Chapter 32: Ominous Words
"Dad?" Chloe looked at the graying man before her as he adjusted his suit.
"Get Agent Mitchell." General Beale snapped his fingers at one of the agents dressed in all black. "You two? Go destroy the hard copy files if there's anything left. Posen will be sending me the backed up files once she's at a safehouse." He snapped at two others. "And the rest of you? Search the city for this man." He pulled out a security photo of the man who had entered HQ with the bomb.
Chloe caught her breath and just looked stunned at her father who was behaving so business-like after such a serious event. Beca staggered over to her with the help of the agent and Chloe quickly wrapped an arm around her waist.
"You alright?" General Beale asked as if it had been an afterthought.
"Fine." Chloe said quickly, trying not to sound bothered that it didn't sound like her father was truly concerned about her well-being.
"Good. Get in the car. We need to leave." General Beale sighed as he observed his surroundings before getting into the front seat of the black SUV. Chloe paused for a moment thinking if there was any other option than leaving with her dad. But she reluctantly admitted it was the only thing she could do at the moment to put the smallest amount of risk on her and Beca.
They slid into the backseat while General Beale spoke quietly to the driver.
"Do you think he knows about us?" Beca whispered, glancing from General Beale, back to Chloe.
"Beca." Chloe turned her head to look at Beca with a look of almost pity. "He's a General in the military and head of the agency. He knows." She gave Beca's hand a little squeeze when she saw the color slightly leave her cheeks. "Its fine. He wouldn't have let you in the car if he was that upset about it."
After what felt like hours, the SUV slowed to a near stop before driving down a narrow entrance that looked like one to a parking garage. Except they were out in the middle of nowhere. Beca wasn't even sure which state they were in. She glanced through the back window and saw the light disappear as a door to the tunnel closed behind them.
They drove down the tunnel for a bit before coming to a stop. Beca and Chloe silently got out of the car and followed General Beale down a concrete corridor, passing steel door after steel door until they came to the furthest at the end. Beca was feeling just a little woozy about the whole ordeal. Not only was she trapped with Chloe and her father for who knows how much longer, but she was trapped with them underground with no knowledge of how to leave and guards surrounding every potential exit.
Not that she thought she was in danger by any means, but being in such inescapable close quarters with the father of her girlfriend who just happened to be the General and Head of the Agency wasn't exactly her idea of a safe place. It didn't help that Chloe seemed just as on edge, if not more so, than Beca.
"This is where the two of you will stay for now." General Beale motioned to the door in front of them. "Take a moment to get settled." He sounded like some fancy hotel concierge instead of a father. Chloe held the door open and closed it as soon as Beca stepped in.
Chloe immediately started nervously arranging the plain clothes that had been provided in their room. Beca sat on the bed watching her, trying not to think about how the General knew their exact sizes. The silence in the room was deafening. Beca had no idea what was happening, she was still in shock from the bomb, and now this awkward personal situation was only adding to the stress. And Chloe's anxious energy was not helping.
"Chloe, please stop re-organizing the already organized clothes." Beca sighed when she'd finally had enough.
"I'm sorry." Chloe closed her eyes and pressed her palms flat on the dresser. "I'm just worried. I mean...HQ just got bombed, I don't know what's happening, if Aubrey and Jesse are okay, if the other agents are okay. And now I have my dad to deal with. Its just too much."
"I know. Its stressful. But we're okay. We're safe here." Beca stood up to wrap her arms around Chloe's waist.
"But for how long?" Chloe whispered as she instinctively covered Beca's hands with her own. "How long are we going to be trapped in this underground bunker...with my father of all people? When will we see our friends again? When will we work again? When -"
"Chloe, stop." Beca turned Chloe around to face her. "Asking questions we don't have answers to isn't going to solve anything. Its only going to stress you out more. We can't do anything tonight. Our brains are fried; we're exhausted. Let's just get something to eat and go to sleep, alright. I mean, as long as I have you with me, I'm good."
"I know." Chloe said quietly as her hands drifted up to rest on Beca's neck and her thumbs stroked the skin just below her ears. "I just hate the uncertainty. I hate feeling helpless."
"I do too. But I'm sure it won't last long. We'll find whoever was responsible for the bombing. We'll recover and rebuild. And we'll be the badass agents we've always been." Beca grinned in her way that she knew would soften Chloe at least a little bit.
"That we are." Chloe nodded and pulled Beca in closer, seeking out her lips for comfort and calm when her brain was in turmoil. Beca put a hand behind Chloe's neck, pulling her in closer, trying to convey all the confidence and hope she could through a kiss.
"Chloe, could I-" And suddenly they were interrupted by General Beale. They broke apart quickly but not before he got a good glimpse at their lip lock. He had the courtesy to glance away for a moment, but it seemed more out of annoyance than guilt of walking in without knocking.
"When you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you." He said after a few tense seconds of silence.
