T for language. Thanks for reading, this has been fun.

Weather broke in LA, and gloomy 40 degree greys gave way to sun and sixties. Chloe bought Beca a swimsuit, and the whole house of women spent most of their weekend around the pool.

Everyone but Beca, anyway.

Carl had all but abandoned the final S15 performance in lieu of coordinating the multitude of celebrity appearances that would be part of the finale performances.

Even the remaining contestants were backburned for the most part.

There wasn't anymore voting, so they didn't really need to sing again.

They'd be featured in the first number and a couple more later if time allowed.

(But it never did.)

The winner would sing after she was announced, though, and Beca was tasked with making that happen.

So she rehearsed each performer's best or favorite performance from the season, throwing her live Lily Allen remix into the fray as well.

Emily chose Call Me from 80s week, and Stacie demanded to sing Moulin Rouge. Beca convinced CR to prep Jolene again, and reluctantly, the buxom woman agreed.

It was cool to get the finalists one-on-one again.

But she had to do it when everybody else was in the pool, on Saturday.

Which was a lot.

Stacie came in dripping from the water, but at least she stayed for over an hour, teasing Beca about being a nerd as the DJ ran her through her number.

CR was next, and they had to close the blinds so the singer could focus on anything other than women in bikinis. But Beca left the actual window open so the other women could hear CR sing, and after the final run-through of Jolene, a chorus of cheers and applause exploded from the pool.

Emily joined Beca in the pool house a little after four, which had given Beca enough time to re-learn Fuck You. And even though everybody else was still at the pool, Emily was dressed, with long, wet french braids lying over her shoulders. They finished rehearsing the Blondie song in twenty minutes flat, and Beca turned to her expectantly.

"Great job," Beca winked. She leaned over to turn the keyboard off.

"Wait!"

Beca cast a sideways look over her shoulder as the teen bit her lip.

"Just for fun, can we…?" Emily started to say as her captured lip peeked out into a smile, but when she didn't continue, Beca huffed.

"Can't read your mind, Em," Beca shot back.

"Can we do my song?" she said hurriedly. "I know we can't sing it for the actual show, but-"

"Why not?"

Beca's quick response threw the tall brunette off.

"What?" she asked, stunned. "I mean, I'm not going to win, you're totally going to win, but if I got to sing another song - another solo, I mean, because we're singing the group one - they'd let me sing my song? Our song, I mean?"

Beca chuckled as she turned the keyboard back on, found the right piano settings, and let the opening notes trickle through the small pool house.

"Kid, it's your song, not ours," Beca said. "You've already sang it on the show once, so they'd probably be all for it. Besides, it did well in the ratings."

"It did?"

Beca's fingers froze on the keys as she took a sharp, deep breath.

She forgot that the list Posen gave her was confidential.

"Yeah," she said slowly, but she was trying to think quickly.

Why would she know it did well?

"Posen recognized it, at the club last week," she said. "She asked me about it, because she figured it was my mix. She told me that people liked it. And that the show, like, owns it or something."

Emily deflated in front of her but stood up straight with a determined sort of nod.

"Well, when you win, you can put it on your album," she asserted. "It's as much yours as it is mine, and I'll have my mom sign it away or whatever."

Beca rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna win, Em, and even-"

"Yes you are! You're so-"

"Even if I did," Beca cut her off again. "I wouldn't take your song."

A peal of laughter rang out from the crowded pool outside, interrupting them, and the pair fell into silence. Beca finally turned to look at Emily again. The young girl's eyes shone with adoration from where she was perched on the stool in the middle of the room, and Beca rolled her eyes again.

"C'mon," she gestured with a jerk of her head. "Sit."

Emily stood and joined Beca on the bench as the smaller brunette started to play the song again. Soft notes and an even softer voice rang out as Emily began to sing.

Emily closed her eyes as she sang, so she didn't notice the other women coming in from the pool. Wrapped in towels, the rest of the season 15 contestants clambered around them, quietly, and when Emily and Beca came out of the second verse, they started to sing with her.

