that had been threatening since midday had made its appearance.

The pier was usually a good place to find local talent and while he knew he'd not likely find the next Justin Bieber or Ed Sheeran, he'd sourced a couple of studio musicians for Universal.

That particular evening, as the performers made a mad dash for cover, he's been captivated by the young girl who was singing her heart out, refusing to move because of the rain. He'd stood watching her for a few minutes, keeping dry under his large umbrella as her voice carried over the sounds of that cars on the street behind him. A few people walked over to throw a few coins into the plastic bucket she had in front of her and she nodded her thanks to them as she belted out her song.

He was about to walk away, conscious of the fact he was staring and had no coins on him to give her when the wind caught hold of her hood and blew it back from her face. His eyes widened in surprise when he recognised her. They hadn't spoken to each other since Jesse died, despite him trying to find her on several occasions to see how she was doing but he knew her face immediately.

He missed his college friend and their easy friendship and wished he'd gotten her number to keep in touch with Jesse's best friend.

He couldn't quite believe she was standing in front of him, singing over the rain that was now a steady downpour. She looked up to the sky in disgust and he could see her inner turmoil as he could tell she knew that it would be ridiculous to continue. The crowds had already scattered. Smiling to himself, he walked over to her, just as she bent down to collect her change bucket.

"I thought you didn't sing." He spoke gently, standing back a little as she jumped up at the sound of his voice.

It took her a few seconds to recognise him but as the wave of acknowledgment flooded her face, he'd smiled his best smile for her.

"I don't." She said, pocketing the coins without counting them. She reached down for her bag and slotted it onto her shoulder. "It's Luke, right?"

"Well remembered." He said, holding out his umbrella over her to shield her from the rain.

"You don't have to do that." She said, pointing up to the umbrella. "I'm already about as wet as can be."

"How have you been?" Luke asked, not making any notion to move away.

"Oh, you know."

"Well, I don't. That's why I asked."

"I'm living the dream." She said sarcastically, pulling her sleeves down over her hands. She shot him a sly grin and he remembered her sarcastic sense of humour. He'd found her fun, that one evening they'd spent together, and he'd always been touched how much she'd desperately tried to look after Jesse the night he'd died.

"Does the dream involve having time to get a coffee?" He asked.

"I should get home."

"How far is home?" Luke asked. "I'd be happy to walk you back there."

"Thanks. But you know the sketchy part of Downtown?"

"Yes?"

"It's the asshole of the sketchy part. Luckily, I have a bus stop one block away from my place but thanks for the offer." She said, making eyes as if she wanted to leave as she jammed her hands in her pocket. "It's nice to see you again Luke."

"And you… Becky." Luke said.

"Beca." She corrected him and he closed his eyes and gave a small chuckle. "What's so funny."

"I'll tell you over a cup of coffee. Please. You can't go home like that. You'll catch a cold."

Beca looked up and down the street a couple of times before idly looking up at the sky again. She was soaked through and a hot drink sounded like a really good idea. She jingled the coins in her pocket, knowing she'd not made that much money that evening and shook her head.

"I've got just enough bus fare to get me home so maybe another time?"

"Now I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I invited you out for a coffee and expected you to get your own, would I?" Luke smiled, holding out the crook of his arm for her to take. "I'm friends with the Queen of England if you remember and she'd banish me from ever returning to my motherland if she found out I'd treated a lady so poorly."

"You're really weird, you know that?"

"I've been told that before." Luke laughed. "In fact, it was Jesse that you used to say it to me."

"Yeah, it was definitely one of our catchphrases." Beca said, starting to shiver as her clothes clung to her skin.

"One cup?" Luke offered again, seeing her waiver. "Then I'll make sure you get on your bus safely to Sketchyville."

"Okay, okay, one cup."

Luke nodded and waited for Beca to take his arm. She looped her hand through and clung onto his elbow, sidestepping a huge puddle as they began to walk. Luke could feel her cold hands through his many layers of clothes and quickly headed off towards the dining area around the pier.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, seeing the sign for the Cheesecake Factory.

"No. And I'm not exactly dressed for eating out anyway."

"I didn't ask that!" Luke said.

Beca knew she had a dollar in her left boot that she kept for emergencies, in case she lost her bus fare home. She knew that she could possibly get a cheeseburger at McDonalds if they were doing their dollar menu.

"McDonalds?" She said, noting the golden arches weren't too far away.

"The dinner choice of champions."

They made their way through the empty streets towards the restaurant. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded and there were plenty of empty tables. Luke held the door open for Beca and followed her inside after folding his umbrella, spying a table for four near to a small wall mounted heater.