"I'll be right there." Chloe nodded, putting a hand on her lips, wishing she could erase that moment of embarrassment.
"Oh my God." Beca groaned, covering her face in her hands as soon as the door clicked shut. "He's going to kill me. He literally is going to put a bounty on my head."
"Stop being dramatic." Chloe sighed as she smoothed out her shirt and brushed a few stray strands of hair back. "I'll deal with him if he has a problem with you."
"I'm going to shower while you talk to him. If you're not done by the time I'm out I'll probably just go to bed. I'm exhausted."
"Okay." Chloe nodded and gave Beca another quick peck. "I love you, Beca. And you're right. We'll be okay."
"Of course I'm right." Beca winked with a smirk before grabbing a change of clothes and disappearing into the small bathroom.
Chloe was searching through the kitchen for the things she needed to make a cup of tea. For a hidden safehouse bunker, the kitchen was pretty well stocked. She was grateful considering she had no idea how long they would be trapped there.
She finally found everything she needed and started boiling some hot water when she heard her father enter the room. He silently moved around her and pulled a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet along with a small glass.
"Whiskey will help you sleep better than tea in my experience if that is what you're hoping for."
"I don't need alcohol to help me sleep." Chloe responded in a monotone, keeping her eyes on the pot of water which wasn't close to boiling yet.
"Ah, yes. I must have mistaken you with your...girlfriend." General Beale poured his glass, saying the word girlfriend with a hint of disdain that wasn't missed by Chloe. She wasn't sure if he disapproved because she was a woman, or her Agency partner, or because he somehow found ways to disapprove anytime Chloe found genuine happiness in her life.
"She prefers a drink at the end of the day, just a preference." Chloe said calmly, knowing even she didn't believe her words. Beca had a drinking problem and they both knew it. But it had yet to affect Beca's ability to work. And Chloe would defend Beca no matter her own personal feelings, especially against her father who didn't even know her on a personal level.
"Besides, you don't seem to have a problem with drinking. I see you have a fully stocked cabinet of liquor." Chloe tried to control her tone, but couldn't help the annoyance that seeped through.
"Well, I don't know how long we will be down here. And I'm assuming I will have to share with agent Mitchell." He let out a scoff as he placed several ice cubes in his drink, making a clinking sound.
"What's your issue with Beca?" Chloe finally turned around with her arms folded across her chest defensively. "Is it that she's a great agent, potentially able to overshadow your achievements? Is it because she makes me happy? Because she's my girlfriend? Because she's a woman? What is it?"
"I do not take issue with your chosen sexuality, Chloe." General Beale rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as if such line of questioning was absurd. "I do care that you are choosing to waste your time with your little fling. Romance between agents is rarely a good idea."
"Its not just a fling." Chloe said through gritted teeth before turning around to take the now boiling pot off the burner. "I'm in love with her." She said quietly with her back turned to her father as she put the tea back into a mug and poured the hot water over it.
"Love." General Beale nearly bellowed with laughter as he brought the glass up to his lips.
"I love her." Chloe spun back around, facing him with a glare.
"You are simply infatuated, Chloe. There is no way-"
"Its not infatuation. I tried to fight it, Dad. But I love her. Its not a fling; its not some sexual experiment; its an adult relationship; its love. I'd die for her. And I will fight for her and I will fight by her side no matter what. She's it for me. And I don't care whether or not you approve."
General Beale took a long sip of his whiskey, maintaining intense eye contact with his daughter, before setting the glass down on the table with extra force.
"I refuse to believe you would do something so foolish and irresponsible."
"I didn't plan for it to happen, it just did." Chloe dropped her hands in frustration to her thighs.
"I never would have had her assigned to be your partner in the agency if I had known you be foolish. I didn't orchestrate things so that Agent Mitchell could be your partner so that you would fall in love. I needed you to have a highly trained and skilled partner to get you over this whole Kommissar ordeal."
"What?" Chloe shook her head in confusion.
"I arranged for her to be your partner because you had a personal vendetta against Kommissar that would prevent you from focusing objectively on being the best agent you could be. So she needs to be out of the picture. No one in the agency was going to try harder than Beca Mitchell to get her. She had the tactical skills and the drive to prove herself after everything that happened in the military. Together I was sure you could've gotten Kommissar and you very nearly did until the screw up on your mission." General Beale sipped his whiskey with a disappointed shake of his head.
"You can't possibly be suggesting it was our fault Kommissar got released." Chloe's voice was low, bordering on angry.
"No it was the fool with the camera, I know. But maybe with something as important as capturing Kommissar you might've handled it yourself instead of letting a tech ruin everything."
"Why don't you talk to your friends in D.C who actually signed away our rights to hold her? Why don't you talk to your spineless government pals who let her go without so much as a fight?" Chloe stood up and started pacing, trying to keep her voice down.
