A/N - Okay I'm going to have to stop apologising at the start of each of these updates. Work. Life. Love. It's all crazy busy and that's why I've struggled to get a decent couple of days to write a proper chapter. Thank you to those of you have been patient though and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)

EPILOGUE XXVV - The Evening Gathering

There was a loud hubble of chatter, clinking of glasses, and scraping of cutlery on plates as the busy dinner service at The Rubix Bar continued to be in full swing. A band were busy setting up on the small stage in the far corner. And in the other far corner of the large bar sat Chloe and Aubrey at the table that was so often reserved for the redhead and her fiancee on a Saturday evening.

Chloe tapped her fingertips lightly on the wooden table before her, tapping to the beat of the low music playing through the bar's speakers, and her head was turned to look over the full tables down the length of the room at the front door of the establishment. It was just after 7pm. Where was everyone?

"Chloe, calm down, okay?" Aubrey said kindly to her best friend, and Chloe turned to her, raising her eyebrows.

"You're sure Beca got a dress alright?" the redhead asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes! Stacie told me it took them five stores but they finally found it." Aubrey said, smoothing a reassuring hand across her best friend's back. Chloe appeared to take a deep calming breath to try to compose herself then she smiled.

"Okay," she breathed, "sorry it's just...I know how much Beca hates clothes shopping and...I just don't want her to be put off marrying me based on how terrible the wedding dress shopping experience is."

Chloe knew she was being ridiculous. She knew Beca, and she knew her fiancee wouldn't be put off marrying her based on how stressful dress shopping could be. But Chloe had had such a stressful time today, far more stressful than she'd first expected, and she normally enjoyed shopping! So she could only imagine how stressed out Beca must have got.

"Okay, Chloe, sweetheart, I'm going to need you to take some deep breaths." Chloe heard her mother say to her while the younger woman sat in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her dream dress, the dress she'd always envisioned herself wearing on her wedding day, the dress she wore right now, looked AWFUL on her. Horrific!

"N-no.." Chloe said stubbornly, tears flowing down her cheeks, "th-that's i-it!" she stuttered, "I c-can't get m-m-married! C-call Beca. T-tell her that her f-fiancee wont b-be going t-to the wedding because sh-she doesn't h-have a dreeeessssss!" and the redhead wailed into the palms of her hands that she threw up to her face.

Matters weren't made any better when her mother let out a small chuckle while she placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, and it only made Chloe bawl louder.

"Oh sweetheart it's okay. This is only the second store we've been to and only the sixth dress you've tried on!" Sue Beale said kindly, looking over her crying daughter's head at Aubrey who stood with Jessica, Flo, and Emily - the latter Bella looking somewhat perplexed at the redhead's dramatic overreaction to the current dress she was wearing. Fortunately for Chloe, her wedding dress entourage knew her well. So, led by Aubrey, the Bellas scattered around the plush Bridalwear store in search of several different bridal dresses that might suit the woman instead, while the mother of the bride tried to pull her only daughter out of the meltdown she was having.

"Oh good, your Mom found your Dad." Aubrey said brightly, motioning to the front doors of The Rubix just as Sue and Jerry Beale stepped into the establishment. They were met by a chorus of warm greetings from the waiting staff that were busy compiling drinks orders and putting through food orders to the kitchen. But none of the staff welcomed the Beale's as warmly as Jason, The Rubix's owner, who strode around the bar area to pull Mr & Mrs Beale into friendly hugs. The couple had only ever been in the place a handful of times, but they were still always remembered thanks to their kind nature, good humour, and Jerry's generous tips.

Sue Beale had originally arrived at The Rubix with Chloe and Aubrey, but following a brief call from her husband telling her that he couldn't quite remember where the place was, the mother had left her daughter and her daughter's oldest friend to search for her husband and guide him in the right direction. Chloe smiled brightly at her parents as they weaved their way between the tables over to their daughter's table in the far corner of the room. A smile that broadened as she watched her father being tugged along by Alba who scrambled as frantically as possible to get to her owner. Chloe spun in her chair, swinging her legs around so she could welcome her young dog with open arms, and Alba launched her front legs up onto Chloe's lap to lick her chin excitably.