Touched by his thoughtfulness, Beca took a seat near to the warmth and unzipped her thin hoodie, shrugging it off of her shoulders in an effort to dry it out a little.

"Here, let me…" Luke said, holding his hand out for the wet jacket. She handed it over to him as he shook it out, placing it onto the back of the chair opposite Beca and turning it so the back of it was close to the warm air. He looked back at her, easily spotting that her arms were dotted with goosebumps. She shivered a little and pulled a hair tie from around her wrist, tying her hair up into a messy bun to keep the wetness off of her neck. She tucked a couple of loose strands behind her ear as Luke hung his waterproof coat on the back of the chair.

"Right, I'll go order. What will you have?" He asked. "Coffee and…?"

"A dollar cheeseburger please. I've got a dollar here." She said, reaching into her pocket for some quarters.

"No, please, this is on me."

"I agreed to let you buy me coffee, not a meal." Beca started to protest. She could see she was about to lose the argument. "Just a cheeseburger, please."

"Okay, anything else." Luke said and Beca shook her head. She was hungry but not about to admit that to Luke. He cast his eyes over her once more before nodding politely and heading to the counter to order. He noted how thin her arms were, how pale her cheeks were and guessed that if she were busking for change, times might have been a little hard for her.

He returned a couple of minutes later with a tray full of food. Setting it down on the table, he handed Beca her coffee which she eagerly accepted and wrapped her fingers around it quickly, trying to warm up her hands. She stared down at the cup and closed her eyes.

Seeing how cold she still was, Luke pulled off his v neck sweater and walked around the other side of the table. Sensing him move behind her, Beca's eyes flew open as Luke unceremoniously threaded her head through the neck hole of his sweater.

"You're cold." He stated as he backed away from her, fearing he'd over stepped a little.

"So will you be if you lend me this." Beca said, looping her fingers around the fabric as if to remove it.

"I'm layered up." Luke said, pulling the neck of his long sleeved shirt down to reveal a tee shirt and a tank top underneath. "I'm good. Please get warm."

Beca reluctantly pushed her arms through the sleeves, marvelling at the softness of the material. She folded the ends of the sleeves over a couple of times.

"Thank you." She said.

"Don't mention it. Now, dig in."

Beca looked at the tray of food in front of Luke and couldn't see the cheeseburger she'd asked for. She winced a little, knowing she didn't have enough money for a meal as her expenses had been quite high over the last few weeks and although Luke had offered to pay for it, there was no way she was going to let him do that. Luke noticed her staring at the food.

"I don't mean to be rude but you look like you needed something more than a cheeseburger."

"You don't have to-"

"-And I wanted the time to talk with you and figured a meal would stretch our time a little."

"I'm not used to this."

"And I'm not used to having someone to hang out with. So please, share this with me. My treat, in exchange for someone my age to talk to."

Beca nodded and reached for a packet of fries. She hadn't had those since she'd quit working at the McDonalds in Flintstone in what seemed like another lifetime.

"Thank you." She said again.

"I'm going to assume that you aren't used to people doing things for you, are you?" Luke asked, watching Beca as she shook her head.

"No, I take care of myself."

"And how is life treating you?" Luke asked, reaching for a burger.

"I do okay. We're managing."

"We?"

"Jessie and I." Beca said.

Luke stopped in mid bite and stared at her. Beca watched him gulp.

"My daughter." She explained and saw Luke's face light up.

"I didn't know you had a little girl!" He said, chewing as he spoke. "How old is she?"

"She is a year and four months. Birthday is July."

"How wonderful. Do you have a picture?"

"I do." Beca said, wiping her salty fingers on her jeans and reaching into her pocket for her phone. She quickly scrolled to a recent picture and held it out for Luke to see.

"Oh, she's beautiful Beca."

"Yeah, she's okay!" Beca smiled. "I think I commented that she looked like a deep fried alien when she was born, but now she's filled out a bit, she's okay."

"What gorgeous red hair she has."

"Fiery hair and a fiery temper." Beca laughed, locking her phone and laying it down on the table.

"Oh dear!" Luke mused.

"She's a good kid. Very adaptable really. But she's not shy in letting the world know when she isn't happy."

"What's she into?"

"At the moment, books. She loves to turn a page, runs her fingers over the words. She loves anything rabbit related, has a bunny that my friend bought for her when she was born that she loves to death. She adores animals in general. Quite a typical girly girl, really."

"Where is she now?"

"Oh, my friend looks after her while I'm working. I have to do my friends laundry as payment but I'm grateful for her. I couldn't do what I do without her help."