"They wouldn't have had to if the pictures hadn't-" General Beale stopped before he yelled and he set his empty glass down with a slam. "Kommissar isn't even the point right now. I want to talk about how you could let yourself be so irresponsible as to get into a serious relationship with your partner. I can't have vital missions being compromised because your feelings affect your decisions."
"People fall in love, Dad. Believe me, I tried to fight it. But I don't let my emotions cloud my judgement like some lovestruck teenager." Chloe mentally rolled her eyes as she thought back to having the same mentality as her father and how Beca Mitchell obliterated that view point. "And we are still two of the best agents you have. We work well together. It just so happens we're in love too."
"I doubt that love goes both ways." General Beale scoffed bitterly as he finished his whiskey and started pouring another. "Agent Mitchell isn't the type to fall in love. That's why I recruited her."
"Well, you were wrong."
"Agent Mitchell is a lone wolf, Chloe. She always has been. That was why she was so successful. She won't stay here in this job, in this relationship forever. She will get bored. And then you'll be heartbroken and we'll have to go through the whole process of getting your mind right again to be a good agent."
"That's not going to happen." Chloe folded her arms defiantly at her father.
"I guess you'll find out soon enough." He said with determination. "I'm going to ask her to be a sniper for a special ops team I've put together with the Navy SEALS. It would be the highest achievement of her life. She's one of the best snipers I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot from me. She won't turn it down. And where I'm sending her will be classified that not even you can know about it. So I suggest you end this relationship before more damage is caused than necessary." General Beale dropped his information bomb on Chloe and looked away without a single care.
"She won't go." Chloe's voice shook with anger at her father and fear of not being 100% what she just said was true.
"You don't know military types. You don't understand the full trauma and humiliation she experienced leaving the military. This is her chance for redemption. She'll go." General Beale laughed a humorless laugh as he stared intently into his whiskey glass.
"You really just can't let me be happy can you." Chloe shook her head and cursed herself for letting her eyes fill with unshed tears.
"This is not about you, Chloe. No one told you to start sleeping with your partner. That was your mistake. Don't make me out to be the bad guy when I'm just staying on track with my plan that I put in motion long before you even met her."
"If you drag her back to the military, I'm quitting the Agency. I can be a gas station clerk for all I care as long as I'm out from under your thumb." Chloe sniffed before spinning around to walk to her room.
"Don't get hysterical." General Beale rolled his eyes. "We can talk when you've regained control of your senses." General Beale raised his voice so Chloe could hear him as she walked down the corridor.
She opened the door and closed it as fast as she could, closing her eyes, fighting the urge to cry. She let out a deep breath and saw Beca lying peacefully on the bed, her chest bobbing up and down slowly and evenly. Chloe assumed she must have passed out as soon as she got out of the shower. Not wanting to wake her up, Chloe carefully slid next to her, trying not to move the bed too much. Her arm slowly snuck its way around Beca's middle without disrupting the girl's sleep.
"I love you." Chloe exhaled heavily, knowing Beca couldn't hear her. She'd let the stress and uncertainties of the future wait for the morning. Tonight she would just hold the woman that she loved.
The next morning, Chloe made her and Beca coffee without acknowledging her father who sat at the small table focused on his laptop. She returned quickly to their room and offered a yawning and stretching Beca a mug.
"For an underground safehouse, your dad has a pretty good setup here." Beca mused as she sipped on the hot coffee.
"I have a feeling he comes down here just for the heck of it sometimes." Chloe scoffed as she scooted beside Beca on the bed. Once they adjusted themselves and were sitting comfortably, Chloe felt like she had to ask Beca about the military. It was going to give her an ulcer if she didn't talk about it.
"If you had a chance to go back to the military, would you take it?" Chloe brought the mug to her lips, trying to act nonchalant.
"Well, that won't happen." Beca's eyebrows furrowed as she was taken aback by the question, and truly confused. She'd never really given it much thought once she'd joined the Agency. "I already made a minor fool of myself begging to stay when they released me." Beca shook her head, glad her feelings weren't as bitter as they used to. "Besides, why would I go back to the military when I get to be a badass agent with you every day?"
"What if they asked you to go back for a special mission or something?" Chloe pressed, ignoring Beca's playful and somewhat flirty comment.
"I don't know." Beca rested her coffee in her lap and looked at the wall, thinking. "I guess it depends on what sort of mission it was, how long I'd be gone, risk level, etc. I guess it would have to be a perfect opportunity. Why are you so curious about me going back into the military all of a sudden?"
"Just wondering." Chloe shrugged, trying not to give away her nerves. "Had a lot of time to think last night and I guess my mind wandered."
"That's a strange place to wander." Beca mused before taking a long sip of coffee.
"You okay?" Beca asked after a longer moment of silence than she was expecting. Chloe seemed off and far away. Beca figured something must have happened with her dad last night, but she wasn't going to push it.
"Yeah." Chloe nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't know. Things have been crazy the past 24 hours."
