A/N: I did promise conversations…

Anyways, here is chapter 15 ft. a little bit of different perspectives.

If you're worried about Bechloe, the next chapter will mention what happens the day after Halloween, but not really delve into it. You'll understand what I mean later on and why.

Enjoy.

I don't own pitch perfect.


Amy and the rest of the Bellas all slinked back together at a corner of the bar. Things got a little bit crazy out of hand right off the top of Beca's arrival.

Beca looked apologetic, and got of straight to the point on why she came late. From the sound of it, she pretty much didn't have any control on the matters that kept her away from the Bellas from the first place. She explained how she found out about the results and left immediately to find the Bellas. Thankfully, Amy had sent her a dozen or so messages – and sent some to Theo as well, since she had his number – and she managed to track down the Bellas.

While it sucked they lost out on the perks against DSM, and while it also sucked that Beca wasn't even there to help them out, Amy and the other girls did understand. They appreciate the fact that Beca still came to find them and apologize in person.

Well, except Chloe.

Their former captain looked hurt, betrayed even, that Beca left them hanging and that parts of their performance was affected by her absence. She was also mad that she wasn't even answering her phone.

To which, Beca explained, she didn't have it on her. Little known fact, no events that had many famous names in attendance actually allowed their phones to be turned on. In Beca's case, it was with Gus. It was all to keep things private. Any photos taken and released needed to be agreed upon beforehand, part of publicity for the different people involved in it to keep their name in the media and stay relevant. No unwanted attention is therefore released without the knowledge of the celebs. Attendees also needed to sign non-disclosure agreements, stuff that Amy had learned over the last five years attending some of the same parties. Things that the Bellas didn't exactly realize since the party they were invited to during the USO tour didn't ask for one.

Chloe didn't look like she was buying it either, if her response was anything to go by. Beca's reason felt more like a justification for her. "I guess you have more important things on your mind," she ended her rather lengthy retort that had Beca wincing at every rebuttal Chloe made. Chloe barely made any attempts to hide how hurt she was. Amy could understand. Beca used to do everything in her power to be there whenever the Bellas - most especially Chloe - needed her. This time around was different. This time she failed. She wasn't just distracted, with her mind elsewhere, and back then that was enough for Chloe to get upset. This time around, Beca wasn't even physically there.

"I do, but… it's... Chloe it's not like the way you're putting it!" Beca replied. She sounded rather desperate and frustrated. Beca was never really the articulate one, especially when it came to Chloe. Amy felt bad for Beca, the two rarely fought, but you can bet that one of them always ends up dramatically storming off. If it's Chloe, it's because she knew that deep down, she hated seeing Beca look like she was being torn apart. As if she wasn't even allowed to feel mad at her when she was because then she'll see Beca all emotional, and Chloe ends up feeling mad at herself. If it's Beca, it's usually because she's about to run out of words to make Chloe understand, frustrating her even more. It usually ends with her serenading Chloe in some way with songs that could better explain how she felt.

In this round of their rare fights, Chloe was the first to leave. Amy missed what it was that Chloe said, having been distracted by Emily getting all teary-eyed and whimpering in the corner, as well as by Flo who just ordered another drink. Jessica and Ashley were quick on Chloe's tail, wanting to make sure she would make it home safely. Beca looked too shocked and torn to react. Even Amy was having a hard time figuring out what was running through that head of hers.

Something was different this time. Beca was never one to be stunned silent. At the very least, she would groan and yell out her frustrations. But she didn't. She looked despondent, but not mad or annoyed with Chloe's reaction. Amy couldn't help but wonder what it was that changed.

Because this time around Beca looked like she had just been stabbed in the heart.

And all Amy could do was rush to her best friend and give her a hug. Make sure she doesn't fall apart.


