Beca knew she shouldn't be walking home alone this late at night. She should have called a cab to pick her up from her internship. Or Jesse. Or Stacie. Hell, even her dad would have been better than walking through the dark and dimly light campus in the middle of December. But her stubborn pride didn't want to inconvenience someone because she'd decided to yet again stay late at her internship. Beca loved working at Residual Heat, make no mistake; but between her college work, captaining the Bellas, and the work for her internship she was so stressed and exhausted. The Bellas had been so supportive and helpful, Chloe trying to shoulder as much of the responsibility of leading the Bellas as she could to try and ease the pressure off Beca. But yet, here Beca was walking home alone in the freezing cold at eleven at night because she had to keep on top of her workload otherwise Sammy would be on her ass.

Beca shivered a little as she turned down the shady path that would get her back to the Bellas house sooner. Okay, shady pathway, thick trees, new moon? Definitely the start of horror movie. But Beca was cold and tired, so much so that she didn't care about might be lurking in the shadows. She turned her music up a little louder to try and drown out the sound of her pounding heart. Beca let out a short sigh of relief as the Bella House came into view. Almost there. Almost home.

A weight slammed into Beca from behind and as she went to cry out a hand clamped over her mouth, Beca's headphones ripped from her ears as a hard punch knocked the air from her lungs, a rib cracking. She was shoved to the ground, barely enough time to raise her arms above her head as feet began to stomp and kick her body. What the hell was happening? Who were these people?

"Get her purse!"

Beca's whole body felt like it was collapsing in on itself as she tried to breathe, to move, to do anything other than just lie here. She could taste blood in her mouth as she tried to push herself up off the floor, a fist connecting with her face and knocking her to the ground again.

"You'll stay down bitch if you know what's good for you."

Beca raised a hand to her lip, wincing as it pressed lightly against the cut. She didn't try and get up again, despite the fact that she wanted to show this little shit just how much of a bitch she was. Beca knew there were at least two of them, and at five foot two with a slight build she wasn't a match for both of them. It briefly crossed her mind how much she'd matured in the last four years; freshman Beca would have been swinging her fists by now and damn the consequences.

"Tony did you get her phone?"

"What the fuck? Did you just use my name in front of her?"

A chill ran down Beca's spine even as the pain from her aching body started to fog her mind. This wasn't good. She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, clutching gently at her bruised abdomen as she tried to make it seem like she was too consumed by her injuries to have heard what had been said.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"Clearly! Fuck… she's gonna tell the police dude and then I'm gonna go to prison, I've got priors, I'm looking at serious time!"

Beca heard a click, heart pounding hard in her chest as adrenaline drowned out the pain that had been threatening to consume her. She had to get up, she had to get out of her NOW. She was so close to the Bella House, theoretically if she got up and bolted for it she could make it to the front door, or at least close enough to call out for help. Swallowing hard against the panic bubbling up inside her, Beca pushed herself shakily to her feet and threw all her energy into running as fast as she could. She was going to make it, she was going to be okay, she just had to-

Beca felt her scarf tighten around her throat as she was pulled backwards. No. No she was so close. Before she had the chance to try and react to free herself the second of her two assailants stepped in front of her arm swinging low as she felt something sharp pierce her stomach. Beca's cry of pain and shock came out in a strangled gargle as her scarf was used to choke her. The knife was pulled out and then thrust in again a couple of centimetres to the left, tears slipping down Beca's cheeks as black spots began to appear in her field of vision.

She was let go of suddenly as the knife was pulled from her for a third time, crumpling to the ground a mere foot from the flood light path of the Bella House, spluttering as air re-entered her lungs but unable at the same time to catch her breath as the adrenaline left her system and the severity of her injuries hit her like a four-tonne weight. Beca was semi-aware of the fact that her t-shirt was soaked with blood from her wounds as she lay just out of sight of the path, consciousness beginning to slip away from her.

"Shit… shit man what did you do?"

"What did we do. You're the one that was choking her out."

"Yeah because you told me to!"

"You really think a jury's gonna believe that huh? We're in this together now."