"I know." Beca gripped her mug with one hand while using her other to rest on top of Chloe's. "And you can talk to me about it. Fears, concerns, conspiracy theories." Beca paused with a chuckle. "I'm here for you. Always."
"I know. I love you." Chloe closed her eyes tightly, almost as if she were in pain, before leaning over and giving Beca a kiss.
"Love you, too." Beca smiled faintly as she leaned back and could still see concern written all over Chloe's face.
Before she could press Chloe further, the door opened again with a short knock.
"Good. I'm glad you're both up. We need to discuss our next moves after the incident yesterday." General Beale said quickly, motioning for them to both hurry along.
"Incident?" Beca couldn't keep her scoff from being audible. "They blew up our headquarters. I'd say that's more than just an incident."
"Meet me in the conference room down the hall in ten minutes." General Beale fixed her with a steely gaze before exiting the room and closing the door with finality.
"He doesn't intimidate me." Beca mumbled as she got up to get changed. Chloe's lips curled in on each other as she suppressed her smirk, knowing those words weren't entirely accurate.
Beca felt a migraine coming on with all the files and codes and theories and plans they went through for hours at the kitchen table. General Beale already had agents closing in on who they believed was behind the bombing. He and Chloe argued multiple times about why she and Beca weren't out in the field, but in the end General Beale won and kept his daughter close and protected until he had a full plan of attack.
Beca was flipping through what felt like the thousandth page of files he was discussing with them when she held her hand up, desperately needing a break or her brain wouldn't be able to process anything.
"I'm sorry, General, I need a break. I'm not going to retain any of this information."
"Very well." He sighed, clearly unimpressed. "I suppose we can't all have the mental fortitude to deal with a crisis like this."
"I have plenty of mental fortitude." Beca narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, well go take your break." General Beale waved his hand. "Whiskey's in the cabinet, I'm assuming you'll need that too."
"Dad." Chloe warned.
"No thanks." Beca said with a dark grin as she stood from the table. "You've been going through that enough yourself."
"What are you implying?" General Beale put his palms flat on the table, his jaw set in anger.
"You just have some nerve making a comment about drinking to me." Beca leaned forward, putting her hands on the back of her chair. "I didn't know gallons upon gallons of liquor was a necessity for bomb shelters and safe houses."
"Okay." Chloe placed a hand on Beca's arm and glanced at her father pleadingly before he stood up to respond. "We're just going to rest. Let's take a breather. Meet back in an hour?"
"Fine." General Beale roughly removed his glasses and tossed them on the table before organizing the chaotic mess of files. Chloe didn't wait for him to change his mind but instead pulled Beca along to go back to their room.
"Picking fights with my father isn't going to help anything, you know?" Chloe said gently after she shut the door behind them.
"I'm not the one picking a fight." Beca pointed to the wall in the general direction of where they'd left Chloe's dad.
"You can't respond to him when he makes little comments to get a reaction out of you. Its one of his many talents: finding a weak or sensitive spot and making just a small enough comment to get someone upset while he just sits and watches them get angry. It gives him a rush or something." Chloe shook her head remembering all the times she ended up yelling or crying that all started with one little comment or word from her father.
"I know. I know." Beca groaned as she fell back onto the bed. "This is just driving me crazy. This whole situation. Being here. Not knowing what's happening or what's going to happen. And in close quarters with your dad? It sucks."
"I know, Becs." Chloe joined her on the bed and softly stroked up and down her arm. "Just don't give in to him when he makes comments like that. You ignoring them will drive him crazy."
"Hmm...that would be fun to see." Beca smirked as she rolled over to wrap an arm around Chloe's waist.
"Mhm." Chloe hummed, instinctively holding Beca's arm in place. "For now, let's just take a nap and not worry about my asshole father."
Over the next couple of weeks as they waited for the new HQ to get set up, Beca and the General seemed to have made a truce. Aside from a few moments of tension and a snide comment here and there, they really were working well together. They had remotely assisted with the capture of the bomber who was currently being held until he gave away who was the mastermind behind the attack. Beca took one look at his photo and was confident he would cave fairly quickly, and the General agreed.
Chloe was both pleased and tense watching her dad and Beca get along for the most part. She couldn't place exactly what made her nervous about it. Perhaps it was the looming thought of her father wanting to take Beca away back into the military and her uncertainty about whether or not Beca would accept such an offer.
Just as she was talking herself down from overthinking and working herself up about that possibility she heard her dad address Beca when they had finished their afternoon work.
"Beca, could I have a word? Alone?"
Beca froze in her chair and glanced to Chloe for help. Chloe looked just as dumbfounded and didn't give her any indication she knew what it could be about. Though she had a sinking feeling this would be her father's moment to manipulate Beca. But she was conflicted because she didn't want to heavily impact Beca's decision. If Beca wanted to go back to the military, Chloe wouldn't guilt her or stand in her way.