The redhead let out a loud long giggle, "Heeeeeyyyyyy Albie! I know, I know, I missed you toooooo!" Chloe said delightfully, before her fingers finally got hold of her dog's collar and she gently pulled Alba from her face, "Come on now, calm down." and she let out a sigh of relief when the white labrador brought her paws down and sat obediently by her side.

Chloe took the lead from her father's hand as the man leant down to kiss his only daughter on the cheek, "Hey Daddy." she said sweetly and the man chuckled.

"Hey Twinkle. Heard you got the dress!" Jerry Beale said in a hearty voice, looking down proudly at his daughter and the woman beamed up at him.

"Yes! It's perfect! Aubrey found it actually.." Chloe said, motioning to the blonde who was sat beside her.

"Ha! Aubrey! How are you?" Mr Beale said in his warm booming voice, stepping over Alba's body at his daughter's feet and moving over to greet the blonde who had been Chloe's best friend in her first few years of college. "It's been so long!"

Aubrey rose to her feet, grinning brightly as she received a warm hug from her best friend's father. The Beale's had always been a wonderfully affectionate family, and Aubrey always remembered how jealous she'd used to be in the early days of her friendship to Chloe, hating how close the redhead's family all were to one another when The Posen's were often so difficult to get close to. But over time Aubrey had been able to embrace their kind nature to the point that now the woman could go years without having seen her best friend's parents and would still be greeted by them as though they'd seen her last week.

"It's certainly been a while." Aubrey agreed with a smile, taking a seat beside Chloe again.

"Are you still running that place? Um...'Lodge of Fallen Trees' is it?" Jerry asked enthusiastically, beginning to take the seat beside Chloe, but as Aubrey opened her mouth to answer, Chloe's mother gave the man a gentle slap on his upper arm with the back of her hand, "Ow. Wha-?" he said, furrowing his brow at Sue, but the older woman raised her eyebrows.

"Beca's going to sit there!" Mrs Beale said in a bossy tone, and Jerry raised his hands in apology, muttering "Well excuse me for wanting to sit next to my daughter. I've not seen her all day but whatever.." and Sue simply rolled her eyes sharing a smile with her husband who pretended to be huffy as he moved around and sat the other side of his wife, "Oh relax, remember that Beca won't have seen her all day either.." the woman said and her husband tutted before grinning, then turning back to the two younger women who now sat opposite him.

"Sorry Aubrey." Jerry said kindly, motioning for her to answer.

"Yes, I'm still running the lodge." Aubrey said with an amused tone, always loving how light-hearted the relationship between Chloe's parents was.

"And it's called the 'Lodge of Fallen Leaves', Daddy. Not trees." Chloe said with a giggle, before motioning over at Jason who was stood behind the bar. She pointed down at her dog and the bar owner nodded with a smile before opening one of the cupboards behind the bar.

"Sorry." Jerry said, but Aubrey merely giggled.

"That's really okay, Mr Beale. Close enough!" the blonde said kindly as she watched Jason stride over to the table with a dog bowl full of water. The bar owner crouched down and placed the bowl in front of Alba, chuckling as the white lab launched herself up to lick his chin. The man ruffled the dog's fur affectionately, then motioned to the bowl of water which Alba began lapping at.

"Can I get any of you some drinks or did you want to wait for the rest of your group?" Jason asked politely, but Chloe quickly answered before her parents or best friend could get a word in edgeways.

"No it's-" she paused, looking around the bar owner at the front door as it opened, but to her disappointment it wasn't her fiancee or the three other Bellas that Chloe knew would be joining them. So she turned back to Jason letting out a short breath of air and forcing a smile back on her face to try to hide her disappointment, "-we'll wait for the others. Thank you."

"Well you know where I am when you're ready." The man said with a smile, looking around the small group, then made his way to the door to see to the new customers who were waiting patiently by the door.

"Sooooo Aubrey..." Sue asked cautiously, looking from the way her daughter was still watching the door like a hawk - clearly concerned that Beca wasn't actually going to turn up for dinner even though it had been the brunette's idea in the first place - to the blonde woman by her daughter's side who smiled politely at her, "...any news on the romance front? I can imagine it's difficult to date while you're running a business in the middle of nowhere!" Sue said with a gentle chuckle.

