Emily Junk joined the Bellas just before the ICCAs semi final. She had a lot of work to do to make up for the fact that she was a late entry freshman into Barden for second semester, but she was a really young freshman, having graduated high school early. She'd come into a Bellas practice and explained to them her dream of being a Barden Bella - told them her mom was one and that Bellas were family. Chloe and Aubrey let her audition because she was what they called a Legacy Bella. Her audition was her own song writing and she was good. But it wasn't her singing that made Aubrey more inclined to let her into the Bellas. It was her songwriting.

I got all I need when I got you and I, I look around me, and see a sweet life, I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight.

Aubrey knew part of those lyrics from many months before when she'd asked Stacie what her soulmate tattoo said. And as soon as Stacie heard the lyrics, Aubrey watched her posture straighten and her ears perked. She felt like she was all of a sudden watching something all too intimate. Stacie's eyes glowed and darkened as she watched Emily sing. Aubrey invited her to join the Bellas when she was done and let everyone go home after that - mostly so Stacie could take her chance and talk to the girl.

Beca wanted to get involved when Stacie approached Emily, but Aubrey pulled her away. "Maybe let her have this one on her own?" Aubrey asked and Beca gave a protective glacé toward Stacie and Emily before agreeing with her.

The following few weeks were spent preparing Emily for competition and simultaneously making sure to give Stacie and her time alone. Chloe, Aubrey, and Beca made good wingmen, but Stacie asked them to give her a little time before she told Emily about her tattoo. Emily was younger than Stacie expected her to be and wanted to give her a little time before she said anything. Aubrey thought it was sweet and it also reminded her of a little brunette of her own.

Semi finals came quickly and Aubrey was beyond nervous about it. Everyone was a little stressed, everyone was nervous. The time seemed to come and go in a blink of an eye to Aubrey - their set interrupted by Beca's solo of Bulletproof. Just like that Aubrey felt like her dream to finish the competition once and for all - and win - was over. They were out. It was over, hardly before the real competition had begun. Aubrey was heartbroken. And when she looked back at it even an hour later she'd regret everything she did after. Aubrey shouldn't have said what she did to Beca. She shouldn't have ever yelled at her, shouldn't have ever called her self absorbed. Shouldn't have ever said that Beca was trying to screw them up. Shouldn't have called her a pain in her ass. None of it was true. She loved Beca's passion and how much effort she'd been putting into the Bellas despite everything else. Beca was one of the most selfless people she knew - she just wasn't outspoken enough to show it to everyone. She cared so much about the people in her small circle. She didn't mean a lick of what she was saying - she was overreacting about the competition. She was just upset and Beca was the closest thing to an explanation for their failings. For her failings. Deep down, she knew she loved Beca. She just had a hard time with herself.

"Aubrey, don't-" Chloe tried to stop her. "Beca is not-"

"It's okay, Chloe." Beca spoke with a sarcastic tone in her voice and to everyone who didn't know her, they'd think she was mad. But Aubrey had gotten to know her. She could hear the pain lingering in the back of Beca's throat. She could see it in those beautiful blue eyes. "You don't have a pretend you actually have a say in the group. I don't need your help." There was a long silence backstage. "You know what, if this is what I get for trying? I'm done." Aubrey and Chloe's both felt the sting of Beca's words immediately. It wasn't about the Bellas. They could feel it. They knew what Beca meant.

The next few days - week and a half without Beca - was torture for Aubrey and Chloe both. When Chloe wasn't crying, she was stuck on the couch watching sad love movies until she cried again. Spring break was nothing like she'd wanted it to be. They'd gone to Beca's dorm countless times. They'd left flowers, notes, and texted her a million times. She wouldn't answer. She never answered the door, never called them back. Stacie even told them that they had to respect her space on that one, she wouldn't let them in either. Unless they showed up at Beca's job, which they'd never do at the risk of jeopardizing it, they were out of options. Beca had to come to them.

It hasn't helped that there was a constant tension between them. Since Beca left, they'd been uneasy. Chloe wanted to say that nothing would keep them from being together even without Beca. But since Beca had come into their lives, there was another piece of them that would always feel like it was missing without her. Chloe and Aubrey loved each other and they'd be okay. They had plenty of fights in the course of their two years together and plenty of make ups too. Couple fought. It was healthy to fight and they were stable enough to be sure that they'd get over it. They loved each other much more than they cared about whatever fight they were having at the time. They were soulmates.