So Chloe left, letting her hand graze Beca's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. She retreated back to their room hoping to calm her mind down from thinking of the many scenarios that could play out over the next few weeks, months.
Once Chloe was gone, a stiff silence fell over Beca and the General. Beca, feeling a wave of mild bravery was the first to speak.
"What is it that you would like to discuss with me, General?"
"Listen, Beca, I know you had a less than glorious exit from the military. I know you are thriving in your new role with the Agency. And I also know you and my daughter work well together, despite the ill-advised decision to strike up a romantic partnership as well. However, I have a proposition for a job I think you would be rather interested in. You are more than qualified for it, too."
"I don't want a new job, sir. I appreciate-" Beca started before being cut off by a raise of General Beale's hand.
"I'm not offering you a full time new job, Beca. I'm offering you a special ops mission." At those words, Beca's eyebrows rose. It had been a long time since she'd thought about special ops, and she didn't expect to miss it so much when the topic arose. "It would take you away from the Agency and Chloe for a few months, maybe longer. But I have all the information you would need to make an informed decision right here."
He slid a thick envelope across the table towards Beca. Beca cautiously picked up the packet, nervous to even open it to see its contents.
"You don't need to make your decision right now. I can give you some time to think about it before-"
"I don't need time." Beca said quickly, putting the packet back down on the table. "I'm not interested, sir. But I appreciate the offer."
"Beca, don't make a hasty decision. At least consider-"
"Sir, with all due respect…" Beca pushed the packet further away as she stood from the table. "There's nothing to think about for me. If you had asked me a few months ago, I probably would have said yes, no hesitation. But now? I can't leave Chloe like that. I can't leave the Agency."
General Beale sighed heavily, clearly frustrated.
"This is why I don't encourage agents to get involved. You're making an emotional decision instead of rational. You do what you do for your country Beca, this is more important than one little relationship."
"Don't give me shit about doing anything for my country when my country hasn't done shit for me." Beca clenched her jaw, doing her best to keep her emotions at bay. "And its not just a little relationship. I love her. There are plenty of other skilled and qualified people you can ask for this assignment. But I respectfully decline."
"One day you will look back and regret not doing this if you end up saying no. You and Chloe won't last forever. I can see it. And when the day comes that you are no longer in a relationship with my daughter you will realize you have nothing else. And you will live with the pain of that regret of not doing something meaningful because you wanted to play house with your girlfriend."
"We have something real, General."
"And that's even worse, Agent Mitchell." General Beale's voice rose. "Look at what happened to Chloe's previous partner. He left a wife and kids without a husband and a father. There's a reason many agents remain single. It is the wiser choice. You are a fantastic agent; that's why I recruited you. But you have reckless tendencies. Let's say you are serious about Chloe. Let's say you want to be her "life partner" or whatever you call yourself. And let's say one day you get married. And God forbid one day you have a child. Do you really want one reckless mistake to take you away from them and ruin their lives? You're better off alone. And I have opportunities for you to succeed like that."
Beca was internally seething at his words. And she knew if she opened her mouth, she really would regret what came out. She just stared at the smug expression on his face as he watched her unable or unwilling to respond. She couldn't look at him a moment longer without the threat of doing something truly regrettable.
So without another word, Beca turned and moved quickly down their hall and joined Chloe in their room. She leaned her back against the door as she twisted the lock shut with a little extra gusto.
"Everything okay?" Chloe glanced up from a book she was reading from the collection her dad had provided. Beca didn't respond but simply moved quickly to close the distance. Cupping Chloe's cheeks in her hands, she leaned down and kissed her firmly. Chloe dropped the book as her body took a moment to get over the surprise and kiss Beca back.
After a prolonged intense moment, they separated with slightly dazed looks in their eyes. Chloe bit her lip and looked up at Beca with a teasing grin.
"What was that for?"
"I just love you." Beca said immediately in a quiet tone. "I really love you."
"I love you, too." Chloe said seriously as she pulled Beca back down.
It had been a long, frustrating, exhausting, and tense string of days. They had little privacy and basically all of their energy was focused on things related to the Agency instead of each other. And it wasn't until Chloe kissed Beca again, hands gripping and twisting the fabric of Beca's shirt, that she realized how badly she had missed her. They spent every waking hour together, yet it felt like it had been forever since they had been truly together.
She easily slid her tongue between Beca's parted lips and the kiss quickly grew more intense and more needy. Chloe shuffled back onto the bed, pulling Beca along doing her best to keep their lips in constant contact. The need and desire growing rapidly in her chest, needing to be as close to Beca as physically possible. Closer even.
"Let me show you how much." Chloe murmured, reached under Beca's shirt to give it a little tug.
"Chloe." Beca mumbled right back with a warning tone, but powerless to resist Chloe's touch. "Your dad is like…"
"We can keep it down." Chloe silenced Beca's concerns with another deep kiss. "And you locked the door."
