Title: Replay (or Life is a Setlist, This is on Shuffle)
Pairings: Beca/Chloe, Aubrey/Jesse, and a bit of Cynthia/Stacie (might be one-sided, might not ;)
Rating: PG-13
Description: Life is an ever-changing setlist but it's the day before graduation and just this once, Beca wished she could replay it from the start. A look at the changes that go along with the future and the one moment that changed everything for Beca.
AN: this is dedicated to my fellow flailing fangirl, Emmy. Not a whole lot of Bechloe interaction in this chapter but I hope it won't deter you guys from reading :)
"No extra piercings, no plaid and no converse? It looks like somebody's ready to be a grownup in the real world."
It's been a while since Beca had heard the sharp trills of the former Barden Bella captain berating her in typical Aca-Aubrey fashion. She was in the middle of taking down her dorm decorations and between the Breakfast Club poster, the picture of their first win at Nationals and the framed cd of her first mix that was played on the radio station, Beca wanted nothing more than to have all that back.
Every breakup, every Barden Bella smackdown and (Oh God, she would never tell a living soul she thought this, especially not Chloe) every single Aubrey 'Aca-' speech.
She wanted to restart the playlist from the first moment Chloe called her out at club fair day.
Restart it and put it on constant repeat.
She put down the sacred Barden Bella scarf and looked up at the blonde smirking from the doorway. "Well, well… Aubrey Posen, how gracious of you to find the time to greet us mere mortals. Daddy let you off your leash early?"
Of course, Beca would always show her appreciation for Aubrey's distinct displays of love and affection with her own usual dry cut sarcasm. It was like riding a bike. You never forget how to piss off Aubrey Posen.
Since their first victory, Aubrey learned to take it easy and- Well, no she was still the same intense, tightly wound go-getter she always was but she did ease up on tradition at least. She also gained a sense of humour, which Chloe swears she always had, but it was nice to see the former captain let her hair down every once in a while.
And as much as they can say they get along now, mostly for Chloe's sake than anything else, their usual cut-throat repartee would never truly fade.
Aubrey visibly winced at the mention of Mr. Posen, making Beca regret she ever mentioned it but it disappeared quickly as Aubrey walked into the room, inspecting the evidence of memories of her successor's years at Barden. She glared at the Breakfast Club poster but Beca made no apologies for it. Aubrey had no right to doubt or judge the state of Beca's relationships. Especially not after what she did to Jesse.
It seemed that Aubrey knew this as well because the glare eased its intensity and there was a flash of something akin to regret in her eyes. "I come here in relative peace, Mitchell."
"Relative?" Beca repeated dryly.
"Chloe insisted that I try." And Beca understood, if there was one thing that she had in common with Aubrey Posen it was that they would both do anything for Chloe.
"I figured your first stop would be the auditorium… or the rehearsal space." Or Jesse's place to beg him to understand one more time why she couldn't be with him.
"I wanted to see how my successor was dealing with her last days as captain."
"You mean you were hoping to catch me weeping and wiping snot like you did when you had to go?"
"Oh please, like you aren't Aca-Anguishing in your head right now."
"Aca-anguishing?" She echoed, eyebrow arching as high as it did the first time she heard Aubrey use the unique prefix. "You really miss being able to add Aca in front of your words for scary acapella captain emphasis don't you?"
But Aubrey just smirked in response, telling Beca that the blonde knew that she was just avoiding the accurate observation with a sarcastic question. Beca just scoffed, throwing her hands in the air in silent admission. She was mentally sobbing, snotting and vomiting in her mind right now and in a way, it was reassuring to have someone there that totally understood.
"You did a good job." Aubrey admitted awkwardly patting her on the back, "I mean I just had a year to help the Bellas become National Champs. You've done it three times now. All while being best friends with the captain of our rival team."
Choosing not to address the Jesse-shaped elephant in the room, Beca swatted away Aubrey's hand.
"Yeah well, I wasn't alone." And she wasn't, she never was. From the moment that Chloe picked her out from the crowd. It just took her the better part of a year to realize it. Beca had the Bellas both old and new behind her every step of the way. Cynthia and Amy were both excellent co-captains, often playing bad cop, weird cop and scaring the newbie-Bellas. Beca didn't know how but somehow it all worked out in typical Bella fashion: a big hot mess of Aca-mayhem.
But she didn't have to ask the others because they would all agree: they wouldn't have it any other way.
Life was an ever-changing setlist and the Bellas were no different. They brought in new Bellas and lost some to the ritual that inducted them into the real world (Denise and Lilly both graduated a year early). Still they somehow managed to keep the awesome feeling of Mix and Family even if the dynamics and songs were changed.
And they will change again. Beca, Amy, Cynthia and Jessica were all graduating tomorrow making all Bellas, old and new, worry for the future of their now four year reign as national champions.
But while Beca feared the outside world, she had no doubt that the Barden Bellas would thrive. Stacie would become the new captain, as she decided to extend her studies another year. And although Cynthia would graduate the next day along with the others, she would return in the fall to go for her Masters in music theory and composition. Beca had no doubt she would see her in LA in the future.
Of course, all the Bellas knew the real reason Cynthia Rose wanted to continue at Barden had everything to do with the new Barden Bella captain as her grades could have gotten her into other, more prestigious schools around the country. Stacie and Cynthia had really bonded when Stacie helped her with her gambling problem. Although Cynthia Rose wasn't as forward with her affections as she was when it was pure lust and grabby hands, she still hasn't quite learned to use her poker face outside the underground casino.
Beca hoped that things worked out with them. She cared about her Bellas.
"You kept the Bellas together when you could have let it all go to chaos and aca-anarchy. You should give yourself more credit."