Beca couldn't move, couldn't speak, could barely breathe as her assailants stood above her assigning blame. She didn't understand why this was happening. She hadn't tried to fight them, she hadn't stopped them taking her stuff, she hadn't even said a word to them. Beca was just trying to get home…

"C'mon, we gotta get out of here."

Beca heard boots pounding away from her, breaths short and laboured as she lay a few feet away from her home From her family. From safety. She couldn't go out like this. Not when she was so close to the people she loved, from getting help. There seemed to be no strength left in her body as frustrated tears poured down her cheeks.

'You're Beca 'effin Mitchell. Are you really gonna let them take you down like this? Get up!'

Beca gritted her teeth against the nauseating pain that rolled through her in waves, pushing herself up as her arms trembled from the effort. Her t-shirt was completely red at this point and as Beca managed by some act of God to stumble to her feet she tried to slow the blood flow down with her hand. It was probably futile at this point but that didn't register in Beca's mind as she staggered up the front path, only vaguely aware of the bloody handprints she was leaving along the wall that bordered the path as she leant heavily against it.

The front path to the Bella House seemed to stretch out for miles as Beca pushed back against the exhaustion settling into her aching body. Not yet. She had to get home. Not yet.

"Alright, I'm calling it. It's after midnight." Chloe sighed, "We have watched three movies, eaten at least a pizza each and Beca still isn't home…"

"She'll be caught up at the studio again, you know what she's like when she gets in that headspace." Stacie rolled her eyes, the Bellas all starting to move towards their rooms for the night.

"Yeah I guess… I just hate the idea of her being out on her own at night." Chloe frowned, running a hand through her hair, "She's not been answering my texts all night, it's not like her…"

"I'm sure she's fine Chloe!" Jessica smiled, "She'll text you in a panic at two am when she realises the time."

"You're right, you're right. I guess I'm just in my own head." Chloe smiled softly, briefly pressing her side, "I just need to sleep."

It was at that moment the door to the Bella House was thrown open with a loud bang. Beca was leaning against the door, hair hanging in her face. Chloe frowned a little as Stacie chuckled something about Beca's dramatic entrance, heart pounding faster. Something was wrong. Beca's face was ashen, her whole body seemed to be trembling, and Chloe could've sworn she was wearing a white t-shirt when she left earlier.

"Becs?" Chloe stepped forward slowly, frown deepening as she saw how short and shallow Beca's breathing was and the way she was clutching at her stomach.

"Help me…" Beca's voice was barely louder than Lilly's as her legs crumpled underneath her. She'd made it. She was home.

"Oh my god." Chloe sprinted forward and caught Beca just before she hit the floor, "Becs, what happened? Someone call an ambulance!"

Stacie was already directing Cynthia-Rose to calling for help whilst she grabbed a blanket for the shivering Beca, tugging off the hoodie she was wearing as well as she knelt next to them. She gently moved Beca's hands out of the way and pressed her hoodie over the three deep stab wounds in Beca's stomach, trying to better stem the flow of blood as she tucked the blanket around her freezing friend.

"Keep her talking." Stacie was trying to keep her tone calm despite the rising panic in her chest. This was really bad.

"Becs? Hey… c'mon sleepy head you can't fall asleep on me yet." Chloe pushed back her tears as she smiled down at Beca, gently brushing her hair from her face.

"Chlo… I couldn't- I couldn't die out there." Beca mumbled, tears slipping down her cheeks, "I had to get back…"

"And you did, you're safe now Beca." Chloe cupped her face with her hand, "Just hold on, okay? We're getting you help."

"I did what they wanted… my phone, my purse… I don't understand…" Beca shook her head a little.

"Oh Becs… it's okay, they can't hurt you anymore." Chloe felt a couple of traitorous tears slip down her cheeks. She didn't want Beca to see her cry right now, didn't want her to see how much she was freaking out internally. Beca was in a really bad way and Chloe knew that these were potentially fateful injuries, "Hold on sweetie, help's coming."

"It hurts Chlo… I'm so tired…" Beca's head was starting to loll as she slumped in Chloe's arms.

"I know honey I know. But you have to stay awake for just a little longer, can you do that? For me?" Chloe gave Beca the gentlest of shakes as she tried to encourage her awake.