"Yeah…" Beca's eyes fluttered closed as Chloe's lips descended to her neck leaving a hot trail along her skin. "But…"
"Please, baby." Chloe whispered in her ear, running her hands up her back. "I just want to be with you and not think about everything else for right now." She placed a featherlight kiss on the shell of Beca's ear. "I just need you."
The quiet desperation in Chloe's voice was enough for Beca to give in. And Beca knew she needed Chloe just as badly. They needed that closeness, that comfort. They needed each other.
She kissed Chloe slowly as she moved to straddle her hips. Her hands were placed on both of Chloe's cheeks, holding her gently, trying to convey how much she needed her too.
While their typical love-making was heated, passionate, and often loud, this time was different. It was softer, gentler. And it wasn't just because they knew they needed to be quieter or risk permanent mortification from Chloe's father. This wasn't just a physical attraction and need for release, it was an emotional need. They needed to feel comfort and safety in a bubble that only included them for even just a short amount of time.
Clothing was quickly but gently discarded. Skin on skin, hands roaming possessively but protectively. While their kisses were firm and hurried, there was a tenderness in the way their lips moved and tongues gracefully danced with each other.
Gentle and purposeful caresses led to mounting orgasms that were muffled with lips pressing against each other until the need for breath overtook them. They finally collapsed side by by side, smiling softly at each other, panting quietly as they caught their breath. Beca pushed a strand of slick red hair behind Chloe's ear and scratched at her neck.
"Wow, baby." Chloe tilted her head to place a kiss on the inside of Beca's wrist, before nuzzling close.
"Yeah." Beca breathed out a small chuckled as she started running her hand through Chloe's hair. "Wow."
"I'm glad we're in this together you know?" Chloe said quietly as she started tracing random patterns on Beca's ribs. "It sucks. But...I'm glad I have you."
"Me too." Beca easily agreed as she placed a kiss on Chloe's forehead.
They rested in the afterglow, staying in some sort of constant contact for a few minutes. But as the high wore off, Chloe knew she had to get what was rattling around in her mind off her chest. With a quick kiss to Beca's collarbone, she pushed herself up to lean on her elbow and look down in Beca's eyes.
"I don't want you to go back to the military." She said quickly, like pulling off a bandaid. Beca was clearly blindsided and blinked rapidly, trying to get her own mind to catch up with this line of conversation after the moment they just had. As she was pushing her own self up Chloe put a comforting hand on her arm and continued. "But I don't want to stop you either."
"What...Where is this coming from?" Beca ran a hand through her hair, blinking hard, trying to catch up to wherever Chloe was at.
"I know my dad has an offer for you. He has the power to get you back in. And he wants you. He orchestrated this whole thing." She paused briefly, pointing between the two of them. "Us becoming partners, just to find a way to get you back in. He just wanted you in the Agency so he could manipulate you into going back into the military to do his bidding." Chloe felt herself start rambling and took a deep breath, grateful that, while confused, Beca sat and waited patiently for Chloe to get out all the necessary words.
"I'm terrified of you going back and something bad happening and either exacerbating your PTSD or worse…losing you."
"If you'd asked me a year ago if I would take an offer to go back to the military I wouldn't have thought twice before taking it. But things are totally different now. I have you. And we have something pretty great going. I don't know if its worth the risk for some redemption military op."
"But if it weren't for me...you'd do it, wouldn't you? You'd really want to." Chloe bit her lip, glancing down at her hands wringing nervously.
"We can't play the what if game." Beca quickly took Chloe's hands in hers, and stared until Chloe met her eyes. Beca skillfully dodging the question wasn't missed by Chloe. "The facts and the reality is that I have you and I love the job I'm in. I don't want anything else, okay?"
"Okay." Chloe nodded, still not fully convinced of that in her own head. But if Beca said so, she'd believe her. She just had to hope her dad wouldn't find a way to manipulate Beca into changing her mind.
It was another tiresome week of living in cramped quarters with General Beale occupying most of Beca and Chloe's time. The other agents had been able to leave the safehouses and regroup. New headquarters construction was already full steam ahead and Aubrey and Jesse were working to get everything back in working order. But General Beale wanted to keep Beca and Chloe a little longer, just to be safe. Chloe wondered if maybe there was a sliver of protective fatherly instincts at work, but she ignored that feeling. She knew he was probably using two of the best agents in close proximity to brainstorm.
They'd discovered a former group of ex-agents was behind the attack. They had been disgruntled and bombing the Agency headquarters served as both revenge and a lucrative deal from an Irish terrorist they joined forces with. General Beale was more embarrassed at letting such an unimpressive group make such a powerful move on his Agency. It would take longer to plot a counterstrike, but General Beale as well as Beca and Chloe were confident they wouldn't be hard to take down. Beca and Chloe alone could probably take down the Irishman, whoever he was.