"Her dad not able to help out?" Luke asked carefully after a few moments. He didn't know if it was considered rude to ask.

Beca thought carefully before answering. She wasn't used to sharing so many details about her private life and especially with someone she barely knew. On the other hand, she was grateful to Luke for the food and comfort he was affording her. She remembered him well from Jesse's college stories and how much Jesse liked him. She knew Jesse wanted her to have more friends, it was something they had discussed regularly.

Luke took her silence as if he had offended and tentatively reached over the table towards her.

"My apologies, that was very blunt of me."

"No, it's cool." Beca said. "No easy way to say this, but I named her Jessie after her dad. My best friend is her dad. Jesse."

She watched Luke absorb the news for a moment or two, his eyebrows shooting towards his hairline.

"Wow." He beamed. "I remember from college Jesse talking about how he wanted to be a dad. He never mentioned you were-"

"-He didn't know." Beca blurted out. "I mean, he…"

She gulped down the hard lump in her throat and peeled the lid off of her coffee. She took a sip before meeting Luke's gaze.

"We… um, the night he died… we…"

"… I understand."

Beca nodded, grateful she didn't need to explain any further. She opened the box of nuggets in front of her and quickly ate a couple of them as they sat in silence for the longest time.

"I miss him." Luke said, laying his half-eaten burger down in front of him.

"Me too."

"He was a good guy. One of the best. I've never found a friend like him since… and I'm not sure I want to."

"Yeah."

"And I know he'd be thrilled to have a daughter." Luke said, nodding slowly.

"I think so too. I'd bet my life he never thought it would be with me though."

"Oh, don't be so sure. He loved you. Often called you his knight in shining armour!"

"I had to rescue his silly face on more than one occasion! Stupid asshole was always getting into trouble, one way or another."

"That, I don't doubt."

"But as a little kid, he rescued me too."

"In what way?" Luke asked kindly.

"A bit like you are doing now, actually. Warm clothes and food."

"Tough childhood?" Luke asked.

"Something like that."

They ate silently for a couple of minutes, Beca posting fries into her mouth rhythmically.

"So where are you working now?" Beca asked. "I thought you were going to fly planes or something."

"I stayed here, began working for my uncle. He's in development over at Universal. It felt like the right path."

"Oh yeah, I remember something about that. Jesse was going to take an internship with him."

"That's right. I, um, well I took the internship and it's going really well, actually."

"Good." Beca said, popping another nugget into her mouth.

"You don't mind?"

"Mind? It's nothing to do with me. Be silly to waste an opportunity though and Jesse would have been the first to have said that."

"How about you? Aside, from singing in the rain."

"Oh, I do a bit of this, bit of that to get by."

"Like what?" Luke pushed.

"I moved out here to pursue my dream of working in music. But there's not much call for someone who simply likes doing it. I saved up enough to buy some decks off of a really shady guy and have done a few parties, bar mitzvahs and sweet sixteens. I don't charge much as I'm just trying to get a name for myself."

"You DJ?"

"Well, yeah. It doesn't bring in a lot, but it sure helps."

"What's the dream?"

"I want to make music, not just play it."

"Producer?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I can help you out with that."

"How?"

"I was given the green light just last week to hire a couple of part time assistants. You'd have to go through the intern program which can take a couple of years but I'd do all I can to help you get through it. It is paid, which is quite rare. And then you can come and work with me afterwards."

"You'd do that for me?" Beca asked, trying not to act as if her interest piqued suddenly.

"There was clearly a reason why I ran into this evening. Perhaps Jesse had something to do with it."

"I'd have been more grateful if he'd dropped a winning lotto ticket into my lap."

Luke laughed loudly, causing a couple of the other customers to look around. Beca liked hearing his laugh.

"How about it?"

"Don't you need a college degree to get into the intern program?"

"You do but I'll make a case for you."

"But you don't know if I'm any good."

"I heard you sing."

"That's hardly the same thing."

"But…" Luke held up a finger. "… If you can sing a capella like that, hold a tune and make your voice heard in the cold and damp, then I'm excited to see what else you can do. Jesse always said you were talented and was twice the musician he was. Can you play any instruments?"

"Only what I learned on the instruments at school."

"Did you do any exams?

"Yeah, graduated high school."

"No, music exams."

"Um, not really, a couple of recitals, I guess. The music teacher let me borrow the instruments when no one else was using them. I couldn't take the piano home but I taught myself how to play the others."

"The others?" Luke asked. "How many can you play?"