Aubrey made tea in Chloe's kitchen as she listened to her best friend rant on and on about Beca. She made them both a cup, although Aubrey knew that the tea was mostly for her to keep calm, having been unceremoniously summoned from the rest of her nighttime activities by a call from Jessica – or was it Ashley? She couldn't remember it anymore – updating her of what happened, giving her a heads up that Chloe would most definitely need her best friend tonight. It was times like this that made her wonder what in the last ten years changed at all. For minute or two she found herself back in Barden, in the dorms with Chloe, flashes of her visits at the Bellas also thrown in there somewhere.

Chloe rarely ever complained about Beca. Whenever she did it was either Beca was with Jesse too much, and Aubrey had to remind her that it was to be expected considering the Treble was playing the part of the boyfriend, or that Beca was disappearing into the aether, and even Aubrey was clueless then about how to help her because neither of them knew about Beca's internship. There were a few smaller instances, scattered between the years, usually something minor, and like clockwork Aubrey would be summoned to Chloe's side and she would be comforting her friend.

This time though, Aubrey was fighting all the urges to snap at Chloe. As much as she loves her and understand where all the anger and frustrations are coming from, Aubrey couldn't help but think that Chloe's anger had something more to do with Beca than actually losing against DSM, and her inability to just tell Beca the truth complicating the matter. Since Barden, whenever Beca and Chloe got into a fight, a part of the reason always ends up being Chloe's inability to deal with the unspoken feelings she had with Beca, and how she sometimes expected the tiny DJ to magically read her mind and cater to her needs when she needed her the most. Her own jealousy coloring her expectations of the reality of a given situation, her emotions slipping under the pretense of two people who were just friends having a misunderstanding.

Maybe that's why she was a little bit irritated herself, not at Chloe per se but with the whole thing. Granted, Aubrey was already partially upset about losing against DSM. Beca's absence had a hand in their disastrous performance, but she also knew and understood that the odds were stacked against the Bellas in the first place. Although Aubrey definitely still planned on giving Beca a piece of her mind. A lengthy lecture of upping her game and keeping her promises, and perhaps a not-so-friendly reminder of not breaking Chloe's heart if it's needed. Still, Aubrey had grown wiser over the years. She knew that while they had enough time, the Bellas didn't have the perfect set-up to execute any plans they made. They were all caught up with their own lives, separated by time zones and states, making things all the more difficult. The old Aubrey might have thrown a fit, but Aubrey's gone through so much in her life already to know better.

That's why she was kind of hoping Chloe would too. But apparently nothing changed when it came to Beca.

Maybe it was the DSM of it all aggravating Chloe's anger. The group and their smug valkyrie of a leader always seemed to get under her skin. But Aubrey understood that there was a lot going on underneath it too, more than just the Bellas losing against their archrivals on a small event of a big competition.

"The past is a hard thing to let go," Aubrey said once Chloe finally ran out of words to say. She handed her former co-captain her cup of tea and took a seat next to her on the couch.

"What do you mean, Bree?" Chloe asked, confused.

"You're holding Beca to your old standards of her," Aubrey replied, matter-of-factly. "Look, I'm sure if Mitchell developed the powers of teleportation or flight she would have been there earlier, and she would be here by your side whenever you need her. But –"

"But what, Bree?" Chloe threw back.

Aubrey sighed. "Chloe, I just… I can't help but feel that there's something else going on underneath all this, you know? The past can't come back because the moment's gone. We can't expect for things to suddenly go back to how they were then. We've all changed and grown up in our own ways. We need to try to make do of things that we have now and make the most of it."

Chloe huffed. "So I should just accept that the moment's gone then? That I can't make up for the missed chances? That I'm just a little bit of a fool hoping that I finally have… That I maybe can…"

"It still could happen, Chloe," Aubrey interrupted, reaching out to pull her best friend for a hug to calm her down. "Listen," Aubrey went on to say before letting her go, "a lot is riding on this competition. More than just glory, the prize money in the finals can help a lot of the Bellas, especially with all that happened the past two years or so. I don't think Beca's that out of touch to not care about us succeeding. I personally think she cares. We lost one battle, but not the war. We can still win this thing. The Bellas will find a way to make that happen."