When it was finally deemed safe by General Beale to leave the safe house, a new HQ had been built, Chloe's relationship with her father was just as troubled as it was before, and Beca's mind was clouded with thoughts she couldn't shake of that special ops mission that she turned down. And General Beale wasted no opportunity to subtly hint at her that she should take it.
After a stoic and formal goodbye to Chloe's dad, with the promise to be in touch about the next plan for a mission to hopefully track down the former agents, a car took them away from the compound and to relative freedom they'd been lacking for what felt like forever. They went to Chloe's apartment first, simply for her to grab a few things and then straight to Beca's. There wasn't a need for a discussion to know they'd still be spending the night together despite the complete lack of freedom over the past couple weeks.
They sluggishly made their way through her door, where Beca stopped in her tracks. There was a thick large envelope just inside her door. Without getting a closer look, she already knew what it was. And judging by the way Chloe tensed beside her, she knew Chloe knew too. As she set her keys aside and Chloe quietly shut the door behind them, Beca knelt down and picked up the packet marked in big red letters "confidential."
Neither said a word as Beca gently set the packet down on her table and just stared blankly at it. The packet sat like a ticking time bomb, neither one of them knowing how to disarm it.
"Let's go to bed." Chloe said softly, doing her best to ignore all the warning sirens going off in her head at the fact that Beca didn't immediately dispose of the files. She knew Beca had to be at least slightly considering it. And it terrified her. But she didn't want to acknowledge those feelings tonight, she just wanted to lay in a familiar bed with the woman she loved. Let tomorrow bring whatever it would.
"Okay." Beca nodded and smiled a half smile, taking Chloe's hand to go upstairs to get what they both hoped would be the best sleep they'd have in weeks.
Beca woke slowly in her bed, her brain still struggling with the fact that they weren't still in the bunker. She let out a few ungraceful noises and grunts as she slowly moved from her slumbering state to semi-wakefulness. The light was barely starting to peek through the windows, so she figured she should get up soon and get used to early mornings again. When she dropped a hand to the opposite side of the bed and felt nothing but cold sheets, her wakeful state appeared a bit quicker than anticipated.
She sat up, eyes blinking quickly, trying to adjust to the dim light and see clearly. But Chloe wasn't in her bed. She groggily shuffled across the room and carefully made her way downstairs, eyes still adjusting to the harshness of not being asleep.
When she came off the last step she saw Chloe sitting at the table sipping a cup of coffee or tea, staring off at the opposite wall. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle her girlfriend too badly.
"Chloe?" Beca said softly as she gently placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder. Chloe jumped slightly as she turned to look at Beca then instantly relaxed.
"Becs, what are you doing up?"
"Well, I reached over in bed and you weren't there, so…" Beca sleepily rubbed her eyes and took a seat beside Chloe. "You okay?"
"I was just thinking about things." Chloe said, glancing down into her mug like it held some answers. "And I think you probably should too, Bec."
"Think about what?"
"The offer my dad gave you."
"I did think about it, I don't-"
"Beca, I know you." Chloe set her mug down and looked at Beca patiently. "If you really had no intention, no desire whatsoever to even consider taking the offer, those files would be gone." She nodded briefly over to the coffee table where the large packet had been moved.
"Chloe, I promise. I don't want it."
"You can honestly tell me there's not one small part of you that isn't craving a chance to prove yourself again? Show them they made a mistake letting you go? You don't even want to know the details of the mission?"
"I don't care about that. I have something better now."
"I don't want you making this decision because of me." Chloe stood up, her posture was determined. "You may not think you want it now. But what about 5, 10 years from now. Who knows where we'll be and what kind of regrets we'll have. I don't want this to be one for you. You'd end up resenting me. And I can't let that happen."
"The only regret I would have, Chloe, is not having a life with you."
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you would not want this mission if you weren't in a relationship with me." Chloe folded her arms, waiting for an answer. Beca just ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. She was never able to easily lie to Chloe. And she knew damn well she would have already accepted it if she wasn't in a serious relationship.
"I think we should put moving in together on hold." Chloe blurted out as she looked down after a moment when Beca didn't answer the question.
"What?" Beca's eyes widened as she shot up from the chair.
"I think you need to take some serious time, even if you don't have much, to consider it. And I think us moving in together or planning the future would only cloud your judgement."
"Chloe. I don't want to put our lives on hold. I want to move in with you."
"I'm serious, Beca." Chloe swallowed hard; the last thing she wanted was to slow the fast moving train of their relationship down. "I want you to be completely sure of your decision. And I promise you, if you want to go, I will support you. I'll wait for you. But I do not want to be the reason for a regret. I know how much the military meant to you. And I know how much this mission would, too." Chloe sniffed, before digging around in her purse and pulling out a small medal and setting it on the table.
"Chloe...how…" Beca picked up the medal, looking at it in awe. It was her medal from her last military op. The one she sold for her bike. The one she regretted giving up.