"I'd do anything for you…" A smile tugged subtly at the corner of Beca's lips. Chloe Beale. So much had been unsaid for so long and Beca wasn't even sure if there were enough words in the English language to say the things she had to. She settled instead for raising a shaking hand and resting it on Chloe's cheek, smile widening a little as Chloe pressed her cheek into her palm.

"You're gonna be okay Becs. You have to be. I'm not ready to lose you yet." Chloe whispered, "Now c'mon, sing with me."

"What?" Beca mumbled, eyebrow cocked in a way that reminded Chloe that under all this blood (and there was so much of it) was her Beca.

"You need to stay awake." Chloe shrugged a little, "So we're gonna sing. You know you can't resist duetting with me Mitchell."

Beca laughed softly, wincing as it turned into a cough and even though she covered her mouth she didn't manage to hide the blood that came with it from Chloe. Chloe's heart tightened in her chest. Where the hell was that ambulance? As if reading her mind, Cynthia-Rose flashed Chloe five fingers. Five minutes. They could do five minutes.

"I got my ticket for the long way round…" Chloe started, running a hand through Beca's hair as she wished she was better at hiding the emotion in her voice.

"Two- two bottle o' whiskey for the way…"

The strain in Beca's voice as she fought to stay awake and to sing with Chloe made Chloe frown, looking quickly to Stacie for reassurance. Stacie nodded encouragingly, Chloe trying to ignore just how red Stacie's grey hoodie had gotten. She couldn't think about that right now; if she did, she'd fall apart.

"And I sure would like some sweet company." Chloe forced a smile onto her lips as her nostrils flared a little with the effort of holding back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her.

"And I'm leaving tomorrow what'd'you s-say." Beca swallowed hard as her eyelids began to droop a little, exhaustion weighing on her like a lead blanket.

"When I'm gone, when I'm gone… you're gonna miss me when I'm gone." Chloe watched Beca starting to fade away in her arms and gently nudged her into harmonising the chorus.

"You're gonna m-miss me by my hair." Beca mumbled, Chloe biting her lip a little as she could see that was losing her.

"You're gonna miss me everywhere." Chloe stroked Beca's face hoping that the stimulation would keep her awake.

"Oh… you're gonna… miss me when I'm…" Beca frowned a little as she tried to finish the final line of the song. The word 'gone' was on the tip of her tongue as she looked up at Chloe. She wanted Chloe to be the last thing she saw. Her Chloe.

"Becs? Hey c'mon!" Chloe felt panic flutter in her chest as Beca's eyes fluttered shut, her hand slipping from her cheek, "Beca! Wake up! Don't you dare do this to me!"

Two EMTs appeared at Beca's side, gently pushing Chloe out of the way so they could tend to Beca's injuries. Chloe didn't seem to notice that Beca's blood was staining her clothes or on her cheek as she ran a hand through her hair, watching the EMTs attach machines and wires to Beca's small frame. Stacie stood next to her, long arm wrapping tightly around her shoulders as she tried to reassure her however futile it might be to try and do so.

Before Chloe really had time to process it she was in the back of an ambulance, Beca's hand gripped tightly in her own as they sped through traffic, blue lights flashing and sirens screeching as Chloe kept her eyes fixed firmly on Beca's face, praying to anyone that would listen that Beca would wake up, that this would all be okay.

Please. Beca had to be okay. She couldn't lose her now. There was so much she had to say.

Chloe sat with her head bowed, hands crossed on the back of her neck and elbows resting on her bouncing legs. It had been hours since Beca had been whisked away from and Chloe had heard nothing. What was happening? Was Beca okay? Did she know Chloe was here, that she wasn't moving an inch until she knew Beca was going to be okay?

"Chloe Beale?"

Chloe's head snapped upwards, eyes red from the tears that hadn't stopped since they'd arrived at the hospital. A surgeon stood before her, still dressed in his scrubs as he took his scrub cap off.

"How is she?" Chloe was already on her feet, hands running through her hair for the umpteenth time.