Chloe nodded. "There's another 'but' in there somewhere, I can feel it."

"But it has nothing to do with why you're mad at Beca right now, and you know it," Aubrey once again stated as a fact. "She's doing her best on the Bellas front, Chlo, and I think we both know that the reason why you're mad at her is more personal. That it's more about how she made you feel at the moment when she didn't show up in time."

"And?" Chloe then said, prompting Aubrey to go on.

"And I think it's about time you did something about it," Aubrey noted. "I mean, I did something about mine," she went on to say with a smile, thinking about Stacie and Bella. "Life is never perfect, Chlo, and who knows what other obstacles end up standing in your way. Forget about everything making you afraid for now. You might not get another chance to own up to your feelings if you let this one pass you by without doing anything about it."

"And what if it breaks my heart in the end?" Chloe asked, trying her best not to cry. "Bree, I don't even know if I could still fit in her life. Sure, Beca says I can, but... but it's just different now. I-I feel like I'm losing her, like I've already lost her in some way. We live completely different lives. My life's here, with you, Stacie, and Bella just around the corner. With my normal, boring, regular person's job that I love, not whatever goes on behind all the glitz and glamour of Beca's life. Besides, I'll always be second fiddle to whatever Beca has going."

"Do you really think that, Chlo?"

"I don't know what to think, Bree." Chloe sighed and leaned on the backrest of her couch. "Sometimes I just feel like Beca's right within my reach, but then I discover that we actually couldn't be further apart. She's a bright shining star in the night, and I'm stuck here on the ground."

"You do know that she only shines for you, right?" Aubrey replied. Chloe turned to look at her with a confused expression.

"Jesse said something like that before," Chloe replied.

Aubrey sighed. Sometimes Chloe can be just as dense as the hobbit she loved so much. Her best guess is that maybe Chloe's just trying to protect herself from getting hurt, because of anyone she's ever been with or ever loved, it's Beca who had the power of hurting her the most. "For what it's worth, Chlo, I don't think you'll only ever be second fiddle to Beca," was her response. "The past years of barely any contact, that's all misunderstandings, miscommunications, and stupid reasons for not doing so. That much I'm willing to bet on," she went on to say, thinking back on how Beca started acting at the end of the tour after walking in on Chloe kissing Chicago. She was willing to bet that the young DJ was jealous, whether or not she realized that was the question. "But I do think she cares a lot about you, Chlo. She said it herself. She could forget about all of us, but she can never forget about you. I believe in that."

"I wish I can believe in that too," Chloe sullenly replied. "I want to, but I just... It hurts Bree, in a way I don't even know how to explain. Her absence, especially when she's supposedly within my reach, when I know that she's supposed to be physically there... it hurts all the more than it ever did before."

Chloe slid down towards Aubrey to rest her head on her shoulders. Aubrey put an arm around her best friend as they sat there for a while in silence. Aubrey didn't know what the future had in store for them, but the one thing she does know is that no matter what happens, Beca and Chloe seem to always keep finding a way back to each other.

All of this, it's just the world preparing them for what's in store for them. For now, they're figuring out the things they want, and who they are, trying to find the best version of themselves to be what each other needed.

Things will all fall into place in due time.


Stacie was feeling a little bit of lonely since Aubrey got out of bed and rushed on over to Chloe's side.

Somethings really don't change.

She's made herself a cup of tea, in the meantime, waiting for Aubrey's return. Thankfully, she didn't need to wait by herself for long. She got a call from Amy letting her know she was planning to drop by just as soon as she got settled on the couch, mindlessly flipping through TV channels to find something that could at least entertain her for a bit.

"You know you didn't need to call, right?" she asked Amy when she arrived. Stacie invited her in and the two settled on the couch.

"I wanted to make sure I knew what I was walking into," was Amy's reply before she filled Stacie in on what happened after she and Aubrey left. She went on to tell what was undoubtedly a dramatic version of Chloe and Beca's argument, how the Bellas were doing, and how Beca was holding up.