Aubrey swallowed loudly. She didn't often get asked about her love-life because she rarely spoke to her family, and when she did they were usually more interested in how her career was going rather than her love-life. But The Beale's were a family she trusted. And she had admired the way they had welcomed their daughter's decision to be in a romantic relationship with Beca..

So the blonde looked down at her hands nervously, her eyes scanning over the beautiful white-gold bracelet that Stacie had bought her for Christmas. And a smile slowly grew on her face.

"Oh that's a yes!" Jerry Beale said in a teasing tone that he so often used on his children and grandchildren. A tone that Chloe recognised, and the younger redhead snapped her attention from the front door of the bar to her parents as they looked at her best friend in delight.

"Who is he?" Sue asked excitably while she and her husband leant forward, as though Aubrey was about to divulge a huge secret. Chloe's mouth began to hang open a little with surprise. Aubrey wasn't about to tell them about Stacie, was she?

"She..." Aubrey began, then looked up at Mr & Mrs Beale as their mouths dropped open in shock. But not in a horrified sort of way. Because smiles were still on their faces, which gave the blonde the confidence to continue, "...is actually one of The Bellas. Stacie?" she finally said, in a way that almost asked the parents if they knew which one that was.

"Ooh the model?" Sue asked curiously.

"Yes." Aubrey said with a nod, her smile broadening, a weight already having felt as though it had been lifted from her shoulders. It was so good to finally be able to tell more people, even if those two people were ones she rarely saw. "Yes the model."

Jerry Beale let out a puff of air, raising his eyebrows before letting out a kind chuckle, "Well there must be something in the water at Barden that's for sure!" and he and his wife chuckled as Chloe beamed at Aubrey. She was over the moon for her best friend. One step closer to finding the courage to tell The Bellas.

"We're still keeping it a secret for the moment though. For Stacie's career and in case my family find out.." Aubrey said nervously, and the parents nodded their heads seriously. Thanks to the stories Chloe had told them over the years, they understood that the blonde's family were far from liberal when it came to Aubrey's decisions in life. Her choice in partner was likely to be the final straw.

"Well don't you worry Aubrey, your secret is safe with us." Sue said kindly.

"What secret?" came a voice beside the table and the occupants turned in surprise to see the beaming bright smile of Fat Amy, who opened her arms up, "We made iiiiiiit!" she sang, then threw her arms around Chloe, squeezing her tight while muttering into her ear, "Beca nearly had a meltdown but we found the dress."

"Thank you" Chloe mumbled back into the Australian's ear in relief, looking over the woman's shoulder to see her fiancee wearing a big smile on her face as she began winding her way between the tables towards them, rolling her eyes which communicated to Chloe just how long the day had felt for the petite woman.

As Fat Amy did the rounds, pulling Aubrey into a tight hug, then bee-lining straight for The Beale's, Chloe stood and wrapped her arms around Beca's neck. She let out a small giggle as her fiancee mumbled into her ear, "God am I glad to see you.."

"Long day?" Chloe said quietly into her ear and Beca squeezed her waist tight.

"Ugh the longest."

"I missed you."

"Missed you more." Beca added, placing a kiss on Chloe's neck before pulling out of the hug and working her way over to Mr & Mrs Beale who each gave her a tight hug: Sue giving her a sympathetic "There she is! The trooper survives!" and Jerry giving her an amused "Be lucky you weren't with Chloe while shopping.."

Chloe watched her parents as they each hugged her fiancee and her smile softened. She loved her family. And she loved that Beca valued being a part of it. Being an important part of it.

The redhead allowed herself to be pulled into a warm hug from Stacie as the leggy brunette stepped up to her once Beca had moved over to Mr & Mrs Beale, "Beca did great. And she'd going to look stunning on your wedding day!" Stacie muttered into Chloe's ear and as Chloe thanked her, the brunette looked over her friend's shoulder to see her girlfriend smiling affectionately at her. God she'd missed Aubrey today. It was difficult spending the only day they had off together that month in the same city but apart.

CR was the final member of the dining party to do the greetings-round, the rest of The Bellas having had to travel all the way back to their respective homes this evening. As she made her way around The Beale's, Stacie strode up to Aubrey winding her arms around her waist and mumbling an "I really missed you" into her girlfriend's ear. And Aubrey simply smiled, squeezing her girlfriend tight then placing a quick kiss on her cheek before they parted and took their seats. Stacie took the seat on the other side of the blonde, then kept her hands in her lap to try to avoid the temptation of placing her hand on her girlfriend's lap.