Emily's eyes flew open as she spun around, taking in the sight behind and around her.

Beca could tell the teenager was fighting back tears as she saw the older women support her, lifting her up through their singing, through her song.

But she kept going, and with Beca's simple piano carrying them through, they made it to the end.

One by one, the other singers fell away as Emily finished the song on her own.

"Wow, that was just- wow!" Emily stuttered. "You guys are so cool. This is like an actual dream. I can't- I just-"

She devolved into a sputtering noise, and the women laughed.

"I can't believe you have to go back to high school after this," Stacie said.

"I know! It's like, how do I sit in third period Biology after singing a Katy Perry song to Katy Perry on national TV?" Emily lamented, and the group started laughing again.

"I have to re-enroll in flight school," CR added. "Imma be serenading the console."

"Right?" Beca jumped in. "The storage room at Zumiez can't wait to hear what I've been cooking up."

The group got quiet, and Beca sighed.

Here it comes.

"Yeah, you're not going back to retail."

"Aren't you like an actual DJ?"

"Beca! You can't!"

"What about Residual Heat?!"

"You're kidding me!"

"I know you're not pretending to be normal after they obviously picked you."

It was Fat Amy at the end that brought the group back to center, and Beca sighed.

"Okay, I didn't say this to you guys before because I wasn't allowed, but yeah, Residual Heat did offer me a job," she said. "But said no, because-"

The room erupted into angry shouts.

"What the fuck!" Stacie cried.

"Don't you want to make music?"

Flo was the one who put the question out there so simply.

And maybe it was that simple, except-

Posen flashed through Beca's mind, the Posen that approached her with a job offer on Thursday.

"I kind of have an idea."

She shook her head as she looked at Flo.

"No, I guess, but-"

Fat Amy cut in.

"Beca, you can't say no, you have to do it!" she said. "And we're your family, and we'll lift you up!"

Family.

These women were her family.

This show was her family.

"I kind of have an idea."

"Okay, fine, whatever," Beca said finally. "I'll- I don't know. I'll do something. Jesus."

"Beca," Fat Amy said, and her voice started to break. She leaned into the circle and took Beca's hand as her expression scrunched with almost comical sadness.

"Don't," the brunette pushed. "I swear to god, don't make that face. I'm not gonna do this with you today."

Her face morphed into even more ridiculous mock-sorrow.

"I'm not doing it."

"Don't make that face!"

"This is my regular face!"

Beca felt the pinpricks of tears start to form in the corner of her eyes.

"You just get out there, and you crush it, okay?" Amy said with a sniff. "You crush it so hard, your nips tingle a little bit."

Why were they all about to cry?

What the fuck was that about?

"She loves hugs," Chloe piped up.

"Don't!" Beca shouted at her girlfriend. "That's not funny!"

"We should give her one!"

The women descended on the women at the keyboard as Emily shrieked, and soon Beca was engulfed in nine pairs of arms attached to coo-ing women.

Attached to friends.

Attached to family.

Fuck.

The whole cast did their final rehearsal on Monday.

They probably went a little overboard on the choreography, but Chloe insisted on doing a full performance.

("The mix is so good, Becs! We have to do it justice!")

And when everybody left, Beca stayed behind with Carl for Katy Perry's rehearsal.

Beca had probably spent the most time at the theater during finale rehearsal, second only to Carl.

She would've been jealous that her friends got to tan by the pool as she worked, but she was having too much fun working with everyone. On Tuesday, too, as the old Idol people got ready to perform, Beca was there, coordinating cues and warm-ups.

She only recognized three or four of them, but still.

It was fun.

Jordin Sparks was onstage singing her new single and mixing in No Air when Posen appeared backstage.

"Mitchell," she greeted Beca, and Beca stifled a smirk.

"Posen," she replied.

They watched Jordin sing for a few moments before Posen huffed.

"You've been a big help, you know," she said begrudgingly. "A lot of the performers, and the crew, they've been extremely complimentary."