"She's stable." He gave her a kind smile but his face remained serious, "Her injures were incredibly severe, whilst she was on the table Beca technically died for seven minutes before we were able to revive her."

Chloe's hand covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a sob. Why was this happening? She took a moment to compose herself before she turned back to the surgeon.

"But she's okay now, right?"

"It's too early to say." He continued to smile softly even as tears poured down Chloe's cheeks, "Her brain was starved of oxygen for several minutes, we won't be able to tell if there's any long term damage unless she wakes up."

"She- she might not wake up?" Chloe whispered, heart clenching tight in her chest. This wasn't happening. It was all just a bad dream. All she had to do was wake up and this would all be over.

"There's a chance she might not. I'm so sorry."

Chloe felt like the ground had fallen out from underneath her. This didn't feel real. Beca, her dorky, snarky, adorable Beca might not wake up. What the hell was she supposed to do without her? This wasn't real.

"C-can I see her?" Chloe asked, hands trembling as she tried to get any of this to make sense in her head.

"Yeah, she's in the ICU, I'll have a nurse show you the way."

"Um, I-I need to call the Bellas… they'll be wondering what's going on…" Chloe mumbled, not sure if she could explain this to them right now. It all seemed like it was happening to someone else, like she wasn't present in her own body at that moment.

"That's fine. There's some payphones just through here, you can't use your cellphone in the hospital."

Chloe didn't remember walking to the payphone, lifting the receiver or dialling Stacie's mobile number but suddenly her friend's familiar voice was in her ear.

"Hello?"

"Stace it's me. I'm using a payphone at the hospital." Chloe didn't know why that was a relevant detail right now.

"Chloe? Hold on, let me put you on speaker."

There was the brief sound of scuffling before Stacie's voice could be heard again, a little further away than before.

"Okay Chlo, what's going on? How's our girl?"

"She um… she's out of theatre, she's in the ICU. Beca, she- they said she died for a few minutes. She might not… they said she might not wake up. And even if she does she might not be okay. I don't- I don't know what to do Stace. What do I do?" Chloe rested her head against the receiver, exhaustion setting into her bones.

"Oh Chloe."

Stacie sighed softly, Chloe able to hear the sound of snuffling and quiet crying in the background.

"Sit with her. Talk to her. Just be with her. This is Beca 'effin Mitchell we're talking about, that girl isn't going down without a fight."

"Yeah… yeah okay I can do that." Chloe mumbled, a numb feeling wrapping around her. She just wanted Beca to be okay. Nothing else mattered right now.

"If and when you're ready to come home give me a call yeah? I'll come and get you, none of us are travelling alone anywhere until they get the shits that did this to Beca."

"I'm not going anywhere." Chloe shook her head a little, "But thanks."

"Of course. Will yeah keep us posted yeah?"

"Yeah. You guys go to bed. I'll call you tomorrow." Chloe sighed softly.

"Take care of Becs for us."

"Of course. I'm not leaving her for a minute."

Beca looked around at the brilliantly white room she found herself stood in, a frown on her face as she tugged at the edge of the white shirt she definitely wasn't wearing a few minutes ago. Where the hell was she? Where was Chloe? The last thing she remembered was lying in Chloe's arms, her whole body throbbing with pain as she tried to sing with her.

"Hey peanut."

Beca spun on her heel, a tear trailing down her cheek. She knew that voice. She missed that voice.

"Mom?"

Beca's mom beamed as she held her arms out for her daughter, Beca all but sprinting into her mom's tight embrace. Her parent's divorce had been tough enough, but losing her mom at sixteen had ripped Beca's world apart.

"I missed you so much." Beca sobbed into her shoulder.

"I missed you too Becs." Her mom held her tight, pressing a kiss into her hair.

Beca soaked in the feeling of her mother's arms around her again for a few moments before pulling back, wiping at her cheeks.

"I'm dead aren't I?"

"Not yet." Her mom smiled, cupping her cheek, "You're in a coma love. You had quite a night."

"Tell me about it!" Beca snorted, smirking a little before her gaze dropped to her feet, "I was so scared mom…"

"I know sweetie." Beca's mom pulled her into her arms again, "But it's okay now. You're gonna be just fine Beca, I promise."