Chloe and Aubrey felt the same way about this fight with Beca. Even the Bellas mattered less than spending the rest of their lives with Beca. Not that They'd ever tell Beca how much they really wanted that. Beca was too scared for them to confess that strong of feelings at only a few months. Beca needed time and in the last few months they'd made so much progress. Which made this hurt more than anything else. It felt like twenty steps back.

The pain, the longing, and the tension all led up to the bellas practice once spring break came to an end. Aubrey had called an emergency meeting after she got the call that the Bellas were back in the competition over a technicality. Chloe had texted Beca about it too, but still didn't hear back. It was agonizing. Chloe couldn't take it anymore. And she hadn't really meant to cause a scene in front of all the Bellas. She hadn't meant to explode on Aubrey - to tell her that she was wrong about their set list. She hadn't meant to force Aubrey into a fight either. Especially not in front of everyone else.

Beca had only really decided to come last minute - after a really long talk with Stacie about how important soulmates were and how bad Chloe and Aubrey wanted to apologize. But to Beca it was a formality now. She'd told them since day one that she could never get in between them. She couldn't fuck up their relationship. Their semi final performance was just proof that she would ruin it. She was going to tell them that she couldn't do any of it anymore. She'd rehearsed it in her head over and over.

Beca also hadn't slept much at all. Before the semi finals, she was having trouble enough with the nightmares that came and went. After though, it was much worse. She couldn't close her eyes without having another one fill her head. She'd gotten less than two hours of sleep since. And Stacie had noticed, which is how they ended up having a long conversation about how to solve the matter. Stacie wanted Beca to give Aubrey and Chloe a chance. Beca wouldn't let herself get between them.

The script she'd carefully plan left her head when she turned the corner to the audition room and found an even bigger fight than the semi finals fight had been. Chloe and Aubrey were at each other's throats and the other Bellas were just watching the show. Beca couldn't breath. The same panic attack that embraced her after every nightmare overwhelmed her. Her hands started to shake, her eyes brimmed with tears. Every part of her being felt foreign to her. This was her worst nightmare, come to life.

The big gym doors closed and echoed through the room. The fight stopped immediately and all eyes from everywhere looked at her. Beca was a frozen deer in headlights, flinching at the echoed sound of her entrance. The panic attack overwhelmed her as Chloe and Aubrey looked at her. Their eyes were in so much pain that Beca couldn't handle it. She had caused this. It was all her fault. She was back out the door before her mind could catch up to her legs.

"Beca, wait!" She heard the footsteps of the girls after her. They were yelling for her to stop - pleading or her to wait for them. She couldn't handle the pain in their voices. She couldn't run for too long. She was too tired and she had no chance of outrunning them. They did so much more cardio than she did. She stopped in a long hall of empty classrooms and slammed her back against the wall. Her lungs were ready to explode. Her eyes were streaming tears and she hated herself for crying.

The girls caught up and stopped a few feet away from her. "Please, just don't." Beca pleaded. "I can't do this anymore. Please." She was saying in between sobs and labored breaths. "The two of you need to just forget about this - just… let me go."

There was a beat of silence before Aubrey took a step forward. "We couldn't forget about you if we tried, Beca." Beca refused to look at her. If she looked at either girl, she'd drown in their eyes. "And we're not going anywhere." Beca couldn't get herself to speak in between sobs. Aubrey added in a low voice. "I'm so sorry about Semi-finals, Beca. I didn't mean a word I said. I love that you are just as passionate about the Bellas as we are. I love that you care and you were trying so hard to help. Trying so hard for us."

Beca shook her head. "I don't care about the semi-finals, Aubrey. I mean, I cared but.. It was never about that." She looked in between them - as if she was looking at them but she knew she couldn't really. "Don't you get it? You were fucking happy before I walked into the picture and now? You're fighting over me." Beca sunk down to the hallway floor and cradled her head in her arms. "I can't let you do that. I won't ruin your relationship. I have to end it here before I do."

She heard their steps and then each of the girls came into her view and sat down in front of her. Chloe forced eye contact. "Becs, baby, when was the last time you slept?"