"She went back to her hotel with Legacy and Flo," she went onto say. "Jessica and Ashley ran after Chloe when she left, so I guess they're also back at the hotel. Cynthia Rose decided to share a cab with Benji back to the hotel. Treble boy wasn't really keen on joining the girl talk with Beca, and CR's missing the missus."

"I would have thought you joined Beca too," Stacie replied.

"And miss out on the juicy details behind everything, no way," Amy then said.

Stacie laughed. "Yeah, but I doubt Bree would be sharing anything from her talk with Chloe. I know Beca's dense, but I would have thought you'd at least get more details from her. You know, be there for her too?"

"Shawshank's a bundle of nerves and anxiety at the moment, a literal ball of stress if you ask me," Amy replied thoughtfully. "I tried talking to her before she left the bar, but it looks like her mind was elsewhere at the moment. Like she's playing mental chess or something. When she left, she did invite the rest of us still at the bar to join her, but I figured I could get more info from Theo and Gus, get a better understanding of the situation."

"No Rhian then?" Stacie commented. She still wasn't sure if she liked her or not, but she figured that she wasn't exactly the sharing type.

"Nope," Amy replied, shaking her head. "She and Beca were whispering something between themselves before she left. Rhian stuck around with Gus for a while, talking business before they left, so I got some one-on-one time getting tea from the big T."

"And?" Stacie asked, curious as to why Amy looked like she was about to bust out her conspiracy board.

"Well, from what I hear, shorty's been under a lot of pressure of sorts. T-man wouldn't spill much, but looks like Beca's been making some big behind-the-scenes moves. Some moves a bit more on the literal side of things. I don't have much info or proof, but he may have let slip something about looking for real estate, both for business and private residence," Amy explained, wiggling her eyebrows to make a point.

"You don't think…" Stacie started to say, a thought having occurred to her. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

A smile slowly crept on Amy's lips. "If you're thinking that I'm thinking about what you're thinking, then you're probably correct. Unless you're thinking about something else, then no."

Stacie chuckled. If they were right, things may finally start happening.

And maybe, just maybe, Stacie could finally see her friends find the happiness they deserve with each other.


Beca's suite was rather impressive in its size and décor. It also had what Emily would argue to be the best view of Atlanta. She and Flo joined Beca after leaving after the bar. Beca was never really okay whenever she was in a fight with Chloe, she would always be itching to figure out a way to make things right. But this time, well, the look on Beca's face said it all. She looked afraid, heartbroken even, upon hearing some of the things that Chloe said.

It wasn't hard to guess where all that emotion came from. But for Chloe to say that Beca didn't care about the Bellas, about her, after all that has happened between them? The accusations that Beca was just biding her time because she was bored, that she couldn't even prioritize or respect her commitments to the Bellas? It hurt even Emily to hear it. They've come a long way from their time at Barden, after all, and Beca's all but proven that she does care. By a lot. She wouldn't even accept the opportunity handed to her during the USO tour at the beginning because it meant she was leaving the Bellas behind.

The three of them talked for an hour or so. Beca asked how the rest of the night have been for the Bellas, still spewing out apologies every now and then. Flo handled the recap of the night. Emily shared her sentiments about how they've all spread out and grown, and how that's made it so much harder for them to work together and compete against groups who were all physically close to each other. A bunch of professionals who perform together as their job. She was feeling down about how much the Bellas had stretched out bonds they formed with each other, so to speak, and it just didn't feel like the Bellas of old.

Beca felt the same way, but argued that just because they were apart, doesn't mean they can't still be the Bellas. "We'll find a way, Ems," she even said. "I don't know about the others, but I don't want to leave each other to the past and be nothing but memories just because we've grown. I know I'm one to preach, especially with how I'm probably the first to struggle with keeping touch, but I want to believe that just because we grew up doesn't mean we've grown apart."

