Beca tiptoed across the landing, bag in hand as she tried her hardest to make no noise at all. She had to leave, and she had to do it without them knowing. It was better for all of them if she did. She saw the way they looked at her now, the way they looked at each other when she was around, the way they wouldn't touch her in case she just shattered completely. Beca was broken, and it had broken what they had too. How could she have let this happen to her?

Beca had reached the living room without a peep, swallowing the lump in her throat as she pushed back at the tears that threatened to consume her. She had no right to cry. She was taking the cowards way out, what right did she have to cry about this? Her hand tightened around her bag as she took a deep shuddering breath, squaring her shoulders and moving quietly across the living room. This was for the best. They deserved better than her, Beca had never understood what they saw in her in the first place. And now she was damaged goods? Now he had- had broken her, had torn apart everything she had know about herself? Well whatever tiny aspect of her that had drawn them in was surely gone now.

"Don't."

Beca jumped as Aubrey's voice carried through the dark. It was soft, tearful even, such a sharp contrast to the Aubrey that she knew. Beca froze on the spot, her hand on the front door handle as her nostrils flared. The lamp was turned on with a click and Beca could feel herself shaking as she heard soft footsteps make their way towards. She should go. Right now. Before she could say anything more, before she could convince her otherwise, Beca had to leave.

"Don't Beca."

Aubrey was in front of her, between Beca and the exit as Beca kept her eyes on the floor, sniffing softly. If Beca had looked up at that moment she would have seen the tears on Aubrey's cheeks, the spark of fear in her eyes at the idea of Beca leaving them, of her being all alone out there and trying to deal with this.

Beca gasped softly as she felt a pair of arms wrap slowly and gently around her waist, hating the way the action that used to make her smile in a way she would vehemently deny to her friends now made her mouth go dry and her heart pound in her chest. And yet as she felt Chloe press so carefully into her back, her face buried in her neck, Beca could already feel her initial fear response falling away.

"Stay with us Beca." Chloe mumbled into her hair, "We've got you, we promise we have."

"P-please." Beca managed to stammer out in a hoarse whisper, betraying how heavily she had cried over her decision earlier, "Please just let me go…"

"No." Aubrey shook her head, cupping Beca's face softly in her hands and lifting it slowly to look at her, "No Beca. Never. Not without a fight."

The tears she had been holding back began to fall as Beca met the loving and concerned look of her girlfriend. How could she still love her after all this? How could either of them love her anymore? Why couldn't they just let her go?

"I love you so much Beca." Chloe whispered, forehead pressed against Beca's temple, "We both do. Nothing that asshole has done could ever change that. You're still our Beca."

"I'm not." Beca shook her head furiously, voice barely audible, "I'm not. He took that from me, he made me weak and pathetic and worthless!" Beca's voice got louder as her sobs began to shake her body, "I'm not Beca anymore! I'm nobody, I'm nothing, so just PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!"

Beca's legs crumpled as she sobbed, Chloe holding her as tight as she dared as she lowered them to the floor. Beca's hollow and wretched sobs echoed around them as Chloe rocked her gently, sniffling softly, her heart broken over hearing Beca talk about herself like that. Aubrey had to swallow a ball of anger as she knelt next to Beca and Chloe, gently prying the bag from Beca's grip before taking Beca's hands in hers; she hated him for making Beca feel like this, like she had not other option but to run away and leave the people that loved her more than anything.

"Rebecca Mitchell you listen to me." Aubrey gave Beca's hand a tight squeeze, her tone soft and firm, "You are not any of those things. You did nothing wrong. I am so proud to be able to say that you're my girlfriend, to say that I love you, to say that I know you. I love you, more than I ever thought was possible, and I am not about to let you walk out of the door do you understand me?"

Beca was still crying hard as she trembled from head to foot, biting her lip as she looked at Aubrey. Aubrey hated the confused and pained look in her features at the idea that she loved her, there was nothing she wanted to do more right now than to find him and tear him limb from limb for this. But Beca needed her more, Beca was more important, Beca was the only one that mattered right now.

"She's right." Chloe nodded, pressing a soft kiss to Beca's temple as she gently moved her hair from her eyes, "There's no way we're letting you go Beca. I have never thought of you in any of those ways, not before or since this happened. I think you're so strong, and so brave, and so incredible… even if you don't feel like that, you are. We are right here, we're not going anywhere, no matter how hard you try and push us away. You don't have to run, not from us Beca."

"I- I just… I don't w-want to feel like this anymore…" Beca wept, allowing herself to sink into Chloe's embrace for the first time in the months since it had happened. Aubrey lay down so that her head was in Beca's lap, one hand still holding Beca's as the other rested on her knee, thumb stroking it gently, "I feel… hollow and broken, and I don't deserve either of you. I don't. I never did."