The smirk fought its way to the foreground, and Beca couldn't help it.

"Wow, was that almost another 'thank you'?" she teased. "Two in one season?"

Posen let loose an angry exhale.

"You find a way to ruin every good moment."

Beca chuckled.

"Sorry," she said softly. They were both looking forward at the performer onstage, but, out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw Posen grin.

"You've thought about my offer, then?"

It was Beca's turn to blow out a burst of air, and the sigh hung there as Jordin finished her set. They watched as Carl's crew called cues; lights fell on the mainstage, and a couple spotlights lit a piano on stage left, and some dude began to play and sing.

"I've thought about it," Beca said as the performance went on. "And I re-read the contract. It's a loophole."

"It's not a loophole!" Posen whisper-shouted as she glanced around. "It's creative interpretation."

Beca shot a skeptical look at the blonde judge.

"I was pre-law in undergrad," Posen seethed back. "I know this contract backwards and forward. And besides, I wrote in that runner-up clause after season 8. Fucking Lambert."

Beca nodded, her mouth pulled into a little frown as she acknowledged that Posen was obviously going through her own shit.

Wait, she thought.

Adam Lambert?

He started on Idol?

"I can make it work," Posen said with casual authority. "I just need to know if you're in."

Beca sighed as she tried to make sense of her options, but still, she couldn't straighten them out.

In her head, she saw two versions of herself.

One was in Atlanta with Chloe. She worked out of the Atlanta Residual Heat studio and deejayed on the weekends.

And the other?

Another sigh escaped Beca's lips.

"I know, he's such a tool," Posen said, misinterpreting Beca's sigh.

Beca let her gaze refocus on the guy onstage as he let his sad song peter out in broken, discordant arpeggios.

He was good, and obviously comfortable onstage. Beca knew the song he played (and the key he played it in) wasn't too terribly difficult, but he made it look effortless, even as he flashed a forlorn glance just to the side of the camera that he knew held a close-up of his face.

He was performing like the perfect contestant.

But just by looking at him, Beca knew he didn't win his season. He was too polished, too practiced in the performance. There wasn't anything human about the way he played, authentic, maybe, but flawless, and that wasn't human.

And the song he picked was a little too apropos of apparent heartbreak.

He probably had a flourishing Instagram where he posted the whole heart-wrenching story.

A few hardcore fans leftover from his season probably ate it up.

But Beca didn't.

She saw through all that, just like Posen did.

"You're good at this, Beca," Posen said sincerely. "We got the green light for another season. Stay on, work with Carl. And help with the album. I'll even let you work at Residual if you promise to be on screen every once in a while."

Beca gasped, chancing a glance at the woman next to her. Posen wasn't looking at her, but she was still smiling.

"For real?"

Posen turned slowly, and the smile faded as her expression turned serious.

"If that's what it takes to keep you on with the show," she said. "Gail and John already agreed. It's a seasonal thing anyway; we couldn't keep you on all year long."

"No, I mean," Beca started, then laughed. Posen cocked her head, confused.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I'm so invested in this shit," Beca whispered to herself. "I mean, did you save the show? They gave you another season?"

Posen's face lit up as it broke into a wide smile.

"We saved the show, Mitchell. Together," she said. "I need you to stay on."

Beca watched as the lights went down on Mr. Perfect, and she heard Carl call out that they would be skipping Perry's rehearsal, told the stage manager to mark the time and transition into the next Idol alum performance then set up for the winner announcement.

The other version of herself?

That other future version?

She stayed on at American Idol.

She was doing all the things she loved about being on the show. She was helping people pick songs, and helping them with Posen's feedback. She was working on group mixes for the performers to sing together, based on their strengths and their skills.

She was working for Hollywood Records as a producer, but as an independent contractor, like a consultant.

She was working with Residual Heat LA, apparently. Posen hadn't told her that last time they talked.

She was deejaying with Luke at the club, partying with Plaza at the club she (again, apparently) owned.

That Beca was still on TV sometimes.

And that Beca was working with Posen.