"Yeah, this is just a test of times for all of us," Flo had agreed. "The Bellas are a family, after all. Sometimes we need to go on our separate journeys, but that's all so when we come back together again, we're stronger than ever."

Emily smiled at that sentiment. Soon their conversations shifted onto more trivial matters, like what they're gonna do for the next couple of months, and what the challenge for the finals was going to be like. Flo, having drank quite a few, soon found herself sleeping on the couch of the suite's living area, leaving Emily some alone time to just hang out with Beca. Something she realized she hadn't had much of during their preparations for the contest.

Emily asked mostly simple questions about what Beca's been up to the past few months. She's been incredibly busy that even when she does join the video calls, she either be splitting her attention between documents she needed to finish or sign, Theo would interrupt her for a quick word, or Rhian had to get her approval for something. Beca, in turn, asked Emily how she's doing with her master's degrees and what her plans for the future was.

Emily looked a little uncertain and Beca gave her an understanding smile. "To be honest, I'm just kinda' feeling excited, anxious, scared, happy, nervous, overwhelmed. All of it. I mean, how do you even function as an adult? Everything just happens so fast. Responsibilities start piling up, free time lessens… you want to go hang out with friends but some days you're just too tired of it."

Beca chuckled. "I don't know what to tell you, Ems. I'm kinda just feeling a little bit of all too."

"Yeah, but I mean, surely you've got most things figured out?" Emily replied.

Beca gave her a sad smile and looked away, "Not everything," she said with a heavy heart. "There's this one thing…"

Emily looked expectant at Beca, wondering what that "one thing" was all about. A part of her was wishing it was Chloe. But Beca never gave her a clear reply. Instead she turned to Emily, a sparkle in her eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

The gears of Beca's mind were turning. She had an idea.

"Say, Ems, how's the songwriting going?" Beca asked.

"Um, not really going," Emily answered truthfully. "I just haven't had the time lately, and, I don't know." Emily shrugged. She wanted to go back to it, but as the years went by, she just never did.

"Wanna get back into it?"

"I do, but I just…" Emily started to say but she never got to finish her thought before Beca interrupted her.

"I'm not asking about the far away future, Ems," Beca noted with a chuckle. "I meant now. I'm wrapping up the last album I'm on contract with for my current label, and I'm still missing one song. I wrote one myself, but I think I decided to pass that along to some other talent. It's good, but not what I really wanted."

"W-wait," Emily mumbled as she tried to process what it was that Beca was saying. "You want me to write a song with you for your album?"

Beca nodded. "We'll have to get it done soon though, so I might have you flown into LA a few times. It's gotta be special, Ems, and you're the only one I can think of who can help me with this one. It's for someone important."

"Aren't all of them?" Emily asked before she could even think things through. She was most definitely not planning to have said that out loud.

Beca's face turned a deep shade of red, surprised by the comment. "What?"

"What?" Emily repeated in Beca's stead. She didn't mean to assume or even make the comment in the first place.

Beca blinked rapidly once, then twice, before shrugging it off. "Come on, Ems? What do you say?"

Emily felt nervous. She was rusty. She hasn't written in ages.

But she nevertheless agreed to it.

She had a feeling that Beca had special intentions for this particular song, and it would be an honor to help her give it life.


A/N Pt 2: Gee, wonder what the title of that song is going to be? I ask because some lines from the chorus of the real song I'm planning to use as the one Emily and Beca writes are scattered in this chapter, there are some red herrings too :P This chapter's kinda like the inception of the song, I suppose you can say.

I'm excited for the next chapter (although things aren't going to get any easier by then)! And 17 too! And 18! And, oh, gosh, 19 too! But most importantly, I'm excited for 20!

Bear with me folks. Your patience shall be rewarded soon enough.

Also, remember when I said the chapters would be like 27 now? Yeah, no, that was also a lie. I had to adjust things to make them easier to handle with writing so now it's gonna be 30 chapters. I wanted to give some of the chapters a little room to breathe (some of them need it for sure), so… Guess you can say that's just how much I love Bechloe.