Beca squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, stop making this so hard. Stop caring so much. Make up, go home. Be happy. Please." Every word was mumbled, desperate. She hated how vulnerable she felt. She felt raw.

"You can run all you want, Becs, but we're never going to stop trying." Chloe told her. "You're our soulmate. There's no going back to just the two of us. You make us better. You make us whole."

Aubrey added on when Chloe finished. "Couples… fight Beca. And trust me that wasn't the first or last time that Chloe and I have gotten into a heated argument. It's also not the last time that we'll fight about you. But it's because we care about you. We don't always do the right thing, but we try and at the end of the day, it's never a question about whether or not we love each other. We'll never stop loving each other. Fighting… can be healthy." Beca didn't know how to respond. "You did nothing wrong here. I was over the top with the Bellas. I didn't listen to any of your ideas. Or Chloe's. And I need to make that change. I'm not perfect, none of us are. We'll have to learn and adapt together."

Chloe rubbed Aubrey's shoulder. "But that also means we can't live in fear that if we do get in a fight, you're going to run for the hills. The past week and a half without you has been torture for us, Beca. We can't stand being shut out of your life - especially when we know you're hurting."

Beca crumbled further into herself. "I'm so fucked up."

Chloe and Aubrey each put a hand on her leg and rubbed comforting circles. "You're not fucked up, Beca." Aubrey said, reassuringly. "You just need to be a little nicer to yourself."

Beca took one long deep breath in. Chloe took her chin and raised it to meet her gaze. "Now when was the last time you slept."

Beca stuttered. "I've just.. Been having a little trouble." She mumbled.

Chloe frowned and put her hand on Beca's cheek, then her forehead. "Baby, you're burning up." Aubrey and put a hand on her cheek and her eyes went wide.

Twenty minutes later the three girls were back at Aubrey and Chloe's apartment, after sending the Bellas home for the day. They'd promised another bonding night to come and took Beca home with them. Beca had protested the whole way - not having necessarily agreed to any of it. Chloe and Aubrey didn't seem to care.

If you're not going to take care of yourself, we're going to.

Chloe was holding her hand and leading her through the apartment like she was blind or hadn't ever been there before. Aubrey was right behind them both, holding Beca's other hand. Then Beca realized why. Chloe was leading her past the guest bedroom and down to the master down the hall. Beca resisted, but Chloe tightened her grip on Beca's wrist and Aubrey put a hand on the small of her back to guide her. Beca put up the most resistance she could muster when they got to the threshold of the master bedroom. At that point, Chloe stopped pulling and Aubrey just kept a steady, unrelenting hand on her back. "Baby," Chloe whispered, brushing a hand through her hair. "You need to stop making yourself an outsider coming into our relationship. And that starts with you sleeping in our bed. You're not a guest, Beca."

Beca's stomach churned. She hadn't slept through the night in months now for fear of nightmares or from being woken up by one. She was afraid it'd happen again if she let them guide her further. She swallowed. Aubrey rubbed her back gently. "We won't force you, sweetie. We just want to take care of you."

Beca took an uneasy step through the doorframe and Chloe walked backwards, leading her to their King bed. Chloe sat down when the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and pulled Beca towards a spot next to her. Beca took a deep breath and sat next to her, scooting back to lay down in the center of the bed. Aubrey and Chloe took the blankets off the bed and pulled them to wrap around all three of them as they each took a side next to Beca. Her breathing was still shallow and shaky. Chloe and Aubrey each laid an arm across her waist and Beca was sure her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

"We should check her temperature." Aubrey mumbled after a minute or two.

"In a minute, snuggles first." Chloe pulled herself closer to Beca and Aubrey did too. They each closed their eyes and Beca had a hard time forcing herself to keep hers open. Chloe moved her hand up to Beca's shoulder and loving circles into it. Aubrey released Beca from her hold and ran a gentle hand through her hair. The two gestures together started to lull Beca to sleep. Not even ten minutes later, Beca was asleep in their arms. Chloe and Aubrey each kissed her forehead, gently enough not to wake her.

Across Beca, they each looked at each other and at the sleeping girl - completely and utterly vulnerable between them. "I think I'm falling in love with her, Bree."

Aubrey smiled, sleepily despite the early evening time. She bit her lip. "I'm head over heels for both of you."