The rest of the group all took their seats, Beca letting out a loud chuckle as Alba continued to wag her tail ferociously, over the moon to be reunited with both her and Chloe once again, and the two women stroked and scratched their white labrador with beaming smiles on their faces while they looked from Alba to each other and back again.

"Drinks?" Jason asked, arriving at the table promptly and the adults' eyes all lit up.

"Shots of Tequila all round!" Fat Amy exclaimed excitably, but the rest of her table groaned.

"Yeeeeahhh I'm not gonna have Tequila." Beca said firmly to her friend, something that the other adults around her agreed with, and the Australian shrugged and ordered a Tequila for one.

"I'll get a JD and Coke." CR said politely with a smile and Fat Amy raised her eyebrows.

"Ooh I'll get one of those too!"

"We'll share a bottle of chardonnay" Aubrey said, motioning between herself and Stacie, ignoring the way Sue & Jerry Beale smiled at the two women sat beside one another.

While the parents ordered their own drinks, Beca placed a hand on Chloe's thigh to draw her fiancee's attention, "Did you want to share a bottle of rose?" she asked quietly, and Chloe couldn't help that cosy feeling she felt in her heart whenever the brunette put her first. Because rose wasn't Beca's favourite beverage of choice. Beer was. So the older woman shook her head, then turned to Jason with a smile.

"I'll get a rose." she said sweetly, "And did you have those beers I brought?" The bar owner nodded. "Great, Beca will have one of those please." and Jason grinned before making his way over to the bar.

"Ooh watch out Shawshank," Fat Amy said in a teasing tone as the couple turned back to the table, "She's now ordering your drinks for you. It's a slippery slope!"

"Shut uuuuup." Beca said, rolling her eyes with a coy grin as the rest of the table erupted into laughter, her arm now lolling over the back of Chloe's chair while the redhead placed her hand on Beca's thigh and cosied up a little closer to her fiancee.

"Right. A toast!" Fat Amy exclaimed as she took hold of her Tequila shot and held it up. The adults around her took hold of their glasses just as a bottle of 'Old Mercury Beer' was placed in front of Beca and a massive smile spread over the brunette's face.

"Old Mercury!" she said in a surprised voice, turning to look at her fiancee. Beca's heart soared as she saw that beautiful smile on Chloe's face while she looked at her adoringly. Old Mercury was her favourite beer. So rare to come across here in the US, but Beca knew her fiancee had managed to find some to keep at their apartment. Chloe had obviously brought some to the bar and had asked Jason to keep it chilled until she arrived. How did she get so lucky to find someone so amazing?

"Well I figured as this was a special evening you should be allowed to celebrate with your favourite beer." Chloe explained, having motioned to her parents and friends around the table before turning back to her fiancee, adoring the look on Beca's face while the brunette shook her head gently in disbelief at her.

"You're incredible..." Beca said affectionately and Chloe winked at her.

"So..." Fat Amy interrupted, making the couple jump and turn back to the rest of the table, their cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment, "a toast to the two who we knew would eventually get their act together..." The Beale's, Stacie, Aubrey, and CR all nodded in agreement, "...and we're so happy that you finally did." Beca and Chloe both glanced at one another, smiling affectionately at each other. Because it had been a long time coming. But they were finally doing it. They were finally going to get married. To continue their life together. "To Beca and Chloe."

"To Beca and Chloe!" came the chorus of voices from around the table and the adults all brought their glasses to the centre of the table to clink them in celebration of a successful day of dress shopping.

And as they all took sips from their respective drinks (Fat Amy throwing her Tequila shot straight back as though it were water), Beca cleared her throat, sharing another look with Chloe before taking a deep breath, "To the future Mrs & Mrs Beale!"

Sue, Jerry, Stacie, Aubrey, Fat Amy and CR all paused, smiles growing on their faces as Chloe bit her bottom lip and the two women nodded with beaming smiles.

"You're going to be Beale's?" came CR's joyous voice, and giggles fell from both Beca & Chloe's mouths as they confirmed that yes, Beca was going to take Chloe's name.