Posen who, against all odds, had become part of her life. Just like the other contestants, if not more, because they'd been working pretty closely for the last two weeks as they planned the final shows.

Chloe's best friend.

Chloe.

She'd briefly mentioned the whole idea of staying on in LA to Chloe, and the redhead had been ecstatic. The idea of her best friend and her girlfriend working together with professional respect had sent Chloe over the moon.

And she'd had talked about spending the summer out here, but with vet school starting in the fall, and season 16 starting, they'd be separated again.

Still, she knew what the redhead would say.

And she knew what she wanted.

"Yeah, Posen," Beca said.

"I'm in."

Seems like everybody has a price.

I wonder how they sleep at night.

Emily stood center stage, bathed in light from a solo spot and the audience's cheers.

The rest of the women sang the long harmonies in the background.

When the sale comes first,

and the truth comes second,

just stop for a minute and smile.

The lights slowly came up to show three lines of the S15 contestants slowly, scattered across the stage.

The finalists were in the front row, with Beca and CR on the ends, and the crowd cheered again as Stacie picked up the next lines.

Everybody look to the left.

Everybody look to the right.

Can you feel that, yeah?

We're paying with love tonight.

A moment of quiet, and then Lily leaned forward between Stacie and Emily.

It ain't about the money!

The stage sprang into action, CR taking point as they sang the rest of Price Tag. Beca added a few ad libs before she jumped on the melody as they transitioned into Don't You (Forget About Me).

Fully healed, Chloe led the background in Just The Way You Are, providing the perfect response to Beca's melody.

They were in a line with forearms on each other's lower backs, kicking in an off rhythm when Beca caught Posen's eye in the crowd.

Beca could see that the judge was excited but also trying not to laugh.

Yeah, the choreography was a little much.

But her eye was pulled away when Aubrey Plaza threw her fist up in the air at the end of the buildup, like the end of The Breakfast Club, and Beca laughed as she did the same.

They started Give Me Everything Tonight, and Stacie took the melody again for the salacious song, parried only by CR's rap in the song.

Then, in a burst of pure genius formulated by their social media guru Chloe Beale, Fat Amy took center stage.

"Excuse me," she sang. "But I might drink a little bit more than I should tonight."

A rogue "GO FAT AMY!" scream made its way to the stage, and Beca knew they made the right choice.

Then it was Flo taking the lead on Party In The U.S.A. with Fat Amy's Turn The Beat Around add and they twirled and shook all the way through the end of Give Me Everything Tonight.

They were met with thunderous applause, and then Jesse was out onstage, pulling the finalists from the line to talk to them before the show continued.

Carrie Underwood came on, along with a few people Beca didn't recognize, and they pulled CR in front of the curtain, into the audience to meet with her mom and dad. They talked about CR's background, how she felt really lost in her gambling addiction before she auditioned for the show.

That was kind of nuts.

Definitely not expected.

It's the finale, Beca thought. They'll definitely play up everything.

After more performances - who knew they could still pull Kelly Clarkson for the American Idol finale? - Emily met with Jesse, her mom, and her grandma for a beautifully tender moment. Beca watched on the monitor backstage as the three generations of women started to cry, specifically noting that this was just the start of an incredible career for the young artist.

Only then did Beca realize that she was going to have to talk to Jesse as well.

Performances continued as Beca began to sweat. They interviewed Stacie, who pulled Posen into the shot with her mom, step-dad, and two sisters. Posen grinned awkwardly as the brunette draped over her, and even Stacie's mom put an arm around the blonde.

Which meant it was only Beca and the last few performances.

Did they fly her dad in?

Her step-mom?

She'd rather see her ex than those two.

And honestly, she figured her dad would have made more of an effort to reach out if he was coming out to support her.

Although, he did try to call a couple times last week…

No, he would've sent her a text.

There's no way he'd be selfless enough to support in that way.

"Mitchell, can you go to the monitor backstage?"