"I'm in the Agency, Beca, I can track down a medal you pawned off to a bike dealer." Chloe smirked sadly. "Look at that medal. Remember how much it means to you. How much the military means to you. And think about it, Beca. Truly think. And I will support you either way. If you want to do it, if you want a shot at redemption, I won't stand in your way. We can move forward, the two of us, once you've fulfilled what you need to."
Beca just nodded and swallowed hard, still a little shocked at looking at her medal she thought she'd never see again.
"I love you, Beca." Chloe stepped closer and kissed Beca on the corner of her mouth. "I love you too much to let you dismiss a possible dream for me. I'm going to go back to my place, maybe see if Aubrey can get me a new car, and do some relaxing before we go back to work. Please legitimately think about it. You don't need to make a decision today. My father is willing to wait for you. And so am I."
Beca just nodded silently, still looking at the medal she turned over and over in her hand.
"I love you, Chloe."
"I know." Chloe nodded as she stroked Beca's cheek. And then she picked up her bags and left Beca in the middle of the living room, alone with the many thoughts she needed to get in order.
It was a long 24 hours, but Chloe had given Beca her space. She was proud of herself. The night before she wanted nothing more than to use her temporary new car, courtesy of Aubrey's connections, and go spend the night with Beca. She hated this space thing. But she knew it was the best thing in the long run. She truly would never forgive herself if Beca denied herself an opportunity that she would accept otherwise if it weren't for Chloe.
It was going to be their first day back at HQ, but Chloe didn't really see the time they spent in the safehouse bunker as time off, since they spent the majority of it working with her father. But nevertheless she was happy to be back to somewhat normal. The new HQ looked remarkably similar, and it was hidden below an abandoned warehouse. She noticed security had increased with adjustments here and there after the bombing.
Overall, it was a nice new workspace. She and Beca still shared an office. She was slightly closer to Aubrey's office. And Emily had a new and improved tech room. Chloe was certain she was grateful to have missed Emily's exuberance upon first seeing it.
It was a few hours into the day when Chloe realized Beca hadn't come in or communicated with her. They needed to get started working on their next mission. Chloe glanced around, looking for any signs Beca might have come in without her seeing. She checked her phone and didn't see any missed calls or texts. In fact, the last text Chloe had sent had gone without a response, which was from last night.
They weren't in a fight, but Chloe knew they were in a bit of a weird spot right now with the decision about the special ops mission looming over them and potentially putting moving in together on hold. But Beca wouldn't just ignore her, especially after the last time Beca went off the grid and ended up in the hospital. But Chloe wasn't quite worried yet. Beca could have been exhausted from the past few weeks and was just getting extra sleep. Chloe wouldn't begrudge her that.
As the day went on and more texts and calls went unanswered, Chloe was getting more and more unnerved, especially when the calls started going straight to voicemail. She didn't think Beca would possibly pull what she did when they had their last big fight, especially since this wasn't even a fight. She knew the look on Beca's face was truly disappointed when Chloe suggested they put moving in on hold, but she thought they had agreed. She didn't think Beca was actually angry or upset at her.
Something didn't feel right.
"Have you seen Beca?" She leaned inside Aubrey's office, trying to keep the nervousness from seeping through her voice.
"Last time I saw her was weeks ago. I thought she was coming in today." Aubrey tilted her head in slight confusion.
"She was...is." Chloe quickly corrected, her nervous tick of chewing on her lower lip didn't go unnoticed by Aubrey.
"Chloe, what's wrong?"
"She's not answering her texts or calls." Chloe's shoulders sunk. "She was supposed to be here hours ago. And we had...a chat…"
"I swear to God if she bolted again after you two had a fight, I'm going to maim her."
"It wasn't a fight." Chloe said quickly. "We just discussed things. I wanted to put our moving in together on hold for...something important. And I know she didn't like that, but I thought we agreed."
"What? Why are you putting it on hold?" Aubrey nearly jumped out of her desk chair.
"She has...an opportunity. I don't know if I can tell you about it. But I told her she needed to focus on that decision. She agreed. And things were fine. I thought."
"Then why do you think she would leave?"
"I don't think she left. I'm...worried. With everything going on lately, I can't help but worry something happened."
"Don't panic yet." Aubrey quickly moved into action mode and picked up her phone. "Let me make a few calls."
"Okay." Chloe nodded. "Call me if you hear anything." Aubrey just nodded quickly, waving Chloe out of the office.
A couple more hours went by and Chloe was more a bundle of nerves than ever. Something had to be wrong. Beca wouldn't go off and ignore her like this. Especially after everything that had happened. Even if she was upset, she'd at least let Chloe know she was okay. Chloe was pacing around their office, racking her brain for some sort of idea as to where Beca could be.
She was turning to start a new lap of pacing when her phone went off on her desk. She lunged for it like it might stop ringing if she didn't get to it in time.
"Hello."
"Agent Beale?" A mechanical and distorted voice asked from the other line.
"Yes?"
"I have your girl."