"Piano, although I'm a bit clunky. Guitar and violin aren't too bad, I did a couple of exams. I've not played on a full drum kit for ages but can hold sticks pretty well."

"Wow."

"What can you play?" Beca asked, hoping her lack of music theory wouldn't be a problem.

"Um, just the triangle!" Luke laughed. "Never even progressed to the tambourine."

"Hey, the triangle takes skill."

"Apparently. How long have you been playing those instruments?"

"I did it all in my final year of school. Enough to record a couple of demo tracks with Jesse. That was a fun day."

"You learned all of that in one year."

"Yeah, but I'm rusty. I've borrowed instruments over the years but it's not the same as having my own."

"So we need to get you on board with Universal pretty quick. Beca… what do you think about my offer?"

"I don't quite know what to say."

"Other than you'll come by Universal's main office, say Tuesday, and you can show us what you can do, then you don't need to say anything. Like I said, it's part time, but it's a start."

"Oh, I'll take part time." Beca said, the excitement in her voice evident. "I've got an interview next week to potentially do a set at Avalon, so if that goes well, part time would really sit well with me."

"Avalon huh?"

"Yeah, I did a sweet sixteen party for some rich kid... actually, not too far from here and her dad knew someone who knew someone who got me a trial."

"Fingers crossed life is going to get a little easier for you."

"The one thing I want to do is move. We lodge in a house and sharing a bathroom is just no fun."

"What are you looking for?"

"Something cheap. I have a camper van but it's just too cold in the winter. My kid has asthma and damp just isn't good for her. I can't really afford an apartment but hopefully, if my luck changes, I might be able to swing something dirt cheap. Don't need fancy."

"Where are you looking?"

"As long as I've got a parking spot and access to a metro stop, I don't really care. Why?"

"My brother, James, is heading back to England for a couple of years. His wife needs to return home for work. He has a place near Los Feliz. It's tiny but safe and decent."

"Thanks, but I couldn't afford the rent if it's-"

"-Let me speak with him. Doesn't hurt to ask. It's only a single room but it's got its own bathroom, kitchen and there's even a lovely park close by for your little girl."

"Okay, thank you." Beca said, picking up her phone to check the time. She was surprised to see a couple of hours had passed.

"Do you need to get home for your little girl?"

"No, she's at my friends place, I'm picking her up in the morning. They do some weird movie marathon and eat popcorn until Jessie almost pukes. But I should get home before it gets too dark. Like I said earlier, I live in Sketchytown." Beca said, beginning to take off Luke's sweater.

"Keep it for now." Luke said, stopping her. "Just let me have it back the next time we see each other."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks." Beca said, watching Luke pick up her hoodie from the back of the chair. He held it away from him for a moment before handing it over to Beca to put on. "It was Jesse's."

"I didn't notice it earlier!" Luke said, noting their college logo on it. "It's good to have something of his you can wear."

Luke collected the tray from the table and carried it over to the trash. He picked up his jacket and umbrella and together they walked away from the warmth of the building. Thankfully it had stopped raining.

"Will you be okay to get the bus back this late?" Luke asked as they began to walk towards the bus stop.

"Yeah, it'll be full of handsy drunks at this time of night, but I've got pepper spray."

"You would be welcome to stay at my place tonight. I've got a pull out couch."

"It's fine. Honestly, I'm used to it."

"It's now a problem for me though. Now that I know it's not the safest way to travel. I'd be happy to pay for a taxi for you."

"I'm definitely not letting you do that." Beca said, shivering a little in the cool night air. "Dude, how are you not cold?"

"England never gets warmer than about sixty five degrees. The cold doesn't bother me anyway."

"Alright Elsa." Beca quipped and Luke laughed loudly again.

"Are you sure I can't interest you in a beer at my place? We could discuss the job in more detail." Luke said, desperate for Beca not to take the bus home this late. He could see her wavering. "I have a pull out couch if you want to stay over. Can't promise anything fancy for breakfast but I could borrow my Uncle's car in the morning and run you back home or to collect your little girl."

"Dude, if you need a friend that badly…" Beca trailed off.

Luke took that as a positive response and whipped out his phone and tapped away on the screen for a minute before locking it and slipping it back into his inside pocket.

"Uber is on its way."

"We could have walked."

"You're cold and I'm lazy so…"

The Uber soon arrived and within twenty minutes, they were both in Luke's apartment, sharing a couple of beers that Luke had found in the back of his fridge. Beca sat cross legged in his small lounge area, gently running her fingers over Luke's extensive and impressive vinyl collection as Luke listened to a couple of voicemails and buttered some crumpets in the kitchen.