"Becs? It's me."

Beca sniffed as she pulled away from her mom, frowning again as Chloe's voice seemed to echo around her.

"I'm right here Beca."

Beca's hand tingled as she looked at her mom for some kind of explanation.

"You're in the ICU in a coma Beca. You can hear Chloe, you can feel her touching you, but you're still unconscious. Whether you stay that way is up to you."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna stay right here until you wake up. Because I know you will. I can't lose you Becs."

"I… I don't understand." Beca shook her head a little, "What's going on?"

"You're in a kind of… limbo." Her mom smiled kindly, "You can either go back to your life, or you can let go. The choice is yours Beca."

"I-I-" Beca frowned again, running a hand through her hair, "This is a lot…"

"I know peanut." Beca's mom gently took her hand, "Do you want to see what you'd be going back too?"

"You can do that?"

"Mom's can do anything, remember?" Beca's mom winked at her as Beca rolled her eyes. She'd told her that so many times, "C'mon. Let's see what you'd have ten years from now."

Beca nodded, letting her mom guide her towards a door that had appeared, feeling her stomach flutter with nerves as a blinding light filled her vision. She winced, eyes closed against the light for a moment before her mom squeezed her hand.

"Open them Beca. We're here."

"Three-time Grammy award winning producer and musician Beca Mitchell is due to make a big announcement later today regarding her new album 'Calling Me Home'. It will be the singer's second album and there's already talk of it going platinum just like her debut album did back in 2025."

Beca's eyes widened as she looked around her. She was stood in what was quite possibly the largest living room she'd ever seen. It was homely and warm, the TV on as it played footage of… well her accepting a freaking Grammy. Her attention turned to the tv as she watched herself make an acceptance speech.

"Holy crap… um, my wife is gonna be so mad because I did not write a speech for this even though I told her I did. I never thought in a million years I'd be stood up here with one of these in my hands… shit this is so heavy right?"

This was a lot to take in. A Grammy, a wife, a platinum album? What was happening?

"This… this is insane…" Beca whispered as she turned to her mom who was grinning at her, "I- what the hell? Is this… is this my house?"

"Yeah. You and your wife bought it a year ago."

"But it's such a huge space! Who had this kind of money?"

"You do Beca." Her mom chuckled, "You graduated Barden and took the music world by a storm. Residual Heat hired you and you shot through the ranks. And then you were recording vocals for one of your artists so they could get the general idea of what you were thinking, and your boss was so impressed he begged you to put an album together."

"This… this is insane…" Beca mumbled again, "But why such a big place for just the two of us?"

Beca's mom said nothing, leading Beca through the lounge into a huge kitchen. Her jaw dropped as she looked around her, trying to comprehend just how much this house must have cost, and how much that meant she had.

"Momma?"

Beca's head whipped around as her eyes found the dining table. Sat at it was an older version of herself, am incredibly weird scenario in itself, and to her left was…

"What's up peanut?"

"Is… is that my… is she…?" Beca couldn't find her words as a tear slipped down her cheek at the sight of a girl around four years old, her hair a familiar shade of chestnut and eyes a brilliant blue.

"Are you gonna be gone ages today?"

Beca grinned at her daughter, moving her hair out of her face, "No Emma, don't you worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"Good!" Emma smiled brightly, "Because mama would be sad if you were. It's your anning-verse-ree."

"You had Emma four years ago." Her mom smiled, giving Beca's shoulder a squeeze, "You named her after me because you're a softy."

"She's beautiful…" Beca whispered, "I… I don't know how to process this. This is all… it's a lot."

"I know." Her mom smiled, "Just watch."

"Like I could forget that!" Beca gently pulled her daughter into her lap, "The day I married your mama was one of the happiest days of my life."

"Well, that is a relief."

Beca span on her heel, tears pouring down her cheeks as that familiar voice made her heart pound in her chest. Of course. Of course it was her.

"Because I don't think I've ever been that happy." Chloe smiled as she watched her daughter and her wife interact, hand resting on a very obvious baby bump.

"What can I say?" Beca shrugged, smirking at Chloe as she carefully set Emma down and walked over to her wife, taking her hands in hers, "You looked smoking hot that day."