"Yes you did. You do." Aubrey continued to stroke Beca's knee as she tried to somehow comfort Beca. How could she really? How could she make any of this better for her?

"You're incredible Becs." Chloe began to run her fingers slowly and rhythmically through Beca's hair, cradling her against her, "We're in awe of you, constantly, we have been since day one. No-one's asking you to be okay with all of this, how could you be? But all we want is for you to trust us to be strong for you, to help you through this, because we will. We'll get through this Beca."

"What if we can't?" Beca whispered, sobs subsiding to sniffles as she buried her head into Chloe's neck, her free hand in Aubrey's hair as she tried to soothe herself with the feeling of the soft blonde locks between her fingers, "What if this is all there is now?"

"It's not." Aubrey shook her head a little so that she didn't dislodge Beca's fingers from her hair, "I know it feels like that right now, that there's no way out of this deep and dark pit that you've found yourself in, but there is Beca. We're here, with a torch and a rope ladder and as much love as you can possibly want and need."

Beca fell quiet as she cried in the arms of the women that loved her. She didn't understand why they did, why they hadn't left her the minute she had fallen through their front door, battered and bleeding and covered in blood and- and other things. Beca didn't understand it, but in this moment she was beyond grateful that they did, that they were fighting with her to stay with them.

"I'll stay…" Beca mumbled, feeling Chloe sigh in relief and Aubrey squeeze her hand even tighter, "If you want me to stay I will."

"We do." Chloe nodded, "We really do Beca."

"You're staying." Aubrey affirmed, kissing the back of Beca's hand, "And we're getting through this."

"Thank you." Beca sighed heavily, "Thank you for loving me even when I'm broken."

"You never have to thank us Beca." Chloe shook her head, pressing her lips into the crown of Beca's head, "Never ever okay?"

Beca nodded a little, eyes cast down at Aubrey as her fingers gently scratched her scalp in the way she knew she loved. Aubrey looked up at her, smiling softly and releasing Beca's hand so she could use it to rest on Chloe's neck and play with the baby hairs on the back of it. They stayed like that, Aubrey's head in Beca's lap, Beca slumped against Chloe for no-one knew how long. Beca hadn't been held like this since before the incident, she had flinched away from their every touch, but now she couldn't imagine anywhere that she would feel safer.

"I really do love you both." Beca mumbled quietly, "You know that right? I wasn't leaving because I don't love you."

"We know." Aubrey smiled up at her again, "You were scared, you were doing what you thought was right, what was best for us. Even if it was a dumbass call."

Beca scoffed slightly, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at her lips, "I'm sorry. It was a dumbass call. I just… I don't want you to look at me differently anymore." The smile had fallen from her face as she sniffed softly.

"Oh Becs…" Chloe sighed, holding her closer to her again, "You're right. We have been doing and I'm sorry. It's not pity, I promise you it's not. It's concern, it's worry, but it's not pity. And we'll work on it, we will."

"I hate that you've noticed that." Aubrey frowned softly, "Chlo's right, we'll work on it. I don't want you to ever feel like we feel any different about you, because we don't. We're just worried about you, we want to help you. We certainly don't want to push you away."

Aubrey rolled onto her back so that she could look up at Beca properly, reaching up to caress her cheek. Beca smiled down at her, feeling Chloe press more soft kisses into the top of her head.

"Can we go to bed?" Beca asked, still shaking a little as she felt them both nod.

"Are you ready for that?" Aubrey asked softly. Beca hadn't shared their bed in the three months since the incident.

"Yeah." Beca nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat and ignoring the way her heart was starting to pound, "I- I really need to be close to you guys right now. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is baby." Chloe mumbled into her hair, "Do you need some help getting up?"

Beca nodded a little, waiting for Aubrey to get to her feet before she leant against Chloe who guided her onto shaky legs and back towards their bedroom. Aubrey had grabbed the bag that Beca had packed and on the way back to the bedroom she had hidden it in the linen closet behind the towels, just in case.

They were soon in their bed, Beca's jeans, t-shirt and jacket swapped for Chloe's hoodie and a pair of Aubrey's sweats. Neither fit her, but Beca didn't care. She just wanted to feel them around her as much as she possibly could. Aubrey was curled up on her left, head resting on her shoulder as she wound her arm around her waist. Chloe's chin rested on her head, her arm resting on top of Aubrey's, both of them pressed as close to Beca as they could manage. Neither of them said it, but Beca letting them hold her like this was a huge step. Things were starting to look up for Beca, and that's all they wanted for her.

"I love you." Beca mumbled as exhaustion weighed on her like a lead blanket, eyes starting to flutter shut, "I'm sorry for trying to leave."

"It's okay. You stayed. That's all that matters." Chloe smiled softly as the hand that wasn't resting on Beca's waist ran into her hair.

"Exactly." Aubrey nodded, "Get some rest Beca. We'll be right here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise." They replied in unison.