With a deep breath, Beca made her way through the backstage area to the monitor in the green room. Posen was there, along with Gary's camera crew. Beca greeted him warmly, as his face had become a reassuring presence over the last two months.

Seven, if she included Hollywood Week when she met him.

Chloe was there too.

"Chlo? What's going on?"

"Just watch the screen," Chloe said as she wrapped an arm around her.

The show came back from commercial, and they played some intro music as the camera focused on a big TV projected behind the stage. The voice started before the video did, and Beca gasped.

"Yeah, Beca got Mom's music genes," her brother said, and as his face materialized on the screen, Beca felt hot tears start to flow. He was in uniform, and the camera quality was pretty bad, but it was him, sitting casually and addressing the camera directly.

They put her and Chloe side-by-side next to his video, but she only glanced over before looking back at Mike.

"She's literally so annoying about it too," her brother said, and Beca laughed. Chloe squeezed her affectionately.

She knew the camera was on them, but she didn't care.

Of course they would get Mike to do a stupid voice over.

And of course he would be a dick about it.

"Seriously, she was so loud," he went on. "Do you know how annoying it is to be in a house with someone loud AND talented?"

Beca coughed out a laugh again as the scene cut to the start of the interview.

"My name's Mike, I'm Beca's older bro," he said, sitting ramrod straight as he regarded the camera. "Do you want me to, like, look off to the side or something?"

"No, it's okay," a quieter voice answered. "You know, Beca didn't know how to do these either."

"Yeah, she was always 'too cool' for reality TV," Mike laughed. "That little poser."

"Hey!" Beca barked out, and she felt Chloe laugh next to her.

"It's crazy that she's on TV," Mike went on on screen. "I mean, she's good enough, but still, this is so not her idea of a good time. She's more of a behind-the-scenes person."

He laughed and shook his head as he slumped a little bit.

"I remember, in third grade-"

"No!" Beca shouted, and she heard the audience laugh.

"-she got the lead in the school play-"

Beca dropped her head into her hands, laughing hard through her tears. She peeked up through her fingers to see Mike was cracking up too.

"-and right before opening night, she cried for like an hour, and Mom had to go backstage… oh man, she's gonna kill me for telling this story," he giggled into the camera.

"You're goddamn right I will!"

More laughs from the audience, along with a gentle scolding from Posen. Beca heard laughs from the people behind her in the room, and she almost turned around, but then Mike started up again.

"She had cried so hard that she couldn't wear her costume - like, it was too wet for her to wear it onstage," he said, wiping a happy tear away. "Mom had to fashion a toga from my white t-shirt."

A picture of eight-year-old Beca flashed up on the screen, wearing a long white shirt with a brown braided belt tied around it.

"She was such a cry baby!" Mike laughed. "And Bec, we watch the show over here; it seems like not that much has changed!"

Beca groaned loudly as the audience burst into laughter.

"It's not- I'm not- shut up!" Beca shouted at the screen.

Mike got his laughter under control and sighed happily.

"No, not much has changed," he said. "She's still taking care of everybody."

He heaved a heavy breath and scrubbed a hair over his crew cut while Beca resisted the urge to do the same to hers.

"Our mom got sick while I was deployed," he said somberly. "Becky Superstar had to take care of her, and it really sucked. I sent money and stuff, but our dad didn't do much in the way of helping. I'm not sure he would've been the person we wanted around anyway, but still. It was a lot for her. I knew that."

Beca rubbed tears and makeup out from under her eyes.

Goddamnit Mike!

"She was the only thing that kept Mom in good spirits, too," Mike went on. He paused for a minute, staring off into space.

"She didn't sing much, though. Not during that. Or after."

A sob wracked Beca's body, and she leaned into Chloe, who held her upright.

She couldn't break down completely.

She might have to sing again.

If there was time.

"I guess I have you guys to thank for that, for getting her back onstage," Mike said to the person on the interview call. "Thanks for helping my lil sis get back to good. Chloe, can't wait to meet you in person, I can tell that midget really likes you. And thanks, Posen, for being a surrogate big sibling when I couldn't. Someone has to be mean to her!"