"Like you would ever allow me to let it fall so far. I know Chloe kept you updated on every Barden Bella meeting." She replied, rolling her eyes. Chloe would tell Aubrey everything from Beca's leadership skills to her bedroom ones.
Aubrey huffed and the shorter girl didn't even have to look to know that she was stomping her prissy little feet. "It's not my fault you tell Chloe everything."
"She's my girlfriend, I always tell her everything." Beca argued, her tone was exasperated as they hashed out this argument for the umpteenth time over the course of her captaincy.
"And I'm her best friend, she has to tell me everything, especially when it comes to my team."
"You graduated years ago, Aubrey. It's not your team anymore." It's not mine anymore either, she thought morosely.
"Once a Bella always a Bella." Aubrey intoned, and then she added softly, "It's the one thought that helps when we leave."
The air was palpable with all kinds of emotions that Beca still wasn't equipped to deal with, at least not without Chloe there. She really wished that Chloe was here but she couldn't fly in from L.A. until tomorrow.
"Why are you here, Aubrey?" It was rude and direct but still it had to be said.
The former Barden Bella always was and still is a fan of the dramatics and besides her big blowout with Jesse (Beca still didn't know the full details as Jesse, Chloe and Aubrey refused to say) she loved to have her big fits and drama hashed out in front of people.
"What do you mean?" Aubrey asked, playing off innocence that just wasn't there.
"We don't do these heart-to-hearts." Beca pointed out, "Hell, this is the longest time we've spent together without anybody having to ring the bell and send us to our corners."
"But we're both former captains-"
"Aubrey."
"Fine," She said, raising her hands in surrender. "Chloe wanted me to… shewantedmetotellyoushecan'tmakeherflighttomorrow!"
"Say that again? Uh, more slowly this time. It sounded like you wanted to blow chunks and I really don't want to have to clean this room a second time."
"Beca, Chloe can't make her flight tomorrow."
Tomorrow as in graduation day.
Tomorrow as in the day she would leave Barden and the campus radio station and Jesse and the Bellas.
Tomorrow as in the planned day she was going to propose to the one girl in the world that not just tolerates Beca Mitchell and all her problems but loves her more than anything for them.
Tomorrow as in the moment everything was going to change in her life.
"What?!"
The record player in her heart screeched to a halt.
Now she was the one that was going to blow chunks.
Summer Before Beca's Junior Year.
She was in LA. Finally.
It was just a visit though. She never thought she'd say that with such conviction. She, of course, needed to head back to Barden come August to start her second year as captain of the Bellas. For now though, she was in L.A. with a dream summer internship at a relatively known radio station. It wasn't Ryan Seacrest (thank God) but it wasn't the old university radio station either. The summer internship was only three months long but she got it and she was staying with her best friend (her only best friend right now seeing as her other ex-best friend lied to her like the LIAR he was).
Her best friend. And she had more than one (Okay so maybe Jesse wasn't ex-ed off the short list but he would have to grovel for a bit longer). What a strange notion, one that wouldn't have been conceivable just two years ago. She would have given an arm and a leg to be here back then. But now she had roots.
L.A. was everything and nothing like she thought it would be. There was sun and there were the tropical trees. The stars, the landmarks and the opportunity were all present in the Land of Angels just like she dreamed. But there was also an abundance of sleazy talent scouts, abtastic radio DJs and uppity busty models that sneered at her appearance. Facing the dream she'd had for so long seemed so much scarier than she imagined. She looked down self-consciously at her usual attire; plaid, dark jeans and converse, feeling more like a twelve-year-old girl than an aspiring DJ in L.A.
It was easy to ignore before when a pair of headphones blocked out the world she tried to keep out.
"BECA!"
Since she started at Barden though, Beca managed to find a new way to let music and the world into her heart.
"Hey, Chloe-OOOF!" She should have been more prepared but after months of no non-boundary Chloe affection Beca didn't mind one bit.
"I'm so glad you're here. I missed you so much, Becs." Beca could barely make out the sentiment but once she realized what Chloe had said, the soundwaves carried with it a lighter air, a warmer one. One that made all the worries and insecurities fade away to the nothingness outside the hug.
"I uh, I missed you too." Was her ever-eloquent reply.
"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about Aubrey and Jesse." Chloe murmured into Beca's tangled brown locks. "I was sworn to secrecy."
"It's okay." Her answer was as muffled as she breathed in the L.A. sun-soaked scent of Chloe's now-brighter red tresses. It was okay, and she really meant it.
It was, after all, hard to stay mad at Chloe Beale. She literally had that built in her genetics, down to her wide-eyed blue irises that reminded Beca of a bubbly Colbie Caillat song then to that smile of hers that brought sunshine on a cloudy day (Temptations style and all). Chloe was a freaking Disney Princess topped with a love for Acapella, a penchant for nudity and a total lack of regard for personal space.
And maybe she was a little annoyed at first. Her former aca-archenemy and her ex-boyfriend turned best friend hooking up and she was the last to know? Of course she was allowed to be pissed off.
But here? In Chloe's arms, warm as the Gregory Porter album, she didn't feel anything but love. No matter what the distance or how long they've gone without seeing each other in person, Beca always (secretly) cherished those hugs. They never changed.
…
Waitaminute.
Love?
The album that was playing in her head skipped a beat as Beca felt all the music connect into a mix like no other. Colbie Callait bubbly, Temptations style sunshine? Gregory Porter love?
Aca-fucking shit.
She was in love with Chloe Beale.
Her best friend that changed everything for her the minute she stepped into the shower demanding she sing Titanium.
Her best friend that was there when she had her anticlimatic breakup with Jesse.
The one person that's been her rock for the last year and a half and the one that is letting her stay at her place for the next three months.
"It's okay." She said once more, hoping she just imagined the crack in her voice.