Chloe giggled as she shook her head at Beca, a soft kiss shared between them before Beca's attention shifted to the bump, squatting so that she could press a kiss to it.

"Hey there little man. You gonna look after your mama whilst I'm out?"

"We'll be fine." Chloe chuckled.

"Great. Because I have big plans when I get back and I need mama in one-piece for that. Got it?" Beca pointed her finger sternly at the bump as Chloe laughed.

"You are such a dork Beca Mitchell." Chloe shook her head, Beca pushing herself up again as she wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist the best she could.

"Yeah, but you love it." Beca grinned, brushing her lips over Chloe's.

"I love you." Chloe grinned.

The scene faded away from view as Beca shook her head again, hands running through her hair. Could she really have all that? Could she really be that happy? Could she really end up with Chloe?

"Come back to me Beca. Please."

Chloe's voice echoed around her again as Beca wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked to her mom who was smiling softly at her.

"Mom… all of that, was it real?"

"Who's to say?" Her mom shrugged, "It may be, it may not. But it could be Beca. All you have to do is go back and find out."

"Would you be mad if I did?" Beca whispered, eyes on the ground, "If I didn't stay here with you."

"Beca…" Her mom took her hands in hers, "Look at me. I have only ever wanted you to be happy. That's all a mother wants for her kids. And if going back and seeing if that future is what's waiting for you is going to make you happy then of course I'm not going to be mad."

"I- I think I wanna…"

"Come back to me Beca. Please." Chloe whispered, taking Beca's hand in hers and giving it a tight squeeze.

It had been four days since Beca had been admitted to the ICU and Chloe had left for only an hour in that whole time, and even then it had taken Aubrey's thinly veiled threats of violence to convince her to go home and shower. The Bellas visited periodically between classes, and Aubrey had taken a leave of absence from the Lodge to take over practice for the Worlds. None of them had wanted to prepare for it without Beca, but Chloe had insisted that they had to carry on as if everything was normal; Beca would be annoyed if they fell behind when she worked so hard to fit them into her busy schedule.

"I need you Beca. Please don't leave me."

Chloe watched Beca's chest rise and fall rhythmically, tying to soothe herself with the steady, quiet beep of the heart monitor. Beca was alive. She just need to open her eyes. It would all be okay if Beca opened her eyes.

"C-Chlo?"

Chloe's hear started to thump wildly in her chest, eyes snapping to Beca's face as her croaky voice made her frown and then swallow hard.

"Becs?" Tears started to pour down Chloe's cheeks, "Oh my god. You're awake!"

"Yeah." Beca smiled weakly. Her throat felt like the Sahara but she didn't care. Chloe was here, just like she always was. Beca didn't really know what was going on, where she was, but what she did know was that Chloe was here.

"Oh Beca…" Chloe sobbed, moving from her chair to pull her into a tight hug, careful of the wires and tubes that were attached to her, "I- I thought I'd lost you…"

"You're not that lucky Beale." Beca chuckled, wincing as her body throbbed from the bruises that covered it and the wound on her stomach where the surgeons had operated on her.

"You're okay. You came back to me." Chloe was sobbing heavily as Beca's nostrils flared and she tried to lift her weak arms to wrap around her.

"I will always come back to you." Beca mumbled, managing to rest her arms around Chloe who was crying into her chest.

"I love you Beca." Chloe lifted her head, wiping furiously at the tears on her cheek, "I should have said something sooner, I don't care if you don't feel the same. I love you, I love you, I can't imagine my life without you."

"I love you too." Beca smiled softly, "I could hear you calling me home. I came back for you. Only you Chlo."

Chloe couldn't stop the tears pouring down her cheek as she leant in and kissed Beca, trying to put four years of hidden feelings and missed opportunities into it as she cupped her face in her hands. Beca returned the kiss with the little strength she had, hoping that even though she was incredibly weak right now, Chloe would know that she was feeling exactly the same way.

"I love you." Chloe whispered as the kiss ended, forehead resting against Beca's as she grinned.

"I love you too. You're my whole future Chloe Beale."