Beca laughed through the wet tears, meeting Posen's eye behind the camera.

Posen rolled her eyes as she smiled.

"And thanks for flying me out," he said into the camera. "That was really cool too."

Beca inhaled sharply as a hand clapped onto her shoulder.

"How's it going, sis?"

The audience erupted into cheers as Beca threw her arms around her brother, not even caring about her makeup now as she sobbed.

Her brother was here!

Like, actually here!

"What the hel- heck!" Beca shouted, catching the curse as the first half of it came out of her mouth. "How are you here?!"

"The colonel's a fan," he winke, and Beca heard the people in the room laugh as well as the audience. "You really think I'd miss this? You're going to be the next American Idol!"

Beca rolled her eyes and started to respond, but Jesse jumped in out of nowhere and cut her off.

"Maybe she will!" he said to the camera. "Check out these performances by Jordin Sparks, Joshua Ledet, and legendary performer and judge Katy Perry, and we'll be back with the results!"

Beca watched the monitor under Mike's shoulder as the camera cut down to Jordin onstage as the woman began to perform.

"Thanks Mike, that was perfect," Posen said, and Mike pulled an arm out from around Beca to shake the judge's hand.

"Your dad says hi," he said. "And really, thank you for making this happen. And for picking on this one."

He went to give Beca a noogie, and the small brunette grunted.

"Mike I still have to go onstage! Quit it!"

"Oh my god, you're prissy now?!" Mike teased, and Beca socked him in the shoulder as she pulled out of the hug.

"I'm not prissy, I just have to care or whatever," she mumbled.

"Hi, I'm Chloe!"

Chloe had returned to Beca's side, but only for a moment, because as soon as Mike turned to her, Chloe threw herself around him in a hug.

"Beca's told me literally nothing about you. Did you call her Becky Superstar?" Chloe scowled.

"I did, it's her nickname, and ditto," Mike shot back. "Wanna get dinner, make her feel weird?"

"Yeah, thanks Posen," Beca deadpanned loudly. "Thanks for making this happen. Real cool. Super great."

Posen shrugged as Mike and Chloe laughed.

"It's your bed, Mitchell, you gotta lie in it," she said.

They watched the rest of the performances from backstage, and Mike filled Beca in with all the conspiratorial stuff that happened between their call and getting him to the show. Apparently it was Chloe's idea, after Mike had called last week, and since Mike already had a few off days scheduled for this week, all Posen had to coordinate was the flights.

He was jet-lagged, though, so he insisted that he couldn't go with them to the club.

But after Stacie came over and introduced herself with a flirty wink, he was suddenly wide awake and ready to party.

They didn't have time for any other finalists songs (of course), so when CR, Stacie, Emily, and Beca finally made their way back to the stage, it was only to hear who the winner was.

They announced the third runner-up as Stacie, and a blast of Moulin Rouge blasted through the speakers.

And then CR was announced as the second runner-up, and Since U Been Gone played.

And when they announced Beca as the runner-up, she wasn't surprised.

But Emily was.

The younger woman squeezed Beca so hard that the shorter woman thought she was going to pop. Jesse tried to give Emily a hug, but he couldn't get between the other finalists to do so.

That hug wall was impenetrable.

And instead of Call Me by Blondie playing through the speakers, it was quiet, save for the insane sounds from the audience. Beca pulled Emily over to the piano and handed the teenager the mic before sliding behind the keys.

She looked confused until Beca started playing Flashlight, and CR and Stacie stayed onstage as Emily went front and center to sing her song - her new single, as it was - accompanied at first by the other finalists.

And then, (against Posen's strict instructions,) by the rest of the season's contestants as they flooded the stage.

Confetti, balloons, and the youngest competitor of the season singing her song to a crowded theater of screaming fans.

Anything for LA?

No, Beca thought as she played.

This was better.

The End

Maybe an epilogue.

I don't know.

Read Immunity if you like my shit, I'll probably post a second chapter over there soon. This has been fun, thanks guys.