"Rain's finally stopped." He said, handing Beca a small plate.

"Dude, just how English are you?" Beca asked, taking in the hot buttered crumpets. She inhaled the sweet fragrance for a second or two, feeling like she was about to enjoy the nicest luxury she'd had in a very long time.

"Very." He ruminated as he took a seat on the couch. "Find anything you like?"

"I swear I just saw an original pressing of an ABBA album from nineteen seventy four." Beca said before taking a bite out of one of the crumpets.

"You did. Waterloo. Belonged to my grandmother."

"Wow."

"You can play it if you like."

"No, it's okay." Beca said, waggling her slightly greasy fingers in his direction.

"Here, I'll get it." Luke said, standing up. He was about to select the record they'd been talking about when Beca subtly pointed to a small pile of albums on the floor beside her. He grinned and nodded towards the sofa. "Please, take a seat."

Falling onto the comfortable couch, Beca watched as Luke slipped the first record onto the turntable and the room was soon filled with the sound of Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses.

"You never did tell me why you laughed when I corrected my name earlier by the way." Beca said, settling into the deep cushions more than she meant to. It had been a while since she'd been that comfortable and she sighed. She was surprising herself with how easy it was, with Luke, in his apartment. She didn't let many people into her life but she found she was already wondering if he'd be free to meet up again after she went along to Universal's main office.

"Oh, that!" Luke laughed. "Well, do you remember a guy called Mason Bates from college? Did Jesse ever mention him?"

"Yeah, dude looked like a hamster but was an orchestral genius. Heard he won an award with the London Symphony."

"That's right." Luke confirmed, impressed she knew who he was. "You told Jesse, after listening to some of his work, that the guy needed to add a little something to his music."

Beca nodded along.

"Well, he did. He added the electronics you mentioned. And won the award for innovation." Luke explained. "He wanted to give you credit for it and asked me what your name was. I told him it was Becky as I thought that's what it was. So, it's on his album cover as 'inspired by Becky Friend'."

"My claim to fame!" Beca mused.

"You've made it!" Luke laughed, setting his plate down. He gestured towards the rest of the sleeved records by Beca's foot. "What else do you have in that pile?"

They discussed music for well over an hour, sharing their different perspectives on what made music so enjoyable. Beca even let Luke listen to a couple of her own tunes and one of her mash ups and he got the impression she didn't really do that for everyone.

As Luke excused himself to use the bathroom, Beca pulled out her phone and sent a message to Amy.

message from beca, to amy.h: 21.47 - Hi, everyone okay? J asleep?
message from amy.h, to becaroo: 21.47 - Yup, Mini Mitch is playin' with sharp knives and drinkin' vodka
message from beca, to amy.h: 21.47 - She'd still be less reckless than you
message from amy.h, to becaroo: 21.48 - How'd yoos get on tonight?
message from beca, to amy.h: 21.48 - Weather tanked but met up with an old friend of Jesse's instead, having a drink at his place
message from amy.h, to becaroo: 21.48 - Sweet!
message from beca, to amy.h: 21.49 - Yeah, he's gonna try and get me an interview at Universal
message from amy.h, to becaroo: 21.49 - Be awesome if he did
message from beca, to amy.h: 21.49 - Yeah. See you around 8 tomorrow?
message from amy.h, to becaroo: 21.50 - Cool. Night.
message from beca, to amy.h: 21.50 - Night and thanks again

Beca pocketed her phone and drained the last of her beer just as Luke came out of the bathroom.

"Another?" He asked, nodding towards her empty bottle, as she set it down on the small side table.

"That would be great, thanks."

"No problem." Luke said, heading towards the kitchen.

They fell into a comfortable silence after Luke returned, sharing their last couple of years with each other whilst they listened to Luke's music. Without meaning to, Beca fell asleep on the sofa and woke up to the room in darkness, just after midnight.

She noticed a blanket had been laid over her and a pillow wedged into her side. She was touched by Luke's kind gesture as she sat up to remove her shoes. She ran her fingers through her hair and debated about leaving to head back home but realised there wasn't anything to head back for. Instead, she crossed the living room to use the bathroom, noting that Luke had left a new toothbrush out for her with a note attached explaining it was for her. She took a look at herself in the mirror as she quickly washed her face, noting for the first time in many months that there was a lightness to her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she'd had some time out from her life and had some fun.

As Beca went back to sleep that night, wrapped up in Luke's warm blanket, she sent a silent prayer of thanks up to Jesse for being Luke's friend.

.oOo.