And before they knew what was happening they'd risen to their feet to receive hugs from all their friends, before sharing a group hug with Mr & Mrs Beale.

"We feel so honoured, Beca!" Sue said as she held both Beca and Chloe tight, feeling her husband wrapping his arms around all three of them, and Beca closed her eyes as she felt the love and joy in this hug. This was her family. The family she was going to marry into. And she felt certain that so long as she was a Beale, so long as she had Chloe and as an extension had Sue & Jerry too, then she would never feel lost. She would never feel alone. She would always be loved.

The evening had gone as smoothly and wonderfully as hoped. Good food plus good company after such a long day made for a good time, and Chloe couldn't help the smile that was still spread over her face while she looked at her fiancee over at the bar chatting animatedly to Jason and a couple of the other Rubix staff while they took it in turns to pet Alba who sat obediently at Beca's feet.

The redhead watched as her father got up from the table and made his way over to join Beca, and Chloe's heart warmed as she saw how much her father liked her fiancee. It meant the world to her.

"If I could get the cheque Jason that'd be great." Jerry said to the bar owner, but before the man could respond, Beca held a hand up.

"Jerry I'll get this-"

"-Beca you always get the cheque. Let me get it just this once. Save that money to spend on Chloe." Mr Beale said with a kind smile, "Or Alba!" and the man let out a chuckle as the white lab wagged her tail.

Beca sighed in defeat, shrugging, then nodding to Jason who had hesitated until a conclusion had been drawn. The petite brunette watched as her future father in law crouched down and chuckled again, Alba leaping up at him and licking his chin while he flapped her floppy ears joyfully.

"Listen, Jerry..I've been thinking.." Beca began, her stomach twisting a little with nerves while Mr Beale stood up, looking at her seriously. Because as much as she felt comfortable talking to the man about anything, particularly when Chloe was involved, this particular topic was one that was often something they skirted around, despite their common interest in account keeping and finances, "I can't tell you how much I've appreciated all that you and Sue have contributed financially to the upkeep of mine and Chloe's apartment. Really." She fiddled nervously with Alba's dog lead in her hands while she looked up at Chloe's father, "But I've been thinking...with my recent promotion I'm now earning way more money than I was before and...well I'm gonna be able to afford the cost of all of the rent now, not problem."

Jerry couldn't help the kind smile that began to grow on his face. This was one of the many things he loved about his daughter's fiancee. The woman was kind and thoughtful and took nothing for granted, particularly when it came to money. "We don't mind contributing, Beca. You do so much for Chloe financially so she can live a simpler, happier life. The least we can do is help you both out."

"I get that Jerry, really I do. And I'm not trying to stop you providing for your only daughter. Obviously if you want to give her money for...I dunno, whatever she wants to spend it on...then I'm totally fine with that! I just..." the brunette paused as she tried to find the right words to describe how she'd been feeling over the past few months since her promotion, "...I want to be able to provide more for my future wife, you know?"

And Jerry swore he'd never felt more pride for someone who wasn't his own child than he did for the young woman stood before him right now. There was a lot to be said about Beca wanting to provide so much for his only daughter. His pride and joy. His little girl. A smile spread across Jerry Beale's face and he nodded, "Alright." he said quietly and his heart swelled when the petite brunette seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Great." Beca said happily, beaming up at her future father in law. She loved Chloe so much and valued her fiancee's father's trust. Jerry agreeing to this request was a huge gesture towards her about how much he trusted her with his daughter. "Besides," she added kindly, "you've got all those Grandkids to provide for and we're only going to add to that tally one day so..."

And she grinned as Jerry threw his head back with a loud laugh, then nodded, "I suppose you're right there Beca!" Jerry agreed.

They turned to Jason, just as the bar owner held out the cheque, and Beca raised her eyebrows at Mr Beale, "Last chance Jerry. Sure you don't want me to get it?"

"Are you kidding?" Jerry began with a grin, "I've just found out I'll be having an extra $900 in my account every month. The least I can do is get this!" and the man scooped his wallet out of his back pocket while Beca pulled her purse out of her own jacket pocket and gathered a wad of notes to provide the generous tips for all the staff at The Rubix Bar.